The effects of ICT on school: teachers' and students' perspectives Liisa Ilomaki University of Turku Finland The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of information and communication technology (ICT) on school from teachers' and students' perspectives. The focus was on three main subject matters: on ICT use and competence, on teacher and school community, and on learning environment and teaching practices. The study is closely connected to the national educational policy which has aimed strongly at supporting the implementation of ICT in pedagogical practices at all institutional levels. The phenomena were investigated using a mixed methods approach. The qualitative data from three cases studies and the quantitative data from three statistical studies were combined. In this study, mixed methods were used to investigate the complex phenomena from various stakeholders' points of view, and to support validation by combining different perspectives in order to give a fuller and more complete picture of the phenomena. The data were used in a complementary manner. The results indicate that the technical resources for using ICT both at school and at homes are very good. In general, students are capable and motivated users of new technology; these skills and attitudes are mainly based on home resources and leisuretime use. Students have the skills to use new kinds of applications and new forms of technology, and their ICT skills are wide, although not necessarily adequate; the working habits might be ineffective and even wrong. Some students have a special kind of ICT-related adaptive expertise which develops in a beneficial interaction between school guidance and challenges, and individual interest and activity. Teachers' skills are more heterogeneous. The large majority of teachers have sufficient skills for everyday and routine working practices, but many of them still have difficulties in finding a meaningful pedagogical use for technology. The intensive case study indicated that for the majority of teachers the intensive ICT projects offer a possibility for learning new skills and competences intertwined in the work, often also supported by external experts and a collaborative teacher community; a possibility that "ordinary" teachers usually do not have. Further, teachers' good ICT competence help them to adopt new pedagogical practices and integrate ICT in a meaningful way. The genders differ in their use of and skills in ICT: males show better skills especially in purely technical issues also in schools and classrooms, whereas female students and younger female teachers use ICT in their ordinary practices quite naturally. With time, the technology has become less technical and its communication and creation affordances have become stronger, easier to use, more popular and motivating, all of which has increased female interest in the technology. There is a generation gap in ICT use and competence between teachers and students. This is apparent especially in the ICT-related pedagogical practices in the majority of schools. The new digital affordances not only replace some previous practices; the new functionalities change many of our existing conceptions, values, attitudes and practices. The very different conceptions that generations have about technology leads, in the worst case, to a digital gap in education; the technology used in school is boring and ineffective compared to the ICT use outside school, and it does not provide the competence needed for using advanced technology in learning. The results indicate that in schools which have special ICT projects ("ICT pilot schools") for improving pedagogy, these have led to true changes in teaching practices. Many teachers adopted student-centred and collaborative, inquiry-oriented teaching practices as well as practices that supported students' authentic activities, independent work, knowledge building, and students' responsibility. This is, indeed, strongly dependent on the ICT-related pedagogical competence of the teacher. However, the daily practices of some teachers still reflected a rather traditional teacher-centred approach. As a matter of fact, very few teachers ever represented solely, e.g. the knowledge building approach; teachers used various approaches or mixed them, based on the situation, teaching and learning goals, and on their pedagogical and technical competence. In general, changes towards pedagogical improvements even in wellorganised developmental projects are slow. As a result, there are two kinds of ICT stories: successful "ICT pilot schools" with pedagogical innovations related to ICT and with school community level agreement about the visions and aims, and "ordinary schools", which have no particular interest in or external support for using ICT for improvement, and in which ICT is used in a more routine way, and as a tool for individual teachers, not for the school community. The effects of ICT on school: teachers' and students' perspectives


Aim: Increased rates of hospitalization due to cardiovascular events have been reported during phases of World Soccer Championships (WSC). The purpose of this pilot study was to explore acute psychological and physiological effects of watching a live broadcast soccer game during the WSC 2006.
Methods: Seven male supporters (age: M=24; SD=2.7) of the Swiss National Soccer Team watched a game of their team in a controlled laboratory setting. Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase (sAA), and testosterone concentrations, as well as several mood ratings were captured repeatedly before, during, and after the game.
Results: Subjects reported feeling stressed, and HR and sAA activity showed an increase during the game. In contrast, HRV, cortisol and testosterone were unaffected.
Conclusion: Watching a sports competition seems to specifically affect the sympathetic nervous system, which can be measured by sensitive electrocardiographic and salivary markers.


Experimental investigations and computer modelling studies have been made on the refrigerant-water counterflow condenser section of a small air to water heat pump. The main object of the investigation was a comparative study between the computer modelling predictions and the experimental observations for a range of operating conditions but other characteristics of a counterflow heat exchanger are also discussed. The counterflow condenser consisted of 15 metres of a thermally coupled pair of copper pipes, one containing the R12 working fluid and the other water flowing in the opposite direction. This condenser was mounted horizontally and folded into 0.5 metre straight sections. Thermocouples were inserted in both pipes at one metre intervals and transducers for pressure and flow measurement were also included. Data acquisition, storage and analysis was carried out by a micro-computer suitably interfaced with the transducers and thermocouples. Many sets of readings were taken under a variety of conditions, with air temperature ranging from 18 to 26 degrees Celsius, water inlet from 13.5 to 21.7 degrees, R12 inlet temperature from 61.2 to 81.7 degrees and water mass flow rate from 6.7 to 32.9 grammes per second. A Fortran computer model of the condenser (originally prepared by Carrington[1]) has been modified to match the information available from experimental work. This program uses iterative segmental integration over the desuperheating, mixed phase and subcooled regions for the R12 working fluid, the water always being in the liquid phase. Methods of estimating the inlet and exit fluid conditions from the available experimental data have been developed for application to the model. Temperature profiles and other parameters have been predicted and compared with experimental values for the condenser for a range of evaporator conditions and have shown that the model gives a satisfactory prediction of the physical behaviour of a simple counterflow heat exchanger in both single phase and two phase regions.


As is evident in this volume of her clinical and theoretical papers, Hanna Segal has established herself as one of the most productive and sensitive clinical psychoanalysts in the field today. Using techniques based on the work of both Freud and Klein, she has shown a consistent interest in working with patients presenting the most severe types of psychopathology. Her techniques stress the analytic and insightful resolution of these disturbances rather than avoidance based on anxiety in the therapist.


Abstract The Common Blackbird is a partial migrant throughout much of its range in Europe. That is, part of its breeding population migrates while the rest stays at the breeding ground for winter. Given the rapidly changing global climate, it is important to understand how migratory birds, including partial migrants, respond to shifting climatic conditions. In this study, I analyzed 85 years of ring recovery data of the Hungarian population of the Blackbird, ringed during the breeding season and recovered during migration or winter, with two objectives in mind: (1) to assess whether the Hungarian Blackbird population is also partially migratory, and (2) to test the prediction that Blackbirds have exhibited decreasing migration distances over the past decades as expected based on warming winter temperatures. Hungarian Blackbirds expressed both migratory and resident strategies, thus can be considered as partial migrants. Furthermore, Blackbirds had been recovered increasingly closer (-5.9 km/year) to their breeding grounds in the past decades. Age and sex had no effects on recovery distance. Provided that this trend continues, the adaptive benefits of migratory behavior may eventually be reduced to a level that selection will not maintain it in the population and the Hungarian population becomes entirely sedentary. Surprisingly, 88% of migrant recoveries were the result of shooting or hunting activities in Mediterranean countries, primarily in Italy, highlighting both the need to understand the effects of hunting pressure on migratory behavior at the population level in songbirds and the urgency to ban the killing of migratory birds in European countries.


In our paper, we examine how classroom management is taught in teacher education in Israel. Three questions are addressed: (1) What is the structure of programs for classroom management (site, timing, duration, number of courses, mandatory/optional)? (2) How is classroom management conceived (technical/pedagogical, individual/systemic)? (3) Does the preparation in classroom management relate to issues of cultural and ethnic diversity? Almost all teacher education programs offer at least one course on classroom navigation and management. However most of these courses are elective rather than mandatory. Classroom management is mainly treated as a technical/behavioural issue. Cultural issues, which are of major importance in the heterogeneous Israeli classrooms, are not on the agenda in most of these courses.


This paper discusses how teacher education programmes in Zimbabwe might be designed to produce a cadre of teacher with the capacity to adapt to the varied and ever-changing teaching contexts of the twenty- first century. In discussing teacher education in Zimbabwe, and to avoid an abstract and general discussion, a concrete model is drawn from English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher education programme. The choice of ESL for purposes of illustration is mainly due to the fad that it is an area the writer has done extensive research in. However, the basic teacher education principles discussed in this paper should apply equally well to any teacher education programme in Zimbabwe which is not necessarily ESL focused.
The main thrust of my argument is that if change in the Zimbabwean, classroom is to be effected, it has to start at the teacher preparation stage. Using a conceptual framework in which theoretical and applied linguistics and language learning interact with classroom practice, I argue that teacher education programmes that are based on giving prescriptions to student teachers are not likely to have an impact on the students. Instead, I suggest that teachers be empowered with research and reflective teaching skills in order to become adaptable and autonomous professionals.


Michael R. Redclif t: Chewing gum: taste, space and the 'shadow-lands'. The history of chewing gum is significant for our understanding of changing boundaries between local and metropolitan cultures, and processes through which consumer cultures have become globalized. It also bears on current thinking about environmental issues, levels of personal consumption and international political economy. Behind the mass advertising and sophisticated marketing that characterised chewing gum's early history, lay the invisible process of chicle tapping in Mexico and the colonization of the tropical forests of Yucatan. The traditional chicle provided the raw material for the mass consumption of a novel product in the first half of the 20th century. The invention of synthetic gum and its widespread use in the second half of the century turned turned this product into the iconic artefact and globaly consumed commodity as we know it today


The texture of tills excludes many of the traditional methods for measurement of the saturated hydraulic conductivity. The hydraulic conductivity is scale dependent and for massive relatively homogeneous till a representative sample volume of 10 4 -10 5 cm 3 is suggested. There are no ideal methods for measuring the saturated hydraulic conductivity in till and type of method and equipment should be carefully selected. Studies comparing and evaluating different methods for use in till are few. Comparative studies should be carried out. In the unsaturated zone a variant of the inverse auger hole method using a constant head and a lined pit is recommended. In the saturated zone measurements in dug wells are considered as the most representative method. Correlative methods can only be used for very approximate predictions of the saturated hydraulic conductivity in till.


A Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) population of 13-18 breeding pairs was studied for 6 years from 1987 to 1995 in a 62 km 2 study area located within the seasonal flood zones of the Po River plain in northern Italy and characterized by intensive farmland interspersed with poplar (Populus sp.) plantations. Five percent of breeding attempts (n = 78 over the whole period) failed because of clear cutting of the nest tree and 4% because of human disturbance associated with clear cutting of the nesting woodlot. Fledging success was negatively related to laying date. Year after year, the nests of each pair were found in restricted traditional nest areas, but not all nest areas were occupied every year, even if suitable woodlots were available within them. Occupation rate of nest areas was positively correlated with breeding success. The nestlings' avian diet was dominated by Swifts (Apus apus) and by Passer spp., accounting for 53 and 25%, respectively of 317 identified prey items. The local Eurasian Hobby population appeared to have adapted fairly well to the intensively managed agroforestry system, with recorded density and productivity in the range reported for other European populations in less intensively cultivated areas. We did not detect any decline in average density and productivity with increasing levels of agricultural change in various European populations. Possible reasons for this species' successful reproduction in modern agricultural landscapes include timing of breeding, tolerance of habitat fragmentation and of human activities near to the nest, tolerance of proximity to neighbors, type of diet, and absence of important predators.


This paper is to investigate the optimization of mechanical properties for the maximum tensile strength, elongation, and impact strength of Polycarbonate and Polymethyl methacrylate (PC/PMMA) blends by injection molding process. The PC/PMMA plastics composites with different blending percentage are first blended have been injected as the tensile and impact specimens designed according to ASTM, type V by injection molding machine. Taguchi's method is then used to find the optimal parameters for the maximum tensile strength, elongation and impact strength. The control factors selected in this study are melt temperature, packing pressure, mold temperature and cooling time. An ANOVA table has been used for determining the significance of injection molding parameters. Results of experiments show that the melt temperature is the most significant parameter for improvement of mechanical properties of PC-PMMA plastics composites. Blends with high PC concentrations result in low tensile strength and high impact strength. Illumination testing of the tatol internal reflection (TIR) of PC/PMMA blends has been proceeded and the TIR lens illumination intensity is compared with three compositions of the PC/PMMA blends. Illumination results show that the PC/PMMA 80/20 blend has the highest intensity of illumination. Results of this study can be applied on the optimization of injection molding parameters for polymer blends of LED lens.


The molecular processes based on the specific receptor-ligand interactions (e.g. immune response to a foreign antigen, communication between nerve cells, etc.) are essential for a good and stable performance of living organisms. The aim of the present work is to study such molecular processes with the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) operated in Force Spectroscopy (FS) mode. Information such as the force and length of the ligand-receptor bond rupture could be obtained from the standard quasistatic FS studies, whereas no external dithering applied to the AFM tips. Firstly, the antigen-antibody interactions were examined with the Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) protein and its poly- and two different monoclonal antibodies. It was shown that the peak unbinding force depends on the type of antibody and the antibody concentration. The single potential barrier is dominant for the interaction between BSA and monoclonal antibodies and was revealed from the loading rate-dependent measurements. Secondly, we are interested in the process of fibrin gel formation, in particular in the forces involved in this process. It was demonstrated that the fibrin-fibrinogen interaction is the specific one. The unbinding force rupture for single fibrin-fibrin(ogen) complex was determined to be of about 320 pN at a loading rate of 3.5 nN/s. The single potential barrier is also dominant for this interaction. Moreover, a new method of direct and continuous measurement of the spring constant of single molecules or molecular complexes has been elaborated in our laboratory. To this end, the standard FS technique with functionalized tips and samples is combined with a small dithering of the AFM tip. The change of the dithering amplitude as a function of the pulling force is measured in order to extract the spring constant of the complex. The potentialities of this technique were demonstrated for the experiments with single BSA – polyclonal antibody to BSA (Ab-BSA) and fibrinogen – fibrinogen complexes.


As three-plane waves are the minimum number required for the formation of vortex-embedded lattice structures by plane wave interference, we present our experimental investigation on the formation of complex 3D photonic vortex lattice structures by a designed superposition of multiples of phase-engineered three-plane waves. The unfolding of the generated complex photonic lattice structures with higher order helical phase is realized by perturbing the superposition of a relatively phase-encoded, axially equidistant multiple of three noncoplanar plane waves. Through a programmable spatial light modulator assisted single step fabrication approach, the unfolded 3D vortex lattice structures are experimentally realized, well matched to our computer simulations. The formation of higher order intertwined helices embedded in these 3D spiraling vortex lattice structures by the superposition of the multiples of phase-engineered three-plane waves interference is also studied.


In recent years, researchers have proposed systems for running trusted code on an untrusted operating system. Protection mechanisms deployed by such systems keep a malicious kernel from directly manipulating a trusted application's state. Under such systems, the application and kernel are, conceptually, peers, and the system call API defines an RPC interface between them.
 We introduce Iago attacks, attacks that a malicious kernel can mount in this model. We show how a carefully chosen sequence of integer return values to Linux system calls can lead a supposedly protected process to act against its interests, and even to undertake arbitrary computation at the malicious kernel's behest.
 Iago attacks are evidence that protecting applications from malicious kernels is more difficult than previously realized.


Notaries, similarly to solicitors, doctors, auditors, architects and other professionals, face higher risks of causing damage to third parties while conducting their professional services. That's why notaries are subject to higher attention and accuracy standards in their work. The professional civil liability insurance is outlined by legislation as one of the main pre-requisites for a notary to pursue its professional activity. The article aims at distinguishing the subtleties of notary's civil liability conditions taking into account the civil liabilities tortious nature. To achieve the aim, the civil law doctrine is taken as a basis for studying the court practice and afterwards conclusions are presented. A notary becomes civilly liable when four major conditions are present: damage, illegal action, causality and notary's fault. The notary is subject to full liability principle, which means he/she also would have to cover the income the client would have received if not the illegal action by the notary. Having studied application of Article 6.246 and Article 6.263 of the Civil Code, the author draws the conclusion that illegal actions by the notary can only be violations of the positive (written) law. The common presumption of guilt stated in Article 6.248 of the Civil Code is inter alia applied to notaries. Application of the bonus pater familias in respect of the notary does not only point to the fact that a notary must be a qualified lawyer to the extent he/she would reject contracts contradicting the law by their form or contents, but also a thoughtful and attentive lawyer to the extent he/she would mind all circumstances occurring upon conclusion of a contract: appearance of the parties, their behavior and arguments, documents, signatures, and if there is a slightest doubt, he/she should endeavor to disclose the truth. The statement that notaries are subject to higher accuracy and attention standards in their work are applicable to the extent that each notary is a lawyer, but not to the extent that a notary is a person mastering knowledge and skills in other special areas. The statement that the compensation of damage under civil liability insurance is possible even if tortious liability is not applicable should be supported only taking into account peculiarities of insurance relations.


In the last decade, stable magnesium (Mg) isotope fractionation in biogenic carbonates has been attracted for a new paleoenvironmental proxy, along with technological advance in mass spectrometry. Although δMg has been expected to serve as more robust temperature proxy from the dawn of their evaluation, considerable differences were observed between various biogenic carbonates having various Mg content. In this study, we investigated δMg in large benthic foraminifers producing high-magnesium calcite tests in order to evaluate them as a temperature proxy. Amphisorus kudakajimensis and Calcarina gaudichaudii were cultured in six temperature conditions (21°C-30°C), and measured δMg by MC-ICP-MS. In a previous study, both species showed clear relationships of linearity between Mg/Ca and temperature. Regardless of the previous studies reporting positive relationships between δ26Mg and temperaturethe, the δMg in both species showed negative temperature dependency. There was no significant correlation with the growth rate of foraminifers. Evaluation of Mg isotope fractionation process in large benthic foraminifera may give a profound insight into a foraminiferal biomineralization.


The prevalence of diabetes in Central America was somewhat greater than in East Pakistan and Malaya, less than in Uruguay and Venezuela, and substantially less than in affluent societies such as the United States. Differences in prevalence among Central American countries were modest but probably significant in some instances. In all Central American countries diabetes was more common in females but this difference was probably attributable to the greater adiposity of the women. Age-matched populations from eleven different countries of three continents have now been tested using standardized methods. Prevalenceof diabetes varied greatly, and differences were more related to environment than to race. These results support the hypothesis that environmental factors can increase or reduce prevalence by several-fold.


How do theories of connectivity apply to and impact artists' practices? Impact of Networking is the second of two evaluation and report publications that I researched and wrote on the impact of Networking Artists Network (NAN). This is the Artists Network's first publication.
NAN is a nationwide initiative set up by a-n The Artists Information Company in 2003 with additional funding from Arts Council England (ACE), Scottish Arts Council (SAC), Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and European Social Funding.

Research questions included:
• What specific networking needs has NAN identified for individual as well as groups of artists?
• How has NAN implemented a network of artists' networks?
• How does NAN's model of networking artists networks relate to current social networking theory and practice?
• Using first person evidence, what is the impact of NAN on artists' practice?

Qualitative research was carried out through focused interviews with eighteen artists, three advisors and funding officers. Quantitative analysis of NAN's records and statistics was also carried out.

NAN's ethos and approach were examined in relation to current social networking thinking including Putman (2000)'s notion of social capital, McCarthy et. al (eds. 2004) DEMOS publication Network Logic: who governs an interconnected world?, iSociety (2003) You don't know me but… Social Capital and Social Software.

Impact of Networking was an evaluative document that specifically aimed to analyse the efficacy of NAN through the artist's experience of networking practices. The report examined good practice in networking artists' networks and suggested future directions for NAN's scope and methodology. Both this and the previous report were published and distributed to over 32,000 artists nationwide, and used as discussion documents for future artist network policy with ACE and DEMOS.

Research Assistant Charlie Fox's 'Networking – the artist without the studio' (pp8-9) is included in the publication.


Objectives To assess bone mineral density (BMD) at lumbar spine and hip in a large cohort of patients with early inflammatory back pain (IBP) suggestive of axial spondyloarthritis (SpA), and to assess systemic and bone inflammation (according to MRI) as risk factors of low BMD. Patients and Methods 332 (52.4% male) patients with IBP suggestive of axial SpA defined by Calin or Berlin criteria were recruited; they had lumbar spine and hip BMD and body composition measurements. Low BMD was defined by Z≤−2 (at least one site). Clinical, biological (erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP)) and imaging (x-rays, spine and sacroiliac joint MRI) parameters were compared in patients with and without low BMD (Z≤−2). Significant parameters in univariate analysis were tested in multivariate models. Results Patients (mean age 33.8 years) had a short duration of axial symptoms (mean 1.6 years); 71.4% fulfilled the Assessment of Spondyloarthritis International Society criteria for axial SpA and HLA-B27 was present in 62.1%. 43 (13.0%) had low BMD (88% male). Multivariate logistic regression showed that parameters significantly associated with low BMD (any site) were the presence of bone marrow oedema (inflammatory lesions) on MRI (OR 4.63, p=0.001), either ESR or CRP (OR 2.60, p=0.037) and male gender (OR 9.60, p=0.0004). Conclusions This study conducted in a large cohort of young adults with early IBP suggestive of SpA shows that 13.0% of patients have a low BMD and that the main risk factor associated with low BMD was inflammation on MRI.


Using the new beam tracing approach of dividing a fiber grating into a pile of infinitesimally thin films and calculating the multiple beam interference of the Fresnel reflections from the thin-film interfaces, a tilted fiber grating based polarizer is theoretically investigated. On the Gaussian fiber mode model, new analytical formulas for expressing the characteristics of the 45° tilted fiber grating polarizer are obtained as the explicit functions of the fiber grating and fiber mode parameters. The present approach provides a clear understanding and fine perspective of all the properties of the tilted fiber grating polarizer, as well as making their quantitative evaluation much easier, as compared with previous works. Our numerical result is shown to be in good agreement with the numerical solution by the volume current method. The achievable polarization performance with different grating parameters is numerically examined and discussed.


The practice of courtesy was of the utmost importance in Renaissance England; courtesy was tied to social standing, virtue, and civility. Spenser joins in a rich tradition of courtesy literature by including the Book of Courtesy in The Faerie Queene. His presentation of courtesy goes far beyond the limited discussion of the concept by his predecessors and peers; instead of limiting his depiction of courtesy to "courteous" behavior, Spenser includes every aspect of courtesy, including courteous and completely discourteous behavior and effective and ineffective expressions of courtliness. Spenser's courtesy involves layers of complexity that exist in various social spheres throughout The Faerie Queene. The wide-ranging nature of the poem enables Spenser to explore virtue in varied physical and allegorical contexts, thus allowing the reader to view courtesy in multiple contexts. Spenser's conception of courtesy may be viewed in four discreet types of characters: moral courtiers, unrhetorical but inwardly courteous individuals, artful courtiers, and discourteous individuals. A close analysis of each type of courteous or discourteous character leads to a more nuanced and fuller understanding of Spenser's portrayal of courtesy. This study reaches outside the Legend of Courtesy and views the virtue of courtesy throughout the entirety of The Faerie Queene. Focal characters include, but are not limited to, Arthur, Britomart, Florimell, Redcrosse, Salvage Man, Satyrs, the Salvage Nation and Brigands, Duessa, Archimago, and Malecasta. An analysis of each of these widely differing characters contributes to the reader's understanding of courtesy and the relationship between courtesy and rhetoric in Spenser's work. INDEX WORDS: Spenser, Courtesy, The Faerie Queene, Calidore, Rhetoric, Renaissance. "SPEACHES SEEMING FITT": RHETORIC AND COURTESY IN THE FAERIE QUEENE


Background: Evidence from the USA and Europe suggests that women with many births have roughly a 50-80% increase in the risk of developing CHD. The mechanisms underlying this association are unclear, but plausible biological pathways (changes in adiposity, blood glucose and lipid levels associated with pregnancy and continuing after reproduction has ceased) exist. Palestinian women have a greater exposure to high parity than do women in most populations where heart disease and parity have previously been studied, so are expected to be at higher risk. Objectives: To examine the association of parity with CHD risk factors including obesity, lipids, diabetes and hypertension; MS and reported CHD in a sample of women with a high parity. Methods: A population based cross sectional survey of 515 Palestinian women aged 40- 65 years from two refugee camps communities in the West Bank. Results: Mean parity was 7.3 (3.69) with a range of 0-21. Prevalence of overall obesity (BMI>30) was 69.2%, abdominal obesity (WC2: 88 cm) was 84.2%, and central obesity (W/H ratio>0.85) was 51.9%. Prevalence of diabetes was 22.3% and hypertension was 42.7%. After adjustment for covariates (age, own education, husband's education, marital status), regression analyses showed that each extra birth was associated with an increase of 0.30 kg/m2 in BMI (p< 0.0001), 0.58 in waist circumference (p< 0.001), and an increase of 0.036 mmol/L in triglycerides (p= 0.033). Gravidity, but not parity was associated with fasting blood sugar (FBS); after adjustment for covariates, each extra pregnancy was associated with an increase of 0.14 mmol/L (95% Cl: 0.05 to 0.23, p=0.002) in FBS. The metabolic syndrome presented in 58.3% of the women. Women with the metabolic syndrome had significantly higher parity and gravidity, (p= 0.003 and p= 0.024 respectively); each extra birth was associated with a 7% increase in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (p= 0.042). Parity was not found to be significantly associated with systolic or diastolic blood pressure or with self-reported CHD. Conclusion: Among these Palestinian women, increased parity is significantly associated with obesity (as measured by BMI and waist circumference), triglycerides and an increased risk of the metabolic syndrome. Any of these, alone or in combination, could result in increased CHD risk for this group of women.


Despite the fact that sickle cell anemia was one of the first diseases to have a demonstrated genetic etiology, to date there is still only one approved therapy for this disease. Recent increases in our understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease should translate into improved and more rapid development of newer therapies. This review will focus on the following current and potential therapeutic strategies to reduce the morbidity of sickle cell anemia. 1) Therapies such as decitabine, hydroxyurea, butyrate, lenalidomide and pomalidomide, which decrease the polymerization rate of HbS by increasing the concentration of Hb F; 2) Drugs that decrease relative intracellular HbS concentration by increasing total cell volume via inhibition of normal membrane ion exchange channels, such as KCL Cotransporter and Gardos Channels. These inhibitors include magnesium pidolate, imidazole antimycotics, arginine and Senicapoc; 3) Treatment of sickle cell vasoocclusion through inhibition of endothelial or cell surface adhesion molecules, such ICAM 4 and alpha(v)beta(3) integrins, by drugs related to the GPII(b)III(a) inhibitors or adhesion molecule modulators, and 4) Attempts to achieve vasodilation by nitric oxide and antioxidant therapy. This review will discuss the status of these emerging therapies in the treatment of sickle cell anemia.


To the Editor: Pulmonary disease caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is increasing worldwide. The most commonly recognized species, with minor geographic differences, are Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC), M. kansasii, M. abscessus, and M. xenopi (1). Little is known about the role of NTM in pulmonary disease in countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis (TB). In such settings, smear microscopy (to identify acid-fast bacilli) is the primary, and often the only, diagnostic tool used to diagnose presumptive TB. Therefore, pulmonary disease caused by NTM is frequently misdiagnosed as TB and, because of the patient's lack of response to standard anti-TB treatment, as multidrug-resistant TB (2).

In 2012, to detect possible drug resistance, we selected patients with pulmonary TB at the pulmonology division of Ouagadougou University Hospital (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso), whose cases were classified as failing category II treatment (for patients with history of previous TB treatment). Each patient provided 1 sputum sample for culture and first- and second-line drug susceptibility testing (DST). Culture and DST were performed at the Supranational Laboratory of Milan (Milan, Italy), which provides technical assistance to the National Reference Laboratory in Burkina Faso. Of 314 samples NTM grew in culture for 36 (11%). Most NTM were identified as MAC (20 isolates). In culture of samples from 4 of the remaining patients, M. sherrisii grew. We describe the epidemiologic and clinical characteristics of these 4 patients.

Three patients were male. All were born and lived in Burkina Faso and were HIV-negative; their ages ranged from 33 to 57 years. All had a history of having received 2 courses (categories I and II) of treatment for pulmonary TB. All were symptomatic, and their sputum samples were highly positive for acid-fast bacilli (1–10 cells/field; Ziehl-Neelsen stain). One patient did not return for further evaluation after this early assessment; the 3 others underwent a chest radiograph that showed, for each, pulmonary lesions compatible with TB (Table). The clinical specimens investigated in Milan were negative for M. tuberculosis complex by specific PCR (GenoType MTBDRplus, Hain Lifesciences, Nehren, Germany) and grew NTM in culture. The strains were identified as M. simiae with GenoType Mycobacterium CM/AS line probe assay (Hain Lifesciences), but because of the known cross-reactivity of the M. simiae–specific probe in this kit (3), the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced. All strains showed 100% identity to M. sherrisii strain NLA000800640 (GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"EU883389","term_id":"195975903","term_text":"EU883389"}}EU883389), a strain previously isolated from a patient in Tanzania (4).

Table

Clinical features of and microbiological findings from 4 patients with Mycobacterium sherrisii infection, Burkina Faso, 2012*

On the basis of these findings, a treatment regimen that included clarithromycin was begun for the 3 patients, in addition to the anti-TB regimen with isoniazid, rifampin, and ethambutol. One patient was lost to follow-up during the first 2 months of treatment and the 2 others died. Further information was available for only 1 of those who died: he died of heart failure after 9 months of treatment. The pulmonary disease may well have been the cause; no autopsy was performed.

The presence of clear signs and symptoms compatible with pulmonary TB and the contemporary exclusion of M. tuberculosis, supported by the unresponsiveness to specific treatments and by the negative PCR results of strongly smear-positive sputum samples clearly fulfill the clinical criteria of the America Thoracic Society for NTM pulmonary disease (5). Meeting the objective of a second isolation, as required by microbiological criteria, was not possible because a second sputum sample was unavailable.

M. sherrisii is a relatively new species (6), closely related to M. simiae. Although most of the rare M. sherrisii infections reported since 2004 (Technical Appendix Table 1) were diagnosed in Europe or the United States, about half of the strains were isolated from patients in Africa. Because M. sherrisii infection probably is further underestimated by being misidentified as M. simiae infection by the commercially available line probe assays, the hypothesis that M. sherrisii infection is not so infrequent in the African setting seems therefore reasonable. In addition, the strategy recommended by World Health Organization and based on use of immunochromatographic tests (7), does not enable NTM identification. A leitmotiv of most M. sherrisii infections reported to date is HIV co-infection, which leads to dissemination of the mycobacterial disease.

This report, although it adds to the record of patients in Africa, does not support the association with HIV infection. Our findings are consistent with the view that the pathogenic potential of M. sherrisii is comparable to that of other well-known NTM species (e.g., MAC) responsible for disease both in HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients. The retrospective determination of the MICs of antimicrobial agents potentially active against slowly growing mycobacteria (Technical Appendix Table 2) confirmed, for the 4 strains of M. sherrisii, the well-known multidrug resistance of the species (8). The therapeutic failure was thus not surprising because clarithromycin was the only drug among those administered during the treatment that had been shown to be active in vitro. This report provides evidence that conducting appropriate microbiological investigations is essential before initiating a treatment with second-line TB drugs (9).

Technical Appendix:
Tables for Mycobacterium sherrisii infections reported to date, and results of drug susceptibility testing for the 4 identified strains of Mycobacterium sherrisii, Burkina Faso, 2012.

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Background: Physical exercise programs are typically composed of activities directed to the development of different physical abilities, usually stimulated in the same session. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of one session of aerobic exercise at high intensity to 1% and 10% gradient on the height (HJump) and kinematics of the depth jump (PExc - eccentric, concentric phase PCon, and contact time – CT). Methods: Twenty-five moderately trained men (VO2Max 53.2 ± 4.3 mL.kg-1.min-1) attended five visits in the laboratory. Familiarity with the procedures in depth jump, VO2Max measures and their velocity associated (VVO2Max), and time to exhaustion performance (TLim) were performed at two initial visits. Results: On the three subsequent visits, the volunteers were subjected to three maximum depth jumps before and 10 min after the following conditions: (1) running intervals at high intensity of 10% gradient (R10%), (2) at 1% gradient (R1%), and control condition (CON). The order of conditions was determined randomly. A running condition did not induce significant changes from HJump (R1% 1.1% vs 1.0% R10%) when expressed as percentage difference from the CON condition. The PExc, PCon, and CT also did not change after running sessions (P> 0.05). None of the intervals running strategies were able to generate significant change in height and kinematics of the vertical depth jump. Conclusion: The prescription of the running at VVO2Max in 1% or 10% gradient does not seem to lead to concurrent effect, is suggested to ensure the concomitant development of maximal aerobic power and explosive strength.


Mobile devices are rapidly becoming a key means to access the Internet and to discover and consume on-line services. Currently, most mobile applications are essentially clients to interact with remote services. However, the increasing power of devices is enabling a new class of applications that overcome the traditional models of desktop applications and web browsing, and embrace entirely new ways of computing. In this scenario, mobile devices are no longer intended as a means to access server-side data and functionality, but as a source of services that other devices can discover and invoke. This calls for new technologies and tools to help migrating existing mobile applications towards the emerging service-centric scenario. In this paper we illustrate Sip2Share, a middleware that supports the creation of peer-to-peer networks of services on the Android platform, and discuss how the middleware can be used to migrate existing Android applications. The paper discusses on two scenarios: a re-architecting scenario, where the application is changed to make it aware of the middleware, and a wrapping scenario, where the application remains unchanged and the connection to the middleware is created in a wrapper.


ABSTRACT The inversion of active surface‐wave data is highly affected by the non‐uniqueness of the solution. While a deterministic approach is generally chosen due to certain advantages, there is the risk of getting trapped in a local minima, especially when no a priori information is available about the sub‐surface geometry since the layer thickness is assumed fixed to a priori. The fixed‐layer thickness in a deterministic inversion of the active surface‐wave raises significant issues, such as the relevance of the initial model geometry (the thickness of the intermediate layer and the total depth of the initial model) and the equivalence problems. Thus, the inversion result is inherently not reliable, even in the case of the normal dispersion medium, and the result could be unachievable in challenging sub‐surface situations. These issues could be reduced by using a joint inversion approach. The present paper first presents examples of issues through four case histories in Trabzon, Turkey. Then, two joint inversion approaches based on local search are carried out to handle the issues concerning individual inversion. The first approach combines active surface‐wave data with electric sounding data and the second includes travel times from seismic refraction data. In addition, an independent inversion is carried out with a neighbourhood algorithm for a global search to compare against the joint inversion results. The joint inversion schemes clearly reduce the ambiguities of the individual inversion of the active surface‐wave data, and the dependence on the initial model regarding the layer thickness is also mitigated. Moreover, the joint inversion approach provides an estimate of the complementary model parameters, namely electrical resistivity and the compressional wave velocity. It is shown that the proposed joint inversion approaches provide consistent results with former boreholes, seismic tomographic profiles and the known geologic features of the study area even in the absence of any a priori information.


This paper proposes a fast tree join scheme to provide seamless multicast handover in the mobile networks based on the Fast Mobile IPv6 (FMIPv6). In the existing FMIPv6-based multicast handover scheme, the bi-directional tunnelling or the remote subscription is employed with the packet forwarding from the previous access router (AR) to the new AR. In general, the remote subscription approach is preferred to the bi-directional tunnelling one, since in the remote subscription scheme we can exploit an optimized multicast path from a multicast source to many mobile receivers. However, in the remote subscription scheme, if the tree joining operation takes a long time, the amount of data packets to be forwarded and buffered for multicast handover will increase, and thus the corresponding buffer may overflow, which results in severe packet losses. In order to reduce these costs associated with packet forwarding and buffering, this paper proposes the fast join to multicast tree, in which the new AR will join the multicast tree as fast as possible, so that the new multicast data packets can also arrive at the new AR, by which the packet forwarding and buffering costs can be reduced. From numerical analysis, it is shown that the proposed scheme can give better performance than the existing FMIPv6-based multicast handover schemes in terms of the multicast packet delivery costs. Keywords—Mobile Multicast, FMIPv6, Seamless Handover, Fast Tree Join.


TrafficTV is a traffic and traveler information resource available to be broadcast on cable television. It began operation June 1, 1998 (under the name Traffic Channel). From a series of meetings held in June 2003 involving personnel from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and University of Washington came a set of recommended changes. These changes were made to TrafficTV and are documented in this report. During the eight-year period of 1998 through 2005, the hardware and operating system supporting the TrafficTV application remained unchanged, and both became out of date. This project updated the automated TrafficTV application to use hardware and software that are more current. In addition, new functionality for communicating incident information and Amber Alerts were designed as part of this project and added to TrafficTV. This was done in coordination with WSDOT operations.


Currently, the importance of design is recognized across society and advocated for in ethical guidelines surrounding the development of information systems. The concept of design patterns was originally introduced by design theorist Christopher Alexander, to identify and collect reusable design solutions for desired social interaction in physical spaces. The concept was then adopted by software developers to enhance problem solving through collecting functional design solutions. Our exploration is motivated by the notion of law as abstract architecture meant to regulate social interaction. We hope to transfer the concept of design patterns to law, as such analytical practice would facilitate the identification of recurring good solutions across different fields and, ultimately, the repeated practice of pattern recognition would contribute to law's proactive capabilities. We engage in an exploratory approach to describe the conceptual evolution of design patterns from architecture to software and to legal design. We discuss the process of pattern recognition as a collective iterative process and then proceed to identify three examples of legal design patterns in law. Following this exploration, we perceive design patterns particularly useful for identifying procedural structures and conclude by discussing the advantages of the approach for socio-legal research on proceduralization and automation of law.


Cancers emerge from an on-going Darwinian evolutionary process, often leading to multiple competing subclones within a single primary tumour. This evolutionary process culminates in the formation of metastases, which is the cause of 90% of cancer-related deaths. However, despite its clinical importance, little is known about the principles governing the dissemination of cancer cells to distant organs. Although the hypothesis that each metastasis originates from a single tumour cell is generally supported, recent studies using mouse models of cancer demonstrated the existence of polyclonal seeding from and inter-clonal cooperation between multiple subclones. In this study, we sought definitive evidence for the existence of polyclonal seeding in human malignancy and to establish the clonal relationship among different metastases in the context of androgen-deprived metastatic prostate cancer. Using whole genome sequencing, we characterised multiple metastases arising from prostate tumours in ten patients. Integrated analyses of subclonal architecture revealed the patterns of metastatic spread in unprecedented detail. Metastasis-to-metastasis spread was found to be common, either through de novo monoclonal seeding of daughter metastases or, in five cases, through the transfer of multiple tumour clones between metastatic sites. Lesions affecting tumour suppressor genes usually occur as single events, whereas mutations in genes involved in androgen receptor signalling commonly involve multiple, convergent events in different metastases. Our results elucidate in detail the complex patterns of metastatic spread and further our understanding of the development of resistance to androgen deprivation therapy in prostate cancer. Citation Format: Gunes Gundem, Peter Van Loo, Barbara Kremeyer, Ludmil B. Alexandrov, Jose M.C. Tubio, Elli Papaemmanuil, Daniel S. Brewer, Heini Kallio, Gunilla Hognas, Matti Annala, Kati Kivinummi, Victoria Goody, Calli Latimer, Sarah O9Meara, Kevin J. Dawson, William Isaacs, Michael R. Emmert-Buck, Matti Nykter, Christopher Foster, Zsofia Kote-Jarai, Douglas Easton, Hayley C. Whitaker, David E. Neal, Colin S. Cooper, Rosalind A. Eeles, Tapio Visakorpi, Peter J. Campbell, Ultan McDermott, David C. Wedge, G. S. Bova. The evolutionary history of lethal metastatic prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 956. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-956


This paper presents a hybrid music recommender system that ranks musical pieces while efficiently maintaining collaborative and content-based data, i.e., rating scores given by users and acoustic features of audio signals. This hybrid approach overcomes the conventional tradeoff between recommendation accuracy and variety of recommended artists. Collaborative filtering, which is used on e-commerce sites, cannot recommend nonbrated pieces and provides a narrow variety of artists. Content-based filtering does not have satisfactory accuracy because it is based on the heuristics that the user's favorite pieces will have similar musical content despite there being exceptions. To attain a higher recommendation accuracy along with a wider variety of artists, we use a probabilistic generative model that unifies the collaborative and content-based data in a principled way. This model can explain the generative mechanism of the observed data in the probability theory. The probability distribution over users, pieces, and features is decomposed into three conditionally independent ones by introducing latent variables. This decomposition enables us to efficiently and incrementally adapt the model for increasing numbers of users and rating scores. We evaluated our system by using audio signals of commercial CDs and their corresponding rating scores obtained from an e-commerce site. The results revealed that our system accurately recommended pieces including nonrated ones from a wide variety of artists and maintained a high degree of accuracy even when new users and rating scores were added.


The benthic macroflora at sites around the Althorpe and Haystack Is was surveyed in October 1993 and
January 2004, Near'shore reefs were dominated by the kelp Ecklonia radiata, the fucoid Acrocarpia paniculata
and mixed Cystophora species, whereas reefs at Haystack I. were dominated by a multi-species canopy of mixed
Sargassum and Cystophora species, with Ecklonia and Seirococcus axillaris also present. On sandy bottoms off
Althorpe L and Haystack 1., seagrass communities comprised mixed beds of up to five seagrass species, within
four genera (Amphibolis, Halophila, Posidonia, and Heterozostera). Biomass and species composition of the
canopy macroalgae were similar at those sites, which were surveyed in both 1993 and 2004, particularly at sites
where few species dominated the canopy, For the upper mid-sublittoral samples at two sites around Althorpe I.,
a similar average number of understorey species was recorded per m2 in both 1993 and 2004. At comparable
sites, the understorey species composition differed between the two time periods; however, Caulerpa flexilis was
a dominant component during both 1993 and 2004. The islands are species-rich, with 267 species within
151 genera so far recorded to 27 m depth, During the 1993 survey, at least 180 species of macroalgae were
recorded in 29 quadrat samples, many of these from Haystack I. The macroalgal species richness at Althorpe and
Haystack Is is comparable with that of the Investigator Group and Nuyts Archipelago. These figures highlight
the importance of these islands in terms of macroalgal species richmess in SA.


Fault-tolerant adaptive filters (FTAFs) rely on inherent learning capabilities of the adaptive process to compensate for transient (soft) or permanent (hard) errors in the hardware implementation. In this paper, the use of the Walsh-Hadamard transform is first analyzed as a computationally efficient way of achieving adaptive fault tolerance, where a zero padding strategy is used to compensate for faulty filter coefficients. It is then shown that a fast-Fourier-transform (FFT)-based transform-domain FTAF operating on real-valued signals can provide a similar degree of fault tolerance without introducing redundancy in the form of zero padding. The complex arithmetic provides inherent fault-tolerant capabilities. This is achieved by using only the real part of the error to drive the coefficient updates. In the case of an N-tap filter, the FFT-based FTAF can protect up to N-2 filter coefficients.


What was once broadly viewed as an impossibility—learning from experimental data in economics—has now become commonplace. Governmental bodies, think tanks, and corporations around the world employ teams of experimental researchers to answer their most pressing questions. For their part, in the past two decades academics have begun to more actively partner with organizations to generate data via field experimentation. Although this revolution in evidence‐based approaches has served to deepen the economic science, recently a credibility crisis has caused even the most ardent experimental proponents to pause. This study takes a step back from the burgeoning experimental literature and introduces 12 actions that might help to alleviate this credibility crisis and raise experimental economics to an even higher level. In this way, we view our "12 action wish list" as discussion points to enrich the field.


In this brief, by operating the shifting and addition in parallel, an error-compensated adder-tree (ECAT) is proposed to deal with the truncation errors and to achieve low-error and high-throughput discrete cosine transform (DCT) design. Instead of the 12 bits used in previous works, 9-bit distributed arithmetic-precision is chosen for this work so as to meet peak-signal-to-noise-ratio (PSNR) requirements. Thus, an area-efficient DCT core is implemented to achieve 1 Gpels/s throughput rate with gate counts of 22.2 K for the PSNR requirements outlined in the previous works.


A valid Calderbank-Shor-Steane (CSS) error correction code requires two classical linear codes for the preparation of the initial state (codewords). This code allow to correct for certain errors caused by an unwanted interaction which produces a degraded quantum state. However, this initial seven qubits encoding can be obtained from a maximally entangled Bell state (0000000>+|1111111)/v through an operation Hint whose explicit expression is derived in the present work. The price the CSS syndrome has to pay due to its classical grounds is that the operator Hint is not unitary. In other words, Hint is not a valid quantum gate i. e. this does not represent a logical operation. Consequently, the final state is not completely robust for the standard cryptography of Quantum Computation. Besides to be a non unitary operator, Hint, is not reversible introducing with this dissipative effects that destroy the coherence in the quantum computer. Additionally, this operator is not invariant under rotations of the protector qubits inducing then preferred directions of the propagation of the logical information. These are indeed the reasons that prompt us for extending the semi classical CSS quantum error correction codes formalism to a pure quantum Hamming codes.


We simulate an ant colony in which an ant's genetics can determine behavioral, morphological and physiological differences between workers and queens. We show that depending on the benefits conferred to workers and queens different reproductive division of labor strategies evolve. In particular, we observe both generalist colonies and colonies with specialized worker and queen castes. Generalist colonies were subject to selection for optimal response thresholds. Colonies with castes evolved a discrete queen caste and either a discrete or continuous worker caste. As a secondary experiment we expose our evolved colonies to a changing environment to test their ability to adapt cooperative foraging strategies and we find all reproductive division of labor strategies were effective at cooperative foraging.


A wide range of management techniques are available for improving honey bee (Apis mellifera) pollination of crops. Feeding sugar syrup was among the earliest of these developed. Three basic approaches to sugar feeding have been used to improve pollination, which can best be categorized by their hypothesized mode of action. These are: attracting bees to a crop by spraying it with sugar syrup; directing bees to a crop by feeding scented syrup either inside or outside their hive; feeding syrup inside hives to increase the number of pollen gatherers.


Responding to the challenges of demographic ageing, the German system of old-age provision has undergone substantial changes during the past two decades and is in fact still under reconstruction. Benefit levels deriving from the public pay-as-you-go scheme will decline until 2060, while contribution rates may still go up substantially. Additional cover from private or occupational pension schemes is urgently needed. Thus far, steps in this direction have been half-hearted. The continuing crisis in financial markets and a more profound distrust in financial institutions and market-based instruments of old-age provision currently create obstacles to progress with this overhaul. Nevertheless, despite the differing traditions, Germany could learn important lessons now from other developed countries that have longer experience of funded pensions.


Superovulation or ovarian stimulation is currently an indispensable assisted reproductive technology (ART) for human subfertility/infertility treatment. Recently, increased frequencies of imprinting disorders have been correlated with ARTs. Significantly, for Angelman and Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndromes, patients have been identified where ovarian stimulation was the only procedure used by the couple undergoing ART. In many cases, increased risk of genomic imprinting disorders has been attributed to superovulation in combination with inherent subfertility. To distinguish between these contributing factors, carefully controlled experiments are required on spontaneously ovulated, in vivo-fertilized oocytes and their induced-ovulated counterparts, thereby minimizing effects of in vitro manipulations. To this end, effects of superovulation on genomic imprinting were evaluated in a mouse model, where subfertility is not a confounding issue. This work represents the first comprehensive examination of the overall effects of superovulation on imprinted DNA methylation for four imprinted genes in individual blastocyst stage embryos. We demonstrate that superovulation perturbed genomic imprinting of both maternally and paternally expressed genes; loss of Snrpn, Peg3 and Kcnq1ot1 and gain of H19 imprinted methylation were observed. This perturbation was dose-dependent, with aberrant imprinted methylation more frequent at the high hormone dosage. Superovulation is thought to primarily affect oocyte development; thus, effects were expected to be limited to maternal alleles. Our study revealed that maternal as well as paternal H19 methylation was perturbed by superovulation. We postulate that superovulation has dual effects during oogenesis, disrupting acquisition of imprints in growing oocytes, as well as maternal-effect gene products subsequently required for imprint maintenance during pre-implantation development.


The objectives of this report are to examine past variability in river flow
regimes, concentrating in particular on recent years, and to consider the
possible consequences of future climate change for river flow regimes in the
United Kingdom.
The geological and climatic characteristics of a catchment determine how
variations in rainfall from year to year impact upon river flow variability. In
general terms, the drier the catchment (as indexed by the proportion of
rainfall which runs off from a basin) and the lower the base flow component,
the greater the variation in flow regime between years. There is some evidence
that years containing similar hydrological characteristics tend to cluster: wet
winters tend to follow wet winters, for example. There is no conclusive
evidence, however, that 'recent' years (excluding 1989 and 1990) have seen an
unusually large number of extreme events, although the test used is rather
conservative and the period defined as 'recent' influences the results. Annual
and seasonal runoff totals during the 1980s were generally higher than in
previous decades, and there are some indications that year-to-year variability
was also higher. Data from 1989 and 1990 were not included in the
analysis.
Future changes in UK flow regimes depend very significantly on assumed
changes in evapotranspiration and, particularly, precipitation, which are currently
very difficult to predict. The study therefore examined the sensitivity of river
flow regimes to a range of feasible climate change scenarios, biased towards
generally wetter conditions but assuming both wetter and drier summers.
Simple regression-type relationships were considered, but most of the analyses
used monthly water balance models applied at a range of representative sites.
Changes in average annual runoff under a given climate change scenario were
found to depend strongly on catchment dryness. If potential evapotranspiration
is assumed to remain constant, for example, a 10% increase in annual rainfall
could produce up to 30% extra runoff in south east England, whilst in more
humid western regions it would result in only an additional 12 to 15%.
Increases in average annual rainfall of between 8 and 10% would be required
to offset the effects of 15% higher potential evapotranspiration. The effect of
drier summers on summer river flows depends upon the current summer water
balance and catchment geology: the greatest relative reductions are expected in
responsive catchments which currently have a close balance between rainfall
and potential evapotranspiration. In catchments with a large groundwater
storage, delayed drainage of additional winter rainfall may mitigate the effects
of drier, warmer summers.


The Internationalization Tag Set (ITS) 2.0 specification was introduced by W3C in 2013 as a complement to the XML, HTML5 and XLIFF specifications. ITS 2.0 format can be used to exchange localization instructions and other context metadata between data processing tools, and also to deliver metadata to any person who is working on the content. Previewing ITS 2.0 metadata was the goal of this project. We present preview tools which enable translators and reviewers to refer to localization context information visually presented in a web browser window while working on the content in their content editor, CAT or other tool. The core ITS metadata categories, such as Localization Note, Terminology, and Translate, will help to bind the localization instructions to the content, and also to fill the gap between limited functionality of current CAT tools and required access to context information.


In the present paper we describe the on-land field operations integrated in the TOMO-ETNA experiment carried out in June-November 2014 at Mt. Etna volcano and surrounding areas. This terrestrial campaign consists in the deployment of 90 short-period portable three-component seismic stations, 17 Broadband seismometers and the coordination with 133 permanent seismic station belonging to Italy's Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV). This temporary seismic network recorded active and passive seismic sources. Active seismic sources were generated by an array of air-guns mounted in the Spanish oceanographic vessel "Sarmiento de Gamboa" with a power capacity of up to 5200 cubic inches. In total more than 26,000 shots were fired and more than 450 local and regional earthquakes were recorded. We describe the whole technical procedure followed to guarantee the success of this complex seismic experiment. We started with the description of the location of the potential safety places to deploy the portable network and the products derived from this search (a large document including full characterization of the sites, owners and indication of how to arrive to them). A full technical description of the seismometers and seismic sources is presented. We show how the portable seismic network was deployed, maintained and recovered in different stages. The large international collaboration of this experiment is reflected in the participation of more than 75 researchers, technicians and students from different institutions and countries in the on-land activities. The main objectives of the experiment were achieved with great success.


Start from scratch and learn how to administer Apache Kafka effectively for messaging About This BookQuickly set up Apache Kafka clusters and start writing message producers and consumersWrite custom producers and consumers with message partition techniquesIntegrate Kafka with Apache Hadoop and Storm for use cases such as processing streaming dataWho This Book Is ForThis book is for readers who want to know more about Apache Kafka at a hands-on level; the key audience is those with software development experience but no prior exposure to Apache Kafka or similar technologies. It is also useful for enterprise application developers and big data enthusiasts who have worked with other publisher-subscriber-based systems and want to explore Apache Kafka as a futuristic solution. In Detail Kafka is one of those systems that is very simple to describe at a high level but has an incredible depth of technical detail when you dig deeper.Learning Apache Kafka Second Edition provides you with step-by-step, practical examples that help you take advantage of the real power of Kafka and handle hundreds of megabytes of messages per second from multiple clients. This book teaches you everything you need to know, right from setting up Kafka clusters to understanding basic blocks like producer, broker, and consumer blocks. Once you are all set up, you will then explore additional settings and configuration changes to achieve ever more complex goals. You will also learn how Kafka is designed internally and what configurations make it more effective. Finally, you will learn how Kafka works with other tools such as Hadoop, Storm, and so on.


Objectives Mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is higher than in the general population. We investigated mortality in the COBRA-trial cohort after 23 years follow-up, compared with a reference sample of the Dutch population. Methods The COBRA-trial randomised patients with early RA to sulfasalazine monotherapy (SSZ, n=79) or a combination of SSZ, low-dose methotrexate and initially high, step-down prednisolone (COBRA, n=76). We compared the mortality in the COBRA-trial up to 2017 to a reference sample of the general population in the Netherlands (standardised mortality ratio, SMR), and its relation to early prognostic factors through stepwise Cox regression. Results Duration of follow-up in patients alive was mean 23 (range 22–24) years. In total, 44 patients died (28%, SMR=0.80 [95% CI 0.59 to 1.06]); 20 of 75 COBRA patients (27%, SMR 0.75 [0.47 to 1.14]) and 24 of 79 SSZ patients (30%, SMR 0.85 [0.56 to 1.25]); p=0.61). In the reference sample of the general population, 55 people (36%) died. 5 factors were significantly associated with increased mortality hazard: damage progression at 28 weeks; high Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) score and absence of HLA-DR 2 or 3; disease duration from start of complaints was also significant, but showed an uninterpretable pattern. Conclusions This prospective trial cohort study of early RA is one of the first to show similar mortality compared with the general population after 23 years of follow-up. It confirms that early, intensive treatment of RA has long-term benefits and suggests that treating to target is especially important for patients with poor prognosis.


The optogalvanic spectrum of the neutral holmium atom (Ho i) is investigated with both broadband and single-frequency cw dye lasers and a hollow-cathode lamp. Many new Ho i transitions are observed, and their possible classifications are reported. The hyperfine structure of 165Ho (I = 7/2) is recorded in a number of spectral lines, and the data are analyzed to evaluate the magnetic dipole and electric quadrupole interaction constants (A and B factors, respectively) for energy levels of Ho i. The A and B constants for nine excited states, five of which belong to the 4f116s7p high-lying even configuration of Ho i, are reported for the first time to our knowledge.


This paper presents the results of an online survey which investigated healthcare professionals' knowledge of wound debridement and the techniques used. The survey, using purposive sampling, was distributed to healthcare professionals working within tissue viability services (n=252) via survey monkey across the UK to investigate healthcare professionals' knowledge of wound debridement and the techniques used. Response rate was 31% representing 77 participants practicing in wound care within various healthcare organisations throughout the United Kingdom (UK). The majority of respondents (72; 93.5%) reported that they debrided wounds with seventy one respondents (95.9%) reporting they were aware of the TIME concept of which 52 stated they used TIME in their wound management approach. The findings demonstrate that healthcare professionals are aware of the importance of preparing the wound bed for the healing process with the majority of respondents using the TIME (Tissue, Infection/Inflammation, Moisture, Epithelial Edges) concept to support their assessment of wounds. However the knowledge of wound debridement was limited. There was no consensus regarding whether or not health professionals recognised the differences between the terms desloughing and debridement. The majority of healthcare professionals identified time and lack of knowledge and skills as barriers to effective wound debridement techniques.


In many tissues, progenitor cells permanently withdraw from the cell cycle prior to commitment towards a differentiated phenotype. In the oligodendrocyte lineage a counting mechanism has been proposed, linking the number of cell divisions to growth arrest and differentiation. A direct prediction of this model is that an increase in the number of cell divisions would result in a delayed onset of differentiation. Since the cell cycle inhibitor p27Kip1 is an essential component of the machinery leading to oligodendrocyte progenitor growth arrest, we examined the temporal relationship between cell cycle withdrawal and expression of late differentiation markers in vivo, in mice carrying a targeted deletion in the p27Kip1 gene. Using bromodeoxyuridine to label proliferating cells, quaking (QKI) to identify embryonic glial progenitors, NG2 to identify neonatal oligodendrocyte progenitors, and myelin basic protein to label differentiated oligodendrocytes, we found an increased number of proliferating QKI- and NG2-positive cells in germinal zones of p27Kip1(-/-) mice at the peak of gliogenesis. However, no delay was observed in these mice in the appearance of the late differentiation marker myelin basic protein in the developing corpus callosum and cerebellum. Significantly, a decrease in cyclin E levels was observed in the brain of p27Kip1 null mice coincident with oligodendrocyte growth arrest. We conclude that two distinct modalities of growth arrest occur in the oligodendrocyte lineage: a p27Kip1-dependent mechanism of growth arrest affecting proliferation in early phases of gliogenesis, and a p27Kip1-independent event leading to withdrawal from the cell cycle and differentiation.


The possibility of controlling chaos in a model of an external-cavity laser diode with optimized impulsive delayed feedback is demonstrated. An examination is made of the application of such feedback by means of modulation of three different parameters, which determine the laser operation: (i) laser-drive current, (ii) laser-field phase, and (iii) laser-cavity losses. Account is taken of practical constraints arising from a technical delay in application of the control signal. The roles of the phase, width, and shape of the feedback pulses are elucidated for optimizing the control process. The effectiveness of the various methods of applying the control is analyzed by computing domains of control and finding the optimal conditions for control. It is demonstrated also that the preliminary targeting of dynamics to an unstable orbit by means of the present method is applicable to dynamical systems with many degrees of freedom and thus facilitates the process of controlling chaos.


Abstract We investigate the empirical effect of violence, as compared to other trade impediments, on trade flows. Our analysis is based on a panel data set with annual observations on 177 countries from 1968 to 1999, which brings together information from the Rose data set, the iterate data set for terrorist events, and data sets of external and internal conflict. We explore these data with traditional and theoretical gravity models. We calculate that, for a given country year, the presence of terrorism together with internal and external conflict is equivalent to as much as a 30% tariff on trade. This is larger than estimated tariff-equivalent costs of border and language barriers and tariff-equivalent reduction through generalized systems of preference and WTO participation.


Capacitive sensing is widely used in micromachined sensors, such as accelerometers, pressure sensors, gyroscopes, etc. In order to achieve desired performance, the capacitance variation according to external excitation must be evaluated carefully. However, obtaining the analytical result is not easy, especially for complicated deformations. This problem can be solved in ANSYS by building the electrostatic model according to a structural analysis result, then extracting capacitance through CMATRIX. However, rebuilding the model manually is not efficient and is sometimes very difficult, given a complex model. In this paper, a dynamic capacitance extraction method is presented to solve this problem. This method is based on automatic mesh updating and physics environments. The analysis procedure is to first create the structural and electrostatic physics environment, then do the structural analysis in the structural environment, updating the mesh according to the result, and, lastly, extract capacitance through CMATRIX in an electrostatic environment. A triaxial capacitive accelerometer is used as an example to evaluate this method. The analysis results show that this method is efficient to achieve capacitance variation versus external excitation relation.


We conduct a benefit-cost analysis of a relicensing agreement for two hydroelectric dams in Michigan. The agreement changed daily conditions from peaking to run-of-river flows. We consider three categories of costs and benefits: producer costs of adapting electricity production to the new time profile of hydroelectric output; benefits of reductions in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions; and benefits of improved recreational fishing. The best estimates suggest that the aggregate benefits are more than twice as large as the producer costs. The conceptual and empirical methods provide a template for investigating the effects of an environmental constraint on hydroelectric dams. (JEL Q43, Q57)


In this discussion piece we address how the UK government has attempted to manage public expectations of a proposed biometric identity scheme by focussing attention on the handheld, i.e., the ID card. We suggest that this strategy of expectations management seeks to downplay the complexity and uncertainty surrounding this high-technological initiative, necessitating the selective use of expertise for the purpose of furthering government objectives. In this process, government often relegates counterexpertise, if not dismissing it outright, thereby greatly politicizing the policy deliberation process. We argue that this manoeuvring by government spells trouble for both democratic deliberation on the issue of biometric identification in the UK and, more generally, expertise-based policy making in related technological ventures.


Maps of cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization from the 2015 release of Planck data provide the highest-quality full-sky view of the surface of last scattering available to date. This allows us to detect possible departures from a globally isotropic cosmology. We present the first searches using CMB polarization for correlations induced by a possible non-trivial topology with a fundamental domain intersecting, or nearly intersecting, the last-scattering surface (at comoving distance χ rec ), both via a direct scan for matched circular patterns at the intersections and by an optimal likelihood calculation for specific topologies. We specialize to flat spaces with cubic toroidal (T3) and slab (T1) topologies, finding that explicit searches for the latter are sensitive to other topologies with antipodal symmetry. These searches yield no detection of a compact topology with a scale below the diameter of the last-scattering surface. The limits on the radius R i of the largest sphere inscribed in the fundamental domain (at log-likelihood ratio ∆ ln L > − 5 relative to a simply-connected flat Planck best-fit model) are: R i > 0 . 97 χ rec for the T3 cubic torus; and R i > 0 . 56 χ rec for the T1 slab. The limit for the T3 cubic torus from the matched-circles search is numerically equivalent, R i > 0 . 97 χ rec at 99% confidence level from polarization data alone. We also perform a Bayesian search for an anisotropic global Bianchi VII h geometry. In the non-physical setting where the Bianchi cosmology is decoupled from the standard cosmology, Planck temperature data favour the inclusion of a Bianchi component with a Bayes factor of at least 2.3 units of log-evidence. However, the cosmological parameters that generate this pattern are in strong disagreement with those found from CMB anisotropy data alone. Fitting the induced polarization pattern for this model to the Planck data requires an amplitude of − 0 . 10 ± 0 . 04 compared to the value of + 1 if the model were to be correct. In the physically motivated setting where the Bianchi parameters are coupled and fitted simultaneously with the standard cosmological parameters, we find no evidence for a Bianchi VII h cosmology and constrain the vorticity of such models to ( ω/ H ) 0 < 7 . 6 × 10 − 10 (95% CL).


This thesis sought to explore numerical methods for solving partial differential equations and to determine the best method of updating the deal.II software to utilize new Trilinos software packages. The one dimensional heat equation with Dirichlet boundary conditions and nonzero initial conditions was solved analytically, using the Forward in Time, Central in Space scheme of the finite difference method, and the Crank-Nicolson scheme of the finite element method. The solutions from using the finite difference method and the finite element method were then compared to the analytic solution to determine accuracy. An example using the same Trilinos packages that are utilized in deal.II currently was updated to use the newer Trilinos packages to determine how to update deal.II and to analyze any performance increases resulting from these changes to the software.


Previous morphological studies indicated that development of the human prefrontal cortex (PFC) appears to continue into late adolescence. Although functional brain imaging studies have sought to determine the time course of functional development of the PFC, it is unclear whether the developmental change occurs after adolescence to adulthood and when it achieves a peak because of the narrow or discontinuous range in the participant's age. Moreover, previous functional studies have not focused on the anterior frontal region, that is, the frontopolar regions (BA9/10). Thus, the present study investigated the developmental change in frontopolar PFC activation associated with letter fluency task by using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), in subjects from preschool children to adults. We analyzed the relative concentration of hemoglobin (ΔHb) in the prefrontal cortex measured during the activation task in 48 typically-developing children and adolescents and 22 healthy adults. Consistent with prior morphological studies, we found developmental change with age in the children/adolescents. Moreover, the average Δoxy-Hb in adult males was significantly larger than that in child/adolescent males, but was not true for females. These data suggested that functional development of the PFC continues into late adolescence. Although the developmental change of the frontopolar PFC was independent of gender from childhood to adolescence, in adulthood a gender difference was shown.


AMERICAN INDIANS. The tiny Indian community of early 20th-century Cleveland was largely a transient one. (For previous Indian residents of the WESTERN RESERVE area, see PREHISTORIC INHABITANTS.) Census statistics show only 2 Indians resident in the city in 1900; 48 in 1910; and 34 in 1920. On the eve of World War II, 47 American Indians resided in Cuyahoga County. Members of the various Indian tribes of the eastern U.S. moved into and out of Cleveland, either individually or in family units, in response to prevailing economic conditions (see ECONOMY). The most common pattern found men moving to Cleveland to work for a few years in INDUSTRY. Once in the city, they often assimilated into urban life, in many cases completely eschewing identification as Indian, to avoid discrimination and hostility. Later, these Indians typically returned to their reservations or to the region where their families still resided, taking their accumulated savings. By the Depression of the 1930s, the Indian population in Cleveland was still small, with an informal group residing on the near east side. These people looked to a humanitarian, CHIEF THUNDERWATER, as their leader. The city's Indian community increased notably following World War II. In 1950 109 resided in the city, and an additional 57 elsewhere in Cuyahoga County. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, as the city's Indian population multiplied, many men joined together in clubs. These clubs, whose locus was often small "Indian" taverns, provided camaraderie and fellowship, SPORTS, family events, and mutual assistance. The Indian population in Cleveland increased even more significantly in the late 1950s, a trend that continued until the 1970s. By 1960 the city population was 391, and the total county population 464, the direct result of the federal government's new program of "Termination and Relocation." Many federal officials believed that money spent maintaining reservations for Native Americans could be better used in paying the national debt and in fighting the Cold War. The government in Washington opted for a new implementation of an old policy: a speeded-up assimilation of the Indian population into the dominant culture, to be brought about by the termination of the federal trust. By this new policy, Indians would move from their reservations and relocate, with the assistance of the federal government, in urban America. It was anticipated, albeit incorrectly, that reservations would be ultimately liquidated. The Relocation Services Program, administered through the Bureau of Indian Affairs of the Interior Department, designated Cleveland as one of the 8 cities in which to resettle reservation Indians. The bureau established an office in Cleveland in late 1952 to administer the relocation, which included housing, jobs, and training programs. Over 5,000 individuals were settled inCleveland as a result. They also came from a variety of tribes but, unlike the pre-World War II residents, were more likely to have come from the West. American Indian young people joined the national and local trend toward increased participation in HIGHER EDUCATION; their college registration rose by 200%. Many went on to graduate and professional schools. This trend exposed Indian students to the civil-rights movement, particularly fervent on college campuses in the 1960s. Activists pointed out bitterly that of all minority groups in the U.S., the American Indians were the poorest: 3 out of 5 lived below the federally established poverty line. Russell Means, a Dakota Sioux, emerged as a leader in Cleveland. A founding member of the American Indian Movement, an activist group drawing members from across the nation, Means also began a local organization in 1969 to unite the Indian community of Cleveland, which then numbered nearly 1,200. He hoped that the CLEVELAND AMERICAN INDIAN CENTER would be a place where the city's Indians could gather and celebrate and preserve native traditions. The center first operated as a social organization, then as a cultural and social-service center during the 1970s, rapidly becoming a publicly visible center for local Indian activity. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, the center's role was changing. The combination of greatly decreased federal funds and increased cultural awareness among the Indian community in Cleveland convinced many to return to reservations, where they could live and work near their families. The center, obliged to reduce social-service programs, now guided members in utilizing existing public services. Its activities increasingly focused upon job-training and placement and cultural programs. The average Indian individual who moved to Cleveland after 1950 had to struggle to gain a satisfactory education, job security, and a comfortable life, both materially and emotionally. As a group, American Indians, nationally as well as in Cleveland, were plagued by a host of socioeconomic problems common also among other disadvantaged groups--poor education, inadequate housing, low pay, and alcoholism. Some merely foundered, caught precariously between a safer but economically desperate existence in the Indian world, and a white world which they could neither understand nor accept. For others, activism seemed the best method of addressing pressing concerns. Yet another large group of relocated Indians did not see activism as the answer for themselves or for their families, nor did they judge it the best and most pragmatic solution to the myriad of problems facing them in urban America. Instead they chose to identify less strongly as Indians. Often marrying non-Indians, they sought avenues by which to find a home in, and the acceptance of, mainstream America. In 1980 U.S. census figures put the Native American population of Greater Cleveland at 1,603. In the 1990 census, their number had risento 2,706. The growing numbers spurred creation of a new organization to represent the community, the Lake Erie Native American Council (LENAC). Founded in 1990, it served as a clearinghouse for programs affecting the local Native American Community. At the same time another group, the 500-Year Committee, an organization composed of many ethnicities dedicated to combating insensitivity to Native-American concerns, was beginning to target the Cleveland baseball team's use of the name "Indians" and of its Chief Wahoo logo. The name and logo are found demeaning to Native Americans, who believe that no ethnic group should be reduced to mascot status. LENAC members joined with the committee in a series of protests to call attention to their concern. Each year their campaign began with a protest held at Cleveland Stadium on opening day of the baseball season. Debate over the issue increased during 1993, as Cleveland Baseball officials began preparing to move the team to a new ballpark at Gateway. The protesters believed that the move afforded the baseball club a convenient opportunity to also adopt a new name and logo. A large contingent of picketers held vigil as Cleveland Stadium hosted its final baseball game, and some satisfaction was felt when the Chief Wahoo effigy was later removed from the stadium's roof. Ultimately, however, the pleas of the local Native-American community proved unavailing. In 1994, as the Cleveland Indians moved to Jacobs Field, so too did the opening day protest tradition. Philip Weeks Kent State Univ. Lynn R. Metzger Univ. of Akron See also CLEVELAND AMERICAN INDIAN CENTER.


Numerical simulations and experimental results are presented for a 60 year old buttress dam, subjected to temperature variations. The dam has several cracks, that likely have originated from temperature variations. The first step of the analyses was to recreate the current crack-pattern of the dam, by simulating cyclic seasonal temperature variations. After this, detailed simulations of the temperature variation were performed to compare the numerical results with the variations in crack widths and displacements measured for one year. The finite element model shows good agreement with the observed crack-pattern and the measured variations in crack widths and displacements.


1. The occurrence of closely related T antigens in the series composed of types 15, 17, 19, 23, and 30 accounts for most of the cross reactions observed among these types. Similarly T antigens, unrelated to the first series but mutually related, occur in a second series comprising types 4, 24, 26, 28, 29, and 46. 2. Matt variants of each of the eleven types studied possess type-specific M antigens demonstrable either by precipitin or agglutinin reactions. 3. In seven of these types, strains have been encountered which do not possess the T antigen usually associated with the type in question. 4. Procedures are outlined in the appendix for preparing specific antisera for the classification of these types by the slide agglutination technique.


This paper presents prevalence data from the 1994 OPCS survey of psychiatric morbidity among adults permanently resident in institutions catering for people with mental health problems in Great Britain. It describes briefly the survey methods used, and how diagnoses of psychiatric morbidity were derived. Its main aim is to show the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in different types of institutional settings. Residents were eligible for the survey if they were aged 16 to 64 at the date of sampling and were permanently resident at the establishment. Residents were defined as permanently resident if they had been living in the sampled establishment for six months or more, or had no other permanent address, or were likely to stay in the establishment for the foreseeable future. In 1994, about 33,200 adults aged 16 to 64 were permanently resident in accommodation for people with mental health problems. About a third of residents were in NHS hospitals, while about two-thirds were in residential care facilities. About two-thirds of adults interviewed suffered from schizophrenia, delusional and schizoaffective disorders. About 8% suffered from neurotic disorders and 8% suffered from affective psychoses (mainly bipolar affective disorder). The prevalence of schizophrenia, delusional, and schizoaffective disorders was higher in hospitals than in residential care, while the prevalence of neurotic and related disorders was higher in residential accommodation. The prevalence of schizophrenia, delusional, and schizoaffective disorders was higher in NHS psychiatric hospitals and general hospital units than in private hospitals, clinics or nursing homes.


Autologous regulatory T cells can be expanded and are well tolerated in patients with recent-onset type 1 diabetes. Regulating type 1 diabetes In patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), immune cells attack the insulin-producing β cells of the pancreas. The resulting prolonged increase in blood sugar levels can lead to serious complications including heart disease and kidney failure. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been shown to be defective in autoimmune diseases. Now, Bluestone et al. report a phase 1 trial of adoptive Treg immunotherapy to repair or replace Tregs in type 1 diabetics. The ex vivo–expanded polyclonal Tregs were long-lived after transfer and retained a broad Treg phenotype long-term. Moreover, the therapy was safe, supporting efficacy testing in further trials. Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that occurs in genetically susceptible individuals. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been shown to be defective in the autoimmune disease setting. Thus, efforts to repair or replace Tregs in T1D may reverse autoimmunity and protect the remaining insulin-producing β cells. On the basis of this premise, a robust technique has been developed to isolate and expand Tregs from patients with T1D. The expanded Tregs retained their T cell receptor diversity and demonstrated enhanced functional activity. We report on a phase 1 trial to assess safety of Treg adoptive immunotherapy in T1D. Fourteen adult subjects with T1D, in four dosing cohorts, received ex vivo–expanded autologous CD4+CD127lo/−CD25+ polyclonal Tregs (0.05 × 108 to 26 × 108 cells). A subset of the adoptively transferred Tregs was long-lived, with up to 25% of the peak level remaining in the circulation at 1 year after transfer. Immune studies showed transient increases in Tregs in recipients and retained a broad Treg FOXP3+CD4+CD25hiCD127lo phenotype long-term. There were no infusion reactions or cell therapy–related high-grade adverse events. C-peptide levels persisted out to 2+ years after transfer in several individuals. These results support the development of a phase 2 trial to test efficacy of the Treg therapy.


Researchers from Architecture and Design are working with the Waste and Energy Research Group at the University of Brighton to design and build the UK's first permanent research facility made entirely from surplus and waste materials. The project highlights waste as a valuable resource; drawing attention to the fact that most waste material is buried or burnt or shipped to third world where it is not appropriately disposed of.
It also asks how can the design and the construction of The Waste house be undertaken in a completely open inclusive manner engaging with young adults from outside the academic community, for example students from City College Brighton and Hove studying construction trades, apprentices under the direction of The Mears Group, students from The Faculty of Arts as well as pupils from local primary & secondary schools.