BackgroundCarba mix (CM) contains 3 chemicals used as accelerators in manufacturing of rubber products and agricultural chemicals. Iodopropynyl butylcarbamate (IPBC) is a preservative used in industrial and personal care products. Potential cross-reactivity between these allergens is unclear. ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine concomitant reaction rates between CM (3% petrolatum [pet]) and IPBC (0.1% pet and/or 0.5% pet). DesignA retrospective cross-sectional analysis of data from the North American Contact Dermatitis Group from 1998 to 2008 was conducted. Frequencies of positive reactions, strength of reactions, and concomitant reaction rates were calculated. ResultsA total of 25,435 patients were tested. There were 1131 allergic reactions to CM and 346 positive reactions to IPBC (either 0.1% pet and/or 0.5% pet). Fifty-two patients reacted to both allergens. Most reactions (>69%) were doubtful/weakly positive, and of those who reacted to both, most (58%) had doubtful and/or weakly positive reactions. There was a statistically significant association of concomitant reactions between CM and IPBC; formaldehyde positivity was used as control and showed statistically significant concomitant reactions. ConclusionsOverall, concomitant reactions to CM and IPBC were low, and rates varied by strength of reaction. True cross-reactivity is unlikely; statistical association is likely due to frequent low-grade reactions to irritant patch test preparations.


A portable instrument incorporates both mass spectrometry and dew point measurement to provide real-time, quantitative gas measurements of helium, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide, along with real-time, quantitative moisture analysis. The Portable Dew Point Mass Spectrometry (PDP-MS) system comprises a single quadrupole mass spectrometer and a high vacuum system consisting of a turbopump and a diaphragm-backing pump. A capacitive membrane dew point sensor was placed upstream of the MS, but still within the pressure-flow control pneumatic region. Pressure-flow control was achieved with an upstream precision metering valve, a capacitance diaphragm gauge, and a downstream mass flow controller. User configurable LabVIEW software was developed to provide real-time concentration data for the MS, dew point monitor, and sample delivery system pressure control, pressure and flow monitoring, and recording. The system has been designed to include in situ, NIST-traceable calibration. Certain sample tubing retains sufficient water that even if the sample is dry, the sample tube will desorb water to an amount resulting in moisture concentration errors up to 500 ppm for as long as 10 minutes. It was determined that Bev-A-Line IV was the best sample line to use. As a result of this issue, it is prudent to add a high-level humidity sensor to PDP-MS so such events can be prevented in the future.


This paper reports the investigation of complex deformation trends observed in unbound aggregate layers of airport pavements and caused by traffic loading with wander, as seen in the flexible pavement sections at FAA's National Airport Pavement Test Facility. A discrete element modeling (DEM) approach was adopted to enable realistic movements (i.e., sliding, rotating, and shifting positions of individual particles in the unbound aggregate layer in response to offset wheel loads). The first DEM simulation involving a single rigid plate pushed into an assembly of generated unbound particles found that the particles moved downward and laterally from under the plate load. The lateral movement caused upward movement of particles adjacent to the plate. The DEM simulations of traffic wander involving three plates, with each plate loaded sequentially, found that the particles were forced back under the previously loaded plate due to the application of the next offset load, which caused upheaval of the first plate. Comparison of the single- and multiple-plate tests showed that wander resulted in less rutting under the middle plate over a 30-repetition test sequence due to the upheavals caused by offset loads. However, when the number of loads applied on the middle plate only (i.e., traffic coverage) was taken into account, similar rutting was observed due to both traffic wander and channelized loading. In the DEM simulations, wander caused substantially more particle rearrangement and movement, which could result in greater deformation upon further loading due to higher rutting rates and associated material degradation.


Background Prevention of superficial surgical wound infections from drug-resistant bacteria such as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) currently present major health care challenges. The majority of surgical site infections (SSI) are believed to be caused by airborne transmission of bacteria alighting onto the wound during surgical procedures. We have previously shown that far-ultraviolet C light in the wavelength range of 207–222 nm is significantly harmful to bacteria, but without damaging mammalian cells and tissues. It is important that the lamp be fitted with a filter to remove light emitted at wavelengths longer than 230 nm which are harmful. Aims Using a hairless mouse model of infection of superficial wounds, here we tested the hypothesis that 222-nm light kills MRSA alighting onto a superficial skin incisions as efficiently as typical germicidal light (254 nm), but without inducing skin damage. Methods To simulate the scenario wherein incisions are infected during surgical procedures as pathogens in the room alight on a wound, MRSA was spread on a defined area of the mouse dorsal skin; the infected skin was then exposed to UVC light (222 nm or 254 nm) followed by a superficial incision within the defined area, which was immediately sutured. Two and seven days post procedure, bactericidal efficacy was measured as MRSA colony formation unit (CFU) per gram of harvested skin whereas fixed samples were used to assess skin damage measured in terms of epidermal thickness and DNA photodamage. Results In the circumstance of superficial incisions infected with bacteria alighting onto the wound, 222-nm light showed the same bactericidal properties of 254-nm light but without the associated skin damage. Conclusions Being safe for patient and hospital staff, our results suggested that far-UVC light (222 nm) might be a convenient approach to prevent transmission of drug-resistant infectious agents in the clinical setting.


Biased codon usage in protein-coding genes is pervasive, whereby amino acids are largely encoded by a specific subset of possible codons. Within individual genes, codon bias is stronger at evolutionarily conserved residues, favoring codons recognized by abundant tRNAs. Although this observation suggests an overall pattern of selection for translation speed and/or accuracy, other work indicates that transcript structure or binding motifs drive codon usage. However, our understanding of codon bias evolution is constrained by limited experimental data on the fitness effects of altering codons in functional genes. To bridge this gap, we generated synonymous variants of a key enzyme-coding gene in Methylobacterium extorquens. We found that mutant gene expression, enzyme production, enzyme activity, and fitness were all significantly lower than wild-type. Surprisingly, encoding the gene using only rare codons decreased fitness by 40%, whereas an allele coded entirely by frequent codons decreased fitness by more than 90%. Increasing gene expression restored mutant fitness to varying degrees, demonstrating that the fitness disadvantage of synonymous mutants arose from a lack of beneficial protein rather than costs of protein production. Protein production was negatively correlated with the frequency of motifs with high affinity for the anti-Shine-Dalgarno sequence, suggesting ribosome pausing as the dominant cause of low mutant fitness. Together, our data support the idea that, although a particular set of codons are favored on average across a genome, in an individual gene selection can either act for or against codons depending on their local context.


PURPOSE
To evaluate whether 6 mm-long by 4 mm-wide dental implants could be an alternative to at least 10 mm-long implants placed in bone augmented with bone substitutes in posterior atrophic jaws.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Twenty patients with bilateral atrophic mandibles and 20 patients with bilateral atrophic maxillae, having 5 to 7 mm of bone height above the mandibular canal or below the maxillary sinus, were randomised according to a split-mouth design to receive one to three 6 mm-long and 4 mm-wide implants or at least 10-mm long implants in augmented bone at two centres. Mandibles were vertically augmented with interpositional equine bone blocks and resorbable barriers, and implants were placed after 3 months. Maxillary sinuses were augmented with particulated porcine bone via a lateral window and implants were placed simultaneously. All implants were submerged and loaded, after 4 months, with provisional prostheses. Four months later, definitive screw-retained metal-ceramic prostheses were delivered. Outcome measures were prosthesis and implant failures, any complication, time needed to fully recover mental nerve function (only for mandibular implants) and patient preference.

RESULTS
All screened patients had sufficient bone width to support 4 mm-diameter implants. Patients were followed up to 5 months post-loading and none dropped out. There were no statistically significant differences in graft, implant or prosthesis failures, though significantly more intra- and postoperative complications occurred at grafted sites. Fourteen complications occurred in 12 patients at augmented sites versus none at short implants. All complications occurred before loading. Three complications were associated with the failure of the mandibular grafts (15%), determining the failures of 3 implants in one patient and 2 prostheses could not be delivered. One patient was re-grafted and 2 patients received short implants instead. Apart from those complications associated with graft failures, there were 4 perforations of the sinus membrane during sinus lifting and 7 temporary lower lip paraesthesiae lasting up to 4 days with no long-term consequences for the patients. All maxillary implants and prostheses were successful. All 20 patients treated with mandibular implants and 15 patients treated with maxillary implants preferred short implants, whereas 5 patients treated with maxillary implants described both procedures as equally acceptable. These differences were statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS
Short-term data (5 months after loading) indicate that 6 mm-long implants with a conventional diameter of 4 mm achieved similar if not better results than longer implants placed in augmented bone. Short implants might be a preferable choice to bone augmentation, especially in posterior mandibles since the treatment is faster, cheaper and associated with less morbidity. However, 5- to 10-year post-loading data are necessary before making reliable recommendations.


Laser oscillation in Nd:MgO:LiNbO3 has been demonstrated. Thresholds as low as 3.6 mW and slope efficiencies up to 39% were achieved in a resonantly pumped miniature device. The electro-optical and nonlinear-optical properties of the host were also used to make active internal Q-switched and self-frequency-doubled lasers. Photorefractive damage is shown to be greatly suppressed compared with that for non-MgO-doped material. Absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra, and lifetime measurements are also reported.


This position paper introduces the project ISSI — Citizen Centric Public Service in Sparsely Populated Areas. In the project we are applying the citizen value model, to improve interaction between citizens and municipal authorities as well as within and between municipal authorities, aiming at a major improvement of the level of service for citizens and SMEs in the sparsely populated northern municipality of Örnsköldsvik. The project applies an adaptable and scalable comprehensive e-service model focusing on multi-functionality and cross-sector services — a new up-and running modular infrastructure for e-services The model is based on social media, an on-line community InneLandet, www.innelandet.se, driven by a private-public partnership, that will successively take over the project. Core concerns are individual and organizational participation, e-service literacy, citizen — authority dialogue, activity and flexibility — a new tool for implementing co-design as the next step in e-democracy. A special concern now is to increase the number of users in a higher pace


The current mortgage foreclosure crisis, coupled with the country's economic downturn and escalating consumer costs, have combined to place a crippling burden on the nation's bankruptcy system. During difficult economic times such as this, it is imperative that the bankruptcy system operate efficiently, as it provides a social safety net for both consumers and businesses. Unfortunately, there are many issues of statutory interpretation left unanswered in the Bankruptcy Code, and these issues have placed an increased burden on the country's bankruptcy courts. This Article seeks to resolve one thorny issue of statutory interpretation: the treatment of attorneys' fees in bankruptcy. The Supreme Court's landmark decision, Lamie v. United States Trustee held that debtors' attorneys' fees are not entitled to priority treatment in bankruptcy. In the aftermath of Lamie, courts have struggled to apply its holding to a host of scenarios left unresolved by the Court's decision. This Article attempts to create a new method for approaching the priority of attorneys' fees in bankruptcy. It criticizes Lamie for not going far enough toward resolving the attorneys' fees issue, and proposes a statutory amendment to the Bankruptcy Code that will harmonize the interests of both creditors and debtors who are seeking bankruptcy protection during these difficult economic times.


This paper examines the impact of weather conditions on pipe failure in water distribution networks using artificial neural network (ANN) and evolutionary polynomial regression (EPR). A number of weather-related factors over 4 consecutive days are the input of the binary ANN model while the output is the occurrence or not of at least a failure during the following 2 days. The model is able to correctly distinguish the majority (87%) of the days with failure(s). The EPR is employed to predict the annual number of failures. Initially, the network is divided into six clusters based on pipe diameter and age. The last year of the monitoring period is used for testing while the remaining years since the beginning are retained for model development. An EPR model is developed for each cluster based on the relevant training data. The results indicate a strong relationship between the annual number of failures and frequency and intensity of low temperatures. The outputs from the EPR models are used to calculate the failures of the homogenous groups within each cluster proportionally to their length.


NOVELTY - The electronic display (2) includes a number of cells (12) whose upper faces form a display surface, each cell has an electro-optic display unit (6) with inputs (14) for data to be displayed. A programmable logic circuit (20) is associated with first electrical connections (24,26;25,27) to the display unit and to the inputs. Second electrical connections (34) area provided for other logic circuits belonging to the neighboring cells. USE - For electronic displays. ADVANTAGE - Designed to for a wide range of applications with freedom to define data input zones, display configuration can be varied to evolve as a function of users requirements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION - The cells are formed from a first assembly of internal cells and a second assembly of external cells defining rows of cells at the edges of the display. The assembly of internal cells have identical display units, with identical inputs or equivalent operation functions with identical logic circuits. The display unit (6) of each internal cell has N sides, N being a whole number greater than 2. The corresponding logic circuit is connected by the second connections to the N respective logic circuits of the N adjacent cells whose display units each have a side facing one of the N sides. The cells are spread over several distinct modules each including at least a cell. The modules are assembled and electrically connected to form the display surface. An INDEPENDENT CLAIM is also included for a display module.


The "history" of this fourth edition of Anderson's Unfolding drama of the Bible goes back to a Religion in Life Program presented at Bucknell University in 1952. Although the author indicates that the contents has since been updated, one nevertheless tends to approach a book some fifty-five years post its origin, with a great deal of skepticism, especially with regard to the Bible and Biblical scholarship. Further reservations are raised when the author dismisses the so-called "classroom academic" study of the Bible right at the outset and opts for an approach that attempts "to stand within the Bible and to look out at the world through the window of biblical faith" (p 10).


The present situation in the Russian forest sector, with a harvest less than one fifth of the annual allowable cut, cannot be attributed to the physical world. The country has an abundant resource, which is poorly utilized. This paper seeks an explanation for this tendency by sampling the experiences of individual actors within the sector. It can be established that there is a major lack of trust between the actors involved in the Russian forest sector. Violation of selling agreements leads to a demand by actors for advance payments in order to safeguard their interests. Based upon a verified hypothesis, it is argued that, although partially a historical residue, trust can be established between actors with diverging self-interests. Conclusively, it is assumed that the actors of the industry themselves must participate in the establishment of trust, while the role of political institutions, such as the state, should be to provide the legal instruments necessary to protect the individual actor's own right to pursue his self-interest, in brief, to provide the constituents of a democratic system that can promote economic development.


Pinellia ternata is an important traditional Chinese medicinal plant. The growth of P. ternata is sensitive to high temperatures. To gain a better understanding of heat stress responses in P. ternata, we performed a comparative proteomic analysis. P. ternata seedlings were subjected to a temperature of 38 °C and samples were collected 24 h after treatment. Increased relative ion leakage and lipid peroxidation suggested that oxidative stress was frequently generated in rice leaves exposed to high temperature. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) was used to analyze heat-responsive proteins. More than 600 protein spots were reproducibly detected on each gel; of these spots, 20 were up-regulated, and 7 were down-regulated. A total of 24 proteins and protein species were successfully identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS. These proteins and protein species were found to be primarily small heat shock proteins (58%) as well as proteins involved in RNA processing (17%), photosynthesis (13%), chlorophyll biosynthetic processes (4%), protein degradation (4%) and defense (4%). Using 2-DE Western blot analysis, we confirmed the identities of the cytosolic class II small heat shock protein (sHSPs-CII) identified by MS. The expression levels of four different proteins [cytosolic class I small heat shock protein (sHSPs-CI), sHSPs-CII, mitochondrial small heat shock protein (sHSPs-MIT), glycine-rich RNA-binding protein (GRP)] were analyzed at the transcriptional level by quantitative real-time PCR. The mRNA levels of three sHSPs correlated with the corresponding protein levels. However, GRP was down-regulated at the beginning of heat stress but then increased substantially to reach a peak after 24 h of heat stress. Our study provides valuable new insight into the responses of P. ternata to heat stress.


There is enough land in the Amazon region to satisfy Brazilian society's demands for economic development, environmental management of a resource base of global importance and the challenges of agrarian reform. Yet Brazil has been unable to create a fully coherent and manageable land policy and administration system for the region which permits sustainable development goals to be achieved while reconciling special interests and uses. Instead, resource waste, private appropriation of the public domain and social conflict characterize land relations in the region. As the region becomes increasingly accessible for a variety of economic activities, and more central to Brazil's economy, the resolution of the land questions looms large as a foundational element for reconciling and ordering economic development, resource management and social priorities. Conclusion: the technical requirements to support land regularization are of a manageable scale and would require a complete geo-referencing of each parcel of land in the region, matched one-to-one with the property's entry in the land registry (cartorio).


The purpose of the present study is to determine elementary school 6th grade students' attitudes towards technology and their opinions about teaching science and technology course through interactive whiteboard (IWB). Technology attitude scale developed by Yurdugul and Askar was used to determine students' attitudes towards technology and an interview protocol including one openended question was used to elicit students' opinions about teaching science and technology course through IWB. According to findings of the study, while there is no significant relationship between the gender variable and their attitudes towards technology, there is a significant difference favoring the male students in relation to tendency towards technology and technology for everyone, and a significant difference favoring the female students in relation to negative aspects of technology. Moreover, the students stated that they learn the topics better when IWB is used in teaching science and technology course, they feel more motivated and visualizations help them to understand better.


Ceramic thermal barrier coatings are used for thermal insulation in gas turbines to protect metallic components from high-temperature degradation. The ceramic coating may, due to its different coefficient of thermal expansion, crack and spall off the metallic component, thus rendering the component unprotected against high-temperature. Thermal cycling rigs of various designs are used to evaluate the durability of thermal barrier coatings. The present paper reports the result from a round robin test including three thermal cycling rigs at different locations. To better understand the influence of rig design on the thermal cyclic lives of thermal barrier coatings, some test parameters, such as the material of the specimen table and the cooling rate, were varied in one of the rigs. Furthermore, two different specimen geometries, rectangular and disc-shaped, were tested. The specimen table material was found to greatly influence the cooling rate of the specimens, more so than variations in the cooling airflow. The rectangular specimens were found to be more sensitive to test setup than the disc-shaped specimens; under certain conditions, the rectangular specimens could be made to fracture from the long side, rather than the short side of the specimen edge, which shortened the thermal cyclic life of the coatings.


Introduction Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) carries prenatal and perinatal risk for the mother and her offspring as well as longer-term risks for both the mother (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease) and her child (obesity, type 2 diabetes). Compared with women without GDM, women with GDM are twice as likely to develop perinatal or postpartum depression. Lifestyle interventions for GDM are generally limited to physical activity and/or nutrition, often focus separately on the mother or the child and take place either during or after pregnancy, while their results are inconsistent. To increase efficacy of intervention, the multifactorial origins of GDM and the tight link between mental and metabolic as well as maternal and child health need to be heeded. This calls for an interdisciplinary transgenerational approach starting in, but continuing beyond pregnancy. Methods and analysis This randomised controlled trial will assess the effect of a multidimensional interdisciplinary lifestyle and psychosocial intervention aimed at improving the metabolic and mental health of 200 women with GDM and their offspring. Women with GDM at 24–32 weeks gestational age who understand French or English, and their offspring and partners can participate. The intervention components will be delivered on top of usual care during pregnancy and the first year postpartum. Metabolic and mental health outcomes will be measured at 24–32 weeks of pregnancy, shortly after birth and at 6–8 weeks and 1 year after childbirth. Data will be analysed using intention-to-treat analyses. The MySweetHeart Trial is linked to the MySweetHeart Cohort (clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02872974). Ethics and dissemination We will disseminate the findings through regional, national and international conferences and through peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration number NCT02890693; Pre-results.


This study examines if and under which conditions corporate sustainability performance is reflected in bank loan prices. By taking the sustainability performance of the lending bank into account, I show that borrowers with strong sustainability performance pay lower loan spreads than borrowers with weak sustainability performance, however only when the lending bank exhibits strong sustainability performance. The findings hold across various methodological approaches including sample splits, interaction effects, propensity score matching, within-firm and within-bank differences and while controlling for a wide range of possible confounding effects. The setting allows for a novel analysis of differences within the same borrowers across different banks as well as banks with different borrowers. I discuss three explanatory mechanisms for the relationship: improved credit risk, increase in trust due to similarity between banks and borrowers, and reputation risk. The study reveals that the relationship between sustainability performance and loan prices is driven by a premium in loan spreads for borrowers with weak sustainability performance, rather than a spread discount for strong sustainability performance. I document that the results are not driven by measurement error or selection of borrowers to banks. Consistent with the notion that the availability of sustainability information and scrutiny have been increasing, the results of this study reveal that the relationship between borrower sustainability performance and loan pricing is stronger in more recent years


E-textiles are a promising platform for wearable technologies; but it faces the ubiquitous challenge of supplying power. One approach is to harvest ambient solar energy. Here, we present a fully solution processed organic solar cell (OSC) fabricated directly on to the surface of a standard polyester cotton fabric. A flexible screen printed interface layer is used to selectively smooth the fabric surface on to which all subsequent layers were deposited. The active layers making up the OSC were deposited entirely by solution processing using either spray coating or doctor blading in a nitrogen environment. Process temperatures are limited to 150 °C to protect the fabric. Spray coating is found to be a repeatable and reliable way to deposit thin functional films onto the fabric and we have obtained a maximum efficiency of 1.23% demonstrating the feasibility of this approach for fabricating OSCs on any standard textile.


The addendum to TG‐51, which is currently under review, will provide an expanded new set of beam quality conversion factors, kQ. The calculated values of kQ in the TG‐51 protocol are based on analytic calculations which make use of various tabulated values of measured and calculated factors uch as the water to air stopping‐power ratio, Pwall, Prepl and Pcel (for details see Ch 9 of the 2009 AAPM Summer School book, Med. Phys. Publishing, Madison, WI). However, with the development of the EGSnrc Monte Carlo system (Kawrakow, Med Phys 27(2000) 499) it is possible to accurately calculate the response of ion chambers. Also computers have became faster per unit cost and clever variance reduction techniques have been implemented for doing ion chamber calculations in complex geometries (Wulff et al, Med Phys 35(2008)1328). Hence ab initio Monte Carlo calculations of kQ have become both accurate and feasible using large clusters of computers. Values of kQ have been calculated this way for a total of 33 commonly used cylindrical ion chambers (Muir and Rogers, Med Phys 37(2010)5939) and these kQ values are accurately fit as a quadratic function of the beam quality specifier, %dd(10)x. Detailed estimates of the systematic uncertainty in these calculations have been made and range between 0.6% and 1.0%, depending on the assumptions made. The largest component is the uncertainty (previously 0.5%) in the assumed constancy with beam quality of (W/e)air, which relates the energy deposited in the cavity to the charge released in the air.In a detailed comparison of the calculated kQ values to the extensive high‐quality measurements by McEwen (Med Phys 37(2010)2179), Muir et al (Med Phys 38 (2011) 4600) found the mean percentage differences between the calculations and the experiments are 0.08(0.17), 0.07(0.32) and 0.23(0.31) in 6, 10 and 25 MV beams respectively (bracketed values are rms deviations). These discrepancies are well within the stated uncertainties of the measurements (about 0.3% to 0.4%) and the calculations (about 0.3% to 0.4% ignoring W/e uncertainties and assuming correlated uncertainties in photon cross section). These and similar comparisons for plane‐parallel chambers (Muir et al, Med Phys 39(2012) 1618) can be used to set an upper limit of 0.36% on the variation of (W/e)air with beam quality between 60Co and 25 MV beams (95% confidence). More importantly, the close agreement with experiment gives confidence in the accuracy of the Monte Carlo calculated values of kQ with a 68% confidence uncertainty of between 0.4% and 0.5%.The addendum to TG‐51 recommends use of these calculated values of kQ for the 21 ion chambers which meet the requirements for a reference class ion chamber. Learning Objectives 1. To become aware of the new addendum to TG‐51 regarding reference dosimetry in photon beams. 2. Understand how ab initio calculations of the TG‐51's beam quality conversion factor, kQ, are done 3. Understand the uncertainties involved in ab initio calculations of kQ.


Background: Illness perceptions have been shown to be important determinants of functional and psychosocial outcomes, including quality of life and treatment adherence in end-stage renal disease patients. The aim of this prospective study was to determine whether haemodialysis patients' illness perceptions impact upon survival. Methods: Haemodialysis patients from a UK renal service completed the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire. Over the study period (May 2007 to December 2010), all-cause mortality was recorded as the endpoint. Results: 223 patients were followed up for a median of 15.9 months (min. 10 days, max. 42.7 months). The median dialysis vintage was 17.6 months (min. 4 days, max. 391.3 months). Treatment control perceptions demonstrated a significant association with mortality (HR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.83–0.99, p = 0.03). After controlling for covariates, including age, albumin, extra renal comorbidity and depression scores, perception of treatment control remained a significant predictor of mortality (HR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.80–0.99, p = 0.03). Conclusions: Patients' perceptions of treatment control (dialysis therapy) predict survival independently of survival risk factors, including comorbidity. Studies are required to test whether psychological interventions designed to modify maladaptive illness perceptions influence clinical outcomes in this patient setting.


Some recent trends in distributed intelligent systems rely extensively on agent-based approaches. The so-called Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) are taking over the management of sensitive data on behalf of their producers and users (e.g., medical records, financial investment, energy market). Therefore, trusted interactions are needed more than ever, while accountability and transparency among the agents seem crucial characteristics to be achieved. To do so, recent trends advocate the use of blockchain technologies (BCT) in MAS. The blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that can execute programmable transaction logic, and provides a shared, immutable, and transparent append-only register of all the actions happening in the network. Although a few theoretical approaches have already been proposed, the quest for such a system consolidating BCT and MAS to guarantee privacy, scalability, transparency, and efficiency continues. This paper presents a reconciling system including BCT within the dynamics of a MAS. Such a system aims at (i) building a solid ground for trusted interactions and (ii) enabling more characterizing feature-based and trustworthy ways of computing agent reputation. The system has been tested in four scenarios with different configurations (regular executions and involving down-agents or malicious behaviors). Finally, the paper summarizes and discusses the experience gained, argues about the strategic choice of binding MAS and BCT, and presents some future challenges.


Paired neuronal activity is known to induce changes in synaptic strength that result in the synapse in question having different properties to unmodified synapses. Here we show that in layer 2/3 excitatory connections in young adult rat cortex paired activity acts to normalize the strength and quantal parameters of connections. Paired action potential firing produces long-term potentiation in only a third of connections, whereas a third remain with their amplitude unchanged and a third exhibit long-term depression. Furthermore, the direction of plasticity can be predicted by the initial strength of the connection: weak connections potentiate and strong connections depress. A quantal analysis reveals that changes in synaptic efficacy were predominantly presynaptic in locus and that the key determinant of the direction and magnitude of synaptic modification was the initial release probability (P(r)) of the synapse, which correlated inversely with change in P(r) after pairing. Furthermore, distal synapses also exhibited larger potentiations including postsynaptic increases in efficacy, whereas more proximal inputs did not. This may represent a means by which distal synapses preferentially increase their efficacy to achieve equal weighting at the soma. Paired activity thus acts to normalize synaptic strength, by both pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms.


The term epigenetics describes the study of relatively stable changes in gene expression which occur without changes of the DNA sequence. The three best described mechanisms are: 1, cytosine methylation at cytosine-guanine dinucleotides of the DNA; 2, histone modifications (such as acetylation, methylation, and phosphorylation); and 3, micro RNA interference. The interplay between DNA methylation, histone modifications and micro RNA interference functions as regulatory complex which allows to fine tune cell specific gene expression in cell differentiation and organ development, and which is sensible to environmental signals. More precisely, the sequence of histone deacetylation, histone methylation and DNA methylation has been discussed as 'molecular switch' which modifies long-term gene expression patterns and chromatin activity states. In neurons, this epigenetic switch is involved in the transformation of short-term into long-term memory and is propagated across brain areas via neural activity ('systems heritability of epigenetic marks', Sultan Day/David Sweatt). Other evidence indicates sensibility of epigenetic marks towards behavioral (maternal care), chemical (nutrients) and hormonal (stress hormones) influences. In regard to psychobiological development, epidemiological and clinical data shows that early life stress affects later stress responsivity, emotion regulation and cognitive functions, as well as life-time vulnerability to psychopathology. Evidence indicates a multi-level relationship between early life stress, neural structure and function and mental and general health connected via the HPA axis and its feedback mechanisms over time. Associations between early life stress and changes in brain regions involved in stress regulation have been repeatedly reported, including a small hippocampus, reduced medial prefrontal cortical volume, reduced orbitofrontal cortical volume, and increased amygdala volume. Further alterations related to early life stress in humans include glucocorticoid resistance, increased levels of inflammation, increased central corticotropin-releasing hormone activity and decreased levels of oxytocin. These general observations in humans are supported by a more detailed picture derived from animal studies of early life stress. Research in rodents using a maternal stress and/or maternal separation paradigm showed consistently that pre- or postnatal stress results in elevated HPA axis activity as well as structural and functional changes of neural networks in brain regions involved in neuroendocrine control, vigilance and emotion regulation, and that these changes correspond with distinct and persistent physiological response types and behavioral patterns in the adult individual. In addition, the differences between stress responsivity and behavior following early life stress are associated with epigenetic differences. In the context of early life stress, epigenetic modifications represent a plausible pathway by which early experiences are integrated into the molecular regulation of adult hormonal responses and behavior. Life-time stability of epigenetic changes, stress response types and behavioral patterns together with the time-dependence of the induced changes – early in life – indicate an evolutionary and developmental function of the underlying mechanisms: It seems that during a critical period (developmental window) early in life the stress response undergoes adaptive changes regulated via epigenetic programming. Furthermore, the mechanisms involved in epigenetic programming of the HPA axis also seem to impact neural and mental development in general. Preliminary results from animal models indicate, that early life stress affects cognitive abilities such as spatio-visual learning and memory, and that these cognitive differences are associated with epigenetic differences such as different methylation patterns. This would indicate a broad and unspecific developmental impact of pre- and postnatal stress and corresponding epigenetic programming during critical periods of brain development. Thus, epigenetic mechanisms seem to function as 'developmental switch', explaining the stability of long-term effects of early life stress by programming central feedback mechanisms of the HPA axis and other neural networks. The pathway very likely involves a 'dual activation' of the epigenetic machinery: First, acute HPA axis activity during critical periods of neurogenesis generally primes the epigenetic machinery in brain tissue for reprogramming effects via the release of glucocorticoids. Second, sensory induced activation of neural networks transforms the epigenetic regulatory system in target brain areas, so that stressor specific adaptive to maladaptive functional modifications are maintained. The paper outlines the possible underlying molecular mechanisms of epigenetic programming in psychobiological development according to the dual-activitation theory and summarizes the accumulated evidence. The dual-activation theory specifies epigenetic programming in psychobiological development as the result of an interplay between HPA axis activity and neural activity following sensory stimulation in critical periods early in life. Implications for the treatment of stress dependent psychopathologies are discussed.


Introduction: Post partum perineal pain is one of the disturbing problems in women who have recently given birth. It causes limitation in movement, urination, defecation and also restricts taking care of infant and breast feeding. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of two analgesics; suppository Diclofenac sodium and acetaminophen codeine tablet in the management of post episiotomy perineal pain, while sitting, walking and passing urine. Methods: In this interventional study which was performed on women who had vaginal delivery and episiotomy in Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad in year 2008 a total number of 70 women were randomly assigned to receive either suppository Diclofenac (100 mg every 12 hr) or acetaminophen codeine tablet (320 mg every 6 hr) up to 12 hours after episiotomy. The inclusion criteria were vaginal birth with episiotomy. Pain ratings were recorded before the administration of the drugs and 3 hours after last dose by visual-analog scale. Effect of the two drugs on perineal pain relief was compared. Data was analyzed by using of SPSS11.5 and Chi square and Mann-Whitney tests. Results: Suppository Diclofenac sodium is significantly more effective than acetaminophen codeine in pain relief while sitting, walking and urination after episiotomy (p<0.001). Conclusion: Using rectal Diclofenac sodium is a simple, effective method of reducing pain after episiotomy.


Freshwater systems have been profoundly changed by the construction of dams, and the influence of dams on bat activity is poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed the effects of small dams along mountain streams on local bat communities. This work was carried out in five small streams located in the NE of Portugal using bioacoustic surveys during the summer of 2011. The present study confirms that, in the northeast areas of Portugal, the majority of bat species use artificial bodies of water for either drinking or foraging, but species differed in terms of their activity levels over the reservoirs when compared with intact stream habitats. As predicted, small dams in the study area were important centers of overall bat activity relative to other sampling areas. At the same time, feeding activity was also higher in the flooded areas. We also found that Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Myotis daubentonii, Pipistrellus kuhlii, Pipistrellus pygmaeus/Miniopterus schreibersii, Tadarida teniotis and Nyctalus leisleri/Eptesicus serotinus benefited from the presence of dam reservoirs. Hypsugo savii activity was also mostly recorded at reservoir points. However, the highest number of endangered and rare species was recorded at an intact stream habitat. This result emphasizes the relevance of riparian habitats for bats, especially for the most endangered species. The relationship between dam availability, riparian quality and bat diversity suggested that the changes in the streams promoted by damming could affect both bat species richness and activity levels, leading to changes in the overall composition of the bat community. In conclusion, this study found that small reservoirs have a significant influence on bat activity. However, dams appear to primarily benefit the most common species, while the endangered species were associated with riparian habitats. Therefore, for conservation proposes of the local bat community, riparian areas appear to be more important than reservoirs. Thus, this study provides a better understanding of the impact of small dams on bats contributing to the future management and conservation of bat species.


An understanding that poverty and inequality are inextricably linked has given rise to a number of large international organisations setting joint inequality-poverty reduction targets on the basis that poverty cannot be seriously tackled without addressing inequality. However, the evidence base was relatively weak with only limited information available on the relationship between the two phenomena. The programme was designed to expand the evidence base on the links between inequality and poverty and to fill this knowledge gap. In the research summarised in this report we explored the relationship between inequality and poverty by: • Examining philosophical concerns for poverty and inequality and how they may overlap • Estimating the empirical relationship between income inequality and a variety of poverty measures • Reviewing the existing evidence base on potential mechanisms that may drive any relationship


We report recent ground-based photometry of the transiting super-Earth exoplanet GJ 1214b at several wavelengths, including the infrared near 1.25 μm (J band). We observed a J-band transit with the FLAMINGOS infrared imager and the 2.1 m telescope on Kitt Peak, and we observed several optical transits using a 0.5 m telescope on Kitt Peak and the 0.36 m Universidad de Monterrey Observatory telescope. Our high-precision J-band observations exploit the brightness of the M dwarf host star at this infrared wavelength as compared with the optical and are significantly less affected by stellar activity and limb darkening. We fit the J-band transit to obtain an independent determination of the planetary and stellar radii. Our radius for the planet (2.61+0.30−0.11R⊕) is in excellent agreement with the discovery value reported by Charbonneau et al. based on optical data. We demonstrate that the planetary radius is insensitive to degeneracies in the fitting process. We use all of our observations to improve the transit ephemeris, finding P = 1.5804043 ± 0.0000005 days and T0 = 2454964.94390 ± 0.00006 BJD.


A computer-mediated group is a complex entity whose members exchange many types of information via multiple means of communication in pursuit of goals specific to their environment. Over time, they coordinate technical features of media with locally enacted use to achieve a viable working arrangement. To explore this complex interaction, a case study is presented of the social networks of interactions and media use among members of a class of computer-supported distance learners. Results show how group structures associated with project teams dominated who communicated with whom, about what, and via which media over the term, and how media came to occupy their own communication niches: Webboard for diffuse class-wide communication; Internet Relay Chat more to named others but still for general communication across the class; and e-mail primarily for intrateam communication. Face-to-face interaction, occurring only during a short on-campus session, appears to have had a catalytic effect on social and emotional exchanges. Results suggest the need to structure exchanges to balance class-wide sharing of ideas with subgroup interactions that facilitate project completion, and to provide media that support these two modes of interaction.


The VPS (Virtual Pathology Slide) is a microscope emulator enabling the examination of pathology slides via the Internet or CD-Rom. A novel feature of the VPS is the ability to record the migratory traces (image viewed and magnification) of pathologists examinations on a remote relational database located in Dublin City University.

In order to evaluate the VPS, Ten breast needle core biopsies were randomly selected and presented to 17 pathologists or trainee pathologists with at least 2 years experience in pathology practice. Participants were required to examine each case online and provide a diagnostic classification using online feedback forms, based on the Core Biopsy Reporting Guidelines for Non-operative Diagnostic Procedures and Reporting in Breast Cancer screening as used by the British National Co-ordinating Committee for Breast Screening Pathology. The recorded data permitted examination of interobserver variability and user satisfaction.

The study demonstrated that Pathologists can make a correct diagnosis using the VPS. Consensus glass diagnosis agreed with consensus VPS diagnosis in 9 out of 10 cases. Consensus diagnosis for Slide 8 differed from glass slide diagnosis by one classification grade. Several Participants using the VPS achieved strong individual performance, with 10 of the 17 participants displaying "good" to "exce//e«i" (>0.6) agreement with VPS consensus, based on a weighted Kappa rating.

Modification of diagnostic classification based on a review of text diagnosis resulted in VPS consensus diagnosis for Slide 8 concurring with glass slide diagnosis and demonstrated a lack o f familiarity and understanding amongst participants in the application of the applied diagnostic guidelines, particularly in the diagnosis of Intraductal Pappilloma. Modification of diagnostic classification based on text diagnosis increased average overall slide consensus from 66.5% to 69.4% but decreased individual Kappa performance by 0.76 to 0.72.

Participants diagnostic performance was found to be unrelated to their confidence in making a diagnostic decision using the VPS. Perception of image quality was demonstrated to be clearly dependent on participants screen resolution and colour depth, but was shown not to influence diagnostic performance.

Perception of download speed was found to be unrelated to individual diagnostic performance. However, it was demonstrated that there is an increase in the number of fields of view examined by participants as their perception of download speed improves.

The number of fields of view examined per slide was found to be representative of the histological difficulty in interpreting a case. In general, as slide consensus decreases, the number of fields view examined for that slide increases. The number of fields of view examined at a particular magnification was found to be unique for each slide and dependent on the histological complexity of each slide.

To elucidate reasons for diagnostic inconsistency, a software application called 'Bitmapper' was developed. This generates a graphical representation of a diagnostic trace using data stored on the VPS database. This takes the form of 128x128 pixel bitmap image, where each pixel is representative of an individual field of view on a VPS slide at the highest magnification available. The colour value of each pixel is determined by whether the field of view it represents has been viewed, and if so, at what magnification.

This diagnostic trace was used to locate hotspot regions of potential diagnostic importance within a slide. For each of the slides a pathologist, specialist in breast disorders, examined images from these hotspots and successfully deduced a reason for diagnostic inconsistencies. This demonstrated that Bitmapper is an extremely useful tool for determining reasons for observer variation.

The development of the VPS and ancillary software tools was successful in that pathologists were willing to use the system. Pathologists could make a correct diagnostic decision using the system. The degree of observer variation could be quantified and using Bitmapper, reasons for observer variation could be determined. This technology has applications in determining the cause of observer variability and will prove a useful tool in external quality assurance studies (EQA) in pathology.


The LPIC-1 Authorized Cert Guide has a single goal: to help you pass the new version of the Linux Professional Institute LPIC-1 exams. The most comprehensive and time-efficient LPIC-1 study guide available, it's an extraordinarily cost-effective alternative to expensive training: a perfect resource for all LPIC-1 candidates. Authored by a leading LPI insider and long-time Linux trainer, it presents focused, straight-to-the-point coverage of all LPIC-1 exam topics, including: System Architecture Linux Installation and Package Management GNU and Unix Commands Devices, Linux Filesystems, Filesystem Hierarchy Standard Shells, Scripting and Data Management User Interfaces and Desktops Administrative Tasks Essential System Services Networking Fundamentals Security From start to finish, it's organized to help you focus your study time where you need the most help, so you can retain more, and earn higher scores: Pre-chapter "Do I Know This Already" (DIKTA) quizzes help you assess your knowledge of each chapter's content, and decide how much time to spend on each section Foundation Topics sections thoroughly explain concepts and theory, and link them to real-world configurations and commands Key Topics icons flag every figure, table, or list you absolutely must understand and remember Chapter-ending Exam Preparation sections deliver even more exercises and troubleshooting scenarios Two full sample exams offer realistic practice delivered through Pearson's state-of-the-art PCPT test engine


Japan is on the verge of a sea change. After more than fifty years of national pacifism and isolation including the "lost decade" of the 1990s, Japan is quietly, stealthily awakening. As Japan prepares to become a major player in the strategic struggles of the 21st century, critical questions arise about its motivations. What are the driving forces that influence how Japan will act in the international system? Are there recurrent patterns that will help explain how Japan will respond to the emerging environment of world politics? American understanding of Japanese character and purpose has been tenuous at best. We have repeatedly underestimated Japan in the realm of foreign policy. Now as Japan shows signs of vitality and international engagement, it is more important than ever that we understand the forces that drive Japan. In Japan Rising, renowned expert Kenneth Pyle identities the common threads that bind the divergent strategies of modern Japan, providing essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how Japan arrived at this moment--and what to expect in the future.


In this paper is presented, for the first time, the design of a single-stage operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) implemented with graded-channel (GC) SOI nMOSFETs. Different design conditions were taken in account, such as similar power dissipation, transconductance over drain current ratio and die area. Comparisons with OTAs made with conventional SOI transistors are performed, showing that the GC OTAs present larger open-loop gain without degrading the phase margin, unit gain frequency and slew rate. GC OTAs can also provide the mentioned improvements while simultaneously reducing the required die area. Circuit simulations and experimental results are used to support the analysis.


Ecosystem based fisheries management (EBFM) provides a framework to achieve ecological, economic and social sustainability in fisheries. However, developing harvest strategies to achieve these multiple objectives is complex. This is even more so in multi-sector multi-species fisheries. In our study, we develop such harvest strategies for the multi-species Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery (CRFFF) operating in the waters of Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The fishery includes recreational, charter and commercial sectors, and is a provider of regional employment and supplier of seafood to both local and export markets. We convened a series of stakeholder workshops and conducted surveys to identify stakeholder objectives and priorities, as well as potential harvest strategy frameworks for the fishery. These potential harvest strategies were assessed against the objectives using a further qualitative impact survey. The analysis identified which frameworks were preferred by different stakeholder groups and why, taking into account the different objective priorities and tradeoffs in outcomes. The new feature of the work was to qualitatively determine which harvest strategies are perceived to best address triple bottom line objectives. The approach is therefore potentially applicable in other complex fisheries developing harvest strategies which, by design, strive to achieve ecological, economic and social sustainability.


Herbert et al. (Reports, 14 April 2006, p. 279) found that the rs7566605 genetic variant, located upstream of the INSIG2 gene, was consistently associated with increased body mass index. However, we found no evidence of association between rs7566605 and body mass index in two large ethnically homogeneous population-based cohorts. On the contrary, an opposite tendency was observed.


The ECB has taken a range of actions to address bank funding problems, eliminate excessive risk in sovereign markets, and safeguard monetary transmission. But euro area financial markets have remained fragmented, driving retail interest rates in stressed markets far above those in the core. This has impeded the flow of credit and undermined the transmission of monetary policy. Analysis presented here indicates that the credit channel of monetary policy has broken down during the crisis, particularly in stressed markets, and that SMEs in these economies appear to be most affected by elevated lending rates.Given these stresses, the ECB can undertake additional targeted policy measures, including through additional term loans, collateral policies, and private asset purchases.


BACKGROUND: Current guidelines on the management of asthma advocate the use of anti-inflammatory treatment in all but mild disease. They define disease control in terms of clinical criteria such as lung function and symptoms. However, the relationship between the clinical control of the disease and inflammation of the airways is not clear. A cross sectional study was therefore undertaken to investigate the relationship between airways inflammation and measures of clinical control and bronchial hyperresponsiveness in asthmatic patients treated with inhaled steroids. METHODS: Twenty six atopic adults (19-45 years) with mild to moderate asthma (baseline forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) > or = 50% predicted, concentration of histamine causing a 20% fall in FEV1 (PC20) 0.02-7.6 mg/ml) on regular treatment with inhaled steroids entered the study. Diary card recordings during the two weeks before a methacholine challenge test and bronchoscopic examination were used to determine peak flow variability, symptom scores, and use of beta 2 agonists. Biopsy specimens were taken by fibreoptic bronchoscopy from the carina of the right lower and middle lobes, and from the main carina. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on cryostat sections with monoclonal antibodies against: eosinophil cationic protein (EG1, EG2), mast cell tryptase (AA1), CD45, CD22, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD25, and CD45RO. The number of positively stained cells in the lamina propria was counted twice by using an interactive display system. RESULTS: There were no differences in cell numbers between the three sites from which biopsy specimens were taken. The PC20 for methacholine was inversely related to the average number of total leucocytes, EG1+, and EG2+ cells, mast cells, CD8+, and CD45RO+ cells in the lamina propria. These relationships were similar for each of the biopsy sites. Symptom scores, beta 2 agonist usage, FEV1, and peak flow variability were not related to any of the cell counts. CONCLUSIONS: Infiltration of inflammatory cells in the lamina propria of the airways seems to persist in asthmatic outpatients despite regular treatment with inhaled steroids. The number of infiltrating leucocytes such as mast cells, (activated) eosinophils, CD8+, and CD45RO+ cells in bronchial biopsy specimens from these patients appears to be reflected by airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine, but not by symptoms or lung function. These findings may have implications for the adjustment of anti-inflammatory treatment of patients with asthma.


This paper reviews the latest developments of displacement mapping algorithms implemented on the vertex, geometry, and fragment shaders of graphics cards. Displacement mapping algorithms are classified as per‐vertex and per‐pixel methods. Per‐pixel approaches are further categorized as safe algorithms that aim at correct solutions in all cases, to unsafe techniques that may fail in extreme cases but are usually much faster than safe algorithms, and to combined methods that exploit the robustness of safe and the speed of unsafe techniques. We discuss the possible roles of vertex, geometry and fragment shaders to implement these algorithms. Then the particular GPU‐based bump, parallax, relief, sphere, horizon mapping, cone stepping, local ray tracing, pyramidal and view‐dependent displacement mapping methods, as well as their numerous variations are reviewed providing also implementation details of the shader programs. We present these methods using uniform notations and also point out when different authors called similar concepts differently. In addition to basic displacement mapping, self‐shadowing and silhouette processing are also reviewed. Based on our experiences gained having reimplemented these methods, their performance and quality are compared, and the advantages and disadvantages are fairly presented.


This article presents findings from long-term empirical fieldwork and archival research into current and historical patterns of governance in north-eastern Afghanistan, conducted between 2006 and 2009. Despite the long civil war, striking continuities have been found in the make-up and functioning of the local social order. Patron–client relations, eldership, and related practices of mediation are crucial structuring principles of rural society. They have dominated Afghan politics over centuries and still do today. Viewed from a long-term perspective, this continuity, related patterns of representation, and the role of middlemen and brokers suggest a certain degree of stability, in contrast to the popular perception of instability and disorder in this country. Whilst in the past the expansion of the state relied on tacit agreement between government administrators and local elites, resulting in state-making from above, the war broadly changed actors, regimes, and coalitions, but not the underlying mechanisms of the social order. Hence, today, the failure of the current state-building project can be attributed to the fact that the effects of these mechanisms are insufficiently recognized and grasped by Western actors and state-builders. We argue that local Afghan actors have captured the intervention from below. Instead of state-building, we are dealing here with state-making dominated by patronage networks.


The global carbon cycle is strongly perturbed by fossil fuel burning leading to atmospheric CO2 increase. Climatic warming followed by polar ice melting and global sea level rise are predicted due to the greenhouse effect of increasing CO2 in the atmosphere (Houghton et al. 1995). The ocean plays a major role in neutralizing the excess CO2 because the amount of inorganic carbon available for exchange with the atmosphere in the ocean is approximately 50–60 times larger than in the atmosphere (e.g., Siegenthaler and Sarmiento 1993). The bulk of the atmospheric CO2 excess will eventually be neutralized by CaCO3 dissolution in the deep marine environment. This is, however, is a relatively slow process that operates on the time scale of ocean circulation (1000 yrs) and is therefore causing an accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere. This phenomenon will result in potentially severe consequences to the well being of global ecological systems. Obviously the scientific attention of many biogeochemists is focused on processes controlling the response of the marine system to changes in atmospheric CO2 concentrations (e.g., Archer and Maier-Reimer 1994; Broecker 1997; Sigman and Boyle 2000; Berger 2002).

### Foraminifera, corals, and coccolithophores in the global carbon cycle

There are four dominant processes involved in neutralizing the excess atmospheric CO2 in the ocean. These are: 1) gas exchange at the air-sea interface and reaction with the carbonate ion to form bicarbonate, 2) net primary productivity, 3) CaCO3 production and dissolution and 4) ocean circulation. Most of these processes are biologically mediated and may have special importance in shallow tropical environments where the exchange with the atmosphere is more direct. In this review we address the mechanism of biomineralization in one of the major groups that precipitates CaCO3 in the ocean—the foraminifera. As we will show, this group …


This article presents an approach to crosscultural studies of advertising audiovisual material that departs from the typical rigid marketing models. It favours a more qualitative inductive approach to corpuses in which audiovisual texts are not approached or compared through the use of standardised American tools. After reviewing the usual marketing tools, the article focuses on the steps researchers can usefully take from the gathering of audiovisual texts from two different environments to their classification, two important steps that are critical in such studies.


The anti-inflammatory drug celecoxib (CLX) has been shown to exert protective effects in colorectal cancer (CRC) therapy. The primary objective of this study was to develop and characterize a novel CLX multiparticulate drug delivery technology suitable for use in the treatment and prevention of CRC which has the potential to minimize the side effects associated with CLX. Liquid CLX formulations were developed as precursors to CLX microbeads and the effect of formulated CLX samples on the viability and motility of a CRC cell line was examined. CLX liquid formulations were shown for the first time to have an enhanced effect in comparison to the marketed CLX product Celebrex®. Liquid CLX formulations were translated into an optimized CLX microbead formulation which met a number of pre-defined critical quality attributes. A sustained release coat was applied to the beads. An in-vivo study was performed to compare the effect of the coated CLX microbeads versus Celebrex® in the attenuation of CRC tumours and inflammation in a CRC mouse model. Whilst the level of CRC tumour attenuation and inflammation was comparable between both formulations, the CLX microbead statistically outperformed Celebrex®. Microbead production was scaled-up and subsequent coating optimisation studies were performed resulting in products that met pre-defined target product profiles for both murine and human colon delivery. Finally a screening study to assess the applicability of the platform formulation to a range of APIs other than CLX was performed with 50% of the actives screened being successfully incorporated into microbeads. In summary, the in-vitro and in-vivo results described in this thesis present a significant step forward in CRC therapy using CLX, as the microbead formulation developed poses the possibility of presenting CLX in a format that has the potential to minimize GI and CV side effects whilst enhancing the effectiveness of the treatment.


This book presents, for the first time, a new technology for improving products and innovating new and better products, first developed in Japan by Yoshihiko Sato. Value analysis tear-down combines traditional tear-down with the technologies of value analysis and value engineering. Within a few years of its public announcement in Japan, value analysis tear-down was adopted by all eleven Japanese automobile manufacturers, and many of the Japanese consumer electronics manufacturers. Jerry Kaufman, based in Houston, Texas, is a recognized authority and author on value engineering and value management, and has contributed much that is in these technologies to the process described in this book. The result of his collaboration with Mr. Sato is a process that helps engineers and managers reduce product cost, improve quality, continuously improve existing products, and discover opportunities for innovative change.The first "how-to-do-it" book in English, it is written specifically for professionals in product engineering, manufacturing engineering, and value engineering; and the managers of these professionals, including plant managers, production managers, manufacturing executives, and research and development executives. It will also be useful to manufacturing, marketing, and management people concerned with product improvement, innovation, and improving their company's competitive position. Value analysis tear-down can be applied in many service and other industries, as well as in manufacturing; wherever there are physical components to be improved or invented.


The Thomas Kuhn Reich sum rules and the sum-over-states (SOS) expression for the hyperpolarizabilities are truncated when calculating the fundamental limits of nonlinear susceptibilities. Truncation of the SOS expression can lead to an accurate approximation of the first and second hyperpolarizabilities due to energy denominators, which can make the truncated series converge to within 10% of the full series after only a few excited states are included in the sum. The terms in the sum rule series, however, are weighted by the state energies, so convergence of the series requires that the position matrix elements scale at most in inverse proportion to the square root of the energy. Even if the convergence condition is met, serious pathologies arise, including self inconsistent sum rules and equations that contradict reality. As a result, using the truncated sum rules alone leads to pathologies that make any rigorous calculations impossible, let alone yielding even good approximations. This paper discusses conditions under which pathologies can be swept under the rug and how the theory of limits, when properly culled and extrapolated using heuristic arguments, can lead to a semi-rigorous theory that successfully predicts the behavior of all known quantum systems, both when tested against exact calculations or measurements of broad classes of molecules.


This Project is on the design, construction, and testing of a robot to climb trees to detect Asian Longhorn Beetle infestation. The primary goal was to design and build a robot that could successfully climb a tree. After researching existing climbing robot designs, a robot prototype was built using concepts from the existing designs. The prototype was then tested to determine the effectiveness of the design. The prototype proved to be partially successful, being capable of gripping a tree and staying on, but could not move. Though not entirely successful, the project identified many important aspects in a tree climbing robot's design.


A particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision model is developed to explore dominant collisional effects on high-velocity xenon ions incident to a quiescent xenon gas at low neutral pressures. The range of neutral pressure and collisionality examined are applicable for electric propulsion as well as plasma processing devices; therefore, the computational technique described herein can be applied to more complex simulations of those devices. Momentum and resonant charge-exchange collisions between ions and background neutrals are implemented using two different models, classical scattering with spin-orbit free potential and variable-hard-sphere model, depending on the incident particle energy. The primary and charge-exchange ions are tracked separately, and their trajectories within a well-defined "Test Cell" domain are determined. Predicted electrode currents as a function of the Test Cell pressure are compared with electrode currents measured in an ion gun experiment. The simulation results agree well with the experiment up to a Test Cell pressure corresponding to a mean free path of the Test Cell length and then start to deviate with increasing collisionality at higher pressures. This discrepancy at higher pressures is likely due to the increasing influence of secondary electrons emitted from electrodes due to the high-velocity impacts of heavy species (i.e., beam ions and fast neutrals created by charge-exchange interaction) at the electrode surfaces.


The highest rate of climate change is occurring in alpine areas above permanent treeline. The Teton Mountains in northwestern Wyoming are one of these ecosystem and little work has been done on alpine streams in the area. We sampled 6 streams in the Teton Mountains in 2015 at both upper and lower sites. We measured environmental variables (e.g., glacierality index, basic water quality, and temperature), aquatic invertebrate assemblages and microbial diversity. The water sources for sampled streams were glacier-fed, snowmelt and icy-seep. Aquatic invertebrate density (116-11,523 ind/m2) and biomass (31-21,704 mg/m2) varied greatly among streams. Snowmelt streams had the highest biomass of invertebrates, but the density and richness did not differ among stream types. Micrbial diversity in groundwater-fed springs harbored higher diversity than glacier-fed streams. The discovery of an icy-seep stream type lead us to sample rock glacier in the Teton Mountains during 2016. We hope to continue to sample alpine streams in the Teton Mountains to understand how climate change will alter streams of different types.


Nowadays, sublobar anatomic resections are gaining momentum as a valid alternative for early stage lung cancer. Despite being technically demanding, anatomic segmentectomies can be performed by uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) approach to combine the benefits of minimally invasiveness with the maximum lung sparing. This procedure can be even more complex if a combined resection of multiple segments from different lobes has to be done. Here we report five cases of combined and unusual segmentectomies done by the same experienced surgeon in high volume institutions to show uniportal VATS is a feasible approach for these complex resections and to share an excellent educational resource.


This paper examines some aspects of the cultural codes implied in the iconography of St Nicholas (Santa Claus). The argument posits the iconography of St Nicholas as a vessel for capturing meanings and accumulating them in the construction of public culture. The discussion begins from the earliest developments of the Christian era and proceeds to contemporary depictions (imagology). The study is conducted on the basis of a representative selection of renditions of Saint Nicholas, including 350 pictures of medieval representations (Western and Eastern Christianity), folk extensions and secular representations and it is theoretically grounded in the Tartu School of semiotics.


Summary
1.
Consideration of the diet of natives in Fiji (South-West Pacific) shows that it is not adequate and complete. The traditional foodstuffs of Fiji are very rich in concentrated carbohydrates, comparatively poor in protein content and definitely lacking in Vitamin B complex.
2.
The staple foods of the native population in Fiji are roots, tubers and leafy plants. Unfortunately very little is known about the Vitamin B content of the plants grown in Fiji. However as the plants are generally boiled and the water discarded, their value as a source of Vitamin B supply is doubtful.
3.
Between July 1948 and October 1949, 14 cases of typical pellagra and 16 cases of pellagra-like dermatitis were seen. The pellagra-like dermatitis responded very well to specific treatment with nicotinamide alone or in combination with riboflavin, and, therefore, should be considered as mild pellagrous manifestation.
4.
Three cases of typical pellagra and four cases of pellagra-like dermatitis were observed amongst Europeans. These cases of pellagra amongst the white population in Fiji are believed to be the first recorded. It is of interest to notice that two European patients with typical pellagra were born in Fiji and are permanent residents in the colony.
5.
Consideration of 16 cases of pellagra-like dermatitis show that in 5 cases the lesions were symmetrical, and in 7 were accompanied with edema of the lips, ears and eyebrows. The lesions are usually found on exposed portions. The main clinical symptoms are extreme itching and feeling of heat around the affected areas. They become red and swollen in from 24 to 48 hours after the onset. Small vesicles usually appear at this time. Later on the skin becomes dry, less red, thick and scaly, surrounded by a narrow zone of hyperpigmentation, better seen on the white skin. It has a "dirty" appearance on a dark skin, and grey-brownish on a white one.
6.
The 14 cases of typical pellagra all had symmetrical dermatitis; 12, angular stomatitis; 8, edema of lips, ears and eyebrows; 7, glossitis; and 4, mental disturbances (the cases over 5 years duration). As a rule the patients, when untreated, showed some improvement during the rainy season, and relapsed with the advance of dry weather.
7.
It has been found that the addition of riboflavin to nicotinamide is beneficial in the treatment of typical pellagra and pellagra-like dermatitis. This combination of vitamins produces a dramatic improvement in all patients in whom edema of lips, ears and eyebrows is well marked. The intravenous use of Vitamin B Complex in injectable form shortens the course of treatment.
8.
A careful analysis of the diet of each patient is essential, as without strict adherence to a well balanced diet, even properly treated cases, are liable to relapse.


The purpose of this paper is to assess the importance of the explicit dependence of turbulent diffusion on the gradients of mean-velocity modeling in second moment closures on three-dimensional (3D) detached and secondary flows prediction. Following recent theoretical work of Younis, Gatski, and Speziale, 2000, [Proc. Royal Society Lon. A, 456, pp. 909-920], we propose a triple-velocity correlation model, including the effects of the spatial gradients of mean velocity. A model for both the slow and rapid parts of the pressure-diffusion term was also developed and added to a wall-normal-free Reynolds-stress model. The present model is validated against 3D detached and secondary flows. Further developments, especially on the echo terms (which should appear in the formulation of pressure-velocity correlation), are discussed.


Interpreting Biomedical Science: Experiment, Evidence, and Belief discusses what can go wrong in biological science, providing an unbiased view and cohesive understanding of scientific methods, statistics, data interpretation, and scientific ethics that are illustrated with practical examples and real-life applications. Casting a wide net, the reader is exposed to scientific problems and solutions through informed perspectives from history, philosophy, sociology, and the social psychology of science. The book shows the differences and similarities between disciplines and different eras and illustrates the concept that while sound methodology is necessary for the progress of science, we cannot succeed without a right culture of doing things.Features theoretical concepts accompanied by examples from biological literatureContains an introduction to various methods, with an emphasis on statistical hypothesis testingPresents a clear argument that ties the motivations and ethics of individual scientists to the success of their scienceProvides recommendations on how to safeguard against scientific misconduct, fraud, and retractionsArms young scientists with practical knowledge that they can use every day


Providing for the uniform interpretation of federal law has long been viewed as a primary goal of the federal court system, and the claimed need for uniformity has shaped the structure of the courts and the scope of their jurisdiction. For example, uniformity has been cited as grounds for broad federal question jurisdiction and for the creation of specialized federal courts. Most visibly, harmonizing interpretation of federal law has become an essential factor in the Supreme Court's selection of cases for review; 70% of the Supreme Court's docket is devoted to resolving disagreements over the meaning of federal law. This Article questions whether uniformity in and of itself has inherent value, and whether the benefits of eliminating moderate disuniformity in the interpretation of ambiguous federal statutes are worth the costs. Proponents of uniformity claim that divergent interpretations of federal law are unfair to litigants, undermine the legitimacy of federal law, create intolerable conflicts for interstate actors, and lead to forum shopping. The Article explores each argument in turn and finds none to be a compelling reason for federal courts to devote considerable time and resources to maintaining uniformity. For instance, litigants have no basis to claim they were treated unfairly when courts reach different conclusions about the meaning of an ambiguous statute as long as each interpretation is reasonable. Nor is the legitimacy of federal law called into question when judges disagree about the best way to fill gaps or resolve vague provisions in the statutes they construe. Indeed, the doctrine of Chevron deference recognizes, and even promotes, the possibility that ambiguous federal statutes can be construed in a variety of ways. Interstate actors are already forced to comply with the varied legal regimes of the fifty states, so requiring them to follow divergent interpretations of federal law is not a significant additional burden. And if forum shopping is truly a problem (which is questionable), a better solution might be to tighten venue rules rather than expend significant federal judicial resources on standardizing federal law. Furthermore, even in the relatively rare cases when uniformity is essential, the federal courts are not the ideal institution to provide it. Congress is responsible for enacting ambiguous laws that produce conflicting judicial interpretations, and Congress is better situated to determine when the benefits of uniformity outweigh the costs of achieving it. Accordingly, this Article contends that courts should avoid expending resources to standardize federal law, and should instead rely on Congress to legislate uniformity when needed.


To expand knowledge of a search on a particular topic or to gather a significant sample of information that allows the researcher to identify and analyze the current state of knowledge on a topic, this paper presents a structured process for the selection of academic papers, evidence of papers' relevance through bibliometric analysis, and analysis of the papers' contents to identify gaps in the knowledge related to the theme under consideration and the objectives of the researcher. Starting from an interest in identifying and analyzing valuation models and risk management applied to the construction industry and using the Knowledge Development Process-Constructivist (ProKnow-C), this research identified 12,032 articles in thirteen academic databases. In its subsequent steps, the ProKnow-C allowed, in a process of continuous selection, the choice of the 23 articles that presented quantitative or qualitative risk management models developed for the construction industry. The relevance of this set of papers was demonstrated by bibliometric analysis. The content of the articles was systematically analyzed from ten research lenses based on the concepts of risk, risk management, and performance measurement adopted by the researchers, representing their research vision. The results of the systematic analysis demonstrated that risk management is a broad and complex subject, especially when its management aims to both avoid/minimize risk and guide the organization to a level where the risks can be transformed into competitive advantages. The analysis revealed the unique character of risk perception, indicating that models developed in one context are suitable only for that context. Thus, the use of ProKnow-C facilitated the acquisition of knowledge and enabled the researcher to identify numerous research opportunities, which, if included in the development of a new model, would allow this model to be used as an instrument that is legitimate and valid for the measurement, assessment, and management of risk, enabling the company to achieve competitive advantages in the market.


The application of "majority rule" within the company has the potential to lead to unfair results either for the minority shareholders or for the company itself, hence, it is the task of the legislature to provide minority shareholders with a matrix of rules that seek to protect them from misguided managerial behaviour. In that regard, this thesis set out to examine to what extent the Libyan shareholder protection regime offers equivalent protection to that found in the English and Moroccan corporate law regimes. It evaluates the current level of protection that is offered to minority shareholders in Libya in comparison with that available in England and Morocco in order to participate in a reform programme aimed at establishing a sufficient system of corporate governance in Libya via enhancing the rules that protect the minority shareholder. The reliance on a comparative study in this thesis is based on an assumption that law should be assessed from a wide perspective and the experience of other jurisdictions should be taken into account in order to reform the current law by establishing a high standard level of protection for the minority shareholders. Such reform would grant shareholders a degree of confidence which is considered a necessary step to attract investments and develop the economic strength of the whole country. The conclusion of this work reveals several weaknesses and serious shortcoming in the Libyan corporate law regime, thereby it provides a basis for suggestions on how to improve minority shareholder protection in Libya based on the English and Moroccan experience. In that process, some suggestions and recommendations are provided which is the purpose of this work and the hope is that they will be taken on board in any proposal for reform in Libya. The study recommends a reform in the existing rules of minority shareholder protection in order to create an effective system of safeguards for the minority shareholders. Such reforms promise domestic and foreign investors that all companies under Libyan laws are managed, directed and controlled by upright, truthful, honest and efficient managers. This work will also pave the way for further studies that might be conducted in order to further enhance a robust system of corporate governance in Libya which would contribute to the growth of the national economy.


Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is a worldwide growing technology, however it is not yet completely accepted. Of all of the business processes in an organization, marketing is perhaps one of the natural fitting-processes to apply GIS. Even though there is recent research regarding applications of GIS in the wood products industry, those applications are mostly related to biomass mapping and logistics issues. Little research has been conducted on the utilization of GIS as part of the marketing strategic plan in this industry. Thus, the main goal of this project is to understand GIS uses on marketing application in the wood products industry, specifically in the marketing mix strategic plan. The approach of this project consisted of the collection and analysis of data from secondary wood products industries in the state of Virginia. In addition, a case of study on current users of GIS applications was conducted. Once the data from the survey and the case study were collected, validated, and analyzed; applications and guidelines for the use of GIS in marketing activities were developed. The first application was the creation of a relational database to organize the information and to create an industry directory for secondary wood products industries. Secondly, clustering techniques were used to test if wood products companies cluster around certain geographical regions. Confirmation of the clustering led to the construction of an online map. Finally, guidelines were developed to describe how to use GIS in the marketing process of wood products firms. By increasing the knowledge and developing guidelines on GIS uses on marketing mix applications this study will help the wood products industry, other practitioners and the academic community, by providing insight of the industry, possible uses to simplify the strategic process and gain understanding of the environment among other.


Al-Mahasneh, M., M. I. Al-Wdyan, T. Rababah and M. Alu'datt, 2017. Moisture sorption thermodynamic properties of Bermuda grass. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 23 (4): 682–687 Thermodynamic properties such as differential enthalpy and differential entropy are important tools for analyzing postharvest handling and drying of grasses such as Bermuda grass. This particular grass is widely used as a feedstock or as pellets for energy production. Thus, this study was initiated with the aim of modeling moisture sorption thermodynamic properties of Bermuda grass with potential benefi ts of minimizing energy costs and optimizing drying kinetics. Moisture sorption thermodynamic properties of Bermuda grass were studied using gravimetric methods under three temperature levels, namely, 20, 30 and 40°C. Based on fi ndings of related previous studies, the Modifi ed Halsey model was used to obtain the thermodynamic properties of the grass. It was found that, within the ranges considered here, both properties were strong functions of equilibrium moisture content and decreased substantially (by about 97%) with equilibrium moisture content. Specifi cally, differential enthalpy of the grass decreased exponentially with increase in moisture content from 1912 kJ/kg at 0.03 equilibrium moisture content (decimal w.b.) to 62.8 kJ/kg at an equilibrium moisture content of 0.27. Similarly, differential entropy decreased also exponentially from 7.93 kJ/kg.K to 0.26 kJ/kg.K at the same respective levels of equilibrium moisture content. Enthalpyentropy compensation was validated by the linear relationship between the two. Finally, it was found that the moisture sorption process for Bermuda grass is enthalpy-driven.


Release of a proteoglycan at sites of tissue damage can activate the innate immune system. Babelova et al. report that the proteoglycan biglycan may serve as a signal from injured tissue to activate inflammatory responses. Although its solubilization is not well characterized, normally stationary biglycan molecules appear to be released from the extracellular matrix in soluble form after tissue injury or when the molecule is secreted from macrophages. In cultures of primary mouse macrophages, treatment with biglycan stimulated secretion of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and activated the NLRP3 [nod-like receptor (NLR) family, pyrin domain containing 3, also called Nalp3] inflammasome complex that leads to activation of caspase-1, cleavage of pro-IL-1β, and consequent inflammation. Biglycan has been reported to interact with NLRs, but studies with pharmacological inhibitors and macrophages lacking the purinergic receptors for ATP showed that P2X7 and P2X4 were also required for the effects of biglycan. Biglycan could also be crosslinked to these receptors and immunoprecipitated. Immunoprecipitation of the purinergic receptors revealed that TLRs were co-immunoprecipitated only if biglucan was present, leading the authors to propose that biglycan may link the two receptors, both of which are key elements of inflammatory signaling. Animals genetically deficient in production of biglycan had blunted inflammatory responses both to a stimulus mimicking infection (treatment with lipopolysaccharide) and to a renal injury protocol that models inflammation not triggered by an infectious agent. Babelova et al. argue that, together, their results implicate biglycan as a danger signal from the extracellular matrix that allows activation of the innate immune system in response to tissue damage. A. Babelova, K. Moreth, W. Tsalastra-Greul, J. Zeng-Brouwers, O. Eickelberg, M. F. Young, P. Bruckner, J. Pfeilschifter, R. M. Schaefer, H.-J. Gröne, L. Schaefer, Biglycan, a danger signal that activates the NLRP3 inflammasome via Toll-like and P2X receptors. J. Biol. Chem. 284, 24035–24048 (2009). [PubMed]


The third edition of Moving and Learning continues to provide a comprehensive approach to activities and sports for elementary-aged children by introducingbasic principles of movement education. The material reflects today's interest in cooperative educational methods and multi-ethnic concerns. Designed for bothelementary education and physical education majors, this text provides timely information concerning movement education.


Pressure on manufacturers to release the data they hold on glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) based antidiabetes drugs is mounting after a joint BMJ and Channel 4 Dispatches investigation of unpublished data on the potential pancreatic harms in animal and human studies.1

The American Diabetes Association has asked all companies involved in the development or marketing of such drugs to make patient level data available for an independent review that could help settle the question of whether the drugs contribute to the development of pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer.

The association's chief scientific and medical officer, Robert Ratner, said, "People who are taking these medications or who may consider taking them should have the benefit of all that is currently known about their risks and advantages in order to make the best possible decisions about their treatment and care in consultation with their healthcare providers."

In the United Kingdom the charity Pancreatic Cancer UK issued a statement saying, "It is important to investigate any treatment where there are concerns about an increased risk of pancreatic cancer." The charity added, "This case certainly highlights the need to make the full trial data publicly available."

The charity also urged European regulators to prioritise their current investigation of the drugs, to determine the need …


This essay explores the persuasive power of Takeo Doi's idea of amae. Doi's description of Japanese cultural psychology as rooted in sensitivity, innocence, and passivity allowed him to provide a comfortable return to the values of familiality, paternalism, and beneficent authority, in a way that could be embraceable in the context of postwar democracy. The essay situates Doi's ideas in the context of postwar liberalism and explores his engagement with Christian writers, whose ideals of humility and deference allowed Doi to link Japanese particularism with Western humanism. It also explores his analysis of Natsume Sōseki's novels.


Navigating Conflicts Between Religious and Professional Values: Psychologists' Experiences Michael Ray Williams Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education, BYU Doctor of Philosophy The issue of psychotherapists' values in psychotherapy has become increasingly challenging as philosophers have questioned the viability of concepts such as objectivity and relativism. Historically, psychotherapists have relied on notions such as bracketing or suspending their own values to avoid the moral and ethical implications that such values might be active in psychotherapy. Acknowledging that psychotherapists' values are active in psychotherapy raises a host of important issues, including how to appropriately navigate value conflicts. This study explored the experience of psychotherapists as they navigate conflicts between their religious and professional values. Qualitative interviews with eight religiously committed psychologists were transcribed and analyzed using Collaborative Hermeneutic Interpretation. Major themes and findings include: the possibility that one can be a religiously committed psychologist; that research topics are informed by religious values; the strengthening of personal values through conflict; there are a variety of values gained from religious affiliation; feeling out of place in religious and professional communities; having religious and philosophical issues broadened and deepened in complexity; knowing when to defend values and worldview; having quality research and reputation as a defense; and positive and negative experiences with supervisors. Participants also discussed what was helpful in preparing them for value conflicts and the preparation they wished they would have received. The findings in this study emphasize the importance of the supervisory relationship and the impact that supervisors can have on trainees as they work through value conflicts. Training programs are also recommended to provide trainees guidance that will help prepare them to navigate potential value conflicts over the course of their professional development.


In the spirit of the theoretical evolution from the Helmholtz model to the Gouy-Chapman-Stern model for electric double-layer capacitors, we explored the effect of a diffuse layer on the capacitance of mesoporous carbon supercapacitors by solving the Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation in mesopores of diameters from 2 to 20 nm. To evaluate the effect of pore shape, both slit and cylindrical pores were considered. We found that the diffuse layer does not affect the capacitance significantly. For slit pores, the area-normalized capacitance is nearly independent of pore size, which is not experimentally observed for template carbons. In comparison, for cylindrical pores, PB simulations produce a trend of slightly increasing area-normalized capacitance with pore size, similar to that depicted by the electric double-cylinder capacitor model proposed earlier. These results indicate that it is appropriate to approximate the pore shape of mesoporous carbons as being cylindrical and the electric double-cylinder capacitor model should be used for mesoporous carbons as a replacement of the traditional Helmholtz model.