Social media has become ubiquitous and almost inescapable, revolutionizing the way students communicate, interact and socialize; and has become an integral part of their social and cultural fabric. Consequently, students are spending a substantial part of their time on social media. University students and youth are considered the largest users of these technologies. Despite a growing corpus of literature on the usage of social media around the world, there is a dearth of research in Zambia on how social media affects the students' social life. This descriptive, exploratory study examined the types of social media platforms students commonly use, the amount of time students spend on social media, the purposes for which students use the social media and the impact of social media use on students' social life. Two hundred and fortyfull time students in the School of Education, at the University of Zambia, completed self-administered questionnaires and their responses were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Results indicated that the most commonly used social media platform was Whatsapp, most of the sampled students reported actively engaging in this social media application between 31 to 60 minutes on a daily basis.The study also found that more than half of the students found themselves saying "just a few more minutes" when using social media, checked their social media sites before doing something else,felt their academic productivity suffered because of social media, failed to to cut down on time spent on social media,recieved negative comments from others about their use of social media and felt stressed out due to social media use.Furthermore, 22.4% of the students felt addicted to social media.Students used social media more for social information than for academic purposes. Social interaction is enhanced by social media use among students. Thus, productive use of social media is recommended while minimizing its negative impact. Furthermore, it is hoped that this study will attract further research in this area with more divergent and larger samples of varying student demographic characteristics.


Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as sulindac sulfide have shown promising antineoplastic activity in multiple tumor types, but toxicities resulting from COX inhibition limit their use in cancer therapy. We recently described aN,N-dimethylethyl amine derivative of sulindac sulfide, sulindac sulfide amide (SSA), that does not inhibit COX-1 or -2, yet displays potent tumor cell growth–inhibitory activity. Here, we studied the basis for the growth-inhibitory effects of SSA on human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. SSA potently inhibited the growth of lung tumor cells with IC50 values of 2 to 5 mmol/L compared with 44 to 52 mmol/L for sulindac sulfide. SSA also suppressed DNA synthesis and caused a G0–G1 cell-cycle arrest. SSA-induced cell death was associated with characteristics of autophagy, but significant caspase activation or PARP cleavage was not observed after treatment at its IC50 value. siRNA knockdown of Atg7 attenuated SSA-induced autophagy and cell death,whereas pan-caspase inhibitor ZVADwas not able to rescue viability. SSA treatment also inhibited Akt/mTOR signaling and the expression of downstream proteins that are regulated by this pathway. Overexpression of a constitutively active form of Akt was able to reduce autophagy markers and confer resistance to SSA-induced cell death. Our findings provide evidence that SSA inhibits lung tumor cell growthbyamechanism involving autophagy induction through the suppression ofAkt/mTORsignaling. This unique mechanism of action, along with its increased potency and lack of COX inhibition, supports the development of SSA or related analogs for the prevention and/or treatment of lung cancer.Mol Cancer Ther; 12(5); 1–12. 2013 AACR.


We performed laboratory studies to determine the effects of salinity on the photodegradation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from the Great Dismal Swamp, Virginia, an important source of terrestrial DOM to the lower Chesapeake Bay. Samples were created by mixing Great Dismal Swamp water (ionic strength ~ 0 mol L‐1) with modified artificial seawater solutions of differing salinities while keeping the final dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration constant. These samples were then irradiated for 24 h in a light box providing ultraviolet (UV) light similar to that of natural sunlight. Light absorbance and DOC concentrations decreased after photoexposure, whereas dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations increased. Variations in salinity affected both DIC production and UV absorption, with the higher salinity samples showing lower DIC production and less photobleaching. Addition of an iron chelator eliminated the relationship between photochemistry and salinity by reducing both photobleaching and DIC production at low salinities. As terrigenous DOM transits through an estuary, its photochemical reactivity and optical properties may change significantly as a function of salinity, probably as a result of changes in DOM conformation or changes in iron‐ DOM photochemistry, or both.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the economic performance of Norwegian crop farms using a stochastic frontier analysis.

Design/methodology/approach
The analysis was based on a translog cost function and unbalanced farm-level panel data for 1991–2013 from 455 Norwegian farms specialized in crop production in eastern and central regions of Norway.

Findings
The results of the analysis show that the mean efficiency was about 78–81 percent. Farm management practices and socioeconomic factors were shown to significantly affect the economic performance of Norwegian crop farms.

Research limitations/implications
Farmers are getting different types of support from the government and the study does not account for the different effects of different kinds of subsidy on cost efficiency. Different subsidies might have different effects on farm performance. To get more informative and useful results, it would be necessary to repeat the analysis with less aggregated data on subsidy payments.

Practical implications
One implication for farmers (and their advisers) is that many of them are less efficient than the estimated benchmark (best performing farms). Thus, those lagging behind the best performing farms need to look at the way they are operating and to seek out ways to save costs or increase crop production. Perhaps there are things for lagging farmers to learn from their more productive farming neighbors. For instance, those farmers not practicing crop rotation might be well advised to try that practice.

Social implications
For both taxpayers and consumers, one implication is that the contributions they pay that go to subsidize farmers appear to bring some benefits in terms of more efficient production that, in turn, increase the supply of some foods so possibly making food prices more affordable.

Originality/value
Unlike previous performance studies in the literature, the authors estimated farm-level economic performance accounting for the contribution of both an important farm management practice and selected socioeconomic factors. Good farm management practices, captured through crop rotation, land tenure, government support and off-farm activities were found to have made a positive and statistically significant contribution to reducing the cost of production on crop-producing farms in the Central and Eastern regions of Norway.


This study documented that nearly half of a large national sample of Head Start and Early Head Start children enrolled in participating programs experienced adversity and that this adversity is related to their learning and development.  However, children in the programs, including those who had experienced adversity, had better outcomes in some domains if they had longer durations in their early childhood programs.  Implications of these findings include the need to a) understand the experiences of the children and families in Head Start as part of preventing and reducing adversity; b) address the effects of adversity in instructional and other interventions to promote children's learning and development; and c) work to retain high risk families through targeted programming and professional development.


This paper seeks to examine how locking-in of Pakistans unilateral liberalization at the WTO/GATS and further liberalization of services trade would affect Pakistans competitiveness. Focusing on the opportunities and risks of such liberalization the paper discusses possible options regarding the corollary regulatory reforms and other flanking measures that may be needed to achieve these goals. The sectors studied in this paper are (a) construction and related engineering services; (b) architecture, engineering and integrated engineering services; (c) energy services; and (d) environmental services.


In dealing with problems connected with gravity waves, scientists and engineers frequently find it necessary to make lengthy theoretical calculations involving such wave characteristics as wave height, wave length, period, and water depth. Several approximate theoretical expressions have been derived relating the above parameters. Airy, for instance, contributed a very valuable and complete theory for waves traveling over a horizontal bottom in any depth of water. Due to the simplicity of the Airy theory, it is frequently used by engineers. This theory, however, was developed for waves of very small heights and is inaccurate for waves of finite height. Stokes presented a similar solution for waves of finite height by use of trigonometric series. Using five terms in the series, this solution will extend the range covered by the Airy theory to waves of greater steepness. No attempt has been made in this paper to specify the range where the theory is applicable. The coefficients in these series are very complicated and for a numerical problem, the calculations become very tedious. Because of this difficulty, this theory would be very little used by engineers unless the value of the coefficient is presented in tabular form. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of the fifth order theory and values of the various coefficients as a function of the parameter d/L.


Abstract Students enrolled in zero level ESL at Truman College are reading stories in English on laptop computers. They use Instant English [1], a story authoring software that uses icon sentences, text-to-speech, and recorded speech in a narrative format. As the students listen to spoken sentences, they see the meaning in a string of icons over the words. Other communication strategies used in the literacy class are storyboards, and simple research projects. [2] ********** Background: The Ellis Island of the Midwest The printed word is alien code to more than ten thousand non-schooled foreign and American adults who show up annually at the door of Truman College. The non-literate are among the 30,000 who register in the Adult Education program to learn English or work on their GED. The American students are non-readers who have had great difficulty with school. The refugees may have reached adulthood in camps, war zones, deltas and deserts, and may never have put pencil to paper. Or they may have some education but use a non-Latin alphabet. They come with no parents and no diplomas. They appear "gentle" to us, and why not? Why should they be wary? Enemies, family conflict, political agendas, and status are left behind. Their apparent innocence is a function of their complete dependence on the good will of strangers. Two very young, veiled mothers from Africa, a French-speaking African journalist, three Korean bar girls, two disabled seniors--one a Vietnamese soldier, one a Cuban factory hand, two Korean grandmothers, a high school prodigy from Ecuador, a techhie from Bosnia, and a Mongolian school teacher all sit together in a classroom at Truman College, working on laptops. They are in this class because eight weeks ago, in a vast cafeteria space used for registering thousands of adult education students at a time, someone determined that they were "level zero," probably because they could not answer a few simple questions, or fill out a registration form. How does one introduce literature and culture to a group so diverse and so uncomprehending? Text is out of the question for some. Tracing the ABC's might get these students to literacy eventually, but there is enormous pressure to "get up to speed." They must handle job applications, court appointments, apartment rentals and college labs. The Lost Boys of the Sudan, for instance, are immediately placed by their sponsors in jobs with long hours, to pay the rent; but they are also expected to get their GED within a few months, so they can enroll in college courses by the next fall semester. Even Sunday soccer practice is a source of pressure on these young men. Only last week, the Latin Kings, who may have been policing their turf, assaulted the players. Our new Americans need to wise up immediately. Learners Without Words We learn about ourselves and our culture through stories--from news to case studies to soap operas. Without access to written, spoken, or signed narrative, we have only unrelated images and scenes without shared meaning. So how do we share "lessons" about our culture if our students cannot understand our voices, or read our prose? If they cannot write, speak or sign to us, how do people articulate their needs or feelings? How must they suffer when they are silenced after a lifetime of communication in languages they hold dear but which are unknown to us? The E-classroom [3] Buried in the large earphones on their heads, their eyes glued to the LCD screens of their laptops, adolescents, seniors, new Americans and non-readers are listening with great concentration to standard American stories, proverbs and poetry. The fingers of both hands are delicately stirring and clicking their touch pads. A murmur in the room from 20 voices mouthing different sentences at the same time is reminiscent of an ashram. Wires string the room like a construction site and every few feet is a floor lamp to maintain enough light to see the keyboards. …


Meaningful representation and effective retrieval of video shots in a large-scale database has been a profound challenge for the image/video processing and computer vision communities. A great deal of effort has been devoted to the extraction of low-level visual features, such as color, shape, texture, and motion for characterizing and retrieving video shots. However, the accuracy of these feature descriptors is still far from satisfaction due to the well-known semantic gap. In order to alleviate the problem, this paper investigates a novel methodology of representing and retrieving video shots using human-centric high-level features derived in brain imaging space (BIS) where brain responses to natural stimulus of video watching can be explored and interpreted. At first, our recently developed dense individualized and common connectivity-based cortical landmarks (DICCCOL) system is employed to locate large-scale functional brain networks and their regions of interests (ROIs) that are involved in the comprehension of video stimulus. Then, functional connectivities between various functional ROI pairs are utilized as BIS features to characterize the brain's comprehension of video semantics. Then an effective feature selection procedure is applied to learn the most relevant features while removing redundancy, which results in the formation of the final BIS features. Afterwards, a mapping from low-level visual features to high-level semantic features in the BIS is built via the Gaussian process regression (GPR) algorithm, and a manifold structure is then inferred, in which video key frames are represented by the mapped feature vectors in the BIS. Finally, the manifold-ranking algorithm concerning the relationship among all data is applied to measure the similarity between key frames of video shots. Experimental results on the TRECVID 2005 dataset demonstrate the superiority of the proposed work in comparison with traditional methods.


Introduction: Medial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (mTLE) with hippocampal sclerosis is the most frequent cause of drug-resistant focal epilepsy in adults. These patients suffer from widespread subtle white matter abnormalities and abnormal functional connectivity extending beyond the affected lobe, as revealed by Diffusion Tensor Imaging and functional MRI studies. Diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI) is a new diffusion imaging technique with high angular resolution for improving the mapping of white matter tracts [1]. In this study, we used DSI to investigate the whole brain effect of TLE as reflected by topological measures of the structural connectivity network. Methods: Eight patients with right-sided mTLE and hippocampal sclerosis and 25 controls underwent our DSI protocol at 3T using a 32 channel coil: DSI (voxel size 2.2x2.2x3mm; 44 slices, 257 diffusion directions; max b-value = 6400 s/mm2), 3D T1-weighted MPRAGE and 3D T2-weighted images. The analysis was performed using the Connectome Mapper. The cortical and subcortical grey matters were parcellated into 86 Regions of Interest (ROI) with anatomical landmarks using Freesurfer 5.0. The ROIs were coregistered to the diffusion data by using a nonlinear registration between T1 and T2, then T2 to the diffusion space. The Diffusion Tool Kit was used for the reconstruction of the diffusion Orientation Distribution Function in each voxel. Streamline fibre-tracking was then performed from each voxel in the white matter areas using an in-house streamline-based algorithm. Two scalar maps, the Fractional Anisotropy and the Generalized Fractional Anisotropy were calculated. For each patient, the connectivity between every region pair was estimated was used to construct a connectivity matrix (the adjacency matrix of the structural network). Finally we used topological measures in order to reduce the data and obtain whole-brain characteristics of the network [2]: characteristic Path Length (L), Clustering Coefficient (C) and Small Worldness (S) where S=(C/Crand)/(L/ Lrand) with Crand and Lrand are computed for a random network. Significant differences between the mTLE and control groups were assessed using a Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Results: In patients, we found a higher characteristic path length (0.0288), with a lower clustering coefficient (0.0079) and reduced small-worldness (p=0.000058) compared to controls. Network nodes that contributed significantly to these alterations were located within as well as outside the temporal lobe in both hemispheres, although with a predominance for the ipsilateral hemisphere and bilateral limbic structures. The pattern of significant nodes showed concordance with brain regions known to be involved in epileptic networks in patients with mTLE. Conclusions: Our results show a reduced efficiency of structural brain networks and altered connectivity patterns that are concordant with the mapping of functional epileptic networks [3] and altered functional connectivity [4] in patients with mTLE. Therefore, the network in mTLE is less segregated than in controls with reduced global interactions between the nodes and reduced specialised communities. Further studies are needed to establish the relevance of these findings with respect to the propagation of epileptic activity, cognitive deficits in mTLE and outcome of epilepsy surgery in individual patients.


portfolios are increasing in popularity and use, yet research into their efficacy lags behind implementation. This paper seeks to address this gap by presenting results of research on student ownership of a course-based eportfolio. The research is informed by Milner-Bolotin framework for ownership of learning. A co-curricular student life course at a university in Hong Kong was conducted in which students were required to construct eportfolios. Data were obtained through semi-structured one-on-one interviews with a sample of course participants. Iterative, sequential coding was used to analyse data; categories of meaning were established, emanating from existing research and emergent patterns in the data. Results from the study indicate that the framework had strong resonance� with� the� participants'� experience� constructing� the� e portfolio. Specific findings include a strong emphasis on the utilitarian value of eporfolios as school-to-work bridges and the potential for freedom of choice to create both opportunities for and challenges to students feeling in control. Implications of findings are discussed in terms of both research and practice.


The Pennsylvania State University Libraries developed a committee organizational structure (composed of a steering committee and functional expert teams) to administer and manage its integrated library system. This paper will summarize that organizational structure and highlight management trends that were revealed as a result of a survey to CIC (Committee on Institutional Cooperation) libraries. Key patterns emerged in the areas of decision making, collaboration and reporting structure, and communication that may serve as standards in the discussion revolving around the best way to administer and manage an integrated library system. Decision making is being brought to the functional level, the need for positive collaboration between library departments is being realized, and the distribution of expertise throughout the libraries has facilitated the communication process.


Acid sulfate soil is one of the most serious regional environmental problems after destruction of the peat layer over pyrite-containing sediment after agricultural land development and deforestation. Sulfuric acid discharged from acid sulfate soil causes acidification of river water. In pyrite distributing areas within the lower basin of the Sebangau and Kahayan rivers in Central Kalimantan, the water of the mainstream of the rivers as well as water discharged from canals into the mainstream in the rainy season show much higher acidity and a higher concentration of sulfate ions than in the dry season. The objective of the present study was to obtain information on utilization of natural water from local inhabitants in the basin with water pollution including sulfuric acid contamination. We held interviews with local inhabitants in sulfuric acid polluted areas in Paduran and Pangkoh as well as areas around Sigi village concerning the sources of water and evaluation of water quality in their habitat. Inhabitants around Sigi mostly depended on well water both in the rainy and dry seasons, whereas the sources of drinking water for inhabitants in Paduran and Pangkoh differed significantly between dry and rainy seasons. River water chemistry showed little difference between the dry season and the rainy season in the Sigi area, whereas river and canal water in the rainy season in Paduran and Pangkoh showed lower pH than in the dry season due to a high concentration of sulfuric acid in the rainy season. Accordingly, river and canal water in the rainy season in polluted areas was not available as drinking or cooking water and thus they avoided using river water for drinking or cooking in the rainy season. Although sulfuric acid concentration in river water both in Pangkoh and Paduran were higher in the rainy season than in the dry season, people in Pangkoh evaluated that water in the rainy season to be better than that in the dry season, whereas people in Paduran evaluated that water in the dry season to be better than that in the rainy season. Paduran people would evaluate water quality by SO42- concentration, whereas Pangkoh people would evaluate water quality by salt concentration because of the lower concentration of SO42- of water in Pangkoh in the rainy season than that in Paduran. Pangkoh people recognized that water contaminated with sulfuric acid was much preferable than water contaminated with sea salt, but they avoided using water contaminated with sulfuric acid in the rainy season. More than 70% of the Paduran people answered that river water presents a high risk for drinking and swimming, whereas only 11% or less of the Pangkoh people knew about the risk of sulfuric acid for human health. The Pangkoh people avoided using river water contaminated with sulfuric acid, but the knowledge about sulfuric acid's effects on human health was not sufficient. Thus we concluded that although selectivity of water was similar for the local inhabitants of the two villages in polluted area, awareness about the risks of sulfuric acid pollution for human health proved to be quite different between the two villages.


This book, with profiles of one hundred horse, pony, and draft breeds, is the most comprehensive field guide to horses ever published. Illustrated throughout with fine colour photographs, the profiles detail the characteristics and unique aspects of each breed; they also include brief histories and explain distinctions in equine colour genetics, markings and patterns, and conformation. Complete, concise, compact this field guide is handy and informative - the perfect companion for anyone considering horses.


This document describes an optional modification for TCP's slow-start for use with TCP connections with large congestion windows. For TCP connections that are able to use congestion windows of thousands (or tens of thousands) of MSS-sized segments (for MSS the sender's MAXIMUM SEGMENT SIZE), the current slow-start procedure can result in increasing the congestion window by thousands of segments in a single round-trip time. Such an increase can easily result in thousands of packets being dropped in one round-trip time. This is often counter-productive for the TCP flow itself, and is also hard on the rest of the traffic sharing the congested link. This note describes Limited Slow-Start as an optional mechanism for limiting the number of segments by which the congestion window is increased for one window of data during slow-start, in order to improve performance for TCP connections with large congestion windows.


This paper is a first attempt at presenting the complete linguistic situation of contemporary Salento (Italy), where three different languages are spoken: Italian (in its regional variety), Salentino dialect and Griko. Though it has a limited diffusion in present day Salento, Griko has been widely analysed in literature since dialects of the extreme south of Italy are structurally very divergent from other Italian dialects, supposedly due to the influence of Greek. This paper briefly introduces the Italian linguistic context and the multitude of co-existing varieties and linguistic systems. The main aim of this research is to present the non-standard and minority languages of Salento and to describe the grammatical systems of the area from a perspective of contact. The authors discuss this major phenomenon in Salentino and Griko and reflect on the origins of the latter. Regional Italian is yet another variety taken into consideration  since, as shown in this paper, it presents structural differences from Standard Italian also on a morphosyntactic level.


Retinal function can be objectively evaluated by measuring the light reflectance changes of the ocular fundus following light stimulation. Two independent methods using either infrared light or visible light for illumination will be presented: the former is called intrinsic signal imaging and the latter is retinal densitometry.


In this paper, we propose a novel method based on a strategic combination of the active appearance model (AAM), live wire (LW), and graph cuts (GCs) for abdominal 3-D organ segmentation. The proposed method consists of three main parts: model building, object recognition, and delineation. In the model building part, we construct the AAM and train the LW cost function and GC parameters. In the recognition part, a novel algorithm is proposed for improving the conventional AAM matching method, which effectively combines the AAM and LW methods, resulting in the oriented AAM (OAAM). A multiobject strategy is utilized to help in object initialization. We employ a pseudo-3-D initialization strategy and segment the organs slice by slice via a multiobject OAAM method. For the object delineation part, a 3-D shape-constrained GC method is proposed. The object shape generated from the initialization step is integrated into the GC cost computation, and an iterative GC-OAAM method is used for object delineation. The proposed method was tested in segmenting the liver, kidneys, and spleen on a clinical CT data set and also on the MICCAI 2007 Grand Challenge liver data set. The results show the following: 1) The overall segmentation accuracy of true positive volume fraction TPVF >; 94.3% and false positive volume fraction FPVF <; 0.2% can be achieved; 2) the initializa- tion performance can be improved by combining the AAM and LW; 3) the multiobject strategy greatly facilitates initialization; 4) compared with the traditional 3-D AAM method, the pseudo-3-D OAAM method achieves comparable performance while running 12 times faster; and 5) the performance of the proposed method is comparable to state-of-the-art liver segmentation algorithm. The executable version of the 3-D shape-constrained GC method with a user interface can be downloaded from http://xinjianchen.word- press.com/research/.


A New Ionospheric Model (ANIMo) based upon the physics of production, loss, and vertical transport has been developed. The model is driven by estimates of neutral composition, temperature and solar flux and is applicable to the mid-latitude regions of the Earth under quiet and moderate geomagnetic conditions. This model was designed to exhibit specific features that were not easy to find all together in other existing ionospheric models. ANIMo needed to be simple to use and interact with, relatively accurate, reliable, robust and computationally efficient. The definition of these characteristics was mostly driven by the intention to use ANIMo in a Data Assimilation (DA) scheme. DA or data ingestion can be described as a technique where observations and model realizations, called background information, are combined together to achieve a level of accuracy that is higher than the accuracy of the two elements taken separately. In this project ANIMo was developed to provide a robust and reliable background contribution. The observations are given by the Global Positioning System (GPS) ionospheric measurements, collected from several networks of GPS ground-station receivers and are available on on-line repositories. The research benefits from the Multi-Instrument Data Analysis System (MIDAS) [Mitchell and Spencer, 2003; Spencer and Mitchell, 2007], which is an established ionospheric tomography software package that produces three dimensional reconstructions of the ionosphere starting from GPS measurements. Utilizing ANIMo in support of MIDAS has therefore the potential to generate a very stable set-up for monitoring and study the ionosphere. In particular, the model is expected to compensate some of the typical limitations of ionospheric tomography techniques described by Yeh and Raymund [1991] and Raymund et al. [1994]. These are associated with the lack of data due to the uneven distribution of ground-based receivers and limitations to viewing angles. Even in regions of good receiver coverage there is a need to compensate for information on the vertical profile of ionisation. MIDAS and other tomography techniques introduce regularization factors that can assure the achievement of a unique solution in the inversion operation. These issues could be solved by aiding the operation with external information provided by a physical model, like ANIMo, through a data ingestion scheme; this ensures that the contribution is completely independent and there is an effective accuracy improvement. Previously, the limitation in vertical resolution has been solved by applying vertical orthonormal functions based upon empirical models in different ways [Fougere, 1995; Fremouw et al., 1992; Sutton and Na, 1994]. The potential for the application of a physical model, such ANIMo is that it can provide this information according to the current ionospheric conditions. During the project period ANIMo has been developed and incorporated with MIDAS. The result is A New Ionospheric Data Assimilation System (ANIDAS); its name suggests that the system is the implementation of ANIMo in MIDAS. Because ANIDAS is a data ingestion scheme, it has the potential to be used to perform not only more accurate now-casting but also forecasting. The outcomes of ANIDAS at the current time can be used to initialise ANIMo for the next time step and therefore trigger another assimilation turn. In future, it is intended that ANIMo will form the basis to a new system to predict the electron density of the ionosphere – ionospheric forecasting.


The SCANPSC110F Bridge extends the IEEE Std. 1149.1 test bus into a multidrop test bus environment. The advantage of a hierarchical approach over a single serial scan chain is improved test throughput and the ability to remove a board from the system and retain test access to the remaining modules. Each SCANPSC110F Bridge supports up to 3 local scan rings which can be accessed individually or combined serially. Addressing is accomplished by loading the instruction register with a value matching that of the Slot inputs. Backplane and inter-board testing can easily be accomplished by parking the local TAP Controllers in one of the stable TAP Controller states via a Park instruction. The 32-bit TCK counter enables built in self test operations to be performed on one port while other scan chains are simultaneously tested. Features


This paper proposes an object database evolution approach based on separation of concerns. The lack of customisability and extensibility in existing evolution frameworks is a consequence of using attributes at the meta-object level to implement links among meta-objects and the injection of instance adaptation code directly into the class versions. The proposed approach uses dynamic relationships to separate the connection code from meta-objects and aspects - abstractions used by Aspect-Oriented Programming to localise cross-cutting concerns - to separate the instance adaptation code from class versions. The result is a customisable and extensible evolution framework with low maintenance overhead.


At the Bajada del Jagüel and Opaso sections (Añelo low, Neuquén basin), the Maastrichtian to Danian mudstones of the Jagüel Formation, are overlain by a succession of ostreid coquinas, sandstones, and mudstones. This succession has been usually referred to the Roca Formation, a Paleocene marine unit with its type section located about 120 km to the southeast. A contrasting interpretation proposed by the late seventies suggests that the beds assigned to the Roca Formation in the Añelo low were actually the base of the overlying Barranca de los Loros Formation, of terrestrial paleoenvironment and Miocene age, and that their very abundant Paleocene invertebrate remains were reworked. In the present revision, the specimens of the foraminiferal family Elphidiidae recovered from a muddy horizon intercalated between the coquinas at the Opaso and Bajada del Jagüel sections, previously assigned to Protelphidium sp. cf. P. hofkeri Haynes, are identified as Porosononion granosum (d'Orbigny). Porosononion granosum is one of the most common foraminiferal species of the shallow Paranense transgression, which covered large part of Argentina during the middle-late Miocene. It has been traditionally referred to as Protelphidium tuberculatum (d'Orbigny) in Argentina. The occurrence of this species indicates that the coquinas, sandstones and mudstones overlying the Jagüel Formation at the Opaso and Bajada del Jagüel sections should not be assigned to the Roca Formation, but are related to the Miocene Paranense transgression, thus supporting the later stratigraphic interpretation. In the muddy horizon, Porosononion granosum constitutes a monospecific assemblage, and its paleoenvironment might be either marginal marine or lacustrine. The elphidiid specimens from the Roca Formation at the Sierras Blancas area, ca. 12 km southwest from the Opaso section, remain identified as Protelphidium sp. cf. P. hofkeri. Both species, P. sp. cf. P. hofkeri and P. granosum, are described and illustrated, and paleoenvironmental and paleogeographic features are considered.


We present a case of beta-thalassemia intermedia involving a 13-year-old boy of Northern European descent. His mother, father and older sister have normal hematologic indices. Molecular studies demonstrate that the proband carries a novel mutation of the beta-globin gene initiation codon (ATG-->AAG) which should give rise to beta(0)-thalassemia trait. The possibility of non-paternity was excluded, indicating that the novel mutation was the result of a de novo event. A review of the literature indicates that mutations involving the beta-globin gene initiation codon can give rise to a more severe phenotype than is generally associated with most other beta(+) or beta(0) mutations.


Using a screen that directly assesses transductional proficiency, we have isolated suppressors of recB mutations in Salmonella typhimurium. The alleles of sbcB reported here are phenotypically distinct from those isolated in Escherichia coli in that they restore recombination proficiency (Rec+), resistance to ultraviolet light (UVR), and mitomycin C resistance (MCR) in the absence of an accompanying sbcCD mutation. In addition the sbcB alleles reported here are co-dominant to sbcB+. We have also isolated insertion and deletion mutants of the sbcB locus. These null mutations suppress only the UVS phenotype of recB mutants. We have also isolated sbcCD mutations, which map near proC. These sbcCD mutations increase the viability, recombination proficiency and MCR of both the transductional recombination suppressors (sbcB1 & sbcB6) and the sbcB null mutations. S. typhimurium recB sbcB1 sbcCD8 strains are 15-fold more recombination proficient than wild-type strains. The increase in transductants in these strains is accompanied by a loss of abortive transductants suggesting that these fragments are accessible to the mutant recombination apparatus. Using tandem duplications, we have constructed sbcB merodiploids and found that, in a recB mutant sbcCD+ genetic background, the sbcB+ allele is dominant to sbcB1 for transductional recombination but co-dominant for UVR and MCR. However, in a recB sbcCD8 genetic background, the sbcB1 mutation is co-dominant to sbcB+ for all phenotypes. Our results lead us to suggest that the SbcB and SbcCD proteins have roles in RecBCD-dependent recombination.


BACKGROUND
Trachoma is a leading cause of avoidable blindness. The World Health Organization recommends eliminating trachoma blindness by the SAFE strategy incorporating Surgery, Antibiotic treatment, Facial cleanliness and Environmental hygiene.

OBJECTIVES
This review examined the evidence for the effectiveness of different interventions for trachoma trichiasis.

SEARCH STRATEGY
We identified trials from the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) on The Cochrane Library (2005, Issue 3), MEDLINE (1966 to September 2005) PubMed (searched on 21-09-06; last 90 days), EMBASE (1980 to September 2005), LILACS (March 2004) and the reference lists of included studies. We also contacted authors for details of other relevant studies.

SELECTION CRITERIA
We included randomised trials of any intervention intended to treat trachoma trichiasis and trials comparing different methods of delivering the same intervention.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently assessed trials. We contacted trial authors for missing data when necessary.

MAIN RESULTS
Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Three studies compared different surgical interventions. These trials suggest the most effective surgery is full-thickness incision of the tarsal plate and rotation of the terminal tarsal strip 180 degrees. One study showed that bilamellar rotation was more effective than unilamellar rotation but the other two studies did not. One trial found double-sided sticking plaster more effective than epilation for the immediate management of trichiasis but required frequent replacement (odds ratio (OR) 0.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.00 to 0.22). Another trial found community-based surgery increased convenience for patients without increasing the risk of complications or recurrence when compared to health centres. One trial found no difference between trichiasis surgery performed by ophthalmologists and integrated eye workers (OR 1.32, 95% CI 0.83 to 2.11). A trial comparing trichiasis surgery with and without concurrent administration of azithromycin found no difference in success rates at one year (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.46).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
No trials show interventions for trichiasis prevent blindness. Certain interventions have been shown to be more effective at eliminating trichiasis. Full thickness incision of the tarsal plate and rotation of the lash-bearing lid margin through 180 degrees is probably the best technique and is preferably delivered in the community. The use of double-sided sticking plaster is more effective than epilation as a temporary measure. Surgery may be carried out by an ophthalmologist or a trained ophthalmic assistant. The addition of azithromycin treatment at the time of surgery does not appear to improve outcomes.


We consider the problem of designing automated strategies for interactions with human subjects, where the humans must be rewarded for performing certain tasks of interest. We focus on settings where there is a single task that must be performed many times by different humans (e.g. answering a questionnaire), and the humans require a fee for performing the task. In such settings, our objective is to minimize the average cost for effectuating the completion of the task. We present two automated strategies for designing efficient agents for the problem, based on two different models of human behavior. The first, the Reservation Price Based Agent (RPBA), is based on the concept of a reservation price, and the second, the No Bargaining Agent (NBA), uses principles from behavioral science. The performance of the agents has been tested in extensive experiments with real human subjects, where NBA outperforms both RPBA and strategies developed by human experts.


The International Price Program (IPP) collects data on United States' trade with foreign nations and publishes monthly indexes on import and export prices of U.S. merchandise and services. Recently, the IPP evaluated different variance estimation methods such as Taylor Series Linearization, bootstrap, jackknife, and BRR, for their applicability to the IPP. We constructed an artificial universe of monthly price changes for items constructed from 13 years of IPP historical data. We then compared the bias and stability of the variance estimation methods for month-to-month, annual, and long-term price changes by drawing from the universe 1000 samples in various merchandise strata.


Highly selective molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) that absorb sulfonamides (SAs) are prepared using two types of SAs as mixed templates, 2-vinylpyridine as the functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the crosslinker. The optimum combination of the mixed templates, their adsorption effect and the imprinting mechanism are evaluated based on SPE recoveries of a family of analytes, equilibrium binding, BET surface area analysis and UV. The results indicate that the mixed templates not only optimize the cavities of the MIPs but also improve the MIPs selectivity and adsorption capacity for the target analytes in aqueous solution. Therefore, MIPs are used for the quantitative analysis of SAs in fish farming water using off-line SPE coupled to HPLC/DAD. The recovery and RSD were 84.16–101.19 and 1.98–7.10%, respectively. Four SAs analytes were detected in four types of water samples in the range of 8.49–74.60 ng L−1. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41491.


Objective Validated methods for screening and early diagnosis of scleroderma-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) are needed. In this study, we evaluated the performance of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) compared to high resolution computer tomography of the chest (HRCT) for the detection of SSc-ILD in clinical practice and aimed to identify predictors of functionally-occult, but HRCT-significant lung involvement. Methods Prospectively enrolled SSc patients were assessed following the EUSTAR standards, including PFTs and HRCT. The images were blindly evaluated by two experienced radiologists. The performance parameters of PFTs for the diagnosis of SSc-ILD were calculated. Predictors of significant ILD in HRCT in patients with normal FVC were identified through logistic regression. Results 64/102 (63.0%) patients showed significant ILD on HRCT, while only 27/102 (26.0%) had an FVC<80% and 54/102 (53.0%) had a decrease in at least one PFT. 40/64 (62.5%) patients with significant ILD on HRCT had a normal FVC, translating into a high false negative rate. Notably, 5/40 (6.0%) of patients with normal FVC had severe, functionally-occult lung fibrosis, 2 of these having all PFTs in normal limits. The false negative cases had more frequently anti-Scl-70 antibodies and diffuse SSc and less frequently anti-centromere antibodies (ACA) compared to ILD-free patients. Conclusion The derived evidence-based data reveal a high risk of missing the detection of significant SSc-ILD when relying solely on PFTs. More comprehensive screening algorithms for the early detection are warranted. Particularly, additional imaging investigations should be considered in ACA negative patients with normal FVC for the early detection of SSc-ILD. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


BACKGROUND
Co-use of benzodiazepines and opioids significantly increases fatal overdose risk, yet few studies have examined co-use of these drugs when obtained both with and without a prescription. We examined associations of daily co-use of prescribed benzodiazepines/tranquilizers (BZD/TRQ) and prescribed and nonprescribed opioids among people who use street opioids (PWUO).

METHODS
PWUO (N = 417) were recruited from Baltimore City and neighboring Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and surveyed on sociodemographic characteristics, structural vulnerabilities, healthcare access and utilization, substance use, and overdose experiences. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with self-reported co-use.

RESULTS
Participants were 46 years old on average, and predominantly Black (74%) males (62%). Daily co-use was reported by 22%. In multivariable analyses, odds of co-use were significantly higher among participants who did not have a high school degree/GED (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.71, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-2.88), endorsed receiving mental health treatment in the past 6 months (aOR: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.28-3.56), reported daily use of powdered cocaine (aOR: 3.57, 95% CI: 1.98-6.45), and synthetic cannabinoids (aOR: 3.11, 95% CI: 1.40-6.93). Odds of co-use were significantly lower among Black participants compared to white participants (aOR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.19-0.82).

CONCLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE
Clinicians working with PWUO or who prescribe BZDs or opioids should screen patients who use cocaine or synthetic cannabinoids, have low level of educational attainment, or recently accessed mental health services, as these patients may be at higher risk for daily co-use of BZD/TRQ and opioids, and therefore lethal overdose.


This article aims to consider not only sound recordings of speech samples as historical sources, but also the absence of words and the content hereof: silences in speech. Its focus are sound recordings made by prisoners in German camps during World War I, today kept in the Lautarchiv (Sound Archive) of the Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin (http://www.lautarchiv.hu-berlin.de/). The World War I recordings comprise one of the archive's three founding collections. The fi rst contains voice portraits of illustrious fi gures such as Kaiser Wilhelm II and Paul von Hindenburg, the recordings of which began during the war in connection with the autograph collection of Ludwig Darmstaedter. The second collection is made up of voice portraits of people who were not well-known or prominent individuals, but exemplary speakers of particular languages and dialects. Between 1915 and 1918, in German prisoner of war camps, the state-funded Koniglich Preusische Phonographische Kommission (Royal Prussian Phonographic Commission) produced sound recordings of a range of languages, dialects and ethnic groups for the purposes of linguistic and musicological research.


How can the United States create the political will to address our major urban problems--poverty, unemployment, crime, traffic congestion, toxic pollution, education, energy consumption, and housing, among others? That's the basic question addressed by the new edition of this award-winning book. Thoroughly revised and updated for its third edition, Place Matters examines the major trends and problems shaping our cities and suburbs, explores a range of policy solutions to address them, and looks closely at the potential political coalitions needed to put the country's "urban crisis" back on the public agenda. The problem of rising inequality is at the centre of Place Matters. During the past several decades, the standard of living for the American middle class has stagnated, the number of poor people has reached its highest level since the 1960s, and the super-rich have dramatically increased their share of the nation's wealth and income. At the same time, Americans have grown further apart in terms of where they live, work, and play. This trend--economic segregation--no longer simply reflects the racial segregation between white suburbs and minority cities. In cities and suburbs alike, poor, middle class, and wealthy Americans now live in separate geographic spaces. The authors have updated the case studies and examples used to illustrate the book's key themes, incorporated the latest Census data, and drawn on exit polls and other data to examine the voting patterns and outcomes of the 2012 elections. They have expanded their discussion of how American cities are influenced by and influence global economic and social forces and how American cities compare with their counterparts in other parts of the world. And they draw upon the latest research and case studies not only to examine the negative impacts of income inequality and economic segregation but also assess the efforts that civic and community groups, unions, business, and government are making to tackle them. Fully up to date and far richer and more provocative, this new version surpasses its previous editions and will continue to be an essential volume for all who study urban politics and care about our cities.


Analysis of increment formation in larval fish otoliths has provided valuable information about growth, transport and mortality processes of larvae in wild stocks, but the technique has not been widely used on capelin larvae. As part of a programme (BASECOEX) aimed to investigate recruitment dynamics of capelin in the Barents Sea, otolith microstructure analysis was used on larvae of known age reared in plastic bags. In enclosure validation experiments in 2002 and 2003, newly hatched yolk sac larvae were stocked into eight 10m plastic bags where environmental conditions were kept as natural as possible. The bags were emptied after about 35-79 days, the surviving larvae were collected and the otoliths were analysed in order to test whether there was daily increment formation. Survival in the bags was very high, ranging from 40-76%, and individual growth rates varied with an average of 0.23 mm per day. Fast-growing larvae formed more increments than did slow-growing larvae. The average formation of increments in the otoliths was 0.76 per day. The larvae with an above average increment formation rate, however, formed one increment per day. On average, the larvae start to form increments 12 days after hatching, and the increment width decreases by age and/or length of the larvae. Increment widths of the 2002 group were higher than for the 2003 groups, despite the fact that the 2003 group had higher body length growth rates than the 2002.


We present an effective end-to-end memory network model that jointly (i) predicts whether a given document can be considered as relevant evidence for a given claim, and (ii) extracts snippets of evidence that can be used to reason about the factuality of the target claim. Our model combines the advantages of convolutional and recurrent neural networks as part of a memory network. We further introduce a similarity matrix at the inference level of the memory network in order to extract snippets of evidence for input claims more accurately. Our experiments on a public benchmark dataset, FakeNewsChallenge, demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.


This paper analyses three main mechanisms through which transport improvements have impacts that deliver real income gain over and above user-benefits. One is economic density and productivity, a second is induced private investment and associated land-use change, and a third is employment effects. There are relatively well-established methodologies for incorporating the first and third of these in cost-benefit appraisal, and these methodologies are reviewed in the paper. For the second, the paper outlines how transport induced investments can create consumer surplus, and describes a method for quantifying this in cost-benefit appraisal. Data issues encountered in implementing these methods are discussed.


An important component of modern neuroscience research is the ability to measure systematically and objectively different aspects of behavior. Behavioral analysis is crucial to a strong neuroscience research program because it evaluates the impact of molecular or neurochemical changes on the functioning of the entire organism. Behavioral research can be used to validate the role of a neuroscientist's specific molecular target (e.g., receptor, gene, or enzyme) in a particular behavior (e.g., emotions, learning and memory, or locomotor activity) and subsequently create whole systems that a neuroscientist can use to study a particular pathological state (e.g., depression, drug addiction or obesity). A unique strength of the MU Translational Neuroscience Center is the presence of some " bench " scientists working at the molecular level in pathology, biochemistry and genetics in collaboration with neurobehavioral experts. The Center's modern facilities and trained personnel are available to the MU neuroscience community to help design, conduct and evaluate behavioral research. This will help translate research from the molecular laboratory to the human clinic. This poster will show a summary of the different aspects and tasks we plan to perform at the MU Neurobehavioral Core Facility.


Summary and Conclusions
This paper reports the results of the first fifteen months study of the DDT residual house spray method in the middle Chagres River area of Panama, where the principal malaria vector is Anopheles albimanus.
Houses of cane wall and palm-thatch roof construction at the village of Gatuncillo were sprayed, inside and out, with a 5% solution of DDT in kerosene at fourmonth intervals (excepting one trial period of six months). Entomological observations were made at this treated village and two adjacent villages used as controls.
It is demonstrated that with this technique anophelines visiting the dwellings are affected in three ways:
1.
There is a large reduction in numbers of mosquitoes.
2.
Among the mosquitoes which are taken in treated dwellings there is a marked reduction in the per cent engorged, since DDT activates the insects and they lose interest in feeding.
3.
Among the engorged mosquitoes the twenty-four hour survival rate is low for three months after treatment.
It is thus indicated that the technique tends selectively to reduce the malaria transmission potential by affecting principally those mosquitoes concerned in transmission.
Four months is established as the optimum time for retreatment in the area studied.
It is demonstrated that with each successive treatment the degree of control improves. (For the period following the third treatment the malaria transmission potential is reduced 99.9%.)
Treatment of houses alone was found to produce marked reduction of mosquitoes in the village area outside the houses, and even to some measure in the forest adjacent to the village (for at least three hundred feet), for several weeks.
There is evidence of reduction of malaria in the fourteen-month period following the first treatment.
The cost of the treatment under conditions of this experiment is calculated as $1.31 per house. Factors affecting the cost of applying the method elsewhere in tropical America are discussed.
The place of this method in relation to other malaria control procedures and to the economy of the area is discussed.


This paper considers the sources of skill formation in a modern economy and emphasizes the importance of both cognitive and noncognitive skills in producing economic and social success and the importance of both formal academic institutions and families and firms as sources of learning. Skill formation is a dynamic process with strong synergistic components. Skill begets skill. Early investment promotes later investment. Noncognitive skills and motivation are important determinants of success and these can be improved more successfully and at later ages than basic cognitive skills. Methods currently used to evaluate educational interventions ignore these noncogntive skills and therefore substantially understate the benefits of early intervention programs and mentoring and teenage motivation programs. At current levels of investment, American society underinvests in the very young and overinvests in mature adults with low skills.


We compared the decomposition of sediment-associated litter of Typha angustifolia in 2 Lake Erie coastal wetlands, examining the effects of sedimentation on microbial biomass, production and litter decay dynamics. Experimental manipulations of sediment had no statistically significant effect (p > 0.05) on microbial biomass or metabolism. However, unforeseen differences between wet- land sites (i.e. permanently inundated vs. exposed) had a major influence on microbial colonization and growth, litter mass loss, and nutrient dynamics. Litter-associated bacterial biomass and produc- tion were greater at the inundated site vs. the exposed wetland site (e.g. 487 vs. 158 µg C g -1 detrital C after 146 d, respectively). In contrast, fungal biomass and production were greater at the exposed site (e.g. 125 vs. 56 mg C g -1 detrital C after 146 d, respectively). Microbial degradative enzymes involved in the acquisition of phosphorus, nitrogen and carbon followed similar patterns as observed for fungal biomass and production, with higher activities associated with decaying litter at the exposed site. Microbial respiration rates were initially similar at both sites, but increased at the inun- dated site towards the end of the study period. Despite greater litter-associated microbial biomass, production and enzyme activities at the exposed wetland site, rates of litter mass loss were similar, suggesting that the greater metabolic potential of microbiota at the exposed site may have been off- set by environmental conditions (e.g. fluctuations in water availability). Although mass loss rates were similar, significant differences in nutrient dynamics were observed, with higher N and P asso- ciated with higher litter-associated microbial biomass. These results illustrate how microbial decay dynamics can potentially interact with environmental variables (e.g. water availability) to modulate the carbon and nutrient dynamics of a litter resource that dominates many wetlands.


It is trite that the adoption of creative drafting methods in order to genuinely and honestly arrange a particular transaction in a manner which lawfully outwits the purview of the law is not only permissible but it also encourages legal development. However, when such legal ingenuity is left unbridled, to the extent that the transaction or suite of transactions manifests an intention which is not truly representative of the actual terms of the agreement, the courts will not hesitate to place precedence on the substance of such an arrangement rather than its purported form.


Contemporary legal and scholarly debates emphasize the importance of biological parents for children's well-being. Scholarship in this vein often relies on stepparent families even though adoptive families provide an ideal opportunity to explore the role of biology in family life. In this study, we compare two-adoptive-parent families with other families on one key characteristic—parental investment. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten-First Grade Waves (ECLS-K), basic group comparisons reveal an adoptive advantage over all family types. This advantage is due in part to the socioeconomic differences between adoptive and other families. Once we control for these factors, two-adoptive-parent families invest at similar levels as two-biological-parent families but still at significantly higher levels in most resources than other types of families. These findings are inconsistent with the expectations of sociological family structure explanations, which highlight barriers to parental investment in nontraditional families, and evolutionary science's kin selection theory, which maintains that parents are genetically predisposed to invest in biological children. Instead, these patterns suggest that adoptive parents enrich their children's lives to compensate for the lack of biological ties and the extra challenges of adoption.


RATIONALE
T-cell responses have been implicated in control and exacerbation of lung injury during influenza A virus (IAV) infection.

OBJECTIVES
To examine the breadth and magnitude of influenza-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell responses during acute phase of infection.

METHODS
Influenza-specific T-cell response to the entire pandemic H1N1/09 IAV proteome and T cell-related cytokine levels were measured in blood from previously healthy individuals with mild (n = 32) and severe (n = 16) IAV infection during the 2009 influenza pandemic. Virus-specific T-cell response in lung and blood was also performed in two acutely infected, severely ill patients using fluorescent-conjugated pdmH1N1/09 Matrix-MHC-I tetrameric complexes.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
Strong and broad CD4(+) but not CD8(+) T-cell responses were observed in the blood, and were higher in those with severe disease. Antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells in the lungs were on average 45-fold higher compared with blood in severely ill patients. Paradoxically, in patients with severe disease, IL-17, IL-2, IL-4, and IFN-γ levels were significantly decreased.

CONCLUSIONS
High levels of circulating virus-specific CD4(+) T cells to two viral internal proteins (nucleoprotein and matrix) in the first phase of infection are associated with subsequent development of severe IAV infection. This finding could be an early and specific marker for ensuing clinical deterioration. Contrasting levels of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells in lungs and blood have implications on design and analysis of clinical trials for T-cell vaccines because measurements of T cells in the periphery may not reflect events in the lungs.


This article explores conceptual links between African and Africana philosophy and its implications for university teaching in South Africa. My argument in defence of an African-Africana philosophy of education emanates from the response of Ben Parker (2003) to Philip Higgsi?½s (2003) call for introducing an African discourse based on African philosophy into the conversation surrounding the re-vision of philosophy of education in South Africa. The Higgs-Parker debate brings into sharper focus the need to reconceptualise university teaching in South Africa along the lines of African-Africana thought. Whereas this debate has much to offer for reconceptualising university teaching in relation to African values, it falls short of engaging with what constitutes a deliberative African-Africana teacher because it fails to acknowledge/recognise that deliberative inquiry is central to what makes African philosophy what it is. This article is an attempt to bridge some of the gaps in the African-Africana debate in terms of what it means for teachers both to be deliberative and to cultivate deliberation.


OBJECTIVE--To examine whether the historical link between tuberculosis and poverty still exists. DESIGN--Retrospective study examining the notifications of all forms of tuberculosis by council ward over a six year period and correlating this with four indices of poverty; council housing, free school meals, the Townsend overall deprivation index, and the Jarman index. SETTING--The 33 electoral wards of the city of Liverpool. SUBJECTS--344 residents of Liverpool with tuberculosis. RESULTS--The rate of tuberculosis was correlated with all measures of poverty, the strongest correlation being with the Jarman index (r = 0.73, p < 0.0001). This link was independent of the high rates of tuberculosis seen in ethnic minorities. CONCLUSION--Tuberculosis remains strongly associated with poverty.


The dominant, individualistic understanding of autonomy that features in clinical practice and research is underpinned by the idea that people are, in their ideal form, independent, self-interested and rational gain-maximising decision-makers. In recent decades, this paradigm has been challenged from various disciplinary and intellectual directions. Proponents of 'relational autonomy' in particular have argued that people's identities, needs, interests – and indeed autonomy – are always also shaped by their relations to others. Yet, despite the pronounced and nuanced critique directed at an individualistic understanding of autonomy, this critique has had very little effect on ethical and legal instruments in clinical practice and research so far. In this article, we use four case studies to explore to what extent, if at all, relational autonomy can provide solutions to ethical and practical problems in clinical practice and research. We conclude that certain forms of relational autonomy can have a tangible and positive impact on clinical practice and research. These solutions leave the ultimate decision to the person most affected, but encourage and facilitate the consideration of this person's care and responsibility for connected others.


Three-dimensional geological modelling and reservoir simulations of an outcrop analogue to reservoirs of the Halten Terrace, offshore mid-Norway, are presented. The model of the outcrop incorporates (a) a detailed sedimentological understanding, (b) a set of stochastic realizations highly-constrained to the geological models and (c) streamline waterflood flow simulations assuming typical subsurface petrophysical properties from the Halten Terrace. Statistical analysis of simulation results has been used to show the importance of both the facies architecture and the spatial petrophysical model. The outcrop model has significantly improved the estimation of facies dimensions and architecture and gives a valuable insight into understanding petroleum reservoirs of the Halten Terrace.


. We tested whether the spatial variation in resource depletion by Tundra Swans ( Cygnus columbianus ) foraging on belowground tubers of sago pondweed ( Potamogeton pectinatus ) was caused by differences in net energy intake rates. The variation in giving-up densities within the confines of one lake was nearly eightfold, the giving-up density being positively related to water depth and, to a lesser extent, the silt content of the sediment. The swans' preference (measured as cumulative foraging pressure) was negatively related to these variables. We adjusted a model developed for diving birds to predict changes in the time allocation of foraging swans with changes in power requirements and harvest rate. First, we compared the behavior of free-living swans foraging in shallow and deep water, where they feed by head-dipping and up-ending, respectively. Up-ending swans had 1.3– 2.1 times longer feeding times than head-dipping swans. This was contrary to our expectation, since the model predicted a decrease in feeding time with an increase in feeding power. However, up-ending swans also had 1.9 times longer trampling times than head-dipping swans. The model predicted a strong positive correlation between trampling time and feeding time, and the longer trampling times may thus have masked any effect of an increase in feeding power. Heart rate measurements showed that trampling was the most energetically costly part of foraging. However, because the feeding time and trampling time changed concurrently, the rate of energy expenditure was only slightly higher in deep water (1.03–1.06 times). This is a conservative estimate since it does not take into account that the feeding costs of up-ending are possibly higher than that of head-dipping. Second, we compared captive swans foraging on sandy and clayey sediments. We found that the harvest rate on clayey sediment was only 0.6 times that on sandy sediment and that the power requirements for foraging were 1.2–1.4 times greater. Our results are in qualitative agreement with the hypothesis that the large spatial variation in giving-up densities was caused by differences in net rates of energy intake. This potentially has important implications for the prey dynamics, because plant regrowth has been shown to be related to the same habitat factors (water depth and sediment type).


A five step algorithm for automatic enhancement of night videos captured by a vehicle mounted camera is presented. The camera has a flash equipment which enables it to capture two almost simultaneous feeds of different exposure levels. As part of the algorithm the two feeds are individually enhanced through the means of tone mapping and noise removal, before being fused together. By filtering both in the spatial and the temporal domain, the noise removal step makes use of the fact that two consecutive frames are expected to show high correlation. The fusion method we present merges the best parts of both video feeds while getting rid of problems such as underor overexposure that might be present in the individual feeds. The target application is automobile safety and therefore a crucial part of the algorithm proposed here deals with enhancing contrast in non-irradiated regions of the video feed. This enables the driver to detect (and react to) potential safety threats as early as possible. The final step of the procedure aims to redistribute the local average intensity level evenly across the video frame. This removes disturbing edge effects originating from (low beam) head lamps and enables the driver to focus on what is important.


In an effort to find a reliable method that could assist clinicians in risk assessment, information in the speech signal has been found to contain characteristic changes associated with high risk suicidal states. This paper addresses the questions of (1) Does information contain in the speech timing-based measures able to discriminate between high risk suicidal (HR) speech from the depressed (DP) speech. (2) How well do speech features, specifically the timing-based measures can predict the ratings from a well-known medical diagnostic tool known as the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD). In the first study, using the leave-one-out procedure as a means to measure a classifier performance for all-data classification revealed a single speech timing-based measure to be a significant discriminator with 79% overall correct leave-one-out classification in male (MR) and female (FR) reading speech from Database A. For male patients, using the trained features on Database A and testing on Database B1 successfully demonstrated up to 100% detection of high risk speech in Database B1. In the second study, the acoustic measurements were shown to effectively predict the HAMD score with less than 5% mean absolute error using only combinations from the timing-based measures and eliminating all spectrum-based measures


Abstract The present study investigates the cross-linguistic differences in the use of so-called T/V forms (e.g. French tu and vous, German du and Sie, Russian ty and vy) in ten European languages from different language families and genera. These constraints represent an elusive object of investigation because they depend on a large number of subtle contextual features and social distinctions, which should be cross-linguistically matched. Film subtitles in different languages offer a convenient solution because the situations of communication between film characters can serve as comparative concepts. I selected more than two hundred contexts that contain the pronouns you and yourself in the original English versions, which are then coded for fifteen contextual variables that describe the Speaker and the Hearer, their relationships and different situational properties. The creators of subtitles in the other languages have to choose between T and V when translating from English, where the T/V distinction is not expressed grammatically. On the basis of these situations translated in ten languages, I perform multivariate analyses using the method of conditional inference trees in order to identify the most relevant contextual variables that constrain the T/V variation in each language.


We propose a self-tunable pseudo-CMOS cell library to address the key challenges of circuit design for flexible electronics. This cell library provides the building blocks for designing complex circuits which are able to operate at a low supply voltage. The circuit reliability is greatly improved by incorporating the post-fabrication tunability into the cells to compensate for the device degradation (e.g., DeltaV TH). Logic gates, such as latches and flip-flops, and larger building blocks, such as shift-registers are, developed to demonstrate the key features and feasibility of this proposed cell library.


Most human cancers are characterized by genomic instability, the accumulation of multiple genetic alterations, and allelic imbalance throughout the genome. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) is a common form of allelic imbalance, and the detection of LOH has been used to identify genomic regions that harbor tumor suppressor genes and to characterize different tumor types, pathological stages and progression. Global patterns of LOH can be discerned by allelotyping of tumors with polymorphic genetic markers. Microsatellites are reliable genetic markers for studying LOH, but typically only a modest number of microsatellites are tested in LOH studies because the genotyping procedure can be laborious. Here we describe the use of a new alternative approach to comprehensive allelotyping in which samples are genotyped for nearly 1500 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci distributed across all human autosomal arms. We examined the pattern of allelic imbalance in human transitional cell carcinomas of the urinary bladder including 36 primary tumors and 1 recurrent tumor with matched normal DNAs. The call rate for all SNPs was 78.5 +/- 1.87% overall samples. Overall, the median number of allelic imbalance was 47.5, ranging from 20 to 118. The mean number of allelic imbalances was 36.58, 51.30, and 67.78 for pT(a), pT(1), and > or =pT(2), respectively, and also increased by grade. The SNP microarray analysis result was validated by comparison with microsatellite allelotype analysis of 118 markers in the same tumors. Overall, the two methods produced consistent loss patterns at informative loci. The SNP assay discovered previously undiscovered allelic imbalances at chromosomal arms 12q, 16p, 1p, and 2q. The detection of LOH and other chromosomal changes using large numbers of SNP markers should enable rapid and accurate identification of allelic imbalance patterns that will facilitate the mapping and identification of important cancer genes. Moreover, SNP analysis raises the possibility of individual tumor genome-wide allelotyping with potential prognostic and diagnostic applications.


Green liquor, starting with sludge removal and ending with white liquor separation, has been investigated from a recovery boiler and a state-of-the-art gasification unit using the same black liquor for the two processes. This has been possible due to the co-location of a demonstration-sized pressurized gasification unit and a recovery boiler. Tests were performed under varying conditions in the gasifier while the conditions in the recovery boiler were assumed constant. Our investigation shows that the separation properties of green liquor sludge after a gasifier are almost similar to the separation properties after a recovery boiler. It is clear that the total load of reburned lime mud increases in the case of a gasifier, but the total concentration of the produced white liquor equals mill demand (i.e. is the same as recovery boiler produced white liquor). It was also found that causticizing efficiency was not affected by the increased load of reburned lime mud and the changed composition in the gasifier produced green liquor. Therefore, it can be concluded that the formation of sodium hydroxide in the white liquor produced from an entrained flow gasifier will not be limited by the existing process technology.


The objective was to evaluate the effects of cranberry on blood and urinary parameters of dogs (experiment I), digestibility of nutrients (experiment II), palatability of diet (experiment III) and the influence of cranberry on E. coli UPEC-MRHA fimbriae in vitro (experiment IV). For experiment I and II, ten dogs were fed with diets containing 0% or 0.4% cranberry for 30 days. Experiment III compared the diets containing 0% and 0.4% cranberry using 16 adult dogs. There were no statistical differences (P>0.05) in the blood parameters evaluated. Dogs consuming cranberry presented lighter color and appearance of urine, compared to the control group (P<0.05). The diet containing cranberry showed higher digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, ether extract, higher metabolizable energy (P<0.05) and reduced fecal sialic acid concentration (P<0.05) compared to the control diet. There was no influence of cranberry on the formation of fimbriae of E. coli UPEC-MRHA. There was a lower intake ratio of the diet containing cranberry (P<0.05). The inclusion of 0.4% cranberry increases the digestibility of nutrients and influences the color and appearance of urine of dogs. However, it reduces diet palatability and does not alter the adhesion of E. coli UPEC-MRHA in vitro


This paper reviews the use of acoustic telemetry as a tool for addressing issues in fisheries management, and serves as the lead to the special Feature Issue of Ecological Applications titled Acoustic Telemetry and Fisheries Management. Specifically, we provide an overview of the ways in which acoustic telemetry can be used to inform issues central to the ecology, conservation, and management of exploited and/or imperiled fish species. Despite great strides in this area in recent years, there are comparatively few examples where data have been applied directly to influence fisheries management and policy. We review the literature on this issue, identify the strengths and weaknesses of work done to date, and highlight knowledge gaps and difficulties in applying empirical fish telemetry studies to fisheries policy and practice. We then highlight the key areas of management and policy addressed, as well as the challenges that needed to be overcome to do this. We conclude with a set of recommendations about how researchers can, in consultation with stock assessment scientists and managers, formulate testable scientific questions to address and design future studies to generate data that can be used in a meaningful way by fisheries management and conservation practitioners. We also urge the involvement of relevant stakeholders (managers, fishers, conservation societies, etc.) early on in the process (i.e., in the co-creation of research projects), so that all priority questions and issues can be addressed effectively.


Inter-Religious dialogue usually involves the exploration of various issues by people of similar hierarchical standing within different religious structures and is based upon spirituality and religious texts and scriptures to inform discussion. This paper explores the concept of 'lived faith' as a means to engage people of different faith backgrounds in conversations around contemporary contentious issues within the city of Birmingham, UK, which were termed the 'Birmingham Conversations'. The paper outlines the evaluative research methodology of 'conversation' development and the use of 'lived faith' as a concept around which to base the various discussions and conversations. The paper suggests that this method of engaging participants in discussions around conflict issues enabled participants of asymmetrical hierarchical positions within faith organisations to be present and contribute meaningfully and significantly. It also outlines the potential for 'lived faith' as an important tool for providing 'safe space' for contentious issues to be aired and greater understanding to be developed between people of different faith backgrounds in a globalised UK city.


This study focused on the effect of different BW in moulted brown laying hens (Isa-brown) on egg yield and quality during second production cycle. A total of 240 hens after the completion of first production cycle were classified into 4 BW groups; Light (L; 1529-1823 g), Mid-light (ML; 1824-1977 g), Mid-heavy (MH; 1990-2120 g) and Heavy (H; 2124-2797). Groups were consisted of 6 replications and in each replication there were 10 hens reared in individual cages. Moult was induced by feeding hens a commercial compound feed containing high levels of added Zn (15,000 ppm) as Zn oxide during the first 10 days, and following 40 days they were fed laying diet (17% crude protein and 2700 kcal ME/kg; 75 g/day). At the end of moulting period, BW loss was higher (P<0.01) in hens in MH (%17.30) and H (18.42%) groups compared to those in L (11.41%) and ML (11.42%) groups. In second production cycle (147 days), no differences were found among groups in terms of egg yields, but the peak yield of the H hens did not reach those of other groups (P< 0.05). Egg weight of L hens (69.5 g) was lower (P<0.05) than that of ML (70.8 g), MH (71.9 g) and H (71.9 g) hens. Heavy groups had higher feed consumption (P<0.01) and feed conversion ratio (P<0.05) compared to light groups. These results show that mid-light BW of flock prior to molting result in better egg weight, feed consumption and feed conversion ratio in the second production cycle.


ABSTRACT Introduction: Oral mucositis is a significant unmet clinical need for many cancer patients. The biological complexity of mucositis' pathogenesis provides a number of mechanistic targets suitable as pharmacologic targets. The diversity of targets has stimulated drug development in search of an effective intervention. In this paper, we review a range of agents that are currently being evaluated. Areas covered: Drugs for management of oral mucositis vary in formulation, route of administration and biological target. Most propose to interrupt the initiation of injury by suppressing activation of the innate immune response or countering oxidative stress, or minimizing downstream inflammatory responses. Overwhelmingly, the population most studied is patients being treated with concomitant chemoradiation for cancers of the head and neck as this is the cohort that most consistently suffers severe mucositis for long periods of time. The Phase 2 pipeline is robust. Preliminary data reported for a number of agents is optimistic. Genomics may be important in interpreting and comparing responses to agents across widely demographically diverse populations. Expert opinion: Oral mucositis remains a significant toxicity for patients undergoing cancer treatment. Incremental reports of successes have been noted for a number of targeted agents.


The book analyzes the multifarious exchange of algorithmic technologies and concepts between the military and the media industry from the early 1990s until now. Unlike most related scholarly work which focuses on digital games, it drafts a model of programmable media which is grounded in a closereading of the key technologies, most notably the paradigm of object-oriented programming, and reconsiders technical disciplines from a humanities perspective. This model is then applied to analyze the effects of algorithmic logic on the military-civilian continuum, including economic practices, patterns of media usage and military decision-making.


. Efficient distant cooperation often requires spontaneous ad-hoc social interaction, which is only possible with adequate information on the prospective communication partner. This often requires disclosing and sharing personal information via tools such as instant messaging systems and can conflict with the users' wishes for privacy. In this paper we present an initial study investigating this trade-off and discuss implications for the design of instant messaging systems. We present the functionality and design of the PRIMIFaces instant messaging prototype supporting flexible identity management and selective information disclosure.


Publisher: FedOA - Federico II University Press.
Series: Gender, Science & Society
Pages: 168.
Language: Italian.
NBN: http://nbn.depositolegale.it/urn:nbn:it:unina-22040
Abstract: The volume is an original contribution to the debate on interventions in favour of gender equality in universities and in research. The book presents the results of the research-action carried out together with the experimentation of the pilot mentoring program, within the European project GENOVATE@UNINA. By establishing a dialogue with the latest European researches - developed in the cultural context and in the framework for structural change interventions, promoted through the Seventh Framework Program and Horizon 2020 – this work assumes, as an interpretative framework, the processes of global change that involve the settings of the scientific-academic system. The discussion develops along a linear pathway, moving from the debate on gender equality policies, it leads to the design of the mentoring pilot scheme (the first one to be exclusively women addressed, in the Italian universities) and, therefore, the research that has accompanied the project on its path is also described.
The interpretation of results, supported by biographical-narrative interviews on career paths and focus groups with mentors and mentees, reveals through which practices and processes are produced and reproduced gender inequalities in academia and research.
Using the tools of the survey, these results have been analysed in order to reconstruct the mentoring functioning as a gender practice capable of de-construct processes that produce inequality and produce transformational effects of the scientific-academic context.


In Bilski v. Kappos, the Supreme Court affirmed the PTO's rejection of a number of patent claims under the patent-eligibility provision of section 101 of the Patent Act. Bilski positions the abstract-ideas doctrine as the primary gatekeeper of patent eligibility for many types of claims, but it teaches the patent community almost nothing about what constitutes an unpatentable abstract idea. This Article outlines one strategy for doing what the Supreme Court chose not to do, namely giving meaningful content to the exclusion of abstract ideas from patent eligibility. Conventionally, the principal problem with the abstract-ideas doctrine of section 101 is understood to be vagueness: abstraction is a continuous variable, and the dividing line that differentiates unpatentable abstractions from patentable applications is known to be difficult to identify with precision. While vagueness is a real issue, this Article argues that there is a more fundamental problem that must be addressed prior to vagueness. The phrase "an unpatentable abstract idea" is multiply ambiguous, as the phrase invokes entirely different concepts in different situations. Examining Supreme Court and Federal Circuit precedent prior to Bilski, this Article argues that "an unpatentable abstract idea" means four different things in four different contexts, and it thereby identifies four distinct types of unpatentable abstract ideas that may merit different treatment under the doctrine of patent eligibility for different policy reasons.


The "temperature-phased anaerobic biofilter" or TPAB process (U.S. Patent pending), is a new high-rate anaerobic treatment system that includes a thermophilic (56°C) biofilter connected in series with a mesophilic (35°C) biofilter providing for two-temperature, two-phase treatment.

Three TPAB systems of different thermophilic:mesophilic reactor size ratios were operated at system HRTs of 24 hrs, 36 hrs, and 48 hrs to characterize performance and to determine if an optimum size ratio exists between the thermophilic and mesophilic phases. The three TPAB systems achieved SCOD reductions in excess of 97% and TCOD reductions in excess of 90% for a synthetic milk substrate over a range of system COD loadings from 2 g COD/L/day to 16 g COD/L/day. There was little difference in performance between the three TPAB systems based on COD reduction and methane production. The 1:7 ratio of thermophilic:mesophilic phase TPAB system performed as well as the 1:3 and 1:1 size ratio TPAB systems. In applications of the process, a relatively small thermophilic first-phase can be used without sacrificing overall two-phase system performance.

The TPAB process is a promising new anaerobic treatment technology with the ability to achieve higher efficiencies of organic removals than is generally possible for single-stage anaerobic filter systems operated at equivalent HRTs and organic loadings.


We developed high-density microfluidic chips that contain plumbing networks with thousands of micromechanical valves and hundreds of individually addressable chambers. These fluidic devices are analogous to electronic integrated circuits fabricated using large-scale integration. A key component of these networks is the fluidic multiplexor, which is a combinatorial array of binary valve patterns that exponentially increases the processing power of a network by allowing complex fluid manipulations with a minimal number of inputs. We used these integrated microfluidic networks to construct the microfluidic analog of a comparator array and a microfluidic memory storage device whose behavior resembles random-access memory.


ABSTRACT The freshwater mussel fauna of the Barren River system in Kentucky is well documented, but information on mussel occurrence in the Tennessee portion of the system was lacking. We conducted mussel surveys at 56 sites in 22 streams in the Barren River system in Tennessee. We found six species at 14 sites: Alasmidonta viridis (Slippershell), Fusconaia flava (Wabash Pigtoe), Lampsilis cardium (Plain Pocketbook), Lampsilis siliquoidea (Fatmucket), Pyganodon grandis (Giant Floater), and Villosa ortmanni (Kentucky Creekshell). Our records of V. ortmanni are the first reports of this species from Tennessee, and our records of L. siliquoidea considerably expand the known range of that species in the state. We found live or freshly dead V. ortmanni at five sites, and at least two sites supported relatively large populations with evidence of recent recruitment. These observations represent important information for the conservation of this imperiled species. Overall, mussel populations in the Barren River system of Tennessee were small and scattered, which may be due, in part, to the lower mussel abundance typical of headwater streams. However, the occurrence of widespread mussel declines in this region suggests that human factors may have further reduced mussel abundance.


The purpose of this study was to assess quantitatively the role of the small GTPase Rho on cell morphology, f-actin organization, and cell-induced matrix remodeling in 3D culture. Human corneal fibroblasts (HTK) were infected with adenoviruses that express green fluorescent protein (GFP) or GFP-N19Rho (dominant negative Rho). One day later cells were plated inside collagen matrices and allowed to spread for 24 h. Cells were fixed and stained for f-actin. Fluorescent (for f-actin) and reflected light (for collagen fibrils) images were acquired using confocal microscopy. Fourier transform analysis was used to assess local collagen fibril alignment, and changes in cell morphology and collagen density were measured using MetaMorph. The decrease in matrix height was used as an indicator of global matrix contraction. HTK and HTK-GFP cells induced significant global matrix contraction; this was inhibited by N19Rho. HTK and HTK-GFP fibroblasts generally had a bipolar morphology and occasional intracellular stress fibers. Collagen fibrils were compacted and aligned parallel to stress fibers and pseudopodia. In contrast, HTK-GFPN19 cells were elongated, and had a more cortical f-actin distribution. Numerous small extensions were also observed along the cell body. In addition, both local collagen fibril density and alignment were significantly reduced. Rho plays a key role in regulating both the morphology and mechanical behavior of corneal fibroblasts in 3D culture. Overall, the data suggest that Rho-kinase dependent cell contractility contributes to global and local matrix remodeling, whereas Rho dependent activation of mDia and/ or other downstream effectors regulates the structure and number of cell processes. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 64:434‐445, 2007. ' 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.


NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase is believed to catalyze at least 3 distinct chemical reactions, to be inhibited allosterically by folate and to be inhibited in a concerted manner by mixtures of glyoxalate and oxaloacetate. Modification of the enzyme from pig heart mitochondria by various chemical reagents and X-irradiation has been used to attempt to differentiate between the sites responsible for the five apparent enzymic functions. Consistent with the views of other workers, the present results suggest that the 3 catalytic activities involve overlapping active sites with a sulfhydryl group in the region of total overlap. Furthermore, the site or sites involved in binding the inhibitors for the concerted inhibition seem separate from the catalytic sites, suggesting that this is an allosteric inhibition. The alleged allosteric inhibition of the enzyme by folate has been examined and suggested to be a non-specific effect without regulatory significance. -- Evidence is also given suggesting that like the pig liver cytosol enzyme, the pig heart mitochondrial enzyme can catalyze the NADPH linked reduction of oxaloacetate. However, this activity is very low relative to the isocitrate dehydrogenase activity. -- Sulfhydryl or methionine modification can cause inactivation of the enzyme. However, sulfhydryl modification seemed sufficient to explain the inactivation of the enzyme upon X-irradiation. The yields (G-values) for inactivation of the enzyme and for destruction of the 4 most radiosensitive sulfhydryl groups were 0.5 and 2.0 respectively, suggesting that isocitrate dehydrogenase is quite a radiosensitive enzyme possessing some of the most radiosensitive of enzyme sulfhydryl groups. The high chemical reactivity of these groups was further implied by the high sensitivity of the enzyme to various sulfhydryl reagents. Unlike most allosteric enzymes, the regulatory properties of isocitrate dehydrogenase were not more radiosensitive than the catalytic properties. -- The results are discussed in terms of the binding site for the inhibitors. A possible regulatory role for the concerted inhibition is suggested and the significance of this in terms of mitochondrial isocitrate oxidation is discussed.


Background An increasing number of patients addicted to opium are experiencing awareness during coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) as a result of tolerance to anesthetics. Objectives This research was primarily intended to determine the potential diminishing effects of moderate hypothermia on anesthetic dosage and recall of anesthesia during the procedure. Methods In this double-blind randomized controlled trial, a total of 80 CABG candidates with known addiction to opium were divided into two groups: one normothermic (N) and the other moderately hypothermic (H), both undergoing induction as well as close monitoring from September 2014 to January 2016. The candidates were initially set for a target bispectral index (BIS) score of between 40 and 60. As the score rose to 60, an additional dose of propofol was administered, alongside rise in blood pressure and tear-shedding. To enhance the accuracy of our evaluation of anesthetic depth, we also used two questionnaires to test candidates' recall filled with the assistance of a colleague 24 hours following surgery. Independent-samples t-test and chi-square test were used by SPSS v 18 for data analysis. Results Eighty patients were studied in two groups of normothermic (N) (n = 40) and hypothermic (H) (n = 40). Given similar demographic data as well as the duration of surgery, we arrived at a propofol dose of 122.52±13.11 cc for normothermic patients and 101.28±14.06 cc for hypothermic subjects (p=0.001). As for fentanyl, the total required sum came up to 39.60±21.04 cc and 31.72±5.81 cc for the above-mentioned groups in order (p=0.025). Moreover, the post-operative interview showed that there was no report of a patient with memory recall following surgery. Conclusions Moderate hypothermia can substantially reduce the need for anesthetics in patients with addiction to opium when undergoing CABG surgery. Trial registration This study is registered in Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials with registration number of IRCT2014050513159N5. Funding This research was supported financially by the Research Council of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (grant number 920405).