Sixteen 2-year old female sheep were fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannulae at Johnstone Memorial Laboratory, Lincoln University during 1989–90. They were offered, at 2 hourly intervals, a pelleted concentrate diet (900 g/day) and chaffed lucerne hay (100 g/day). In a split-plot experiment they were infused, intraruminally and at four rates, with potassium (providing 16, 26, 36 or 46 g K/kg food DM/day) and magnesium (providing 1·3, 1·8, 2·3 or 3·1 g Mg/kg food DM/day) within a Latin square design and with the liquid and solid phase markers 51chromium EDTA and 141cerium chloride. Net absorption of Mg before and after the duodenum was estimated from dietary intake, duodenal flow and urinary and faecal excretion of Mg. Increasing K intake resulted in a decline in net absorption of Mg from the entire digestive tract, supporting data in the literature. Increasing K intake from 16 to 46 g/kg DM decreased urinary Mg excretion by between 0·14 and 0·30 g/day, the extent of which was independent of the level of Mg intake. At high K intake Mg absorption from the rumen was reduced, the amount absorbed ranging from 0·07 g Mg/day at intakes of 1·3 g Mg/day and 46 g K/kg DM/day to 0·66 g Mg/day at intakes of 3·1 g Mg/day and 16 g K/kg DM/day. However, at high K intake, and when Mg absorption from the rumen was reduced, net Mg absorption from sites distal to the rumen was increased to an extent which suggested compensatory absorption. Increase in K intake was associated with a consistent reduction in plasma Mg concentration which was independent of Mg intake. Increases in Mg intake resulted in increases in Mg absorption and plasma Mg concentration at all rates of K intake in direct proportion to rate of intake. The reduction in Mg absorption from the rumen at high K intake was associated with an increase (0·3 units) in pH of rumen digesta.


This article critically assesses the linguistic and pedagogical value of Priscian's analysis of Latin nouns and verbs in his short treatise on the noun, pronoun, and verb. After determining that the Institutio de nomine et pronomine et verbo differs substantially from Priscian's other grammatical texts, the author demonstrates that Priscian's accounts of the noun and verb are a "mixed bag". Priscian's lengthy list of nominative singular endings is less than satisfactory, and his paragraphs on the Latin verb are often bizarre (e.g., the first person plural is derived from the second singular by the insertion of an infix: ama-s thus becomes ama-mu-s ). Priscian's Institutio does, however, provide a succinct enumeration of the five declensions and four conjugations and an appropriately organized array of nominal and verbal paradigms that make the teaching and learning of Latin much easier for mediaeval schoolmasters and students.


Equitable and efficient health financing is crucial to improve health care provision, still inequitable in many low- and middle-income countries. The allocation of financial resources across geographic areas is important to increase the capacity to effectively provide services and their availability to the neediest population. However, how resources are transformed into service and finally reach the intended beneficiaries, depends on local health care management, on the supply-side, and on constraints to service use, on the demand-side. Equity and efficiency in the geographic allocation of public expenditure in Mozambique, and their determinants, are explored in this thesis.
First, inequities in the distribution of public health expenditure, assessed using a method based on Benefit Incidence Analysis, diminished over time due to improved resource allocation. However, inequities in health care use remain and limit the benefit from public health expenditure for the poor and neediest population. The difference between horizontal and vertical equity, assessed for each source of public health expenditure by raking individuals according to their economic wealth or to their need for health care, reveals initial discrepancies in government and donor expenditure targets and the potential trade-offs between equity objectives.
Second, inefficiencies in health care provision, assessed using Stochastic Frontier Analysis, exist at district level. Efficiency could be increased both in health administrations, where financial resources are managed to guarantee the availability of material resources, such as staff and equipment, and in health facilities, where those are used to deliver health care services. Heterogeneity in efficiency across districts depends on geographic, demographic, administrative and health system characteristics.
Third, results from an econometric model of demand for health care revealed that proximity to health facilities increases the probability of seeking care and that the availability of adequate staff and equipment can encourage service use by those who live near a health facility. Demand side constraints, mostly economic, prevent use even when services are available.
Results suggest that resource allocation policies are insufficient on their own to improve the distribution of public health expenditure. Extending health facility coverage and tackling demand-side barriers are needed to increase service use among and mitigate potential equity efficiency and horizontal-vertical equity trade-offs. Increasing the efficiency of district health administrations and health facilities can contribute to increase service use among those who live close to a health facility.


Diphyllin and its derivatives are well known cytotoxic natural products structurally related to the anti-cancer drug podophyllotoxin. We here study their structure-activity relationship upon human melanoma cells for first time. To this end, human melanoma A375 cells were incubated with Justicidin B and its 4-methoxylated or 4-glycosylated derivatives to evaluate their selective cytotoxicity and study their effects on cell cycle distribution, caspase activation, apoptosis induction using Annexin V-FITC/PI staining, cell morphology and western blot analysis. Diphyllin methyl ether (GI50 = 3.66 μM) and Justicidin B (GI50 = 1.70 μM) caused an elevation of both early and late apoptosis populations whereas Diphyllin apioside (GI50 = 0.84 μM) and its acetate (GI50= 0.39 μM) enhanced late apoptosis population only (Annexin V-positive/PI-positive). All induced cell cycle arrest at S phase and classic morphological indicators of apoptosis (blebbing, apoptotic bodies, and nuclear fragmentation) accompanied with an elevation of cells with low DNA content (sub-G1). All compounds increased the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio by enhancing Bax expression which evidences the involvement of the mitochondria (intrinsic pathway) in the apoptotic process. These caspase-3/7 results evidence that 4-methoxylation or 4-O-glycosylation of Justicidin B -a caspase independent mitochondrial apoptosis-inducer- triggers caspase-3/7 activation at different times (24h vs. 48h, respectively). Interestingly, the methoxylation causes attenuation of Bcl-2 protein expression contrarily to Diphyllin methyl ether or the O-glycosylated derivatives. Finally, the compounds exhibited significantly less toxicity when tested in adult human dermal fibroblasts and their GI50 in melanoma Sk-Mel-5 cells was not influenced by MDR1/Pgp inhibitors. This study may inform the synthesis of future Diphyllin derivatives with different apoptosis mechanism of action towards human melanoma cells.


'No two nations have ever existed on the face of the earth which could do each other so much good or so much harm' - President Buchanan, State of the Nation Address, 1859. "A World on Fire" tells, with extraordinary sweep, one of the least known great stories of British and American history. As America descended into Civil War, British loyalties were torn between support for the North, which was against slavery, and defending the South, which portrayed itself as bravely fighting for its independence. Rallying to their respective causes, thousands of Britons went to America as soldiers - fighting for both Union and Confederacy - racing ships through the Northern blockades, and as observers, nurses, adventurers, guerillas and spies. At the heart of this international conflict lay a complicated and at times tortuous relationship between four individuals: Lord Lyons, the painfully shy British Ambassador in Washington; William Seward, the blustering US Secretary of State; Charles Francis Adams, the dry but fiercely patriotic U.S. ambassador in London; and, the restless and abrasive Foreign Secretary Lord John Russell. Despite their efforts, and sometimes as a result of them, America and Britain came within a whisker of declaring war on each other twice in four years. The diplomatic story is only one element in this gloriously multifaceted book. Using a wealth of previously unpublished letters and journals, Amanda Foreman gives fresh accounts of Civil War battles by seeing them through the eyes of British journalists and myriad soldiers on both sides, from flamboyant cavalry commanders to forcibly conscripted private soldiers. She also shows how the War took place in England, from the Confederacy's secret ship-building programme in Liverpool to the desperate efforts of its propagandists and emissaries - male and female - to influence British public opinion. She even shows how one of the most famous set-piece naval encounters of the War was fought, remarkably, in the English Channel. Foreman tells this epic yet intimate story of enormous personalities, tense diplomacy and torn loyalties as history in the round, captivating her readers with the experience of total immersion in this titanic conflict.


In his article "Golding's The Spire as an Architectonic Novel" Stephan Schaffrath analyzes William Golding's work as an excellent example of one of Mikhail Bakhtin's early critical concepts. In contrast to most literary entertainment which thrives on the readers' suspension of disbelief, The Spire challenges readers to actively and consciously interpret its text, thus raising readers' awareness as participants in the reading act. The Spire achieves this by presenting readers with a novelistic world seen more or less through the eyes of a pseudo narrator, a third-person narration style that consistently and regularly — yet subtly — delves into the main character's mind. The Spire constitutes a commentary on the human tendency to take positivistic shortcuts in epistemological endeavors by building into its narrative fabric Bakhtin's notion of the once-occurrent, never-repeatable nature of one and every act. Stephan Schaffrath, "Golding's The Spire as an Architectonic Novel" page 2 of 8 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 18.1 (2016):


Enterprise Content Management makes reference to the handling of organizational content through printed or electronic means. It comprises the strategies, methods, and tools used to capture, handle, protect, preserve, and submit content and documents related to organizational processes. The ECM is employed by several organizations nowadays since it provides help in the organizational process and thanks to this, it increases the company's profitability by means of improvement of the aspects related with the organization and management of documentation. We studied the general aspects of ECM and three different products are analyzed: Alfresco, Nuxeo, and SharePoint as a ground for the comprehension of this methodology, its characteristics, scopes, benefits, and suitability. A comparison is drawn between them based on the different perspectives: cost, community support, technology, options of execution environment, etc.


Learning by interacting defines the endogenous path of economic development in modern innovation studies. In this paper, we aim to investigate the way that firms undertake interactive learning in the Chinese context by introducing the role of informal Guanxi network. In this way, this paper tries to bridge the gap between studies on firm innovation activities and those on the role of informal network for business performance. Based on an electronics firm survey in the Pearl River Delta, China, this article demonstrates that firms undertaking the highest intensity of interactive learning with the widest scope of business partners, such as foreign customers, domestic customers, parent companies, universities and sales agents, tend to achieve better innovation outcomes. It also verifies a more important role of interactive learning in incremental product innovation than in discontinuous innovation as electronics firms operate in highly modularized value chains. Furthermore, the intensive interactive learning firms have a much higher tendency to apply informal Guanxi networks with long-term business partners as a complement to deficient formal institutions in interactive learning than other firms. Overall, this paper contributes to the understanding of the form and effect of interactive learning in the Chinese context. Finally, the paper addresses the possible lock-in issue and points out further research questions on the changing pattern of interactive learning within a maturing institutional framework.


To clarify the nature of photonic band gaps, a series of calculations on two-dimensional photonic crystals is undertaken. Systems that possess a large gap for one polarization and no gap for the other polarization are analyzed. Two features of a photonic crystal that give rise to a large photonic band gap for each polarization, i.e., connectivity and concentration of the dielectric material, are elucidated. The implications for making materials with large photonic band gaps in two and three dimensions are discussed.


Abstract. Water table depth and its dynamics on hillslopes are often poorly predicted despite they control both water transit time within the catchment and solute fluxes at the catchment outlet. This paper analyses how relaxing the assumption of lateral homogeneity of physical properties can improve simulations of water table depth and dynamics. Four different spatial models relating hydraulic conductivity to topography have been tested: a simple linear relationship, a linear relationship with two different topographic indexes, two Ks domains with a transitional area. The Hill-Vi model has been modified to test these hypotheses. The studied catchment (Kervidy-Naizin, Western France) is underlain by schist crystalline bedrock. A shallow and perennial groundwater highly reactive to rainfall events mainly develops in the weathered saprolite layer. The results indicate that (1) discharge and the water table in the riparian zone are similarly predicted by the four models, (2) distinguishing two Ks domains constitutes the best model and slightly improves prediction of the water table upslope, and (3) including spatial variations in the other parameters such as porosity or rate of hydraulic conductivity decrease with depth does not improve the results. These results underline the necessity of better investigations of upslope areas in hillslope hydrology.


RFID is an emerging innovation and has viable connection to animal tracking. A sensor system which utilizes remote innovation is proposed for checking the livestock. Using RFID Livestock can be monitored efficiently against missing animals and new animals can be included in stock and the vaccination procedures can be monitored in a regular basis. This paper contributes and delineates the other method for farm environment monitoring. RFID tagged animals are associated with a reader in a defined range. The amount of RFID information in such a situation is vast. This scenario calls for more calculation and time that are expected to take out profitable data from RFID livestock management system. Consequently, this analysis concentrates on the indexing of the colossal measure of RFID query processing. Here, "R+ tree indexing technique" is put into use to incite the RFID information recovery from the RFID information stockroom. This method comprises of root node, intermediate and leaf node. Every leaf node is shaped as Minimum Bounding Rectangle (MBR) that incorporates information article and its values. Additionally, leaf node stores the Minimum Bounding Rectangle (MBR) and doesn't store the genuine RFID information object. Implementation results show that R+ tree indexing method produces high indexing throughput and less query processing time.


Ecosystem-based approaches for climate change adaptation are promoted at international, national, and local levels by both scholars and practitioners. However, local planning practices that support these approaches are scattered, and measures are neither systematically implemented nor comprehensively reviewed. Against this background, this paper advances the operationalization of ecosystem-based adaptation by improving our knowledge of how ecosystem-based approaches can be considered in local planning (operational governance level). We review current research on ecosystem services in urban areas and examine four Swedish coastal municipalities to identify the key characteristics of both implemented and planned measures that support ecosystem-based adaptation. The results show that many of the measures that have been implemented focus on biodiversity rather than climate change adaptation, which is an important factor in only around half of all measures. Furthermore, existing measures are limited in their focus regarding the ecological structures and the ecosystem services they support, and the hazards and risk factors they address. We conclude that a more comprehensive approach to sustainable ecosystem-based adaptation planning and its systematic mainstreaming is required. Our framework for the analysis of ecosystem-based adaptation measures proved to be useful in identifying how ecosystem-related matters are addressed in current practice and strategic planning, and in providing knowledge on how ecosystem-based adaptation can further be considered in urban planning practice. Such a systematic analysis framework can reveal the ecological structures, related ecosystem services, and risk-reducing approaches that are missing and why. This informs the discussion about why specific measures are not considered and provides pathways for alternate measures/designs, related operations, and policy processes at different scales that can foster sustainable adaptation and transformation in municipal governance and planning.


The fracture in the emerging discipline of biosemiotics when the code biologist Marcello Barbieri claimed that Peircian biosemiotics is not genuine science raises anew the question: What is science? When it comes to radically new approaches in science, there is no simple answer to this question, because if successful, these new approaches change what is understood to be science. This is what Galileo, Darwin and Einstein did to science, and with quantum theory, opposing interpretations are not merely about what theory is right, but what is real science. Peirce's work, as he acknowledged, is really a continuation of efforts of Schelling to challenge the heritage of Newtonian science for the very good reason that the deep assumptions of Newtonian science had made sentient life, human consciousness and free will unintelligible, the condition for there being science. Pointing out the need for such a revolution in science has not succeeded as a defence of Peircian biosemiotics, however. In this paper, I will defend the scientific credentials of Peircian biosemiotics by relating it to the theoretical biology of the bio-mathematician, Robert Rosen. Rosen's relational biology, focusing on anticipatory systems and giving a place to final causes, should also be seen as a rigorous development of the Schellingian project to conceive nature in such a way that the emergence of sentient life, mind and science are intelligible. Rosen has made a very strong case for the characterization of his ideas as a real advance not only in science, but in how science should be understood, and I will argue that it is possible to provide a strong defence of Peircian biosemiotics as science through Rosen's defence of relational biology. In the process, I will show how biosemiotics can and should become a crucial component of anticipatory systems theory. Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */
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The first copper bis(selenosemicarbazone) complexes have been synthesized, using the ligands glyoxal bis(selenosemicarbazone), pyruvaldehyde bis(selenosemicarbazone), and 2,3-butanedione bis(selenosemicarbazone). Their spectroscopic properties indicate that they are structurally analogous to their well-known square-planar sulfur-containing counterparts, the copper bis(thiosemicarbazone) complexes. Spectroscopic comparison of the sulfur- and selenium-containing complexes provides insight into their electronic structure. The effects on spectroscopic and redox properties of replacing sulfur with selenium, and of successive addition of methyl groups to the ligand backbone, are rationalized in terms of their electronic structure using spin-unrestricted density functional calculations. These suggest that, like the sulfur analogues, the complexes have a very low-lying empty ligand-based pi-orbital immediately above the LUMO, while the LUMO itself has d(x2)-(y2) character (i.e., is the spin partner of the HOMO). Replacement of S by Se shifts the oxidation potentials much more than the reduction potentials, whereas alkylation of the ligand backbone shifts the reduction potentials more than the oxidation potentials. This suggests that oxidation and reduction involve spatially different orbitals, with the additional electron in the reduced species occupying the ligand-based pi-orbital rather than d(x2)-(y2). Density functional calculations on the putative singlet Cu(I)-reduced species suggest that this ligand pi-character could be brought about by distortion away from planarity during reduction, allowing the low-lying ligand pi-LUMO to mix into the d(x2)-(y2)-based HOMO. The analogy in the structure and reduction behavior between the sulfur- and selenium-containing complexes suggests that labeled with positron emitting isotopes of copper (Cu-60, Cu-62, Cu-64), the complexes warrant biological evaluation as radiopharmaceuticals for imaging of tissue perfusion and hypoxia.


Figures in digital documents contain important information. Current digital libraries do not summarize and index information available within figures for document retrieval. We present our system on automatic categorization of figures and extraction of data from 2-D plots. A machine-learning based method is used to categorize figures into a set of predefined types based on image features. An automated algorithm is designed to extract data values from solid line curves in 2-D plots. The semantic type of figures and extracted data values from 2-D plots can be integrated with textual information within documents to provide more effective document retrieval services for digital library users. Experimental evaluation has demonstrated that our system can produce results suitable for real-world use.


Observed global ocean heat content anomalies over the past five decades agree well with an anthropogenically forced simulation using the European Center/Hamburg coupled general circulation model (GCM) ECHAM4/OPYC3 considering increasing greenhouse gas concentrations, the direct and indirect effect of sulphate aerosols, and anthropogenic changes in tropospheric ozone. An optimal detection and attribution analysis confirms that the simulated climate change signal can be detected in the observations in both the upper 300 m and 3000 m of the water column and that the observed changes in ocean heat content are consistent with those expected from the anthropogenically forced GCM integration. This suggests that anthropogenic forcing is a likely explanation for the observed global ocean warming over the past five decades.


Abstract. During winter 2013–2014 aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) measurements were conducted for the first time with a novel PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter  ≤ 2.5 µm) lens in two major cities of China: Xi'an and Beijing. We denote the periods with visibility below 2 km as extreme haze and refer to the rest as reference periods. During the measurements in Xi'an an extreme haze covered the city for about a week and the total non-refractory (NR)-PM2.5 mass fraction reached peak concentrations of over 1000 µg m−3. During the measurements in Beijing two extreme haze events occurred, but the temporal extent and the total concentrations reached during these events were lower than in Xi'an. Average PM2.5 concentrations of 537 ± 146 and 243 ± 47 µg m−3 (including NR species and equivalent black carbon, eBC) were recorded during the extreme haze events in Xi'an and Beijing, respectively. During the reference periods the measured average concentrations were 140 ± 99 µg m−3 in Xi'an and 75 ± 61 µg m−3 in Beijing. The relative composition of the NR-PM2.5 evolved substantially during the extreme haze periods, with increased contributions of the inorganic components (mostly sulfate and nitrate). Our results suggest that the high relative humidity present during the extreme haze events had a strong effect on the increase of sulfate mass (via aqueous phase oxidation of sulfur dioxide). Another relevant characteristic of the extreme haze is the size of the measured particles. During the extreme haze events, the AMS showed much larger particles, with a volume weighted mode at about 800 to 1000 nm, in contrast to about 400 nm during reference periods. These large particle sizes made the use of the PM2.5 inlet crucial, especially during the severe haze events, where 39 ± 5 % of the mass would have been lost in the conventional PM1 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 1 µm) inlet. A novel positive matrix factorization procedure was developed to apportion the sources of organic aerosols (OA) based on their mass spectra using the multilinear engine (ME-2) controlled via the source finder (SoFi). The procedure allows for an effective exploration of the solution space, a more objective selection of the best solution and an estimation of the rotational uncertainties. Our results clearly show an increase of the oxygenated organic aerosol (OOA) mass during extreme haze events. The contribution of OOA to the total OA increased from the reference to the extreme haze periods from 16.2 ± 1.1 to 31.3 ± 1.5 % in Xi'an and from 15.7 ± 0.7 to 25.0 ± 1.2 % in Beijing. By contrast, during the reference periods the total OA mass was dominated by domestic emissions of primary aerosols from biomass burning in Xi'an (42.2 ± 1.5 % of OA) and coal combustion in Beijing (55.2 ± 1.6 % of OA). These two sources are also mostly responsible for extremely high polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations measured with the AMS (campaign average of 2.1 ± 2.0 µg m−3 and frequent peak concentrations above 10 µg m−3). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first data set where the simultaneous extraction of these two primary sources could be achieved in China by conducting on-line AMS measurements at two areas with contrasted emission patterns.


This study represents the first systematic attempt to assess the relation between gender and the wellbeing of older persons in Cambodia, with reference to health, demographic, social support and economic indicators. The context is one in which the numerical dominance of women among the older age population is unusually pronounced due to a past history of civil unrest and violence. Our results, based primarily on the 2004 Survey of Elderly in Cambodia (SEC), reveal both differences and similarities between the sexes. Elderly women are far less likely than men to have a surviving spouse or to be literate, although even for men educational levels are quite low. Women report worse self-assessed health and more health symptoms and physical functioning problems than men but have higher survival rates. Seeing and hearing problems are reported fairly equally. Older men and women differ little in terms of social contact with and material support from children and very few appear deserted by their family. Although men are more likely than women to have work or pension income, there is little gender difference in a number of indicators of material well being including housing quality, household possessions, and self assessed economic situation. Although a conclusive advantage or disadvantage is not evident for any one sex across most dimensions, there are considerable variations in characteristics and circumstances. Recognition of these variations can be useful for understanding the unique needs of men and women in a country in which many older people have lived difficult lives, having faced harsh circumstances related to war and poverty. Gender and Well-Being of Older Persons in Cambodia 3


This article is of a comparative study of social adaptation in the Cyclone Winston disaster case in Fiji and rob flooding in Semarang, Indonesia. In February 2016, the largest tropical storm in the Southern Hemisphere, Cyclone Winston, struck Fiji and caused severe damage and loss of life. Meanwhile, in the last two decades flooding has become an increasingly acute disaster situation in Semarang and the northern coastal region of Java, Indonesia. Communities in the path of both these disasters are the ones who suffer most. Social adaptation is important to consider in these two cases to encourage improved future mitigation and adaptation efforts. Data was collected from interviews and documents in the form of news media articles and previous research reports relevant to tropical disasters and the impact of climate change. The results show that social adaptation to both types of disasters is not identical due to the characteristics of the two different disasters and the different social, economic, political and cultural contexts in Fiji and Indonesia.


Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most fatal brain cancers with median survival of only 14.6 months. Hence, more efficacious therapies are necessary. Ferrocifen (FcTriOH) is an organometallic antitumor compound, selectively active on cancer cells [1]. However, this metallocomplexe is highly insoluble in water, requiring a formulation stage before being in vivo administered. Lipid nanocapsules (LNC), prepared via a solvent free process of emulsion phase inversion, could be a suitable vehicle for FcTriOH [2]. Moreover, NFL peptide is able to enter massively into glioblastoma cells, and poorly in healthy neurons and astrocytes (NHA) [3]. Indeed, the aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of the surface-functionalizing NFL concentrations on LNC uptake in U87MG human GBM cells. Moreover, FcTriOH was encapsulated in LNC and their in vitro efficacy on U87MG cells was evaluated. Finally, in vivo antitumor effect was evaluated in ectopic and orthotopic murine U87MG tumor models. Fluorescent LNC (F1), LNC with 0.86% w/w and LNC with 2.58% w/w surface-adsorbed NFL (F2 and F3 respectively) were prepared and characterized. FACS analysis revealed that cellular uptake of F3 into U87MG cells was 31.5 and 1.6-folds higher after 6 h compared to F1 and F2 respectively. Moreover, uptake of F3 was significantly higher in the GBM cells compared to NHA, whereas F1 was internalized preferentially in NHA. Uptake of F3 in U87MG cells was energy dependent. Macropinocytosis was possibly the major uptake pathway, followed by clathrin-dependent endocytosis. Then, FcTriOH loaded LNCs have been successfully prepared with a drug loading of 2.4 % and an encapsulation efficacy of 99 %. MTS assay on U87MG cells revealed an IC50 of 0.46 µM for F3-FcTriOH (free FcTriOH: IC50 = 1.31 µM). Preliminary in vivo experiments on subcutaneous U87MG tumor bearing nude mice showed significantly reduced relative tumor volume after two intravenous injections of F1-FcTriOH and F3-FcTriOH compared to saline. Moreover, intracranial administration of F3/F3-FcTriOH in orthotopic U87MG tumor bearing mice revealed 2 to 3-folds higher apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) near the injection site in diffusion tensor imaging, compared to F1/F1-FcTriOH. Although dose adjustment will be necessary to avoid toxic effects, the results are promising as therapy induced increased ADC values could indicate possible cell necrosis/lysis. References [1] Laine A.L. et al. (2014), Nanomedicine, 10, pp.1667-1677. [2] Heurtault B. et al. (2003), EJPS, 8, pp. 55-61. [3] Balzeau J. et al. (2013), Biomaterials, 34, pp.3381-3389.


Sample-related invariance is an important topic in psychometric research. The generalizability of findings in a broad range of application samples requires equivalence of interpretations based on the measurement outcomes across respective samples. Contextual factors like gender, age, culture, ethnicity, socio-economical status etc. may affect the meaning and interpretation of psychological measures. Sample-related invariance is frequently investigated using Multiple-Group Mean and Covariance Structure (MGMCS) analyses. This method builds upon natural or artifical categories of contextual variables. Many contextual variables are continuous variables and their categori zation is associated with an information loss and potentially overly simplistic data analyses. We present and discuss two complementary analytical approaches – Latent Moderated Structural (LMS) Equations and Local Structural Equation Models (LSEM). Both approaches allow treating contextual factors as continuous variables and are appropriate to detect non-linear relations. The use of these methods is exemplified based on real data. We investigated measurement equivalence of a battery of cognitive tests across age (N = 448; age range 18-82 years). Based on a higher-order factor model of cognitive abilities factorial equivalence could be established – contradicting the agededifferentiation hypothesis. Advantages and disadvantages of MGMCS, LMS, and LSEM and further implementations beyond aging-research are discussed.


By the early 2000s an increasing number of countries had adopted a well-defined central bank framework, characterized by two intertwined features: stronger specialization for the banking authority in achieving monetary policy goals, and a lessening of its traditional responsibilities for the safeguard of financial stability within its institutional perimeter. The fundamental effect was that Central Bank Involvement in Supervision (CBIS) generally decreased. But then, after the Financial Crisis erupted in 2008, reforms have been undertaken and projects are being discussed to reconsider the role of the central bank in the field of supervisory tasks. The main research question is then: how is CBIS moving? This article offers two contributions. Firstly, the economics of the relationship between central banking, monetary policy and banking supervision is reviewed. Secondly, the current situation of CBIS in 88 countries around the world is analyzed.


We investigate an a posteriori error analysis of adaptive finite element approximations of linear-quadratic boundary optimal control problems under bilateral box constraints, which act on a Neumann boundary control. We use a symmetric interior Galerkin method as discretization technique. An efficient and reliable residual-type error estimator is introduced by invoking data oscillations. We then derive local upper and lower a posteriori error estimates for the boundary control problem. Adaptive mesh refinement indicated by a posteriori error estimates is applied. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the performance of the adaptive finite element approximation.


This study has investigated how to support science learning experiences within citizen science participation communities. The organisation of citizen science projects shows that scientific goals in citizen science projects precede the learning goals and thus, learning happens as a side-effect of the training toward the completion of the project targets.

Citizen inquiry communities originated from the idea of having citizens act as scientists. To address the opportunity to provide more explicit educational benefits, citizen inquiry communities combine citizen science with inquiry-led learning. Citizens participating in these communities are supported to create and facilitate personally meaningful investigations in collaboration with scientists. Moreover, the online environment is developed to enable collaborative inquiry learning.

Two citizen inquiry communities have been developed: 'Inquiring Rock Hunters' and 'Weather-it'. Members of these communities were allowed and supported to create and facilitate investigations (on rocks and weather, respectively) in collaboration with experts and based on their experience of everyday-life science. The following science learning aspects were investigated: type of learning taking place within the community, inquiry behaviour and patterns, scientific vocabulary and self-reported knowledge.

The analysis of the investigations focused on different levels of learning (e.g. content knowledge, methods, skills). Content analysis looked at evidence of inquiry and vocabulary progress. Furthermore, thematic analysis was used for the survey responses around self-reported knowledge.

Reflection on the key findings led to design recommendations that aim to facilitate the understanding of inquiry activities as part of a complete scientific process; balance the enjoyable parts of the projects with gains in scientific literacy; improve transferrable skills; and involve experts in conveying quality science topic culture and learning.


Abstract We compare nominal efficiencies, i.e., variances in power shapes for equal running time, of different versions of the Monte Carlo (MC) eigenvalue computation. The two main methods considered here are "conventional" MC and the superhistory method. Within each of these major methods, different variants are available for the main steps of the basic MC algorithm. Thus, for example, different treatments of the fission process may vary in the extent to which they follow, in analog fashion, the details of real-world fission, or they may vary in details of the methods by which they choose next-generation source sites. In general the same options are available in both the superhistory method and conventional MC, but there seems not to have been much examination of the special properties of the two major methods and their minor variants. We find, first, that the superhistory method is just as efficient as conventional MC and, second, that use of different variants of the basic algorithms may, in special cases, have a surprisingly large effect on MC computational efficiency.


Comics. You think of childish superheroes and the Sunday paper. But now they are the talk of Hollywood. For newcomers to comic books and old fans of the classics, here is a guide to superheroes, graphic novels, and all that is in between.


Night sleep recordings were performed in 10 patients with sleep disturbance in falling asleep as well as in maintaining sleep using a mobile 4-channel EEG registration system. Three consecutive nights, which were spent under different conditions, were evaluated automatically. The first night without treatment was used as a baseline night to objectify the disturbed sleep, the second night was measured following an infusion of a physiological saline solution and prior to the third recording 5 g l-tryptophane were applied to the patients. Besides a significant decrease of delayed latency times until the appearance of the light sleep stages, an influence was seen on the quantitative sleep parameters such as sleep period time and total sleep time. In parallel, an improvement of the subjective feeling measured by a self-rating scale resulted after l-tryptophane. On the other hand, no definite influence on the other sleep parameters such as an increase of slow wave sleep was observed, so that the use of this treatment might be recommended in disturbances in falling asleep particularly.


This article is concerned with commonsense science knowledge, the informally gained knowledge of the natural world that students possess prior to formal instruction in a scientific discipline. Although commonsense science has been the focus of substantial study for more than two decades, there are still profound disagreements about its nature and origin, and its role in science learning. What is the reason that it has been so difficult to reach consensus? We believe that the problems run deep; there are difficulties both with how the field has framed questions and the way that it has gone about seeking answers. In order to make progress, we believe it will be helpful to focus on one type of research instrument—the clinical interview—that is employed in the study of commonsense science. More specifically, we argue that we should seek to understand and model, on a moment-by-moment basis, student reasoning as it occurs in the interviews employed to study commonsense science. To illustrate and support this claim, we draw on a corpus of interviews with middle school students in which the students were asked questions pertaining to the seasons and climate phenomena. Our analysis of this corpus is based on what we call the mode-node framework. In this framework, student reasoning is seen as drawing on a set of knowledge elements we call nodes, and this set produces temporary explanatory structures we call dynamic mental constructs. Furthermore, the analysis of our corpus seeks to highlight certain patterns of student reasoning that occur during interviews, patterns in what we call conceptual dynamics. These include patterns in which students can be seen to search through available knowledge (nodes), in which they assemble nodes into an explanation, and in which they converge on and shift among alternative explanations. 2011 Wiley


Abstract Balićžunićite, ideally Bi2O(SO4)2, is a new mineral found as a high-temperature fumarole sublimate (T = 600°C) at La Fossa crater, Vulcano, Aeolian Islands, Italy. It occurs as aggregates of mm-sized prismatic and elongated crystals (~50 mm across and up to 200 mm long) associated with anglesite, leguernite, one other potentially new Bi-oxysulfate mineral, lillianite, galenobismutite, bismoclite, Cd-rich sphalerite, wurtzite, pyrite and pyrrhotite. Balićžunićite is colourless to white or pale brown, transparent and non-fluorescent. It has a vitreous lustre and a white streak. Electron microprobe analysis gives the following average chemical composition (wt.%): Bi2O3 68.68 and SO3 23.73, total 92.41. The empirical chemical formula, calculated on the basis of 9 anions p.f.u., is Bi1.99S2O9. The calculated density is 5.911 g/cm3. Balićžunićite is triclinic, space group P1̅, with a 6.7386(3), b 11.1844(5), c 14.1754(7) Å , a 80.082(2)°, b 88.462(2)°, g 89.517(2)°, V = 1052.01(8) Å3 and Z = 6. The six strongest reflections in the X-ray powder-diffraction data [d in Å (I) (hkl)] are: 3.146 (100) (033), 3.486 (21) (004), 3.409 (12) (03̅1), 3.366 (7) (200), 5.562 (4) (111), 5.433 (4) (1̅11). Balićžunićite is the natural analogue of the stable low-temperature a form of synthetic Bi2O(SO4)2. The name is in honour of Tonci Balić-Žunić (born 1952), Professor of Mineralogy at the Natural History Museum of the University of Cophenagen. Both the mineral and the mineral name have been approved by the IMA-CNMNC Commission (IMA2012-098).


We have identified two genes, smedwi-1 and smedwi-2, expressed in the dividing adult stem cells (neoblasts) of the planarian Schmidtea mediterranea. Both genes encode proteins that belong to the Argonaute/PIWI protein family and that share highest homology with those proteins defined by Drosophila PIWI. RNA interference (RNAi) of smedwi-2 blocks regeneration, even though neoblasts are present, irradiation-sensitive, and capable of proliferating in response to wounding; smedwi-2(RNAi) neoblast progeny migrate to sites of cell turnover but, unlike normal cells, fail at replacing aged tissue. We suggest that SMEDWI-2 functions within dividing neoblasts to support the generation of cells that promote regeneration and homeostasis.


The optimal power flow (OPF) problem aims to control the generation and consumption of generators and loads. The main objectives are to minimise the generation cost, power losses while maintaining stability of the generators in the network.

The network used for analysis and testing of OPF with stability constraints is the 'WSCC 9 bus 3 machine' [1] network (refer to chapter 5). MATLAB is used to develop algorithms for three alternative simulations that all encompass the same fault and clearing time in order to compare the outcomes. The first simulation includes load flow analysis followed by the stability analysis, leading to an unstable outcome to the network. This is used as the reference point. The second simulation is of the OPF analysis, followed by a stability analysis and optimisation using the Nelder-Mead algorithm [2]. The stability constraints were not yet introduced, so the outcome is also unstable. However, when compared to the load flow (LF) simulation it demonstrates improved cost effectiveness - real power losses are reduced, power demand is met and the simulation is efficient. Finally, the optimal power flow with stability constraint (OPFSC) is analysed and compared with the OPF simulation without stability constraints. This proves to be a stable network but is more time consuming.

The OPFSC simulation is the final simulation with the stability constraints included and illustrates the result of a stable network for the three generators. The main determinants for analysis in the simulation are the power demand, the power losses, network costing and time efficiency. The simulation time is reduced using various techniques that allow the algorithm to continue solving the problem without compromising the final result. Time to completion was initially 9.53 seconds. Following implementation of alternative techniques, this was introduced to 2.96 seconds. This improvement in time efficiency translates to a reduction in CPU processing requirements and stability maintenance.


20th-century literary theory discovered another possible way for world literature to exist and include all national literatures and cultures: the concepts of 'intertextuality' and / or 'multimediality' mean that contacts between cultural texts work as a network and this network includes national literatures, i.e. intertextuality and / or multimediality creates world literature. All European cultures have common sources from Ancient Greece and Rome and the Bible, which means that translations have played a very important role in European culture. Authors who use other literary works also interpret them and this gives new meaning to their works. The term 'dialogue', in Mikhail Bakhtin's sense, plays a crucial role in the intertextual process. If we speak of influences, dialogue is not the crucial phenomenon on the contrary; influence is a more hierarchical phenomenon. It seems that intertextuality, especially postmodern intertextuality, avoids hierarchical communication, instead working with the dialogical relationship between the author, text and reader. Intertextuality and/ or multimediality have a great potential to connect different texts and literatures in the world. The dialogical relationships between different texts and authors are significant because the postmodernist era destroyed hierarchies, or at least tried to destroy them. This means that all literatures, including small languages and literatures, have the possibility of being world literature, offering the opportunity for comparative literary research. The paper analyzes several poets and poems from different small countries. The Irish poet W.B. Yeats was an innovator in Irish poetry and drama. He combined national myths and fantasy with a symbolist style and the main pathos in his poetry is connected with the freedom of Ireland. Finnish poet Eino Leino used very old national motifs in his poetry, and there is a tension between the older romantic tradition and the contemporary styles he used. There are mystical elements and intertextual connections from the Finnish epic Kalevala, as well as from fairy-tales and folk songs, in Leino's poetry. Leino was also influenced by the German poet Heinrich Heine. Eino Leino was also the Estonian poet Gustav Suits' friend and he influenced Suits' poetry. Estonian poets Heiti Talvik's poetry represents how intertextuality makes possible ambivalence meaning, the poet uses biblical myths in the new context. The contemporary Estonian prose writer and poet Ene Mihkelson refers to the Bible in her poetry and novels. She uses one of the common sources of European culture, but at the same time she speaks of Estonian history and destiny or, in other words, she uses the Bible to describe her national culture, describing and learning via another culture. All these examples demonstrate a very important aspect of the textual relationship: text memory and the great potential to connect different texts intertextuality and / or multimediality.


[1]We have examined historical distributions of sea surface salinity (SSS) observations in a data set consisting of a combination of the World Ocean Database 1998 (WOD98) and a thermosalinograph and bucket salinity database collected from volunteer observing ships. It is well known that SSS in much of the world's ocean is measured infrequently or not at all. We find that 27% of one-degree squares in the world ocean (open and coastal, excluding the Arctic Ocean) had no observations of SSS in the historical database, and 70% had 10 or fewer. Systematic sampling of SSS (more than 10,000 observations per year globally) did not start until after 1960. Most SSS observations in the WOD98 are concentrated in the North Sea and coast of northern Europe, the east and west coasts of North America, and around Japan. About 28% of SSS measurements are in coastal waters. We plotted frequency histograms of SSS for some selected well-sampled one-degree squares in the North Atlantic and tropical Pacific. We found most frequency histograms to be non-Gaussian. The main departure from normal distribution is due to anomalous low-salinity measurements creating a negative skewness. This conclusion is verified as a global phenomenon by examining statistics of mean-median SSS difference within one-degree squares. This quantity is found to be predominantly negative over the global ocean. These anomalous low-salinity values may be due to rainfall events, but there are other plausible physical mechanisms, like frontal movement and eddy activity. There were also areas where the distributions were bimodal due to the presence of meandering fronts with little cross-frontal mixing. Examples are shown where the non-Gaussian nature of the distributions in the areas examined is both a short-term and a long-term phenomenon. That is, the distributions are skewed on a nearly instantaneous (∼1 month) basis and averaged over long time periods (1 + years). This has important implications for climatologies because the differences between mean and modal SSS, for the analyzed one-degree squares, is of order 0.1. Furthermore, the implication for validation studies for remote sensing missions is that the studies must make enough measurements of SSS to determine the extent to which the probability density is not Gaussian.


The most common animal health problem in organic dairy production is mastitis. It is considered to be one of the most serious welfare problem in dairy production, as well as an economic problem as it often leads to a reduced milk yield and reduced profit. To combat this problem, the focus in organic dairy production is laid on management strategies to e.g. reduce the use of antibiotics and improve the animal health and welfare. In 2015, the EU-funded project OrganicDairyHealth started in seven European countries, including Sweden. Within the project, an extensive survey on housing, management, health and production was sent out to organic dairy farmers in each country, and this thesis is based on the data from the Swedish survey. This master thesis' aim was to (1) describe Swedish organic dairy farms, and to (2) assess relationships between milk production, somatic cell count (SCC), mastitis incidence, farm characteristics and management practices in Swedish organic dairy production. The Swedish survey was sent out in January 2016 and the answers included information about the production year 2014. The analysed data set included answers from 58 organic farms, corresponding to 10.6% of all organic dairy farms in Sweden 2014, and the number of answers varied between questions in the extensive questionnaire. Based on the data from the survey, the average Swedish organic dairy farm had insulated stalls and loose housing with milking robot. The farms had an average herd size of 77 cows and produced on average 8791 kg energy-corrected milk per cow and year. The most common diseases were mastitis, milk fever, and claw diseases, with mastitis being the most widespread. Most farms used three or more hygiene routines at milking, with wet cleaning of the udder and using new cleaning material for each cow being the two most commonly used routines. The majority of farmers used antibiotics and/or drying off individual udder quarters to treat clinical mastitis. Furthermore, one fourth of the farmers used homeopathic treatment to treat clinical mastitis, although no farmers used homeopathy as the only treatment. Farms with milking robot had higher milk production and higher SCC, while farms with milk line had higher mastitis incidence. Herd size was the only factor that was associated with all examined outcome variables (milk production, SCC, and mastitis). Farms with large herds had high milk production, high SCC, and low mastitis incidence. To conclude, there were farm characteristics and management practices that were of importance for milk production, SCC, and mastitis incidence in Swedish organic dairy farms. Mastitis was the most common and widespread disease and the results from this study indicates that the mastitis incidence is associated withmany farm characteristics and management practices. The variation in farm characteristics and management practices observed in this study, together with the indications of effects of these on milk production, SCC, and mastitis incidence, shows that there is not one typical Swedish organic dairy farm type, but a variety of farm types. Additionally, these results show that there is a need for development of farm specific management strategies that takes e.g. the specific housing, milking system, and health status of the farm into account.


Urban planning is the need of the hour in a rapidly developing county like India. In essence, urban planning enhances the quality of land at a reasonable cost. Naya (New) Raipur is the new planned capital of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, and is one of India's few planned cities. Over the next decade it will drastically change the landscape of the state of Chhattisgarh. This new planned development is quintessential in growing this backward region and providing for future infrastructure. Key questions that arise are: How are people living in the surrounding region of New Raipur affected by its development? Are the affected people satisfied with compensation and rehabilitation that has been provided by the New Raipur Development Authority? To answer these questions, field research study in the form of questionnaires, interviews and site visits was conducted. To summarize the findings, while a majority of the surveyed population was dissatisfied with the rehabilitation and compensation provided by the New Raipur Development Authority, they were very positive about the success of the new development. Most thought that the new city would help their careers, improve job opportunities, improve prospects for their future generations, and benefit society as a whole. To improve rehabilitation schemes for the future, the reasons for the negative sentiment brewing amongst the villagers regarding the monetary compensation was investigated. Most villagers deemed the monetary compensation to be lacking as they had squandered their financial windfall already. With numerous interviews and site visits, it was discovered that the lump sum form of monetary compensation was to blame. With a huge sum of money received at once and a lack of financial education, many villagers squandered this newly gained money on unnecessary purchases such as alcohol and expensive vehicles without investing for the long run in farmland and education for their children. One recommendation proposed to the New Raipur Development Authority (NRDA) for future monetary compensation design in times of rehabilitating people was to provide payments in installments rather than lump sums and educate the people about investing the compensation money wisely. This would save them from wasting money they receive and the ensuing dissatisfaction of squandering that money. Keywords—Compensation, Naya Raipur, Rehabilitation, Satisfaction Survey, Urban Planning.


The metabolic composition of plasma is affected by time passed since the last meal and by individual variation in metabolite clearance rates. Rat plasma in fed and fasted states was analyzed with liquid chromatography quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF) for an untargeted investigation of these metabolite patterns. The dataset was used to investigate the effect of data preprocessing on biomarker selection using three different softwares, MarkerLynxTM, MZmine, XCMS along with a customized preprocessing method that performs binning of m/z channels followed by summation through retention time. Direct comparison of selected features representing the fed or fasted state showed large differences between the softwares. Many false positive markers were obtained from custom data preprocessing compared with dedicated softwares while MarkerLynxTM provided better coverage of markers. However, marker selection was more reliable with the gap filling (or peak finding) algorithms present in MZmine and XCMS. Further identification of the putative markers revealed that many of the differences between the markers selected were due to variations in features representing adducts or daughter ions of the same metabolites or of compounds from the same chemical subclasses, e.g., lyso-phosphatidylcholines (LPCs) and lyso-phosphatidylethanolamines (LPEs). We conclude that despite considerable differences in the performance of the preprocessing tools we could extract the same biological information by any of them. Carnitine, branched-chain amino acids, LPCs and LPEs were identified by all methods as markers of the fed state whereas acetylcarnitine was abundant during fasting in rats.


The present paper is aimed at putting forward a two-dimensional model for thermoelectric cells. The energy conservation equation was formulated in order to account for the Fourier, the Thomson and the Joule effects on the temperature distribution. The electric field was also solved to come out with the current and voltage distributions. The governing equations were discretized by means of the finite-volume method, whereas the TDMA algorithm was adopted for solving the sets of linear equations. An explicit iterative solution scheme was employed to address the temperature influence on the Seebeck coefficient. The model results were compared with experimental data, when a satisfactory agreement was achieved for both cooling capacity and COP, with errors within a ±10% band. In addition, the model was employed to assess the effects of the thermoelectric properties and the couple geometry on the thermodynamic performance of the thermoelectric cell.


BACKGROUND
The presence of coexisting conditions has a substantial effect on the outcome of acute myocardial infarction. Renal failure is associated with one of the highest risks, but the influence of milder degrees of renal impairment is less well defined.

METHODS
As part of the Valsartan in Acute Myocardial Infarction Trial (VALIANT), we identified 14,527 patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by clinical or radiologic signs of heart failure, left ventricular dysfunction, or both, and a documented serum creatinine measurement. Patients were randomly assigned to receive captopril, valsartan, or both. The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated by means of the four-component Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation, and the patients were grouped according to their estimated GFR. We used a 70-candidate variable model to adjust and compare overall mortality and composite cardiovascular events among four GFR groups.

RESULTS
The distribution of estimated GFR was wide and normally shaped, with a mean (+/-SD) value of 70+/-21 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area. The prevalence of coexisting risk factors, prior cardiovascular disease, and a Killip class of more than I was greatest among patients with a reduced estimated GFR (less than 45.0 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), and the use of aspirin, beta-blockers, statins, or coronary-revascularization procedures was lowest in this group. The risk of death or the composite end point of death from cardiovascular causes, reinfarction, congestive heart failure, stroke, or resuscitation after cardiac arrest increased with declining estimated GFRs. Although the rate of renal events increased with declining estimated GFRs, the adverse outcomes were predominantly cardiovascular. Below 81.0 ml per minute per 1.73 m2, each reduction of the estimated GFR by 10 units was associated with a hazard ratio for death and nonfatal cardiovascular outcomes of 1.10 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.08 to 1.12), which was independent of the treatment assignment.

CONCLUSIONS
Even mild renal disease, as assessed by the estimated GFR, should be considered a major risk factor for cardiovascular complications after a myocardial infarction.


Codes of legal ethics encounter constant waves of criticism. It is pointed out that their disadvantage is, on the one hand, the excessive casuistry, limiting the possibility of taking independent decisions in cases of ethical and professional conflicts, and, on the other hand, the exaggerated declarative character of perfectionist ethical and professional virtues. The gap between the abovementioned perspectives, easily perceived in such codes, results in a dysfunctionality of professional ethics in the actions undertaken by members of the legal profession. The article, apart from the critical-comparative part, includes a proposal of reading and interpreting the content of the codes in a way that transgresses the above opposition. The theoretical basis of the presented position is provided by the concept of "little ethics" formulated by Paul Ricoeur in his work Oneself as Another. The ethical theory developed by Ricoeur combines the elements of Aristotelian ethics of virtues with Kantian ethics of duty. For this reason, it sets a uniform perspective for opposing elements, namely: subordination to the norm of the code and pursuit of ethical and professional self-improvement by legal professionals. The proposed solution belongs to the "reflexive" paradigm of the lawyer's professional ethics proposed on the basis of Ricoeur's onto-ethical theory.


The financial literature claims that venture capital (VC) financing spurs the growth of new technology-based firms (NTBFs). Nevertheless, the benefits and costs for portfolio companies may depend upon the type of investor. In this paper we distinguish financial intermediaries (FVC) and non-financial companies (i.e. corporate venture capital, CVC) as a source of VC. The aim of the paper is to test whether a) VC financing has a positive effect on the subsequent growth of employment and sales of portfolio companies, and whether b) the magnitude of this effect differs according to the type of investor (i.e. FVC vs. CVC). We consider a 10 year longitudinal dataset composed of 538 Italian NTBFs, most of which are privately held. The sample includes both VC-backed and non VC-backed firms. In order to capture the effects of VC investments on the subsequent growth of firms and to control for their potentially endogenous nature, we estimate an augmented Gibrat-law type dynamic panel data model with distributed lags through different GMM-system estimators which differ according to the choice of the set of instruments. The results strongly support the view that VC finance spurs firm growth. Moreover, the impact of FVC investments considerably exceeds that of CVC investments, especially as regards sales growth.


Coming towards the final phase of a career in general practice I had hardly expected the ghost of Margot Jefferys to return to haunt me. Jefferys was a distinguished professor of sociology at London University and lectured at the Diploma of Public Health courses at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the 1960s.

> Something very relevant and still very special is being destroyed

She was a good and thought provoking lecturer, but I have never forgiven her for the derisory mark given for an essay she had set with the approximate title, "Targeting of health care—universal or personal provision." The DPH, then about to be replaced by an MSc in health care, was a marvellous course for any budding general practitioner, but by the end of it I was convinced, despite the best efforts of Professor Jefferys, that one of the principal roles of a general practitioner was to try to harness and coordinate all the appropriate strands of support for …


Abstract Objectives: The objective was to assess the sensory acceptability and consumer perceptions of soft porridge made with yellow, provitamin A-biofortified maize by black African female infant caregivers from rural KwaZulu-Natal. Design: This was a cross-sectional study. Setting: The study was conducted at Edendale Hospital, located in the uMgungundlovu District, KwaZulu-Natal province. The hospital serves a high proportion of people from rural areas in this district. Subjects: Sixty black African female infant caregivers participated in the study. Outcome measures: The sensory acceptability of soft porridge made from two varieties of provitamin-A biofortified maize and one variety of white maize were evaluated by black African female infant caregivers (n = 60) using a five-point facial hedonic scale. Some of the subjects (n = 21) participated in focus group discussions to assess consumer perceptions. Results: There was no significant difference in the sensory acceptability of the biofortified maize porridge and the white maize porridge, irrespective of caregiver age (p-value > 0.05). The caregivers expressed a willingness to give their infants porridge made with provitamin A-biofortified maize if it was more affordable, readily available and beneficial to health. Conclusion: The biofortified maize soft porridge was found to be as acceptable as the white maize soft porridge to black African female infant caregivers from rural KwaZulu-Natal. Provitamin A-biofortified maize has the potential to be used as a complementary food item that would contribute to the alleviation of vitamin A deficiency.


Background: High dose therapy (HDT) and stem cell transplant has been shown to improve survival in patients with myeloma and remains the standard of care. However, the reported results of initial HDT in these patients reflect the combined effect of the initial therapy and the HDT. The contribution of HDT on its own is often difficult to analyze in this group of patients with varying degree of response to initial therapy. In this single institution retrospective study, we have analyzed the results of HDT in a group of patients with measurable disease at the time of HDT. Methods: We identified patients from our transplant database, who had measurable disease at the time of initiation of transplant as defined by a serum M protein of ≥ 1.0 g/dL, 24 hour urine M-protein ≥ 200 mg or a bone marrow plasma cell % of ≥ 30. Details regarding the clinical outcome were obtained from the database and from patient clinical records. Chi square test was used for comparison of nominal variables and t-test for continuous variables. Kaplan Meier analysis was used for comparing survival and Cox proportional hazards was employed to identify predictors of progression free and overall survival. Responses were defined by the EBMTR criteria, using the measurements at the time HDT and the lowest measurement obtained. VGPR required a 90% reduction in the serum M component with urine protein Results: A total of 440 patients were studied; 271 (61.5%) of whom had a transplant within one year of their diagnosis. Among the 271 patients, 140 (52%) were in the initial plateau, 99 (36%) failed to achieve a PR to initial therapy and 32 (12%) were in their first relapse. Given the known differences in the outcome between these groups of patients, those receiving an early transplant were analyzed separately. The response rates included CR (24%), VGPR (7%), PR (52%), MR or less (17%) and among the late transplants CR (23%), VGPR (8%), PR (61%) and MR or less (8%). The median progression free survival was 23.6 mos and the overall survival from HDT was 62 mos. In a multivariate analysis, presence of cytogenetic abnormalities (RR: 2.5) and high plasma cell labeling index (≥ 1%) (RR: 2.4) at HDT and failure to achieve a CR or VGPR (RR: 1.7) were prognostic for decreased progression free survival post HDT. In a similar model, only high PCLI (RR: 2.8) and abnormal cytogenetics (RR: 2.5) at HDT predicted for poor overall survival after transplant. Conclusion: This study provides a sense of the contribution of HDT, independent of the initial therapy, by determining responses based on the immediate pre-transplant disease measurements and the best values observed post transplant. In this group of patients with residual measurable disease after the initial therapy, HDT therapy leads to complete responses in nearly a quarter of the patients and a VGPR in another 7%, an outcome associated with better progressin free survival. While measurements at transplant do not correlate strictly with response to initial therapy, the aim of this study was to understand the individual contribution of HDT in these patients. Thus some of the patients who would have been classified as having a partial response to induction and HDT may be classified as non-responders in this analysis. These numbers will provide a historical comparison for trials evaluating novel consolidation therapies for myeloma.


Polyteny is a special nuclear differentiation reported in larval and adult Diptera, Collembola, Protista and angiosperm ovular nuclei. In not all cases, however, do discrete giant chromosomes represent homologous pairs as in the salivary gland nuclei of Drosophila or Chironomus larvae, and in Calyptratae (e.g. Calliphora ) a degree of homologue separation and dissociation of the constituents results in a reticular chromosomal organization within which banded polytene regions are prominent. The correlation previously shown between the polytene cycle of replication without mitosis and the growth habit of larval Calliphora suggests that the significance of the polytene phenomenon may lie, not in a special physiology of discrete giant chromosomes, but in the cell cycle responsible for the polytene condition; chromosome morphology may not be functionally significant. The significance of polyteny versus endopolyploidy is considered in terms of the cell cycle. Whereas the endopolyploid cycle is endonuclear and thus non-disruptive of cytoplasmic syntheses, the polytene cycle further departs from a normal mitotic cycle in that there is no M -phase: the nucleus is in permanent 'interphase', and clearly the cycle should not be referred to as 'endomitotic'. The physiology of polytene chromosomes is discussed: there is no evidence that the intense activities of hypertrophied salivary cells in Diptera depend on continuous monitoring at transcription level. The aceticorcein squash technique has been used to describe the chromosomal organization in two cell types known to hypertrophy without sign of an M -phase: oenocytes of the locust Schistocerca gregaria , and the giant trophoblast cells of mouse concepti. In both cases, there is cytological evidence of polytene lateral pairing over short regions. In Schistocerca oenocytes , this organization is similar to the reticular fibrillation of polytene chromosomes seen in calyptrate epidermal and salivary nuclei. The functional significance of the polytene cell cycle is discussed in the light of its known incidence among eukaryotes, and the use of terminology examined.


China's importance in the Asia-Pacific has been on the rise, raising concerns about competition the United States. The authors examined the reactions of six U.S. allies and partners to China's rise. All six see China as an economic opportunity. They want it to be engaged productively in regional affairs, but without becoming dominant. They want the United States to remain deeply engaged in the region.


Get gaming faster with the official guide to GameMaker: Studio GameMaker: Studio allows you to create your own games, even with zero coding experience, and GameMaker: Studio For Dummies is a complete guide to the ins and outs of the program. Create the game you've always wanted to play in record time and at a fraction of the cost of traditional game development methods. You'll have the flexibility to develop 2D games for Android, iOS, desktops, and the Web. Gain a professional perspective on this revolutionary path to game creation and publishing. Using GameMaker: Studio may feel like play, but it's a serious tool that allows you to create, design, develop, and publish your very own games. With the push of a button, the program produces real, executable code for your very own "app store"-ready 2D game, complete and ready for market. GameMaker: Studio For Dummies provides complete and accurate information on how to create classic games and special effects, written in the characteristically easy-to-read Dummies style. Topics include: An overview of Studio, and how to get started The basic tools and techniques at the core of your design Advanced techniques for more seasoned game designers An inside look at what the premium upgrades have to offer GameMaker: Studio makes game design 80% faster than coding for native languages, so you can take your game from concept to market in a matter of weeks. Why waste time and money doing it any other way? Whether you already have great ideas or just want to dabble, GameMaker: Studio For Dummies is the guide that will take you straight to guru status.


To deal with the threats to the PKI authentication system from the internet and the real world, based on the analysis of biometric identification and nonsymmetric key technology, this paper presented a new PKI authentication system through the integration of Biometric identification and non-symmetric key technology, which assembled their advantages and made up their disadvantages to each other and formed a double-insurance for the E-commerce security. The most important of the system were the integration designs and measures for the private key ,also principles and the processes needed were introduced .


The extent to which distal non-coding mutations contribute to Mendelian disease remains a major unknown in human genetics. Given that a gene's in vivo function can be appropriately modeled in vitro, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing enables the large-scale perturbation of distal non-coding regions to identify functional elements in their native context. However, early attempts at such screens have relied on one individual guide RNA (gRNA) per cell, resulting in sparse mutagenesis with minimal redundancy across regions of interest. To address this, we developed a system that uses pairs of gRNAs to program thousands of kilobase-scale deletions that scan across a targeted region in a tiling fashion ("ScanDel"). As a proof-of-concept, we applied ScanDel to program 4,342 overlapping 1- and 2- kilobase (Kb) deletions that tile a 206 Kb region centered on HPRT1, the gene underlying Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, with median 27-fold redundancy per base. Programmed deletions were functionally assayed by selecting for loss of HPRT1 function with 6-thioguanine. HPRT1 exons served as positive controls, and all were successfully identified as functionally critical by the screen. Remarkably, HPRT1 function appeared robust to deletion of any intergenic or deeply intronic non-coding region across the 206 Kb locus, indicating that proximal regulatory sequences are sufficient for its expression. A sparser mutagenesis screen of the same 206 Kb with individual gRNAs also failed to identify critical distal regulatory elements. Although our screen did find programmed deletions and individual gRNAs with putative functional consequences that targeted exon-proximal non-coding sequences (e.g. the promoter), long-read sequencing revealed that this signal was driven almost entirely by rare, unexpected deletions that extended into exonic sequence. These targeted validation experiments defined a small region surrounding the transcriptional start site as the only non-coding sequence essential to HPRT1 function. Overall, our results suggest that distal regulatory elements are not critical for HPRT1 expression, and underscore the necessity of comprehensive edited-locus genotyping for validating the results of CRISPR screens. The application of ScanDel to additional loci will enable more insight into the extent to which the disruption of distal non-coding elements contributes to Mendelian diseases. In addition, dense, redundant, large-scale deletion scanning with gRNA pairs will facilitate a deeper understanding of endogenous gene regulation in the human genome.


Abstract The importance of managing visitor expectations has been highlighted in natural and protected areas. However, minimal research has been completed on visitor expectations of contact with staff in national parks and protected areas. Staff can play an important role in delivering information and in interpreting significant natural and heritage attributes. This research aims to address this gap by examining visitors' expectations regarding staff contact at one protected site, Cape Byron State Conservation Area (CBSCA) in New South Wales, Australia. A mixed method approach including interviews with staff and a survey of park visitors was implemented to achieve the research aim. Results indicate that visitors have a diverse range of expectations of park staff regarding when, where, and how staff are expected to provide services and information. Peak-season visitors were more likely to want information about European heritage and the lighthouse than were off-season visitors. Visitors over 25 years of age were significantly more likely to expect information about wildlife, native plants and vegetation, the marine environment, whales and whale watching, Indigenous heritage, European heritage, and recreation opportunities within CBSCA than visitors under 25. Visitors between 36 and 45 years of age were the most likely to participate in activities involving staff. Overall, visitors were no more likely to participate in activities involving staff than in self-directed activities. Finally, some implications for the management of CBSCA and avenues for future research are proposed.


Cryptochromes function as photoreceptors for circadian rhythm entrainment in insects and in plants. Tu et al. provide evidence that cryptochromes may function similarly in vertebrates. The isolated iris sphincter muscle from chicks will constrict strongly and rapidly in light and redilate in the dark in the absence of any extrinsic neural input. The characteristics of the photopigment underlying this activity did not fit the template for an opsin photoreceptor, but instead matched the known absorption spectra for cryptochromes. Antisense knockdown of cryptochromes, but not melanopsin, caused a proportional loss of intrinsic iris photosensitivity. D. C. Tu, M. L. Batten, K. Palczewski, R. N. Van Gelder, Nonvisual photoreception in the chick iris. Science 306, 129-131 (2004). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Research activities focused on estimating the direct emissions of carbon from wildland fires across North America are reviewed as part of the North American Carbon Program disturbance synthesis. A comparison of methods to estimate the loss of carbon from the terrestrial biosphere to the atmosphere from wildland fires is presented. Published studies on emissions from recent and historic time periods and five specific cases are summarized, and new emissions estimates are made using contemporary methods for a set of specific fire events. Results from as many as six terrestrial models are compared. We find that methods generally produce similar results within each case, but estimates vary based on site location, vegetation (fuel) type, and fire weather. Area normalized emissions range from 0.23 kg C m−2 for shrubland sites in southern California/NW Mexico to as high as 6.0 kg C m−2 in northern conifer forests. Total emissions range from 0.23 to 1.6 Tg C for a set of 2003 fires in chaparral-dominated landscapes of California to 3.9 to 6.2 Tg C in the dense conifer forests of western Oregon. While the results from models do not always agree, variations can be attributed to differences in model assumptions and methods, including the treatment of canopy consumption and methods to account for changes in fuel moisture, one of the main drivers of variability in fire emissions. From our review and synthesis, we identify key uncertainties and areas of improvement for understanding the magnitude and spatial-temporal patterns of pyrogenic carbon emissions across North America.


The deceptively simple material SnSe has surprised the scientific community by showing an unexpectedly low thermal conductivity and high power factor and it has become a very promising thermoelectric material. Both the electrical and thermal transport properties of SnSe are outstanding. It is remarkable that a binary compound exhibits strong anharmonic and anisotropic bonding, and after hole doping it shows an exceptionally high power factor because of a high electrical conductivity and a strongly enhanced Seebeck coefficient. The latter is enabled by the contribution of multiple electronic valence bands. In this perspective, we discuss the natural features of SnSe, including crystal structures, electronic band structures, and physical and chemical properties. We also compare the electrical transport properties of single crystals and polycrystalline SnSe. The thermal conductivities of polycrystalline samples show wide variation from laboratory to laboratory, with some values being higher than those of single crystals and some lower, which has caused confusion and controversy. To address the issues regarding the thermal transport properties of SnSe, we systematically summarize the reports for SnSe variants, discuss them along with some of our own new results, and offer possible explanations. Finally, some possible strategies are proposed toward future enhancements of the thermoelectric figure of merit of SnSe.


The role of the ear is to detect sound. Many ears, however, can also generate sounds and transmit them into the environment. These sounds, known as spontaneous otoacoustic emissions, are the most striking proof of the existence of an active process within the ear. This active process originates in hair cells, the sensory receptors of the inner ear; by augmenting the energy contained in sound, it improves both the sensitivity and the frequency selectivity of hearing. Under certain conditions, the active process generates spontaneous oscillations, which then produce spontaneous emissions. Little is known about the process by which the spontaneous oscillations of a collection of hair cells within the ear are transformed into a particular sound that can be measured externally. Here, we suggest that interactions between tonotopically arranged hair cells play a critical role in the formation of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions. We have created a model based on the basilar papilla of the tokay gecko, a species notable both for the unusual anatomy of its inner ear and for the prominence of its spontaneous emissions. In this model, the papilla is represented by a tonotopic array of nonlinear van der Pol oscillators, with connections along the array mediated by either viscous or elastic elements. We find that a model incorporating elastic interactions, but not one incorporating viscous interactions, reproduces the appearance of spontaneous emissions. The model also suggests a prominent role for disorder along the length of the papilla. Finally, the model explains what may be the most distinctive feature of spontaneous emissions: the repulsion of spectral peaks within the emission by pure-tone external stimuli. To test our model, we also recorded spontaneous otoacoustic emissions from the tokay gecko. Previous recordings of emissions have primarily focused on the behavior of single peaks within the emission spectrum. We chose instead to focus on the relationships between multiple emission peaks. Upon applying single-frequency tones at a range of amplitudes and frequencies into the ears of geckos we have observed novel behaviors previously predicted by our model. We conclude that interactions along the basilar papilla, mediated by elastic elements, play an important role in the formation of spontaneous otoacoustic emissions.


Abstract. During the VOCALS campaign spaceborne satellite observations showed that travelling gravity wave packets, generated by geostrophic adjustment, resulted in perturbations to marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds over the south-east Pacific Ocean (SEP). Often, these perturbations were reversible in that passage of the wave resulted in the clouds becoming brighter (in the wave crest), then darker (in the wave trough) and subsequently recovering their properties after the passage of the wave. However, occasionally the wave packets triggered irreversible changes to the clouds, which transformed from closed mesoscale cellular convection to open form. In this paper we use large eddy simulation (LES) to examine the physical mechanisms that cause this transition. Specifically, we examine whether the clearing of the cloud is due to (i) the wave causing additional cloud-top entrainment of warm, dry air or (ii) whether the additional condensation of liquid water onto the existing drops and the subsequent formation of drizzle are the important mechanisms. We find that, although the wave does cause additional drizzle formation, this is not the reason for the persistent clearing of the cloud; rather it is the additional entrainment of warm, dry air into the cloud followed by a reduction in longwave cooling, although this only has a significant effect when the cloud is starting to decouple from the boundary layer. The result in this case is a change from a stratocumulus to a more patchy cloud regime. For the simulations presented here, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) scavenging did not play an important role in the clearing of the cloud. The results have implications for understanding transitions between the different cellular regimes in marine boundary layer (MBL) clouds.


This article contributes to the development of methodological practices promoting greater epistemic reflexivity in risk research and in social science generally. Knowledge of the specific practices researchers will find useful cannot exist separately from any particular empirical project. Accordingly, we report on, and provide a reflective account of, the "nuclear risk" project that was part of the Social Contexts and Responses to Risk (SCARR) network in the UK (2003-2008). A key focus is exploring the value of narrative methods—especially narrative elicitation methods—for understanding people's perceptions of, and ways of living with, risk. We credit our deployment of a narrative method with producing a rich form of data on risk-biography intersections, which have carried great significance in our analytical work on the way biographical experiences, dynamically unfolding through space and time, can be interrupted by risk events. Arguments from the literature on reflexive modernity are deployed to make the case for: researching risk in everyday life as a problematic in and of itself; placing concepts of risk-biography, risk-reflexivity and risk-subjectivity at centre stage; and finding ways to inquire into the social and psychic complexities involved in the dynamic construction and reconstruction of risk phenomena.


Neural Architecture Search (NAS) has significantly improved productivity in the design and deployment of neural networks (NN). As NAS typically evaluates multiple models by training them partially or completely, the improved productivity comes at the cost of significant carbon footprint. To alleviate this expensive training routine, zero-shot/cost proxies analyze an NN at initialization to generate a score, which correlates highly with its true accuracy. Zero-cost proxies are currently designed by experts conducting multiple cycles of empirical testing on possible algorithms, datasets, and neural architecture design spaces. This experimentation lowers productivity and is an unsustainable approach towards zero-cost proxy design as deep learning use-cases diversify in nature. Additionally, existing zero-cost proxies fail to generalize across neural architecture design spaces. In this paper, we propose a genetic programming framework to automate the discovery of zero-cost proxies for neural architecture scoring. Our methodology efficiently discovers an interpretable and generalizable zero-cost proxy that gives state of the art score-accuracy correlation on all datasets and search spaces of NASBench-201 and Network Design Spaces (NDS). We believe that this research indicates a promising direction towards automatically discovering zero-cost proxies that can work across network architecture design spaces, datasets, and tasks.


The notion of nowhere denseness is one of the central concepts of the recently developed theory of sparse graphs. We study the properties of nowhere dense graph classes by investigating appropriate limit objects defined using the ultraproduct construction. It appears that different equivalent definitions of nowhere denseness, for example via quasi-wideness or the splitter game, correspond to natural notions for the limit objects that are conceptually simpler and allow for less technically involved reasonings.


We propose a high dimensional classification method, named the Copula Discriminant Analysis (CODA). The CODA generalizes the normal-based linear discriminant analysis to the larger Gaussian Copula models (or the nonparanormal) as proposed by Liu et al. (2009). To simultaneously achieve estimation efficiency and robustness, the nonparametric rank-based methods including the Spearman's rho and Kendall's tau are exploited in estimating the covariance matrix. In high dimensional settings, we prove that the sparsity pattern of the discriminant features can be consistently recovered with the parametric rate, and the expected misclassification error is consistent to the Bayes risk. Our theory is backed up by careful numerical experiments, which show that the extra flexibility gained by the CODA method incurs little efficiency loss even when the data are truly Gaussian. These results suggest that the CODA method can be an alternative choice besides the normal-based high dimensional linear discriminant analysis.


Psychotherapy has been one of the major applications of Virtual Reality technology; examples include fear of flying, heights, spiders, and post‐traumatic
stress disorder. Virtual reality has been shown to be useful, in the context of exposure therapy for the treatment of social anxiety, such as fear of public speaking, where the clients learn how to conquer their anxiety through interactions with Virtual Characters (avatars).
This thesis is concerned with the interaction between human participants and avatars in a Virtual Environment (VE), with the main focus being on Social Anxiety. It is our hypothesis that interactions between people and avatars can evoke in people behaviours that correspond to their degree of social anxiety or confidence.
Moreover the responses of people to avatars will also depend on their degree of exhibited social anxiety – they will react differently to a shy avatar compared to a
confident avatar.
The research started with an experimental study on the reaction of shy and confident male volunteers to an approach by an attractive and friendly virtual woman in a VE. The results show that the participants responded according to expectations towards the avatar at an emotional, physiological, and behavioural level. The research then studied a particular cue which represents shyness – "blushing". Experiments were carried out on how participant responds towards a blushing avatar. The results suggested that, even without consciously noticing the
avatar's blushing, the participants had an improved relationship with her when she was blushing. Finally, the research further investigated how people respond towards
a shy avatar as opposed to a confident one. The results show that participants gave more positive comments to the personality of the avatar displaying signs of shyness.