BACKGROUND
Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) has features common to lupus, scleroderma and myositis with high levels of antibodies to U1 ribonucleoprotein (U1 RNP). Identification of a high incidence of pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH) has changed its prospect. We report the largest series from India.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN
Rheumatology unit of a tertiary care centre in India; prospective.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Patients seen between January 2002 and June 2004, satisfying the Kasukawa criteria were enrolled. All patients had a complete laboratory work-up including pulmonary function test, 2-D echocardiography, and Schirmer's test, antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and antibodies to extractable nuclear antigens. HRCT of chest was done where indicated. All patients were given standard treatment and followed up regularly.

RESULTS
Out of 1500 patients, thirteen (one male) were diagnosed to have MCTD. The median follow-up period was 18 months [Interquartile range (IQR) 12-22]. The median age of onset of symptoms was 36 years (IQR 22-39) and the median duration of disease was three years (IQR 1.75-4). The most common manifestation was polyarthritis followed by puffy fingers. Sjogren's syndrome, dysphagia and interstitial lung disease, was present in four, three and two patients respectively. Two patients each had myositis and migraine. None had PAH, serositis or renal involvement. Arthritis, puffy fingers and Raynaud's phenomenon were the most common manifestations at onset. All patients were positive for ANA and anti U1 RNP. Two patients each had antibodies to Sm and SSA. Response to treatment also was noted.

CONCLUSION
Pulmonary artery hypertension is not common in early MCTD.


The gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine particulate emission sources are assessed under cold start conditions: the fast idle and speed/load combinations representative of the 1st acceleration in the US FTP. The focus is on the accumulation mode particle number (PN) emission. The sources are non-fuel, combustion of the premixed charge, and liquid fuel film. The non-fuel emissions are measured by operating the engine with premixed methane/air or hydrogen/air. Then the PN level is substantially lower than what is obtained with normal GDI operation; thus non-fuel contribution to PN is small. When operating with stoichiometric premixed gasoline/air, the PN level is comparable to the non-fuel level; thus premixed-stoichiometric mixture combustion does not significantly generate particulates. For fuel rich premixed gasoline/air, PN increases dramatically when lambda is less than 0.7 to 0.8. This lambda threshold does not correlate with engine speed and load; however, it increases slightly when the intake air is diluted with nitrogen. To assess the fraction of the GDI injected fuel that contributes to the PN, at fixed load and lambda, the injected gasoline is systematically reduced, with premixed methane as balance for the fuel. It is found that only a small fraction of the injected fuel contributes to the PM emissions. The fraction is dependent on the fuel amount and the rigor of the mixing process; hence it is dependent on speed, load, and timing of the injection.


INTRODUCTION
HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (MSM) is 38 times higher than among the general population in Nicaragua. There are little data about the sexuality and sexual behaviors of MSM. It is essential to gain a better understanding of this understudied population.

AIMS
The nature of sexual relationships among MSM, their reasons for engaging in risky sexual behaviors, and the sociocultural context in León, Nicaragua, were investigated through in-depth interviews. Our findings resulted in a structured overview of sociodemographic characteristics and HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and risk behaviors.

METHODS
Fifteen participants recruited by purposive sampling completed an in-depth interview that was then thematically analyzed. An additional 104 participants were surveyed by means of an interviewer-administered questionnaire.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The in-depth interview guide and the survey covered topics related to sociodemographics, childhood, social and sexual relationships, knowledge and attitudes toward HIV and AIDS, identity, and networks.

RESULTS
The resulting ecological model explored sexuality and behaviors in four categories. It showed that despite a homophobic and heterosexist society, there is an increasing gay community and greater social acceptance of homosexuality. Nevertheless, interpersonal and intrapersonal factors continue to negatively influence MSM behavior. Quantitative findings demonstrate a satisfactory understanding of HIV transmission among this population, 75% of whom reported concerns of becoming infected with HIV in the future. Approximately one-half claimed that they always used condoms when having sex with men, but only one-third of the time with women, indicating inconsistent condom use. Negative attitudes toward HIV/AIDS were seldom heard.

CONCLUSIONS
This study is the first mixed methods approach in a Nicaraguan context that shows the interrelations among sex, sexuality, and identity at various levels of MSM life, and how they influence the sexual risk behaviors of individuals. Engaging in unprotected sex and postponing HIV testing are seen as cognitive dissonances.


The following paper presents a project of Cultural Routes designed for the Chilean Tierra del Fuego, linked to
promoting tourism and boosting the economy, through the development of a specific high standard tourism offer,
linked to its natural and cultural heritage, with the purpose of capturing the potential income generation for
Chile. The project had as main goal to enhance the competitiveness of the tourism sector of special interests in
Tierra del Fuego, a key sector of Southern Patagonia, through the dissemination and transfer of technologies
and knowledge, acquired in over 10 years of research and projects, onto the territory and local agents. These
Cultural Routes build an innovative offer, capable of structuring the diverse touristic resources and
strengthening the basis for the development of a new stage of national and international tourism market, located
on the southern extreme of Chile and America.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between occupation and subjective well-being (SWB).

METHOD
A convenience sample of 120 adults completed a personal projects analysis, a method of rating their current goal-directed pursuits. They also completed measures of SWB (Affect Balance Scale, Life Satisfaction Index Form A) and personality traits (Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory). Characteristics of personal projects were correlated with SWB scores. Multiple regression analysis was used to investigate possible predictors of well-being from among the characteristics of personal projects, personality traits, and demographic variables.

RESULTS
The stress associated with personal projects was significantly and inversely correlated with well-being, as was project difficulty. Perceived progress in completing projects was significantly positively correlated with well-being. The strongest predictors for well-being were the composite project factors of stress and efficacy. Two personality traits, sensing and extraversion, interacted with the project dimension of stress to emerge as significant predictors of well-being. Together, these four variables explained 42% of the variance in well-being scores.

CONCLUSION
These findings are consistent with assumptions that attributes of meaningful occupations are significantly related to people's perceived well-being.


Abstract Edouard Dujardin9s novel Les Lauriers sont coupes (1887) has long been acknowledged as an important influence on the stream of consciousness style (called monologue interieur by Dujardin) found in James Joyce9s Ulysses . Dujardin wrote the book during the period he edited the short-lived Revue wagnerienne . The study shows how monologue interieur was connected to experimental literary trends debated on the pages of the Revue as well as in the Symbolist movement more generally. Two of these trends were vers libre and the construct of an interiorized mental theater, and both were grounded in particular perceptions of Wagnerian opera. Dujardin and his Symbolist colleagues appreciated Wagner9s move to abstraction, but thought he had not gone far enough. The article illustrates how putative syntactical freedoms in Wagner9s work encouraged vers libre , how a song cycle Dujardin composed to his own vers libre tested the boundaries between literature and music against a Wagnerian backcloth, and how a "paraphrase" of the Amfortas monologue in the first act of Parsifal published in the Revue produced a theater of the mind. The invention of monologue interieur emerges as a rich and multivalent point of intersection between Wagnerian opera and modernity.


In Agile software development, key artefacts used to support the process are the User Story (usually recorded on a Storycard) and Story Cardwall (usually a dedicated portion of a wall). These low-fidelity tools work together to help teams stay focused and self-manage their projects. The need to support distributed teams and team members makes the physical Cardwall impractical and teams are therefore migrating towards digital story management tools. We conducted field studies of 8 Agile teams using digital Cardwalls, and performed qualitative data analysis to understand patterns of usages and user needs. We identify issues to address in the design of digital Cardwalls.


The constantly increasing complexity of marine and offshore machinery is a consequence of a constant improvement in ship powering, automation, specialisation in cargo transport, new ship types, as well as an effort to make the sea transport more economic. Therefore, the criteria of reliability, availability and maintainability have become very important factors in the process of marine machinery design, operation and maintenance. An important finding from the literature exposed that failure to marine machinery can cause both direct and indirect economic damage with a long-term financial consequence. Notably, many cases of machinery failures reported in databases were as a result of near misses and incidents which are potential accident indicators. Moreover, experience has shown that modelling of past accident events and scenarios can provide insights into how a machinery failure can be subsisted even if it is not avoidable, also a basis for risk analysis of the machinery in order to reveal its vulnerabilities. This research investigates the following modelling approach in order to improve the efficiency of marine and offshore machinery operating under highly uncertain environment. Firstly, this study makes full use of evidential reasoning's advantage to propose a novel fuzzy evidential reasoning sensitivity analysis method (FER-SAM) to facilitate the assessment of operational uncertainties (trend analysis, family analysis, environmental analysis, design analysis, and human reliability analysis) in ship cranes. Secondly, a fuzzy rule based sensitivity analysis methodology is proposed as a maintenance prediction model for oil-wetted gearbox and bearing with emphasis on ship cranes by formulating a fuzzy logic box (diagnostic table), which provides the ship crane operators with a means to predict possible impending failure without having to dismantle the crane. Thirdly, experience has shown that it is not financially possible to employ all the suggested maintenance strategies in the literature. Thus, this study proposed a fuzzy TOPSIS approach that can help the maintenance engineers to select appropriate strategies aimed at enhancing the performance of the marine and offshore machinery. Finally, the developed models are integrated in order to facilitate a generic planned maintenance framework for robust improvement and management, especially in situations where conventional planned maintenance techniques cannot be implemented with confidence due to data deficiency.


In the present chapter we discuss the complex mixing behaviour of plasma membrane lipids. To do so, we first introduce the plasma membrane and membrane mixtures often used to model its complexity. We then discuss the nature of lipid phase behaviour in bilayers and the distinction between these phases and other manifestations of non-random mixing found in one-phase mixtures, such as clusters, micelles and microemulsions. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of Gibbs phase diagrams to the study of increasingly complex model membrane systems, with a focus on phase coexistence, morphology and their implications for the cell plasma membrane.


Abstract This study provides a detailed reconstruction of the formation of a wave-dominated barrier island and assesses the sedimentological and morphological effects of sea-level changes on barrier evolution. Sedimentological and stratigraphic characteristics of the Holocene deposits are resolved by percussion cores and an extensive ground-penetrating-radar survey. A high-resolution chronology of the cored barrier island deposits is constructed by optically stimulated luminescence dating. This approach facilitates a high spatio-temporal resolution of the island's morphological and depositional evolution. The results show that the barrier island experienced multiple phases of transgressions and regressions during the mid- and late Holocene and that these changes were driven primarily by changes in rates of sea-level rise, sediment supply and the impact of storms. Due to the postglacial sea-level rise, the seaward part of the study area was transgressed by the retreating mainland shoreline, forming a back-barrier basin. At the time of the initial transgression, sea level was rising by more than 4.0 mm yr−1. As sea-level rise decreased to less than 2 mm yr−1 the back-barrier basin rapidly started to fill with sediments before being transgressed by the still retreating open-ocean shoreline. These events were associated with periods of very rapid landward displacement of up to 10 m yr−1 of the mainland shoreline. After stabilization of the barrier island in its most eastward (i.e., landward) location, the open-ocean shoreline prograded about 3 km seaward at a rate of > 3 m yr−1 through the deposition of a 7-m-thick sandy beach and shoreface succession. The progradation occurred despite a sea-level rise of about 1.8 mm yr−1. After the regressive period the barrier island once again became transgressive before shifting back to its current regressive stage. The study shows how comparable rates of sea-level rise can result in very different morphological responses for a single barrier island since sediment supply apparently has varied significantly through time. It also appears that a transgressive situation is reached for this particular barrier island for a sea-level rise higher than about 2 mm yr−1. This gives reason for concern since a number of sea-level change scenarios indicate that such a rate will be reached within a few decades.


We urgently need maps of the mind to supplement and interpret our maps of the globe, if ever we are to orient ourselves and feel at home in the new environment in which our generation must live and work out its destiny. (Christy and Wells v) Canon defence is national defence. (Morrison 9) A host of critics have argued for the importance of literature in the creation and maintenance of a nation's self-image. In the last fifty years, this debate has encompassed scholars and activists from Edward Said-whose important work on the relationship of literary study to empirebuilding laid the foundation for a new field-to Frantz Fanon, who emphasized the work of national culture in incarnating the postcolonial nation, to Toni Morrison's contrapuntal reading of American literature. Within departments of literature in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, these debates have brought about a new and arguably more complex understanding of national literatures. To give a concrete example, the Modern Language Association now recognizes the category of "Literature of the United States in Languages Other Than English." In addition, that understanding of national literature has been shaped by theories of the constitution of the nation as, for example, Benedict Anderson's "imagined community" or Homi Bhabha's "narration." At the same time as national literary categories are changing, and perhaps as a result, nonnational categories are also proliferating. These nonnational categories include the rise of Commonwealth Literature and Third-World Literature in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the more recent additions of Postcolonial Literature and World Literature in English. There is a large and compelling body of work discussing the role of culture in the formation of the nation. The question I wish to discuss here is as follows: If the evolution of the canon of a national literature maps a changing view of that nation, what then is mapped by nonnational literary categories? In particular, in the much-heralded age of globalization, what is the role of a category like "World Literature in English" in producing a particular vision of the world? The category of "World Literature in English" has its roots in a number of fields. In particular, I will be tracing the early history of the concept of "World Literature" as it evolved into "World Literature in English" and "Comparative Literature," respectively. In this article, I will provide an overview of nineteenth-century discussion of World Literature, and then move on to focus on those critics who were directly involved in the institutionalization of World or Comparative Literature in the latter half of the century. During this period, this nominally global category reinscribed a very specific view of the nation's relationship to the rest of the world. Further, I believe that in understanding the role of World Literature in nationalist projects over the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, there may be useful clues for understanding the nationalist projects embedded in accounts of global culture in the twenty-first century. This article is part of a current debate about the definitions of and differences between Comparative Literature and World Literature. However, the two terms were often used interchangeably in the nineteenth century. Even today, critics in both Comparative Literature and World Literature almost invariably cite Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's concept of Weltliteratur as a common foundation for their fields. A distinction can be made between a sphere of common cultural influence-a literature of the world-and a comparison of distinctive cultural spheres-a comparison of literatures. However, much of the ongoing "crisis in Comparative Literature," to quote Rene Wellek's oft-cited essay, derives from the question of whether or not such a distinction is meaningful or even possible. Nor does the choice of one term over another correlate directly to one definition over another. …


Gigantic enhancement of relative dielectric permittivity of TiO2 upon doping with niobium is reported here. Dielectric and impedance spectroscopic analysis on these materials indicates a electrically heterogeneous microstructure consisting of semiconducting grains and insulating grain boundaries, leading to formation of numerous micro-capacitors, within the single phase compound. However, the degree of electrical heterogeneity decreases with increase in Nb5+ doping concentration as the Nb5+ starts to get segregated at the grain boundary. In addition to extrinsic electrical heterogeneity, intrinsic defect dipoles also contribute towards the large permittivity. Experimental observation has been rationalized at atomic level using density functional theory (DFT) which reveals that Nb atoms do not favor closer positioning and that the thermodynamically preferable distance between two dopant atoms (Nb atoms) is ∼7 A. Remarkably at this distance the system becomes highly polarized due to occurrence of Ti3+/Nb5+ defects in nearby regions, which in turn leads to a colossal dielectric constant.


In populations of species that are able to reproduce both sexually and asexually, there may be local differences with regard to the relative importance of the 2 modes of reproduction. Stud- ies of plant species with such a life history have shown that the contribution of sexual reproduction to population maintenance may be lower at the geographical margins, with genotypic diversity often used as an indicator of the relative importance of vegetative and sexual reproduction. This hypothe- sis was examined in a collection of samples of eelgrass Zostera marina (a marine flowering plant) from its eastern Atlantic southern limit (Ria Formosa, Portugal). Samples from 12 sites were geno- typed using 9 microsatellite loci to compare within-site clonal and genetic diversity, and among-site distribution of genetic diversity, with previously published values from central sites. Sites within the Ria Formosa had lower clonal diversities (mean = 0.29, range = 0.07 to 0.68) than the central sites (mean = 0.86, range = 0.33 to 1.00), lower levels of expected heterozygosity (H e = 0.423 vs 0.486) and exhibited heterozygote excesses rather than deficits. Similarly, genetic differentiation was found to be much greater in the Ria Formosa, with the FST of 0.233 being over 10-fold greater than that reported for populations in the Baltic Sea. Results from this study were consistent with previous find- ings of reduced sexual reproduction, genotypic diversity and among-population gene flow at species limits.


Summary
The biology of initiation and progression of Graves' hyperthyroidism and Graves' orbitopathy is complex. For the individually tailored therapy of the diseases it is very important to identify the risk factors. Research of the last century revealed that measuring the thyrotropin receptor antibody levels enables the prognostic statements at certain points in the course of hyperthyroidism and orbitopathy. Signal transduction of the thyrotropin receptor is coupled with G protein. The aim of the present study was to find out if two single nucleotide polymorphisms that encode the Gαs and Gβ3 subunits of G protein were related to the course of Graves' disease.
In a series of 359 patients, the genotype and allele frequencies of the GNAS1 T393C and GNB3 C825T single nucleotide polymorphisms were determined. They did not contribute to the individual susceptibility to Graves' hyperthyroidism and orbitopathy. However, the TT genotype of the GNAS1 T393C gene was associated with a significantly increased risk of relapse of hyperthyroidism (odds ratio 2,5; 95% confidence interval 1,1-5,5; p=0,025).
The underlying molecular mechanisms are not easy to explain. According to one of the hypotheses, changing a secondary structure of the mRNA influences its stability. Clinically, the thyrotropin receptor antibody levels are the highest in patients with the TT genotype. The question whether only the elevated antibody levels are responsible for the more severe course of hyperthyroidism or if this relation is supported by the TT genotype cannot be answered based on our study group. The studied cohort should be extended in order to find out if genotyping the T393C single nucleotide polymorphism of the GNAS1 gene is relevant for clinical decisions in the treatment of Graves' hyperthyroidism.


The paper examines the recent entrepreneurship education in senior secondary schools in Oyo
State, Nigeria. This is to ascertain the level of compliance with the curriculum's contents, teachers'
competence and the extent to which it has empowered students for self-employment. The study
builds on primary data collected in 2014 from the respondents. The samples were made up of 17
schools, 37 teachers and 317 students from rural areas, while there were 44 schools, 114 teachers
and 913 students from the urban areas. These were drawn across the three senatorial districts of
the state. The study utilized both quantitative and qualitative techniques in data collection and
analysis with questionnaires and observation as main instruments of collection. Data were collected
on schools', teachers' and students' characteristics and were analyzed through the use of
descriptive statistics. The analysis reveals that only about 10% (11.8 rural and 9.1 urban) of sampled schools commenced the programme in 2011, while more than 70% selected between only
one and two trade subjects for their students. The average age of teachers in the rural communities
was 38 years while it stood at 39 years for their urban counterparts. While 76% of the teachers in
the rural areas are degree holders, only 68% of those in the urban centres possess the minimum
teaching requirement in secondary schools. Rural students were exposed to 10, while urban
students were exposed to 11 out of the 34 entrepreneurial subjects. Students had learnt significant
self-employable entrepreneurial skills in two subjects out of 10 in rural areas and six out of 11
selected subjects in urban areas. The study recommends adequate circulation of the curriculum,
provision of equipment and relevant facilities, training and re-training of teachers and adequate
funding among others.


This piece is part of the author's probably misguided effort to take seriously the Sixteenth Amendment phrase "taxes on incomes." The piece (in form a letter to the editor, but complete with footnotes!) responds to a reader who had noted that, because of a cap, the basic Social Security "tax" does not reach higher levels of income. Because the author had earlier argued that a tax "on" incomes should result in higher tax liability for higher-income persons, it might seem that the Social Security levy is unconstitutional (or the author just wrong). This piece makes several points: (1) The Social Security levy might be understood as payment for a specific benefit, a retirement and disability plan, not a tax. If so, constitutionality would not depend on the taxing power. (2) Even if the levy is a tax, it might still be treated as a "tax on incomes" because by far most Americans have income less than the cap and therefore do pay an amount tied to income. (3) In any event, there are serious issues here, and no court has explicitly addressed the relationship between Social Security levies and the taxing power.


This paper investigates the impacts of using n-butanol-diesel fuel and ethanol-diesel fuel blends on engine performance, exhaust emission, and cycle-by-cycle variation in a Diesel engine. The engine was operated at two different engine speed and full load condition with pure diesel fuel, 5% and 10% (by vol.) ethanol and n-butanol fuel blends. The coefficient of variation of indicated mean effective pressure was used to evaluate the cyclic variability of n-butanol-diesel fuel and ethanol-diesel fuel blends. The results obtained in this study showed that effective efficiency and brake specific fuel consumption generally increased with the use of the n-butanol-diesel fuel or ethanol-diesel fuel blends with respect to that of the neat diesel fuel. The addition of ethanol or n-butanol to diesel fuel caused a decrement in CO and NOx emissions. Also, the results indicated that cycle-by-cycle variation has an increasing trend with the increase of alcohol-diesel blending ratio for all engine speed. An increase in cyclic variability of alcohol-diesel fuel blends at low engine speed is higher than that of high engine speed.


Photochemical processes affect the fate of spilled oil in the environment, but the relative contribution and kinetics of these degradation pathways are not fully constrained. To address this problem, we followed the weathering of No. 6 fuel oil by periodically sampling rocks covered with a film of oil from Buzzards Bay, MA after the April 2003 Bouchard 120 oil spill. Two sets of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) isomers, benzo[a]pyrene (BAP) and benzo[e]pyrene (BEP), and benz[a]anthracene (BAA) and chrysene (CHR), were found to have very different disappearance rates in spite of their close structural similarity (kBAA/kCHR approximately 2.0, kBAP/kBEP approximately 2.2). This well-documented phenomenon is suspected to arise from differing capacity for direct photoreaction in the oil film. To investigate the validity of this assumption, we developed a model to estimate the contribution of direct photolysis to the loss of these PAHs from the oil. Newly determined PAH quantum yields demonstrate that the efficiency of phototransformation in hydrophobic media are 2 orders of magnitude lower (Phi' approximately 10(-5)) than in aqueous systems, and the thickness and light-attenuating properties of the oil film reduce the potential for photoreaction by up to 2 orders of magnitude. Given these limiting factors, direct photolysis cannot account for the complete removal of these PAHs (except BAP). Additional results suggest that singlet oxygen photodegradation pathways are not favored in hydrophobic media, as they are in some mineral-associated and aqueous systems. Our results indicate that photomediated reactions with other compounds in the oil mixture were responsible for PAH photodegradation in the oil film.


The earlier in the software process a fault is detected, the cheaper the cost of fixing the fault. Automated fault detection tools can provide developers with information throughout development, however, programming is a cognitively complex process and inundating the developer with information may do more harm than good. In this paper, we present MimEc, a part of the AWARE plug-in for the Eclipse integrated development environment. MimEc presents fault information to developers while they are writing code. The purpose of MimEc is to display only those faults in which a developer may be interested, thereby increasing the likelihood the developer will address the fault. MimEc infers interest in a fault based on fault criticality, relevance of the fault to the developer's current working context, and the developer's interactions with the programming environment. MimEc is currently under development and will be evaluated in both academic and professional settings.


The magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) were synthesized using aqueous leaf extracts of (Betel) by bio combustion method. The synthesized magnesium oxide nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, FTIR, TG/DTA, PSA and SEM. The seeds treated with synthesized MgO NPs showed better germination but the seedling growth of tested species was affected when exposed to concentrations of MgO NPs. In this experiment mainly focused physical characteristics of the maize plants like, germination percentage (GP), germination index (GI), vigor seedling index (VSI), relative seed germination (RSG), relative root growth (RRG), Biomass, Root length and shoot length. Magnesium oxide nanoparticles may hold significant applications in agriculture and gardening by selectively inhibiting harmful fungi and bacteria presents on seeds and could provide as an alternative source of fertilizer that may improve sustainable agriculture. The chlorophyll test was carryout after 20 days maize plants, the low concentration MgO NPs treated maize plant shown chlorophyll content increase when compare to other treatments and control.


This article analyses the current Gulf crisis that started in May 2017 by posing the following question. Did an information war unfold or did the crisis events that took place merely illustrate yet another round of propaganda and disinformation contests among Gulf participants and their backers? Accordingly, I will focus on five central themes. First, the theoretical underpinning and key concepts concerning Information Warfare (and related notions like Hacktivism and Cyber War) will be discussed in relation to information space and the media sphere. The second theme explores the historical, strategic, and geopolitical dynamics that led to the crisis and looks closely at the rivalries taking place in the region, with a particular focus on the proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions and cyber threats, the third theme reviews some of the most notorious cyber attacks that occurred in the Gulf region up until the Trump Presidency. The fourth theme sheds some light on recent manifestations of the Gulf crisis and the anti-Qatar coalition's modus operandi. Fifthly, Qatar's response to the crisis will be reviewed and evaluated.


The literature has shown that the traditional way of assessment which is paper-pencil tests and/or examinations has always been the most dominant and trusted form of assessment. This study investigated assessment practices of Zenon high school teachers in Lesotho. Assessment practices investigated by this study are of teachers from all subjects taught at the above-mentioned school. The study has been based on formative and summative assessment concepts. To answer one overarching research question, a case study approach has been used. Questionnaires were administered to 28 teachers in one school. Teachers' assessment documents and learners' exercise books were analyzed. The data collected were analyzed by means of tables and graphs. The findings from 14 teachers revealed that teachers use various assessment techniques to assess learners, but the most dominant form of assessment employed by teachers in all nine subjects is traditional paper-pencil tests/examinations. Teachers use traditional tests/examinations because they are convinced that it is the best way through which they can discover how learners have acquired what they have been taught. Alternative assessments or assessment techniques that require time to complete like practical projects etc are rarely used by teachers.


Introduction Oral corticosteroids are the first-line treatment for idiopathic childhood nephrotic syndrome. Most children experience several relapses, needing repeated courses of corticosteroid therapy. This exposes them to side effects and long-term complications. For most patients, long-term prognosis is for complete resolution of the disease over time and maintenance of normal kidney function. Therefore, it is vital to focus on minimising adverse events of the disease and its therapy. Unfortunately, no randomised controlled trials are available to determine the optimal corticosteroid treatment of an infrequent relapse of nephrotic syndrome. Recent studies show that treatment schedules for the first episode can safely be shortened to 2 months. The hypothesis of the REducing STEroids in Relapsing Nephrotic syndrome (RESTERN) study is that a 4-week reduction of alternate-day steroids after inducing remission is effective and safe, reduces steroid exposure by 35% on average and is therefore preferable. Methods and analysis The RESTERN study is a nationwide, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, non-inferiority intervention study. Children aged 1–18 years with a relapse of steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome are eligible for this study. Study subjects (n=144) will be randomly assigned to either current standard therapy in the Netherlands or a reduced prednisolone schedule. The primary outcome of the RESTERN study is the time to first relapse after the final prednisolone dose. The secondary outcomes are the number or relapses, progression to frequent relapsing or steroid dependent nephrotic syndrome and the cumulative dosage of prednisolone during the study period. Ethics and dissemination This non-inferiority trial will be performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and has been approved by the medical ethical committee of Arnhem-Nijmegen and the Dutch Competent Authority (Central Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects, CCMO). After completion of this study, results will be published in national and international peer-reviewed scientific journals. Papers will be published according to CCMO guidelines. The final report will be made available to trial participants. Trial registration number NTR5670, EudraCT no 2016-002430-76.


This paper explores a series of thought experiments that postulate the ex-istence of "artificially intelligent law." An artificially-intelligent legal system is de-fined as one with three functional capacities: 1. The system has the capacity to gen-erate legal norms. 2. The system has the capacity to apply the legal norms that it generates. 3. The system has the capacity to use deep learning to modify the legal norms that it generates. The paper then considers the question whether such a sys-tem would be desirable as a matter of legitimacy and justice. The core idea of the paper is that the key to the evaluation of artificially intelligent law is to focus on the functional capacities of the system in comparison to comparable human systems, such as regulatory agencies.


ABSTRACT We consider tests of the hypothesis that the tail of size distributions decays faster than any power function. These are based on a single parameter that emerges from the Fisher–Tippett limit theorem, and discriminate between leading laws considered in the literature without requiring fully parametric models/specifications. We study the proposed tests taking into account the higher order regular variation of the size distribution that can lead to catastrophic distortions. The theoretical bias corrections realign successfully nominal and empirical test behavior, and inform a sensitivity analysis for practical work. The methods are used in an examination of the size distribution of cities and firms.


Summary Storm Applied is a practical guide to using Apache Storm for the real-world tasks associated with processing and analyzing real-time data streams. This immediately useful book starts by building a solid foundation of Storm essentials so that you learn how to think about designing Storm solutions the right way from day one. But it quickly dives into real-world case studies that will bring the novice up to speed with productionizing Storm. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. Summary Storm Applied is a practical guide to using Apache Storm for the real-world tasks associated with processing and analyzing real-time data streams. This immediately useful book starts by building a solid foundation of Storm essentials so that you learn how to think about designing Storm solutions the right way from day one. But it quickly dives into real-world case studies that will bring the novice up to speed with productionizing Storm. About the Technology It's hard to make sense out of data when it's coming at you fast. Like Hadoop, Storm processes large amounts of data but it does it reliably and in real time, guaranteeing that every message will be processed. Storm allows you to scale with your data as it grows, making it an excellent platform to solve your big data problems. About the Book Storm Applied is an example-driven guide to processing and analyzing real-time data streams. This immediately useful book starts by teaching you how to design Storm solutions the right way. Then, it quickly dives into real-world case studies that show you how to scale a high-throughput stream processor, ensure smooth operation within a production cluster, and more. Along the way, you'll learn to use Trident for stateful stream processing, along with other tools from the Storm ecosystem. This book moves through the basics quickly. While prior experience with Storm is not assumed, some experience with big data and real-time systems is helpful. What's InsideMapping real problems to Storm componentsPerformance tuning and scalingPractical troubleshooting and debuggingExactly-once processing with TridentAbout the AuthorsSean Allen, Matthew Jankowski, and Peter Pathirana lead the development team for a high-volume, search-intensive commercial web application at TheLadders.Table of ContentsIntroducing StormCore Storm conceptsTopology designCreating robust topologiesMoving from local to remote topologiesTuning in StormResource contentionStorm internalsTrident


The eruptive history of Mt. Vesuvius is characterized by a large variation in eruptive styles during the last 2000 years. As part of an extensive investigation on the pre-eruptive magma geochemistry, we have analyzed, by EMPA and SIMS, silicate melt inclusions (MI), hosted in clinopyroxene phenocrysts, to gain insight into the eruptive processes and history of this significant magmatic system. The rock samples analyzed are lavas and scoriae erupted during two intervals of interplinian volcanic activity: 472 to 1139 A.D. and 1631 to 1944 A.D. The compositions of MI from samples of the modern and medieval periods are consistent with petrological and geochemical evidence of melt evolution via fractional crystallization. Although fractional crystallization played a decisive role in the evolution of medieval and modern magmas, other processes may also have been active. In MI from the medieval eruptive products, the fixed Cl contents, and relationships involving other elements soluble in aqueous volatile phases ( e.g. H 2 O, S, B, Be, Li) indicate crystallization of magmatic vapor-phase-saturated silicate melt(s). Conversely, MI from the modern eruptive activity are characterized by linear increases in the abundances of Cl, SO 2 , and K 2 O in fractions of residual melt. Furthermore, no evidence was found that volatile abundances were fixed or buffered by the presence of an aqueous vapor (or liquid), which is consistent with fractional crystallization of a magma under volatile-phase-absent conditions. The modern and medieval periods, separated by the violent 1631 eruption, exhibit dramatically different eruptive behavior. The medieval magmas erupted less often, but with comparatively greater violence, which may have been facilitated by the presence of a pre-eruptive volatile phase in magma. The modern magmas erupted more frequently and in a relatively passive manner, which is consistent with the absence of textural or geochemical evidence for fluid saturation before eruption.


Background: Migraine is worldwide common, chronic, Neurovascular disorder, characterized by attacks of severe headache and an Aura involving neurologic symptoms. Its pathogenesis was incompletely understood whether of cortical or brainstem origin. Aim: The present study was undertaken to investigate brainstem auditory functions in Migraine patients. Materials and Methods: The subjects were recruited based on International Headache Society classification for Migraine. Subjects with episodes of headache for at least 2yrs, 2 attacks per month in last quarter year were included in the study. Forty subjects (16 Migraine with Aura & 24 cases – Migraine without aura) & forty age / sex matched controls were selected. Brainstem auditory evoked potential was recorded using 4-Channel polygraph (Neuro perfect plus). Electrodes were placed according to 10 – 20 electrode placement system. Auditory stimulus in the form of click sound is delivered through the headphones. Clicks were delivered at a rate of 8-10 /sec. The intensity of the stimulus is set at 30db. About 100 averages were recorded. BAEP waveforms - Wave I, III & V latencies and the interpeak latencies were measured. The results were analysed statistically using student't' test. Results: BAEP recording shows significant prolongation in latencies of Wave I, III & V and the Interpeak latency (IPL) I-III, III-V & I-V in Migraine with aura. In Migraine without aura, there was significant prolongation of Wave I, III & V and III-V & I-VIPL (P<0.05). Conclusion: Prolongation suggests that there is involvement of brainstem structures in Migraine, thus BAEP can be used as an effective tool in evaluation of Migraine.


We report a long‐term (i.e., 4.5 consecutive yr) monitoring of surface marine archaeal assemblages of the coastal Mediterranean Sea using quantitative polymerase chain reaction against specific phylogenetic and functional genes, and, for some specific samples, clone libraries of the 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene. Archaea had a marked seasonal periodicity, with recurrent peaks of abundance in December and January and very low occurrence during summer, parallel to temporal changes in community composition. Group II.b Euryarchaeota sequences were mostly present during winter when water was nutrient‐enriched, and phytoplankton were abundant. Group II.a sequences were, in turn, more abundant during summer when the water column is stratified, and nutrient concentrations and phytoplankton stocks were lower. Group I Crenarchaeota abundance was highest during winter and significantly correlated with that of archaeal ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) gene copies and nitrite concentrations, suggesting that Group I Crenarchaeota were ammonia oxidizers. The periodicity of archaeal assemblages matched the strong and predictable seasonality of the surface‐water conditions in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, and suggests a low degree of functional redundancy between archaeal groups. The distinct seasonal dynamics for Group II.a and II.b Euryarchaeota, and their close association with major ecosystem processes, indicate that they may play an important but as yet largely unknown role in the ocean.


Just as classical information technology rests on a foundation built of interconnected information-processing systems, quantum information technology (QIT) must do the same. A critical component of such systems is the interconnect, a device or process that allows transfer of information between disparate physical media, for example, semiconductor electronics, individual atoms, light pulses in optical fiber, or microwave fields. While interconnects have been well engineered for decades in the realm of classical information technology, quantum interconnects (QuICs) present special challenges, as they must allow the transfer of fragile quantum states between different physical parts or degrees of freedom of the system. The diversity of QIT platforms (superconducting, atomic, solid-state color center, optical, etc.) that will form a quantum internet poses additional challenges. As quantum systems scale to larger size, the quantum interconnect bottleneck is imminent, and is emerging as a grand challenge for QIT. For these reasons, it is the position of the community represented by participants of the NSF workshop on Quantum Interconnects that accelerating QuIC research is crucial for sustained development of a national quantum science and technology program. Given the diversity of QIT platforms, materials used, applications, and infrastructure required, a convergent research program including partnership between academia, industry and national laboratories is required.


Information furnished by Analog Devices is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, no responsibility is assumed by Analog Devices for its use, nor for any infringements of patents or other rights of third parties that may result from its use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise under any patent or patent rights of Analog Devices. Trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective companies. One Technology Way, P.O. Box 9106, Norwood, MA 02062-9106, U.S.A. Tel: 781/329-4700 www.analog.com Fax: 781/326-8703 © 2003 Analog Devices, Inc. All rights reserved. AD8307 Low Cost DC–500 MHz, 92 dB Logarithmic Amplifier


Iron Age coastal communities in England have been poorly understood since the beginning of our discipline. This is mainly as result of the lack of evidence for everyday maritime activities and also the focus of research on explaining an agro-pastoral way of living. Evidence of fishing, boats, harbour structures and ports are very rare archaeologically, and thinking about people living by the sea in this period has been widely overlooked as most of the interest has been the nature of the connections and trade-networks (mainly by Cunliffe 2008). In contrast, evidence for non maritime activities, such as farming and cattle rearing is so rich that looking to the coast only happens in special situations. Using the Isles of Scilly as a case study, this research challenges the established views that societies on the coasts of south-west of England were mainly cattle herders and farmers. Through palaeolandscape reconstruction, site analysis and material culture study, this research argues that settlement on the coastline is as important as that found inland. It shows that Iron Age maritime aspects of culture were deeply embedded within cultural traditions and that the maritime way of living had little to do with extraordinary or unusual situations. This research shows that preconceived ideas of what a maritime site should look like, as is the case of harbour structures and important ports, divert the attention from the subtleties of recognising maritime culture's signature. It is through the study of archaeological context and environmental evidence that these are likely to become more obvious. Therefore, throughout this document the analysis of maritime landscape, settlement pattern and material culture generates new perspectives on how to approach the study of maritime societies in archaeology.


Objective—To assess the relation between alcohol intake and sudden cardiac death—ie, death within one hour of the onset of symptoms. Design—Prospective study of a cohort of men followed up for eight years. Setting—General practices in 24 towns in England, Wales, and Scotland. Subjects—7735 men aged 40–59 at screening who were selected at randon from one general practice in each of 24 towns. Main outcome measure—All deaths from ischaemic heart disease with particular reference to those that were sudden (death within one hour of the onset of symptoms). Results—During the follow up period of eight years there were 217 deaths from ischaemic heart disease of which 117 (54%) were classified as sudden. Although heavy drinkers (more than six drinks daily) did not show a high incidence rate of fatal heart attack, they showed the highest incidence rate of sudden cardiac death. This was seen in both manual and non-manual workers and was most clearly seen in older (50–59) men. Death from ischaemic heart disease was more likely to be sudden in heavy drinkers than in other drinking groups; this phenomenon was seen irrespective of the presence or degree of pre-existing ischaemic heart disease. The positive association between heavy drinking and the incidence of sudden death was most apparent in men without pre-existing ischaemic heart disease, with heavy drinkers showing an increase of >60% compared with occasional or light drinkers. After adjustment for age, social class, and smoking, heavy drinkers free of pre-existing ischaemic heart disease had a marginally significantly higher incidence rates of sudden death than other drinkers combined (relative risk 2·00, 95% confidence interval 0·98 to 4·8). Additional adjustment for systolic blood pressure reduced the risk to 1·7. Conclusions—This study suggests that heavy drinking is associated with an increased risk of sudden death. Studies that do not take pre-existing ischaemic heart disease into account are likely to underestimate the adverse effects of heavy drinking on the incidence of sudden death because the effects are not as evident in men with pre-existing ischaemic heart disease.


Liquidators and administrators are skilled in increasing the payouts to creditors. To that end, practitioners faced with the fallout from the GFC have become increasingly interested in an old common law rule, now dusted down and re-branded as 'the anti-deprivation rule'. Its 19th-century formulation remains apt: 'there cannot be a valid contract that a man's property shall remain his until his bankruptcy, and on the happening of that event shall go over to someone else, and be taken away from his creditors.' That is the UK version. The US version, the ipso facto rule, is enshrined in statute. A contractual arrangement which infringes the rule is void. Avoidance increases the asset pool available for distribution to the insolvent's general creditors. Conversely, if the rule is not infringed, the agreement will operate according to its terms and deliver the intended insolvency advantage to the nominated party. The rule has been applied by courts since at least the 18th century. On its face it looks simple, yet the line between what is permitted and what is not remains surprisingly unclear. Lord Neuberger made this plain in both Perpetual Trustee and Money Markets. The only House of Lords authority is British Eagle. Earlier this year, the ICR published my analysis of the Court of Appeal decision in Perpetual Trustee,9 but the issues clearly merit wider discussion. What follows is an analysis of the arguments commonly advanced against application of the anti-deprivation rule, either generally or in specific circumstances.


One of the principal mechanisms by which surfaces and interfaces affect microbial life is by perturbing the hydrodynamic flows generated by swimming. By summing a recursive series of image systems, we derive a numerically tractable approximation to the three-dimensional flow fields of a stokeslet (point force) within a viscous film between a parallel no-slip surface and a no-shear interface and, from this Green's function, we compute the flows produced by a force- and torque-free micro-swimmer. We also extend the exact solution of Liron & Mochon (J. Engng Maths, vol. 10 (4), 1976, pp. 287–303) to the film geometry, which demonstrates that the image series gives a satisfactory approximation to the swimmer flow fields if the film is sufficiently thick compared to the swimmer size, and we derive the swimmer flows in the thin-film limit. Concentrating on the thick-film case, we find that the dipole moment induces a bias towards swimmer accumulation at the no-slip wall rather than the water–air interface, but that higher-order multipole moments can oppose this. Based on the analytic predictions, we propose an experimental method to find the multipole coefficient that induces circular swimming trajectories, allowing one to analytically determine the swimmer's three-dimensional position under a microscope.


A 48-year-old woman with anti-epiligrin cicatricial pemphigoid (CP) who showed clinical features resembling epidermolysis bullosa acquisita was found to have adenocarcinoma of the stomach. Histological examination of lesional skin demonstrated a subepidermal blister. Direct immunofluorescence microscopy of perilesional skin revealed linear deposits of IgG and C3 at the basement membrane zone. The patient's serum contained IgG autoantibodies that bound to the dermal side of 1 mol/L NaCl-split normal human skin as determined by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy, and the lamina lucida as determined by indirect immunoelectron microscopy. The patient's serum immunoprecipitated laminin-5 from extracts and media of biosynthetically radiolabelled human keratinocytes. Immunoblot studies showed that the patient's autoantibodies specifically bound the alpha3 subunit of this laminin isoform. Fragility of the skin and bullous lesions disappeared after total gastrectomy, but soon reappeared possibly in association with metastatic disease in a lymph node. The possibility that anti-epiligrin CP may develop paraneoplastically in some patients is discussed.


This study is focused onthe attributes of store image that affects customer acuity as they relate to store attributes comprise of merchandising, store atmosphere, in-store service, accessibility, reputation, promotion facilities and post-transaction service. This study aims to explore customer acuity about international retail stores in the unique Pakistani socio-economic and cultural environment.Based on perceived value theory and stimulus-organism-response (S–O–R) framework, this study explains the S–O (Stimulus – Organism) relationship of customeracuity about international retail stores in Pakistan, i.e. METRO-Habib Cash & Carry (aka: METRO) and Hyperstar (aka: Carrefour). In this study, we have adopted a semi-structured approach of conducting qualitative interviews. The findings shows that among other attributes of store image; merchandising of the store, promotion,store facilities, accessibility and reputation of store have significant contribution in generation of positive customer acuity towards retail stores. However, quality of in store services is the most significant challengeleading towards negative acuity, about retail stores.Also retail stores need to aggressively work on improving the store atmosphereespecially the shopping atmosphere and the post transaction services for the return and exchange procedures.This work on customer acuity will help retail managers and stores to know more about the customer perceptions and insights so that they can take appropriate actions for the improvement of customer experience.


Water and solute fluxes in lignitic mine soils and in many other soils are often highly heterogeneous. Here, heterogeneity reflects dumping‐induced inclined structures and embedded heterogeneous distributions of sediment mixtures and of lignitic fragments. Such two‐scale heterogeneity effects may be analyzed through the application of two‐dimensional models for calculating water and solute fluxes. The objective of this study was to gain more insight to what extent spatial heterogeneity of soil hydraulic parameters contributes to preferential flow at a lignitic mine soil. The simulations pertained to the "Bärenbrücker Höhe" site in Germany where previously water fluxes and applied tracers had been monitored with a cell lysimeter, and from where a soil block had been excavated for detailed two‐dimensional characterization of the hydraulic parameters using pedotransfer functions. Based on those previous studies, scenarios with different distributions of hydraulic parameters were simulated. The results show that spatial variability of hydraulic parameters alone can hardly explain the observed flow patterns. The measured bromide distributions both in the leachate and the residual concentrations in the soil could not be described at all. Consequently, the observed preferential flow at the site was probably caused by additional factors such as hydrophobicity, the presence of root channels, anisotropy in the hydraulic conductivity, and heterogeneous root distributions. To study the relative importance of these other factors by applying two‐dimensional flow models to such sites, the experimental database must be improved, especially with regard to the effects of hydrophobicity and the impacts of high‐root‐density zones. Single‐continuum model approaches may be insufficient for such sites.


The transfer of knowledge from one policy to another is an important tool in Deep Reinforcement Learning. This process, referred to as distillation, has been used to great success, for example, by enhancing the optimisation of agents, leading to stronger performance faster, on harder domains [26, 32, 5, 8]. Despite the widespread use and conceptual simplicity of distillation, many different formulations are used in practice, and the subtle variations between them can often drastically change the performance and the resulting objective that is being optimised. In this work, we rigorously explore the entire landscape of policy distillation, comparing the motivations and strengths of each variant through theoretical and empirical analysis. Our results point to three distillation techniques, that are preferred depending on specifics of the task. Specifically a newly proposed expected entropy regularised distillation allows for quicker learning in a wide range of situations, while still guaranteeing convergence.


Corynebacterium diphtheriae is the causative agent of diphtheria, a toxin mediated disease of upper respiratory tract, which can be fatal. As a member of the CMNR group, C. diphtheriae is closely related to members of the genera Mycobacterium, Nocardia and Rhodococcus. Almost all members of these genera comprise an outer membrane layer of mycolic acids, which is assumed to influence host-pathogen interactions. In this study, three different C. diphtheriae strains were investigated in respect to their interaction with phagocytic murine and human cells and the invertebrate infection model Caenorhabditis elegans. Our results indicate that C. diphtheriae is able to delay phagolysosome maturation after internalization in murine and human cell lines. This effect is independent of the presence of mycolic acids, as one of the strains lacked corynomycolates. In addition, analyses of NF-κB induction revealed a mycolate-independent mechanism and hint to detrimental effects of the different strains tested on the phagocytic cells. Bioinformatics analyses carried out to elucidate the reason for the lack of mycolates in one of the strains led to the identification of a new gene involved in mycomembrane formation in C. diphtheriae. PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180105 July 7, 2017 1 / 24 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111


This kit is a set of 5 interrelated and sequenced books that take the reader through the needs assessment (NA) process. These volumes explain how to implement an assessment and explain how to identify and prioritize needs. Book 1 Needs Assessment, An Overview - This book serves as the guiding framework for the other four books in the Kit. Book 2 Phase 1, Preassessment (Getting the Process Started) - This book focuses on numerous approaches for starting a meaningful needs assessment. Book 3 Phase 2, Assessment (Collecting Data) - This book describes in depth the five most common instruments and strategies of needs assessment. Book 4 Phase 2, Assessment (Analysis and Prioritization) - This book explores how to analyze and combine qualitative and quantitative data and how to put results together. Book 5 Phase 3, Post assessment (Planning for Action and Evaluating the Needs Assessment) - This book takes the reader through a journey of getting results utilized and then evaluating the needs assessment itself.


When we see an object in the world, there may be a large number of different ways to interact with that object. This large 'visuomotor space' can be constrained through affordances (perceptually available object properties defining potential uses), task demands and the actor's intentions. The effects of perceptual biases can be modified by performance factors, such as a limb's end-state-comfort (ESC; Rosenbaum et al. 1990). We investigated how two other potential performance biases affected interaction with a perceptually under-constrained object: hysteresis (H) and minimal forearm rotation (MR). Experiment 1 found H and MR operating in adult participants who reached-to-grasp a doweling placed at different orientations either randomly or systematically (orientation changed by 30° every five reaches either clockwise or counter-clockwise). In the random condition, participants switched between pronation and supination depending on which required minimum forearm rotation, but a systematic reach history delayed the transition from pronation to supination in the counter-clockwise condition (and vice versa). This effect was more pronounced in 5-15 year old children. Experiment 2 placed ESC and MR in opposition. Participants reached-to-grasp a doweling at one of two initial orientations and rotated it clockwise or counter-clockwise by 180°. On half the trials, ESC could only be achieved at the expense of MR. Adults reliably acted to achieve ESC when reaching with their preferred hand (100% of trials but less so with the non-preferred hand at circa 80%). Younger children (5-8 years) and children with developmental coordination disorder (5-13 years) were primarily driven by MR and to a lesser extent H. Older children (9-13 years) showed a clear developmental trend towards adult behaviour. Thus, action selection is a dynamic process subject to numerous performance biases even in skilled adult participants. Importantly, the effect of performance biases on perceptually under-constrained objects varies with skill level and developmental status.


Modernist literary texts, especially those in the avant-garde tradition, present fundamental challenges to classical concepts of text status and structure. These texts, experimental in their published forms, also demonstrate complex relationships with their manuscript documents. Renewed interest in the flexible text models of the German philological tradition, and the promise of digital tools and techniques, presents scholarly editors with potentially ground-breaking opportunities to represent Modernist texts in ways that make explicit the nature and extent of their formal experimentation. This essay takes Samuel Beckett's novel 'Watt', and its complex manuscript archive, as an example: a number of digital tools and techniques, taken with renewed concepts of literary structure, may provide the editorial means by which to do justice to the formal and aesthetic innovations in this singular text process.


David Newham was born in 1938 and went to infants' school in Nottingham where he remembered no history being taught. However, he remembered history lessons at the boys' school next door which he moved to at seven, especially the time he made a model of a Viking longboat. At nine he went to the upper part of the school where history was taught by 'talk and chalk'. There was no homework. At eleven the pupils all took the 11+ and if they failed they usually stayed at the boys' school to 14 unless they got into a technical school. David had to take the month off before the exam to look after his mother who was ill so despite being in the top three in his class he failed. However when he was 13 he was one of those nominated to take the 13+ examination (a 'second chance' to go to grammar school which some areas organised). This time he passed so at 13 he went to the grammar school. David found history at this school really disappointing. Previously he had been taught history in an interesting way, now he missed out the Middle Ages and the Tudors and went straight to the 18th and 19th centuries where he felt there was endless concentration on the Corn Laws and similarly dry topics. He found it all very boring and did not do well in history O level which was a compulsory subject. David left school after O levels and was an apprentice draughtsman and eventually qualified as a design engineer. Despite having found history so dull at the grammar school he is now fascinated by it and reads a great deal about it and visits historical sites.


A mathematical model of an AC/DC/AC power converter with an energy storage device has been developed on the basis of a bridge-element concept, that can be employed in the design phase for power quality and conducted emission analysis of micro grids. A prototype of a 5 kW AC/DC/AC power converter is built and a mockup of electric energy trading system is realized. Measurements conducted for three operating modes emulating electric energy transfer and power consumption in trading conditions have revealed a low voltage total harmonic distortion, not exceeding 1.3% for the tested cases.


Herein, we present data from two studies of Twitter usage in different postsecondary courses with the goal of analyzing the relationships surrounding student engagement and collaboration as they intersect learning outcomes. Study 1 was conducted with 125 students taking a first-year seminar course, half of who were required to use Twitter while the other half used Ning. Study 2 was conducted with 135 students taking a large lecture general education course where Twitter participation was voluntary. Faculty in Study 1 engaged with students on Twitter in activities based on an a priori theoretical model, while faculty in Study 2 only engaged students sporadically on the platform. Qualitativeanalysesof tweetsandquantitativeoutcomesshowthatfacultyparticipation on the platform, integration of Twitter into the course based on a theoretically driven pedagogical model and requiring students to use Twitter are essential components of improved outcomes.


Previously, a cDNA was constructed so that transcription by T7 RNA polymerase yielded a approximately 1-kb negative-sense analog of genomic RNA of human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) containing the gene for chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) under the control of putative RSV transcription motifs and flanked by the RSV genomic termini. When transfected into RSV-infected cells, this minigenome was "rescued," as evidenced by high levels of CAT expression and the production of transmissible particles which propagated and expressed high levels of CAT expression during serial passage (P.L. Collins, M. A. Mink, and D. S. Stec, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 88:9663-9667, 1991). Here, this cDNA, together with a second one designed to yield an exact-copy positive-sense RSV-CAT RNA antigenome, were each modified to contain a self-cleaving hammerhead ribozyme for the generation of a nearly exact 3' end. Each cDNA was transfected into cells infected with a vaccinia virus recombinant expressing T7 RNA polymerase, together with plasmids encoding the RSV N, P, and L proteins, each under the control of a T7 promoter. When the plasmid-supplied template was the mini-antigenome, the minigenome was produced. When the plasmid-supplied template was the minigenome, the products were mini-antigenome, subgenomic polyadenylated mRNA and progeny minigenome. Identification of progeny minigenome made from the plasmid-supplied minigenome template indicates that the full RSV RNA replication cycle occurred. RNA synthesis required all three RSV proteins, N, P, and L, and was ablated completely by the substitution of Asn for Asp at position 989 in the L protein. Thus, the N, P, and L proteins were sufficient for the synthesis of correct minigenome and antigenome, but this was not the case for subgenomic mRNA, indicating that the requirements for RNA replication and transcription are not identical. Complementation with N, P, and L alone yielded an mRNA pattern containing a large fraction of molecules of incomplete, heterogeneous size. In contrast, complementation with RSV (supplying all of the RSV gene products) yielded a single discrete mRNA band. Superinfection with RSV of cells staging N/P/L-based RNA synthesis yielded the single discrete mRNA species. Some additional factor supplied by RSV superinfection appeared to be involved in transcription, the most obvious possibility being one or more additional RSV gene products.


Settling intensity (i.e. sum of individuals settled during subsequent one month periods on clean Plexiglas panels) and settling success (i.e. numbers of individuals at the end of the colonization period found on fouling panels submerged since the beginning of the experiments in March/April) have been monitored at the island of Helgoland (North Sea) from 1977 to 1986. The settling intensity and settling success of Elminius modestus showed characteristic deviations in some years during the 10 years studied. Very weak settling intensity and success were registered in the summer of 1979, 1980, 1982 and 1986. With the exception of 1980, these low settling intensity and success may be explained by unusually cold winters which in these years preceded the season of colonization and visibly decimated adult populations in the German Bight (significant positive correlation between water and air temperatures during winter months and subsequent colonization intensities of E. modestus). It is assumed that this barnacle species, which was introduced from New Zealand only 45 years ago, is subject to considerable genetic selection pressure towards cold adaptation.


Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells both in vitro and in vivo. These cells may represent a new resource for the treatment of distinct liver diseases, such as alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), a metabolic disease that has pathological consequences for the liver. Aims and objectives: To isolate MSCs from mouse adipose tissue and verify their potential for differentiation to explore their use for alleviating the shortage of liver transplantation donors to treat AATD. Methods: MSCs were isolated from immunodeficient mice and cultured to 90% confluency. After DNA demethylation, a differentiation medium was applied and cellular morphology was assessed by microscopy after 0, 7, 14 and 21 days. Flow cytometry was used to detect mesenchymal (CD13, CD29, CD44, CD105) and haematopoietic (CD34, CD45) cell surface markers to estimate the number of differentiated cells. Gene expression of the hepatocyte-specific markers transferrin, albumin, CK18, CD26 and CYP3A1 was measured by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results: During differentiation, the morphology of MSCs changed from a spindle shape into a more polygonal aspect. Mesenchymal markers were expressed at each time point, whereas haematopoietic markers were hardly detectable after 21 days. The relative gene expression of the hepatic markers was increased at each time point. Conclusion: MSCs derived from mouse adipose tissue may differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells in vitro. Consequently, the potential therapeutic benefit of MSCs in a syngeneic mouse model of chronic AATD can now be analysed.


Abstract Arithmetic billiards show a nice interplay between arithmetics and geometry. The billiard table is a rectangle with integer side lengths. A pointwise ball moves with constant speed along segments making a 45° angle with the sides and bounces on these. In the classical setting, the ball is shooted from a corner and lands in a corner. We allow the ball to start at any point with integer distances from the sides: either the ball lands in a corner or the trajectory is periodic. The length of the path and of certain segments in the path are precisely (up to the factor √2 or 2√2) the least common multiple and the greatest common divisor of the side lengths.


We simulated two-dimensional pollutant transport in the tidal reach of the Han River and examined the mixing induced by reversed flow. We used the downstream water surface elevation to reflect the tidal constituents of the Yellow Sea when modeling the flow characteristics. We found that reversed flows were repeatedly created and destroyed as the tide varied. The reversed flow affected the spatial variation of the dispersion coefficients and caused the lateral fluctuations of the dispersion coefficient to increase. The change in the flow direction was related to oscillatory variations in the concentration–time curves, and the horizontal recirculation zone at the front of the reversed flow became a storage area where the pollutant cloud was trapped. The concentration–time curves showed oscillatory changes that corresponded with the temporal variations of the flow direction, and the amplitude of the oscillations gradually decreased. The increases in the time for which the polluted water was retained at the riverine parks can be explained by the oscillations on the falling limb of the concentration curves.


This paper explores contemporary contradictions and tensions in Australian social policy principles and governmental practices that are being used to drive behavioural change, such as compulsory income management. By means of compulsory income management the Australian Government determines how certain categories of income support recipients can spend their payments through the practice of quarantining a proportion of that payment. In this process some groups in the community, particularly young unemployed people and Indigenous Australians, are being portrayed as requiring a paternalistic push in order to make responsible choices. The poverty experienced by some groups of income support recipients appears to be seen as a consequence of poor spending patterns rather than economic and social inequalities. By contrast, Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has been constructed as a person centred system of support that recognises the importance of both human agency and structural investment to expand personal choices and control. Here we look at the rationale guiding these developments to explore the tensions and contradictions in social policy more broadly, identifying what would be required if governments sought to promote greater autonomy, dignity and respect for people receiving income support payments in Australia.


Lesinurad is a novel selective uric acid reabsorption inhibitor which has been recently approved for the treatment of chronic gout. The present study is considered to report the first analytical methods for the quantitative and selective determination of lesinurad in the presence of its oxidative degradation product. Complete oxidative degradation of lesinurad has been done after extensive trials under different conditions. Identification of the lesinurad oxidative degradation product has been checked via mass spectrometry. Derivative mathematical manipulation has been introduced to resolve the overlap that existed between the recorded UV absorption spectra or the synchronous fluorescence spectra of lesinurad and its degradation product. The second derivative of the UV spectra has enabled the estimation of lesinurad by measuring the peak amplitudes at 279 nm without any interference from its degradation product. Alternatively, the second derivative of the synchronous fluorescence spectra has enabled the selective determination of lesinurad by measuring the peak amplitudes at 370 nm (Δλ = 60) nm without any interference from the degradation product. The developed methods have been optimized, validated and applied for quantitative determination of the studied drug in its pharmaceutical dosage form.


In the wake of successive crises, novel politics and ethics are emerging around attempts to institute a 'new' world of finance in the name of social relations. Financial start-ups and development organizations, often working alongside established financial institutions, are experimenting with the 'social' in order to create markets and scale up their activities. At the same time, people continue to advance social claims in finance out of concern for others. This article examines the rise, politics and ethics of this experimentation in what we call 'relational finance'. Our argument is that by rendering the social dimensions of finance explicit, contemporary relational finance makes sociality available for marketization and politicization. We illustrate this claim with three examples of mobilizations of the social in everyday lending and borrowing: social collateral, social lending and social debt. Relational finance, we conclude, is far from an unproblematic 'alternative' but retains ethical and political potential.


In the western tropical Pacific, the interannual migration of the Indonesian Low convective system causes changes in rainfall that dominate the regional signature of the El Ni�o—Southern Oscillation (ENSO) system. A 96-year oxygen isotope record from a Tarawa Atoll coral (1�N, 172�E) reflects regional convective activity through rainfall-induced salinity changes. This monthly resolution record spans twice the length of the local climatological record and provides a history of ENSO variability comparable in quality with those derived from instrumental climate data. Comparison of this coral record with a historical chronology of EI Ni�o events indicates that climate anomalies in coastal South America are occasionally decoupled from Pacific-wide ENSO extremes. Spectral analysis suggests that the distribution of variance in this record has shifted among annual to interannual periods during the present century, concurrent with observed changes in the strength of the Southern Oscillation.


Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used to investigate stress and death attitudes in nurses from three clinical areas (palliative, psychiatric and general nursing). The work investigates: the experience of stress (reported sources and levels, coping strategies); fear of death (based on Howells et al,, 1986, with nurses' reported fears compared with those reported by a general population sample); coping with death and caring for dying patients (nurses' perceived ability to cope and elements of the experience of patient death which contribute to stress); and perceived effects of working with the dying. Results show differences on fear of death across nursing groups and between nurses and the general population sample suggesting that nursing work does affect levels of fear of death in some respects. Patient death ranks seventh on a list of 24 sources of stress and appears to be perceived by nurses as a unique stressor. Nurses report a range of coping strategies, most important of which is the use of social support, but often regard their coping strategies as less than effective. Evidence indicates that many nurses perceive their training to have been inadequate to deal with some aspects of caring for the dying and general nurses report less confidence in their ability to cope with death and dying issues than the other groups. Qualitative accounts emphasise nurses' aims to provide 'good death' for their patients and suggest that failure in that aim increases the nurses' stress and that working with the dying can have a major impact on nurses' lives and relationships with others. It is concluded that some difficult aspects of the experience may not be amenable to change, making adequate and effective coping strategies an important goal for nurses engaged in this work and suggesting implications for training and organisational provision of social support


Films of biogenic compounds exposed to the atmosphere are ubiquitously found on the surfaces of cloud droplets, aerosol particles, buildings, plants, soils and the ocean. These air/water interfaces host countless amphiphilic compounds concentrated there with respect to in bulk water, leading to a unique chemical environment. Here, photochemical processes at the air/water interface of biofilm-containing solutions were studied, demonstrating abiotic VOC production from authentic biogenic surfactants under ambient conditions. Using a combination of online-APCI-HRMS and PTR-ToF-MS, unsaturated and functionalized VOCs were identified and quantified, giving emission fluxes comparable to previous field and laboratory observations. Interestingly, VOC fluxes increased with the decay of microbial cells in the samples, indicating that cell lysis due to cell death was the main source for surfactants and VOC production. In particular, irradiation of samples containing solely biofilm cells without matrix components exhibited the strongest VOC production upon irradiation. In agreement with previous studies, LC-MS measurements of the liquid phase suggested the presence of fatty acids and known photosensitizers, possibly inducing the observed VOC production via peroxy radical chemistry. Up to now, such VOC emissions were directly accounted to high biological activity in surface waters. However, the results obtained suggest that abiotic photochemistry can lead to similar emissions into the atmosphere, especially in less biologically-active regions. Furthermore, chamber experiments suggest that oxidation (O3/OH radicals) of the photochemically-produced VOCs leads to aerosol formation and growth, possibly affecting atmospheric chemistry and climate-related processes, such as cloud formation or the Earth's radiation budget.


This report describes the pavement management system developed by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) staff over a period of five years. Both project-level and network-level pavement management are represented within the four broad areas of data processing which combine to constitute the foundation of the system. The design of a pavement data file is laid out together with the process of assembling it. Also shown are the methods used to analyze and convert the file data from pavement condition ratings to pavement performance curves for each project. The performance curves are then used, together with appropriate cost data to determine the most cost effective type and time of fix. The network-level program then summarizes the needed work for each year of a rehabilitation program. Means are provided for adjusting the program to fit budget constraints or minimum acceptable levels of average pavement condition. It is concluded that the system, operating on biennial pavement condition ratings, provides a good solid framework for orderly analysis to estimate the economic benefits of the type, timing, and sequence of rehabilitation activities applied to a pavement.


This paper introduces a parsimonious and yet flexible nonnegative semiparametric model to forecast financial volatility. The new model extends the linear nonnegative autoregressive model of Barndorff-Nielsen & Shephard (2001) and Nielsen & Shephard (2003) by way of a power transformation. It is semiparametric in the sense that the distributional form of its error component is left unspecified. The statistical properties of the model are discussed and a novel estimation method is proposed. Asymptotic properties are established for the new estimation method. Simulation studies validate the new estimation method. The out-of-sample performance of the proposed model is evaluated against a number of standard methods, using data on S&P 500 monthly realized volatilities. The competing models include the exponential smoothing method, a linear AR(1) model, a log-linear AR(1) model, and two long-memory ARFIMA models. Various loss functions are utilized to evaluate the predictive accuracy of the alternative methods. It is found that the new model generally produces highly competitive forecasts.


Slow sand filters (SSFs) are probably the most effective, simplest and least expensive
water treatment process. Micro-organisms and other particulate materials are effectively
removed by SSFs. Considerable development has been done on SSFs with respect to
particle removal, but only a few works have been reported in the context of the removal
of heavy metals which are a severely toxic pollutant of surface waters. No extensive
laboratory or pilot studies have been carried out to determine the performance or the
mechanisms of removal of heavy metals by SSFs. This research is concerned with an
experimental investigation of the removal of heavy metals from surface water by SSFs.
Four laboratory scale SSFs were built and run according to standard design criteria.
Removal of four common heavy metals [copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb) and
cadmium (Cd)] were monitored. The filters were fed synthetic water made from tap
water mixed with settled sewage, and each filter was dosed with one of the heavy metal
salts. The concentrations of Cu, Cr, Pb and Cd in the influent were selected as 10 mg/l,
100 μg/l, 60 μg/l, and 100 μg/l respectively considering their relative toxicity and
WHO guidelines in drinking water. Settled sewage was added to vary the total organic
carbon (TOC) of the feed water. The reduction of heavy metal concentrations were
monitored at various TOCs, filtration rates and filter bed depths. The results showed
that SSFs succeeded in removing heavy metals from water. The removals of Cu, Cr, Pb
and Cd at the conventional flow rate and filter depth are 99.6,97.2,100 and 96.6 %
respectively. The results also showed that an increase in TOC in the feed water
improved metal removal while increases of flow rates caused a decrease of the removal
of metals. The removal of heavy metals also decreased with a reduction in sand bed
depth.
The optimisation of design parameters for SSFs for the removal of heavy metals
depends on the individual heavy metal and on the TOC content of the feed water.
Model equations were developed for, and linear correlation was observed between each
of the three control parameters and the removal of the selected metal. The removal of
heavy metal by SSFs was achieved through the combination of a number of
mechanisms. Settlement, adsorption to both sand and organic matter and microbial


The latest quantum computers have the ability to solve incredibly complex classical cryptography equations particularly to decode the secret encrypted keys and making the network vulnerable to hacking. They can solve complex mathematical problems almost instantaneously compared to the billions of years of computation needed by traditional computing machines. Researchers advocate the development of novel strategies to include data encryption in the post-quantum era. Lattices have been widely used in cryptography, somewhat peculiarly, and these algorithms have been used in both; (a) cryptoanalysis by using lattice approximation to break cryptosystems; and (b) cryptography by using computationally hard lattice problems (non-deterministic polynomial time hardness) to construct stable cryptographic functions. Most of the dominant features of lattice-based cryptography (LBC), which holds it ahead in the post-quantum league, include resistance to quantum attack vectors, high concurrent performance, parallelism, security under worst-case intractability assumptions, and solutions to long-standing open problems in cryptography. While these methods offer possible security for classical cryptosytems in theory and experimentation, their implementation in energy-restricted Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices requires careful study of regular lattice-based implantation and its simplification in lightweight lattice-based cryptography (LW-LBC). This streamlined post-quantum algorithm is ideal for levelled IoT device security. The key aim of this survey was to provide the scientific community with comprehensive information on elementary mathematical facts, as well as to address real-time implementation, hardware architecture, open problems, attack vectors, and the significance for the IoT networks.


Background: Gradenigo's syndrome is an uncommon triad of retroorbital pain, diplopia due to 6th nerve palsy, and otorrhea due to otitis media and petrous apicitis. Although rarer in the antibiotic era, this syndrome may be life-threatening and highly morbid if not treated aggressively with IV antibiotics, and surgery in some cases. Methods and Findings: Herein we present a review of patients reported in the literature since 1990, with an exploration of medical vs. surgical treatment, causative organisms, and patient outcomes. Thirty-seven studies representing 38 patients were identified. The mortality rate was 2.6%, and the majority of patients were treated with either IV antibiotics alone (14) or IV antibiotics in addition to surgery (14). Conclusions: Prompt awareness of Gradenigo's syndrome can help avoid morbidity or mortality related to this uncommon phenomenon. It should be kept in the differential of any patient with otitis media, retroorbital pain, and diplopia.


Objective: Research is limited on how immigrant status affects provider recommendations and adherence to breast cancer screening among women with chronic conditions. This study examined whether chronic comorbidities are associated with breast cancer screening recommendations and adherence, as well as differences between foreign-born and United States-born women. Materials and Methods: The study examined data from the 2013 and 2015 National Health Interview Survey on women 50-74 years of age (N = 12,425). Chi-square analysis was used to assess relationships between chronic comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, and obesity) and mammography screening recommendation and adherence (screened in the last 3 years). Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis examined the relationship between foreign-born status and mammography screening, adjusting for provider screening recommendation and chronic comorbidities. Results: Obesity and hypertension were positively associated with mammography screening recommendation and adherence (p < 0.05). United States-born women, compared with foreign-born women, had higher rates of obesity (28% vs. 24%, p < 0.001) and hypertension (44% vs. 41%, p < 0.001). Compared with normal-weight women, underweight women (odds ratio [OR]: 0.57, confidence interval [CI]: 0.39-0.82) were significantly less likely to report receiving mammograms. In stratified analyses, foreign-born underweight women (OR: 0.25, CI: 0.09-0.68) remained less likely to report receiving mammograms after controlling for years lived in the United States and citizenship status. Conclusion: Public health intervention efforts must encourage mammography screening for both United States-born and foreign-born women, especially those diagnosed with chronic conditions.


Abstract. Global change may imply important changes in the future occurrence and intensity of extreme events. Climate scenarios characterizing these plausible changes were previously obtained for the Llobregat River basin (NE Spain). This paper presents the implementation of these scenarios in the HBV (Hydrologiska Byrans Vattenbalansavdelning) hydrological model. Then, the expected changes in terms of flash flood occurrence and intensity are assessed for two different sub-basins: the Alt Llobregat and the Anoia (Llobregat River basin). The assessment of future flash floods has been done in terms of the intensity and occurrence of extreme events, using a peak over threshold (POT) analysis. For these two sub-basins, most of the simulated scenarios present an increase of the intensity of the peak discharge values. On the other hand, the future occurrence follows different trends in the two sub-basins: an increase is observed in Alt Llobregat but a decrease occurs in Anoia. Despite the uncertainties that appear in the whole process, the results obtained can shed some light on how future flash floods events may occur.


Patients with neurological diseases are vulnerable to cerebral ischemia, which can lead to brain injury. In the intensive care unit (ICU), neuromonitoring techniques that can detect flow reductions would enable timely administration of therapies aimed at restoring adequate cerebral perfusion, thereby avoiding damage to the brain. However, suitable bedside neuromonitoring methods sensitive to changes of blood flow and/or oxygen metabolism have yet to be established. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is a promising technique capable of noninvasively monitoring flow and oxygenation. Specifically, diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) and time-resolved (TR) NIRS can be used to monitor blood flow and tissue oxygenation, respectively, and combined to measuring oxidative metabolism. The work presented in this thesis focused on advancing a DCS/TR-NIRS hybrid system for acquiring these physiological measurements at the bedside. The application of NIRS for neuromonitoring is favourable in the neonatal ICU since the relatively thin scalp and skull of infants has minimal effect on the detected optical signal. Considering this application, the validation of a combined DCS/NIRS method for measuring the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2) was investigated in Chapter 2. Although perfusion changes measured by DCS have been confirmed by various flow modalities, characterization of photon scattering in the brain is not clearly understood. Chapter 3 presents the first DCS study conducted directly on exposed cortex to confirm that the Brownian motion model is the best flow model for characterizing the DCS signal. Furthermore, a primary limitation of DCS is signal contamination from extracerebral tissues in the adult head, causing CBF to be underestimated. In Chapter 4, a multi-layered model was implemented to separate signal contributions from scalp and brain; derived CBF changes were compared to computed tomography perfusion. Overall, this thesis advances DCS techniques by (i) quantifying cerebral oxygen metabolism, (ii) confirming the more appropriate flow model for analyzing DCS data and (iii) demonstrating the ability of DCS to measure CBF accurately despite the presence of a thick (1-cm) extracerebral layer. Ultimately, the work completed in this thesis should help


Background and Objective Emerging evidence indicates that common functional polymorphisms in the estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) gene may have an impact on an individual's susceptibility to endometrial cancer, but individually published results are inconclusive. The aim of this meta-analysis is to derive a more precise estimation of the associations between eight polymorphisms in the ESR1 gene and endometrial cancer risk. Methods A literature search of PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and China Biology Medicine (CBM) databases was conducted on publications published before November 1st, 2012. Crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Statistical analyses were performed using the STATA 12.0 software. Results Thirteen case-control studies were included with a total of 7,649 endometrial cancer cases and 16,855 healthy controls. When all the eligible studies were pooled into the meta-analysis, the results indicated that PvuII (C>T) polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer, especially among Caucasian populations. There were also significant associations between rs3020314 (C>T) polymorphism and an increased risk of endometrial cancer. Furthermore, rs2234670 (S/L) polymorphism may decrease the risk of endometrial cancer. However, no statistically significant associations were found in XbaI (A>G), Codon 325 (C>G), Codon 243 (C>T), VNTR (S/L) and rs2046210 (G>A) polymorphisms. Conclusion The current meta-analysis suggests that PvuII (C>T) and rs3020314 (C>T) polymorphisms may be risk factors for endometrial cancer, especially among Caucasian populations.


StartleCam is a wearable video camera, computer, and sensing system, which enables the camera to be controlled via both conscious and preconscious events involving the wearer. Traditionally, a wearer consciously hits record on the video camera, or runs a computer script to trigger the camera according to some pre-specified frequency. The system described here offers an additional option: images are saved by the system when it detects certain events of supposed interest to the wearer. The implementation described here aims to capture events that are likely to get the user's attention and to be remembered. Attention and memory are highly correlated with what psychologists call arousal level, and the latter is often signaled by skin conductivity changes; consequently, StartleCam monitors the wearer's skin conductivity. StartleCam looks for patterns indicative of a "startle response" in the skin conductivity signal. When this response is detected, a buffer of digital images, recently captured by the wearer's digital camera, is downloaded and optionally transmitted wirelessly to a webserver. This selective storage of digital images creates a "flashbulb" memory archive for the wearable which aims to mimic the wearer. Using a startle detection filter, the StartleCam system has been demonstrated to work on several wearers in both indoor and outdoor ambulatory environments.