This thesis in clinical psychology has two main parts, answering the two main research problems. This scientific project includes visualization of neural pathways connecting the primary olfactory centre to higher association regions in a small insect brain for the purpose of comparing anatomical organization of the olfactory system in species of different taxa. The noctuid moth Heliothis virescens, which is particularly well adapted to chemical communication, is used as model organism. By utilizing the technique of fluorescent staining combined with confocal microscopy, the three main antennocerebral tracts and their target areas, the lateral protocerebrum and calyces of mushroom bodies, are labeled and visualized. The second part of the thesis includes a relatively comprehensive theoretical discussion of universal principles of olfactory structural organization across taxa. This discussion is founded on the experimental investigation (using the anatomy of Heliothis virescens as a basis for comparison, and keeping its main focus on the olfactory structures identified by confocal microscopy), but is not limited to this. It is a general discussion of organizational principles in vertebrates and invertebrates, and includes research on other organisms and olfactory structures beyond what was identified in the experimental study. Clear evidence of universal principles of structural – and functional olfactory organization is found, and it is argued that the study of different taxa is a way for psychologists to gain further knowledge about human behavior.


Mice homozygous for the gene lpr develop marked lymphadenopathy and a spectrum of autoantibodies closely resembling that of human systemic lupus erythematosus. The unusual T cell phenotype of the expanded lymphocyte population and the T-dependence of several antibodies in this strain have suggested that primary T cell abnormalities underlie the autoimmune syndrome. Using double chimeras, we now show that expression of the lpr gene in B cells is absolutely necessary for autoantibody production. Combinations of anti-Thy 1.2 + C' treated bone marrow from congenic strains of C57BL/6 mice, differing only at the immunoglobulin heavy chain (Igh) and lpr loci, were transferred into lethally irradiated B6/lpr mice. Double chimerism was documented by allotype-specific surface IgD and IgM immunofluorescence assay of peripheral blood and by allotype-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for total IgM in serum. Despite the presence of both +/+ and lpr B cells, IgM and IgG2a anti-chromatin as well as IgM anti-IgG were entirely the products of lpr B cells. Total serum IgG2a and IgG1 were also dominated by the lpr phenotype but not to the same extent. A similar experiment using B6/lpr-Igha recipients confirmed these findings. Additional experiments in which B6/lpr recipients were infused with ratios of donor bone marrow favoring B6.C20 +/+ over B6/lpr showed that even though +/+ B cells were overrepresented, autoantibodies were only of the lpr allotype. In addition, in the presence of lpr B cells, normal B cells showed little response to an exogenous, T cell-dependent antigen. The data thus indicate that lpr B cells manifest an intrinsic abnormality which is essential for autoantibody production in the lpr model.


Abnormalities of enamel matrix proteins deposition, mineralization, or degradation during tooth development are responsible for a spectrum of either genetic diseases termed Amelogenesis imperfecta or acquired enamel defects. To assess if environmental/nutritional factors can exacerbate enamel defects, we investigated the role of the active form of vitamin A, retinoic acid (RA). Robust expression of RA-degrading enzymes Cyp26b1 and Cyp26c1 in developing murine teeth suggested RA excess would reduce tooth hard tissue mineralization, adversely affecting enamel. We employed a protocol where RA was supplied to pregnant mice as a food supplement, at a concentration estimated to result in moderate elevations in serum RA levels. This supplementation led to severe enamel defects in adult mice born from pregnant dams, with most severe alterations observed for treatments from embryonic day (E)12.5 to E16.5. We identified the enamel matrix proteins enamelin (Enam), ameloblastin (Ambn), and odontogenic ameloblast-associated protein (Odam) as target genes affected by excess RA, exhibiting mRNA reductions of over 20-fold in lower incisors at E16.5. RA treatments also affected bone formation, reducing mineralization. Accordingly, craniofacial ossification was drastically reduced after 2 days of treatment (E14.5). Massive RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed on E14.5 and E16.5 lower incisors. Reductions in Runx2 (a key transcriptional regulator of bone and enamel differentiation) and its targets were observed at E14.5 in RA-exposed embryos. RNA-seq analysis further indicated that bone growth factors, extracellular matrix, and calcium homeostasis were perturbed. Genes mutated in human AI (ENAM, AMBN, AMELX, AMTN, KLK4) were reduced in expression at E16.5. Our observations support a model in which elevated RA signaling at fetal stages affects dental cell lineages. Thereafter enamel protein production is impaired, leading to permanent enamel alterations.


It is likely that micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) owners apply for credit not because of their intention but because they follow other MSME owners' behavior. The behavior to follow the general tendency is commonly known as herding. This study aims to analyze the effect of herding, both group herding and reputational herding in credit decision of MSME owners. We generate our data by surveying 150 MSME owners in the City of Salatiga. The results show that herding does not directly affect the decision to apply for credit. However, herding indirectly affects the decision to apply for credit through the intention to apply for credit.


The paper has two main aims. First it seeks to explore whether security cooperation between the EU and China is taking place, and if so, whether it is evenly spread across a number of security dimensions. Second it intends to investigate the underlying motives or drivers that either facilitate or inhibit EU-China security cooperation. Further, it will explain why the EU rather than EU member states is chosen as the unit of analysis, explore the development of EU-China security relations, and illustrate how historical legacies, identity aspects and differences over key issues, such as sovereignty and territorial integrity, affect EU-China security relations. In addition, it will deal with the theoretical and conceptual underpinnings of the study on EU-China security relations, paying particular emphasis to the concepts of diffusion and convergence. Whether or not EU-China security cooperation converges in one of the ten chosen security dimensions will be assessed by the degree of policy conformity the EU and China are able (or unable) to obtain with regard to threat perceptions and policy response thereto. Attention will be devoted to diffusion factors which can affect changes in the perception of threats and response thereof. Among these factors are changes in (geo-political) structure, interests and norms. A further objective of the paper will be to explore whether policy convergence on threat perceptions and response thereto might be a precondition for joint action, or whether practical cooperation can take place without prior policy convergence between the EU and China. The paper will round off with a short section introducing the security dimensions that are being examined in the more detailed study on which this paper is based.


This study presents a modification of the antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST), which is a rapid means of determining the response of planktonic bacteria to different antimicrobial agents, for application to biofilms. Colony biofilm was first developed on a cellulose filter/membrane disc, over which an antibiotic disc was imposed. Zone of inhibition was measured after incubation on nutrient agar. Biofilms were not as susceptible to the test antibiotics as compared to the planktonic cultures. The results point to the possibility of this method as a rapid means for antibiotics for treating biofilm infections. Limitations and potential application for biofilm AST are discussed.

 Key words:  Biofilm, antibiotic susceptibility testing


Field experiments with cabbage cv. Blue Vantage were conducted at Corozal and Juana Diaz Substations (UPR-AES) from 2 November 1994 to 9 February 1995 to evaluate the efficacy of three preplant applications of clomazone (1.12 kg ai/ha) and oxyfluorfen (0.28 kg ai/ha). Both herbicides were applied to the soil surface 5,10, and 15 days before transplanting (DBT). Visual injury three weeks after transplanting at Corozal was greater for clomazone applied at 5 DBT (10%) than at 10 and 15 DBT (0 and 1%, respectively). Weed density at Corozal ranged from 2 to 10 plants/m 2  and did not interfere with cabbage yield. After six weeks, at Juana Diaz, there were no significant visual injuries in cabbage from the clomazone and oxyfluorfen applications. Also at Juana Diaz, clomazone applied 10 and 15 DBT resulted in lower weed densities (8 and 22 weeds/m 2 , respectively) than the non-treated control (178 weeds/m 2 ) after six weeks. At Juana Diaz, clomazone at the three application times and oxyfluorfen applied at 5 and 10 DBT increased cabbage yield beyond that of the non-treated control.


The word epidemic conjures up alarming images: plague, pestilence, destruction, and death. We are not used to lumping obesity in with such disasters, but the recent increase in the global prevalence of obesity qualifies as an epidemic. Obesity claims an increasing number of lives worldwide; discouraging statistics abound in both the medical and popular press.

This issue of Science also reports some of this bad news. We learn, for starters, that the obesity epidemic is recognized by the World Health Organization as one of the top 10 global health problems. Multiple social forces work against maintenance of a healthy weight, such as food availability, declines in traditional lifestyles, and sedentary living. The medical profession is reported to lack both the knowledge and the incentives (financial and otherwise) to combat this threat to health. All of us, particularly certain populations, have powerful genetic predispositions to retain excess calories in preparation for famine. The biological systems that manage our food intake—controlling how often and how much we eat and making corrections when the long-term equilibrium is disrupted—are extraordinarily complex and not yet well understood. Powerful biological control mechanisms spur calorie intake, but less powerful ones limit it. As-yet-unknown players are probably confounding researchers' efforts to untangle this system. Clinicians have few tools with which to fight this epidemic; current antiobesity drugs are not highly effective and are fraught with side effects.

But the articles in this issue also point to areas where we can expect to make real progress against this epidemic. The tools of molecular genetics have yielded a rush of new information about molecular signals that guide short-term decisions, such as whether to eat now or push away from the table. Other molecules take a longer view, monitoring fat balance (see the News story by Marx, p. 846). Information from basic research has identified numerous drug targets, as Gura's News story (p. 849) points out. Several compounds are in human clinical trials now, and more are in development. Although Friedman (p. [856][1]) outlines the enormity of the obesity problem in his Viewpoint, likening it to that of cancer, he suggests that new molecular knowledge coupled with an evolutionary view may give us enough information to fight obesity productively. Science clearly has the potential to inform and perhaps help solve some aspects of this intricate problem. What about social forces? Hill et al. (p. 853) argue in their Viewpoint that it will take only a small reduction in daily net energy input to prevent further increases in obesity rates—an attainable goal, they believe. Social change can also occur in the medical profession as physicians and other health care professionals learn more about how to treat obesity, as argued by Pi-Sunyer (p. [859][2]).

Perhaps the biggest challenge is outlined by Nestle in her editorial (p. 781). When the interests of corporate institutions that control the distribution of food and its advertisement (with the goal of maximizing food consumption) conflict with the public good, who is to intervene and how?

 [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1079856
 [2]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.1082319


We investigate the relation of further training and employees' affective commitment. In doing so, we distinguish between a support effect and a participation effect: On the one hand we analyze how a firm's general support for further training is associated with the affective commitment of their employees and on the other hand how individual participation in further training relates to affective commitment. Using the Linked Personnel Panel (LPP), which is a longitudinally linked employer-employee data set, we are able to control for several human resource management instruments additionally to the usual demographics and job characteristics. Moreover, the two-level structure of the data allows us to analyze the support effect from a firm's perspective and an individually perceived perspective. Results show that employees' participation in further training is positively related to affective commitment, but that a general perceived firm's support for personnel development mediates the positive relation of participation in further training and individual affective commitment. Furthermore, we find that the relation of perceived firm's interest in personnel development and affective commitment is increasing with years of schooling and decreasing with age.


Abstract : Background: between May 2010 and october 2011 the unit of Preventive Medicine for the developmental ages of district IV, Health unit aSL rM/a, received 136 measles case notifications from the unit of Epidemiology and Prophylaxis of Infectious diseases. Methods : in accordance with the infectious diseases monitoring protocol, we introduced a series of preventive measures, such as monitoring subjects in contact with measles-infected patients, recommend- ing the administration of two Measles Mumps and rubella (MMr) doses four weeks apart, and informing paediatricians, families and school teachers about the measles epidemic. Results : all the activities above led to an increased number of MMr doses administered and a significant improvement of measles immunization coverage among residents of the district IV health unit of rome. concerning MMr 1, in a sample cohort consisting of children ≤24 months, the immunization coverage increased from 77% on the 31/12/09 to 88% on the 31/12/11. Instead, for MMr 2, in a cohort of children ≤6 years, the same ratio improved from 51% on the 31/12/09 to 65% on the 31/12/11. Discussion : the results indicate a material increase in the immunization coverage once our public health actions and vaccination strategies had been implemented among young residents of district IV aSL rM/a...


A claimant can only be successful with a claim against the Road Accident Fund (RAF) if the claimant was in fact injured by the negligent driving of a "motor vehicle" or "other unlawful" act connected to a "motor vehicle or the driving thereof" (Klopper Third Party Compensation (2012) 64). Thus the definition of a "motor vehicle" is of paramount importance. If the injury or death of a person was caused by something other than the driving of a "motor vehicle" or "other unlawful act" then the claimant would not be able to claim from the RAF (Klopper 56).


The influence of physical housing quality on childhood asthma expression, especially the effect of exposure to moulds, allergens, and pollutants, is well documented. However, attempts to explain increasing rates and severity of childhood asthma solely through physical environmental factors have been unsuccessful, and additional exposures may be involved. Increasing evidence has linked psychological stress and negative affective states to asthma expression. At the same time, recent scholarship in the social sciences has focused on understanding how social environments, such as housing, "get under the skin" to influence health, and suggests that psychological factors play a key role. While there is relevant overlapping research in social science, psychology, economics, and health policy in this area, findings from these disciplines have not yet been conceptually integrated into ongoing asthma research. We propose to expand the dimensions of housing considered in future asthma research to include both physical and psychological aspects which may directly and indirectly influence onset and severity of disease expression. This synthesis of overlapping research from a number of disciplines argues for the systematic measure of psychological dimensions of housing and consideration of the interplay between housing stress and physical housing characteristics in relation to childhood asthma.


One of the key learning objectives in any health professional course is to develop ethical and judicious practice. Therefore, it is important to address how medical and pharmacy students respond to, and deal with, ethical dilemmas in their clinical environments. In this paper, we examined how students communicated their resolution of ethical dilemmas and the alignment between these communications and the four principles developed by Beauchamp and Childress. Three hundred and fifty-seven pharmacy and medical students (overall response rate=63%) completed a questionnaire containing four clinical case scenarios with an ethical dilemma. Data were analysed using multiple methods. The findings revealed that 73% of the qualitative responses could be exclusively coded to one of the 'four principles' determined by the Beauchamp and Childress' framework. Additionally, 14% of responses overlapped between the four principles (multiple codes) and 13% of responses could not be coded using the framework. The subsequent subgroup analysis revealed different response patterns depending on the case being reviewed. The findings showed that when students are faced with challenging ethical dilemmas their responses can be aligned with the Beauchamp and Childress framework, although more contentious dilemmas involving issues of law are less easily categorised. The differences between year and discipline groups show students are developing ethical frames of reference that may be linked with their teaching environments and their levels of understanding. Analysis of these response patterns provides insight into the way students will likely respond in 'real' settings and this information may help educators prepare students for these clinical ethical dilemmas.


Bone constantly cycles through a dynamic process of breakdown and remodeling. Osteoblasts are the specialized mesenchymal stem cells that have a major role in bone formation and the remodeling process whereas their counterpart osteoclasts, handle bone resorption. Embryonic stem cells can be partially differentiated into Progenitor cells, and we worked with #18, a candidate for being an osteoprogenitor that has the potential to respond to morphogenic activators. In the case of bone remodeling, TGF-β 2, BMP-2 and an abundance of CA++ have been shown to be potential activators of differentiation into osteoblasts. Eight different trials were conducted with the cells using different combinations of the three morphogenic activators. After inducing the cells with the activators, we performed Immunohistochemistry (IHC) to analyze the expression of osteocalcin, which is the enzyme that binds calcium to mineralize bone. The cells with varying activator combinations showed different physiology with a variance in the cell shape, structure, and spacing. The greatest results were from the combination of TGF-β 2 and BMP-2, which is consistent with #18 operating as an osteoprogenitor. A 3D construct model of #18 seemed to have a similar structure to that of an osteon, possibly indicating the formation of bone. We took slices of the model and performed an IHC staining for Osteocalcin, Prolyl Hydroxylase (5B5), and Collagen I. We saw a strong positive signal for Col I and 5B5, and a slight positive signal for Osteocalcin. This information confirmed that #18 is an osteoprogenitor and is able to assemble bone.


The disconnect between the lofty aspirations of firms claiming Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and their shortcomings in practice have caused some observers to question its usefulness. The fallout from events like the Rana Plaza catastrophe has highlighted some of these shortcomings—namely, deficiencies in how multinational enterprises (MNEs) transact with suppliers in developing countries. Specifically, our paper aims to investigate whether or not MNEs behave hypocritically by examining the alignment of CSR to business practices in MNE affiliates in developing countries. To answer this question, we apply standard ordinary least squares (OLS) techniques to data for over 1000 MNEs that claim to have a CSR ethos. We find that CSR-active enterprises report significantly higher worker wages, ceteris paribus. Local African suppliers benefit from CSR through knowledge transfer, but only when MNEs make tangible investments in supplier development.


textabstractDiffraction contrast tomography (DCT) is an X-ray full-field imaging technique that allows for the non-destructive three-dimensional investigation of polycrystalline materials and the determination of the physical and morphological properties of their crystallographic domains, called grains. This task is considered more and more challenging with the increasing intra-granular deformation, also known as orientation-spread. The recent introduction of a sixdimensional reconstruction framework in DCT (6D-DCT) has proven to be able to address the intra-granular crystal orientation for moderately deformed materials. The approach used in 6D-DCT, which is an extended sampling of the six-dimensional combined position-orientation space, has a linear scaling between the number of sampled orientations, which determine the orientation-space resolution of the problem, and computer memory usage. As a result, the reconstruction of more deformed materials is limited by their high resource requirements from a memory and computational point of view, which can easily become too demanding for the currently available computer technologies. In this article we propose a super-sampling method for the orientation-space representation of the six-dimensional DCT framework that enables the reconstruction of more deformed cases by reducing the impact on system memory, at the expense of longer reconstruction times. The use of super-sampling can further improve the quality and accuracy of the reconstructions, especially in cases where memory restrictions force us to adapt to inadequate (undersampled) orientation-space sampling.


The western part of the Mid-Proterozoic Namaqua mobile belt consists of a series of tectonostratigraphic terranes, including the Aggeneys terrane. In the centre of the Aggeneys terrane occurs a duplex of five fold nappes, represented by the Aggeneys Hills. One of these, the Quarry fold nappe, contains sections through a distinctive volcano-sedimentary sequence correlated with the Koeris Formation that elsewhere overlies the Hotson Formation with ore-bearing assemblages. A description of the stratigraphic and petrological characteristics of the volcano-sedimentary sequence can supply guides to underlying Broken Hill type deposits in other parts of the Aggeneys terrane.

The exposed portion of the Koeris Formation that was mapped in detail in the Quarry fold nappe, is 220m thick and is interpreted to be stratigraphically inverted because of large-scale thrusting and folding. The sequence starts with Mg-rich mafic lavas (now amphibolite with hornblende and cummingtonite), followed by a sedimentary sequence (now quartz-muscovite schist). The succeeding metarhyolite and felsic breccia are overlain by mafic metalava and breccia with intercalated clastic products (now quartz-muscovite schist with mafic lenses). A subsequent major clastic incursion represented by conglomerate (called the main conglomerate), is terminated by massive amygdaloidal lava flows (termed the main amphibolite). The main amphibolite is followed by sedimentary rocks (now schist and quartzite) that are in turn overlain by lava (now homogeneous amphibolite). The sequence ends with volcanoclastic conglomerate/agglomerate succeeded by fine-grained clastic deposits (now quartz-mica schist).

Regional metamorphism at amphibolite grade yielded peak temperatures in the range of 400 to 700°C at ≥4 kbar. However epidote-rich parageneses (such as epidote-garnet-quartz) that locally transect the regional fabric, indicates the introduction of Ca, Si and Fe subsequent to the metamorphic peak. Vestiges of earlier alteration are represented by crystallographically zoned cordierite and anthophyllite in rocks of appropriate composition. In most of the exposed sequence, primary features such as vesicles and pillow structures have been retained in spite of the metamorphism, except in zones of high strain. The same can be said of the chemical composition of samples representing typical amphibolite and metarhyolite, matching average tholeiite and rhyolite/rhyodacite.

The lavas were generated from an upper mantle source near to 1 600 Ma ago, during extensional crustal conditions subsequent to the infilling of cratonic sedimentary basins in an alluvial-fan/fluvial environment. The volcanism was followed by the Namaqua Orogeny, a long-lived compressional period that included terrane amalgamation and felsic magmatism at ~1 200 Ma ago. The orogeny was terminated during renewed extensional conditions, when easterly orientated shear zones of regional extent were formed near to 1 100 Ma ago.


Through the increasing availability of access to the web, more and more interactions between people take place in online social networks, such as Twitter or Facebook, or sites where opinions can be exchanged. At the same time, knowledge is made openly available for many people, such as by the biggest collaborative encyclopedia Wikipedia and diverse information in Internet forums and on websites. These two kinds of networks - social networks and knowledge networks - are highly dynamic in the sense that the links that contain the important information about the relationships between people or the relations between knowledge items are frequently updated or changed. These changes follow particular structural patterns and characteristics that are far less random than expected.
The goal of this thesis is to predict three characteristic link patterns for the two network types of interest: the addition of new links, the removal of existing links and the presence of latent negative links. First, we show that the prediction of link removal is indeed a new and challenging problem. Even if the sociological literature suggests that reasons for the formation and resolution of ties are often complementary, we show that the two respective prediction problems are not. In particular, we show that the dynamics of new links and unlinks lead to the four link states of growth, decay, stability and instability. For knowledge networks we show that the prediction of link changes greatly benefits from the usage of temporal information; the timestamp of link creation and deletion events improves the prediction of future link changes. For that, we present and evaluate four temporal models that resemble different exploitation strategies. Focusing on directed social networks, we conceptualize and evaluate sociological constructs that explain the formation and dissolution of relationships between users. Measures based on information about past relationships are extremely valuable for predicting the dissolution of social ties. Hence, consistent for knowledge networks and social networks, temporal information in a network greatly improves the prediction quality. Turning again to social networks, we show that negative relationship information such as distrust or enmity can be predicted from positive known relationships in the network. This is particularly interesting in networks where users cannot label their relationships to other users as negative. For this scenario we show how latent negative relationships can be predicted.


Lead isotopic and trace element records of two contrasting sediment cores were examined to reconstruct historic, industrial contaminant inputs to Lake Tanganyika, Africa. Observed fluxes of Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in age-dated sediments collected from the lake varied both spatially and temporally over the past two to four centuries. The fluxes of trace elements were lower (up to 10-fold) at a mid-lake site (MC1) than at a nearshore site (LT-98-58), which is directly downstream from the Kahama and Nyasanga River watersheds and adjacent to the relatively pristine Gombe Stream National Park. Trace element fluxes at that nearshore site did not measurably change over the last two centuries (1815–1998), while the distal, mid-lake site exhibited substantial changes in the fluxes of trace elements – likely caused by changes in land use – over that period. For example, the flux of Pb increased by 300% from 1871 to 1991. That apparent accelerated weathering and detrital mobilization of lithogenic trace elements was further evidenced by (i) positive correlations (r = 0.77–0.99, p < 0.05) between the fluxes of Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn and those of iron (Fe) at both sites, (ii) positive correlations (r = 0.82–0.98, p < 0.01, n = 9) between the fluxes of elements (Al, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and the mass accumulation rates at the offshore site, (iii) the low enrichment factors (EF < 5) of those trace elements, and (iv) the temporal consistencies of the isotopic composition of Pb in the sediment. These measurements indicate that accelerated weathering, rather than industrialization, accounts for most of the increases in trace element fluxes to Lake Tanganyika in spite of the development of mining and smelting operations within the lake's watershed over the past century. The data also indicate that the mid-lake site is a much more sensitive and useful recorder of environmental changes than the nearshore site. Furthermore, the lead isotopic compositions of sediment at the sites differed spatially, indicating that the Pb (and other trace elements by association) originated from different natural sources at the two locations. 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


Tunneling time (or group delay) for an optical pulse to transmit the energy through a photonic bandgap is calculated analytically for a one-dimensional multilayered optical superlattice. The analytical solution shows that the calculated tunneling time converges to a finite value with increasing numbers of layers, and we have derived the formula for the converged value of the tunneling time. This effect is similar to the so-called Hartman effect in a quantum system. Because of the destructive interference of multireflected light in the superlattice, the tunneling time is determined by an exponentially decaying evanescent wave, which is the reason for this effect.


PURPOSE
It is common practice to calculate lung SBRT plans on free breathing CT scans. Recently, literature has suggested using time average scans or ITV density overridden scans to more accurately calculate dose in lung. We evaluate each of these techniques.

METHODS
A free breathing (FB) and 4D-CT were acquired for a Quasar Motion Phantom with lung insert and 3 cm spherical target (Modus Medical Devices Inc, Canada). Target motion was set to ± 1cm parallel to CT table travel at 16 cycles per minute. An ITV was defined on the 4D-CT with a PTV defined as a 5 mm expansion. RapidArc plans giving 1000 cGy to 96-97% of the PTV in two arcs were created on four image sets: the time average, FB, FB with the ITV set to tissue density, and FB with the PTV set to tissue density. Plans were delivered on a Varian TrueBeam STx (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) and measured on EBT3 film placed in the phantom target. Reference dose distributions that accounted for film motion were created for each plan by shifting the dose in 2 mm steps over the range of motion and convolving these shifted doses. The film was analyzed in with a gamma metric of 1mm/1%.

RESULTS
The passing gamma percentages were 77.9%, 83.6%, 89.1%, and 92.7% for the FB, time average, ITV, and PTV plans, respectively. Profiles along the direction of travel showed hot spots of 5-10% above the predicted dose just outside the target for the FB and average plans. The ITV plan showed similar hot spots ∼2% above predicted dose. The PTV profile was in good agreement with predicted dose.

CONCLUSION
Though this study is a greatly simplified case, it shows that planning to a tissue density target in lung may produce the most accurate dose predictions.


Human cultures generate meanings, and the history of ideas, broadly conceived, is the study of these meanings. An adequate theory of culture must therefore rest on a suitable philosophical enquiry into the nature of the history of ideas. Mark Bevir's book explores the forms of reasoning appropriate to the history of ideas, enhancing our understanding by grappling with central questions such as: what is a meaning? What constitutes objective knowledge of the past? What are beliefs and traditions? How can we explain why people held the beliefs they did? The book ranges widely over issues and theorists associated with post-analytic philosophy, postmodernism, hermeneutics, literary theory, political thought, and social theory.


The infection of a novel coronavirus found in Wuhan of China (2019-nCoV) is rapidly spreading, and the incidence rate is increasing worldwide. Due to the lack of effective treatment options for 2019-nCoV, various strategies are being tested in China, including drug repurposing. In this study, we used our pretrained deep learning-based drug-target interaction model called Molecule Transformer-Drug Target Interaction (MT-DTI) to identify commercially available drugs that could act on viral proteins of 2019-nCoV. The result showed that atazanavir, an antiretroviral medication used to treat and prevent the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is the best chemical compound, showing a inhibitory potency with Kd of 94.94 nM against the 2019-nCoV 3C-like proteinase, followed by efavirenz (199.17 nM), ritonavir (204.05 nM), and dolutegravir (336.91 nM). Interestingly, lopinavir, ritonavir, and darunavir are all designed to target viral proteinases. However, in our prediction, they may also bind to the replication complex components of 2019-nCoV with an inhibitory potency with Kd < 1000 nM. In addition, we also found that several antiviral agents, such as Kaletra, could be used for the treatment of 2019-nCoV, although there is no real-world evidence supporting the prediction. Overall, we suggest that the list of antiviral drugs identified by the MT-DTI model should be considered, when establishing effective treatment strategies for 2019-nCoV.


Sodium/hydrogen exchangers (NHEs) are a family of proteins that transport sodium ions into the cells by moving protons out of the cells. They play a major role in sodium absorption, cell volume regulation, and intracellular pH regulation. Three out of nine identified NHEs (NHE2, NHE3, and NHE8) are expressed on the apical membrane of intestinal epithelial cells. Glucocorticoids have been found to regulate NHE3 function in the intestine, but it is unknown if they have a similar function on NHE8 expression. Interestingly, high glucocorticoid levels in the intestine coincide chronologically with the change from high expression of NHE8 to high expression of NHE3. Studies were performed to explore the role of glucocorticoids on NHE8 expression during intestinal maturation. Brush-border membrane vesicles were isolated from intestinal epithelia, and Western blotting was performed to determine NHE8 protein expression of suckling male rats treated with methylpredisolone. Real-time PCR was used to quantitate NHE8 mRNA expression in rats and Caco-2 cells. Human NHE8 promoter activity was characterized through transfection of Caco-2 cells. Gel mobility shift assays (GMSAs) were used to identify the promoter sequences and the transcription factors involved in glucocorticoid-mediated regulation. Our results showed that the expression of NHE8 mRNA and protein was decreased in glucocorticoid-treated rats and human intestinal epithelial cells (Caco-2). The activity of the human NHE8 gene promoter transfected in Caco-2 cells was also reduced by glucocorticoid treatment. GMSAs suggested that the reduction in promoter activity in the presence of glucocorticoids was due to enhanced transcription factor Pax5 binding on the NHE8 proximal promoter region. In conclusion, this study showed that glucocorticoids inhibit NHE8 gene expression by increasing Pax5 binding on NHE8 gene promoter, suggesting an important role for Pax5 during intestinal maturation.


We define the general Hill system and briefly analyze its dynamical behavior. A particular Hill system representing the interaction of a Keplerian binary system with a normally incident circularly polarized gravitational wave is discussed in detail. In this case, we compute the Poincar\'e-Melnikov function explicitly and determine its zeros. Moreover, we provide numerical evidence in favor of chaos in this system. The partially averaged equations for the Hill system are used to predict the regular behavior of the Keplerian orbit at resonance with the external radiation.


We consider the problem of architecting a reliable content delivery system across an overlay network using TCP connections as the transport primitive. We first argue that natural designs based on store-and-forward principles that tightly couple TCP connections at intermediate end-systems impose fundamental performance limitations, such as dragging down all transfer rates in the system to the rate of the slowest receiver. In contrast, the ROMA architecture we propose incorporates the use of loosely coupled TCP connections together with fast forward error correction techniques to deliver a scalable solution that better accommodates a set of heterogeneous receivers. The methods we develop establish chains of TCP connections, whose expected performance we analyze through equation-based methods. We validate our analytical findings and evaluate the performance of our ROMA architecture using a prototype implementation via extensive Internet experimentation across the PlanetLab distributed testbed.


This paper aims to emphasize the existence, between 1859 and 1866, of a sincere fight of the Romanian political elite for the liberal constitutionalism, generally, and for the parliamentary regime, especially, that constantly aimed to eliminate or, at least, to limit the authoritarian rule of the Prince. I would like to remark the decisive contribution of Cuza's reign to the birth of the Romanian unitary and modern nation-state without turning the constitutional and political modernization into a minor issue. It is useful to notice and it is important to acknowledge the failure of the liberal constitutionalism during the reign of Cuza but, in the same time, it is important to notice that it was never abandoned, at least as ideology, by a great majority of the Romanian political elite. The liberal constitutionalism did not die with the failure of the parliamentary regime. The years following the fall of Cuza witnessed a strong ideological enthusiasm towards the principles and values of the liberal constitutionalism (although in its ethnocentric understanding). In the same time, the making of the 1866 Constitution proved a full aversion towards Caesarism and a sincere commitment with parliamentarianism as a precondition for a successful modernization of the Romanian state and


Prior work uses a parametric approach to study the distributional effects of school finance reform and finds evidence that reform yields greater equality of school expenditures by lowering spending in high-spending districts (leveling down) or increasing spending in low-spending districts (leveling up). We develop a kernel density difference-in-difference approach to isolate how tax limits and/or education finance reform affect the full distribution of education expenditures. Simulations of the difference in distributional differences across school finance regimes over time suggest that parametric approaches offer an incomplete description of the distributional impacts of policy changes. Using data for the population of U.S. school districts in 1972, 1982, and 1992, we find that educational reforms and tax limits yield greater equality of expenditures by reducing the number of districts in the tails of the distribution, particularly when both are adopted during the same decade. Our results also suggest that the incompleteness of the parametric descriptions used in prior work can suggest greater variation in the distributional consequences of reform than is actually present.


Cite this article as: Dülgeroğlu D, Bal A, Karaahmet Ö, Umay E, Noyan S, Çakcı A. The effectiveness of galvanic electrotherapy and a conservative hand exercise program in a rheumatoid hand: a randomized controlled trial. Turk J Phys Med Rehab 2016;62:132-42. ABSTRACT Objectives: This study aims to evaluate whether the galvanic electrotherapy can relieve rheumatic hand pain and whether conservative hand exercises increase the hand strength. Patients and methods: Between March 2012 and November 2012, 30 female patients with rheumatoid arthritis (mean age 54.0±11.2 years; range 50 to 75 years) who were followed in our outpatient clinic were randomized into two groups. The study group (n=16) was administered the galvanic electrotherapy combined with a conservative exercise program. The patients in the control group (n=14) were administered the conservative exercise program alone. The pain level of the hand was evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Hand grip and pinch strength were measured by dynamometry. The level of disability was examined using the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). The functional disability of the hand was assessed using the Duruöz Hand Index (DHI). All measurements were performed on both hands before and immediately and at five weeks after therapy. Results: The VAS scores did not significantly differ between the groups. In the study group, a significant increase was noted in the grip strength of the right and left hand between the first and second measurement (p=0.011 and p=0.025). In the control group, there was no significant difference between the measurements in terms of the grip strength of the right hand. In the study group, significant differences in the HAQ scores were recorded between first and subsequent measurements (p=0.001 and p=0.007). Conclusion: Our study results show that the galvanic electrotherapy and conservative hand exercises are effective in the treatment of rheumatic hands.


This paper deals with two of the main topics in the debate on varieties of capitalism: first, the process of convergence or divergence between the different models; second, the identification of factors affecting the diverse outcomes in terms of inclusive growth in European countries. The analysis shows that for the two dimensions considered here, competitiveness and inclusion, models of capitalism continue to follow different paths, both in their policy configuration and outcomes. In this process, a key role is played by the agency of three actors: State, social partners and firms. Different forms of agency of these actors are identified and the diverse trajectories of the models of capitalism are highlighted, as result of the tension between institutional structure, historical legacy and the agency of these actors.


The response of individual species to climate change may alter the composition and dynamics of communities. Here, we show that the impacts of environmental change on communities can depend on the nature of the interspecific interactions: mutualistic communities typically respond differently than commensalistic or parasitic communities. We model and analyse the geographic range shifting of metapopulations of two interacting species – a host and an obligate species. Different types of interspecific interactions are implemented by modifying local extinction rates according to the presence/absence of the other species. We distinguish and compare three fundamentally different community types: mutualism, commensalism and parasitism. We find that community dynamics during geographic range shifting critically depends on the type of interspecific interactions. Parasitic interactions exacerbate the negative effect of environmental change whereas mutualistic interactions only partly compensate it. Commensalistic interactions exhibit an intermediate response. Based on these model outcomes, we predict that parasitic species interactions may be more vulnerable to geographic range shifting than commensalistic or mutualistic ones. However, we observe that when climate stabilises following a period of change, the rate of community recovery is largely independent of the type of interspecific interactions. These results emphasize that communities respond delicately to environmental change, and that local interspecific interactions can affect range shifting communities at large spatial scales.


This thesis is an examination of the different conceptions of the sublime in relation to Niagara Falls. Viewing the Falls as representative of numerous key ideas about American nature in general, I argue that its artificial illumination in the early twentieth century made possible the realization of aesthetic ideals of natural purity first formulated in the eighteenth century, despite industrialization's profound alterations to the landscape across the nineteenth century. I support this claim by focusing on the long intellectual and cultural history underpinning electric light's ability to recreate sensations of the sublime for onlookers, an experience which was intimately associated with both Niagara Falls and American nature at large. I argue that the application of electric light to Niagara, by both visually editing the landscape and generating feelings of the sublime, satisfied visitors' desires for a natural aesthetic ideal and obscured the effects of human influence.


In this paper we present a new approach towards high performance speech/music segmentation on realistic tasks related to the automatic transcription of broadcast news. In the approach presented here, the local probability density function (PDF) estimators trained on clean microphone speech are used as a channel model at the output of which the entropy and "dynamism" will be measured and integrated over time through a 2-state (speech and and non-speech) hidden Markov model (HMM) with minimum duration constraints. The parameters of the HMM are trained using the EM algorithm in a completely unsupervised manner. Different experiments, including a variety of speech and music styles, as well as different segment durations of speech and music signals (real data distribution, mostly speech, or mostly music), will illustrate the robustness of the approach, which in each case achieves a frame-level accuracy greater than 94%.


Major architectural innovations in the compute node have been introduced in the IBM Blue Gene®/Q, including programmable Level 1 (L1) cache data prefetching units to hide memory access latency, hardware support for transactional memory (TM) and speculative execution (SE), an enhanced five-dimensional integrated torus network, and a high-performance quad floating-point SIMD (single-instruction, multiple-data) unit. In this paper, we present the tools and methodology that we used to model, co-design, and validate these new features from early concept phase through design implementation. Early in the design cycle, we made extensive use of an architectural simulator, BGQSim, capable of executing unmodified binary Blue Gene/Q code for single as well as multiple nodes. As the hardware description language for the chip implementation became available, we complemented BGQSim with a cycle-accurate and cycle-reproducible, large-scale field-programmable gate array-based platform, Twinstar, to validate the implementation against performance targets and functional specifications. Through specific examples, we show the effectiveness of these tools in co-developing the hardware and software of Blue Gene/Q, allowing us to meet the design targets at an aggressive project schedule.


Abstract: Madagascar has one of the lowest GDPs in the world. Colonization brought the country into the global economy, but left it at its margins—vulnerable to the hardships of structural adjustment and limitations of state infrastructure. This analysis reveals economic decision-making that defies the utilitarian logic of homo economicus and inspires creative thinking about alternatives to growth as a dominant paradigm. In northern Madagascar, the economy of the stimulant khat is part of one socionatural world characterized by low levels of production and consumption. Madagascar provides a case study for suggesting that "making a living" invokes an intricate web of material desires, cultural meaning, and social connections that do not necessarily revolve around a capitalist growth motive. This article proposes that a path to sustainability is not only in changing social imaginaries but also in valorizing and leveraging cognitive orientations and practices that exist but that may fall below the radar of traditional economic analysis. Keywords: Madagascar, khat, utilitarian, degrowth, economy, urban


Motivation. The study of human brain development in its early stage is today possible thanks to in vivo fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques. A quantitative analysis of fetal cortical surface represents a new approach which can be used as a marker of the cerebral maturation (as gyration) and also for studying central nervous system pathologies [1]. However, this quantitative approach is a major challenge for several reasons. First, movement of the fetus inside the amniotic cavity requires very fast MRI sequences to minimize motion artifacts, resulting in a poor spatial resolution and/or lower SNR. Second, due to the ongoing myelination and cortical maturation, the appearance of the developing brain differs very much from the homogenous tissue types found in adults. Third, due to low resolution, fetal MR images considerably suffer of partial volume (PV) effect, sometimes in large areas. Today extensive efforts are made to deal with the reconstruction of high resolution 3D fetal volumes [2,3,4] to cope with intra-volume motion and low SNR. However, few studies exist related to the automated segmentation of MR fetal imaging. [5] and [6] work on the segmentation of specific areas of the fetal brain such as posterior fossa, brainstem or germinal matrix. First attempt for automated brain tissue segmentation has been presented in [7] and in our previous work [8]. Both methods apply the Expectation-Maximization Markov Random Field (EM-MRF) framework but contrary to [7] we do not need from any anatomical atlas prior. Data set & Methods. Prenatal MR imaging was performed with a 1-T system (GE Medical Systems, Milwaukee) using single shot fast spin echo (ssFSE) sequences (TR 7000 ms, TE 180 ms, FOV 40 x 40 cm, slice thickness 5.4mm, in plane spatial resolution 1.09mm). Each fetus has 6 axial volumes (around 15 slices per volume), each of them acquired in about 1 min. Each volume is shifted by 1 mm with respect to the previous one. Gestational age (GA) ranges from 29 to 32 weeks. Mother is under sedation. Each volume is manually segmented to extract fetal brain from surrounding maternal tissues. Then, in-homogeneity intensity correction is performed using [9] and linear intensity normalization is performed to have intensity values that range from 0 to 255. Note that due to intra-tissue variability of developing brain some intensity variability still remains. For each fetus, a high spatial resolution image of isotropic voxel size of 1.09 mm is created applying [2] and using B-splines for the scattered data interpolation [10] (see Fig. 1). Then, basal ganglia (BS) segmentation is performed on this super reconstructed volume. Active contour framework with a Level Set (LS) implementation is used. Our LS follows a slightly different formulation from well-known Chan-Vese [11] formulation. In our case, the LS evolves forcing the mean of the inside of the curve to be the mean intensity of basal ganglia. Moreover, we add local spatial prior through a probabilistic map created by fitting an ellipsoid onto the basal ganglia region. Some user interaction is needed to set the mean intensity of BG (green dots in Fig. 2) and the initial fitting points for the probabilistic prior map (blue points in Fig. 2). Once basal ganglia are removed from the image, brain tissue segmentation is performed as described in [8]. Results. The case study presented here has 29 weeks of GA. The high resolution reconstructed volume is presented in Fig. 1. The steps of BG segmentation are shown in Fig. 2. Overlap in comparison with manual segmentation is quantified by the Dice similarity index (DSI) equal to 0.829 (values above 0.7 are considered a very good agreement). Such BG segmentation has been applied on 3 other subjects ranging for 29 to 32 GA and the DSI has been of 0.856, 0.794 and 0.785. Our segmentation of the inner (red and blue contours) and outer cortical surface (green contour) is presented in Fig. 3. Finally, to refine the results we include our WM segmentation in the Freesurfer software [12] and some manual corrections to obtain Fig.4. Discussion. Precise cortical surface extraction of fetal brain is needed for quantitative studies of early human brain development. Our work combines the well known statistical classification framework with the active contour segmentation for central gray mater extraction. A main advantage of the presented procedure for fetal brain surface extraction is that we do not include any spatial prior coming from anatomical atlases. The results presented here are preliminary but promising. Our efforts are now in testing such approach on a wider range of gestational ages that we will include in the final version of this work and studying as well its generalization to different scanners and different type of MRI sequences. References. [1] Guibaud, Prenatal Diagnosis 29(4) (2009). [2] Rousseau, Acad. Rad. 13(9), 2006, [3] Jiang, IEEE TMI 2007. [4] Warfield IADB, MICCAI 2009. [5] Claude, IEEE Trans. Bio. Eng. 51(4) (2004). [6] Habas, MICCAI (Pt. 1) 2008. [7] Bertelsen, ISMRM 2009 [8] Bach Cuadra, IADB, MICCAI 2009. [9] Styner, IEEE TMI 19(39 (2000). [10] Lee, IEEE Trans. Visual. And Comp. Graph. 3(3), 1997, [11] Chan, IEEE Trans. Img. Proc, 10(2), 2001 [12] Freesurfer, http://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.


Colored men and women traded in the five and dime all the time. They kept money in the bank and on some Saturdays were allowed to sit in the balcony of the theater to watch a movie. This all seemed normal to me. It's true that they couldn't drink out of the same water fountain as white folks or eat in the same coffee shop. They had to wait to be served in the stores until white folk had been served, but that's just the way things were. (1) The African American experience prior to the civil rights movement is difficult for secondary students to grasp. The unabashed racism of the time is unfathomable for most students in twenty-first century America. While racism and other prejudice still exist, it is now more subtle and less obvious to the casual observer. The above quote, from the 2004 NCSS Notable Trade Book Mississippi Morning, conveys the pervasive nature of racism in the United States prior to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Mississippi Morning presents the perspective of a young white protagonist in this vivid picture book about Depression-era Mississippi, a place and time where the Ku Klux Klan dominated society. As a result of the Klan's dominance, African Americans lived in fear, forced to live in an atmosphere of prejudice and discrimination. The richly descriptive prose engages readers in a way that no standard textbook can. Fortunately, as social studies educators, we have a wealth of books that we can use to bring the past to life and to our students. Why Picture Books? As mentioned above, Mississippi Morning is a picture book. Traditionally 32 pages in length, with an image on every page or two-page spread, the picture book format enables the author to address the difficult and emotionally charged topics of racial discrimination and prejudice both visually and textually. This connection of picture and text creates a rich portrait of the period; the characters and the setting of a picture book are accessible to the student through the visual representation. (2) The use of selected images also enables the author to emphasize themes, emotions, and significant details that might otherwise be lost in a conventional text-only medium. (3) Although picture books are traditionally associated with elementary level learners, they can also be utilized effectively without patronizing older students. The picture book format is not an indication of the reading level or content. It can be more accurately described as the medium that the author felt best captured the concept. In fact, many recently published picture books may be inappropriate for use in a younger class setting. (4) Mississippi Morning includes images and references to Klan-related violence that are not age-appropriate for students at the primary level. Comprehending many of the complex topics addressed in today's picture books--such as the civil rights movement--requires more background knowledge than most elementary students have. Additionally, the vocabulary and reading level of many recently published picture books are too advanced for the traditional elementary student. (5) The excerpt at the beginning of this article is written at a 6.5 grade level, well within the appropriate range for middle school inclusion. Picture books are fun and visually arresting. We have found that secondary students clamor to see the illustrations, listen intently to the text, and enjoy the novelty of a read aloud. The format's concise text is enhanced through the use of vivid imagery. The images are often great works of art in and of themselves. All of the books highlighted in this article present artwork by award-winning illustrators who also display their works in formats other than picture books. The visual-verbal connection of picture books also facilitates learning for a variety of special needs students: the English Language Learner (ELL), the exceptional education student, and the reluctant reader. …


Beach profile formation may be severely affected by secondary waves which, together with the basic wave, always originate from a sinusoidally.moving wave board The ascertainment of this experimental fact is followed by an investigation of the behaviour of the generated waves and their interactions It appears that the many characteristic features, among which the spatial beat phenomenon and the secondary crest formation, are generally in good accordance with the theories of Fontanet [I4j, and Kravtchenko and Santon I 20J It is concluded that an "outer" analysis, eg by plotting the x-tlines of visible peaks, is only of limited use to describe the "inner" character of the complex phenomenon. The subsequent study of the effect of secondary waves on a horizontal sand bed reveals that not only the wave form, but also the sand transport varies spatially, resulting in the formation of bars and troughs This typical behaviour of the onshore-offshore transport is provisionally investigated in a small pulsating water block. Finally, a method is described which suppresses the secondary waves, by using a low rectangular sill on the otherwise horizontal bottom.


Extracted from text ... 73
Unisa Graduation Ceremony in the ZK Matthews Great
Hall on 28 May 2003
Professor Alastair Smith, Department of Mercantile Law,
UNISA
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, goeienaand, sawubona
Well done! Congratulations to our graduates and diploma candidates. And
congratulations to all their supporters who've travelled with them from their first,
perhaps apprehensive, registration onwards to this evening's triumph. My words
are mainly for our new law graduates, but some of what I say about effort, justice
and integrity may also touch our new theologians, scientists, and teachers.
You chose to study for a law degree at UNISA because you like solving
problems fairly and you want to help people. Now you're ..


International Journal of Exercise Science 7(2) : 119-127, 2014. Performance factors such as power, agility, and speed are important in sport-based competition for older individuals. Prediction models that assess these factors in masters level competitors are limited. The purpose of this study was to examine physical field measures of agility and speed and their ability to predict vertical power (VP) among basketball masters athletes (MA). Thirtyeight competitive MA from a Midwest Senior Olympic basketball tournament performed vertical jump, 20-yard dash (20-D), 40-yard dash (40-D), and T-test (TT) assessments. Regression analysis revealed a significant relationship (p = .002) using TT and 20-D to predict VP (R2 = .37). Similar results were observed when replacing the 20-D with the 40-D (R2 = .34; p = .003). Males and females were analyzed independently. Agility and speed measures significantly predicted VP in males (R2 = .59; p = .005) and females (R2 = .43; p = .044). Speed and agility are important factors in the performance of vertical jump (VJ). Results indicate any of the speed distances tested may be used to predict VP among this population, but it is recommended that the 20-D be used due to less demand, space, and time requirements. Utilizing speed and agility may help to minimize physical stress and reduce impact related injury, while improving overall VP performance in masters basketball players. Results of this study suggest need for experimental research to verify the cause and effect relationship between speed, agility, and VP.


The inspiring stories of 6 people who changed history. Contents: Confucius, the great Chinese philosopher Socrates, the great Greek philosopher Aristotle, the first to organize scientific knowledge William Wilberforce who ended the British slave trade Karl Marx who wrote The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital Mahatma Gandhi who helped free India from British rule BRITISH ENGLISH Word count: 16,058 Headword count: 1,701 Each book includes a free CD with a full recording of each story. PLUS: visit www.collinselt.com/readers for videos, teacher resources and self-study materials. This book is Level 4 in the Collins ELT Readers series. Level 4 is equivalent to CEF level B2. About the Amazing People series: A unique opportunity for learners of English to read about the exceptional lives and incredible abilities of some of the most insightful people the world has seen. Each book contains six short stories, told by the characters themselves, as if in their own words. The stories explain the most significant parts of each character's life, giving an insight into how they came to be such an important historic figure. After each story, a timeline presents the most major events in their life in a clear and succinct fashion. The timeline is ideal for checking comprehension or as a basis for project work or further research. Created in association with The Amazing People Club. About Collins ELT Readers: Collins ELT Readers are divided into four levels: Level 1 - elementary (A2) Level 2 - pre-intermediate (A2-B1) Level 3 - intermediate (B1) Level 4 - upper intermediate (B2) Each level is carefully graded to ensure that the learner both enjoys and benefits from their reading experience.


A fundamental study has been performed on the upstream flame propagation of a turbulent kerosene flame, stabilized in a confined stagnation flow at atmospheric pressure. Besides temperature and equivalence ratio, mixture properties and fluid dynamic parameters have been varied. The flashback phenomenon is discussed in terms of critical mean velocities and additionally based on detailed LDV data at the outlet of the premixing duct.The largest critical velocities uc for flashback are found for the "perfectly" premixed case and equivalence ratios close to stoichiometric, which is in accordance with the theory on laminar flame propagation. In the case of a homogeneous mixture, flashback is determined by the velocity distribution at the outlet of the premixing section. In the undisturbed pipe flow the flame propagates through the wall boundary layer. The data for this case are compared with the theory of side-wall quenching in terms of a critical Peclet number and critical velocity gradients at the wall. Both are deduced from the experimental data. Reducing the velocity on the axis forces the flame to propagate through the center at a velocity predicted by correlations on turbulent flame velocity.Copyright © 2001 by ASME


Does undertaking a BSc improve subsequent results at a London Medical School? M Howman, M Jones M Howman, Department of Primary Care and Population Health, Upper Third Floor, Royal Free Campus, Rowland Hill Street, London, NW3 2PF Background Intercalated BScs are an optional part of the Medical School curriculum in many Universities, at an added expense to both the student and the Medical School in terms of time and costs (approx £40,000). Does undertaking a BSc improve subsequent student performance? A systematic review has provided evidence that BScs probably improve subsequent performance but these studies have been flawed by BSc students being highly selected. This study looks at data from medical students after the introduction of compulsory BScs at one school. Aims and Objectives To compare first year clinical exam results from the Academic Year 2005/6 to see whether there is any difference in performance between students who had intercalated before or after the first clinical year. Methods A univariate analysis was performed on first year overall clinical results and also on individual exam components (OSCE, logbook and written paper). Results from a total of 382 students were compared. Graduate or transfer students (mainly Oxbridge) were excluded from the analysis. A general linear model was applied to adjust for differences between the two groups in terms of potential confounders (age, sex, nationality and baseline A level results). Results There was a mean difference in overall end of first year clinical exam scores of 3.8 (238.4 early Bask students vs 234.6 late, score range 145 to 272 out of 300), with the group which had taken the BSc scoring higher. This result was statistically significant (p=0.028) and remained so after adjusting for differences between the two groups as described above. Interestingly, whilst there was a significant improvement in written and logbook scores for those who had taken an early BSc, there was a borderline significant reduction in OSCE score. Conclusions Intercalated BScs produce a significant (though small) improvement in first year clinical exam results. This result is important as it is taken from a student group where BScs are compulsory so minimizes the issue of selection bias. This finding provides support for including BScs as a compulsory part of a medical degree; not only do they provide valuable research experience but they also appear to improve outcome in clinical exams. Larger studies are needed to see if this result is reproduced in other years and at other medical schools. References 1. Jones M, Singh S. Systematic review of the effect of intercalated BSc in medical education. ASME ASM 2008. 2. McManus IC, Richards P, Winde BC. Intercalated Degrees, learning styles and career preferences: prospective longitudinal study of UK medical students. BMJ 1999; 319:542-6 3. Riaz A, Howell S. Intercalated BSc degrees: why do students do them? The Clinical Teacher 2005; 2-72-6 4. Tait N, Marshall T. Is an intercalated BSc degree associated with higher marks in examinations during the clinical years? Med Education 1995; 29:216-9 5. Wyllie AH, Currie AR. The Edinburgh Intercalated honours BSc in pathology; evaluation of selection methods, undergraduate performance and postgraduate career BMJ 1986; 292:1646-8


This paper examines how information fundamentally influences the labour process in the information age. The process of becoming human in the labour process brings to the fore the notion of information and our dialectical interactions with our natural environment as organisms-in-the-environment. These insights lead the authors to posit that information/ideas are material. Information/ideas are not ethereal/immaterial, as is commonly believed, which does not negate that information/ideas may be abstract. Taking a fundamental approach serves to discard the concept of immaterial labour and products, to posit an undeniable materialist basis for the labour theory of value. More importantly, it serves to point to the immanence of information and labour in the labour theory of value.


Abstract Automatic leak localization has been suggested to reduce the time and personnel efforts needed to localize (small) leaks. Yet, the available methods require a detailed demand distribution model for successful calibration and good leak localization performance. The main aim of this work was to analyze whether such a detailed demand distribution is needed. Two demand distributions were used: a factorized distribution that distributes the inflow demand proportionally across the consumption nodes according to individual billing data, and a uniform distribution that equally distributes demand across all consumption nodes. The performance of the automatic leak localization method, using both demand distribution models, was compared. A new measure for leak localization performance that is based on the percentage of false positive nodes is proposed. It was possible to localize the leaks with both demand distribution models, although performance varied depending on the timing and duration of the measurement.


Anarchy and the Law assembles for the first time in one volume the most important classic and contemporary studies exploring and debating non-state legal and political systems, especially involving the tradition of natural law and private contracts. Should markets and contracts provide law, and can the rule of law itself be understood as a private institution? Are the state and its police powers benign societal forces, or are they a system of conquest, authoritarianism, occupation, and exploitation?From the early works of Gustave de Molinari, Edmund Burke, Voltairine de Cleyre, Benjamin Tucker, David Lipscomb, and Lysander Spooner to the contemporary thinking of Murray Rothbard, David Friedman, Anthony De Jasay and Bruce Benson, Anarchy and the Law features the key studies exploring and debating the efficacy of individual choice and markets versus the shortfalls of coercive government power and bureaucracy. In so doing, the book also features debates involving Roderick Long's argument against a nationalized military and Robert Nozick's critique of stateless legal systems, as well as the work of such scholars as Nobel Laureate economist Douglass North, Tyler Cowen, Robert Ellickson, Randall Holcombe, Randy Barnett, Barry Weingast, Terry Anderson, Andrew Rutten, Jeffrey Rogers Hummel, and others.Whereas liberals and conservatives argue in favor of political constraints, Anarchy and the Law examines whether to check against abuse, government power must be replaced by a social order of self-government based on contracts.


This study explored the possibility that bullies, victims of bullying, and bully-victims (i.e., youth who both perpetrate and are victims of bullying) are at increased risk for victimization in four other domains: conventional crime, child maltreatment, sexual victimization, and witnessing or indirect victimization. It also evaluated the extent to which victimization in these other domains enhances the prediction of internalizing problems. Participants were 689 fifth-grade students from an urban, ethnically diverse school district in the Northeast. Youth completed selfreport measures about bullying involvement, victimization in the home and community, and internalizing problems. Bullies, victims, and bully-victims endorsed more victimization in other domains than students not involved in bullying in one of these capacities; bully-victims had the highest victimization rates overall. Further, although regression models showed that bullying involvement was related to greater internalizing problems, explanatory power was increased through the inclusion of other victimization forms. Findings highlight the need for comprehensive victimization assessment among students involved in bullying in any capacity.


The short (D2S) and long (D2L) isoforms of dopamine D2 receptors were stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, and dopamine-induced sequestration was examined by measuring the loss of binding of the hydrophilic ligand [3H]sulpiride from the cell surface. Dopamine treatment of Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing D2S for 30 min at 37 degrees caused a 43.8 +/- 3.4% decrease in [3H]sulpiride binding activity measured by incubation of the treated cells with [3H]sulpiride at 4 degrees for 4 hr after the dopamine was washed out. The half-life of the decrease in binding was estimated to be 18.7 +/- 1.6 min, and the concentration of dopamine giving a half-maximal effect (EC50) was estimated to be 180 +/- 90 nM. The decrease was reversible, and the binding activity was recovered by washing out the dopamine and incubating the cells at 37 degrees for 30 min but was not reversible when the cells were incubated at 4 degrees. The binding activity of [3H]spiperone, a hydrophobic ligand, was not affected by the dopamine treatment under the same experimental conditions. These results indicate that approximately one half of the D2S receptors undergo agonist-induced sequestration, probably endocytosis, in a reversible and temperature-dependent manner. Sequestration of D2L receptors was not as apparent as that of D2S receptors; the decrease in [3H]sulpiride binding activity was 21.6 +/- 0.9% and the rate of the decrease was delayed, with a half-life of 33.2 +/- 7.8 min, although effective concentrations of dopamine were similar, with EC50 = 170 +/- 50 nM. A D2S receptor variant containing a missense mutation changing Ser311 in the third intracellular loop to cysteine was found to be sequestered to a significantly lesser extent than with wild-type D2S receptors. This finding was discussed with respect to the report that this variant gene is found more frequently in schizophrenic patients than in control subjects.


Enforcing a specific topology in image segmentation is a very important but challenging problem, which has attracted much attention in the computer vision community. Most recent works on topology-constrained image segmentation focus on binary segmentation, where the topology is often described by the connectivity of both foreground and background. In this paper, we develop a new multi-labeling method to enforce topology in multi-label image segmentation. In this case, we not only require each segment to be a connected region (intra-segment topology), but also require specific adjacency relations between each pair of segments (inter-segment topology). We develop our method in the context of segmentation propagation, where a segmented template image defines the topology, and our goal is to propagate the segmentation to a target image while preserving the topology. Our method requires good spatial structure continuity between the template and the target such that the template segmentation can be used as a good initialization for segmenting the target. In addition, we focus on multi-label segmentation where a segment and its adjacent segments form a ring structure, which is among the most complex type of inter-segment topology for 2D structures. We apply the proposed method to segment 3D metallic image volumes for the underlying grain structures and achieve better results than several comparison methods. Finally, we also apply the proposed method to interactive segmentation and stereo matching applications.


Within pharmacovigilance, knowledge of time-to-onset (time from start of drug administration to onset of reaction) is important in causality assessment of drugs and suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and may indicate pharmacological mechanisms involved. It has been suggested that time-to-onset from individual case reports can be used for detection of safety signals. However, some ADRs only occur during treatment, while those that do occur later are less likely to be reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of treatment duration on the reported time-to-onset. Case reports from the WHO Global ICSR database, VigiBase, up until February 5th 2010 were the basis of this study. To examine the effect of duration of treatment on reported time-to-onset, angioedema and hepatitis were selected to represent short and long latency ADRs, respectively. The reported time-to-onset for each of these ADRs was contrasted for a set of drugs expected to be used short- or long-term, respectively. The study included 2,980 unique reports for angioedema and 1,159 for hepatitis. Median reported time-to-onset for angioedema in short-term treatments ranged 0-1 days (median 0.5), for angioedema in long-term treatments 0-26 days (median 8), for hepatitis in short-term treatments 4-12 days (median 7.5) and for hepatitis in long term treatments 19-73 days (median 28). Short-term treatments presented significantly shorter reported time-to-onset than long-term treatments. Of note is that reported time-to-onset for angioedema for long-term treatments (median value of medians being 8 days) was very similar to that of hepatitis for short-term treatments (median value of medians equal 7.5 days). The expected duration of treatment needs to be considered in the interpretation of reported time-to-onset and should be accounted for in signal detection method development and case evaluation.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a profile of the Canada fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (CanFASD) research network which is descriptive in nature and profiles the work of the network and its national activities. CanFASD is a unique Canadian, non-governmental organization whose aim is to engage cross-disciplinary research and knowledge translation for stakeholders and partners including communities, policy makers and governments.

Design/methodology/approach
A case study approach was undertaken to describe the network whose main focus and purpose is specifically research related to FASD.

Findings
The creation of CanFASD has contributed to a strong network of researchers on key topic areas including diagnosis, prevention, intervention, justice and child welfare, with a focus on evidence-based decision making, research and knowledge exchange. A key role of the network is to provide access to research and education on FASD nationally.

Research limitations/implications
A case study approach, while descriptive, does not provide the details of specific research projects.

Originality/value
CanFASD has had a key role in stimulating meaningful dialogue and research in the field of FASD. The need exists to collaboratively work on a national and international basis in response to the distinct challenges posed by FASD for individuals, families and society.


We use data from about 700 GPS stations in the EuroMediterranen region to investigate the present-day behavior of the the Calabrian subduction zone within the Mediterranean-scale plates kinematics and to perform local scale studies about the strain accumulation on active structures. We focus attenction on the Messina Straits and Crati Valley faults where GPS data show extentional velocity gradients of ∼3 mm/yr and ∼2 mm/yr, respectively. We use dislocation model and a non-linear constrained optimization algorithm to invert for fault geometric parameters and slip-rates and evaluate the associated uncertainties adopting a bootstrap approach. Our analysis suggest the presence of two partially locked normal faults. To investigate the impact of elastic strain contributes from other nearby active faults onto the observed velocity gradient we use a block modeling approach. Our models show that the inferred slip-rates on the two analyzed structures are strongly impacted by the assumed locking width of the Calabrian subduction thrust.
In order to frame the observed local deformation features within the present- day central Mediterranean kinematics we realyze a statistical analysis testing the indipendent motion (w.r.t. the African and Eurasias plates) of the Adriatic, Cal- abrian and Sicilian blocks. Our preferred model confirms a microplate like behaviour for all the investigated blocks. Within these kinematic boundary conditions we fur- ther investigate the Calabrian Slab interface geometry using a combined approach of block modeling and χ2ν statistic. Almost no information is obtained using only the horizontal GPS velocities that prove to be a not sufficient dataset for a multi-parametric inversion approach.
Trying to stronger constrain the slab geometry we estimate the predicted vertical velocities performing suites of forward models of elastic dislocations varying the fault locking depth. Comparison with the observed field suggest a maximum resolved locking depth of 25 km.


Throughout the recorded history of vocal development certain characteristics can be traced to nationalistic roots. This work explores the four major schools of singing: English, French, German and Italian and includes a brief history of the pedagogical development and ideas of these schools' development. In addition, specific techniques and their similarities and differences, between each school is explored. Through the use of students as a control group, various characteristics within the four schools are implemented in coaching. The results are noted. The major theme of this work is to outline the major schools of vocal pedagogy and to contrast and compare specific techniques found in each school. Furthermore, regarding the individual student, the positive and negative effects of teaching in a dedicated fashion to one school versus the implementation of proven methods, of various schools, even though they cross nationalistic boundaries, has been the major thrust of this investigation


Solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations are obtained for the flow of an isolated, trailing vortex, and for the swirling flow through a frictionless pipe. In both cases, the flow is assumed to be steady, incompressible and rotationally symmetric. Solutions are computed using Newton's method and Gaussian elimination for a wide range of values of two parameters: Reynolds number, Re, and vortex strength, V. Pseudo-arclength continuation is employed to facilitate the computation of solution points in the parameter space. The numerical procedure is validated through comparison of solutions with solutions obtained in previous investigations for the case of a trailing vortex. Solutions are also compared with results reported by Brown and Lopez (1988) for the case of flow through a pipe.

Solutions of the quasi-cylindrical equations are obtained for the flow of a trailing vortex. Solutions are computed using an explicit, space-marching scheme, and are compared with solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations.

Provided that Re is about 200, or larger, four vortex states are observed.

1. When V is sufficiently small, the flow is entirely supercritical.

2. As V is increased, the flow at an axial station becomes critical and a transition point forms. At the point, the flow departs from an upstream state that is supercritical to a downstream state that is marked by large-amplitude, spatial oscillations of core radius. When Re is large, the downstream state is nearly periodic. The general features of transition are well described by the conjugate-flow theory of Benjamin 1967). Failure of the quasi-cylindrical equations is found to be a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a transition point. As V is further increased, the transition point moves upstream. Reversed flow is not observed.

3. Over a narrow range of vortex strengths, a small bubble of reversed flow is observed downstream of the transition point.

4. When V is large, the entire flow is marked by large-amplitude, spatial oscillations of core radius. A transition point is not evident within the computational domain. Typically, large regions of reversed flow are observed.


Spontaneously adsorbed monolayers of [Co(ttp-CH2-SH)2](PF6)2 have been formed on platinum microelectrodes by exposure to micromolar solutions of the complex in 0.1 M TBABF4 in acetonitrile, ttp-CH2-SH is 4'-(p-(thiolmethyl)-phenyl)-2,2':6',2''- terpyridine. Resonance Raman spectroscopy on roughened polycrystalline platinum macro electrodes show that the molecule undergoes adsorption by sulphur atom onto the platinum surface. The monolayers show reversible and well defined cyclic voltammetry when switched between Co2+ and Co3+ forms, with a peak to peak splitting of 0.040±0.005 V up to 200Vs'' and an FWHM of 0.138±0.010 V. Adsorption is irreversible leadi* ng to the maximum surface coverage, 6.3±0.3xl0' 1 m1 olc2m' for 2.5<[Co(ttp-Ctf2-SH)2]<10 (o,M. The rate of monolayer formation appears to be controlled not by mass transport or interfacial binding but by surface diffusion of the complex. The surface diffusion coefficient is 5 .5± l.lx l0 '7 cm V indicating that prior to formation of an equilibrated monolayer, the adsorbates have significant mobility on the surface. The electron transfer process across the monolayer-electrode interface has been probed by high speed chronoamperometry and the standard heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant, k°, is approximately 3.06±0.03xl04 s '1. The reorganization energy is. 18.5 kJmol'1.

Self-assembled monolayers of pentanethiol-beta-cyclodextrins have been immobilised on gold polycrystalline macroelectrodes and electrochemically and spectroscopically characterised. The adsorption dynamics was followed by monitoring the change in capacitance during time and a surface diffusion process was found to be the rate determining step. The layers appear to have a mixed structure most likely between a hexagonal close-packed monolayer and a brick configuration. Blocking behaviour depends on the hydrophobicity of the solution phase redox active probe. Scan rate dependent cyclic voltammetry has been used to characterise the defect density within the assemblies. In general, the layers are stable enough in time and potential window to probe the host-guest properties of the immobilized cyclodextrin cavities. The modified gold electrodes were exposed to micromolar solutions of cobalt biphenylterpyridine, in order to electrochemically and spectroscopically characterise the inclusion process. The host-guest reaction occurred for the in-situ experiments and it was characterised in terms of equilibrium constant, 2.78±0.7><104 M'1, and free Gibbs energy of inclusion, 25 kJ m ol1. Finally, control experiments of the adsorption of the redox active probe onto the bare gold electrodes further confirmed the occurring of the inclusion.


Today, increasing number of industrial application cases rely on the Machine to Machine (M2M) services exposed from physical devices. Such M2M services enable interaction of physical world with the core processes of company information systems. However, there are grand challenges related to complexity and "vertical silos" limiting the M2M market scale and interoperability. It is here expected that horizontal approach for the system architecture is required for solving these challenges. Therefore, a set of architectural principles and key enablers for the horizontal architecture have been specified in this work. A selected set of key enablers called as autonomic M2M manager, M2M service capabilities, M2M messaging system, M2M gateways towards energy constrained M2M asset devices and creation of trust to enable end-to-end security for M2M applications have been developed. The developed key enablers have been evaluated separately in different scenarios dealing with smart metering, car sharing and electric bike experiments. The evaluation results shows that the provided architectural principles, and developed key enablers establish a solid ground for future research and seem to enable communication between objects and applications, which are not initially been designed to communicate together. The aim as the next step in this research is to create a combined experimental system to evaluate the system interoperability and performance in a more detailed manner.


BACKGROUND
Adverse outcomes of pregnancy are a challenging health-care problem. Prediction of adverse pregnancy outcomes is important to prevent the morbidities of the foetus and the mother.

AIMS
To study the clinical interest of fetal nasal bone length in predicting adverse pregnancy outcomes in the first trimester of pregnancy.

STUDY DESIGN
A population-based retrospective cohort study.

METHODS
Data from 868 women with first-trimester fetal nasal bone length and birth records available were enrolled. Fetal nasal bone length percentiles were determined and evaluated for their ability to predict adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth, preterm labour, preterm premature rupture of membranes, early preterm birth, gestational diabetes mellitus, gestational hypertension-preeclampsia, small-for-gestational age foetuses, macrosomia, oligohydramnios, polyhydramnios and fetal distress.

RESULTS
Fetal nasal bone length >95th percentile was significantly associated with preterm labor and preterm premature rupture of membranes (p=0.02, accuracy 0.91 and p=0.001, accuracy 0.94, respectively), whereas nasal bone length >99th percentile was significantly associated with preterm labor and oligohydramnios (p=0.006, accuracy 0.95 and p=0.014, accuracy 0.97).

CONCLUSION
Fetal nasal bone length at high percentiles in the first trimester of pregnancy may aid in the prediction of adverse outcomes such as preterm labour, preterm premature rupture of membranes and oligohydramnios.


Objectives: To determine whether overweight and obese inpatients are receptive to weight-loss interventions while hospitalized and whether interest in weight-loss intervention correlates with accurate self-perception of weight. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of overweight and obese patients admitted to the general medicine service at a large urban academic medical center from September 17, 2007 through October 16, 2007. Subjects were identified based on body mass index (BMI) on admission ≥25 and surveyed using a 14-question instrument. The main outcome measure was patient willingness to consider weight-loss intervention. Results: Of 67 eligible patients, 64 (95.5%) agreed to be interviewed. BMI ranged from 25 to 50. Overall, 52.6% (10 of 19) of overweight patients did not believe they were overweight and 46.7% (21 of 45) of those with a BMI over 30 were unaware that they met criteria for obesity. Among all patients surveyed, 56.3% stated they would be interested in weight-loss intervention while hospitalized. In obese patients specifically, 68.9% expressed interest. Interest correlated with BMI (Pearson correlation coefficient (r) = 0.261, P = 0.04), accurate self-perception of weight (P = 0.03), diagnostic delays related to weight (P = 0.01) and a history of past weight-loss attempts (P = 0.04). None of the patients we interviewed received weight-loss intervention of any kind while hospitalized. Conclusion: Inpatients who recognize that they are overweight or obese are interested in pursuing weight-loss initiatives. Despite their interest, most do not receive weight-loss interventions while hospitalized.


Background Biomechanical studies have shown that female athletes have significantly increased dynamic knee valgus during drop landing and cutting tasks. However, the relationship between static leg and foot alignment and dynamic knee valgus is not well understood. Objective To determine the relationship between leg and foot alignment and dynamic knee valgus during single-leg squat, single-leg drop landing and cutting tasks. Design Controlled study. Setting University laboratory. Participants 50 female collegiate athletes (mean age 20.0 ± 1.3 years; height 159.6 ± 5.8 cm; weight 55.1 ± 6.3 kg). Interventions Participants performed single-leg squat, single-leg drop landing and cutting tasks, and kinematic data regarding knee valgus alignment were collected using a high-speed video camera. Main outcome measurement Leg and foot alignment including thigh-transmalleolar angle (an indicator of tibial torsion), leg-heel angle and navicular drop test scores were measured, and correlation coefficients between these parameters and knee valgus alignment were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlation and an unpaired t-test. Results The thigh-transmalleolar angle was significantly and positively correlated with knee valgus rate in single-leg squat and drop landing tasks (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient=0.360, p=0.012 and 0.414, p=0.004, respectively). The navicular drop test score and leg-heel angle were not significantly correlated with knee valgus rate in each task. Conclusion Tibial torsion is related to dynamic knee valgus alignment during squatting and landing tasks and its measurement and evaluation through the thigh-transmalleolar angle might be useful as a pre-participation screening test to prevent injury among female athletes.


The hyperadrenergic syndrome that occurs in tetanus is characterised by hypertension, tachycardia, and increased systemic arteriolar resistance. A 74 year old man with tetanus was found to have very high catecholamine concentrations--as high as those in phaeochromocytoma--and the fluctuations in blood pressure and heart rate were measured to see whether they paralleled changes in the catecholamine values. A labetalol infusion of 0.25-1 mg/min gradually stabilised the cardiovascular disturbances and the patient recovered.


TRL The Critical Level Minimum Uncertainty Investigating Aspect Primality For Investigating Any Given Aspect Primality Of Concern. (Universal Engineering Series). ISSN 1751-3030.

Author:
Ramesh Chandra Bagadi
Founder, Owner, Co-Director And Advising Scientist In Principal
Ramesh Bagadi Consulting LLC (R042752)
Madison, Wisconsin-53715, United States Of America.

Email:
email@example.com

Permanent Home Address:
MIG-905, Mithilapuri Colony,
VUDA Layout, Madhurawada, Visakhapatnam 530 041,
Andhra Pradesh State, India.

Telephones:
+91-9440032711, +91-7702721450, +91-891-2501619 (Land Line)

Universal Reach Address:
U8.0 of the stated Spaces in [0]


We have developed a realistic, fully general relativistic computer code to simulate optical projection in a strong, spherically symmetric gravitational field. The standard theoretical analysis of optical projection for an observer in the vicinity of a Schwarzschild black hole is extended to black hole spacetimes with a repulsive cosmological constant, i.e, Schwarzschild-de Sitterspacetimes. Influence of the cosmological constant is investigated for static observers and observers radially free-falling from the static radius. Simulations include effects of the gravitational lensing, multiple images, Doppler and gravitational frequency shift, as well as the intensity amplification. The code generates images of the sky for the static observer and a movie simulations of the changing sky for the radially free-falling observer. Techniques of parallel programming are applied to get a high performance and a fast run of the BHC simulation code.


In ontology-based data access (OBDA), database querying is enriched with an ontology that provides domain knowledge and additional vocabulary for query formulation. We identify query emptiness and predicate emptiness as two central reasoning services in this context. Query emptiness asks whether a given query has an empty answer over all databases formulated in a given vocabulary. Predicate emptiness is defined analogously, but quantifies universally over all queries that contain a given predicate. In this paper, we determine the computational complexity of query emptiness and predicate emptiness in the EL, DL-Lite, and ALC-families of description logics, investigate the connection to ontology modules, and perform a practical case study to evaluate the new reasoning services.


Aims: To characterise bone marrow derived cells in the sclera under normal and inflammatory conditions, we examined their differentiation after transplantation from two different sources, bone marrow and haematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Methods: Bone marrow and HSC from green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic mice were transplanted into irradiated wild-type mice. At 1 month after transplantation, mice were sacrificed and their sclera examined by histology, immunohistochemistry (CD11b, CD11c, CD45), and transmission and scanning electron microscopy. To investigate bone marrow derived cell recruitment under inflammatory conditions, experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) was induced in transplanted mice. Results: GFP positive cells were distributed in the entire sclera and comprised 22.4 (2.8)% (bone marrow) and 28.4 (10.9)% (HSC) of the total cells in the limbal zone and 18.1 (6.7)% (bone marrow) and 26.3 (3.4)% (HSC) in the peripapillary zone. Immunohistochemistry showed that GFP (+) CD11c (+), GFP (+) CD11b (+) cells migrated in the sclera after bone marrow and HSC transplantation. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy revealed antigen presenting cells among the scleral fibroblasts. In EAU mice, vast infiltration of GFP (+) cells developed into the sclera. Conclusion: We have provided direct and novel evidence for the migration of bone marrow and HSC cells into the sclera differentiating into macrophages and dendritic cells. Vast infiltration of bone marrow and HSC cells was found to be part of the inflammatory process in EAU.