Objective It is well known, that the reduced contractile activity of the postural soleus muscle under bedrest, immobilization or a space flight leads to decrease of slow myosin heavy chain (MyHC) expression rate and increase of the fast myosin isoforms expression [Pette, 2003; Stevens, 1999, 2000 et al]. The significant decline of the slow myosin mRNA content was found as early as after 24 hours of rat hindlimb unloading [Giger et al., 2009]. However, in the meantime, the mechanisms of this process had been substantially unexplored. At the same time, the main pathways involved in the control of transcription of Myh7 gene (MyHCIβ) are well known. These mechanisms are based upon traffic of messenger molecules (NFATc1 and Class IIA histone deacetylases) transducing positive and negative signals for Myh7 gene expression in muscle fiber nuclei. This traffic is known to be triggered by myoplasmic calcium content. Almost nothing is known about the roles of other physiological regulators (nitric oxide and high-energy phosphates) in Myh7 transcription control [Martins et al., 2012; Putman et al., 2015].
Our study was aimed to disclose the physiological triggers involved in the decline of Myh7 expression in postural muscle at the early stages of disuse state. We supposed that at the early stage of unloading (24 hours) it was the shift of the ATP/ADP/AMP balance (ATP accumulation due to muscle inactivation) to drive the Myh7 gene expression decline via AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) dephosphorylation and HDAC4 myonuclear import. Then we supposed that the mechanisms involved in the reduction of Myh7 expression during the first week of disuse are implemented via the decrease of NO muscle content [Lomonosova et al., 2011] and subsequent NFATc1 nuclear export in the GSK3β-dependent manner [Lomonosova et al, 2017].
Methods Three experimental series were performed in order to testify the hypotheses. Unloading of the hindlimbs was induced by using a standard rodent hindlimb suspension/unloading (HU) model (Morey-Holton & Globus, 2002). During the first series, using the selective AMPK activator AICAR we evaluated the roles of the AMPK dephosphorylation during the first days of unloading which we found earlier [Vilchinskaya et al., 2015; Mirzoev et al, 2016]. Animals were daily treated with AICAR (400 mg kg−1) or saline for 6 days before HU as well as during 24 h of HU.
The second series was designed to investigate the impact of high-energy phosphates ratio changes on AMPK activity and  slow-type MyHC isoform expression in rat soleus muscle at the early stages of unloading.  It is known that administration of β-guanidin-propionic acid (βGPA) allows shifting ATP/ADP/AMP balance to the enhanced ATP breakdown. We used administration of β-guanidinopropionic acid (βGPA), before (6 day) and during 24-h HU.
The third series was aimed to identify the functional relationship between the decrease of the nitric oxide (NO) content, the GSK-3β phosphorylation (leading to the GSK-3β activation), the NFATc1 amount in the muscle nuclei, and the MyHC I(β) isoform expression in the rat soleus muscle under gravitational unloading. Male Wistar rats were divided into five groups: the vivarium control group; the group of animals with a 7-day hind limb suspension receiving placebo; the group of HU animals receiving a NO donor (L-arginine); the group of HU animals receiving a NO donor and a NO-synthase inhi bitor (L-NAME) and the group of HU animals receiving a GSK-3β inhibitor.
Results In the 1st experimental series we discovered that AICAR treatment prevented a decrease in content of phospho-AMPK and pre-mRNA and mRNA expression of MyHC I as well as MyHC IIa mRNA expression. Twenty-four hours of HU resulted in HDAC4 accumulation in the nuclei of rat soleus but AICAR pretreatment prevented this accumulation. The results of the study indicate that AMPK dephosphorylation after 24 h of HU had a significant impact on the MyHC I and MyHC IIa mRNA expression in rat soleus. AMPK dephosphorylation also contributed to HDAC4 translocation to the nuclei of soleus muscle fibers, suggesting an important role of HDAC4 as an epigenetic regulator in the process of myosin phenotype transformation.
In the 2nd experimental series after 24-h HS we observed a decrease (p<0.05) in phospho-AMPK content vs. control group, but in HS+ βGPA group didn't differ from the control. After 24-h unloading we found a significant  increase in the content of nuclear HDAC4 in the HS group, but in the HS+ βGPA group the content of nuclear HDAC4 didn't differ from the control group.  24-h unloading resulted in a decrease in MyHCI(β) pre-mRNA and mRNA expression vs. the control group. The expression level of MyHCI(β) pre-mRNA and mRNA in HS+ βGPA group didn't differ from the control. Thus, βGPA administration prevents a decline in AMPK phosphorylation. Therefore, we can conclude that at the early stage of gravitational unloading an accumulation of high-energy phosphates  (ATP, ADP and creatine phosphate) may lead to reduced AMPK activity and a slow to fast myosin fiber type transition.
The third experimental series dealt with the fate of the nuclear NFATc1 transcription factor which triggers the myh7 expression but can be easily exported from myonuclei being phosphorylated. It is supposed that it is NO-dependent GSK3β that phosphorylates NFATc1 and promotes its nuclear export.  We have shown that a 7-day unloading leads to a NO content decrease in the soleus muscle, and this effect is prevented by L-arginine administration. In addition, administration of L-arginine blocks the GSK-3β phosphorylation decrease, NFATc1 export from the muscle nuclei, and MyHC I(β) expression decrease caused by unloading. The NO-synthase inhibitor can block the L-arginine effect in each case. Administration of the GSK-3β inhibitor prevents the unloading-induced NFATc1 export from the muscle nuclei and a decrease of the MyHC I(β) expression.
Conclusions The data obtained in the described experimental series give evidence for the novel view on the well-known phenomenon of slow-to-fast fiber type transition during unloading/disuse. It is obvious that the signaling pathways involved in the slow myosin gene expression control during unloading are time-dependent and consecutive in the course of the exposure to unloading. The earliest triggering factor is supposedly the shift of the balance of high-energy mononucleotide phosphates leading to decrease of AMP and accumulation of ATP content. This signal is accepted by the AMPK as a universal energy sensor and transduced to the transcription level by the altered HDAC4 traffic. It seems possible that at the next stages of the exposure to unloading the alteration of the calcineurin/NFATc1 signaling pathway takes place due to the activated calcineurin inhibitors [Lomonosova et al, 2017] and enhanced NFATc1 phosphorylation and myonuclear export. We obtained the novel evidence that at these stages the decline of Myh7 expression might be provided by the GSK3β activation and NFATc1 phosphorylation due to the decrease of NO content in the soleus muscle.
The study was supported by Russian Science Foundation grant # 18-15-00107.


Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains settings for low-level operating system components as well as the applications running on the platform: the kernel, device drivers, services, SAM, user interface and third party applications all make use of the registry. The registry also provides a means to access counters for profiling system performance.


The background to this article review is governmental interest in finding reasons why a majority of the employees in Sweden who are on sick leave are women. In order to find answers to these questions three issues will be discussed from a meso-level: (i) recent changes in the Swedish health care sector's working organization and their effects on gender, (ii) what research says about work health and gender in the health care sector, and (iii) the meaning of gender at work. The aim is to first discuss these three issues to give a picture of what gender research says concerning work organization and work health, and second to examine the theories behind the issue. In this article the female-dominated health care sector is in focus. This sector strives for efficiency relating to invisible job tasks and emotional work performed by women. In contemporary work organizations gender segregation has a tendency to take on new and subtler forms. One reason for this is today's de-hierarchized and flexible organizations. A burning question connected to this is whether new constructions of masculinities and femininities really are ways of relating to the prevailing norm in a profession or are ways of deconstructing the gender order. To gain a deeper understanding of working life we need multidisciplinary research projects where gender-critical knowledge is interwoven into research not only on organizations, but also into research concerning the physical work environment, in order to be able to develop good and sustainable work environments, in this case in the health care sector


This study aimed to document outcome of invasive respiratory aspergillosis (IRA) in pediatric malignancy patients. Patients with febrile neutropenia episodes followed between January 2003 and May 2007 were enrolled. Antifungal therapy was added to those who were still febrile on the 5th day of febrile neutropenia treatment. Patients were screened with computerized tomographies. IRA was identified in 22 of 98 patients. There were 13 males and the mean age was 97 months. Proven infection was established in 3, probable in 7, and possible in 12 patients. Liposomal amphotericin B was administered to all patients and was successful in 10 patients. Modifications with caspofungin or voriconazole were done in liposomal amphotericin B failures. The median duration of antifungal therapy was 5.5 months. The median follow-up time was 29 months. There was no evidence of IRA in 12 patients after completion of cancer chemotherapy. Six patients died due to underlying disease, whereas IRA was either in remission or stable disease. Four patients were lost due to IRA. The remission rate for IRA was 82%. Survival at 37 months was 55% (95% confidence ınterval 25–47 months). The amount of time that absolute neutrophil count after initiation of treatment for IRA remained at zero was found to be an independent prognostic factor on survival (P = .01). These results suggest that early diagnosis and aggressive treatment may increase the successful outcome of IRA.


Abstract Recent observations have revealed the existence of a 'main sequence' of star-forming galaxies out to high redshift. While the majority of star-forming galaxies are observed to be close to this relation between star formation rate (SFR) and stellar mass, a smaller subset of the population – so-called 'starbursts' – displays specific star-formation rates and star-formation efficiencies that exceed those of normal (main-sequence) galaxies by up to an order of magnitude. A large degree of homogeneity and similarity has been observed for the properties of the population of normal galaxies across a broad redshift range, including a narrow correlation between their CO luminosity (hence gas content) and IR luminosity and an almost invariable IR SED getting warmer with redshift, while starburst galaxies display systematically different properties. This can be used to devise a simple description of the evolution of the star-forming galaxy population since z ~ 2 and, with a higher degree of uncertainty, even further back in time, in a scheme that we dub two star formation mode framework (2-SFM). We show how this can successfully reproduce the shape of the IR luminosity function of galaxies as a function of redshifts, and the IR number counts. Furthermore, we can link the cosmic evolution of the sSFR of main-sequence galaxies to the evolution of the molecular fuel reservoir and to derive estimates of the molecular gas mass functions of star-forming galaxies that are based on their empirically measured gas properties rather than simulations or semi-analytical modelling. We also infer the evolution of the cosmic abundance of molecular gas and briefly discuss its expected observational signature by molecular line emission, the CO luminosity function.


Abstract Zwitterionic porphyrin (tetrakis {4-(2-carboxyethyl)pyridinio}porphyrin (TPyCP)) with four pyridinium and carboxyl groups in the molecule was synthesized. The adsorption behavior of TPyCP on the montmorillonite clay surface was examined in an aqueous colloidal solution. While the adsorption maximum λmax of TPyCP was 424 nm in water, it shifted to longer wavelengths on complex formation with clay. The λmax on the exfoliated clay surface was 450 nm, and that in the stacked clay sheets was 471 nm, respectively. Under alkaline conditions ([NaOH] = 2×10-4 м), the stacking behaviour of the clay was completely suppressed. It emerged that anionic parts in the porphyrin molecule can suppress the stacking of clay sheets. Judging from the quantitative analysis, the maximum adsorption amount of TPyCP was 100% vs. cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the clay. As the adsorption density of TPyCP increased, λmax shifted slightly to longer wavelengths due to the interactions between adjacent porphyrins. When the loading level of TPyCP was 200% vs. CEC, the stacking of TPyCP was indicated. The average stacking layer number was calculated to be 1.48. On the other hand, it is known that tetra cationic porphyrins without anionic parts do not form such stacking structures. Thus, it seems that zwitterionic porphyrin has the potential to form a three dimensional structure through electrostatic interactions between porphyrins on the clay surface.


Choosing where to start transcription The RNA polymerase enzyme complex binds to the promoter of a gene and separates the two DNA strands. The subsequently formed "transcription bubble" is required for RNA synthesis to begin. How RNA polymerase chooses the exact DNA base at which it will start transcription has been unclear. Winkelman et al. show that a control element upstream of the start site is involved in helping RNA polymerase make this choice in bacteria. Start site selection involves promoter scrunching, where a stationary RNA polymerase unwinds and pulls DNA through the active site, scrunching the DNA of the transcription bubble. Science, this issue p. 1090 RNA polymerase uses a "discriminator" element and promoter "scrunching" to help choose where to start transcription. In bacterial transcription initiation, RNA polymerase (RNAP) selects a transcription start site (TSS) at variable distances downstream of core promoter elements. Using next-generation sequencing and unnatural amino acid–mediated protein-DNA cross-linking, we have determined, for a library of 410 promoter sequences, the TSS, the RNAP leading-edge position, and the RNAP trailing-edge position. We find that a promoter element upstream of the TSS, the "discriminator," participates in TSS selection, and that, as the TSS changes, the RNAP leading-edge position changes, but the RNAP trailing-edge position does not change. Changes in the RNAP leading-edge position, but not the RNAP trailing-edge position, are a defining hallmark of the "DNA scrunching" that occurs concurrent with RNA synthesis in initial transcription. We propose that TSS selection involves DNA scrunching prior to RNA synthesis.


Medical technology has embedded itself in our culture and has been a positive and powerful force in the improvement of life for millions of people. However, for every yin there is a yang, and with all things that are positive, there is also a negative component that must not be ignored. Most Americans are familiar with the benefits of technology, specifically medical technologies; the media reports on these benefits every day. However, it is not often that physicians have the opportunity to discuss what has been given up or lost as a result of using these same technologies. This commentary is about those unintended consequences resulting from our use of technology, in particular, physicians' use of medical technologies.


Urban areas have been considered potential ecological hot spots for metal pollution. This is the result of three trends. First, the 20th century saw a rapid increase in the use of many materials, including metals, in the industrialized world. Second, urbanization has made towns and cities areas nodes of material flows. Third, emissions from production activities have received considerable attention and regulation, but emissions via consumption have largely been ignored, so for several metals they have become more important than emissions from production activities. These emissions largely occur from centres of population. Thus, metal pollutionin urban areas is a subject of increasing importance. Whereas most studies of environmental pollution have dealt with pollutants in the environment, a new research field has evolved that is devoted to earlier identification of the fluxes that cause pollution. A tool in this work is material flux analysis. This thesis presents an extendedmaterial flux analysis of five heavy metals, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn, in the city of Stockholm, Sweden. This approach combines an analysis of the metal fluxes within the urban system, with an investigation of sediments, which aims at identifying the current sediment load of metals, and to reconstruct the historical load by using dated sediment cores. The results indicate that the use of Cd, Hg and Pb have been reduced during the last three decades. Thus emissions to the aquatic environment have been substantially reduced. However, metal concentrations in sediments from central Stockholm, as well as fluxes of metals to the sediments, arc highly elevated compared to other areas. Budget comparisons indicate that the area investigated in and around Stockholm has changed from a positive balance, indicating a net export of Cd, Hg and Pb to the Baltic in the 1970s, to a negative balance, indicating thatthere are unidentified sources of these metals. For Cu, the budget is approximately balanced, and for Zn the area seems to be an exporter to the Baltic Sea. It is argued that the unbalanced budgets of Cd, Hg and Pb highlight the importance of integrated approaches, and of including sediment loads in environmental monitoring. The results also stress the need for a better understanding of the urban biogeochemistry of heavy metals.


This thesis investigated the predictive and the prognostic powers of angiogenesis related markers in both operable and inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.In the first and second study, we investigated the serological fractions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in 2 cohorts of patients with either operable or inoperable NSCLC. Regarding operable NSCLC, we demonstrated significant correlations between VEGF and tumour volume and overall survival. Regarding bFGF, significant correlations with recurrent disease and survival were demonstrated. VEGF and bFGF correlated to each other and with platelet counts. In multivariate analysis, bFGF proved to be a significantly independent prognostic factor.Regarding inoperable NSCLC, we demonstrated that patients with elevated bFGF levels before any treatment and during chemotherapy had a significantly poorer survival. During chemotherapy, each rise of one unit of bFGF (ng/L) corresponded to a 4 times increased risk of death. Regarding VEGF, elevated levels after radiotherapy corresponded with better survival. All prognostic information demonstrated in this study concerned patients with a, co-sampled, normal platelet count.In the third study, three putative markers, HER-2, EGFR and COX-2, suitable for targeted therapies in resected NSCLC were investigated in a panel of 53 tumours and further investigated for a possible correlation with microvessel density. We demonstrated that HER-2 and COX-2 were mainly expressed in adenocarcinomas, whereas EGFR was only expressed in squamous cell carcinomas. COX-2 showed a trend towards a correlation with microvesssel density. The expression profile, HER-2+/EGFR-, was significantly correlated to poorer survival. In the fourth study, a predictive model for recurrences consisting of p53, CD34 and CD105, and circulating serum fractions of VEGF and bFGF, was investigated. The two endothelial markers correlated with each other. CD105 expression correlated with p53 expression. No other significant correlations between markers could be demonstrated. A significant correlation between p53 overexpression and recurrent disease was demonstrated. The mutational status could not confirm the immunohistochemical correlation between p53 and recurrences. In conclusion, the present thesis demonstrates that the angiogenic factors VEGF and bFGF analysed in sera have both predictive and prognostic information when measured in operable and inoperable NSCLC. Since HER-2 is overexpressed in NSCLC and linked with prognostic information, this marker might be a suitable target for therapy in NSCLC. Furthermore, in patients with operable NSCLC, p53 expression status was linked with recurrent disease and mean MVD.


: An agent decides against her preferences, if she considers an option x better than another option y but nevertheless decides to do y. A central tenet of rational choice theory states that individuals do not decide against their preferences, whereby we find two kinds of potential counterexamples in the literature: akrasia, also known as weak-willed decisions, and decisions based on so-called deontic constraints such as obligations or commitments. While there is some empirical evidence that weak-willed choices are a real phenomenon, leading scholars in philosophy of economics debate whether choices based on commitments can be counter-preferential. As far as we know, however, nobody so far has tried to settle this debate empirically. This paper contributes to both debates since we present some empirical evidence that (i) akrasia can also be strong-willed and (ii) choices made on the basis of commitments can indeed be counter-preferential. We will conclude that people can decide against their preferences without being unreasonable Abstract An agent decides against her preferences, if she considers an option x better than another option y but nevertheless decides to do y . A central tenet of rational choi- ce theory states that individuals do not decide against their preferences, whereby we find two kinds of potential counterexamples in the literature: akrasia , also known as weak-willed decisions, and decisions based on so-called deontic constraints such as obligations or commitments. While there is some empirical evidence that weak-willed choices are a real phenomenon, leading scholars in philosophy of economics debate whether choices based on commitments can be counter-preferential. As far as we know, however, nobody so far has tried to settle this de- bate empirically. This paper contributes to both debates since we present some empirical evidence that (i) akrasia can also be strong-willed and (ii) choices made on the basis of commitments can indeed be counter-preferential. We will conclude that people can decide against their preferences without being unreasonable.


Now fully updated for Ciscos new CIPTV2 300-075 exam, Implementing Cisco IP Telephony and Video, Part 2 (CIPTV2) Foundation Learning Guide is your Ciscoauthorized learning tool for CCNPCollaboration preparation. Part of the Cisco Press Foundation Learning Series, it teaches advanced skills for implementing a Cisco Unified Collaboration solution in a multisite environment. The authors show how to implement Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) dialing, globalized call routing, Intercluster Lookup Service and Global Dial Plan Replication, Cisco Service Advertisement Framework and Call Control Discovery, tail-end hop-off, Cisco Unified Survivable Remote Site Telephony, Enhanced Location Call Admission Control (CAC) and Automated Alternate Routing (AAR), and important mobility features. They introduce each key challenge associated with Cisco Unified Communications (UC) multisite deployments, and present solutions-focused coverage of Cisco Video Communication Server (VCS) Control, the Cisco Expressway Series, and their interactions with Cisco Unified Communications Manager. Each chapter opens with a topic list that clearly identifies its focus, ends with a quick-study summary of key concepts, and presents review questions to assess and reinforce your understanding. The authors present best practices based on Cisco Solutions Reference Network Designs and Cisco Validated Designs, and illustrate operation and troubleshooting via configuration examples and sample verification outputs. This guide is ideal for all certification candidates who want to master all the topics covered on the CIPTV2 300-075 exam. Shows how to craft a multisite dial plan that scales, allocates bandwidth appropriately, and supports QoS Identifies common problems and proven solutions in multisite UC deployments Introduces best practice media architectures, including remote conferencing and centralized transcoding Thoroughly reviews PSTN and intersite connectivity options Shows how to provide remote site telephony and branch redundancy Covers bandwidth reservation at UC application level with CAC Explains how to plan and deploy Cisco Device Mobility, Extension Mobility, and Unified Mobility Walks through deployment of Cisco Video Communication Server and Expressway series, including user and endpoint provisioning Covers Cisco UCM and Cisco VCS interconnections Shows how to use Cisco UC Mobile and Remote Access Covers fallback methods for overcoming IP WAN failure Demonstrates NAT traversal for video and IM devices via VCS Expressway Introduces dynamic dial plan learning via GDPR, SAD, or CCD


Metastatic breast cancer is commonly thought to be incurable, but gene therapy strategies with suicide genes are emerging as a potential treatment for metastatic breast cancer. Retroviral vectors are attractive candidates for such in vivo gene therapy applications. Most of these vectors contain viral promoters that are not tissue specific. In order to specifically target malignant cells while at the same time sparing normal tissue, cancer gene therapy will need to combine highly selective delivery with highly specific gene expression, specific gene product activity and, possibly, specific drug activation. Use of cell type or tissue specific promoters would allow specificity of gene expression to be achieved. It is therefore important to identify and characterise tissue/tumour specific promoter/enhancer elements in and combination with retroviral vector systems.

In this present study, the ProCon system was used to construct tissue specific vectors containing either the viral MMTV U3 region or the cellular WAP proximal promoter. It was important to characterise the vector system at the molecular level as well as investigating their targeted expression in vitro and in vivo. Validation of this system was first made with a hybrid MMTV-BAGgal vector. Here, it could be shown that the U3 from the 3' LTR could be replaced with the viral MMTV U3 region and that the hybrid vector behaves as expected at the molecular level throughout the whole transduction cycle. In transgenic mice, the ability of a small fragment of the WAP promoter to direct mammary specific expression was shown and this raised the possibility to replace the viral promoter with the WAP NRE. The replacement of viral U3 from the 3' LTR with the cellular WAP NRE showed no effect either at the molecular level or on the transduction cycle. These hybrid vectors were produced at titres ranging from 103 to 105 cfu/ml, showing that swapping of the U3 of 3' LTR with either heterologous viral or cellular sequences does not have an adverse affect on titre.

Following infection and reverse transcription, the expression of reporter gene should be under the control of either the WAP NRE or the MMTV U3 region. In order to determine the activity of the WAP NRE and MMTV U3 in the context of a retroviral vector in vitro, suitable cell culture conditions were established for both primary breast tumour cells as well as established tumour cell lines. Primary human breast tumour cells and breast tumour or non-breast tumour cell lines were infected in monolayer culture and were analysed in a three dimensional cell culture system for expression of the reporter gene. Here, it was demonstrated that the MMTV U3 was mainly active in human breast tumours. The WAP NRE was also able to direct heterologous gene expression in the context of a modified retroviral vector in human breast tumour cell lines as well as in primary cells in culture, but not in other types of human tumour cells. The activity of the WAP NRE in human breast tumour cells was not necessarily to be expected, particularly since a human WAP homologue has yet to be identified. An in vivo approach involving transplantation into SCID/bg mice allowed a determination of whether or not the in vitro response is reflected in vivo and to complement the in vitro studies. This work showed that mice did indeed develop both tumours and metastases. Both the MMTV U3 and WAP NRE in the context of the ProCon system behaved in a similar manner both in vitro and in vivo. Transgenic mice were also made in order to analyse the tissue specificity of the MMTV U3 region in the context of the ProCon system. A recloned provirus DNA was used for the establishment of the mice. Expression of the MMTVProCon was mainly restricted to the mammary gland and spleen, mirroring the expression pattern of MMTV.

The ability of the WAP proximal promoter and MMTV U3 region to function in the context of a retroviral vector is of interest for potential use to drive therapeutic gene expression in gene therapy strategies directed against breast cancer. Such genes could include those encoding toxic products, for example the diphtheria toxin gene or, alternatively, suicide genes allowing drug induced cell death with a bystander activity. Such strategies will be successful if ectopic expression can be avoided. In this study it was demonstrated that the proximal WAP promoter was more mammary tumour cell specific and it is therfore more suitable for use in gene therapy at this time. Whilst the MMTV U3 region, in the form used here, may exhibit ectopic expression, further experiments may identify regions or fragments that can be used without observing this phenomenon. Further, these experiments could be extended and combined with systematic delivery of hybrid retroviral vectors with a therapeutic gene either locally or into the bloodstream of xenotransplanted SCID/bg mice. In order to accomplish this, a high titre viral supernatant will be required and therefore efficient production systems will have to be developed and tested.


Bladed Tiles is a modular hardware toolkit for building tangible and embedded interface devices. It includes "function blades" and "interaction tiles," which can provide a flexible, inexpensive, open-ended platform for constructing a wide variety of tangible and embedded interfaces. In this paper, we propose Communication Blades. These are a class of electronic modules with varied computational capabilities for interfacing devices built using bladed tiles toolkit and also for interfacing embedded devices as adapters with external communication networks. These blades provide flexibility by offering the ability to select between different communication technologies and connectivity by providing devices with interoperability over different communication mediums. Furthermore, the modular blade architecture allows different types of communication blades to be plugged in on demand. This reduces the need for development and knowledge of communication protocols by the developers, thus abstracting the underlying complexity. My research work includes studying and designing various communication blades i.e. Serial, USB, Bluetooth and Gumstix. It also includes prototyping, testing and implementing the communication blades.


Objective: To assess the feasibility and accuracy of telemedical concussion evaluations (teleconcussion) for real-time athletic sideline assessment of concussion, as such assessment may address the gap in access some populations of athletes have to providers with expertise in concussion evaluation. Methods: A cohort of 11 consecutive male collegiate football players with suspected concussion was assessed using Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC), King-Devick test (K-D), and modified Balance Error Scoring System (mBESS). A remote neurologist assessed each athlete using a telemedicine robot with real-time, 2-way audiovisual capabilities, while a sideline provider performed a simultaneous face-to-face assessment. After the assessment, a remove-from-play (RFP) determination was made. The remote and the face-to-face providers were blinded to each other's examination findings and RFP decision until the end of the assessment. Results: The teleconcussion and face-to-face SAC were in agreement 100% of the time (6/6; 95% confidence interval [CI] 54%–100%). The mean (SD) difference between remote and sideline K-D times was 0.7 (1.4) seconds. Remote and sideline K-D times were within a 3-second difference 100% of the time (11/11; 95% CI 72%–100%). Remote and sideline mBESS scores were within 3 points 100% of the time (6/6; 95% CI 54%–100%). RFP decisions were in agreement 100% of the time (11/11; 95% CI 72%–100%). Conclusions: The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of teleconcussion for sideline concussion assessments. These data suggest a high level of agreement between remote and face-to-face providers with regard to examination findings and RFP determinations.


The Dutch-German Communist Left separated from the Comintern (1921) on questions like electoralism, trade-unionism, united fronts, the one-party state and anti-proletarian violence. The present volume provides the most substantial history to date of this tendency in the twentieth-century Communist movement.


For the past few years, the domain of graph signal processing has extended classical Fourier analysis to domains described by graphs. Most of the results were obtained by analogy with the study of heat propagation. We propose to perform a similar analysis in the context of tropical algebra, widely used in theoretical computer science to monitor propagation processes over graphs of distances. We introduce a Tropical Graph Fourier Transform and prove a few results on graph inference and the existence of a tropical uncertainty principle.


This short report represents a summary of the analysis conducted so far on the GfK Panel Data. The focus was on the main three types of raw meat: chicken, pork, beef, as well as three categories of processed food products: liver paste, cold cuts and sausages. The aim was to look at the market indicators for each one of the six sub-categories, out of which market share and penetration were considered to be the most important. Besides these two indicators, I also included some extra calculations for each category, which can be analysed further and more in-depth if needed.
One of the desired outcomes of the analyses was to identify companies and brands that were successful in each sub-category. Unfortunately, due to the generally low market shares of the organic products, the number of options was limited. Beef and pork were two categories where no brands were registered in the original product and sales Files. In the chicken category there was only one brand registered between 2006 and 2010, however, the market shares were extremely low for this category. There were only one or two households buying organic chicken products. The processed meat sub-categories both had a few companies registered. However, the diversity isn't large. Still, it is good to notice that in the three sub-categories there were two companies that were most present: Farre Food and Hanegal.
Market shares were generally low for all six sub-categories. Organic beef, pork and liver paste were the only categories to reach market shares of over 1%, while organic chicken had the lowest market shares of all. The trends were generally fluctuating over time. The highest market shares for liver paste, pork, chicken and beef were registered in 2007. All these four categories had much lower market shares in 2009, but it is interesting to notice that in the same year, organic cold cuts and sausages registered the highest market shares. Except for chicken, all market shares dropped in 2010 compared to 2009.
Penetration levels had a clear descending trend for organic beef and liver paste, whereas for the other subcategories the levels fluctuated. Organic chicken and sausage generally had an ascending trend, while organic pork and cold cuts usually had descending trends in penetration levels. The highest penetration rates were registered in 2006 for liver paste, beef and cold cuts and in 2008 for sausages, chicken and pork. Out of all the six sub-categories that were analysed, organic beef has had the highest market shares and highest penetration rates, even though the figures were lower and lower every year.
Regarding the average price paid/100 gr of meat products, we notice that in the organic category there is more fluctuation than in the conventional category, meaning that the price of organic products varies more between years. According to the analysis, the price difference between the organic and the conventional options in a sub-category is clearly notices in the processed meat category, but it is not as well defined for chicken, pork and beef.
There are some limitations regarding the analysis of the panel data. On the one hand, these are due to the fact that there are some incompatibilities between the product file and the sales file regarding the identification of products as being organic or not. On the other hand, some of the products were registered as "unknown", meaning that they are neither analysed as being organic, nor as being conventional, but as being a separate category. It is considered however that due to the fact that the results of the analysis are so small, the correction of these errors would not change the numbers significantly.


We report on a research project that studies how network structures affect demand in electronic commerce, using daily data about the graph structure of Amazon.com's co-purchase network for over 250,000 products, gathered over this year. We describe how the presence of such network structures alters demand patterns by changing the distribution of traffic between ecommerce Web pages. When this traffic distribution generated by the presence of the network is less skewed than the intrinsic or "real world" traffic distribution, such network structures will even out demand across products, leading to a demand distribution with a longer tail. We estimate an econometric model to validate this theory, and report on preliminary confirmation by contrasting the demand distributions of products in over 200 distinct categories on Amazon.com. We measure the overall extent to which a product influences the network by adapting Google's PageRank algorithm, applying it to a weighted composite of graphs over four distinct seven-day periods, and we characterize the demand distribution of each category using its Gini coefficient. Our results establish that categories whose products are influenced more by the network structure have significantly flatter demand distributions, which provides an additional explanation for the widely documented phenomenon of the long tail of ecommerce demand. Our research in progress aims to extend these results by using a model of consumer behavior more consistent with the economics of electronic commerce, one we term the "strategic surfer" model.


Although previous studies have suggested that rabbit excreta can be used as high-quality manure for sustaining plankton production due to their gradual nutrient release, integrated rabbit–fish production systems are still not widely used. Between 2006 and 2010 optimal rabbit densities for sustainable integrated rabbit–Nile tilapia farming were investigated at the Rwasave Fish Farming and Research Station, Rwanda, by assessing the effects of various rabbit densities on plankton type and abundance, fish production and pond water quality. Five treatments, using 200, 400, 800, 1 200 and 1 600 rabbits per hectare of pond, were tested over ponds in replicates. Physicochemical water parameters, plankton and fish growth were monitored on a daily and/or bi-weekly basis. Fish yield was positively correlated with rabbit density up to 1 200 rabbits ha−1 of pond, but at greater densities the yield began decreasing with increasing inorganic nitrogen, especially ammonia, and decreasing oxygen. Phytoplankton biomass, based on Chl a concentration, and daily primary productivity increased with increasing rabbit densities. Optimum density was in the range of 800 to 1 200 rabbits ha−1 of pond. A density of 1 200 rabbits ha−1 of pond gave the highest fish yield, 3.3 t ha−1 y−1 and the lowest ammonia level, and 800 gave the best environment for fish and plankton in terms of concentrations of Chl a and dissolved oxygen.


Abstract Previous studies have suggested that diets of river otters (Lontra canadensis) vary in response to seasonal shifts in prey availability, and that they select slowly moving fish of moderate size. To test these assumptions for marine-coastal river otters in Newfoundland, Canada, we reconstructed diets and estimated body length of important fish prey through analysis of otoliths and other hard parts recovered from scats collected in Bonavista and Placentia bays. Diet of otters in Bonavista Bay also was compared with the species and size composition of the nearshore fish community, as determined by concurrent beach-seine sampling. Diets were qualitatively similar but quantitatively different between bays. Otters consumed proportionally more cunner (Tautogolabrus adspersus) and stickleback (Gasterosteidae) in Placentia Bay, and more sculpin (Cottidae) and cod (Gadus) in Bonavista Bay. Flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) was important in both bays, based on biomass, because individual fish in the diet were large. Fish-community composition in Bonavista Bay varied seasonally, a pattern that was not reflected in the diet, suggesting active selection of fish prey by otters. Slow-swimming fish (sculpin, flounder, and ocean pout [Macrozoarces americanus]/rock gunnel [Pholis gunnellus]) were overrepresented in the diet, and fast-swimming species (cod and hake [Urophycis]) were underrepresented. Otters also selected larger individuals within taxa. The lower limits at which size classes were incorporated into diet varied across fish species, and may reflect species differences in detectability by otters due to camouflage and behavior.


Sharks have traditionally been portrayed as dangerous animals by modern media, contributing to a negative perception in the public eye. On one hand, despite some species being listed as critically endangered, news about the perceived risk of sharks for humans protrudes more than other topics. On the other hand, conservation topics tend to focus on specific topics, such as finning, highlighting the divergence between scientific and mediatic discourses about sharks. Our research compares the attention of shark research topics across citations, tweets, news and policy mention to assess the salience of specific themes. We find that citations are evenly distributed across research communities, tweets and policy mentions exhibit a significant focus on conservation, and news mentions tend to focus on more sensationalist topics such as shark attacks or the repercussions of fisheries on coral reefs.


Objectives: To study the stress distributions in maxillary central incisor restored with Ni-Cr custom-made, gold custom-made, prefabricated titanium and prefabricated glass fibre dental posts subjected to oblique occlusal load at 100 N. Materials and Methods: Four three dimensional finite element models of a maxillary central incisor restored with Ni-Cr (Model I), gold custom-made (Model II), prefabricated titanium (Model III) and prefabricated glass fibre (Model IV) dental posts were constructed and oblique loading of 100 N was applied. Stress analysing at the along the centre of the post and post-surrounding structure interfaces were computed. Results: The result of this study indicates that the clinical three-dimensional image provided information about the behaviour of teeth under function in all directions. The results obtained from a finite element model on the restored system contain information about the stress distribution of each component of the restoration. The maximum von Mises stress distribution at post center was recorded with Model I (38.6 MPa), followed by Model III (22.4 MPa) and Model II (20.8 MPa) respectively; whereas the minimum amount of stress was noticed in Model IV (10.9 MPa). At post dentin interface, the highest von Mises stress distribution was noticed with Model I (29.8 MPa), followed by Model III (18.9 MPa) and Model II (18.8 MPa) respectively; whereas the smallest amount of stress was noticed in Model IV (10.16 MPa). Conclusions: Glass fibre posts generated the least amount of stress concentration at middle and apical part of the posts compared to other dental posts.


Why are some individuals and groups within a society more prone to illness than others? How do we know what makes us ill? What can be done to alleviate illness or disability, and how can we be sure that an intervention will work? Biomedical scientists, doctors, statisticians, epidemiologists, sociologists, anthropologists and historians all study health and disease, but when faced with similar problems they tend to produce radically different explanations and solutions. This book describes the basic methods of investigation used by these disciplines, and shows how they are related and how they differ. The multidisciplinary team of authors brings together a wide range of expertise to provide an introduction to: social surveys, qualitative interviewing, ethnography and participant observation, historical research methods, the strategies used by demographers and epidemiologists to measure and compare disease distributions in very different populations, the concepts underlying statistical testing, experimental procedures such as randomised drug trials, the use of placebos and controls, and the key features of the scientific method in laboratory research.
The book refers to examples including diabetes, hysteria, neural-tube defects and cardiovascular disease to demonstrate how the multiple interacting causes of ill health can be studied at many different levels - from microscopic processes within body cells to large-scale interactions between different groups in society. It aims to develop a critical understanding of how current knowledge has been assembled from the observations, measurements and experiments of many disciplines to provide a fuller picture of health and disease in the modern world.


There have been many recent cases of information getting into unauthorized hands from lost or stolen laptops or insiders accessing unattended enterprise computers or storage devices. Providing physical protection and using remote locations are two means of keeping stored data confidential. The least expensive secure-storage systems use local data encryption with optional data authentication, together with access control and physical tamper detection. The IEEE P1619 Security in Storage Working Group is developing standard architectures for external encryption modules and tape drives. However, there's no standard yet for hard disks, specifying how developers can adapt the data layout to security needs and provide access control to the encrypted data. That means an attacker can only see the ciphertext after disassembling the drive and examining the magnetic platters with multimillion-dollar equipment. And because of the attacks' destructive nature, if the disk drive is returned, the owner will notice the disk was tampered with and won't trust the stored information. This effectively renders all kinds of data-modification attacks harmless.


Diabetes mellitus is a common, potentially serious metabolic disorder. Over the long term, diabetes leads to serious consequences in a number of tissues, especially those that are insulin insensitive (retina, neurons, kidneys). It also causes a variety of functional and structural disorders in the central and peripheral nervous systems. We investigated whether neurodegenerative changes were observable in the hippocampus, cortex, and cerebellum after 4 weeks of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in rats and the effect(s) of melatonin. Male Wistar rats (n = 32) were divided into four groups (n = 8 each): untreated controls, melatonin-treated controls, untreated diabetics, and melatonin-treated diabetics. Experimental diabetes was induced by a single dose of STZ (60 mg/kg, intraperitoneal (ip)). For 3 days before the administration of STZ, melatonin (200 μg/kg/day, ip) was injected and continued for 4 weeks. Sections of hippocampus, cortex, and cerebellum were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and examined using light microscopy. In addition, brain tissues were examined immunohistochemically for the expression of glial and neuronal markers, including glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and heat shock protein-70 (HSP-70). No neurodegenerative changes were observed in the hippocampus, cortex, or cerebellum of the untreated diabetic group after 4 weeks compared with the other groups. We did not observe any change in GFAP, NSE, or HSP-70 immunostaining in the brain tissues of STZ-induced diabetic rats. In summary, after 4 weeks of STZ-induced diabetes in rats, no degenerative or immunohistochemical changes were detected in the hippocampus, cortex, or cerebellum.


Accumulation of surplus phosphorus (P) in the soil and the resulting increased transport of P in land runoff contribute to freshwater eutrophication. The effects of increasing soil P (19–194 mg Olsen‐P (OP) kg−1) on the concentrations of particulate P (PP), and sorption properties (Qmax, k and EPCo) of suspended solids (SS) in overland flow from 15 unreplicated field plots established on a dispersive arable soil were measured over three monitoring periods under natural rainfall. Concentrations of PP in plot runoff increased linearly at a rate of 2.6 μg litre−1 per mg OP kg−1 of soil, but this rate was approximately 50% of the rate of increase in dissolved P (< 0.45 μm). Concentrations of SS in runoff were similar across all plots and contained a greater P sorption capacity (mean + 57%) than the soil because of enrichment with fine silt and clay (0.45–20 μm). As soil P increased, the P enrichment ratio of the SS declined exponentially, and the values of P saturation (Psat; 15–42%) and equilibrium P concentration (EPCo; 0.7–5.5 mg litre−1) in the SS fell within narrower ranges compared with the soils (6–74% and 0.1–10 mg litre−1, respectively). When OP was < 100 mg kg−1, Psat and EPCo values in the SS were smaller than those in the soil and vice‐versa, suggesting that eroding particles from soils with both average and high P fertility would release P on entering the local (Rosemaund) stream. Increasing soil OP from average to high P fertility increased the P content of the SS by approximately 10%, but had no significant (P > 0.05) effect on the Psat, or EPCo, of the SS. Management options to reduce soil P status as a means of reducing P losses in land runoff and minimizing eutrophication risk may therefore have more limited effect than is currently assumed in catchment management.


The innovative concept that proteins exert their function by establishing intricate contact networks rather than acting as independent entities is of outstanding importance both in the comprehension of molecular mechanisms underlying biological processes and in modern drug discovery. Protein-protein interactions are the ensemble of fine tuned recognition events that take place at protein surfaces. These contacts frequently involve large protein surface areas, which comprise several contact sites but, alternatively, they can be mediated by "hot spots" represented by few crucial amino acids. Many studies have highlighted the role of peptide molecules as powerful tools for the characterization and the regulation of these interactions. Peptides are particularly suitable as models for proteins that are not fully folded in their isolated states but that achieve conformational stability upon the formation of complexes with other partners. The characterization of the structural determinants of protein-protein recognition represents an important step for the development of molecular entities able to modulate these interactions.
The identification of compounds able to modulate protein-protein interactions represents a major goal for modern drug discovery. Both structure-based design and screening of combinatorial collections have been successfully applied, in this instance often small peptides and peptidomimetics have been selected as inhibitors of protein complexes. In many cases, the lack of sufficient structural information on protein interacting regions renders the combinatorial approach the most suitable method, but the use of completely random peptide libraries often produces redundant chemical species that complicate the deconvolution phases of screening and puzzles the way to the identification of active compounds. Thus, in order to avoid the synthesis of too large combinatorial libraries in two case-studies during this doctoral thesis a simplified approach was followed in it libraries of short peptides, made of a small subset of amino acids were prepared and screened. This approach has been applied to the identification of inhibitors of the protein complex between PED/PEA15 and PLD1 that is involved in the molecular mechanisms of insulin resistance occurring in type 2 diabetes. This study led to the identification of several short peptide inhibitors rich in aromatic and H-donor donor features through the employment of ELISA and SPR binding assay. These short sequences will be converted in small organic molecules following medicinal chemistry rules and actually can be considered as interesting starting scaffold for the design of new therapeutic agents in type 2 diabetes.
On the other hand, the screening of small but focused libraries is increasingly used to target specific systems. This method has been applied to the identification of mimicking peptides of KIR region of SOCS1 that is involved in JAK2 recognition. This interaction plays a key role in molecular mechanisms of psoriasis. After the identification of a shorter SOCS1-KIR domain, through an Ala-scanning investigation, focused peptide library in which non essential residues were randomized in a simplified approach were built and assayed. This screening led to the selection of new peptides more effective than natural sequences; indeed one decapeptide resulted binds to JAK2 with a dissociation constant in the nanomolar range and was able to block STAT1 phosphorylation. Actually cellular and in vivo experiments are ongoing in order to investigate its therapeutic applicability.
Rational approaches for the identification of protein interacting regions provide deeper insights into the recognition molecular mechanism This rational approach has been applied to other two projects in this thesis. The complex between proteins CypA and AIF is involved in apoptotic cell death, but at structural level only a docked theoretical model is available. In this model few molecular contacts between proteins are detectable, thus a set of sequences were designed in order to map crucial residues of AIF domains involved in the interaction with CypA. The selective disruption of the CypA-AIF complex with these peptides mimicking the protein surfaces was analysed by competition and direct binding SPR experiments. These experiments allowed to identify an active sequence that, once properly modified, could be as a potential suppress the pro-apoptotic action of AIF.
This minimalistic approach was successfully applied to another protein complex IB-α/Tat, two proteins involved in the replication of HIV-1. Here IB-α-based peptides were designed and tested in SPR assays. Also in this project the interacting region of IB-α was restricted to a shorter region (26 residues) representing a promising starting point for the development of molecules able to block HIV-1 infection. The characterization of IB-α peptides has provided novel insights into the intrinsic properties of IB-α fragments and structural determinants of IB-α/Tat recognition.
In the investigation of protein folding determinants and then in the design of specific modulators of proteic folding and biological function, the protein reassembly through host-chemistry strategy could represent a valid approach. During a period of six months spent at Cambridge University, a protein splitting approach was applied to the small a regulator protein Ubiqutin. Two dissected protein regions were obtained by chemical synthesis: at the C-terminal fragment (residues 47-76) was inserted a glycine as a spacer and then a tryptophan indole group, for the binding to the macrocycle CB[8]; instead at the C-terminus of N-terminal fragment (residues 1-46), a cysteine was inserted to allow the connection with "methylviologen", which has an aromatic ring strongly depleted of electrons for the formation of the ternary complex with CB[8]. The preliminary synthetic results obtained resulted promising for the future development of this project that will be structural studies of individual fragments and the structural and functional characterization of the ternary complex.


Contributo sottoposto a valutazione SOMMARIO: 1. Ecologia e religioni. Il rapporto uomo-natura nella visione escatologica dell'unita tra creazione e storia. Critiche all'antropocentrismo cristiano e derive panteistiche - 2. Chiesa cattolica e questione ecologica. Il nuovo imperativo categorico: l'ecologia umana nel Magistero pontificio post-conciliare - 3. L'ecologia umana come preoccupazione comune alle principali Chiese cristiane- 4. Riflessioni sulla causa del disastro ecologico umano-ambientale: la soluzione del problema nella natura giuridica della persona umana. Abstract  In the present work – based on a suggestion coming from the Scriptures- we investigated the relashionship between human disobedience to the commands of God and the revolt of the creation that manifests in the natural upheavals. Become one of the most challenging cultural issues for the modern world, even the religious faiths reflect on the ecological question, because it regards the deep relashionship between man and all over the world created. But the ebraic-christian monotheism develops an ontological doctrine of creation purposeful orientated toward redemption. The christian revolution is that man is the centre of the universe and ontological different from the others creatures, in respect of which is vested of responsability. But humanity power has become limitless, consequently new methaphisic and religious tendences offer a vision of nature deified (Deep ecology-Gaia), in which man depersonalized is privated of moral and legal responsibility. In post-conciliar magisterium Catholic Church addresses the ecological problem interpreting it as an anthropological question. It's useless taking care of the environment without priority to the human rights. This is one of the most important principle of Social Doctrine of Catholic Church. The ecological disaster is an human fault, and the solution of this emergency is a revaluation of natural law, a duty for the common man and the jurist.


Social Media has infiltrated all manner of users, and none more than the current digital native who is studying at university. This has led to the rise in questions of how best to use these computer-mediated communications in academic settings. Recent research shows that Twitter is very popular amongst students, though little work exists on the impact of Tweeting, and how it can be measured. This paper discusses the current work in progress to develop a framework that offers guidance to codify the connections that students in Higher Education make, using Twitter. Data suggest that it is still too early to determine the success of the framework, nonetheless, the scope for future work points towards many possibilities for full development and application.


Although cellulose decomposition potential (CDP) has been studied extensively in terrestrial ecosystems, particularly soils under varying land-uses, this process has received far less attention in running waters. As in soils, cellulose decomposition within the sediments of rivers and floodplains is also probably a critical pathway for carbon processing, especially given the amount of allochthonous organic matter entering these ecosystems. To test various hypotheses about CDP in floodplain and riverine sediments, we adopted the cotton-strip assay technique developed for estimating potential cellulose decomposition in soils. We incubated standard soil burial test fabric for varying periods of time in the sediments of three lotic ecosystems in France, Australia, and New Zealand. The extent of cellulose decomposition was measured as loss in tensile strength of a standard width of cotton strip. In floodplain sediments of the Rhone River near Lyon, CDP was least at sites with coarse sediments receiving down-welling surface water. Cellulose decomposition potential correlated significantly with sediment hydrolytic activity. In the riffles of three New Zealand gravel-bed stream reaches subjected to varying levels of sedimentation, heavy deposition of silt in up-welling zones reduced rates of cellulose decomposition but this was not evident in down-welling zones. CDP was always higher at the surface than 10-20 cm deep in the sediments. At two sites in a sub-tropical gravel-bed river in eastern Australia, macro-nutrient amendment enhanced cellulose decomposition in the hyporheic zones of central and lateral bars relative to controls without nutrients. Cheap, repeatable, versatile, and requiring minimum resources, this facile field method has the potential to provide the same insights into cellulose decomposition in aquatic ecosystems as it has in terrestrial environments. We consider its real utility lies in its value as a simple tool enabling comparisons of spatial and temporal changes in cellulose decomposition potential within and among sites in most aquatic environments.


Increased knowledge is needed about what self-care means from the patients' perspective, especially since the patient population with type 2 diabetes has been rising. The aim was to describe self-care, as experienced by patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. This study adopted a phenomenological approach. Eight patients were interviewed. A combination of photos and interviews were used. The essential meaning of self-care was found to be an existential struggle that evokes feelings of being in-between one's old unhealthy life and a new healthier one. In this in-between condition, tension exits between contradictorily emotions of anxiety, hopelessness and hope. This struggle also means questioning one's identity. It is important that diabetes nurses create an opening for reflection and dare to challenge their patients to reflect on this existential struggle.


This article explores the evolving copyright landscape in the Digital Information Age and places the Google Library Project ("Google Books," "the Project") and the Google Settlement Agreement within that terrain. We attempt to demonstrate how this initiative - the mass digitization of the nation's storehouse of printed texts with the goal of making them available to anyone who has access to the Internet - fits squarely within that terrain. Briefly, we contend it does so because it serves copyright law's central purpose of advancing knowledge and culture, especially through furthering copyright social utility and justice through inclusion of those who have been excluded, and it does this by using an accepted copyright mechanism (a private, court-supervised settlement) to address the novel copyright problems presented by the new technologies, while still preserving the rights of copyright holders. In sum, the incorporation of this new technology and the works generated through it into the copyright regime achieves the social utility balance mandated by the U.S. Constitution and fulfills the social justice promise of copyright law.


Two trials were initiated to investigate the consequences of including various soybean products in diets for Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. on (1) mortality following infection by Aeromonas salmonicida ssp. salmonicida during a cohabitation challenge, and (2) the lysozyme and IgM content of the intestinal mucosa. Groups of salmon were fed control diets containing fishmeal as the sole protein source (Contr1 and Contr2, respectively), soy concentrate-containing diets (SoyConc1 and SoyConc2, respectively), or diets containing either solvent-extracted soybean meal (SoyMeal, trial 1) or soybean molasses (SoyMol, trial 2), an alcohol extract of soybean meal. Both SoyMeal and SoyMol caused enteritis-like changes in the distal intestine, which were not observed in fish fed the Contr1, Contr2, SoyConc1, or SoyConc2 diets. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) in mortality between feeding groups following the A.s. salmonicida challenge: these differences were greatest in fish fed SoyMeal (65.6%), least in fish fed SoyConc1 (60.5%), and intermediate in the fish fed the Contr1 diet (62.9%). The SoyMol diet caused significantly (P < 0.0001) increased levels of both lysozyme and IgM in the mid and distal intestinal mucosa. It is concluded that components of soybean meal and soybean molasses cause an inflammatory response in the distal intestine that may lead to increased susceptibility to furunculosis.


Measuring Semantic Textual Similarity (STS), between words/ terms, sentences, paragraph and document plays an important role in computer science and computational linguistic. It also has many application sover several fields such as Biomedical Informatics and Geoinformation. In this paper, we present a survey on different methods of textual similarity and we also reported about the availability of different software and tools those are useful for STS. In natural language processing (NLP), STS is a important component formany tasks such as document summarization, word sense disambiguation, short answer grading, information retrieval and extraction. We split out the measures for semantic similarity into three broad categories such as (i) Topological/Knowledge-based (ii) Statistical/Corpus Based (iii) String based. More emphasisi s given to the methods related to the WordNet taxonomy. Because topological methods, plays an important role to understand intended meaning of an ambiguous word, which is very difficult to process computationally. We also propose a new method for measuring semantic similarity between sentences. This proposed method, uses the advantages of taxonomy methods and merge these information to a language model. It considers the WordNet synsets for lexical relationships between nodes/words and a uni-gram language model is implemented over a large corpus to assign the information content value between the two nodes of different classes.


Because breast cancer patient survival inversely correlates with metastasis, we engineered vehicles to inhibit both the C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) and lipocalin-2 (Lcn2) mediated migratory pathways. pH-responsive liposomes were designed to protect and trigger the release of Lcn2 siRNA. Liposomes were modified with anti-CXCR4 antibodies to target metastatic breast cancer (MBC) cells and block migration along the CXCR4-CXCL12 axis. This synergistic approach—coupling the CXCR4 axis blockade with Lcn2 silencing—significantly reduced migration in triple-negative human breast cancer cells (88% for MDA-MB-436 and 92% for MDA-MB-231). The results suggested that drug delivery vehicles engineered to attack multiple migratory pathways may effectively slow progression of MBC.


Background: Numerous similarities have been noted between gametogenic and tumorigenic programs in features such as global hypomethylation, immune evasion, immortalization, meiosis induction, and migration. In addition, aberrant expression of testis specific genes has been detected in various cancers which has led to categorization of these genes as "cancer-testis genes". Most of the examples identified in this category are protein encoding. However, recent studies have revealed that non-coding RNAs, including long non coding RNAs (lncRNAs), may have essential regulatory roles in telomere biology, chromatin dynamics, modulation of gene expression and genome structural organization. All of these functions are implicated in both gametogenic and tumorigenic programs. Methods: In the present study, we conducted a computerized search of the MEDLINE/PUBMED and Embase databases with the key words lncRNA, gametogenesis, testis and cancer. Results: We found a number of lncRNAs with essential roles and notable expression in both gametogenic and cancer tissues. Conclusions: Comparison between cancer tissues and gametogenic tissues has shown that numerous lncRNAs are expressed in both, playing similar roles in processes modulated by signaling pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin and PI3K/AKT/mTOR. Evaluation of expression patterns and functions of these genes should pave the way to discovery of biomarkers for early detection, prognostic assessment and evaluation of therapeutic responses in cancers.


Delays have become one of the most often cited complaints of Web users. Long delays often cause users to abandon their searches, but how do tolerable delays affect information search behavior? Intuitively, we would expect that tolerable delays should induce decreased information search. We conducted two experiments and found that as delay increased, a point occurs at which time within-page information search increases; that is, search behavior remained the same until a tipping point occurs where delay increases the depth of search. We argue that situation normality explains this phenomenon; users have become accustomed to tolerable delays up to a point (our research suggests between 7 and 11 seconds) after which search behavior changes. That is, some delay is expected, but as delay becomes noticeable but not long enough to cause the abandonment of search, an increase occurs in the "stickiness" of Web pages such that users examine more information on each page before moving to new pages. The net impact of tolerable delays was counter intuitive: tolerable delays had no impact on the total amount of data searched in the first experiment, but induced users to examine more data points in the second experiment.


The uncompensated donor or acceptor atoms present within the depletion layer of a diode can be employed in an electrostatic actuator, which utilizes the force between opposing charges on either side of the semiconductor junction. We describe the theory of this actuator and demonstrate its application for the case of a diode on the top surface of a silicon cantilever. The Schottky diodes fabricated on the top surface of cantilevers were used to drive them into resonance. As the actuator driving voltages are varied, the amplitude of vibration of the cantilevers changes, which is in agreement with the theoretical predictions.


Due to the opportunity for afforestation in South Africa being severely limited, extensive research is being carried out on obtaining more wood per given area, improving the quality and value of the wood and on gaining a better understanding of how wood properties influence the characteristics of the pulp it produces. The last mentioned is the main focus of this study. If the variations in pulp, due to variations in wood properties, are better understood, then the existing fibre resource could be more efficiently managed and utilised to maximise its value. The main objective of this study was to determine how variation in physical and chemical properties, from the existing P.patula resource drives variation in pulp strength properties. It is well known that differences in tree age and site index lead to major sources of variation of various wood properties. These two easily measured variables were used in this study to capture a significant amount of variation in the wood of the aforementioned genus that enters a mill. Samples were obtained from two extremes in site quality, as measured by site index, (viz. good and poor sites) and three age ranges (viz. 9-10 years, 13-14 years and 20-21 years) from the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Wood chips from each of the six sites were pulped for various lengths of time, using the Kraft pulping method and under the same pulping conditions. A wide range of anatomical and chemical properties of wood and pulp were measured to characterise these samples as extensively as possible. All pulp samples were beaten in a PFI mill, at four different levels. The freeness values of the beaten samples were measured. The physical properties measured on handsheets made from the pulp included sheet density, burst index, tear index, tensile index, tensile energy absorbed, stretch and zero-span tensile strength. Regression models were developed to quantify the impact of the measured variables on each of the strength properties. Principal component analysis was performed on the wood characteristics measured and indicated that tree age is a more critical source of variation in wood properties than site index. The predictions of whole tree wood properties from the properties measured at breast height were excellent. Pulping studies showed that pulp yield, at kappa 20-30, increased with tree age. Wood cellulose proved to be a very good predictor of pulp yield. Xylose and mannose appeared to be most resistant to degradation during pulping. The low yield pulps were easier to refine than those with high yield. This has important implications when considering high yield pulping processes. With regard to pulp strength, the younger material could not achieve the high tear strengths obtained by the older material. However, the tear strengths achieved by these younger sites were comparable with, if not higher than, that obtained by hardwood species. The implications of this is that younger P. patula trees could be used for grades of paper where very high tear strength is not essential, but tensile is (e.g. tissue paper) and that older material can be better used for the purpose of providing the high tear strength needed by certain paper grades (e.g. linerboard and sackkraft). The maximum tensile strength achieved by the younger material was higher than that of the older material. When compared at constant freeness or sheet density, longer cooking times had a deleterious effect on strength properties. Strong predictions of pulp strength from basic wood properties were obtained when strength results were compared at constant freeness and sheet density. Because of the great influence of fibre morphology and chemistry on refining rates and on the resultant strength properties, the results of the study suggest that fibres of greatly different chemical and anatomical characteristics should not be refined together, if beating energy and pulp strength are to be optimised. However, further work is required to evaluate if the separation of fibre resources, to improve pulp quality, would be economically viable.


Sorghum grown under rain-fed conditions is usually affected by drought stress at different stages resulting in negative effect on yield. The assessment and quantification of morpho-physiological diversity for the traits contributing towards drought tolerance at these stages is of vital importance. For this purpose, drought stress was imposed on 44 sorghum accessions at seedling stage and natural incidence of water stress at post anthesis stage. The data of 21 different morpho-physiological traits were subjected to different multivariate techniques, including correlation, principal component (PC) and cluster analysis to assess the diversity for drought tolerance in sorghum. The correlation analysis revealed that selection for long roots; higher root/shoot ratio, leaf area and leaf dry matter could be performed simultaneously. There was positive association between relative water contents and cell membrane stability but both of these traits were negatively correlated with residual transpiration and excised leaf weight loss. Principal component (PC) analysis showed first 7 PCs having Eigen value >1 explaining 77.653% of the total variation with head width, head weight, grain yield per plant, fresh and dry shoot weight being the most important characters in PC1. Cluster analysis classified 44 accessions into four divergent groups. The members of first two clusters exhibited adequate degree of drought tolerance on the basis of majority of morpho-physiological traits, whereas, cluster 3 and 4 included genotypes with lower level of drought tolerance. The D2 statistics revealed the highest distances between 2nd and 3rd clusters, while 3rd and 4th clusters displayed maximum similarity. Scatter plot and tree diagrams demonstrated sufficient diversity among the sorghum accession for various traits and some extent of association between different clusters. The results concluded that morpho-physiological diversity in the studied material is structured by genotypes and this diversity could be utilized for cultivar breeding and germplasm conservation programs aimed at improving drought tolerance in sorghum.


We investigated the spatial and temporal distribution of foraging effort by lactating Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella at Heard Island using satellite telemetry and time-depth recorders. Two principal diving types were identified: 'deep' dives averaging 48.6 m, and 'shallow' dives averaging 8.6 m. Discriminant function analyses were used to assign dives based on their depth and duration. Generalised linear mixed-effects models of night dives (>80% of all dives) indicated both spatial and temporal effects on the distribution of deep and shallow dives. Deep dives were more common in the deeper shelf waters of the Kerguelen Plateau, and these dives predominantly occurred after sunset and before sunrise. In contrast, shallow dives were more common in slope waters on the southeastern margin of the Kerguelen Plateau in the hours either side of local midnight. We suggest that these 2 distinct diving types reflect the targeting of channichthyid (deep dives) and myctophid (shallow dives) fish, and are indicative of spatial and temporal differences in the availabil- ity of these 2 important prey groups. We also identified 3 distinct behavioural dive groups (based on multidimensional scaling of 19 diving and foraging trip parameters) that also differed in their spatial distribution and in their relative importance of deep and shallow dives. The present study provides some of the first evidence that diving strategies are not only influenced by where foraging takes pace, but also when.


Las Vegas, the gambling and entertainment center of the nation, contains the world's largest concentration of hotels and casinos, and attracts over 18 million visitors a year. APMs have been and continue to be studied and implemented as a means of internal site circulation. At present there are five internal circulation systems in operation in or near Las Vegas, and three more are under construction. In addition, two different maglev proposals have been developed to connect major activity centers within the City. One of these proposals is still active. As growth of the area continues, the need for increased transportation capacity along the Strip also will grow. However, gaming establishments along the Strip design environments which attempt to capture and retain visitors on site and discourage easy access to competing establishments. This places constraints on the planner and limits physical solutions.


THE ROLE OF U.S. STANDARD SETTERS IN INTERNATIONAL HARMONIZATION OF ACCOUNTING STANDARDS Following are excerpts from a speech by Philip R. Lochner, Jr., a commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission, on the role of the United States in achieving international harmonization of accounting standards. The speech was delivered at the 10th Annual SEC and Financial Reporting Institute Conference held in Los Angeles. In the decades since the need for international accounting harmonization was first recognized, the forces of internationalization have struck with a vengeance. In 1975, transactions in U. S. securities by foreign investors and transactions in foreign securities by U. S. investors were estimated to have aggregated about $66 billion. By 1989, this figure had increased more than 80 times to a staggering $5.4 trillion. Unfortunately, the movement toward harmonization of accounting standards has not kept up with the increase in international economic activity. The United States has not recognized any international accounting standards. Further, for a foreign company to offer securities in the United States or list its securities on a U. S. exchange, it must reconcile its financial statements to U. S. generally accepted accounting principles, regardless of the quality of the foreign standards the company may have previously complied with. Everyone believes harmonization will happen, but apparently no one believes it will happen in his or her lifetime. But there is room for some optimism. The International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) is entering a crucial phase in its attempt to develop a nucleus of internationally accepted accounting principles and has indicated it expects to complete this process by the beginning of 1993. (For more on the IASC'S current activities, see the interview with IASC Chairman Arthur R. Wyatt, on page 100.) HARMONIZATION AND ITS BENEFITS From the point of view of the SEC, an extremely valuable benefit of harmonization would be the increased usefulness of financial statements to U.S. investors in foreign securities. The rules prohibiting foreign companies from offering securities in the United States or listing on U.S. exchanges without compliance with U.S. accounting requirements have not deterred U.S. investors from purchasing foreign securities. U.S. investors must make such purchases on the basis of financial statements prepared in accordance with a variety of accounting standards. However, financial statements prepared in accordance with harmonized accounting standards would be far more comparable than those currently relied on by U.S. investors. And yet another benefit of harmonization is that it could increase dramatically the willingness of foreign issuers to participate in U. S. securities markets. THREE APPROACHES TO HARMONIZATION The first approach to harmonizing standards is a bilateral one, under which regulators in two countries enter into arrangements on accounting harmonization. An example of this is the proposed bilateral disclosure system between Canada and the United States currently pending at the SEC. The advantage of the bilateral approach is that it may be faster and easier to implement than a multilateral agreement involving many countries. The disadvantage is, as more and more separate bilateral agreements are entered into, requirements under one agreement may differ from those under another, perpetuating rather than reducing accounting disparities. The second approach is regional multilateralism. The best example of this is the European Community (EC), which has taken significant steps, including some involving accounting, to facilitate capital flows among member states. …


A Seattle building now going up has 19,000 psi concrete, the strongest ever in conventional structures. It costs three times as much as conventional concrete, so will not be widely used. At least six changes from conventional concrete mix design led to the strength. Only 14,000 psi, or about 75% of the concrete's strength was needed as strength; the rest was needed to achieve the desired elastic modulus or stiffness, which helps minimize wind sway of the completed building. The building's 18 cylindrical columns have no conventional reinforcing, but each has a permanent steel shell and welded to its inside face, shear studs. The innovations were used to cut cost of the structure—by an estimated 30% of the $30 million structural cost. Many changes were made from conventional quality control: 18 cylinders for each 100 cu yd of concrete, six times the usual, with strengths measured at ages up to 1 year; smaller, 4 in. diameter by 8 in. long test cylinders; replacement of capping compound in test cylinders with an end-grinding procedure; and replacement of fog-room curing with lime-water immersion curing. When placed, the column concrete is not vibrated—it is not necessary because concrete for two-floor column pours is pumped in from the bottom of the lift, assuring good concrete mixing.


We show analytically that if the response of a signal-reshaping processor is slower than (or comparable to) the time scale of variations of the temporal profile of the input signal, then such a processor necessarily degrades the signal's bit error rate (BER). Here, the BER comparison is made for the cases where the receiver is placed immediately before and immediately after the processor. As primary examples of such processors, we consider all-optical 2R (reamplification and reshaping) regenerators, but also mention that the aforementioned BER degradation can occur in wavelength converters and electronic components of the receiver.


Abstract Trials were conducted in 2011 and 2012 at the Institute of Forage Crops, Pleven, Bulgaria, in order to study the imaginal and possible ovicidal effect of some insecticides against Bruchus pisorum under field conditions. Treatments with insecticides were started after the appearance of the first pea weevils eggs on pods located on the bottom two nodes. It was found that treatment with acetamiprid; thiacloprid; thiacloprid+deltamethrin; 50 g cypermethrin+480 g chlorpyrifosethyl, 50 g cypermethrin+500 g chlorpyrifosethyl and zeta-cypermethrin resulted in the cessation of additional oviposition on the lower nodes by Bruchus pisorum, due to the toxic effect of the insecticides on the pea weevil. It was found that spraying with acetamiprid and zeta-cypermethrin was the most effective. These insecticides significantly reduced the proportion of infected pods in comparison with the proportion of pods with eggs before the treatment by 30.2 and 27.4% and by 15.8 and 24.0% in 2011 and 2012, respectively. The use of acetamiprid and zeta-cypermethrin was also associated with the lowest percentage of infected seeds (21.7 and 23.6%, respectively), with the lowest percentage of infected seed in infected pods (40.5 and 42.5%, respectively) and the highest weight of 1000 infected seeds (161.94 and 182.04 g, respectively). It was concluded that the management of pea weevils in the crop with acetamiprid and zetacypermethrin can lead to satisfactory results when spray timing is chosen when the first eggs are visible.


The Tristan albatross Diomedea dabbanena is Critically Endangered: >99% of adults breed at Gough Island, central South Atlantic Ocean, where chicks are threatened by introduced predators. At sea they mostly remain within the South Atlantic Ocean, where they are threatened by incidental capture in longline fisheries. Conservation measures to reduce seabird mortality in pelagic longline fisheries are confined largely to fishing effort south of 25°S. This covers the core range of breeding Tristan albatrosses, but the distribution of non-breeding adults and immature birds is unknown. We tracked 14 non-breeding adult Tristan albatrosses from Gough Island for up to 3 yr, from 2004 to 2006, using geolocating loggers. All birds remained in the South Atlantic or southern Indian Oceans, and showed distributions centred on the Sub-Tropical Convergence. They used the SW Atlantic during the austral summer and the SE Atlantic and Indian Oceans as far east as Australia during the austral winter. Foraging effort was concentrated in areas of upwelling and increased productivity. The distribution of the tracked birds overlapped with a range of pelagic longline fisheries, especially off southern Africa. Of particular concern was that 2 birds spent several months off the coast of Namibia and in adjacent high seas north of 25°S, where there are currently no regulations to prevent seabird bycatch during pelagic longline fishing operations.


Advances in mobile hardware and operating systems have made mobile a first-class development platform. Activities such as web browsing, casual game play, media playback, and document reading are now as common on mobile devices as on full-sized desktop systems. However, developers are still constrained by the inherent resource limitations of mobile devices. Unlike desktop systems, mobile devices must sacrifice performance to accomodate smaller form factors and battery-backed operation. Opportunistic offloading of computation from a mobile device to remote server infrastructure (i.e., "code offload") offers a promising way to overcome these constraints and to expand the set of applications (i.e., "apps") that can run on devices.
Deciding to offload requires a careful consideration of the costs and benefits of a range of possible program partitions. This cost-benefit analysis depends on external factors, such as network conditions and the resources availability, as well as internal app properties, such as component dependencies, data representations, and code complexity. Thus, benefiting from offload requires some assistance from developers, but requiring developers to adopt arcane or unnatural programming models will hinder adoption of regardless of the potential benefits.
In this dissertation we characterize two frameworks that reduce the amount of developer effort required to improve the performance of mobile apps through code offload. The first, MAUI, is designed for computationally intensive general-purpose apps such as speech and facial recognition. The second, Kahawai, is designed for graphics-intensive apps like fast-action video games.
MAUI continuously monitors the device, network, and app, and uses its measurements to compute an energy-efficient program partition. MAUI reduces the burden on developers by taking advantage of core features of the managed code environments common to mobile platforms: code portability, serialization, reflection, and type safety. These features allows MAUI to automatically instrument and potentially offload methods that the developer has tagged as suitable for offload. MAUI is particularly effective on applications composed by operations whose computational cost is large compared to the transfer cost of their input parameters and their output results.
Kahawai is designed for graphics-intensive apps such as console-style games and takes advantage of two features of today's mobile gaming platforms: capable mobile GPUs and reusable game engines. Even though today's mobile devices cannot duplicate the sophisticated graphical detail provided by gaming consoles and high-end desktop GPUs, devices have seen rapid improvements in their GPU processing capabilities. Kahawai leverages a device's GPU to provide collaborative rendering. Collaborative rendering relies on a mobile GPU to generate low-fidelity output, which when combined with server-side GPU output allows a mobile device to display a high-fidelity result. The benefits of collaborative rendering are substantial: mobile clients can experience high-quality graphical output using relatively little bandwidth. Fortunately, because most modern games are built on top of reusable game engines, developers only have to identify the sources of non-determinism in the game logic to take advantage collaborative rendering.
Together, MAUI and Kahawai demonstrate that code offload can provide substantial benefits for mobile apps without overburdening app developers.


In visualization applications, the data has been increasing its size at very big rates. Processing of the whole data in main memory becomes impossible due to size limitations. A way of dealing with this constraint is to apply streaming to the visualization. The key idea is to exploit data locality in relationships to produce constant and continuous streams of data flowing through the visualization process. Issues like data dependencies, stream re-arranging, use of progressive algorithms, etc. have to be taken in consideration. In this paper we outline the main issues derived from the application of streaming in visualization. Our main objective is their identification as a previous step to define a general streaming framework for visualization. Some of the results presented here arose during the design and development of ad-hoc prototypes that we made as an initial approximation to the problem.


This title provides comprehensive exam-focused coverage of all AQA (A) AS Psychology specification terms, studies and concepts, plus the unique 'commentary corners' deal with the all-important AO1 and AO2 questions. It contains interactive full-colour double-page spreads, suitable for one hour's study, aiding the learning and revision process. It is packed with great features throughout, including research activities, unique diagrammatic summaries and multiple-choice questions, and revision checklists.


In this paper, we show that SVRG and SARAH can be modified to be fundamentally faster than all of the other standard algorithms that minimize the sum of $n$ smooth functions, such as SAGA, SAG, SDCA, and SDCA without duality. Most finite sum algorithms follow what we call the "span assumption": Their updates are in the span of a sequence of component gradients chosen in a random IID fashion. In the big data regime, where the condition number $\kappa=\mathcal{O}(n)$, the span assumption prevents algorithms from converging to an approximate solution of accuracy $\epsilon$ in less than $n\ln(1/\epsilon)$ iterations. SVRG and SARAH do not follow the span assumption since they are updated with a hybrid of full-gradient and component-gradient information. We show that because of this, they can be up to $\Omega(1+(\ln(n/\kappa))_+)$ times faster. In particular, to obtain an accuracy $\epsilon = 1/n^\alpha$ for $\kappa=n^\beta$ and $\alpha,\beta\in(0,1)$, modified SVRG requires $\mathcal{O}(n)$ iterations, whereas algorithms that follow the span assumption require $\mathcal{O}(n\ln(n))$ iterations. Moreover, we present lower bound results that show this speedup is optimal, and provide analysis to help explain why this speedup exists. With the understanding that the span assumption is a point of weakness of finite sum algorithms, future work may purposefully exploit this to yield even faster algorithms in the big data regime.


This is a survey which examines the development of architecture and design for air travel from 1909. The book documents developments in airport architecture, aircraft construction, and interior design, right through to airline corporate identity. Among the historical material included are interior views of the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, the Blohm and Voss flying boat, the Martin Aircraft Company assembly factory in Baltimore in 1937, and the first terminal building at Le Bourget Airport, Paris and La Guardia, New York. More recent design and architecture is highlighted by projects such as the proposed building at San Francisco International Airport, the latest control towers at Chicago O'Hare, New York JFK, and Los Angeles International Airports, and Richard Rogers' proposed design for Terminal 5 at London Heathrow. Essay on design and architecture examine many influential factors from the early days of aviation to the present day, including the impact of the Hoover administration's pledge of "an airport in every city" on America's air transportation. The essays analyze how changes in perception and the effects of encroaching urban growth have affected airport location in relation to city centres. The book concludes with a pilot's perspective, often misunderstood by planners and designers, showing how the "airside" and "landslide" points of view are of equal importance in airport design.


Baird & Hanson – prey sampling and behavioral cues of predation Summary In an effort to better understand the diet of so-called " southern resident " killer whales, we collected prey remains from feeding whales and recorded information on behavioral cues of predation around the San Juan Islands in August and September 2004. During the seven days of effort, killer whales were encountered on eight occasions over four days, and attempts to collect prey remains were made during five encounters. Whales were followed for the purposes of prey sample collection for a total of 12.7 hours, and events suggesting predation were observed 27 times. Prey remains were collected from 10 of these events (37%). Only three of the 10 cases involved a series of fast non-directional surfacings or active prey chases, characteristics that have been used to indicate feeding in one previous study. Behavioral observations from four of the 10 sampling events indicated that the prey chase and capture occurred out of sight of surface-based observers, and in one further case the prey capture occurred beneath the surface, with only initial signs of the chase visible at the surface. Prey captures were observed simultaneous with social interactions that were not related to foraging, suggesting that foraging behavior and social behavior can occur simultaneously. Further, this suggests that studies observing behavior from distances that are too far to observe prey in the water column may not always accurately characterize the behavior of fish-eating killer whales.