OF DISSERTATION NOVEL ROLE OF INTESTINAL LIPID TRANSPORT IN FOOD ALLERGY AND CHOLESTEROL HOMEOSTASIS The small intestine is the main organ for food digestion and nutrient absorption. It is constantly exposed to antigen and immunomodulatory agents from diet and commensal microbiota. Thus, the intestine is the largest compartment of the immune system in the body. Peanuts and many other allergen resources contain triglycerides, which may affect the antigen absorption through the intestine, but their effects on sensitization and anaphylaxis are unknown. We found that medium chain triglycerides (MCT) promoted antigen absorption into Peyer's Patches, rather than into the blood directly. Both gavage and feeding of MCT plus peanut protein induced spontaneous allergic sensitization. MCT-sensitized mice experienced the IgG-dependent anaphylaxis from systemic challenges and the IgE-dependent anaphylaxis from oral challenges. Furthermore, MCT alone had direct pharmaceutical effect on enterocytes, like stimulating Jejunal-epithelial Th2 cytokine responses compared with what was seen in the long chain triglycerides (LCT) treated group. Moreover, the oral challenges conducted with peanut protein in MCT significantly exacerbated anaphylaxis compared with the LCT challenges. The intestine also plays an important role in whole body cholesterol homeostasis due to its exclusive function in cholesterol absorption. The researchers found that the intestine function in cholesterol secretion and elimination, but it has not been proven directly until recently. This pathway that facilitates the cholesterol secretions through intestine was named the Transintestinal Cholesterol Efflux (TICE) and has not been well studied yet. To find the possible transporter candidates involved in TICE, we compared both biliary and intestinal cholesterol excretion rates in wild-type (WT) and G5G8 deficient (KO) mice of both sexes. All mice were maintained on a plant-sterol free diet beginning at weaning to prevent the development of secondary phenotypes associated with Sitosterolemia. We found that WT mice had higher biliary cholesterol excretion rates compared to their G5G8 KO littermates as previously reported. However, this difference is significantly greater in females compared to males. Interestingly, intestinal cholesterol excretions increased in female KO mice compared to their WT littermates, a difference not observed in males. This data suggests a sexually dimorphic adaptive mechanism to maintain cholesterol elimination in the absence of G5G8. Whereas male mice maintain a greater level of biliary output in the absence of G5G8, female mice upregulate an alternate intestinal elimination route. To determine the origin of intestinally secreted cholesterol, we compared both hepatobiliary and intestinal cholesterol secretion rates in male wild-type (WT) and CETP transgenic (CETP TG) mice at the age of 12 weeks. Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) facilitates the transport of cholesteryl esters and triglycerides between lipoproteins in plasma and alters the lipoprotein distribution of plasma cholesterol. We found that WT and CETP TG mice did not differ in either biliary or intestinal cholesterol secretion rates when maintained on a standard chow diet. However, CETP TG mice showed increased biliary cholesterol secretion rates and decreased intestinal cholesterol secretion rates compared to the WT group in response to a Western diet. We next determined the effect of CETP on the delivery of radiolabeled HDL-cholesterol ester to bile and intestinal lumen. Unlike bulk cholesterol secretions, HDL-derived cholesterol esters were preferentially delivered to the intestine in CETP TG mice. This data suggests that CETP alter the routes of total and HDL cholesterol elimination from the body in mice.


Synthetic refrigerants are widely used in refrigeration applications. However, it is shown that such refrigerants have negative impacts on the ozone layer of atmosphere. Recently, natural refrigerants such as carbon dioxide and various hydrocarbon compounds are proposed to replace synthetic refrigerants in the industrial refrigeration systems. Carbon dioxide is one of the most promising and environment-friendly refrigerant solutions due to its thermophysical properties, low ozone depletion value and low global warming potential. In this study thermodynamic analysis of a two stage sub-critical cascade refrigeration system using CO2 and R404a refrigerants in low temperature and high temperature cycles is presented. The energy and exergy analysis of the system and its components are performed to determine optimum operating conditions for condensing temperature of the cascade condenser and to maximize the coefficient of performance (COP) and second law efficiency of the system. The required equations are the mass, energy and exergy balances for the cascade refrigeration system. The optimum condensing temperature of the cascade condenser is computed at the first phase of the study. Then correlations are developed to maximize COP of the system according to condensing temperatures of both high and low temperature cycles.


The reaction dynamics of realistic molecular Hamiltonians including both mode coupling and anharmonicity may be profitably explored by classical trajectories. However even if such trajectories begin in phase the energy dependence of individual orbital periods of anharmonic oscillators quickly results in an incoherent ensemble, thereby obscuring organization present in the reaction dynamics of a given Hamiltonian. One solution to these difficulties is to compare trajectories in phase on a cycle by cycle basis (i.e. coherently). In this work a model independent means for phase based, or coherent, comparison was developed utilizing the Hilbert transform.
Phase based analysis reveals that in particular unimolecular reactions correlated motion occurs when energy transfer between an orthogonal mode and the reaction coordinate forces synchronization in their motions, resulting in convergence of their phases. Thus a restricted and systematic set of states (i.e. points in phase space) precedes reaction, apparently contradicting the RRKM assumption that all states are equally likely to react. Detailed examination of the fundamental RRKM equation shows that this assumption differs from requiring that all states are equally likely to react per unit of time. States involved in correlated motion react sooner than others, but all states ultimately react, so their reaction probabilities are equal, therefore correlated motion can be consistent with RRKM kinetics.
To explore the properties of different distributions of internal energy within a microcanonical ensemble a variant of phase space is proposed wherein every point is indexed by time remaining until reaction. (In the absence of trapping all unimolecular trajectories reside in the bound region of phase space for only a finite duration.) Under this variant points belonging to a particular allocation of internal energy are not scattered randomly across the lifetime distribution mapping (e.g. states in close time proximity to the transition state obviously all share the property of having sufficient energy in the reaction coordinate to clear the barrier). The microcanonical rate constant is an average of those for all component distributions of available internal energy, so the existence of rate constants with mode specificity can also be consistent with RRKM kinetics.


Helicopter crews are required to carry out a wide range of duties most of which involve operational safety. One particular flight safety problem that has relevance to a variety of different types of rotorcraft is assisting the pilot in obstacle avoidance. Obstacles, in this context, may typically include other aircraft, terrain features, buildings, bridges, overhead cables and poles. The problem is especially difficult in bad weather conditions, (such as fog, snow, and heavy rain), in the presence of heavy smoke, or dust, or at night. Also it must be noted that the dynamics of the moving obstacles (other aircraft etc) will not in general be linear or indeed even known a priori. In order to avoid obstacles effectively a system must have knowledge about the obstacles' positions and likely future positions relative the system's own aircraft. Since the information being provided by the sensors will be imperfect, (i.e. it will have some uncertainty associated with it), and since the process model, which must be used to predict any future positions, will also be uncertain, the required positions must be robustly estimated. Since the dynamics of moving obstacles will be a priori unknown, it will be necessary to learn process models for them. Since the dynamics of the obstacles may not be be linear, the process models must be capable of reflecting non-linear behaviour. The uncertain information produced by the various sensors will be related to required knowledge about the obstacles by a sensor model, however this relationship need not be linear, and may even have to be learnt. The information sources of interest may be distributed over many platforms, therefore the architecture of the data fusion system must reflect the spatially distributed nature of the problem. In essence then, the main aim of this research is the design an estimator which is capable of dealing with non-linear process and sensor models, which may result from learning processes, and with distributed information sources.


How progress the production relations in transition period into the innovation economics during post-industrialization period. How this process examining in growth theories. The knowledge factor, by "having been an increasing return" along the patent' economic length, cause an increase in total factor productivity of the industries where the knowledge employed as an input. Knowledge by having been realized a higher marginal return compare to average return is a production factor with an increasing return. Since the knowledge input have been an increasing return, this characteristics of the factor brings it's effect in production process dynamic. This structure of the knowledge factor creates increasing return in "production function". Whether indicate adequate effect of this qualification of knowledge input respect to the attempt of emerging economies "rise from middle income trap" , and how? In this study, the subject analyzed within the concept of a developed model that based on "factor augmenting technologies" approach in the theory.


Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) account for the majority of total morbidity cases in the working-age Swedish population. These disorders are thought to be the reason given for one-third of total certified sick leave requests. In addition to the high cost to society, MSD involve both physical and emotional suffering, pain and financial and social problems for the injured persons. The aim of this study was to identify predictive multidimensional factors for sustainable return to work (RTW) in a long-term follow-up persons with MSD. During the period 1992-1999, 385 persons participated in a rehabilitation program. Ten years later, 354 of these took part in a prospective follow-up study. The average post-rehabilitation time was ten years (range=7-13 years) and 243 persons (69%) completed a questionnaire. The "working full-time" group (n=110) and the "sick-listed" group (n=73) were included in the study. The two groups were compared in terms of predictors for RTW. Multiple stepwise logistic regression and bivariate analysis, as well as parametric and non-parametric tests, were used to identify predictive factors. The number of sick-listed days before rehabilitation, age, self-rated pain, life events, gender, physical capacity, self-rated functional capacity, educational level and light physical labor were predictors of long-term RTW. Return to work an be facilitated by planning at an early stage of the certified sick leave period using instrument that take these predictors into account.


Atheroprone regions of the arterial circulation are characterized by time-varying, reversing, and oscillatory wall shear stress. Several in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated that flow reversal (retrograde flow) is atherogenic and proinflammatory. The molecular and structural basis for the sensitivity of the endothelium to flow direction, however, has yet to be determined. It has been hypothesized that the ability to sense flow direction is dependent on the direction of inclination of the interendothelial junction. Immunostaining of the mouse aorta revealed an inclination of the cell-cell junction by 13 degrees in direction of flow in the descending aorta where flow is unidirectional. In contrast, polygonal cells of the inner curvature where flow is disturbed did not have any preferential inclination. Using a membrane specific dye, the angle of inclination of the junction was dynamically monitored using live cell confocal microscopy in confluent human endothelial cell monolayers. Upon application of shear the junctions began inclining within minutes to a final angle of 10 degrees in direction of flow. Retrograde flow led to a reversal of junctional inclination. Flow-induced junctional inclination was shown to be independent of the cytoskeleton or glycocalyx. Additionally, within seconds, retrograde flow led to significantly higher intracellular calcium responses than orthograde flow. Together, these results show for the first time that the endothelial intercellular junction inclination is dynamically responsive to flow direction and confers the ability to endothelial cells to rapidly sense and adapt to flow direction.


As a consequence of the F-Gas regulation R404A is no longer an option for commercial refrigeration applications. Therefore, this paper focuses on natural refrigerants. There are a few options like carbon dioxide, which has an efficiency loss with increasing ambient temperatures. A promising option is subcooling of the carbon dioxide process with a chiller using water as the refrigerant. This will result in a new optimized high pressure of the carbon dioxide process depending on the ambient temperature. Finally the annual COP values of the standard transcritical and subcooled system will be discussed.


This paper exams the purpose of Adventist Higher Education and how it can be achieved. It suggests that the purpose of Christian education is to transform believers into the image of Christ. It contrasts contemporary Christian education with Ellen White's vision of education and suggests that current models of education, especially in General Education, fall far short of this ideal. The paper concludes that character development, the transmission of strong biblical values and the holistic development of the overall person should be the purpose of Adventist higher education. The paper then suggests that the most effective way to accomplish this vision of education is through discipleship. The methods of Jesus' discipleship model are explored and implications of this model are applied to contemporary education. Three particular areas are emphasized: (a) service learning; (b) community experiences through cohorts; and (c) experiential learning. The author also uses two theorists of religious education, Groome and Browning, to develop a four-stage process of experiential learning in the classroom.


This study analyzed the trophic niche of two pelagic species that inhabit the Galapagos Marine Reserve, with the aim of understanding the interactions between these predators and other species. From June to October of 2009, 238 stomachs of Thunnus albacares and 151 of Acanthocybium solandri were analyzed from 4 specific sites of the Archipelago. Prey diversity reached an asymptotic level at 11 and 100 stomachs respectively. A total of 28 prey were found in T. albacores, in which the Humboldt squid Dosidicus gigas (36.68%) was the numerically most represented, whereas 11 prey were found in A. solandri in which the flying fish Prognichthys tringa and D. gigas were the two main prey items representing 40% of the diet. In terms of weight and frequency of occurrence, the most important prey were the squids Histioteuthis heteropsis (8.75%) and D. gigas (63.41%) for T. albacares and Trachurus sp. (19.86%) and Prognichthys tringa (1.19%) for A. solandri. The index of relative importance (IIR) confirmed the importance of these items in the diet of both predators. The trophic breadth level classifies T. albacares as a specialist - and A. solandri as a generalist predator (Levin = 0.17 and 0.65, respectively). These results suggest important differences in feeding habits in the two apparently sympatric species, which allows them to minimize interactions between species and to maintain their sympatric presence in this region.


Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia impacts all facets of higher order cognitive function and is characterized by the presence of distinctive pathological lesions in the gray matter (GM). The profound alterations in GM structure and function have fostered the view that AD impacts are primarily a consequence of GM damage. However, the white matter (WM) represents about 50% of the cerebrum and this area of the brain is substantially atrophied and profoundly abnormal in both sporadic AD (SAD) and familial AD (FAD). We examined the WM biochemistry by ELISA and Western blot analyses of key proteins in 10 FAD cases harboring mutations in the presenilin genes PSEN1 and PSEN2 as well as in 4 non-demented control (NDC) individuals and 4 subjects with SAD. The molecules examined were direct substrates of PSEN1 such as Notch-1 and amyloid precursor protein (APP). In addition, apolipoproteins, axonal transport molecules, cytoskeletal and structural proteins, neurotrophic factors and synaptic proteins were examined. PSEN-FAD subjects had, on average, higher amounts of WM amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides compared to SAD, which may play a role in the devastating dysfunction of the brain. However, the PSEN-FAD mutations we examined did not produce uniform increases in the relative proportions of Aβ42 and exhibited substantial variability in total Aβ levels. These observations suggest that neurodegeneration and dementia do not depend solely on enhanced Aβ42 levels. Our data revealed additional complexities in PSEN-FAD individuals. Some direct substrates of γ-secretase, such as Notch, N-cadherin, Erb-B4 and APP, deviated substantially from the NDC group baseline for some, but not all, mutation types. Proteins that were not direct γ-secretase substrates, but play key structural and functional roles in the WM, likewise exhibited varied concentrations in the distinct PSEN mutation backgrounds. Detailing the diverse biochemical pathology spectrum of PSEN mutations may offer valuable insights into dementia progression and the design of effective therapeutic interventions for both SAD and FAD.


The Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene was identified in 1989 by geneticist Lap-Chee Tsui and his research team as the gene associated with cystic fibrosis [4] (CF). Tsui's research pinpointed the gene, some mutations to which cause CF, and it revealed the underlying disease mechanism. The CFTR gene encodes a protein in cell membranes in epithelial tissues and affects multiple organ systems in the human body. Mutations in the CFTR gene cause dysfunctional regulation [5] of cell electrolytes and water content. Research on the CFTR mutation has shed light on the ways in which this gene is vital to normal human development. mutated CFTR gene remain undetected without prenatal or genetic screening. The Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene was identified in 1989 by geneticist Lap-Chee Tsui and his research team as the gene associated with cystic fibrosis (CF). Tsui's research pinpointed the gene, some mutations to which cause CF, and it revealed the underlying disease mechanism. The CFTR gene encodes a protein in the cell membrane in epithelial tissues and affects multiple organ systems in the human body. Mutations in the CFTR gene cause dysfunctional regulation of cell electrolytes and water content. Research on the CFTR mutation has shed light on the ways in which this gene is vital to normal human development.


This paper analyzes equilibrium in labor markets with costly search. Even in steady state equilibrium, identical labor may receive different wages; this may be the case even when the only source of imperfect information is the inequality of wages which the market is perpetuating. When there are information imperfections arising from (symmetric)differences in non-pecuniary characteristics of jobs and preferences of individuals, there will not in general exist a full employment, zero profit single wage equilibrium.There are, in general, a multiplicity of equilbria. Equilibrium may be characterized by unemployment; in spite of the presence of an excess supply of labor, no firm is willing to hire workers at a lowerwage. It knows that if it does so, the quit rate will be higher, and hence turnover costs(training costs) will be higher, so much so that profits will actually be lower. The model thus provides a rationale for real wage rigidity. The model also provides a theory of equilibrium frictional unemployment.Though the constrained optimality (taking explicitly into account the costs associated with obtaining information and search) may entail unemployment and wage dispersion, the levels of unemployment and wage dispersion in the market equilibrium will not, in general, be (constrained) optimal.


Abstract The paper reflects on the conception of the phenomenon of fear employed in the international relations theory. A critique of understanding of fear as a rational incentive of conventional international relations theories paves the way for the notion of fear as an emotion. It is argued that the behaviour of states in international politics should be explained via their psychological and emotional aspects. The paper proposes to connect the arising of and experiencing fear with collective memory and the imagery entrenched in nations' subconscious. It also proposes to distinguish the two levels of arising of and experiencing the emotion of fear, namely the attempt to consciously arouse fear and its nonconscious experience. On the first level, mnemonic-emotive agents consciously activate collective emotions via the nation's collective memory. On the second, once the contents/imagery of the society's subconscious are activated, the aroused emotions are nonconsciously experienced by the society. The paper offers a case study from the Lithuanian foreign policy: its relations with Russia. Discourse analysis of Lithuania-Russia relations, where President Dalia Grybauskaitė plays an active and important role in discourse formation, suggests that the formation of Lithuanian foreign policy, with regard to Russia, is affected by the emotion of fear.


The organic movement is not a recent fad for the environmentally conscious family. The health of children is becoming a driving force for the use of organic foods and beverages. The elimination of foods containing artificial dyes continues to be researched for conditions such as autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders. Concern has been expressed by key pediatric professionals on the exposure of children to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in foods and food packaging and the role they might play in the development of diabetes and childhood obesity. Agricultural scientists continue to investigate the nutritional superiority of organically grown foods, especially their higher content of many antioxidants. Registered dietitians are in a position to aid families in learning about the health benefits of organic foods and ways to make a child's nutritional environment safer and healthier.


The Rise of the Uncorporation covers the history, law, and finance of unincorporated firms. These "uncorporations" including general and limited partnerships and limited liability companies, are now the dominant business form of non-publicly-traded firms. Through private equity and publicly traded partnerships, uncorporations have emerged as a significant force in the governance of a wide range of the biggest firms. This is the first general theoretical and practical overview of alternatives to incorporation, including ancillary concepts connected with the evolution of these firms, and analysis of likely future trends in business organization. The Rise of the Uncorporation provides a clear and easily understandable theoretical and practical background to this important subject.


In this comparative case-study, elements of diffusion theory are used to examine local conditions conducive to political organization in terms of independent local lists (ILLs). Empirical evidence supports the formulation of three hypotheses for future and more systematic research into the problem: a hypothesis of size, an elite-hypothesis and a mobilization-hypothesis. Although several factors are likely to play a role, the results suggest particularly that ILLs are less likely to occur in localities lacking historical legacies in terms of popular mobilization.


reative art is so many things! It is flower drawings and wire flower sculptures in clay pots created by kindergartners after visiting a flower show. It is a spontaneous leap for joy that shows up in a series of tempera paintings, pencil drawings of tadpoles turning into frogs, 3-D skyscrapers built from cardboard boxes or wooden blocks. It can be the movement and dance our bodies portray, the rhythmic sound of pie-pan cymbals and paper towel tube trumpets played by four-year-olds in their marching parade, the construction of spaceships and birthday cakes. What is most important in the creative arts is that teachers, families, and children draw upon their inner resources, making possible direct and clear expression. The goal of engaging in the creative arts is to communicate, think, and feel. The goal is to express thought and feeling through movement, and to express visual perception and representation through the process of play and creative art making. These forms of creative expression are important ways that children and adults express themselves, learn, and grow (Vygotsky [1930– 35] 1978a, 1978b; Klugman & Smilansky 1990; Jones & Reynolds 1992; Reynolds & Jones 1997; McNiff 1998; Chalufour, Drew, & Waite-Stupiansky 2004; Zigler, Singer, & Bishop-Josef 2004). This article is based on field research, observations, and interviews about the use of creative, open-ended materials in Walter F. Drew and Baji Rankin


'Precision seismology' encompasses a set of methods which use differential measurements of time-delays to estimate the relative locations of earthquakes and explosions. Delay-times estimated from signal correlations often allow far more accurate estimates of one event location relative to another than is possible using classical hypocentre determination techniques. Many different algorithms and software implementations have been developed and different assumptions and procedures can often result in significant variability between different relative event location estimates. We present a Ground Truth (GT) dataset of 55 military surface explosions in northern Finland in 2007 that all took place within 300 m of each other. The explosions were recorded with a high signal-to-noise ratio to distances of about 2°, and the exceptional waveform similarity between the signals from the different explosions allows for accurate correlation-based time-delay measurements. With exact coordinates for the explosions, we are able to assess the fidelity of relative location estimates made using any location algorithm or implementation. Applying double-difference calculations using two different 1-D velocity models for the region results in hypocentre-to-hypocentre distances which are too short and it is clear that the wavefield leaving the source region is more complicated than predicted by the models. Using the GT event coordinates, we are able to measure the slowness vectors associated with each outgoing ray from the source region. We demonstrate that, had such corrections been available, a significant improvement in the relative location estimates would have resulted. In practice we would of course need to solve for event hypocentres and slowness corrections simultaneously, and significant work will be needed to upgrade relative location algorithms to accommodate uncertainty in the form of the outgoing wavefield. We present this data set, together with GT coordinates, raw waveforms for all events on six regional stations, and tables of time-delay measurements, as a reference benchmark by which relative location algorithms and software can be evaluated.


This paper reports on a small scale investigation into preservice teachers' multitasking behaviours during a course in a teacher education program (TED). Specifically, it addresses three research questions, 1) how frequent do preservice teachers do multitasks with smartphone, 2) what are the types of preservice teachers' multitasking behaviour, and 3) to what extent does multitasking behaviour affect preservice teachers' learning. To this end, we did a classroom observation where smartphone was used to facilitate learning. During the observation, we wrote notes concerning preservice teachers' multitasking behaviour with their smartphone. In addition, a total of 35 preservice teachers was surveyed. Findings of this study show that 97.14% of preservice teachers do multitasking in class; although the frequency and types of multitasking with smartphone vary. The findings also highlight fifteen types of multitasking behaviour with two most common activities: texting and searching. The analysis of preservice teachers' responses on the survey as well as the observation data suggest that multitasking behaviour contributes both positively and negatively to preservice teachers' learning. In reference to the findings, implications of the study to TEP are offered.


Ambient noise and acoustic echo reduction are indispensable signal processing steps in a hands-free audio communication system. Taking the signals from multiple microphones into account can help to more effectively reduce disturbing noise and echo. This paper outlines the design and implementation of a multi-channel noise reduction and echo cancellation module integrated in the PulseAudio sound system. We discuss requirements, trade-offs and results obtained from an embedded Linux platform.


Background. About 30–50% patients develop acute kidney injury (AKI) after cardiac surgery, which is still diagnosed by serum creatinine on clinic. However, the increase of serum creatinine is insensitive and delayed. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and interleukin-18 (IL-18) are early biomarkers for AKI in patients after cardiac surgery. Methods. Thirty-three cases undergoing cardiac surgery were classified into an AKI group and non-AKI group, according to the AKI definition (> 26.5 μmol/L increase of serum creatinine, more than or equal to 50% increase of serum creatinine within 48 h, or a reduction in urine output < 0.5 mL/Kg per hour for more than six hours). The concentrations of serum NGAL, urine NGAL, and urine IL-18 at different time-points were measured. Results. Nine cases (27.27%) developed postoperative AKI, but diagnosis with serum creatinine was 12–48 h postoperation. The concentrations of serum NGAL were not significantly increased postoperation. The concentrations of urine NGAL and IL-18 were significantly increased in the AKI group, which reached the peak at 2–4 h postoperation, and a more significant difference could be seen after correction for urine creatinine. The concentrations of urine NGAL and IL-18 2 h postoperation, either corrected for urine creatinine or not, showed good sensitivity and specificity. Increased levels of urine NGAL and IL-18 2 h postoperation were significantly correlated with increased level of serum creatinine 12 h postoperation. Logistic regression analysis showed that urine NGAL corrected for urine creatinine 2 h postoperation and urine IL-18 2 h postoperation emerged as powerful independent predictors of AKI after cardiac surgery. Conclusions. The concentrations of urine NGAL and IL-18 could be useful biomarkers for AKI in patients after cardiac surgery, especially after correction for urine creatinine.


An experimental system has been assembled to measure the absolute values of the Raman gain spectrum for millimeter-thick glass samples. Results are reported for two new oxide glasses with Raman gain coefficients as much as 30 times larger than that of fused silica and more than twice its spectral coverage.


Most Rwandan coffee is currently grown and processed the same way it was a decade ago. Consequently, Rwanda's coffee production and marketing system has not been able to keep up with changes in the global market for high quality coffee. Given world market gluts of relatively poor quality coffee, Rwanda is now exporting a product that fetches low prices. Despite the challenges in coffee marketing and production, coffee remains one of Rwanda's most important official sources of foreign exchange and the drop in production is of major concern to both the public and private sectors. In an effort to assist decision makers in the coffee sector better understand factors affecting farmers' production decisions and their attitudes about coffee, the FSRP fielded a nationally representative survey in 2002. The survey results show that the sector appears to be at a turning point—significant numbers of farmers have moved away from coffee with more seemingly on the cusp of removing more trees, or "decaffeinating" their fields. While the overall picture presented in this report is one of decline, there are also some encouraging changes. Liberalization of coffee policies in the mid-1990s seems to have increased yields by taking the poorest fields out of production. Growing farmer interest in intercropping coffee with food crops suggests that there may be a means of stretching Rwanda's most limiting resource—land area— thereby enabling farmers to achieve a better combination of food and cash crops. Also, the fact that the coffee sector survives at all in the face of numerous adversities is a weighty testament to its potential.


This paper aims to develop a framework of strategies for successful technology transfer in the Philippines, particularly for biomass energy technologies (BETs). Evaluation of nine candidate BETs using seven selection criteria resulted in identification of three most promising BETs for the Philippines namely: Stirling engine, cogeneration and bio-diesel production. These technologies can mitigate climate change, and are characterized by ease of replication and commercialization, and low level of effort requirement for technology transfer and capacity building. Country experiences on technology transfer show that the continuity of technology acceptance largely depends on government support and capacity to conduct testing and performance evaluation, and private sector involvement. The barriers to technology transfer include lack of access to information; weak human/institutional capacities; financial/economic, trade, and policy barriers; and institutional limitations. For facilitating international technology transfer, an enabling environment has to be established. Supportive policies, capacity building (both human and institutional), financial system and resource development, and institutional strengthening are recommended for this purpose.


This article concerns the prosecution of defensive dishonesty in the course of federal investigations. It sketches a conceptual framework for violations of 18 U.S.C. § 1001 and related false-statement charges, distinguishes between harmful deception and the typical investigative interaction, and describes the range of lies that fall within the wide margins of the offense. It then places these cases in a socio-legal context, suggesting that some false-statement charges function as penalties for defendants' refusal to expedite investigations into their own wrongdoing. In those instances, the government positions itself as the victim of the lying offense and reasserts its authority through prosecution. Enforcement decisions in marginal criminal lying cases are driven by efficiency rather than accuracy goals, which may produce unintended consequences. Using false-statement charges as pretexts for other harms can diminish transparency and mute signals to comply. Accountability also suffers when prosecutors can effectively create offenses, and when it is the interaction with the government itself rather than conduct with freestanding illegality that forms the core violation. The disjunction between prosecutions and social norms about defensive dishonesty may also result in significant credibility costs and cause some erosion of voluntary compliance. Animating the materiality requirement in the statute with attention to the harm caused or risked by particular false statements could mitigate these distortions. An inquiry into the objective impact of a false statement might account for the nature of the underlying conduct under investigation, whether the questioning at issue is pretextual, whether the lie is induced, and whether the deception succeeds or could succeed in harming the investigation. By taking materiality seriously, courts could curtail prosecutorial discretion and narrow application of the statute to cases where prosecution harmonizes with social norms.


Abstract: A growing field of scholarship has been probing the connections between late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century German Pietism and the sixteenth-century Reformation radicals. David Joris (1501-1556), a prolific sixteenth-century Anabaptist figure and reputed "arch-heretic," was highly esteemed by German Pietist leaders, including Christian Hoburg, Gottfried Arnold and Johann Wilhelm Petersen. In his influential Unparteiische Kitchen- und Ketzer-Historie (1700) Arnold made Joris the centerpiece of his story, and he observed that many in the Low Country still valued Joris's writings. He and others found in Joris and his writings a significant reference point and inspiration in their effort to promote a Lutheran form of spiritualist religion. ********** The present study has a twofold purpose: to document the significant influence of David Joris among radical German Pietists, and to account for this appeal. This study contributes to a small but growing historiography that links the Radical Reformation with later radical German Pietism. Horst Weigelt has done important work in demonstrating connections between the Schwenkfelders and later German Pietist groups, and Marcus Meyer between Anabaptists and the Pietists. (1) In the first volume of Geschichte des Pietismus, Martin Brecht pointed to the influence of sixteenth-century German Spiritualists and Jakob Bohme among leading Pietists. (2) Brecht documented the widespread popularity of works by Schwenckfeld, Valentin Weigel and Johann Arndt and their importance for the "prehistory" of Pietism. Pietists read these writers with appreciation for their stress upon inward piety. (3) Ignored in these discussions, however, is another popular figure among the Pietists, David Joris (ca.1501-1556). After the fall of Munster in 1535, the glass painter from Delft became the most important Anabaptist leader in the Netherlands, especially through the early 1540s, successfully competing for disciples with Menno Simons. Joris, claims Gary Waite, "was one of the most infamous men in the Low Countries, hounded by the imperial authorities and adored by perhaps thousands of supporters who willingly risked their lives and shared their resources to keep their beloved leader alive." (4) A visionary, a mystic, a prophet who proclaimed himself the "third David," Joris was also a prolific and talented author, producing books, pamphlets, hymns and innumerable letters. His major work was the Wonder Book of 1542. In all over 240 published works have survived, including a volume of songs as well as a large number of manuscript items and several artistic representations of his ideas. (5) According to the Dutch historian Mirjam G.K. van Veen, "the willingness of printers to publish Joris's works long after his death ... illustrates his abiding influence in the Low Countries" and beyond. There is evidence that many of his writings continued to circulate in manuscript. (6) In 1538 Holland courts put a price on Joris's head. Joris fled the northern Netherlands, living in Antwerp from 1539 to 1544. (7) In spring 1544, Joris and his family arrived in Basel where he presented himself to the city council as a merchant and evangelical refugee by the name of Johann van Brugge and soon received Basel citizenship. Joris lived in Basel as a Nicodemite, internalizing or "Spiritualizing the Crusade," and forsaking sectarian Anabaptism. (8) A couple of years after his death in 1556, Joris's true identity was discovered when the jurist Bonifacius Amerbach prompted the city council to investigate reports that Johann van Brugge was actually Joris, the notorious Dutch heretic. (9) Upon confirming this identity, the council exhumed Joris's body and burned his corpse and writings. (10) In 1559 the University of Basel published a critical judgment of Joris, The Life and Teaching of the Dutch Heretic David Joris. (11) The hostility of Joris's contemporaries was perpetuated by later posterity; confessional histories portrayed Joris as an "arch-heretic," ecstatic visionary and bigamist. …


The failure of labor unions to succeed in the American South, largely because national unions proved unable or unwilling to confront white supremacy head on, offers an important key to understanding post–World War II American politics, especially the rise of the civil rights movement. Looking at the 1930s and 1940s, it is clear that the failure was not the result of a cultural aversion to collective action on the part of white workers in the South, as several histories have suggested, but rather stemmed from the refusal of the conservative leadership in the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) to organize an otherwise militant southern workforce composed of both whites and Blacks. These lost opportunities, especially among southern woodworkers and textile workers, contrasts sharply with successful interracial union drives among southern coal miners and steelworkers, especially in Alabama. Counterfactual examples of potentially durable civil rights unionism illustrate how the labor movement could have affected the civil rights movement and transformed politics had the South been unionized.


The aim of this thesis is to orient the reader towards an art therapy which is conscious of external dynamics of power in western society. In order to do this it is necessary to look at art therapy in the light of feminism and recent post-modern theories, which include critical theory and deconstruction. Critical theory is a social theory integrating the works of Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud,which when merged with a feminist praxis (the active relationship between theory and practice) provides a method of critical analysis to investigate traditional therapeutic theories which gave rise to art therapy. The established therapeutic theories (for example Psychoanalysis, Jungian analytic psychology, family and systems theories) generally do not examine this culture's issues of power ( organized in varying degrees around the four primary areas of class, race, gender and age) in relation to the construction of the individual. A critical analysis enables investigation into not only the construction of gender in society, but also the institutions that maintain and perpetuate;0ppression. One of the myths of traditional therapy is that it is value free or value neutral. "Value free" therapy functions as a mechanism of social control, implicitly supporting the status quo by "therapising" the client to adjust to or come to terms with the problematic situation. Unless these areas are taken into account, therapy becomes another site of reproduction for inequalities and injustices in society. Strategies of challenge regarding a gender aware art therapy for therapists both male and female will be suggested. There is potential for a socially conscious art therapy, in breaking away from traditional theories, to be in a position to offer a bond between individual insight and external social dynamics . . Power inequalities in society lead those who have little power or control in their lives to suffer from various forms of distress, depression and me'ntal disorders. Because the number of women being diagnosed with mental ill health and depression is more than double the amount of men, and 95% of anorexics are female, this paper will also look at gender construction and women in western society. Working from the principle that the personal is political, the possibility of a gender aware art therapy is examined, in particular for women with anorexia, negative body image and low selfesteem. The nature of art therapy, with its unique image making content, has the potential to generate its own framework and break away from its originating theories which will enable its own wisdom to emerge.


The amount of data generated during the last few years has been unprecedented. This is not only due to the prevalence of online social networks and the ubiquitous devices connected to the Internet but also as the result of the advances in technology across other fields, for instance, whole genome sequencing. Hence, it is fair to say that we are living in the era of big data. Big data refers to large datasets or data flows that have outpaced our capability to store and process and cannot be analyzed by traditional means. In the presence of these challenges, traditional platforms fail to show the expected performance, and thus, new systems for storing and processing large-scale data are crucial to emerge. In this chapter, we explore some of the new trends of technology for handling big data.


Zircon is of fundamental importance in the investigation of deeply subducted crustal rocks in which it is a trace constituent. Tiny mineral inclusions within zircon may be the only indicators that rocks were subducted to a depth of up to 150 km. Because zircon is resistant to physical and chemical changes, it preserves stages of the subduction and exhumation history within submillimetre-size grains. Advanced in situ techniques allow us to date zircon domains and to determine their trace element composition. We can thus acquire a detailed knowledge of the temperature-pressure-time paths that these extraordinary rocks have experienced. Zircon studies provide evidence that subduction and exhumation act at plate tectonic speeds of 1-3 cm/year.


A key objective of self-adaptive systems is to continue to provide optimal quality of service when the environment changes. A dynamic software product line (DSPL) can benefit from knowing how its various product variants would have performed (in terms of quality of service) with respect to the recent history of inputs. We propose a family-based analysis that simulates all the product variants of a DSPL simultaneously, at runtime, on recent environmental inputs to obtain an estimate of the quality of service that each one of the product variants would have had, provided it had been executing. We assessed the efficiency of our DSPL analysis compared to the efficiency of analyzing each product individually on three case studies. We obtained mixed results due to the explosion of quality-of-service values for the product variants of a DSPL. After introducing a simple data abstraction on the values of quality-of-service variables, our DSPL analysis is between 1.4 and 7.7 times faster than analyzing the products one at a time.


Exposure to ubiquitous plasticizers known as phthalates may contribute to the development of an inflammatory response and be a factor in the development of allergic disease through direct or adjuvant mechanisms. Some of the important exposure pathways of phthalates include ingestion, injection, inhalation, and dermal absorption. The Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) Study is a multicentre, multidisciplinary, longitudinal, population-based birth cohort study of 5,000 children enrolled "pre-birth" and followed for five years. The purpose of this birth cohort is to identify and quantify determinants of asthma and allergy in early childhood. We examined associations between phthalate exposures in the indoor environment, including indoor furnishings, occupation, household care products and personal care products with seven phthalate metabolites (monobutyl phthalate (MBP), monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), monoethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl phthalate (MEOHP), mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), mono-2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl phthalate (MEHHP) and monoethyl phthalate (MMP)) in urine from 578 CHILD subjects at three months of age. Additionally, we looked at their relationships with socio-economic status. We found higher levels of urinary phthalate metabolites associated with use of household product, such as bathroom tile cleaner; air fresheners, usage of plastic and personal baby care products such as baby wipes. Associations between household income and the levels of urinary phthalate metabolites concentrations were also found.


We explore the effects of foreign aid on FDI in a large number of aid-recipient countries using data for the period 1985-2008 and focusing in particular on the impact of the interplay of aid and social cohesion. The preliminary results suggest that the independent effect of aid on FDI is negative in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Latin America (LAC) and positive in other regions, while aid seems to crowd out FDI in countries with high levels of human capital. In addition, we find that the interplay of aid and social cohesion in SSA and LAC has an inverted-U relationship with FDI, suggesting diminishing returns to social cohesion in these two regions.


The study carried out an assessment of cargo throughput at Tin Can Island Port Complex (TCIPC) Lagos, Nigeria between 1977 and 2014. This was with a view to identifying the contribution of individual cargo types to total traffic at TCIPC. Annual Statistics of operations of the port submitted to the Nigerian Ports Authority were used for the study. Using descriptive statistics and trend analysis, the results showed that a total of 199192788 tons of cargo were handled between 1977 and 2014. This was composed of containerized cargo (29.29%), liquid cargo (28.46%), general cargo (28.16%) and dry bulk cargo (14.09%). The result revealed container cargo as gaining more dominance as a veritable means of packaging as the case is in ports of other countries of the world. Again, record of liquid cargo showed that crude oil which is a major component of the liquid cargo is the only most traded product Nigeria has on the international trading interface. The study recommended that Nigerian government needs to intensify trading in container cargo by developing her manufacturing sector in other to promote exports in manufactured products. Terminal operators need to increase the capacity of their various terminals to accommodate more container cargo. Also, government needs to diversify the Nigerian economy in order to increase  her trading in other cargo types so as to reduce over reliance on liquid cargo especially crude oil whose price is subject to global economic calculations and sometimes, political negotiations.


Abstract Polyphenols are secondary metabolites with antioxidant properties and are abundant in the diet. Fruits, vegetables, herbs, and various drinks (tea, wine, and juices) are all sources of these molecules. Despite their abundance, investigations into the benefits of polyphenols in human health have only recently begun. Phenolic compounds have received increasing interest because of numerous epidemiological studies. These studies have suggested associations between the consumption of polyphenol-rich aliments and the prevention of chronic diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases. More specifically, in the last 10 years literature on the neuroprotective effects of a polyphenol-rich diet has grown considerably. It has been demonstrated, in various cell culture and animal models, that these metabolites are able to protect neuronal cells by attenuating oxidative stress and damage. However, it remains unclear as to how these compounds reach the brain, what concentrations are necessary, and what biologically active forms are needed to exert beneficial effects. Therefore, further research is needed to identify the molecular pathways and intracellular targets responsible for polyphenol's neuroprotective effects. The aim of this paper is to present various well-known dietary polyphenols and their mechanisms of neuroprotection with an emphasis on Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.


As seen from both patients' and physicians' points of view, there is wide agreement that systemic sclerosis (SSc) is one of the autoimmune disorders with the highest morbidity and mortality rates. In this review, we will follow the evolution of a new approach to its treatment. Support for using hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for SSc arose from seminal studies of genetic and antigen‐induced experimental models of autoimmune disease that demonstrated that high‐dose immunosuppression followed by either allogeneic (same species) or autologous (self) bone marrow transplantation (BMT) could prevent and even reverse damage from autoimmune diseases. Three decades after these initial preclinical observations, our understanding of the therapeutic potential of immune restoration following autologous HSCT has deepened, and the clinical evidence for its application in scleroderma has broadened.

In this review we will examine the outcome of conventional therapy for scleroderma lung disease; detail the techniques, toxicities, and results of HSCT for SSc; and explore the biology of immune restoration following autologous transplantation. We will compare the design and outcomes of randomized trials comparing HSCT with cyclophosphamide (CYC) treatment and formulate criteria for the timely referral of patients with scleroderma lung disease for HSCT.


The paradox of persistent under‐nutrition and food insecurity; as well as the increas‐ ing the incidence of over nutrition is particularly observed in middle –income coun‐ tries experiencing rapid westernisation such as South Africa (SA). Values of household Food insecurity remains high, whereas overweight and obesity are increasing at a rapid rate. Agriculture and the food system play a key role in nutrition, health and food security. It provides for the primary sources of energy along with essential nutri‐ ents, while simultaneously being a source of income, creating jobs and earning foreign exchange. This case study presents the current nutrition sensitivity of the South‐ African agriculture and food systems (including governmental prioritization) and highlights the importance of this for future development towards improved food and nutrition Security and nutritional status. Since 2013, discussions on a single, compre‐ hensive, food security and nutrition policy and implementation plan for South Africa have been in process with the aim to coordinate the improvement of both food security and all forms of malnutrition. Yet, the case study findings indicate an unfortunate lack of understanding about nutrient density and dietary diversity and the role which this could play in combating non‐communicable diseases in addition to food insecurity and hunger.


To maintain organisational growth in a turbulent environment, organisations must build highly effective learning systems to innovate and develop from threats and stressors. This has been termed by Taleb (2012) as 'antifragility'. This paper explores the benefits of applying a systems approach to service delivery design in order to build an 'antifragile' organisation that can learn from disruptions. Two exploratory case studies were conducted in the UK insurance sector using in-depth interviews supported by documented evidence. The findings of the case studies analysis suggest that systems approach expressed as the Vanguard method (Seddon, 2003) is likely to enhance organisational 'antifragility' by promoting a multilevel driver for learning from stressors. These levels being: 1) the macro level of clarity on the system due to the continuous analysis of customer demands received; 2) the meso level of organic structure of work place where effective learning-centred teams are built; 3) the micro level of employees' engagement with work and readiness to learn. This paper represents an early effort to explore the dynamics of how organisations can go beyond resilience by discovering how to develop the capacity to learn from stressors in order to flourish.


Eye-tracking is now above and beyond the sole measurement of visual attention. Amongst the multiple measures it provides, some have been explored as a measure of cognitive workload (CW). One such measure is pupil diameter. Although the relationship between pupil size and CW has been extensively documented, pupil diameter is primarily impacted by luminance variations while the cognitive workload has a relatively minor influence. Therefore luminance variations have to be accounted for, either in the experimental design or in the data processing to avoid the masking of the CW effects. This has meant that the use of pupillometry for the measurement of anything but the pupillary light response, has been restricted to highly controlled lighting conditions in a laboratory. This study proposes a new method that uses point of view (POV) video in conjunction with a luminance measurement sensor to dynamically estimate the luminance of the visual stimuli. As currently available off the shelf eye trackers are usually not equipped to record luminance variations, a luminance sensor was added to a commercial eye tracker. Eye-tracking gaze data, POV video recording of the operator/observer and a head-mounted (POV) luminance sensor together estimate the expected pupil diameter. This estimate over time is due to sole influence of luminance variations. This expected pupil diameter is used as baseline for the cognitive workload. The method was validated in laboratory conditions with controlled visual stimuli. The method reliably measures induced cognitive workload despite luminance variation.


This paper presents a spatially explicit model for hydrothermal response simulations of Alpine catchments, accounting for advective and nonadvective energy fluxes in stream networks characterized by arbitrary degrees of geomorphological complexity. The relevance of the work stems from the increasing scientific interest concerning the impacts of the warming climate on water resources management and temperature‐controlled ecological processes. The description of the advective energy fluxes is cast in a travel time formulation of water and energy transport, resulting in a closed form solution for water temperature evolution in the soil compartment. The application to Alpine catchments hinges on the boundary conditions provided by the fully distributed and physically based snow model Alpine3D. The performance of the simulations is illustrated by comparing modeled and measured hydrographs and thermographs at the outlet of the Dischma catchment (45 km2) in the Swiss Alps. The Monte Carlo calibration shows that the model is robust and that a simultaneous fitting of streamflow and stream temperature reduces the uncertainty in the hydrological parameters estimation. The calibrated model also provides a good fit to the measurements in the validation period, suggesting that it could be employed for predictive applications, both for hydrological and ecological purposes. The temperature of the subsurface flow, as described by the proposed travel time formulation, proves warmer than the stream temperature during winter and colder during summer. Finally, the spatially explicit results of the model during snowmelt show a notable hydrothermal spatial variability in the river network, owing to the small spatial correlation of infiltration and meteorological forcings in Alpine regions.


Our previous work enabled "federation-less federation", which means a federation of multiple network-virtualization platforms that do not support federation functions, and applied this method to a homogeneous federation of platforms called the "VNode" infrastructures. In this study, this method was applied to a heterogeneous federation of the ProtoGENI and the "VNode". We intended to federate these platforms through a single management interface. However, the federation architecture of GENI, which is called the slice-based federation architecture (SFA), cannot be used for single-interface federation but we could not modify the ProtoGENI platform to enable it. Therefore, a method for applying federation-less-federation to ProtoGENI was developed. It enabled federation of these platforms by adding several nodes but without modifying preexisting platforms. This method was applied to federation of the ProtoGENI platform at the University of Utah and two VNode infrastructures in Japan, the slice creation and deletion time was measured and evaluated to be acceptable. Although this federation-less-federation implementation still has several minor problems, it was proved to be useful for experiments and demonstrations.


Community pharmacy has been recently criticised for selling products which do not have a rational or robust evidence base. Available evidence suggests that pharmacists understand and are willing to embrace the concepts of evidence-based medicine (EBM), but it is not often utilised in the community pharmacy setting. Community pharmacists appear to rely more on consumer feedback and personal experience than clinical trial evidence when making over-the-counter recommendations, a practice at odds with the principles of EBM. Limiting factors for the uptake of EBM include a lack of resources and time, as well as a lack of skills in appraising scientific papers. Solutions may include improving pharmacists' awareness of existing EBM information resources, improving critical appraising training, and providing information tailored to the community pharmacy environment.


"This paper reviews the roles of divorce, nonmarital childbearing, and cohabitation in the changing family contexts of children, and then provides new estimates of current family composition which incorporate cohabitation. The underlying process is viewed in terms of the declining significance of marriage linked to long-term trends in individuation. Half of all children in the U.S. will spend some time in a single-parent family, and nonmarital childbearing is an important factor creating these families. At the same time, increased cohabitation requires that family definitions which are based on marital status in the U.S. be replaced with those that include cohabitation. A sixth of traditionally defined ¿mother-only' families are cohabiting two-parent families, and the one-fourth of current stepfamilies that are cohabiting are missed by marriage-based definitions." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND SPA)


This note offers a few thoughts at an early stage of this COVID-19 crisis, largely with the objective of stimulating further reflection and analysis, and generating much better thoughts. The primary concern now should, unambiguously, be heavily skewed to this phase of the crisis - which may not necessarily be very short term. It is a critical, humanitarian phase in which the health imperatives and the medical needs and food supply take on an unprecedented importance for each person – and especially the most vulnerable in our societies - and for us collectively. But it is already urgent, too, to understand the future and how we rapidly design and build a future that is sustainable.


Data repositories walk a fine line between the fixity and fluidity of the data they curate. Change is constant, but too much change affects the integrity of data. This paper examines data transformations in three repositories, serving the zoological, archaeological, and quantitative social science research communities. Based on in-depth analysis of 27 interviews, we identify a typology of changes: adding value; correcting errors; creating consistency; changing representations of data to reflect new knowledge; responding to designated communities; and evolving practices around collecting. Then we discuss the nature of these changes in terms of the data and collections. Our findings indicate that organizational differences and the diverse needs of the repositories' designated communities play a large role in how they manage change.


Parameters that Affect the Comfort Levels of Native English Speakers Communicating with Non-Native English Speakers Kayla Marie Nymeyer Department of Linguistics and English Language, BYU Master of Arts This study explores how native English speakers (NESs) are affected by the backgrounds of non-native English speakers (NNESs) when it comes to being comfortable interacting with then in English. Speech samples of 12 NNESs were gathered from the Level Achievement Tests conducted at Brigham Young University's English Language Center. There were six speakers who spoke Spanish as their first language (L1) and six speakers who spoke Chinese as their L1. In each L1 group, there were two Low proficiency speakers, two Mid proficiency speakers, and two High proficiency speakers. The speech samples were included in a Qualtrics survey which was completed by 122 American NES participants. The NES participants listened to each speech sample and rated their comfort level interacting with each NNES speaker in six different communication situations categorized as either formal or casual. The results were statistically analyzed in order to determine the effect of proficiency level, L1, and communication situation on NES comfort levels in NNES interactions. High proficiency speakers were rated significantly higher than Mid proficiency speakers which were in turn rated higher than Low proficiency speakers. Spanish L1 speakers were rated higher than Chinese L1 speakers. The more casual communication situations were ranked higher than the more formal communication situations. A statistical analysis of the interaction between proficiency level and L1 revealed that Spanish L1 speakers were strongly preferred at higher proficiency levels but Chinese L1 speakers were preferred at lower proficiency levels. These results suggest that Spanish L1 speakers have a greater need to be higher than Low proficiency while Chinese L1 speakers have a greater need to achieve High proficiency. NNESs who anticipate being in formal situations should also aim for High proficiency.


This paper aims at describing Q(uantity)-words, i.e. many/much and few/little , from a typological perspective, and presenting typological generalisations based on it. The typological sample provides support for a mass-count and positive-negative dimension in the domain of Q-words. Both dimensions also intersect. Along the negative dimension, it seems that languages fall into two groups: those having an opaque strategy for few/little and those having only an analytic strategy ( not-much/many ). Four patterns can be discerned on the basis of the sample, which are each exemplified by means of one language, i.e. English, Dutch, Wolof and Western Armenian. In addition, I make an attempt at developing a nanosyntactic analysis of the data, which aims to show how language variation in the domain of Q-words can be accounted for in terms of varying the size of lexically stored trees ( Starke 2014 ). Finally, I show how one missing type of pattern is underivable on the basis of the analysis proposed.


Background: Thoracic epidural anaesthesia (TEA) has many benefits over general anaesthesia in major abdominal surgeries including avoidance of endotracheal intubation. Aims: To evaluate the feasibility of TEA for major abdominal surgeries in the private hospital setting. Patients and methods: This was a retrospective study of all major abdominal surgeries performed under TEA in two private hospitals in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria over a two-year period. All thoracic epidural anaesthesia was performed under aseptic conditions at the T8/9, T9/10, or T10/11 interspinous space using a size 18G Tuohy epidural needle and catheter inserted as appropriate. A test dose of 3 ml of 1% lidocaine with adrenaline was used in all patients, after which a loading dose of 10–15 ml of 2% lidocaine with adrenaline was injected at 5 ml every 5 minutes till a block height of approximately T4–L1 was obtained. Anaesthesia was maintained with 5 ml of 2% lidocaine with adrenaline every 45 minutes till the end of surgery. The operative condition was assessed on the basis of sedation and analgesic requirement, as well as response to mesenteric traction. The pulse rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation were monitored throughout the procedure and recorded. Data were obtained from the patients' folders and operation register. Information included: age, gender, ASA status, diagnosis and type of surgery performed. Data analysis was performed using SPSS®, version 16. Results: Twelve patients underwent major abdominal surgeries under TEA. The mean age (range) was 49.58 (20–78) years, with a male to female ratio of 1:1.4. TEA was adequate in 10 (83.3%) patients, while two (16.7%) patients developed total spinal anaesthesia and were successfully resuscitated and their surgeries completed under general endotracheal anaesthesia. Conclusion: TEA for major abdominal surgeries is feasible. However, careful patient selection, a meticulous approach and preparation for resuscitation is required to prevent and manage complications.


Psychophysiological Insomnia (PI) is characterized by morbid fear of insomnia, mental arousal and heightened somatic tension in bed (ICSD- 2). The most widely reported epidemiological study reports a prevalence of insomnia as between 9% and 15% (Ohayon 2002) and most studies conducted to date looking at prevalence report similar numbers. Espie and colleagues (2006) in their review paper outlined a pathway into PI with three main components; selective attention to sleep, explicit intention to sleep and sleep effort. This model moves forward from Espie's (2002) Psychobiological Inhibition Model of insomnia which considered both the psychological and physiological states of normal sleep and how these are affected in insomnia. The Attention-Intention-Effort (A-I-E) Model further addresses the loss of automaticity and flexibility in insomnia but moves towards specifically outlining the processes which are present in PI as compared to the good sleeper (GS).
The first step in the A-I-E is selective attention to sleep, more commonly reported as attention bias to sleep. The University of Glasgow have pioneered the work establishing this attention bias towards sleep as an indicator in insomnia by using several cognitive probe paradigms presenting neutral and sleep related words and images to PI and GS (Jones et al 2005, Marchetti et al 2006, MacMahon et al 2006, Woods et al 2009). The various paradigms applied to understanding attention bias in PI have confirmed that PI will selectively attend to sleep related stimuli compared to neutral and to GS. We now find ourselves at the juncture of wanting to further understand the underlying mechanism to this attention bias as the previous research has mainly attributed it to an anxiety provoked response. This has its basis in Harvey's (2002) cognitive model of insomnia which makes comparisons with insomnia and anxiety disorder as well as the absence of de-arousal, both physiological and cognitive, in insomnia as outlined in Espie's (2002) Psychobiological Inhibition Model.
This thesis aims to further our understanding and answer our questions regarding the underlying mechanisms of attention bias in insomnia by addressing the time course, specificity and valence of attention bias in insomnia. Four experiments are used to address these three factors. Firstly, the specificity of AB is examined and compares the performance of GS and those going through a period of acute insomnia on a modified pictorial Posner paradigm in Experiment 1. Experiments 2 and 3 move on from Woods et al (2009) looking at AB to sleep and day times presented on an alarm clock using another modified Posner paradigm. By adding day times into the experiment and adjusting the presentation time of the salient stimuli we address the time course and valence questions. Finally, in experiment 4, an eye tracking experiment, which is new to insomnia research, has been developed where positive sleep, negative sleep and neutral words are presented to PI and GS.
. This definitive experiment addresses factors of time course and valence by experimentally manipulating the saliency of the stimuli presented as well as monitoring over a continuous period of presentation.
Overall, the findings of this thesis confirm that PI will selectively attend to salient stimuli at shorter presentation times but this attention bias changes into a performance deficit as presentation time increases. This prompts consideration on how the nature of the tasks are exposing elusive performance impairments in insomnia. Also, the saliency of stimuli representing the day presented to PI opens discussion into the 24 hour nature of PI.


A method for the Fourier transformation of one-dimensional functions, especially interferograms, with coherent light is described. The functions to be transformed are represented in the form of transparent masks with amplitude transmittance T=±1. Negative values of amplitude transmittance are realized with a phase plate. As the essential result, the Fourier transform of the interferogram is displayed by a lens along the abscissa of the frequency plane.


Testimony is a valuable source of information for young learners, in particular if children maintain vigilance against errors while still being open to learning from imperfectly knowledgeable sources. We find support for this idea by examining how children evaluate individual speakers who present very different epistemic risks by being previously ignorant or inaccurate. Results across 2 experiments show that children attribute knowledge to (Experiment 1) and endorse new claims made by speakers (Experiment 2) who previously professed ignorance about familiar object labels, but not to speakers whose labels were previously inaccurate. Study 2 further clarifies that children are not simply relying on links between informational access and knowledge; children rejected testimony from a previously inaccurate speaker even when she had perceptual access to support her claim. These results show that children actively monitor the reliability of a speaker's knowledge claims, distinguish unreliable speakers from those who sometimes admit ignorance, raising new questions about how such admissions factor in to children's appraisal of the scope and limits of a person's knowledge.


The nature of hospice care, particularly from the point of view of the occupational therapist, is presented in respect to the treatment of a 26-year-old patient. This case study demonstrates the role of the occupational therapist in helping a patient deal with his feelings of isolation, in helping him cope with severe physical limitations to maintain a maximum level of independence, and in helping him to deal with relationships with his fiance, family, and friends. The reader is given a sense of the quality of communication between therapist and patient. Finally, a view of what the therapist can expect realistically when offering hospice care is considered.


Since the establishment of the Exclusive Economic Zones in the mid 1970s, several exploited fish stocks in the Northeast Atlantic have been managed by total allowable catch (TAC). The advice on annual levels of TAC, as offered by ICES, has been given on certain assumptions as to what the objectives of the fishery management agencies might be. These objectives have seldom been stated explicitly by fishery management agencies, and the language of the advice has been subject to alternative interpretations. In particular, some terms, e.g. "safe biological limits" have given rise to disputes and doubts about their usefulness and true meaning. In this paper, we discuss the language of ICES' advice, and offer some suggestions on how to improve communication between ICES and the relevant fishery management bodies, NGOs, and the public.


Observations of the gestural communication of two groups of captive chimpanzees are reported. For one group the observations represent a fourth longitudinal time point over a 12 year period; the other group was observed for the first time. There were two main questions. The first concerned how young chimpanzees use their gestures, with special foci on the flexibility displayed in signal use and on the sensitivity to audience displayed in signal choice. It was found that chimpanzees are very flexible in their signal use (different signals for same goal, same signal for different goals) and somewhat sensitive to audience (signal choice based on attentional state of recipient). The second question was how chimpanzees acquire their gestural signals. Comparisons between the two groups showed much individual variability both within and between groups. In addition, when each of the two contemporary groups was compared with the previous longitudinal time points for one of the groups, no differences in concordance were found. It was concluded that youngsters were not imitatively learning their communicatory gestures from conspecifics, but rather that they were individually ritualizing them with one another in social interaction. An experimental study in which two individuals were taught new gestures and returned to their groups — with no subsequent signs of imitation — corroborated this conclusion. Implications of the current findings for the understanding of chimpanzee communication and social learning are discussed.


This paper examines the issue of the Greek public debt from different perspectives. We provide a historical discussion of the accumulation of Greece's public debt since the 1960s and the role of public debt in the recent crisis. We show that the austerity imposed since 2010 has been unsuccessful in stabilizing the debt while at the same time taking a heavy toll on the Greek economy and society. The experience of the last six years shows that the country's public debt is clearly unsustainable, and therefore a bold restructuring is needed. An insistence on the current policies is not justifiable either on pragmatic or on moral or any other grounds. The experience of Germany in the early post-World War II period provides some useful hints for the way forward. A solution to the Greek public debt problem is a necessary but not sufficient condition for the solution of the Greek and wider European crisis. A broader agenda that deals with the malaises of the Greek economy and the structural imbalances of the eurozone is of vital importance.


This research aims to find distinct and crucial factors needed in order to design a better robot through exploring the meaning of movement. The researcher conducted six-weeks of iterative work to collect data via an ethnographic method. The researcher examined the interactions between a telepresence robot and human beings in an authentic environment through the collected data and analyzed it based on proxemics theory. The research observed that the robot was given social space when it approached the participants with pauses in between movements. Furthermore, the research introduces proxemics pivot and its notion. Proxemics pivot refers to the part of the robot that people perceive as a standard point when they adjust the proximity between the robot and themselves. The proxemics pivot was considered "a face" and was attributed social properties; the other parts of the robot did not receive the same consideration.


0740-7475/04/$20.00 © 2004 IEEE Copublished by the IEEE CS and the IEEE CASS March–April 2004 TOWARD THE END OF 1982, at a meeting of the Computer Society Executive Committee, thenPresident Oscar Garcia asked me whether the time was right for a publication on design automation. I suppose he posed the question to me in particular because design automation was my field at IBM. I replied that it might be timely and that I would think about it. The more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that a new publication was warranted. It was obvious that IC densities would constantly increase and that circuit (gate) counts for computers and other electronic products would grow immensely (the million-circuit chip was looming on the horizon). There were indications that design time might grow almost as the square of the number of circuits, and some projections estimated tens of years to design even relatively small microprocessor-like products. It was also apparent that the testing of chips (and higher-level assemblies) to separate the good from the bad had to become an integral part of the design, verification, and manufacturing processes. The complexity and cost of performing manufacturing tests were growing steadily along with chip density. DFT techniques were already in use at companies such as IBM. One such technique was level-sensitive scan design, an IBM design strategy invented by Ed Eichelberger, which made more manageable the complicated process of developing test patterns for use in manufacturing. More and more CAD software would be necessary to make it possible to design and test dense VLSI chips and high-circuit-count products in reasonable time and at reasonable cost. Large outfits such as IBM and Bell Labs had their own design automation groups. Entrepreneurs sought to satisfy the needs of the many smaller companies; so, new startups (such as California Automated Design, which later merged into another company) were emerging to develop such software. In fact, an industry based on design automation, CAD, and test was emerging and growing rapidly. Both the IEEE International Test Conference and the Design Automation Conference were experiencing significant growth and increased vitality with each passing year. These highly regarded meetings were beginning to attract thousands of attendees and upwards of a hundred exhibitors. Vigorous and sustained projects were underway in the commercial, university, and government sectors, seeking novel and practical solutions to design and test issues. All of these trends were indicative of a field that would continue to grow in importance, perhaps eventually becoming a large subscriber base for a new publication that would address the entire body of methods for designing and testing electronic hardware. The IEEE already published the Transactions on Computer-Aided Design, but there was room for a new magazine that would focus on the needs of design and test practitioners. So the title Design & Test just popped out; D&T would emphasize current industrial practice and experience together with promising research ideas. In early 1983, while on assignment as IBM's representative to the Stanford University Center for Integrated Systems, I wrote a draft proposal for Design & Test magazine. With the help of many Computer Society colleagues—including Dennis Allison, Harold Carter, Michael Elliott, Ron Hoelzeman, Hillel Ofek, True Seaborn, Merlin Smith, Ed Thomas, Akihiko Yamada, and others—the draft moved forward. As the proposal worked its way through the review process, the title became IEEE Design & Test of Computers, as it remains today. After IEEE approved the magazine, President Garcia appointed me to serve as its first editor in chief, and I was fortunate to convince key people from academia, government, and industry to serve on its first editorial board. The premier issue appeared in February 1984.


A practical feedforward control system with fuzzy feedback trim is presented for controlling the dosing strategy of Changhsing Water Purification Plant of Taipei Water Department (TWD). The feedforward move is based on a regression model from successful dosing data between 2001 and 2004. The expert operators' adjusting actions in meeting the settled water turbidity trend and pH values are adopted to establish the fuzzy feedback control rules. A host of field tests have demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.


Processing cassava to gari is a storage method. Gari frying is the last operation and is still largely done manually in Nigeria. The women processors usually adopt various postures during production as appeared comfortable to them. This paper reports the survey carried out in 50 gari factories across five states (Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun, Osun and Oyo) of southwestern Nigeria and the versions of Improved Traditional Garification Methods (ITGMs) in use. These were grouped into eight (ITGM I-VIII) based on operator's and workplace's characteristics, heating process and estimated output. Their modes of operation were explained and estimation of their outputs and common working postures were determined. Four working postures were identified namely, sitting beside (SB), sitting in front (SF), alternating between sitting and standing (ASS) and standing (S). ITGM VIII with operator in standing posture using both hands had the highest output, having efficient use of both hands and indicating an ergonomic balance of right and left arms as well as overcoming certain asymmetric symptoms in the workers. ITGM VIII is, therefore, recommended based on output.


Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) adopt the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs) for their security. In any PKI system, the authentication of a received message is performed by checking if the certificate of the sender is included in the current CRL, and verifying the authenticity of the certificate and signature of the sender. In this paper, we propose an Expedite Message Authentication Protocol (EMAP) for VANETs, which replaces the time-consuming CRL checking process by an efficient revocation checking process. The revocation check process in EMAP uses a keyed Hash Message Authentication Code (HMAC), where the key used in calculating the HMAC is shared only between non revoked OnBoard Units (OBUs). In addition, EMAP uses a novel probabilistic key distribution, which enables non revoked OBUs to securely share and update a secret key. EMAP can significantly decrease the message loss ratio due to the message verification delay compared with the conventional authentication methods employing CRL. By conducting security analysis and performance evaluation, EMAP is demonstrated to be secure and efficient.


OBJECTIVE: An important prognostic factor in any form of infection seems to be glucose control in type 2 diabetic patients (T2DM). There are no informations about the effects of tight glycemic control on Covid-19 outcomes of hyperglycemic patients. Therefore, we examined the effects of optimal glycemic control in hyperglycemic Covid-19 patients.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Fifty-nine Covid-19 patients hospitalized with moderate disease were evaluated. Based on admission glycemia >7.77 mmol/L, patients were divided in hyperglycemic and normoglycemic. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and D-dimer levels were evaluated at admission and weekly during hospitalization. The composite end-point was severe disease: admission to an intensive care unit, use of mechanical ventilation, or death.RESULTS: Thirty-four (57.6%) were normoglycemics and 25 (42.4%) were hyperglycemics. In hyperglycemics 7 (28%) and 18 patients (72%) were diagnosed with diabetes already before admission. In hyperglycemics, 10 (40%) were treated without insulin-infusion and 15 (60%) were treated with insulin-infusion. The mean of glycemia during hospitalization were 10.65±0.84 mmol/L in no-insulin infusion-group and 7.69±1.85 mmol/L in insulin infusion-group. At baseline, IL-6 and D-dimer levels were significantly higher in hyperglycemic than normoglycemic patients (P<0.001). Despite all patients were on standard treatment for Covid-19 infection, IL-6 and D-dimer levels persisted higher in hyperglycemics during hospitalization. In a risk adjusted Cox-regression analysis, both hyperglycemic and diabetic had higher risk of severe disease than non-diabetic and normoglycemic patients. Cox-regression analysis evidenced that hyperglycemic patients treated with insulin-infusion had lower risk of severe disease than patients without insulin-infusion.CONCLUSIONS: Insulin-infusion may be effective method for achieving glycemic targets and improving outcomes in Covid-19 patients.


This essay offers an encounter with Bruno Latour's account of ontological pluralism by way of a close reading of the Livre des propriétés des choses, Jean Corbechon's fourteenth-century French translation of Bartholomaeus Anglicus's encyclopedia. Engagement with Latour's Inquiry into Modes of Existence enables a new reading of medieval encyclopedias that takes seriously Latour's suggestion that premodern cosmologies retain importance for modern ecological thought while simultaneously challenging his arguments about the rigidity of ontologies based on ideas of nature, substance, and matter. This essay argues that the Livre deploys precisely such an ontology in dynamic and flexible ways. The varying visual programs in Livre manuscripts each configure the encyclopedia's ontology differently, either making humans privileged observers of nature or positioning them as subject to its laws while adopting varying solutions for communicating ontological contentions to readers.


This article investigates a remarkable shift in international news reporting of developing or Third World countries in a leading Slovene daily newspaper Delo after Slovenia gained independence in 1991 which appears to be consistent with repositioning of Slovene foreign policy after its succession from Yugoslavia. In short, extent of news coverage of developing countries dropped, type of news coverage changed to what is normally categorised as 'negative news' while mode of photographic representation had switched from neutral to symbolic. Drawing on the explanatory powers of national identity and national interest, article focuses on the shift in visual coverage and use of press photographs to construct and maintain the difference between 'Us' and 'Them'. Through this, it exposes the active role of 'indigenous' gatekeepers in providing the final selection of already limited repertoire of news diet, supplied by international press agencies.


Democratization is a process of collective emancipation through self-government. Continuous political contestation is essential for emancipation but, in order to know which strategies and conditions will emancipate us, we also need to know which ones subjugate us. Political mechanisms with the capacity to modulate our individual and collective bodies and make them docile tend to be close relatives of those which make us equal and free.

 Drawing on the latest theories concerning globalization and democracy, this book argues that postnational and postsovereign multilevel governance regimes, including the European Union, should be understood as mechanisms of global capitalism aimed at privatizing democracy. Through a detailed applied analysis of the Basque case, the author illustrates how democratization is closely linked to ideas about territory, collective empowerment and institutional political capacity.

 Democratization always takes place partially: it never «ends». Contrary to the dominant thinking, this book argues that the incomplete nature of democratization is a positive aspect, with perpetual conflict leading to perpetual change. This is precisely what allows, and obliges, each generation to shape its own forms of emancipation.


Objective To investigate whether knowing the diagnosis for sickness absence improves prediction of mortality. Design Prospective cohort study established in 1985-8. Sickness absence records including diagnoses were obtained from computerised registers. Setting 20 civil service departments in London. Participants 6478 civil servants aged 35-55 years. Main outcome measures All cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality until 2004, average follow-up 13 years. Results After adjustment for age, sex, and employment grade, employees who had one or more medically certified spells of sickness absence (>7 days) in a three year period had a mortality 1.7 (95% CI 1.3 to 2.1) times greater than those with no medically certified spells. Inclusion of diagnoses improved the prediction of all cause mortality (P=0.03). The hazard ratio for mortality was 4.7 (2.6 to 8.5) for absences with circulatory disease diagnoses, 2.2 (1.4 to 3.3) for surgical operations, and 1.9 (1.2 to 3.1) for psychiatric diagnoses. Psychiatric absences were also predictive of cancer mortality (2.5 (1.3 to 4.7)). Associations of infectious, respiratory, and injury absences with overall mortality were less marked (hazard ratios from 1.5 to 1.7), and there was no association between musculoskeletal absences and mortality. Conclusions Major diagnoses for medically certified absences were associated with increased mortality, with the exception of musculoskeletal disease. Data on sickness absence diagnoses may provide useful information to identify groups with increased health risk and a need for targeted interventions.


Purpose

In recent years, network science has become a dynamic and promising discipline. This study aims to provide a brief summary of the subject and the application to the tourism domain.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is based on a non-exhaustive survey of the literature.

Findings

The state-of-the-art of network science in tourism is explored and discussed, together with possible future developments.

Research limitations/implications

This paper uses a limited set of works, those deemed the most significant to sketch the situation. The choice might be subjective, but the overall picture is clear. Given what accomplished so far, the methods of network science seem interesting both for their theoretical and practical outcomes. In essence, they provide a better and more objective view on the structural and dynamic characteristics of the tourism phenomenon and of the different tourism systems and components.

Originality/value

This paper critically reflects on the state of network science and its application to the tourism domain. Even without claiming to be complete, this paper takes a general perspective approach rather than examining single topics or issues.


Quality guided phase unwrapping is an effective way to unwrap phases. The adjoin list is an important part in quality guided phase unwrapping. Different implementations of the adjoin list will affect speed and possibly accuracy in the phase unwrapping process. Usually, the adjoin list is very long and hard to operate. A good choice is to split it in to short linked lists, especially when the pixels are equally or near equally distributed in those linked lists. Otherwise, if the quality of pixels is concentrated in a small range, the speedup becomes less obvious. To solve this problem, a dynamic adjoin list is proposed. A fixed length is assigned to each linked list. When there are too many pixels going into one linked list, they will overflow into a lower linked list. The verification is given.