This study focused on the possible 'parasitism-like' relationship between the epibiont Cymbaloporetta sp. and basibiont benthic foraminifera including Agglutinella soriformis El-Nakhal, Adelosina carinatastriata Wiesner, Pseudotriloculina sp. and Spiroloculina indica Cushman & Todd from a sample collected off the east coast of Bahrain in the Arabian Gulf. There are no indications of preferential host selection, the epibiont seems to attach on to any available basibiont. However, constriction of the test and subsequent growth of the basibiont's chambers at the point of attachment of the epibiont might suggest an early link in their ontogeny. This biotic relationship has implications on the basibionts' development and ontogeny that eventually results in the development of foraminiferal abnormalities. The finding of morphological test abnormalities caused by an epibiont in an unpolluted environment has important implications for the use of the abnormalities for pollution biomonitoring. Samples from other areas of the Arabian Gulf need to be studied in order to determine the background proportion of specimens with epiboints.


This innovation and operations project has brought new products and customers, and a business model focus to ABC Nutrition, whilst freeing up valuable strategic management time to drive business growth. The original project aim to develop and commercialise weight loss programme products was addressed. However, the other original project aim to optimize the company's powder, spray vitamin and capsule manufacturing operations was modified to focus solely on the company's branded range of powder and spray vitamin products. Evidence of achievement exists in the form of new sports nutrition products formulated to meet the needs of target customers, the company's online presence, securement of new international customers, and the set up and launch of a branded range of meal replacement products. The knowledge resulting from the project has helped to critically review the company's spray vitamin business, and redirect resources towards higher margin company branded powder products. Furthermore results from the project have helped the company to establish and optimise production of the branded meal replacement products for an Irish pharmacy chain and to achieve ISO9001 (2008). In addition to the transfer of product development and nutrition knowledge from the Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health, the Department of Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Strategy has helped reshape the company's business plan. In November 2009, the company received a national award for its entrepreneurial spirit.


Over the past several years scholars have wrestled with how property rights in items created in virtual worlds should be conceptualized. Regardless of how the property is conceptualized and what property theory best fits, most agree the law ought to recognize virtual property as property and vest someone with those rights. This article moves beyond the conceptualization debate and asks two new questions from a new perspective. First, how ought virtual property rights be allocated so innovation and creativity can be maximized? Second, how can the law be changed to remove barriers that unnecessarily impede a regime that maximizes creativity and innovation in virtual worlds? As to the first question, there is evidence supporting the notion that users creating virtual property should be the owners of the virtual property rights. However, strong counter-arguments exist showing that ownership by developers may best promote cumulative innovation and creativity. Nonetheless, what is clear is that there exists a potential for an innovation-maximizing regime that is different from what commonly exists today. This is where the second question comes into play. As to the second question, the current state of the law causes virtual world developers to be unwilling to relinquish their hold over virtual property rights. Developers' reluctance to do so results from fears of liability, loss of control, and being forced to create at a more rapid pace so as to keep users interested. To relieve these concerns and open up the possibility for a regime that may put virtual property in the hands of those who will maximize innovation and creativity, this paper urges the creation of a safe harbor which provides enough incentive for developers to choose to hand over some control and explore property allocation regimes that may maximize innovation and creativity.


AbstractWe conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study to analyze predisposing factors, clinical features, and microbiological characteristics of patients with microbial keratitis hospitalized over 10 years.The medical records of 558 patients who were diagnosed with microbial keratitis and admitted to Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH), a referral center in Taiwan, from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2012 were reviewed. Demographics, predisposing factors, isolated organisms, treatment, and hospital stay were recorded. Yearly trends were tested using a linear-by-linear association.Contact lens wear was the most common predisposing factor (31.4%), followed by ocular and systemic diseases (26.3%) and trauma (23.5%). Contact lens-related infectious keratitis increased year by year (P = 0.011). Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most commonly isolated organism (28%), followed by fungi (17.6%) and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (5.4%). Except for Serratia marcescens, the identified organisms did not change over 10 years. Most bacterial infections were controlled using antimicrobial treatment, but more than half of patients with fungal keratitis required surgical interventions. The mean hospital stay was 13.7 ± 11.5 days. Previous ocular surgery, large ulcer size, nontuberculous myycobacteris infection, and surgery during admission were related to prolonged hospital stay.In Taiwan, contact lens-related pseudomonal keratitis remained the most common cause of microbial keratitis in patients hospitalized from 2003 to 2012.


Architectural competitions are no longer simply professional praxis for architects and a recurrent exercise for students at schools of architecture. The competition has also turned into a field of research, and this book is part of an effort constituting the architectural competition as a field for studies with scholarly claims. The first doctoral dissertations on competitions were presented in the 1990s in Europe. Another clear manifestation of research interest is the growth and spread of scholarly conferences on architectural competitions. The contributions to the book show in a convincing way that the architectural competition is an interesting and rewarding object for research. The competition processes bear rich empirical findings to which one may refer for knowledge about architecture as professional practice, as educational subject and research platform. The architectural competition illustrates processes of change in society that are technical and organizational as well as social; it shows up constructive dilemmas, the borderline of rationality and the relative, creative insecurity of knowledge production in architectural projects.


Divergence of dispersal regimens has been suggested to be the selective basis for the evolutionary differentiation of agonistic phenotypes found in natural populations of house mice. Dispersal propensity may, therefore, be expected to exhibit heritable variation in wild house mice, ultimately related to motivational differences causing observable differences in agonistic behaviour. To test for heritable components in dispersal propensity in wild house mice, father–offspring regressions of dispersal latencies from residential social groups were determined in standardized seminatural social settings. To evaluate potential motivational causes of phenotypic variation in dispersal behaviour, all test animals (fathers, sons, and daughters) were scored prior to the dispersal experiment in a standardized behavioural test, at 60 d of age. Activities were monitored in a 1 m 2 square test arena during 10-min observation periods. Test arenas exhibited four equidistant openings leading to cages containing fresh, own, sibling, or foreign bedding material. The apparatus allowed for scoring anxiety, exploratory activity, and kin preference. Subsequently, test animals were exposed to a resident population in a semi-natural enclosure providing a dispersal opportunity. Father–son regressions of dispersal latencies were significantly positive, but no significant relationship was found for daughters. Dispersal latency decreased with increasing exploratory activity scores in males, but increased in females. Anxiety as well as kin preferences did not affect dispersal propensity. Hence sex-linked, motivational components reflect heritable social behaviour variation in male house mice that may ultimately be caused by diverging dispersal regimens.


Focusing specifically on Account Management and Deploying Mac OS X Server, this comprehensive reference provides in-depth information on Mac OS X Server's technical architecture. System administrators, IT professionals, and Mac enthusiasts will learn the details of how to deploy Mac OS X Server within a multiplatform, heterogeneous environment, and how to manage Mac OS X Server accounts. This is the second of two volumes certified by Apple Computer. Following the learning objectives of the Apple Certified System Administrator exam, this book is a perfect supplement to Apple's own training class and an in-depth technical reference for existing system administrators and engineers.


Background: From a multitude of recognized sources which include the PEW Commission, the Institute of Medicine, and the Citizen Advocacy Center as well as from healthcare consumers in general, there has been a persistent call for change in the processes used to demonstrate ongoing competency of health care professionals after initial licensure or certification in their specialty. In response to such long-standing demands for accountability, the Board of Directors of the National Certification Corporation (NCC), a nationally accredited, not-for-profit voluntary certification organization, approved development of a pilot project to address these concerns. The pilot project's major objective was to determine if NCC- certified nurses could appropriately self-assess their areas of strength and weakness related to the knowledge competencies for the active certification examination in their specialty. And further, to determine if the accuracy of their self-assessment of competency varied across subgroups for that specialty. Methods: Study participants were selected in three separate random samples from NCC-certified Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioners (WHNP). Common criteria used across all three sample groups included a certification maintenance cycle of 2009, stratification of the number of years of specialty experience based on NCC maintenance cycles and geographic distribution. The final sample sizes were 487, 485 and 476. Participants across all sample groups completed a survey instrument developed to obtain each individual's self-assessment of their knowledge competency in Gynecology, Obstetrics and Primary Care as subgroups covered in their core certification examination. Once the survey tool was completed, one of three forms of a 100 item test instrument was administered. Content in each of the forms was distributed as 50% gynecology, 30% obstetrics and 20% primary care.  Sample One received a form in which all items represented entry into practice level; Sample Two was presented with items that reflected new information in the specialty field and Sample Three completed a form comprised of a combination of basic and new information. Results: The Pearson product moment correlation coefficients were calculated among the three separate self-assessed competency ratings and the four test scores (total, gynecology, obstetrics and primary care). Psychometric consideration of the results as a whole raised concerns about the substantive interpretation of correlation coefficient as an effect size and led to summary findings that did not support self-ratings as an accurate method of knowledge assessment in this population. A mechanism to directly examine knowledge competencies was recommended. In regard to the question of constituent accuracy of assessment across specialty subgroups, participants across all samples were found to be more accurate in self-assessing their weaknesses in gynecology and obstetrics than they were in primary care. Conclusions: Based on the overall findings of the pilot project, the NCC Board of Directors approved development of a Continuing Competency Initiative to transition certification maintenance from a constituent-assessed and selected continuing education process to a new format. As recommended by the study findings, the new Professional Development Maintenance Program is based on a third party administered evaluation tool to provide individualized direction for certification maintenance.


Most biomolecules, owing to their marginal stability in liquid state, susceptibility to microbial growth, and tendency to foam upon storage/shipment in the liquid state, often require an alternate method of long-term storage. Cryopreservation is preferred, as it addresses most of these issues associated with liquid storage. However, the stability of the protein in the frozen state depends on the methodology of freezing/thawing and physico-chemical characteristics of the protein. A systematic study was undertaken to understand and evaluate the impact of freezing/thawing method on the process performance and product quality attributes using two freezing methods-conventional freezing in walk-in freezers and thawing in cold rooms using carboys as an uncontrolled rate method, and Celsius/CryoFin™ technologies as a controlled rate method. To assess the impact of freeze-thaw cycles on product quality, two types of proteins, a fusion protein and a peptibody (peptide fused to the Fc portion of the antibody), were used, employing appropriate stability-indicating assays. The results demonstrate superior process performance by the controlled rate freeze-thaw technology, both in terms of process times and cryoconcentration, compared to uncontrolled rate freeze thaw technology. Product impact studies indicate that the peptibody is sensitive to the method of freeze-thaw while the fusion protein is not and those that are sensitive to uncontrolled rate freeze-thaw processes can be effectively protected by controlled rate freeze-thaw technologies such as Celsius.


ORIGINAL ARTICLE Background: One of the most critical problems in the field of water and food pollution is the heavy metal pollution. Agricultural products are exposed to this type of contamination through wastewater; industrial activity and population pollutions are also in its area. Since the plant in the affected areas can directly enter heavy metals into the food chain, so, it is important to check their level of contamination. The purpose of this study was to monitor distribution of copper and nickel in the grape cultured in the farms around Marvast in Yazd province. Methods: All chemicals were of analytical grade. In order to determine the level of copper and nickel in grape extracts produced from the most important areas in grape production, 7 samples of grape were taken from these geographic regions. After grinding and homogenizing of samples, the concentration of nickel and copper, heavy metals were measured by atomic absorption spectrometer. The obtained results were analyzed through SPSS software based on statistical methods. Results: The mean value of copper and nickel were 26.4 ± 3.1 and 12.3 ± 1.5 μg/kg, respectively. According to the obtained results and their comparison with standards, different amounts of copper and nickel were observed in all samples, however, the highest amount of these metals was observed in one sample. Conclusions: Concentrations of heavy metals in samples from different regions were lower than the maximum allowable concentration of copper and nickel. Although, the amount of these metals in one sample, known as pollution indicator, suggested that this area can be exposed to both.


Previous research into the correlates and determinants of non‐response in longitudinal surveys has focused exclusively on why it is that respondents at one survey wave choose not to participate at future waves. This is very understandable if non‐response is always an absorbing state, but in many longitudinal surveys, and certainly most household panels, this is not so. Indeed, in these surveys it is normal practice to attempt to make contact with many non‐respondents at the next wave. This study differs from previous research by examining re‐engagement with previous wave non‐respondents. Drawing on data from three national household panels it is found that the re‐engagement decision is indeed distinctly different from the decision about continued participation. Further, these differences have clear implications for the way that panel surveys should be administered given the desire to enhance overall response rates.


The Geometridae is one of the most species-rich families of Lepidoptera. This book is the first comprehensive catalogue of the 35 000 names of these insects.

The primary purpose of the work is to provide a substantial body of taxonomic information, much of it previously unpublished, on the available names of the Geometridae. The catalogue is based on the most complete world classification of the geometrids, the card index to genera and species in The Natural History Museum, London.

The two volumes include information on type specimens, type localities and, where possible, larval foodplants. A CD-ROM listing all species referred to in the two text volumes is included with the package and will be of great value to verify valid names and to check spelling.


The laser-flash method (LFM) is a technique commonly used to measure thermal diffusivity of homogeneous and isotropic materials, but can also be applied to macroscopically inhomogeneous materials, such as composites. When composites present thermal anisotropy, as fiber-reinforced, LFM can be used to measure the effective thermal diffusivity (αeff) in the direction of heat flux. In this work, the thermal behavior of composites during thermal diffusivity measurements with the LFM was simulated with a finite element model (FEM) using a commercial software. Three composite structures were considered: sandwich layered (layers arranged in series or parallel), fiber-reinforced composites, and particle composite (spheres). Numerical data were processed through a nonlinear least-square fitting (NL-LSF) to obtain the effective thermal diffusivity of the composite. This value has the meaning of "dynamic effective thermal diffusivity." Afterward, the effective thermal conductivity (λeff) is calculated from the dynamic effective thermal diffusivity, equivalent heat capacity, and density of the composite. The results of this methodology are compared with the analytically calculated values of the same quantity. This last assumes the meaning of "static effective thermal conductivity." The comparison of the dynamic and static property values is so related to the inhomogeneity of the samples, and a deviation of the temperature versus time trend from the analytical solution for the perfectly homogeneous sample gives information about the lack of uniformity of the sample.


Qualitative researchers are trained to acknowledge, reflect on, and understand our experiences and bias which form the context in which we will conduct research and inform our analyses. In this auto ethnographic account I describe how my personal experience with breast cancer has destabilized my professional life and my identity. Using the analogy of a circus, the story elements weave back and forth highlighting the three competing spheres of academia: as a researcher, a teacher, and for me, a feminist. The issues of deciding how to portray my story in each of those venues, and choosing how much to reveal or conceal to students and in publications, are deeply intertwined with the qualitative concepts of integrity and authenticity. The ability to comprehend an illness experience and the bias it creates is central to developing a post-cancer identity, a cohesive body of research, and an authentic teaching persona.


Objective. To assess maternal perception of their children weight using words (PP) and using images (PI) and evaluate the validity of the two tests by determining their sensitivity and specificity. Material and Methods. A total of 418 motherchild diads were selected from urban areas in the Monterrey, Nuevo Leon area. A questionnaire was administered to the mothers about perceptions regarding physical appearance and health. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated and the body mass index measurement of the child was the gold standard. Results. Mothers underestimated overweight (SP) and obesity (OB), with 20.34% of mothers of children with SP and 7.41% of children with OB perceiving their child's condition with the PP test, and 62.71% of mothers of children with SP and 81.48% of those of children with OB perceiving it with the PI test. The tests had 12% sensitivity and 21% specificity for PP and 75% sensitivity and 15% specificity for PI. Conclusions. The mothers of children with SP-OB underestimate the weight of their children. Images are useful for mothers to recognize their child's condition.


This work was shown in APT+ONE at the APT Gallery, and was part of Deptford X Fringe, APT LIVE and APT Open Studios 2018.

'Meteor Radio Echoes' engages with the sound visualisation of radio echoes deflected from the ionisation trails of meteors burning in the upper atmosphere. These have been back projected onto a 20" glass Fresnel Lens from a Mole Richardson searchlight attached to a steel drum. An online SDR recording has recorded Graves Radar Frequency radio echoes deflecting off the ionisation trails of the 2017 Perseid Meteor Shower. SDR software enables personal computer users to record meteors live and so adds to citizen science allowing anyone to become part of the scientific community.

The curators of APT+ONE asked each member of A.P.T to submit a work of their own as well as a work by an artist of their choice whose work they have a close relationship with. They were interested in the dynamic between the two works and also requested a short statement explaining why a particular artist's work was chosen.

Artist Statements:

Nicola: "My first encounter with Alistair McClymont was at Somerset House, seeing him discuss a radical approach to his Beam Time residency at the Central Laser Facility in Rutherford Appleton Laboratories, Oxfordshire. His proposal was to recognise the scientists/technicians as artists and himself as a scientist, which was later evidenced as a co-produced artwork and a co-authored scientific paper. He also showed us his previous work that engaged with scientific processes as visible experiment combined with a conceptual rigour and use of materiality that really interested me.

When considering resonances between our works, maybe it is a fascination with scientific data and processes, contemporary computer capabilities as well as older technological equipment, that forms the basis for a dialogue. Sound is another interest in common although we work with this in different ways. Perhaps it is the differences in the way that we approach the resonances in our work that makes showing projects in dialogue work well. For APT+ONE, I have made a work that sets up liminal resonances with Alistair's choice of work for this project - his app/web version of Unix Time."

Alistair: "Unix Time is an artwork that exists as an iPhone/iPad application. Unix Time shows a 24 hour time lapse of the sky, with one minute of real time taking one second. A long number is overlayed on the sky showing the current time in unix time, the number of seconds since midnight, 1st January 1970. Every second this number increments by 1. Unix time can be seen as the birth time of modern computing, an alternative epoch to the Gregorian."


Background: Sodium hypochlorite is found in bleaching agents used to cleaning dishes and bleach laundry. The ingestion of sodium hypochlorite causes acute corrosive esophagitis and gastritis. In establishing the diagnosis and therapeutic approach of acute corrosive poisonings, the upper endoscopy has great importance. The aim of this study was to determine predictive factors of gastrointestinal injuries that mandate early endoscopy. Methods: This study consisted of 65 patients presented to Loghman Hakim Toxicology Center, Tehran, Iran with history of sodium hypochlorite bleach exposure from 2010 to 2014. The postcorrosive damage classified according to Kikendal's grading. Results: There were a total of 19 males and 46 females with a mean age of 34.21 yr old. In upper GI endoscopy, 20% of poisoned patients had abnormal findings. Male gender (P=0.029), presence of hoarseness (P=0.044), nausea and vomiting (P=0.007), sialorrhea (P=0.044) and higher age (P=0.05) were associated with the occurrence of gastrointestinal injuries, but only male gender (OR=5.04), nausea and vomiting (OR=8.97) were independent predictors of gastrointestinal injuries (P=0.03 and P=0.03, respectively). Conclusion: We proposed five factors associated with gastrointestinal injuries, which could be important factors that mandate urgent endoscopy.


Twenty thousand years ago Earth was in the midst of an ice age. Then global warming arrived, leading to massive floods, the spread of forests and the retreat of the deserts. By 5,000 BC a radically different human world had appeared. In place of hunters and gatherers there were farmers; in place of transient campsites there were towns. The foundations of our modern world had been laid and nothing that came after - the industrial revolution, the atomic age, the internet - have ever matched the significance of those events. After the Ice tells the story of climate change's impact during this momentous period - one that also saw the colonisation of the Americas and mass extictions of animals throughout the world. Drawing on the latest cutting-edge research in archaeology, cognitive science, paleontology, geology and the evolutionary sciences, Steven Mithen creates an evocative, original and remarkably complete picture of minds, cultures, lives and landscapes through 15,000 years of history.


AIM
To compare the clinicopathological characteristics of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive and HER2-negative Barrett's adenocarcinoma in Japan.

METHODS
We performed immunohistochemical analysis of HER2 in 30 samples taken from patients with Barrett's adenocarcinoma and dual color in situ hybridization in cases showing 2+ reactions. We compared the clinicopathological characteristics of HER2-positive and HER2-negative patients.

RESULTS
HER2 positivity was identified in 8 (27%) carcinoma samples. We found that HER2 expression was associated with p53 overexpression (100% vs 52.6% in pT1 tumor; 100% vs 54.5% in all stage tumor, P < 0.05) and protruding lesions at the early disease stage. There was no association between the mucin phenotype of the carcinomas and prognosis. HER2 expression and low clinical stage were unexpectedly different between Barrett's adenocarcinoma patients and gastric cancer patients, but the macroscopic features may be associated with earlier diagnosis in these patients.

CONCLUSION
Our results suggest that HER2-positive Barrett's adenocarcinomas are associated with p53 overexpression and lesion protrusion at the early disease stage.


As information becomes available in increasing amounts to a wide spectrum of users, the need for a shift towards a more user-centered information access paradigm arises. We develop a personalization framework for database systems based on user profiles and identify the basic architectural modules required to support it. We define a preference model that assigns to each atomic query condition a personal degree of interest and provide a mechanism to compute the degree of interest in any complex query condition based on the degrees of interest in the constituent atomic ones. Preferences are stored in profiles. At query time, personalization proceeds in two steps: (a) preference selection and (b) preference integration into the original user query. We formulate the main personalization step, i.e. preference selection, as a graph computation problem and provide an efficient algorithm for it. We also discuss results of experimentation with a prototype query personalization system.


Abstract A double-blind placebo-controlled randomised clinical trial was conducted on 41 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Participants were randomly allocated to receive either a cranberry supplement or a placebo for 12 weeks. Both groups were assigned to follow a weight loss diet. At the end of the study, alanine aminotransferase and insulin decreased significantly in both groups (p < .05); however, this reduction was significantly greater in the cranberry group than in the placebo group (p < .05). Significant improvements in insulin resistance were observed in the cranberry group and between the two groups (p < .001 and p = .020, respectively). Also, there was an improvement in steatosis grade and anthropometric measurements in both groups (p < .05), and there was no significant difference between the two groups in regard to these factors (p > .05). It seems that 288 mg of cranberry extract might improve managing NAFLD, which is equivalent to 26 g of dried cranberry.


Reveling in the language and logic of markup thrown into relief by digital media, Carey's essay calls for a renewed scholarly focus on the material histories of markup encoded in literary and cultural history. The essay relocates Ambrose Bierce's stylistic operations at the intersection of literary and media history, drawing attention to what contemporary German media theorists refer to as cultural techniques, a complex term that combines an attention to media with a focus on the elementary techniques (reading, writing, and counting) that historically and logically precede the aesthetic distinctions they generate. Drawing on archival material related to Bierce's experience as a topographical engineer in the Civil War-maps, telegrams, circulars, and other official war documents-Carey reengages Bierce's style in a mutually constitutive relationship with the cultural techniques that marked it up. In the midst of media, the idiosyncratic mark of Bierce's style emerges not only as an aesthetic quality, but also as a strategically deployed technology for tagging, marking, and remixing points and properties on paper. The essay reminds us that procedures of markup are not new, only newly mediated by different techniques and technologies.


Since the start of this decade external borders of the European Union have increasingly become sites of hardship, uncertainty, danger and death as hundreds of thousands of people every year attempt to enter Europe to escape war and poverty in North and Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. The year 2015 saw the arrival of over one million people via maritime routes, an unprecedented number that caused panic among politicians on the continent and unsettled societies of the "old" and the "new" European Union. Neo-nationalist and neo-fascist parties and movements gained significant ground. In June of 2016 voters in the United Kingdom chose to leave the European Union in the Brexit referendum whose erratic consequences will continue to play out for some time to come. The migratory crisis of the previous year fuelled the "Leave" vote by creating the perception that immigration to the EU is unchecked, and that the UK must "take control of its borders." While it is not yet known what exactly is meant by "taking control," we can observe that as a result of these events the terms and conditions of migration, mobility and citizenship in Europe are shifting. In this talk I will argue that this is a shift away from what I call the neoliberal-humanitarian consensus towards a new model whose exact shape is as yet undetermined, but whose emergent features are illuminated by recent anthropological scholarship. Drawing on the UK case study I will show that the control of borders and regulation of mobility is undergoing a distinct anti-humanitarian turn. I will explore the significance and prospects of this new anti-humanitarianism and the possibilities of anthropological insight.


The objectives of this study were to determine (i) if selection for barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) tolerance occurred under a modified single-seed descent (MSSD) procedure when used in conjunction with BYDV inoculation, and (ii) if changes in nuclear DNA content occurred during MSSD. Plants from four intraspecific spring oat (Avena sativa L.) crosses were grown in the greenhouse under a MSSD procedure and were infected with BYDV by inoculation with viruliferous aphids. These populations were compared with populations grown without exposure to BYDV.BYDV tolerance was evaluated in the field in the F 4:5 and F 4:6 generations. Inoculation with BYDV under the MSSD method did not selectively eliminate BYDV susceptible genotypes. To determine if the MSSD procedure induced selection for a particular nucleotype, seeds harvested from the parents (grown under the MSSD procedure) were tested for nuclear DNA content. No difference in DNA content was observed among progeny grown from seeds of stressed plants compared with progeny grown from seeds of nonstressed plants. These results suggest that even the most BYDV susceptible plants produced seeds during MSSD, and the MSSD method does not seem to induce directed changes in nuclear DNA content.


Thermal error compensation is considered as an effective and economic method to improve the machining accuracy for a machine tool. The performance of thermal error prediction mainly depends on the accuracy and robustness of predictive model and the input temperature variables. Selection of temperature-sensitive measuring points is the premise of thermal error compensation. In the thermal error compensation scheme for heavy-duty computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools, the identification of temperature-sensitive points still lacks an effective method due to its complex structure and heat generation mechanisms. In this paper, an optimal selection method of temperature-sensitive measuring points has been proposed. The optimal measuring points are acquired through three steps. Firstly, the degree of temperature sensitivity is defined and used to select the measuring points with high sensitivity to thermal error. Then the first selected points are classified with fuzzy clustering and grey correlation grade. Finally, the temperature-sensitive measuring points are selected with analysis of location of temperature sensors. In order to verify the method above, an experiment is carried out on the CR5116 of flexible machining center. A novel temperature sensor, Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor, is used to collect the surface temperature of the machine. A thermal error compensation model is developed to analyze the prediction accuracy based on four sequences of measuring points, which are generated by different selection approaches. The results show the number of the measuring points is reduced from 27 to 5 through the proposed selection method and the thermal error compensation model based on the optimum temperature-sensitive measuring points has the best performance of prediction effect robustness.


Sea Change—A Marine Knowledge, Research & Innovation Strategy for Ireland 2007-2013—was launched in early 2007 and was the outcome of extensive analysis and consultation with government departments, state agencies, industry and the third-level sector. It outlines a vision for the development of Ireland's marine sector
and sets clear objectives aimed at achieving this vision, namely to:
1. Assist existing, and largely indigenous, marine sub-sectors to improve their overall competitiveness and engage in activity that adds value to their outputs by utilising knowledge and technology arising from research.
2. Build new research capacity and capability and utilise fundamental knowledge and technology to create new marine-related commercial opportunities and companies.
3. Inform public policy, governance and regulation by applying the knowledge derived from marine research and monitoring.
4. Increase the marine sector's competitiveness and stimulate the commercialisation of the marine
resource in a manner that ensures its sustainability and protects marine biodiversity and ecosystems.
5. Strengthen the economic, social and cultural base of marine dependant regional/rural communities.
The Sea Change strategy was developed as an integral part of the government's Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation (SSTI) and the Marine Institute as the lead implementation agency is working within SSTI
policy and with government departments and agencies to deliver on the Strategy.
The Marine Institute managed Marine Research Sub-Programme, one of eight sub-programmes within the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Programme of the National Development Plan 2007—2013, targets
funding to meet the objectives of the Sea Change strategy.
Over the lifetime of Sea Change, funding will be provided for:
• Project-Based Awards
o Strategic Research Projects
o Applied Research Projects
o Demonstration Projects
o Desk/Feasibility Studies
• Researcher Awards
o Strategic Research Appointments
o Research Capacity/Competency Building
o Post-Doctoral Fellowships
o PhD Scholarships
• Industry-Led Research Awards
o Company Awards
o Collaborative Awards
• Infrastructure Awards
o Infrastructure Acquisition
o Access to Infrastructur


In this timely and compelling new volume, Michael Cox aims to analyse the whole of the Bush era in a broader historical context. In a cogent and carefully argued analysis, he uncovers some of the fundamental assumptions that tempted the Bush administration to go to war with Iraq, and explores the international consequences of that decision. He goes on to assess the current status of what he terms 'the American Empire' and looks ahead to life after George Bush.

The book features a wide range of case studies, from an investigation of the events of 9/11 and their implication for international relations, to a comparison of America's global standing after the Cold War and following the invasion of Iraq.

Written by the leading UK writer on American international relations, The Rise and Fall of the American Empire will be a highly influential contribution to American debates on the importance and the impact of the Bush era.


In this study, we have coupled the DNA polymerization capability of hybridization chain reaction (HCR) with the plasmonic properties of gold nanoparticles to develop a reprogrammable and multiplexed detection of three circulating oncomiRs (miR-10b, miR-21 and miR-141) dysregulated in various disease states of breast cancer. We have demonstrated that by simply changing the initiator (label-free short single stranded DNA) content of the HCR, while keeping everything else unchanged, the same nanoparticle assembly can be reprogrammed for the detection of the target oncomiRs individually or simultaneously in all possible combinations. We have shown that as little as 20 femtomoles of each oncomiR can be detected visually without using any analytical instrument. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the target oncomiR can be detected in an RNA pool isolated from a liquid biopsy mimic of breast cancer.


In a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) multi-band orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MB-OFDM) ultra-wideband (UWB) system, coherent detection where the channel state information (CSI) is assumed to be exactly known at the receiver requires the transmission of a large number of symbols for channel estimation, thus reducing the bandwidth efficiency. This paper examines the use of unitary differential space-time frequency codes (DSTFCs) in MB-OFDM UWB, which increases the system bandwidth efficiency due to the fact that no CSI is required for differential detection. The proposed DSTFC MB-OFDM system would be useful when the transmission of multiple channel estimation symbols is impractical or uneconomical. Simulation results show that the application of DSTFCs associated with dual carrier modulation (DCM) can significantly improve the bit error performance of conventional differential MB-OFDM system (without MIMO), and even provide better bit error performance than the DSTFC MB-OFDM system associated with constant envelope modulation schemes.


A widespread security claim of the Bitcoin system, presented in the original Bitcoin white-paper, states that the security of the system is guaranteed as long as there is no attacker in possession of half or more of the total computational power used to maintain the system. This claim, however, is proved based on theoretically flawed assumptions.
In the paper we analyze two kinds of attacks based on two theoretical flaws: the Block Discarding Attack and the Difficulty Raising Attack. We argue that the current theoretical limit of attacker's fraction of total computational power essential for the security of the system is in a sense not $\frac{1}{2}$ but a bit less than $\frac{1}{4}$, and outline proposals for protocol change that can raise this limit to be as close to $\frac{1}{2}$ as we want.
The basic idea of the Block Discarding Attack has been noted as early as 2010, and lately was independently though-of and analyzed by both author of this paper and authors of a most recently pre-print published paper. We thus focus on the major differences of our analysis, and try to explain the unfortunate surprising coincidence. To the best of our knowledge, the second attack is presented here for the first time.


Before a quality-related issue can be addressed from a causal and predictive perspective, there has to be a reliable and repeatable system designed to detect and quantify the problem. Current fiber testing was not designed to measure or detect the presence of dead or immature fibers in the small quantities that have been determined to be detrimental to the quality of dyed finished products. In the absence of applicable fiber testing, the most logical step would be the development of a counting procedure that would allow the accurate and repeatable quantification of white specks in a test medium that has significance to the end product. It is a logical hypothesis that white specks appearing on the surface of dyed yarn will also appear to some degree on the surface of cloth made from that yarn. To test this hypothesis, human inspection techniques were developed to quantify and compare white specks present on yarn and cloth made from that yarn. Using this inspection technique, the quantification of white specks was less variable on the surface of yarn than on dyed knit fabric tubes prepared by the Fiber Analysis Knitter (FAK). Yarn was less variable reading-to-reading and operator-to-operator. The method described in this study using dyed yarn showed promise as a measurement system for the accurate and repeatable quantification of white specks.


In 2015, two new studies on the scientific and astronomical culture of seventeenth-century Italy appeared: one on the natural philosophy of Galileo Galilei's follower, the ecclesiastic and philosopher, Giovanni Ciampoli—Federica Favino's La filosofia naturale di Giovanni Ciampoli (Giovanni Ciampoli's Natural Philosophy); the other on the anti-Copernican views of the Jesuit astronomer, Giovanni Battista Riccioli—Christopher M. Graney's Setting Aside All Authority: Giovanni Battista Riccioli and the Science against Copernicus in the Age of Galileo. Both publications address themes of fundamental importance for a proper understanding of the rise of modern scientific culture. They deal with issues such as the reception of Copernicus and the impact of his astronomy on natural philosophy, scientific developments in Italy in the years following Galileo's condemnation and the complex relations between natural scientists and Catholic institutions in a phase of intensified Inquisitorial control and censorship. They aim to open up new perspectives and disclose sources that have been so far neglected to the historians of science.


This qualitative exploratory study focuses on the leadership experiences of college men who held leadership roles in campus organizations. The researchers examined the students' experiences of leading their organizations and group members and the students' perceptions of gender roles influencing their leadership practice. Four male participants at a medium-sized, religiously-affiliated university engaged in in-depth interviews and a focus group with the researchers, who used a blend of qualitative approaches to conduct the study and analyze the data. Key themes emerged around a balance between task and relationship-building; the distinction between power and influence; a desire to do better; understanding leadership as generative; and resisting the masculine/feminine leadership dichotomies. Implications are presented for professional practice and research.


Abstract The influence of feed composition, screw rotation speed and die diameter on residence time distribution of soy-sweet potato samples containing 180 g/kg water and extruded in a single-screw extruder, was measured using congo red as a tracer. Mean residence and plug flow times respectively decreased with starch content. Increase in screw speed enhanced break through time, while a decrease in screw speed enhanced mean residence time. Die diameter had an effect on plug flow time only. The dispersion number, a reciprocal of the Peclet number, was used to describe the extent of axial mixing in the extruder. The value of dispersion number varied from 0.024 to 0.060.


"Inside the Pentagon Papers" addresses legal and moral issues that resonate today as debates continue over government secrecy and democracy's requisite demand for truthfully informed citizens. In the process, it also shows how a closer study of this signal event can illuminate questions of government responsibility in any era. When Daniel Ellsberg leaked a secret government study about the Vietnam War to the press in 1971, he set off a chain of events that culminated in one of the most important First Amendment decisions in American legal history. That affair is now part of history, but the story behind the case has much to tell us about government secrecy and the public's right to know. Commissioned by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, "the Pentagon Papers" were assembled by a team of analysts who investigated every aspect of the war. Ellsberg, a member of the team, was horrified by the government's public lies about the war-discrepancies with reality that were revealed by the report's secret findings. His leak of the report to the New York Times and Washington Post triggered the Nixon administration's heavy-handed attempt to halt publication of their stories, which in turn led to the Supreme Court's ruling that Nixon's actions violated the Constitution's free speech guarantees. "Inside the Pentagon Papers" reexamines what happened, why it mattered, and why it still has relevance today. Focusing on the "back story" of the Pentagon Papers and the resulting court cases, it draws upon a wealth of oral history and previously classified documents to show the consequences of leak and litigation both for the Vietnam War and for American history. Included here for the first time are transcripts of previously secret White House telephone tapes revealing the Nixon administration's repressive strategies, as well as the government's formal charges against the newspapers presented by Solicitor General Erwin Griswold to the Supreme Court. Coeditor John Prados's point-by-point analysis of these charges demonstrates just how weak the government's case was-and how they reflected Nixon's paranoia more than legitimate national security issues.


Eisenmenger's syndrome is a condition due to any congenital heart defect with an intracardiac left-to-right communication that leads to pulmonary hypertension with reversed right-to-left blood flow and secondary cyanosis. The main complications of Eisenmenger's syndrome are heart failure and arrhythmias. Amiodarone, the drug of choice for arrhythmia treatment in such patients, can cause a number of complications, including amiodarone induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT). Hereby, we present a 41-year-old patient with Eisenmenger's syndrome who developed AIT and was successfully treated with radioactive iodine therapy. The patient had an accompanying heart failure and had been treated with amiodarone due to chronic atrial fibrillation. Twenty months later he developed an AIT for which was treated with 814 MBq (22 mCi) radioactive iodine. Since 7 weeks later only a slight decline in thyroid hormones was observed, the patient was received a transient treatment with methimazole, which had to be withdrawn soon due to severe leucopenia. Because of the need to maintain amiodarone, a second ablative radioactive iodine dose was administered leading to complete clinical remission. In conclusion, this case demonstrates that even though amiodarone reduces iodine uptake to a very low level, the therapy with radioactive iodine can be still effective if it is given in a repeated dose to patients who require continuation of amiodarone.


Many Build-Operate-and-Transfer schemes in developing economies have been less than successful. Here are pitfalls to avoid and recommendations for reaching a project's full potential. Government's role in providing infrastructure services is changing. Many governments are pursuing partnerships with the private sector to fund projects. The Build-Operate-and-Transfer method promises to attract private investment to large-scale infrastructure projects; however, to work, such plans require special due diligence and cultural sensitivity from all parties. Under a bot scheme, a government entity authorizes investors to finance and build a project, own and operate it for a certain period, then transfer it to the government without capital charge. During the concession period, the government acts more like a facilitator and customer than the traditional provider of that infrastructure facility.


Barbed osseous points originally deposited in Doggerland are regularly collected from the beaches of the Netherlands. Many of these barbed points ought to be of Mesolithic age based on their typology, and because of direct 14C dates of six of them. The bones transformed into barbed points are heavily modified during the manufacture process. The points themselves are also often modified again during use, re-sharpening and as a result of post-depositional processes. Hence, it is generally impossible to identify the species of the bone used to manufacture barbed points based on visual inspection. Here, we use mass spectrometry to taxonomically identify the barbed points. We present the ZooMS identifications, 14C ages and δ 13C and δ 15N measurements of nine barbed points from the Dutch shore. Our results demonstrate that Cervus elaphus and/or Alces alces as well as Homo sapiens bones were regularly used for the production of barbed points. The uncalibrated ages of the barbed points range between 9.5 and 7.3 ka 14C BP. The Cervus / Alces bone points δ13C and δ15N values fall within the range of values for herbivores recovered from the North Sea. The δ13C and δ15N values for the human bones signal a freshwater diet and/or a terrestrial fauna diet. Our study shows that objects conserved over time in a marine environment have sufficient levels of unmodified collagen preserved for mass spectrometry-based taxonomic identifications. Selection of the species of the bone used to manufacture bone points during the Mesolithic was likely not opportunistic, and seems to have involved strategic selection. The wide-scale application of ZooMS is a critical next step toward revealing the selection of species for bonetool manufacture that are otherwise uncommon in the faunal assemblages. By highlighting the potentially regular transformation of human bones into barbed points – possibly used as weapons – our study suggests a complex manipulation of human remains in Doggerland during the Mesolithic.


We interpret recent developments in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) as improvements in prediction technology. In this paper, we explore the consequences of improved prediction in decision-making. To do so, we adapt existing models of decision-making under uncertainty to account for the process of determining payoffs. We label this process of determining the payoffs 'judgment.' There is a risky action, whose payoff depends on the state, and a safe action with the same payoff in every state. Judgment is costly; for each potential state, it requires thought on what the payoff might be. Prediction and judgment are complements as long as judgment is not too difficult. We show that in complex environments with a large number of potential states, the effect of improvements in prediction on the importance of judgment depend a great deal on whether the improvements in prediction enable automated decisionmaking. We discuss the implications of improved prediction in the face of complexity for automation, contracts, and firm boundaries.


Modafinil (2-[(diphenylmethyl)sulfinyl]acetamide, MOD) is a key psychostimulant drug used for the treatment of narcolepsy and other sleep disorders that has a very low addiction liability. Recently, MOD has been clinically investigated for the treatment of cocaine addiction and used by astronauts in long-term space missions. We have developed a synthetic strategy for "smart drug" Modafinil. An efficient atom and step economic (EASE) synthesis has been carried out by the direct reaction of benzhydrol and 2-mercaptoacetamide using the recyclable heterogeneous catalyst Nafion-H along with post-sulfoxidation. This protocol exhibits improved sustainability credentials. We have also developed a superior pre-sulfoxidation approach for the synthesis of Modafinil.


The book argues that the Cuban Revolution should be understood as a model of socialist human development. Several particular features of this model were critical to the survival of the Cuban Revolution under conditions of neoliberal globalization.


In Romanian, word final /-i/ is usually not pronounced as a vowel, but rather as a type of glide, or palatal property associated with the preceding segment. While this palatalization or "desyllabification" has been assumed to apply at the right edge of a word, we demonstrate that the word boundary does not provide the appropriate context. Instead, we propose that the phenomenon applies within a phonological constituent located in the prosodic hierarchy between the Phonological Word and the Phonological Phrase – the Composite Group, a revised form of the Clitic Group. Our analysis accounts for both enclitics and proclitics, which must be excluded from the PW of the associated root since the PW is the domain for stress assignment. The analysis in terms of the Composite Group accounts for the different domains of palatalization and stress assignment while avoiding the introduction of recursion (recursive PWs) into phonological structure.


Format and participation 1. The Doha International Institute for Family Studies and Development (DIIFSD) organized a symposium on Family, Migration and Dignity from the 27th to 29th March 2012 in Doha, Qatar. 2. Experts dealing with various aspects of migration, human rights and social development were invited from a broad geographical distribution to participate in the meeting in their personal capacities. The Experts included academicians, practitioners, NGOs and experts from UN agencies. 3. The symposium was opened by H.E. Mrs Noor Al Malki Executive Director of the DIIFSD. Her statement was followed by statements from M .Hafedh Chekir, the Regional Director of UNFPA and M .Patrick Taran, President of Global Migration Policy Associates. 4. Eight sessions followed by three dialogue sessions were held during the symposium. Each session considered a different topic. Session 1 focused on migrant families in destination countries: experiences, Session 2 discussed families in origin countries affected by migration, Session 3 considered gender, family and migration, Session 4 discussed specific impact on and risks for children, Session 5 focused on regimes of migration: impacts, costs and issues, Session 6 considered training, schooling and employment for affected children and youth, Session 7 was devoted to policy considerations and the concluding session discussed the recommendations and the way forward.


The deep structure of the northern North Sea and the adjacent Norwegian mainland has been analysed by integrating all available structural data in combination with 3D density and magnetic modelling into a lithosphere-scale 3D structural model. The modelled configurations of the sedimentary cover and crystalline crust are consistent with the long-wavelength components of the observed gravity and magnetic fields over the study area. The first-order configurations of the top of the crystalline basement and the Moho topography have been obtained. According to the 3D density modelling, the low-density upper-crustal block beneath the Horda Platform has been shown to indicate a possible presence of metasedimentary and/or fractured granitic rocks. Possible remnants of island arc chains within the central part of the North Sea between the Laurentian and Baltican crustal domains are supported by the modelling. Moreover, based on the results of the 3D magnetic modelling, the 3D density/structural model has been differentiated into smaller crustal blocks with different magnetic properties, implying that these magnetically derived crustal blocks most likely differ lithologically from the rest of the initial density-based larger layers. Within the mainland, most of the crustal blocks with increased magnetic susceptibility are related to granitic and/or granodioritic rocks which are well mapped at the surface according to geological data. A prominent middle–upper crustal magmatic intrusion has been modelled within the northern part of the Norwegian– Danish Basin. The local magnetic pattern supports a possible Permian age for this intrusion, whereas the regional magnetic pattern and known geology from the mainland indicate a Sveconorwegian origin as a more viable alternative. At the mantle level, a low-density lithospheric mantle has been modelled beneath NW Norway and adjacent offshore areas, reflecting the likely presence of an upper-mantle low-velocity zone there.


We develop a model with many advertisers (products) and many advertising markets (media). Each advertiser sells to a different segment of consumers, and each medium has a different ability to target advertising messages. We characterize the competitive equilibrium in the media markets and evaluate the implications of targeting in advertising markets. An increase in the targeting ability leads to an increase in the total number of purchases (matches), and hence in the social value of advertising. Yet, an improved targeting ability also increases the concentration of firms advertising in each market. Surprisingly, we then find that the equilibrium price of advertisements is first increasing, then decreasing in the targeting ability. We trace out the implications of targeting for competing media. We distinguish offline and online media by their targeting ability: low versus high. As consumers, relative exposure to online media increases, the revenues of offline media decrease, even though the price of advertising might increase.


Questions: We asked several linked questions about phenology and precipitation relationships at local, landscape, and regional spatial scales within individual seasons, between seasons, and between year temporal scales. (1) How do winter and summer phenological patterns vary in response to total seasonal rainfall? (2) How are phenological rates affected by the previous season rainfall? (3) How does phenological variability differ at landscape and regional spatial scales and at season and interannual temporal scales? Location: Southern Arizona, USA. Methods: We compared satellite-derived phenological variation between 38 distinct 625-km 2 landscapes distributed in the northern Sonoran Desert region from 2000 to 2007. Regression analyses were used to identify relationships between landscape phenology dynamics in response to precipitation variability across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Results: While both summer and winter seasons show increases of peak greenness and peak growth with more precipitation, the timing of peak growth was advanced with more precipitation in winter, while the timing of peak greenness was advanced with more precipitation in summer. Surprisingly, summer maximum growth was negatively affected by winter precipitation. The spatial variations between summer and winter phenology were similar in magnitude and response. Larger-scale spatial and temporal variation showed strong differences in precipitation patterns; however the magnitudes of phenological spatial variability in these two seasons were similar. Conclusions: Vegetation patterns were clearly coupled to precipitation variability, with distinct responses at alternative spatial and temporal scales. Disaggregating vegetation into phenological variation, spanning value, timing, and integrated components revealed substantial complexity in precipitation-phenological relationships.


Complementary practices provide a basis for better understanding your process. The trick to complementary activities is that you don't do them in lock step or in isolation. They work together to produce better results in combination. The value proposition is that they produce more value together than they do separately. The goal of software development is to produce a system that meets customer requirements. Process provides value when it helps you do this more efficiently and with less risk. Complementary activities can help you understand the reasons for following the process. The key factor to remember is that the right process is the one that lets you deliver better software, faster.


General-purpose robots can perform a range of useful tasks in human environments; however, programming them to robustly function in all possible environments that they might encounter is unfeasible. Instead, our research aims to develop robots that can be programmed by its end-users in their context of use, so that the robot needs to robustly function in only one particular environment. This requires intuitive ways in which end-users can program their robot. To that end, this paper contributes a flow-based visual programming language, called RoboFlow, that allows programming of generalizable mobile manipulation tasks. RoboFlow is designed to (i) ensure a robust low-level implementation of program procedures on a mobile manipulator, and (ii) restrict the high-level programming as much as possible to avoid user errors while enabling expressive programs that involve branching, looping, and nesting. We present an implementation of RoboFlow on a PR2 mobile manipulator and demonstrate the generalizability and error handling properties of RoboFlow programs on everyday mobile manipulation tasks in human environments.


Romanian scholars, and others, have decried the quality and quantity of scholarly productivity from Romania. However, Romanian scholars face challenges of both tradition and resources as they try to westernize their higher education system. We analyzed data from two sources to compare Romanian scholarly productivity to that of other countries from Central and Eastern Europe that have similar histories, as well as to worldwide publication rates. We found that Romanian scholarly productivity is weak compared to other countries in psychology, sociology, environmental sciences, linguistics, geology and medicine. However, Romanian scholarly productivity has been comparable to other countries in agriculture and computer sciences. We also found that Romanian scholarly productivity has shown gains in engineering and economics compared to other countries over a 20-year period. We conclude this paper with research-based recommendations for improving scholarly productivity.


Enzymes that are involved in the synthesis and processing of oligosaccharides, such as glycosidases, are important catalysts for the specific assembly of oligosaccharide structures on proteins. Design and preparation of selective inhibitors of these enzymes are of high interest as these molecules can be used to modulate cellular functions. Moreover, they may provide potential drugs in new therapeutic strategies. In particular, swainsonine (Swa), a natural inhibitor of Golgi α-mannosidase II, reduces certain tumors and hematological dysfunctions. Nevertheless, some side effects resulted in limitations for the development of this compound in medicinal treatments. Recently, our laboratory has developed a new combinatorial methodology for the disclosure of glycosidase inhibitors based on the dihydroxypyrrolidine scaffold found in Swa. This method allowed the preparation of a new family of selective and competitive a-mannosidase inhibitors with inhibitory activities (Ki values) ranging from 3 µM to 135 nM for the best congeners toward α-mannosidase from jack bean, a reliable model enzyme for mammalian Golgi α-mannosidase II. The aim of the present work was to design and synthesise optimized inhibitors of α-mannosidases II based on a 2-aminomethyl-3,4-dihydroxypyrrolidine scaffold and to assess their potential as new anti cancer leads. In a first time, a structural study was carried out through the analysis of x-ray structures of the best inhibitors previously developed in our laboratory complexed to Golgi α-mannosidase II from Drosophila melanogaster (dGMII), which presents a high sequence identity with the human enzyme. The binding mode of these inhibitors could be thus established. This study combined with docking experiments allowed us to design inhibitors of α-mannosidase II, with improved efficacy. The best congener (3R,4R,5R)-3,4-dihydroxy-5-({[(1R)-2-hydroxy-1-phenylethyl]amino}methyl)-1-methylpyrrolidin-2-one displayed an enhanced inhibitory potency against dGMII (IC50 = 0.5 µM vs 80 µM for the first generation inhibitor). Introduction of a polar substituent on the C(5) position of the pyrrolidine ring accounted for this improved activity as revealed by the x-ray structure of this new derivative complexed to dGMII which displayed additional interactions with active site residues. In a second time, these new α-mannosidase inhibitors have been evaluated as anti cancer agents and their effects were determined on human cancer cells from glioblastoma and melanoma, two tumors associated with a high proliferative and invasive potential, multiple resistance toward conventional chemotherapeutic agents, and poor prognosis. As these compounds were not able to inhibit cellular growth, probably due to a poor cellular uptake, derivatization of our inhibitors into more lipophilic esters, ethers and amides derivatives was envisaged. In particular, introduction of a 4-bromobenzoate moiety resulted in an improvement of cellular uptake, leading to a complete inhibition of cellular growth at 300 µM with inhibitors (2R)-2-({[(2R,3R,4S)-3,4-dihydroxypyrrolidin-2-yl]methyl}amino)-2-phenylethyl 4-bromobenzoate and (2R)-2-({[(2R,3R,4R)-3,4-dihydroxy-1-methyl-5-oxopyrrolidin-2-yl]methyl}amino)-2-phenylethyl 4-bromobenzoate. Under the same conditions, Swa didn't provide any significant growth inhibition. Moreover, exposure of human fibroblasts, as model of healthy cells, to our lead derivatives revealed some selectivity toward tumoral cells. It was hypothesized that cellular esterases were able to hydrolyse the ester moiety and thus release the more hydrophilic parent inhibitors within the tumoral cells. Finally, in order to get more insights into the mode of action of our derivatives, their inhibitory activity on α-mannosidases from human glioblastoma extracts was determined and compared to the activity of Swa. The first generation inhibitor presented a moderate inhibitory potency on α-mannosidases whereas the optimized derivative displayed potent inhibitory activity on human α-mannosidases (IC50 = 50 µM decreased to 0.5 µM). Nevertheless, Swa presented higher potency than our new lead (IC50 = 10-50 nM). It was also determined by gel filtration that the cellular α-mannosidases targeted by our pyrrolidine based inhibitors displayed apparent molecular weight of about 120 kD.


Drawing on philosophy, history, and critical theory, this book introduces a new perspective on the significance of post-war international law developments. The book examines the public discourse regarding technological risk in the Second World War texts of unconditional surrender in the World Trade Organization's EC–Biotech dispute and in the International Court of Justices' Nuclear Weapons Advisory Opinion. The volume describes international law in terms of its management of, and relation to, the risks associated with technological innovation in war and in trade. It proposes that international law, too, is itself a kind of technology: one intended to manage the material and existential risks inherent in the creation of a new international, post-colonial, political community emerging out of the Second World War. Members of this community are imagined to possess a universal quality: humanness, which itself is underscored by a power of invention. The book demonstrates how international lawyers' inability to adjudicate questions of large-scale technological risk is due to the competing and intractable claims of international law. Offering a feminist analysis of the political economy that has created this crisis of governance, the book provides a way of understanding the structural inequities that will need to be addressed if international law is to remain a relevant forum for the adjudication of war and trade into the twenty-first century.


Background Despite being one of the questionnaires to assess anxiety more employed by mental health professionals, the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) has been criticized. The main criticism is that the possible existence of a set of items to assess depression would form an independent factor. Objective The aim of this work is to evaluate the STAI factorization in a sample of patients diagnosed with depression. Method We applied the Spanish adaptation of the STAI to 266 Spanish patients diagnosed with various depressive disorders. Results Three underlying factors were identified in the exploratory factor analysis: state anxiety, positive trait anxiety and negative trait anxiety. Discussion and conclusion The factorization did not confirm the presence of specific item sets for depression, pointed above as the main criticism of this questionnaire. Furthermore, the high values of the categorical alpha, both in the factor structure obtained and the theoretical subscales, are highly reliable indications for the use of the STAI in patients diagnosed with depression.


This article analyzes the economic principles and trade-offs of Antitrust Compliance Programs (ATCPs). While we need to abstract from the specific facts to which an individual ATCP may be tailored, economics allows us to look at three "big picture" questions: (1) how can ATCPs solve compliance problems within the firm? (2) How much should a firm invest into ATCPs? And (3) should the government encourage firms to establish ATCPs by granting fine reductions?


Cloud optical thickness and droplet effective radius retrievals from solar reflectance measurements are traditionally implemented using a combination of spectral channels that are absorbing and nonabsorbing for water particles. Reflectances in nonabsorbing channels (e.g., 0.67, 0.86, 1.2 μm spectral window bands) are largely dependent on cloud optical thickness, while longer-wavelength absorbing channels (1.6, 2.1, and 3.7 μm window bands) provide cloud particle size information. Cloud retrievals over ice and snow surfaces present serious difficulties. At the shorter wavelengths, ice is bright and highly variable, both characteristics acting to significantly increase cloud retrieval uncertainty. In contrast, reflectances at the longer wavelengths are relatively small and may be comparable to that of dark open water. A modification to the traditional cloud retrieval technique is presented. The new algorithm uses only a combination of absorbing spectral channels for which the snow/ice albedo is relatively small. Using this approach, retrievals have been made with the MODIS airborne simulator (MAS) imager flown aboard the high-altitude NASA ER-2 from May to June 1998 during the Arctic FIRE-ACE field deployment. Data from several coordinated ER-2 and in situ University of Washington Convair-580 aircraft observations of liquid water stratus clouds are examined. MAS retrievals of optical thickness, droplet effective radius, and liquid water path are shown to be in good agreement with in situ measurements. The initial success of the technique has implications for future operational satellite cloud retrieval algorithms in polar and wintertime regions.


Towards Presidential Rule in Ukraine: Hybrid Regime Dynamics Under Semi-Presidentialism This article sets out to analyse recent regime developments in Ukraine in relation to semi-presidentialism. The article asks: to what extent and in what ways theoretical arguments against semi-presidentialism (premier-presidential and president-parliamentary systems) are relevant for understanding the changing directions of the Ukrainian regime since the 1990s? The article also reviews the by now overwhelming evidence suggesting that President Yanukovych is turning Ukraine into a more authoritarian hybrid regime and raises the question to what extent the president-parliamentary system might serve this end. The article argues that both kinds of semi-presidentialism have, in different ways, exacerbated rather than mitigated institutional conflict and political stalemate. The return to the president-parliamentary system in 2010 - the constitutional arrangement with the most dismal record of democratisation - was a step in the wrong direction. The premier-presidential regime was by no means ideal, but it had at least two advantages. It weakened the presidential dominance and it explicitly anchored the survival of the government in parliament. The return to the 1996 constitution ties in well with the notion that President Viktor Yanukovych has embarked on an outright authoritarian path.


Coastal areas constitute important habitats, and they contain a large and growing population, much of it located in economic centers such as London, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai, Mumbai, and Lagos. The range of coastal hazards includes climate-induced sea level rise, a long-term threat that demands broad response. Global sea levels rose 17 cm through the twentieth century, and are likely to rise more rapidly through the twenty-first century when a rise of more than 1 m is possible. In some locations, these changes may be exacerbated by (1) increases in storminess due to climate change, although this scenario is less certain, and (2) widespread human-induced subsidence due to ground fluid withdrawal from, and drainage of, susceptible soils, especially in deltas. Relative sea level rise has a range of potential impacts, including higher extreme sea levels (and flooding), coastal erosion, salinization of surface and ground waters, and degradation of coastal habitats such as wetlands. Without adaptation, large land areas and millions of people could be displaced by sea level rise. Appropriate responses include climate mitigation (a global response) and/or adaptation (a local response). A combination of these strategies appears to be the most appropriate approach to sea level rise regardless of the uncertainty. Adaptation responses can be characterized as (1) protect, (2) accommodate, or (3) retreat. While these adaptation responses could reduce impacts significantly, they will need to be consistent with responses to all coastal hazards, as well as with wider societal and development objectives; hence, an integrated coastal management philosophy is required. In some developed countries, including England and the Netherlands, proactive adaptation plans are already being formulated. Coastal cities worldwide will be a major focus for adaptation efforts because of their concentrations of people and assets. Developing countries will pose adaptation challenges, especially in deltaic areas and small islands, which are the most vulnerable settings


The EU emissions trading system (ETS) is expected to make a major contribution towards achieving the EU's target to reduce greenhouse emissions by at least 40% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. Moreover, there is a strong need to address an accumulated over-supply of emissions allowances and to improve the performance of the ETS without waiting for the start of the next phase in 2021. Consequently, the EU ETS has been subject to a series of proposed reform, such as back-loading allowances for auctions, creating a market stability reserve (MSR), and long-term structural reform. Based on the stakeholder consultation process, this POLIMP Working Document gives an overview of perceptions held by major stakeholders in five member states (Poland, Greece, Austria, Hungary and the Netherlands). It highlights the diversity of their views across sectors and across countries on different aspects of the ETS: the ETS sectors' contribution to the 2030 policy framework, the role of the ETS, factors that impact on the EUA price, the ETS reform and stakeholder support for the ETS. As a complement to the POLIMP Policy Brief No. 3, "European Stakeholders' Perspectives on the EU ETS", this paper also provides further information on the definition of stakeholders, a decentralised approach to consult stakeholders and the distribution of stakeholders' responses.


Construction and assembly are complex and arduous tasks, especially when performed in hazardous environments such as in orbit, on the Moon, or on Mars. Effective assembly of structures in such environments, where human labor is expensive and scarce, can be facilitated by the use of heterogeneous robotic teams. Over the past five years, we have developed the architectural framework and tools to coordinate robotic assembly teams, as well as to incorporate the unique skills of remote human operators using an approach that allows authority to "slide" between autonomy and human control at a fine degree of granularity. We have used this approach in several assembly scenarios, and have quantified the gains in reliability and efficiency over both purely autonomous and purely teleoperation approaches.


One of the issues left untouched by the Brussels Convention of 27 September 1968 (and by the Brussels-1 Regulation replacing it) concerns the leeway left to domestic courts when applying European rules on international jurisdiction in civil and commercial matters. For instance, is the court under a duty of strict compliance with the jurisdiction rule as it is drafted? Would such a duty go so far as to require the court to abide by the jurisdiction rule, even though it is being used by one of the litigants to achieve an unfair result, for example to delay adjudication on the merits? Under what conditions may the Court decline jurisdiction on account of any unsuitable forum shopping, thus ruling out the European provision on jurisdiction? Recent litigation in the ECJ has yielded rather, even excessively, restrictive answers, ruling out any discretion by domestic courts to remedy any inconvenience arising from the strict application of the European provisions, if such discretion were provided for by the lex fori (the Gasser case, the Turner case, and the Owusu case). This series of rulings from the ECJ raises several questions. Most observers have questioned the appropriateness of prescribing a blind application of European rules on jurisdiction by domestic courts, relying on the legal traditions of EC Member States usually providing for corrective mechanisms - such as 'forum non conveniens' in English Law and 'exception de fraude' in French Law - in cases when a party abusively triggers the jurisdiction of a court in order to obtain an unjust advantage, thus practising unacceptable forum shopping. The time has now come for an analysis, under both Community and comparative law, of the ramifications of the recent Gasser/Turner/Owusu cases. Readers will find in this book a collection of studies by some of the leading English and French experts today, analysing the ins and outs of jurisdiction and forum shopping in Europe.


Neutron stars are invaluable tools for exploring stellar death, the physics of ultra-dense matter, and the effects of extremely strong magnetic fields. The observed population of neutron stars is dominated by the > 1000 radio pulsars, but there are distinct sub-populations that, while fewer in number, can have significant impact on our understanding of the issues mentioned above. These populations are the nearby, isolated neutron stars discovered by ROSAT, and the central compact objects in supernova remnants. The studies of both of these populations have been greatly accelerated in recent years through observations with the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the XMM-Newton telescope. First, we discuss radio, optical, and X-ray observations of the nearby neutron stars aimed at determining their relation to the Galactic neutron star population and at unraveling their complex physical processes by determining the basic astronomical parameters that define the population--distances, ages, and magnetic fields--the uncertainties in which limit any attempt to derive basic physical parameters for these objects. We conclude that these sources are 1e6 year-old cooling neutron stars with magnetic fields above 10e13 Gauss. Second, we describe the hollow supernova remnant problem: why many of the supernova remnants in the Galaxy have no indication central neutron stars. We have undertaken an X-ray census of neutron stars in a volume-limited sample of Galactic supernova remnants, and from it conclude that either many supernovae do not produce neutron stars contrary to expectation, or that neutron stars can have a wide range in cooling behavior that makes many sources disappear from the X-ray sky.


The medical examiner community plays a key role in the organ and tissue procurement process for transplantation. Since many, if not most, potential organ or tissue donors fall under medicolegal jurisdiction, the medical examiner bears responsibility to authorize or deny the procurement of organs or tissues on a case-by-case basis. This responsibility engenders a basic dichotomy for the medical examiner's decision-making process. In cases falling under his/her jurisdiction, the medical examiner must balance the medicolegal responsibility centered on the decedent with the societal responsibility to respect the wishes of the decedent and/or next of kin to help living patients. Much has been written on this complex issue in both the forensic pathology and the transplantation literature. Several studies and surveys of medical examiner practices, as well as suggested protocols for handling certain types of cases, are available for reference when concerns arise that procurement may potentially hinder medicolegal death investigation. It is the position of the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) that the procurement of organs and/or tissues for transplantation can be accomplished in virtually all cases, without detriment to evidence collection, postmortem examination, determination of cause and manner of death, or the conducting of criminal or civil legal proceedings. The purpose of this position paper is to review the available data, the arguments for and against medical examiner release, and to encourage the release of organs and tissues in all but the rarest of circumstances.


This paper argues that the European Commission's Directorate General for Competition, under its new Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia, is now facing acute problems in its investigation and prosecution of cartels, which stem from the successful cartel busting era of Commissioner Kroes. The core argument is that the Commission's procedures emerged at a time when the aim was to consult extensively on the development of competition law, and not to prosecute and fine delinquent business entities. These antiquated procedures, which have not been substantially reformed since they came into force in March 1963, involve extensive documentary responses in which the Commission acts as investigator, prosecutor and judge and only allow the Commission to hand down half a dozen decisions condemning cartels per year. London City University Professor Alan Riley argues for a comprehensive modernisation of the Commission's anti-cartel regime, stripping away the limitations on the application of the leniency programme; streamlining the contentious procedure to encourage a greater throughput of cases and reforming the sanctions regime to allow individual sanctions to ensure personal accountability for price-fixing by corporate executives.


This work investigates developmental and structural biology at the nanoscale using current advancements in particle beam microscopy. Typically the examination of micro- and nanoscale features is performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), but in order to decrease surface charging, and increase resolution, an obscuring conductive layer is applied to the sample surface. As magnification increases, this layer begins to limit the ability to identify nanoscale surface structures. A new technology, Helium Ion Microscopy (HIM), is used to examine uncoated surface structures on the cuticle of wild type and mutant fruit flies. Corneal nanostructures observed with HIM are further investigated by FIB/SEM to provide detailed three dimensional information about internal events occurring during early structural development. These techniques are also used to reconstruct a mosquito germarium in order to characterize unknown events in early oogenesis. Findings from these studies, and many more like them, will soon unravel many of the mysteries surrounding the world of developmental biology.


The purpose of the work described here has been to seek methods of narrowing the present gap between currently realised heat pump performance and the theoretical limit. The single most important pre-requisite to this objective is the identification and quantitative assessment of the various non-idealities and degradative phenomena responsible for the present shortfall. The use of availability analysis has been introduced as a diagnostic tool, and applied to a few very simple, highly idealised Rankine cycle optimisation problems. From this work, it has been demonstrated that the scope for improvement through optimisation is small in comparison with the extensive potential for improvement by reducing the compressor's losses. A fully instrumented heat pump was assembled and extensively tested. This furnished performance data, and led to an improved understanding of the systems behaviour. From a very simple analysis of the resulting compressor performance data, confirmation of the compressor's low efficiency was obtained. In addition, in order to obtain experimental data concerning specific details of the heat pump's operation, several novel experiments were performed. The experimental work was concluded with a set of tests which attempted to obtain definitive performance data for a small set of discrete operating conditions. These tests included an investigation of the effect of two compressor modifications. The resulting performance data was analysed by a sophisticated calculation which used that measurements to quantify each dagradative phenomenon occurring in that compressor, and so indicate where the greatest potential for improvement lies. Finally, in the light of everything that was learnt, specific technical suggestions have been made, to reduce the losses associated with both the refrigerant circuit and the compressor.


The paper presents the comparative pharmacognostical studies of Calotropis spp, a traditional medicinal plant. It has been used as a folk medicine in many countries as stomachic, tonic, cough, catarrh, purgative etc. The pharmacognostic evaluation included organoleptic, microscopic, macroscopical and microscopical characters, physico-chemical constants, quantitative microscopy parameters, extractive values with different solvents, fluorescence analysis of extracts, its reaction after treatment with chemical reagents under visible light and UV light. Preliminary phytochemical screening and physicochemical properties have been studied.


Using exposure data of various (mostly commercial) coatings, inks and paints, this study demonstrates that differences in irradiance profile will result in different material behavior (properties) and consequently, exposure requirements. Using various quantifiable performance characteristics, this study demonstrates the reciprocity failure of UV exposure. This paper introduces the "E-Ip" chart for UV curable materials and simple methods for creating it. To differing degrees, curable materials will exhibit different E-I thresholds of physical property development. Evaluation of the non-reciprocity of any subject material is important to 3-D and multi-lamp system design. It also leads to more precise and more useful exposure requirement specifications for commercial materials, and provides a means of communicating material responsivity essential for production design.


Abstract. Earth observation data obtained from spaceborne, aerial and other platforms at different spectral regions and time intervals and spatial detail has immensely helped in inventorying, monitoring and condition assessment of agricultural resources. EO data available from a host of international space missions in both optical and microwave regions are being operationally used in many counties to make preharvest production forecasts and in assessing the impact of drought. Thus, EO techniques are proving to be important tools contributing to improve food security and meet the needs of UN Sustainable Development Goals. However, there are many scientific challenges in the application of EO data in the assessment of minor, short duration crops grown in fragmented land holdings, non-paddy crops grown during kharif season (cloud covered periods), in more precise productivity estimation, in estimating the impact of extreme weather on production, in early detection of disease affected crops etc. Newer techniques of data fusion, use of hyperspectral data and machine learning tools are advancing the use of EO data. In this context, the Group on Earth Observations, an international forum has initiated a programme on Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM), in which many coordinated efforts are successfully being undertaken for the use of EO data. In order to review the progress made, challenges faced and to advance this initiative, a joint international workshop was organised by the International Society for Photogrammetery and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) Working Group III/10 (Agriculture and Natural Ecosystems Modelling and Monitoring), the Indian Society of Remote Sensing and GEOGLAM at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi, India during February 18–20, 2019. More than one hundred research articles were received for oral and poster presentations at this workshop. The manuscripts deal with the application of EO data for production forecasts of different crops grown under irrigated and dryland conditions, the impact of likely climate change on crop yield, extreme weather and agriculture, use of EO data in crop intensification, retrieval of biophysical parameters from EO data for further use in process models, use of microwave SAR and scatterometer data in estimating crop parameters, detection of wheat blast, water use efficiency, and so on. There were several presentations dealing with development of advanced techniques for data analysis etc. The current volume is a collection of all the manuscripts presented at the workshop. All the papers have gone through a preliminary review and editing. We do hope, this volume will provide material for all those professionals and decision/policy makers interested in the applications of EO data for agricultural monitoring.


The Sun Watcher with Active Pixels and Image Processing (SWAP) EUV solar telescope on board the Project for On-Board Autonomy 2 spacecraft has been regularly observing the solar corona in a bandpass near 17.4 nm since 2010 February. With a field of view of 54 × 54 arcmin, SWAP provides the widest-field images of the EUV corona available from the perspective of the Earth. By carefully processing and combining multiple SWAP images, it is possible to produce low-noise composites that reveal the structure of the EUV corona to relatively large heights. A particularly important step in this processing was to remove instrumental stray light from the images by determining and deconvolving SWAP's point-spread function from the observations. In this paper, we use the resulting images to conduct the first-ever study of the evolution of the large-scale structure of the corona observed in the EUV over a three year period that includes the complete rise phase of solar cycle 24. Of particular note is the persistence over many solar rotations of bright, diffuse features composed of open magnetic fields that overlie polar crown filaments and extend to large heights above the solar surface. These features appear to be related to coronal fans, which have previously been observed in white-light coronagraph images and, at low heights, in the EUV. We also discuss the evolution of the corona at different heights above the solar surface and the evolution of the corona over the course of the solar cycle by hemisphere.


Li+-Doped NaYF4:Yb,Er upconversion luminescent nanoparticles (UCLNPs) were synthesized and modified with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). The luminescence of the carboxyl-functionalized UCLNPs at 664 nm was quenched in the presence of cupric ions (Cu2+) due to the coordination of Cu2+ with the carboxyl group of PAA. When pyrophosphate ions (PPi) were added, the luminescence of the UCLNPs was restored due to the competitive binding of PPi with Cu2+. However, pyrophosphatase (PPase) could promote the hydrolysis of PPi, thus releasing Cu2+, leading to requenching of the luminescence. Under optimal conditions, the luminescence response was virtually proportional to the activity of the PPase between 0.500 and 50.0 mU mL−1, and the limit of detection was 0.441 mU mL−1. Based on the competition assay approach, a new highly sensitive method in the red region for real-time detection of PPase activity was developed.


It is a popular notion that, compared to vertebrates, invertebrates have a reduced capacity to experience suffering. This is usually based on arguments that invertebrates show only simple forms of learning, have little memory capacity, do not show behavioural responses to stimuli that would cause 'higher' vertebrates to exhibit responses indicative of pain, and have differences in their physiology that would preclude the capacity for suffering. But, how convincing is this 'evidence' of a reduced capacity to suffer? Suffering is a negative mental state - a private experience - and, as such, it cannot be measured directly. When assessing the capacity of an animal to experience suffering, we often compare the similarity of its responses with those of 'higher' animals, conceptualized in the principle of argument-by-analogy. By closely examining the responses of invertebrates, it can be seen that they often behave in a strikingly analogous manner to vertebrates. In this paper, I discuss published studies that show that invertebrates such as cockroaches, flies and slugs have short- and long-term memory; have age effects on memory; have complex spatial, associative and social learning; perform appropriately in preference tests and consumer demand studies; exhibit behavioural and physiological responses indicative of pain; and, apparently, experience learned helplessness. The similarity of these responses to those of vertebrates may indicate a level of consciousness or suffering that is not normally attributed to invertebrates. This indicates that we should either be more cautious when using argument-by-analogy, or remain open-minded to the possibility that invertebrates are capable of suffering in a similar way to vertebrates.


pain, swelling and stiffness after total knee replacement (TKR) surgery are well-recognised complications. However, in some cases, despite investigation, the cause may be unexplained. This study, using a questionnaire sent to South African orthopaedic surgeons, examined the perceived incidence of unexpected knee pain and swelling after a straightforward TKR, aiming to identify possible associated or contributory factors. Of the 61 respondents, two-thirds had more than 10 years' experience and close to three-quarters performed 20 or more TKRs per annum. Less-experienced surgeons report a greater frequency of unexpected pain than more-experi- enced surgeons (90% vs 53%) (p<0.05). Similarly, surgeons using the visual analogue scale (VAS) to assess a patient's pain also have a greater awareness of unexpected pain. Two-thirds of surgeons reported finding more pain than had been anticipated in between 6% and 20% of their cases. Unexpected swelling is also an issue. Approximately one-half of surgeons could identify the cause for pain in less than 5% of their cases. Surgeons who use drains and have shorter surgical times reported a reduced incidence of unexpected pain and swelling, although this did not reach statistical significance. No suggestive relationships were found for other peri-oper- ative parameters such as analgesic regimens, thrombo-embolic prophylaxis or mobilisation protocols.