Guidance and counselling services are part of a broader delivery system designed to enhance the    success of all learners.This study assessed different challenges that guidance and counselling teachers in secondary schools in Nyamira County encounter in providing this vital service. The study employed an ex-post facto descriptive survey design.  It was limited to 21 secondary schools: Fourteen day and seven boarding secondary schools in Nyamira County with Practicing Guidance and Counselling teachers.  Sex was not a factor in the study.  In all, there were 147 respondents (21 Head teachers, 21 teacher counsellors and 5 students from each of the selected schools). Purposive and simple random sampling techniques were used in selecting the sample for the study.  Three four-point likert type scale questionnaires were used to obtain data for the study;  Secondary school students' Questionnaire (SSSQ), Secondary school teacher counsellors' Questionnaire (SSTCQ); and Secondary school Head Teachers' Questionnaire (SSHTQ).  The reliability coefficient on SSSQ and SSTCQ of 0.65 and 0.67 respectively were obtained while an alpha coefficient of 0.80 was established for SSHTQ.  The data was analyzed by use of descriptive statistics and the chi-square test, using the SPSS package.  The findings indicate that there are a number of challenges facing the provision of guidance and counselling services.  These include: lack of adequate guidance and counselling training for teacher counsellors; inadequate resources; and lack of requisite support to guidance and counselling programmes among other challenges.  Recommendations made on ways of overcoming the challenges in order to improve the quality of counselling services include; a need for schools to provide basic counseling materials, a counselling office equipped with career resources and school administration endeavouring to reduce teacher counselor workload so as to have enough time to offer the guidance and counseling service. Key words: Assessment, Guidance and Counselling, Resources, Attitude, Nyamira county.


Abstract. We present benchmark experiments to test the implementation of enthalpy and the corresponding boundary conditions in numerical ice sheet models. Since we impose several assumptions on the experiment design, analytical solutions can be formulated for the proposed numerical experiments. The first experiment tests the functionality of the boundary condition scheme and the basal melt rate calculation during transient simulations. The second experiment addresses the steady-state enthalpy profile and the resulting position of the cold–temperate transition surface (CTS). For both experiments we assume ice flow in a parallel-sided slab decoupled from the thermal regime. We compare simulation results achieved by three different ice flow-models with these analytical solutions. The models agree well to the analytical solutions, if the change in conductivity between cold and temperate ice is properly considered in the model. In particular, the enthalpy gradient on the cold side of the CTS goes to zero in the limit of vanishing temperate-ice conductivity, as required from the physical jump conditions at the CTS.


Aim/Background: Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy is a well-accepted recommendation worldwide; however, the debate about the correct dose is ongoing. We aimed to compare daily doses of 600, 1,200, and 2,000 IU in this randomized, controlled study. Methods: The study group consisted of 91 pregnant women aged 16-42 years admitted to Kocaeli Maternity and Children Hospital between April 2011 and April 2012. The participants were randomly divided into 3 groups. 600, 1,200, and 2,000 IU/day of vitamin D was supplemented to group 1 (control group, n = 31), group 2 (n = 31), and group 3 (n = 32), respectively. Serum calcium, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD), and the calcium/creatinine ratio in spot urine samples were measured in the follow-up period. The serum calcium and 25OHD levels of the mothers' infants were measured as well. Results: The frequency of vitamin D sufficiency after supplementation was 80% in group 3 and it was significantly higher than in groups 1 (42%) and 2 (39%) (p = 0.03). The frequency of vitamin D sufficiency in the infants of the participants was 91% in group 3 and it was significantly higher than in groups 1 (36%) and 2 (52%) (p = 0.006). Conclusions: At least 2,000 IU/day of vitamin D is needed to ensure adequate vitamin D status in pregnancy and early infancy.


This thesis investigates the ways representations of terrorism in Hollywood, German and British cinema embody what Slavoj Žižek describes as the postpolitical, that is the current state of denial of alternatives within global politics and a directionlessness within cultural theory, which set in after the apparent defeat of the possibility of a radical alternative to capitalism. Moreover, this thesis proposes that films about terrorism are not only cultural expressions of the post-political, but also show the post-political condition to be problematic, displaying as they do symptoms such as the devaluation of human subjectivity and its concomitant failure to achieve progressive political change. Žižek's philosophical approach as a method of interpreting the postpolitical is applied to the films Munich (2005), Zero Dark Thirty (2012) The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008) Die Kommenden Tage/The Coming Days, (2010) Four Lions (2010) and Hunger (2008). As well as Žižek's work, the writings of other critics and commentators and such as Frank Furedi, Thomas Elsaesser, Kenan Malik and others are drawn on. The aesthetic and formal properties of these films are read against Žižek's texts on ideology critique, which are primarily directed at the post-political. The films shown exhibit expressions of the post-political in notions of empathy and sustainability, campness, and postmodern forms of narrative, which Žižek calls filling in gaps, and Žižek's concept of 'the act'. By mapping the post-political in Hollywood, British and German cinema this research assays the manner in which screen terrorism is symptomatic of the post-political condition.


The status of women's human rights in Iran today is a complex issue mired in contradiction and paradox, not unlike the Iranian society itself. The Iranian language reflects this paradox because words reportedly have double meanings that produce vagueness and intentional ambiguity resulting in misunderstandings for some and advantages for others engaged in the fine art of hiding what one really means to say. This linguistic deception is not unusual especially for Iranian women who must behave one way publicly and another way privately, even though society in the Islamist State has been forced to adopt a universalist moral code that militates against relativist ethics. Human rights abuses are prevalent in Iran today, and women suffer most from this deplorable condition. The following serious human rights abuses exist in Iran and detrimentally impact women: summary executions, disappearances, widespread use of torture and other degrading treatment including rape, severe punishments including stoning to death and public flogging, harsh prison conditions, arbitrary arrests and detention, prolonged and incommunicado detention, impunity of government officials accused of misconduct in judicial proceedings; the influence of conservative government clerics' in the judiciary preventing citizens from due process or fair trials; governmental restriction of the freedom of religion; flagrant discrimination against religious minorities; governmental control over the selection of candidates for elections; governmental restriction of the work of human rights groups in Iran; domestic and public violence against women; the increase of women children runaways, prostitution and sex trafficking; increased poverty in Iran where 29% of the families below the poverty line are single mothers. Women's human rights and the role of women in Iranian society are tied up in a thick web of historical, political, cultural, economic, social and legal factors all of which work together in an intricate contextual system like a structural puzzle whose parts or elements can be identified and analyzed. Each of these elements is itself a sign system with complex underlying mechanisms. Each sign system plays a significant role in the development and continuation of human rights abuses of women in Iran. Classical structural analysis provides insights into surface and deep meanings. Semiotic analysis, one that studies signs of women's human rights, will reveal hidden, deeper structures that may be unknown even to the women themselves. Semiotics is the science of signs. Legal Semiotics is the application of semiotic theory to legal or literary discourse by researchers engaged in hermeneutics and the interpretation of complex fields like art, music, literature, film, or the law. Reading, writing, interpretation of documents and cases, negotiation, interviewing, and juror selection are merely a few of the lawyerly tasks involving the fundamental elements of semiotics - an exchange between two or more speakers through the medium of coded language. The study of coded language depends on interpretation and contexts. This semiotic study will examine various types of coded sign systems that, when decoded and interpreted contextually, reveal hidden realities about women's human rights in Iran. The analysis will attempt to determine how and the extent to which basic human rights are being denied to women in Iran today and whether there is hope for more justice and gender equality in Iran in the future. Part I of this study will examine the historic and political contexts of women's human rights in Iran. Part II will look at the sign system of wearing women's Islamic garb known as the hejab or veil in order to uncover the meaning of the many different messages this act conveys. We will discuss the significance of the French headscarf case and the Turkish headscarf case decided finally in the European Court of Human Rights. That court based its almost unanimous decision denying the right to wear a headscarf in public schools and universities on pure semiotics. Part III will investigate cultural manifestations of women's human rights abuses in Iran through a study of the memoirs and films of four Iranian women. We will look at the best selling memoir of Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Teheran, written by an Iranian woman who is a literature professor. The second memoir is Iran Awakening, written by Shirin Ebadi, a former Iranian female judge, who is currently a lawyer and a women's rights activist working within the Iranian system to change it. The powerful documentary film, Divorce Iranian Style, sheds light on the institution of marriage in Iran and the deficiencies of its family laws and legal system, especially for women seeking a divorce. We will also look at the contrapuntal view of two Iranian women, one modern and the other forced to be traditional, as represented in the very successful film, Two Women, directed by the Iranian feminist filmmaker, Tahmineh Milani. The juxtaposition of these two women represents the contradictions and paradoxes in Iranian society. Part IV will investigate the Iranian family laws as a sign system that reflects and conditions the status of women's rights today in Iran. The article will also discuss the inadequacies of the Iranian legal system that is caught up in a difficult relationship with Islam and the differing views of Koranic interpretation, some of which negatively impact women. Part V will examine some of the international human rights laws and instruments that protect gender equality. Finally, this study will take a look at the future of women's rights in Iran.


Today, deteriorated urban fabrics face a number of issues and problems which ultimately discourages living in these areas. Today, governments are concerned about reconstruction of these areas with the help of citizen participation. In this regard, governments are seeking to increase the incentive to reconstruct the deteriorated fabrics through initiating some policies. Some of these policies will increase citizen participation while some will be ineffective. Therefore, the effectiveness of each policy in increasing citizens participation needs to be evaluated. The present study evaluates the impact of these policies on the participation of the residents of district 17 of Tehran, which is one of the most deteriorated fabrics. Structural equation modeling with Smart PIS software was used for the analysis of the derived data. The results indicate that policies such as facilitating the merging of neighboring lands, defining incentives and discounting policies, granting banking facilities, providing conditions for mass developer participation, purchasing deteriorated properties at fair and reasonable prices by municipalities, exchanging deteriorated properties with newly created state-owned real estate and establishing neighborhood participation centers have a significant impact on increasing citizen participation in reconstruction of  deteriorated urban fabrics with coefficients of influence of 1.225, 0.694, 0.547, 0.430, 0.224, 0.209 and 0.115, respectively. Residents' opinion polls on regeneration plans of deteriorated fabrics, on the other hand, do not have much effect in this regard. Therefore, it is recommended that governors and legislators strengthen the abovementioned effective policies and facilitate their provision; because resolving the problems of deteriorated fabrics in urban neighborhoods is impossible without the participation of residents.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To understand the experiences of women having same-day breast cancer surgery and make recommendations to assist healthcare professionals effect change to enhance quality of care.

RESEARCH APPROACH
Thematic analysis of audiotaped interviews.

SETTING
Outpatient departments of two city hospitals on the east coast of Canada.

PARTICIPANTS
Purposive sample of 13 women who had undergone same-day breast cancer surgery.

METHODOLOGIC APPROACH
A constructivist approach with in-depth interviews and comparative analysis to develop and systemically organize data into four major interrelated themes and a connecting essential thread.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES
Women's experiences with same-day breast cancer surgery.

FINDINGS
The themes of preparation, timing, supports, and community health nursing intervention were of paramount importance for effective coping and recovery. Women who had a positive experience with same-day breast cancer surgery also reported having adequate preparation, appropriate timing of preparation, strong support systems, and sufficient community health nursing intervention. Those reporting a negative experience encountered challenges in one or more of the identified theme areas.

CONCLUSIONS
Same-day surgery is a sign of the times, and the approach to it is changing. Healthcare systems need to be responsive to such changes. Although same-day surgery for breast cancer is not suitable for every patient, women undergoing this type of surgery should be assessed individually to determine whether it is appropriate for them.

INTERPRETATION
Women undergoing breast cancer surgery should be screened for same-day surgery suitability. Those having same-day breast cancer surgery should be prepared adequately with timely education. Most importantly, such women should receive community health nursing follow-up for assessment, continuing education, and psychosocial support.


In section 1.2 we shall examine the optimal taxation of capital and labor incomes in a simple growth model and derive formulae for the optimal tax rates. These are used in section 1.3 to evaluate claims that abolishing capital income taxes would lead to large welfare gains. Inflation is introduced in section 1.4, and alternative approaches to modeling savings behavior are discussed in section 1.5. Finally, we shall look briefly at some of the empirical evidence on the effects of taxes on savings. Our analysis will be highly simplified. We shall ignore many of the issues stressed by the Meade Committee, such as the complex interaction between personal and corporate taxation, the sheer diversity of tax rates currently imposed on different forms of saving, and the portfolio aspects of personal saving. The relationship between expenditure on durables and saving and the effect of social security on consumption will also be left to one side, and we shall say little about the production side of the economy. (For surveys of the effects of taxes on investment, see Helliwell, 1976; King, 1977; and von Furstenberg and Malkiel, 1977.) Despite these omissions the model captures the essential features necessary to an evaluation of the efficiency arguments.


Through a media archaeology approach, this paper offers a historical grounding for emerging mobile media storytelling projects. By linking these locative media projects to the larger history of attaching narratives to specific places, these projects build on practices that have been done for millennia. From stone inscriptions to the stories that accompany religious pilgrimages, from graffiti in early Rome to historic walking tours of cities, the practice of sited narratives has many precedents. The desire to attach story to space (and to do so through pervasive and mobile computing) is found in the connection between the historical context of a community and the need to determine the character of that space. Around these two points arises a contention over who is actually allowed to tell the story of a location. A site's dominant narrative is often told through durable while the narratives on the margins are relegated to ephemeral media.


As an important branch of reconfigurable robots, extensible continuum robots are soft and light, with flexibility of movement and high adaptability in complex environments. These robots have very broad applications in a variety of fields, including military reconnaissance, geological exploration and rescue operations. In this paper, a high folding ratio, flexible and compact extensible continuum arm is designed using a novel combination of parallel and deployable mechanisms. We present the spherical-linkage parallel mechanism (SLPM) as a flexure hinge. The analysis suggests that the SLPM is highly flexible and meets the requirements for many DoFs (degrees of freedom) needed in various fields. The folding ratio of the SLPM was 72.73. Following this, we present a SLPM compliant module powered by a set of embedded shape memory alloy (SMA) springs. These can change the internal elasticity of the module as temperature changes, thereby varying the stiffness. Moreover, the control system is designed to enable real-time cooperation between multiple motors and carries out simulations for deployable motion. The extensible continuum arm prototype was manufactured and its performance tested in complex environments. From the results, it is shown that the arm can be utilized for rescue during disasters as well as investigation and repair of aircraft engines.


The objective of this study was to select a simple, feasible and validated core set of variables for the assessment of disease activity in systemic sclerosis. The subcommittee members extensively reviewed the studies in which the disease activity had been assessed, and analysed the construct validity and the feasibility of the criteria used in each study. The subcommittee members agreed on the possible use of either the European Scleroderma Study Group (ESSG) criteria for disease activity in SSc or the evaluation of selected cytokines and cell activation markers, found to be associated with distinct organ system involvement in recent studies. Despite the potential usefulness of cytokines and activation markers, most participants in the plenary session retained that their evaluation is not feasible in a number of centres, and their construct validity has not yet been assessed. The ESSG criteria for disease activity can be used for the time being to assess disease activity in clinical investigation studies as well as in clinical practice.


Globally, 767 million people live on less than US$ 1.90 a day and two billion people are malnourished. Especially affected by poverty and malnutrition is the rural population of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), who depend on the agricultural sector for food and income. Adopting new technologies can help farmers improve their livelihoods through an increase in income, or an improved nutritional and health status. However, adoption rates are comparably low. As agriculture can play a central role for food security, making agriculture more nutrition-sensitive has become one of the hot topics in the recent development discourse. However, also the uptake of pro-nutrition technologies – such as biofortified crops or particularly nutritious pulses – remains below expectations.
While factors influencing the adoption of technologies are manifold (for instance, education, risk preferences or wealth), special attention has recently been paid to the important functions of information access and social networks. In this regards, agricultural extension systems can set in to provide farmers with the missing information on new (pro-nutrition) technologies. A common approach is to channel information regarding the new technologies through farmer groups. However, so far nutrition-sensitive programs mostly focused on mothers only. There is little evidence on how men and women embedded in groups, communicate about topics related to agriculture and nutrition, and which persons can serve as potential target points for nutrition-sensitive extension. Simultaneously, networks play an important role for the diffusion of information. In particular, communication networks are potential pathways that may induce behavioral change and may play a strong role in the setting of group-based extension due to dynamics that trigger peer pressure or competition. However, due to lack of detailed (panel) network data, there is little evidence on how these communication networks are affected by the delivery of agricultural extension, and if communication networks can contribute to finally adopt new technologies.
This dissertation addresses these research gaps by drawing conclusion based on a unique dataset that combines a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with detailed panel data on communication networks of farmer groups. The RCT was implemented in rural Kenya and consisted of varying combinations of group-based agricultural and nutrition training sessions. The purpose of the extension training was the promotion of the iron-rich black common bean variety KK15. Survey data from 48 farmer groups (824 households) was collected before (October until December 2015) and after (October until December 2016) the intervention (March until September 2016).
Given the background on the importance of a better understanding of communication networks in the context of agricultural extension, this dissertation comprises two essays. The first essay (Chapter 2) of this dissertation deals with nutrition and agricultural communication networks of farmer groups and builds on baseline data of 48 farmer groups (815 individuals), we collected in 2015:
In developing countries, community-based organizations (CBOs) and individuals within CBOs are important target units for agricultural programs. However, little is known about the flow of information within CBOs and between individuals. The objective of this study is to investigate the structure and characteristics of communication networks for nutrition and agriculture. First, we identify the structure of agricultural and nutrition information networks within CBOs, as well as overlaps of the two networks. Dyadic regression techniques are then used to explore the characteristics of persons forming links for agriculture and nutrition. Second, key persons within CBOs that are prominent or influential for agriculture and nutrition information networks are identified, as well as characteristics of persons that are excluded from these networks. Analysis is conducted using descriptive and econometric techniques such as fixed effect Poisson models. Our study finds that nutrition information is exchanged within CBOs but to a moderate extent. Further, agricultural and nutrition information networks overlap and often the same links are used for both topics. At the same time, a large number of people are excluded from nutrition information networks. These persons are more likely to be men, have smaller land sizes and are less connected to persons outside of the group. We conclude that there is room for nutrition training to sensitize group members and nudge communication exchange about nutrition related issues. In particular, we recommend incentivizing communication with isolated persons. Further, our regression results suggest targeting CBO leaders, as well as other group members that live in central locations as an entry point for training. The results can help to increase the outreach of nutrition-sensitive programs.
The second essay (Chapter 3) investigates if interventions, such as agricultural extension, affect agricultural communication networks and if these communication networks can act as pathways leading to the adoption of new technologies. The analysis is based on the mentioned RCT and therefore uses both, baseline, as well as follow-up data:
A growing body of literature focuses on the role of network effects for farmers' adoption decisions. However, little is known on how interventions affect networks. We analyze the effect of group-based trainings on networks and the influence of these networks on the adoption of technologies. Our analysis builds on a unique dataset that combines a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with detailed panel data on communication networks. Results suggest that, first, the intervention had a positive impact on communication among farmers (i.e. the creation of communication links). Second, besides positive direct effects of the intervention, we also find strong positive network effects on adoption, indicating that individual farmers are more likely to adopt, the higher the share of adopters in their communication network. Hence, group-based extension approaches can be efficient in diffusing new technologies, not only because they reduce transaction costs, but also because network effects can stimulate and drive technology adoption.


The Whitworth Art Gallery at the University of Manchester commissioned a computer graphic (CG) animation piece based on a textile fragment, part of a linen tunic, from its collection of First Millennium A.D. Egyptian dress. The Whitworth is internationally recognised for its textiles scholarship; curator Jennifer Harris (no relation) initiated the commission as a result of established research into the use of CG tools in the interpretation of historical dress.

Over a six month period, a 3-minute digital animation was produced that showed how the fragment was part of a whole 4th century AD garment. In the form of an installation, this was a key interpretation tool for the Whitworth exhibition 'Clothing Culture', 2006.

Drawing on unique expertise developed through earlier research, this work is significant in achieving new digital methods of textile interpretation in the representation of dress and body. Textiles and dress in museum/gallery environments require gentle handling for conservation reasons. In this case the mummified garment pieces were brittle and incomplete due to absorption of body fluid, necessitating their flat 2D exhibition, without any reference to a 3D body via a mannequin or other interpretation methods.

Digital portrayal of the linen tunic entailed: historical research on the textile fragment and original garment; development of specific CG construction/animation processes for the garment; design of a narrative through mime, defining the 'portrait' of the 'wearer' ('Lady with Ankh Cross' derives from a portrait mummy of this period, which inspired the character/ choreography, for the digital body linked to the tunic); sampling of motion capture technology to achieve body data; intervention of 3D props during motion capture.


Apoptosis (programmed cell death) is defined by specific biochemical and morphological markers that include chromatin condensation and fragmentation. Evidence is mounting that pathways involving cathepsins may be important for apoptotic cell death. Foghsgaard et al. show that certain human tumor cell lines can actually be sensitized to apoptosis triggered by activation of tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1) by drugs that inhibit the caspases. Using various methods, cathepsin B was found to be the essential enzyme responsible for this alternative pathway to apoptotic cell death. Furthermore, activation of TNFR1 led specifically to the redistribution of cathepsin B from the lysosome without disrupting the lysosome pH gradient or membrane integrity. This pathway involving cathepsin B was relevant for apoptotic cell death induced by TNFR1 activation and not other stimuli that lead to apoptosis, such as DNA damage, oxidative stress, or heat shock. This pathway was also not particularly important for primary cells or early passage embryo fibroblasts, as opposed to its importance in several human tumor cell lines tested. L. Foghsgaard, D. Wissing, D. Mauch, U. Lademann, L. Bastholm, M. Boes, F. Elling, M. Leist, M. Jäättelä, Cathepsin B acts as a dominant execution protease in tumor cell apoptosis induced by tumor necrosis factor. J. Cell. Biol. 153, 999-1009 (2001). [Abstract] [Full Text]


This study investigates the interactions of waves and tides at a wave farm in the southwest of England, in
particular their effects on radiation stress, bottom stress, and consequently the effects on the sediment transport
and the coast adjacent to the Wave Hub, the wave-farm. In this study, an integrated complex numerical
modelling system is setup at the Wave Hub site and is used to study the effect of wave-current interaction on
current circulation, bottom shear stress, as well as the impacts in the nearshore zone. Results show that tidal
elevation and tidal currents have a significant effect on the wave height and direction predictions; tidal forcing
and wind waves have a significant effect on the bed shear-stress, relevant to sediment transport; waves via
radiation stresses have an important effect on the longshore and cross-shore velocity components, particularly
during the spring tides. Waves can impact on bottom boundary layer and the mixing in the water column.
Interactions between waves and tides at the Wave Hub site are important when modelling coastal morphology
influenced by wave energy devices.


This article examines the linkages between social capital and microinsurance using evidences obtained from a 2005 household survey conducted across several locations in India. The current body of literature suggests that micro health insurance schemes are in fact able to mobilize social capital for the purpose of encouraging voluntary affiliation of resource-poor persons operating within the space of the informal economy. Despite a dearth of field-evidence measuring social capital in relation to microinsurance units (MIUs), it appears that the cohesiveness of such units is made possible through a combination of internal community trust, social networks, and punitive measures related to information flows. To evaluate these linkages in further depth, the preferences of respondents to borrow and seek advice from formal versus informal sources, levels of trust towards community members versus outsiders, and the factors influencing respondents' decision to affiliate voluntarily to a scheme or not were examined. The findings conclude that observed preferences are highly context and location specific. It also found that overall, respondents cite the quality of healthcare as the primary reason for participating in an MIU, with the level of trust present at the time of enrollment, and level of financial protection provided ranking secondary reason depending on location.


God or Darwin? It is one of the most contentious conflicts of our time. It is also completely unnecessary, according to Joel W. Martin, an evolutionary biologist and ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church USA. In this slim but powerful book, Martin argues that it is not contradictory to be a practicing, faithful Christian who accepts the science of evolution. Martin finds that much of the controversy in the United States over evolution is manufactured and predicated on a complete-and sometimes willful-misapprehension of basic science. Science and religion, he says, serve different purposes and each seeks to answer questions that the other need never address. He believes that many of the polarizing debates about evolution distract from the deeper lessons of Christianity and that literal, fundamentalist readings of the Bible require the faithful to reject not just evolution but many of science's greatest discoveries. Just as the scientific explanation of rainbows is not meant to refute the biblical "rainbow" story of God's promise, evolutionary theory is not a ploy to disavow the divine. Indeed, Martin shows that the majority of Christians worldwide accept the theory of evolution. He urges his fellow Christians to refuse to participate in the intellectually stifling debate over evolution and creationism/intelligent design.


Submitted 18 Nov 2016; Accepted 27 Dec 2016; Published 5 Jan 2017 Physalis angulata is a medicinal plant used for the treatment of malaria, ulcer, pains and other diverse ailments. The present study evaluated the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of methanolic leaf extract of the plant. Acetic acid-induced abdominal contraction or writhing analgesic models in Swiss albino mice (13-23g) were used for studying analgesic activity of the leaf extract. 200, 300 and 400 mg/kg body weight of the extract were administered intraperitoneally. Analgesic activities of the extract were compared with standard reference drug ibuprofen (100 mg/kg) and negative control. The plant extract showed a significant dose dependent analgesic effect, with 72.7% inhibition at 400 mg/kg compared to that of the 100 mg/kg standard drug ibuprofen which showed 21.2% inhibition (P< 0.05). The anti-inflammatory activity of the extract against carrageenan-induced paw edema was also dose-dependent with 62.71% inhibition at 400 mg/kg when compared to that of the standard drug with 34.31% inhibition. The study showed that P. angulata was effective in pain reduction (analgesia) and acted as a good anti-inflammatory agent, which supports the claim in traditional medicine.


The multifocal approach is a truly innovative technique

Correct identification of early dysfunction, before the onset of irreversible glaucomatous damage, is a holy grail in glaucoma research. Rodarte et al , in this issue of BJO (p 1132), present a predominantly negative report in that respect.1 While disappointing, negative results are vitally important and often fall prey to publication bias.2,3 Of the many approaches including morphological imaging and functional testing, these authors used an advanced electrophysiological technique, specifically the multifocal visual evoked potential (mfVEP).4 Visual electrophysiology assesses, step by step, the function of the visual processing chain. It has progressed from its classic arsenal of "three letter examinations" (ERG, electroretinogram5; EOG, electro-oculogram6; VEP, visual evoked potential7) to four (PERG, pattern ERG8) and five letter methods (mfERG9/mfVEP, mf representing "multifocal").

Although each of these techniques …


We have determined the terahertz spectrum of the chiral langasite Ba3NbFe3Si2O14 by means of synchrotron-radiation measurements. Two excitations are revealed that are shown to have a different nature. The first one, purely magnetic, is observed at low temperature in the magnetically ordered phase and is assigned to a magnon. The second one persists far into the paramagnetic phase and exhibits both an electric and a magnetic activity at slightly different energies. This magnetoelectric excitation is interpreted in terms of atomic rotations and requires a helical electric polarization.


Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the second most common infections in community practise. Prevalence of UTI is an extremely in females than males, 40% to 50% of whom will suffer at least one clinical episode during their lifetime . This study therefore focuses on the detection and incidence of UTI among pregnant women. It also aimed to isolate and identify the organisms that causing UTI among pregnant women, and determined their susceptibility patterns to commonly used antimicrobial agents. A total of one hundred (100) midstream urine sample were collected from pregnant women at the aged ranges from 16 to 40 years attending to Sri Vijaya Hospital at Mehdipatnam , Hyderabad city India between June 2015 and December 2015. Early morning clean-catch midstream urine was collected from each pregnant woman into a wide-mouthed sterile screw capped container. With a calibrated microloop, 0.001 ml. of urine was cultured on to a Blood agar, MacConkey agar, EMB agar , Nutrient agar and Muller Hinton Agar plates. After overnight incubation at 37o C for 24 hours, A total of Thirty nine (39%) out of 100 patients had urinary tract infection . The bacterial isolates were identified based on colony morphology characteristics, Gram stain reaction and biochemical tests. the commonest isolated organism was S. aureus (43.53%), followed by E.coli (35.89 %), Klebsiella pneumonia (10.25%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7.69%) and lowest incidence of the isolates was Proteus spp (2.56%). More than 97% of the isolates were resistance to ampicillin (97.3%), followed by Netillin (84.2%), in other hand the most effective antibiotic was Amikacin which show (5.2%) of the isolates resistance, followed by the resistance of isolates to Cefotaxime and Gentamicin were each (21%).


This study is concerned with the possibility of utilizing fiber reinforced plastic rods as prestressing tendons, in place of traditional steel tendons, in elements of prestressed concrete bridges exposed to corrosive environments. A survey was made of available information on the behavior characteristics of fiber reinforced plastic tension elements, and in particular those of glass fiber reinforced (GFR) tension elements. Also, an analytical study was made of the flexural behavior of concrete elements prestressed by GFR tendons. Based on the analytical study and on the survey of available information, an assessment is made of the impact on the design of prestressed concrete members if GFR tendons are used. Some preliminary design recommendations are made, together with proposals for research needed before GFR prestressing tendons should be used in practice. Four GFR tendons with Con-Tech Systems anchorages were tested, the primary variable being the embedded length of the GFR rods in the anchorages. All the tendons failed by the rods pulling out of the anchorages. For embedded lengths of 385 mm (15.2 in.) or greater, the failure loads were about 90% of the advertised tendon strength of 220 ksi, or about 100% of the guaranteed tensile strength of 197 ksi (60 kN/rod).


Engineering problems frequently require solving a sequence of dual linear systems. This paper introduces recycling BiCG, that recycles the Krylov subspace from one pair of linear systems to the next pair. Augmented bi-Lanczos algorithm and modified two-term recurrence are developed for using the recycle space. Recycle space is built from the approximate invariant subspace corresponding to eigenvalues close to the origin. Recycling approach is extended to the CGS and the BiCGSTAB algorithms. Experiments on a convection-diffusion problem give promising results.


Although the BIM technology is applicable to both new and existing buildings, it is arguably more established in the former than the latter. This is despite the fact that, in the UK alone, 70–80% of what has been built by 2010, is estimated to continue to exist for a number of decades to come: including the years 2020 and 2050 (the two main temporal deadlines in the Climate Change Act, 2008). In addition, this existing building stock is subject to obsolescence (both climate change-induced and non-climate change-associated) which in turn compromises sustainability. Thus, there are three notions that appear to be interwoven, i.e. Obsolescence, Climate Change, and Sustainability: the question is whether BIM can be exploited to address these.
There has been only limited research work to explore the possible influence of BIM upon obsolescence, climate change, and sustainability as individual issues, and none reported, to-date, in terms of an approach to their collective consideration. This paper conceptually explores how BIM can be related with all three crucial notions simultaneously as well as discretely. It is argued that such studies can be particularly valuable in the face of escalating pressures in terms of future obsolescence risks, overwhelming evidence of climate change, and escalating sustainability agendas. The paper reviews current work that relates state-of-the-art BIM to the three notions, both separately and collectively, and thereby delineates the potential for BIM to play a role in addressing the three issues simultaneously.


Supporting entrepreneurs outside the country is one of the tasks of at least two ministries – the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Some of the tasks are performed by various institutions, which in their properties are designed to promote Polish export. Proposed by them forms of cooperation with enterprises – from financial support through promotion, and ending with the conclusion of international agreements, are to create a range of tools which enable the Company to have a chance to gain new markets for its products, and thereby increase their income and influence positively on the wealth of the whole society. The article assesses the activities of two ministries – the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, their impact on facilitating the internationalization of enterprises. Standardized interviews were conducted. Callers were employees of selected companies of the dairy industry who are directly involved in exports in the company. The interview questionnaire was conducted with representatives of 15 companies from the tested industry. There was no direct effects of the impact on export results of conducting actions under Polish development assistance. The surveyed entrepreneurs have not met with any situation in which a partner from the target indicated in any way that he knows this business and it influenced his willingness to cooperate with the Polish company


The Budyko curve describes the patterns observed between between climate, evapotranspiration and runoff and has proven to be a useful model for predicting catchment energy and water balances. In this paper we review the Budyko curve's underlying framework and, based on the literature, present an argument for why it is important to include vegetation dynamics into the framework for some purposes. The Budyko framework assumes catchments are at steady-state and are driven by the macro-climate, two conditions dependent on the scales of application, such that the framework's reliability is greatest when applied using long-term averages (1 year) and to large catchments (>10 000 km 2). At these scales previous experience has shown that the hydrological role of vegetation does not need to be explicitly considered within the framework. By demonstrating how dynamics in the leaf area, photosynthetic capacity and rooting depth of vegetation affect not only annual and seasonal vegetation water use, but also steady-state conditions, we argue that it is necessary to explicitly include vegetation dynamics into the Budyko framework before it is applied at small scales. Such adaptations would extend the framework not only to applications at small timescales and/or small catchments but to operational activities relating to vegetation and water management .


This study aims to address potential costs of using incorrect worked examples in teaching mathematics. While such practice has been shown to be effective in educational research, previous findings in the memory literature suggest that exposure to an incorrect solution may lead students to later believe that it is correct due to increased familiarity. We designed a two-session experiment with 1-week delay in which students studied correct and incorrect worked out examples. We found only small changes in students' ability to successfully distinguish between correct and incorrect solutions over time. Students did rate the previously studied incorrect examples as being more correct after the 1-wk delay, but this did not affect their correctness ratings of new correct and incorrect worked examples or their problem solving accuracy. We conclude that the unique nature of mathematical problem solving may protect students from the dangers of using incorrect worked examples.


CUPE Local 1334 [1] is the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for all trades, services and maintenance employees of the University of Guelph, employed or normally performing a major part of their work at its campus at Guelph. CUPE Local 1334 [1] Unit 1 is the sole and exclusive bargaining agent for all interims employed in the Library at the University of Guelph in the City of Guelph for not more than twenty-four (24) hours per week. The CUPE 1334 Memorandum of Agreement is accessible for users through their University of Guelph login [2]. Relevant documents are available through the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) [7].


How tissue-resident macrophages (TRM) impact adaptive immune responses remains poorly understood. We report novel mechanisms by which TRMs regulate T cell activities at tissue sites. These mechanisms are mediated by the complement receptor of immunoglobulin family (CRIg). Using animal models for autoimmune type 1 diabetes (T1D), we found that CRIg+ TRMs formed a protective barrier surrounding pancreatic islets. Genetic ablation of CRIg exacerbated islet inflammation and local T cell activation. CRIg exhibited a dual function of attenuating early T cell activation and promoting the differentiation of Foxp3+ regulatory (Treg) cells. More importantly, CRIg stabilized the expression of Foxp3 in Treg cells, by enhancing their responsiveness to interleukin-2. The expression of CRIg in TRMs was postnatally regulated by gut microbial signals and metabolites. Thus, environmental cues instruct TRMs to express CRIg, which functions as an immune checkpoint molecule to regulate adaptive immunity and promote immune tolerance.


Paper products with active and functional coatings have attracted interest in recent years to counter the stagnating demand for traditional graphic paper grades. Conductive coatings have potential uses in various energy generation and storage applications, e.g. in batteries, supercapacitors, and photovoltaics. The current work aims to demonstrate large-scale production of flexible low-cost nanographite coatings on paper-based substrate. The large aspect ratio of graphene present in the suspension limits solids content to very low values, which makes it challenging to create thick coating layers required for high conductivity. The use of nanocellulose binder together with a custom-built slot-coating device enables roll-to-roll coating of thick conductive coatings on paper. The rheological and water-retention properties of nanographite–nanocellulose suspensions are reported. The influence of coat weight, carbon black addition, and calendering on coating structure and the resulting conductivity of the coatings is investigated. Impact of humidity and bending/creasing of coated samples on their electrical performance is explored as well. The lowest surface resistances obtained were in the range 1–2 Ohm/□ for 15 g m−2 coat weight. Increasing the coat weight and calendering nip load resulted in higher conductivity of coatings. Carbon black addition deteriorated the conductivity somewhat, probably due to increased porosity of coatings. Moisture and creasing did not affect significantly the conductivity of high coat weight and calendered samples. The results reported are very encouraging for future research on further improving the electrical performance of such carbon coatings.


Often an attacker tries to disconnect a network by destroying nodes or edges, while the defender counters using various resilience mechanisms. Examples include a music industry body attempting to close down a peer-to-peer file-sharing network; medics attempting to halt the spread of an infectious disease by selective vaccination; and a police agency trying to decapitate a terrorist organisation. Albert, Jeong and Barabasi famously analysed the static case, and showed that vertex-order attacks are effective against scale-free networks. We extend this work to the dynamic case by developing a framework based on evolutionary game theory to explore the interaction of attack and defence strategies. We show, first, that naive defences don't work against vertex-order attack; second, that defences based on simple redundancy don't work much better, but that defences based on cliques work well; third, that attacks based on centrality work better against clique defences than vertex-order attacks do; and fourth, that defences based on complex strategies such as delegation plus clique resist centrality attacks better than simple clique defences. Our models thus build a bridge between network analysis and evolutionary game theory, and provide a framework for analysing defence and attack in networks where topology matters. They suggest definitions of efficiency of attack and defence, and may even explain the evolution of insurgent organisations from networks of cells to a more virtual leadership that facilitates operations rather than directing them. Finally, we draw some conclusions and present possible directions for future research.


Background and purpose: Humanin is a 24-aa peptide that is considered as one of the probable players of autophagy. Its inevitable role in the inhibition of apoptosis in cells is revealed, but its probable importance in autophagy is under evaluation. This study evaluated the role of humanin protein in induction of autophagy and efficacy of chemotherapy drug etoposide. Materials and methods: HN3 gene was synthesized and cloned in pcDNA3.1 vector and electroporated in AGS cell line. Expression analysis in AGS cell line was done by SDS-PAGE and Realtime PCR using specific primers. HN3 gene inhibition was done using specific siRNA molecules. siRNAs transfection to the recombinant AGS cell line was done using Lipofectamine. The effects of the humanin inhibition on efficacy of chemotherapy agents was studied using Real-time PCR and MTT assay. Results: Our data showed that dose of 100 nm of siRNA caused about 40% increase in the mortality of cancer cells. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge the current research was the first on the role of humanin gene in induction of autophagy in stressful cancer cells that evaluated its exact mechanism in autophagy induction. In addition, HN3 inhibition could increase the efficacy of chemotherapy agents in cancer cells.


This study investigated the removal of Sb(III) and Sb(V) from aqueous media through their adsorption onto oxide minerals (goethite) under a set of conditions (initial Sb concentration, pH, reaction time, and interaction temperature). The kinetic studies suggested that the adsorption equilibriums for both Sb(III) and Sb(V) were achieved within 24 h. The adsorption data collected at three different temperatures were successfully modeled using both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The adsorption of Sb(III) onto goethite was greater than that of Sb(V) at the three investigated temperatures. The thermodynamic parameters (Δ G °, Δ H °, and Δ S °) were calculated from the dependence of the adsorption process on the reaction temperature, and the calculated parameters suggest that the adsorption of both Sb(III) and Sb(V) onto goethite is spontaneously endothermic. The adsorption of Sb(III) and Sb(V) on goethite was dependent on pH within the investigated pH range.


Decades of conflicting results have fueled a debate about how O2 affects organic matter (OM) degradation and carbon cycling. In a laboratory study, using both OM taken directly from a humic lake and chemically isolated fulvic acid, we monitored the mineralization of dissolved OM in freshwater under purely oxic and anoxic conditions, under oxic then anoxic conditions, and under anoxic then oxic conditions, for 426 d. Between 5% and 24% of the initial OM was mineralized, with most extensive mineralization occurring under purely oxic and anoxic—oxic conditions. A sequential change in the O2 regime did not result in greater overall degradation, but initially anoxic conditions favored subsequent oxic mineralization. A substantially greater fraction of the OM was degraded than in previous shorter studies, with as much as 50% of the total OM degradation occurring after 147 d into the experiment. Three fractions of the degradable OM were identified: OM degraded only under oxic conditions (68–78%), OM degraded more rapidly under anoxic conditions than under oxic conditions (16–18%), and OM degraded at equal rates under both oxic and anoxic conditions (6–14%). The degradation patterns of natural dissolved OM from a humic lake and chemically isolated fulvic acid were very similar, which indicates a similar level of bioavailability. The difference between anoxic and oxic degradation was greater in our long‐term studies than in previous short‐term experiments, which indicates that the oxic and anoxic degradation potentials vary with increasing overall OM recalcitrance and that similar oxic and anoxic degradation rates can be expected in short‐term experiments in which <30% of the long‐term degradable OM is allowed to decompose.


Levitsky and Way have a particular place in the study of democratization since most of the scholars analysing the effects of the linkage and the leverage refer to their works. They define Western leverage as the "incumbent governments' vulnerability to external pressure for democratization". Linkage basically means "the density of ties and cross-border flows between a particular country" and the Western world. Levitsky and Way regard linkage as a more determinative factor than leverage by contending that "Leverage in the absence of linkage has rarely been sufficient to induce democratization since the end of the cold war". However, the intensity of Turkey's linkage to Europe could not compensate the negative effects of the declining leverage over democratization since 2006. Levitsky and Way's argument that linkage matters more than leverage does not apply to Turkey.


Elliptic curve cryptosystem (ECC) was proposed by Miller [10] and Koblitz [9] which relies on the difficulty of elliptic curve discrete logarithmic problem (ECDLP). It is gaining wide acceptance as an alternative to the conventional public key cryptosystem such as RSA [24], DSA [25], DH [26]. Also it is noted that the wireless sensor networks (WSN) based on the rapid progress of wireless communications and embedded micro electro mechanical systems technologies are becoming important part in our daily life. The security of the WSN becomes one of the major concerns in its applications. Even ECC prominently offers great potential benefits for WSN security there is still a lot of work needs to be done due to WSN has very restraint running conditions such as limited energy source, capability of computing, etc. It is well known that scalar multiplication operation in ECC accounts for about 80% of key calculation time on wireless sensor network motes. In this paper we present an optimized dynamic window based on our previous research works. The whole quality of service (QoS) has been improved under this algorism in particularly the power consuming is more efficiently. The simulation results showed that the average calculation time, due to fuzzy conditions decreased from previous 26 to current 9 as a whole the calculation time, decreased by approximately 18% in comparison to our previous algorithms in an ECC wireless sensor network [23].


This paper presents a serial link transceiver (TRX) architecture that enables high-speed data transmission over a lossy backplane channel without the presence of equalization circuits. The proposed architecture employs multi-tone signaling to reduce inter-symbol interference (ISI) and to increase receiver (RX) timing margin. A single-sideband (SSB) modulation has also been employed for saving of required bandwidth per sub-channel, so as to minimize inter-channel interference (ICI). System-level simulation results show that the proposed TRX can easily transmit 20 Gb/s data stream over a lossy backplane channel that exhibits 28-dB attenuation at 10 GHz while requiring neither of continuous-time linear equalizer (CTLE) and decision feedback equalizer (DFE). By transmitting 3-to-5 Gb/s data stream over each of four sub-channels, at least 44% unit interval (UI) eye openings are achieved for all sub-channels when 20 Gb/s aggregate data is transmitted.


Aristotle's theory of truth, which has been the most influential account of the concept of truth from Antiquity onwards, spans several areas of philosophy: philosophy of language, logic, ontology and epistemology. In this 2004 book, Paolo Crivelli discusses all the main aspects of Aristotle's views on truth and falsehood. He analyses in detail the main relevant passages, addresses some well-known problems of Aristotelian semantics, and assesses Aristotle's theory from the point of view of modern analytic philosophy. In the process he discusses most of the literature on Aristotle's semantic theory to have appeared in the last two centuries. His book vindicates and clarifies the often repeated claim that Aristotle's is a correspondence theory of truth. It will be of interest to a wide range of readers working in both ancient philosophy and modern philosophy of language.


A modified open mask system incorporating an en face air jet to dry the target area during ablation and a conjunctival plication mechanism, which allows ab externo delivery of the 193 nm excimer laser without prior conjunctival dissection, has been developed to form small bore sclerostomies accurately and atraumatically. Full thickness sclerostomies, and sclerostomies guarded by a smaller internal ostium can be created. A pilot therapeutic trial was conducted in pseudophakic patients with advanced open angle glaucoma. Six full thickness sclerostomies (200 microns and 400 microns diameter) and three guarded sclerostomies were created in nine patients by 193 nm excimer laser ablation (fluence per pulse 400 mJ/cm2, pulse rate 16 Hz, air jet pressure intraocular pressure +25 mm Hg). After 6 months' follow up, intraocular pressure was controlled (< or = 16 mm Hg) in eight of the nine patients (6/9 without medication). Early postoperative complications included hyphaema (trace--2.5 mm) (6/9), temporary fibrinous sclerostomy occlusion (4/9), profound early hypotony (all patients without fibrinous occlusion), and suprachoroidal haemorrhage in one case. Conjunctival laser wounds were self sealing. Small bore laser sclerostomy procedures are functionally equivalent to conventional full thickness procedures, producing early postoperative hypotony, with an increased risk of suprachoroidal haemorrhage in association with this. Further research is required to improve control over internal guarding in excimer laser sclerostomy before clinical trials of this technique can safely proceed.


A single-stage high-power-factor electronic ballast with a Class-DE low-dv/dt rectifier as a power-factor corrector is proposed in this paper. The power-factor corrector is achieved by using a bridge rectifier that acts as the Class-DE low-dv/dt rectifier. The Class-DE low-dv/dt rectifier is driven by a high-frequency current source, which is obtained from the square-wave output voltage of the Class-D parallel resonant inverter through an LC -series circuit. By using this topology, the conduction angle of the bridge rectifier diode current is increased, and a low line-current harmonic is obtained. A prototype ballast is implemented to drive a 36-W fluorescent lamp. The switching frequency is fixed at about 84 kHz. Experimental results verify the theoretical analysis. The designed electronic ballast has a power factor of 0.99, a total harmonic distortion of 1.3%, a lamp current crest factor of 1.42, and 90% efficiency at full power.


This detailed empirical and doctrinal study of copyright trolling presents new data showing the astonishing rate of growth of multi-defendant John Doe litigation in United States district courts over the past decade. It also presents new evidence of the association between this form of litigation and allegations of infringement concerning pornographic films. Multi-defendant John Doe lawsuits have become the most common form of copyright litigation in several U.S. districts, and in districts such as the Northern District of Illinois, copyright litigation involving pornography accounts for more than half of new cases filed.This Article highlights a fundamental oversight in the extant literature on copyright trolls. Paralleling discussions in patent law, scholars addressing the troll issue in copyright have applied status-based definitions to determine who is, and is not, a troll. This Article argues that the definition should be conduct-based. Multi-defendant John Doe litigation should be counted as part of copyright trolling whenever these suits are motivated by a desire to turn litigation into an independent revenue stream. Such litigation, when initiated with the aim of turning a profit in the courthouse as opposed to seeking compensation or deterring illegal activity, reflects a kind of systematic opportunism that fits squarely within the concept of litigation trolling. This Article shows that existing status-based definitions of copyright trolls are inapt because they do not account for what is now the most widely practiced from of trolling. In addition to these empirical and theoretical contributions, this Article explores the features of copyright doctrine that have facilitated the recent explosion in trolling litigation in the form of litigation against John Does. In particular, it shows how statutory damages and permissive joinder make multi-defendant John Doe litigation possible and why allegations of infringement concerning pornographic films are particularly well-suited to this model.


As states and districts expand their goals for equitable mathematics instruction to focus on cultural responsiveness and rigor, it is critical to understand how teachers integrate multiple teaching approaches. Drawing on survey data from a larger study of professional learning, we use mixture modeling to identify seven unique ways that middle school mathematics teachers integrate ambitious, traditional, and culturally responsive (CR) mathematics instruction. The resulting typology is driven almost exclusively by variation in CR teaching. About half of teachers reported rarely engaging in CR teaching. Teachers who emphasized CR teaching tended to be teachers of color and have high CR teaching self-efficacy. Findings suggest that tailoring teacher development to how teachers blend multiple approaches may best support equitable mathematics instruction.


Abstract This special issue presents scholarly research which, in distinctive ways, explores the intersection of political theory, comparative politics, international relations and the study of forced migration. The outcome of an international workshop hosted by the Refugee Studies Centre at the University of Oxford in May 2007, this volume features individual research trajectories focused on a range of important issues, including asylum and deportation, migration control and regional cooperation, internal displacement and sovereignty, in productive encounters with theory and method. Read together, the scholarly articles collected here also span the traditional divide between 'North' and 'South', including case studies from Australia, Canada, and Europe, as well as from South Africa, Guatemala, and Malaysia.


The 58-foot high, 425-foot long, Ambursen-type, concrete slab and buttress, Gorge Plant Dam, which has a 120-foot long overflow spillway near the center, was converted to a concrete gravity dam to reduce escalating maintenance costs, prolong the life of the structure, and upgrade it to modern design criteria. Eleven stability analysis cases were investigated for assumed existing and repaired structural conditions. The cases were evaluated for sliding, overturning and bearing pressures with and without the silt in the reservoir. Some cases were evaluated for both normal pool and Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) conditions. The analyses were complicated by the geometry of the dam's crossing buttress walls and typical cross-section. Cracked base conditions and uplift pressure redistribution effects were considered, as appropriate. Design, construction, and economic requirements necessitated a two-phase conversion. A reinforced concrete spillway overlay and reinforced concrete encasement of a 90-inch nominal diameter, steel penstock were required to rehabilitate the dam. Special drainage features, structural support systems, and controlled grouting were required to facilitate construction and to improve long-term performance. Rehabilitation was completed in December 1985, and the installed measures are currently performing well. Clark (1986) discusses the dam's overall history, project economics, and stages of rehabilitation, but does not discuss the technical analyses performed and details of the special design features, which are the subject of the current paper.


A series of solar energetic particle (SEP) events was observed by the Integrated Science Investigation of the Sun (IS⊙IS) on the Parker Solar Probe (PSP) during the period from 2019 April 18 through 24. The PSP spacecraft was located near 0.48 au from the Sun on Parker spiral field lines that projected out to 1 au within ∼25° of the near-Earth spacecraft. These SEP events, though small compared to historically large SEP events, were among the largest observed thus far in the PSP mission and provide critical information about the space environment inside 1 au during SEP events. During this period, the Sun released multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs). One of these CMEs observed was initiated on 2019 April 20 at 01:25 UTC, and the interplanetary CME (ICME) propagated out and passed over the PSP spacecraft. Observations by the Electromagnetic Fields Investigation show that the magnetic field structure was mostly radial throughout the passage of the compression region and the plasma that followed, indicating that PSP did not directly observe a flux rope internal to the ICME, consistent with the location of PSP on the ICME flank. Analysis using relativistic electrons observed near Earth by the Electron, Proton and Alpha Monitor on the Advanced Composition Explorer demonstrates the presence of electron seed populations (40–300 keV) during the events observed. The energy spectrum of the IS⊙IS-observed proton seed population below 1 MeV is close to the limit of possible stationary-state plasma distributions out of equilibrium. IS⊙IS observations reveal the enhancement of seed populations during the passage of the ICME, which likely indicates a key part of the preacceleration process that occurs close to the Sun.


BACKGROUND
Many patients with Crohn's disease (CD) who lose response to the standard ustekinumab dose interval of every 8 weeks (q8w) undergo dose intensification to q4w or q6w. However, baseline factors that predict success or failure after dose intensification are unknown. We sought to identify predictors of failure of ustekinumab after dose intensification for patients with CD.

METHODS
This was a retrospective cohort study of adult CD patients undergoing ustekinumab dose intensification at a tertiary referral center between January 1, 2016, and January 31, 2019. Electronic health records were reviewed to obtain patient demographics, CD history, and laboratory data. The primary outcome was failure to achieve corticosteroid-free remission (Harvey-Bradshaw Index <5) within 12 months after intensification. The secondary outcome assessed was time to new biologic therapy after dose intensification. We used multivariable logistic regression and Cox regression to identify predictors of these outcomes.

RESULTS
We included 123 patients who underwent ustekinumab dose intensification to q4w (n = 64), q5w (n = 1), q6w (n = 55), or q7w (n = 3). Multivariable logistic regression demonstrated that perianal disease, Harvey-Bradshaw Index, and opioid use at time of intensification were associated with failure to achieve remission. Cox regression demonstrated that perianal disease and corticosteroid use at time of intensification were associated with shorter time to a new biologic.

CONCLUSION
Perianal disease, Harvey-Bradshaw Index, current opioid use, and current corticosteroid use are associated with ustekinumab failure after dose intensification in CD. Larger, prospective studies are needed to corroborate these findings and guide therapeutic strategies for patients who lose response to standard ustekinumab dosing.


Exposure and vulnerability are the main contributing factors of growing impact from climate-related disasters globally. Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamic patterns of vulnerability is important for designing effective disaster risk mitigation and adaptation measures. At national scale, most cross-country studies have suggested that economic vulnerability to disasters decreases as income increases, especially for developing countries. Research covering sub-national climate-related natural disasters is indispensable to obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the effect of regional economic growth on vulnerability reduction. Taking China as a case, this subnational scale study shows that economic development is correlated with the significant reduction in human fatalities but increase in direct economic losses (DELs) from climate-related disasters since 1949. The long-term trend in climate-related disaster vulnerability, reflected by mortality (1978–2015) and DELs (1990–2015) as a share of the total population and Gross Domestic Product, has seen significant decline among all economic regions in China. While notable differences remain among its West, Central and East economic regions, the temporal vulnerability change has been converging. The study further demonstrated that economic development level is correlated with human and economic vulnerability to climate-related disasters, and this vulnerability decreased with the increase of per-capita income. This study suggested that economic development can have nuanced effects on overall human and economic vulnerability to climate-related disasters. We argue that climate change science needs to acknowledge and examine the different pathways of vulnerability effects related to economic development.


The roles of volume loss, coaxial versus noncoaxial flow, and blueschist exhumation in subduction-related accretionary wedges are still poorly understood. In our study at Leech Lake Mountain in the Eastern belt of the Franciscan subduction complex, we focus on these subjects. In the specific example of the Franciscan, the tectonic significance of the boundary between the Eastern and Central belts remains controversial. The Leech Lake Mountain area in northern California is situated immediately above this boundary and, therefore, appears to be of crucial importance for understanding aspects of the tectonic evolution of the Franciscan.

The structural development at Leech Lake Mountain is characterized by three deformational events. D2 produced the regional cleavage (s2) during blueschist-facies metamorphism. D2 is the only entirely ductile deformation event and was associated with accretion-related internal stacking within the Yolla Bolly terrane. The s2 cleavage is folded by F3 folds, which are overturned to the west. Spacing of a related s3 cleavage is generally at the decimeter scale, but locally is spaced at the centimeter scale. The s2 and s3 cleavages, and F3 folds, are overprinted by tight to open F4 folds at the decimeter to map scale. Map-scale F4 folds are largely upright, whereas small-scale F4 folds are either upright or overturned to the east.

Our finite-strain analysis relates deformed lengths to original lengths in the rock and thus provides an absolute reference frame, which allows us to detect deformation-related volume changes. Absolute finite-strain data from 20 samples support earlier studies indicating that the development of the moderately dipping s2 cleavage was accompanied by pronounced volume loss, averaging 36%. The directions of the principal finite-strain axes are scattered; therefore, we calculated a tensor average of the data. The principal stretches of the tensor average are S X : S Y : S Z = 1.06:0.91:0.66, indicating that the accumulation of ductile strain was characterized by subvertical shortening, which was largely compensated for by volume loss and not by orthogonal extension. Evidence for noncoaxial deformation in our samples is limited, indicating that the accumulation of ductile strain was largely coaxial.

Our preferred tectonic interpretation is that accretion and blueschist-facies metamorphism of the Yolla Bolly terrane at Leech Lake Mountain occurred during D2 under an almost coaxial deformation regime. During and after D2, the rocks were considerably exhumed and were telescoped by D3 top-to-the-west out-of-sequence thrusts at shallow-crustal levels. In the Leech Lake Mountain area, D3 thrusting juxtaposed the Eastern and Central belts along the Red Mountain fault and cut out the lower tectonic units of the Eastern belt. The difference in the degree of peak metamorphism between the Eastern and Central belts is modest, indicating that displacement at the Red Mountain fault was not large. We propose that D3 out-of-sequence thrusts attenuated the metamorphic and stratigraphic section across the entire Franciscan and overlying Great Valley forearc. The final D4 event produced large-scale folds. All three events resulted from horizontal shortening. There is no evidence for a major phase of horizontal extension, which might have aided exhumation of the Eastern belt blueschists. Modest tectonic exhumation was due to vertical ductile shortening during D2.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the nutritional status (NS) of patients at three months of suffering a stroke, and to establish the relationship between functional recovery and complications in this period.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
A cross-sectional observational study evaluating the NS of patients older than 65 years at three months of having a stroke. The NS was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Sociodemographic and anthropometric data, cardiovascular risk factors, as well as functional status (through the Barthel index and the modified Rankin scale) and the presented complications were collected.

RESULTS
One hundred and three patients were included, with a medium age of 75.81 (± 6.73). The MNA score was 23.13 points (± 4.47); 8.2% had malnutrition and 38.1% had risk of malnutrition. There were no differences in the NS between women and men (p = 0.076) neither relation of the NS with age. NS deficiency was associated with poorer function (r = 0.608; p < 0.001), the development of complications (urinary tract infection and fever) (p = 0.044) and dysphagia (p = 0.014). In addition, those patients with better nutritional status had a better quality of life (r = 0.506; p < 0.001). It was also associated with poorer socioeconomic status (p = 0.020) and institutionalization (p = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS
The risk of malnutrition is common in stroke survivors at the short-term. This NS is associated with a worse functional situation and self-perceived quality of life and with a higher rate of complications. Early detection of the risk of malnutrition is essential in patients who have suffered a stroke.


ABSTRACT Although a number of instruments have been used to measure Internet skills in nationally representative surveys, there are several challenges with the measures available: incompleteness and over-simplification, conceptual ambiguity, and the use of self-reports. Here, we aim to overcome these challenges by developing a set of reliable measures for use in research, practice, and policy evaluations based on a strong conceptual framework. To achieve this goal, we carried out a literature review of skills-related studies to develop the initial Internet skills framework and associated instrument. After the development of this instrument, we used a three-fold approach to test the validity and reliability of the latent skill constructs and the corresponding items. The first step consisted of cognitive interviews held in both the UK and the Netherlands. Based on the cognitive interview results, we made several amendments to the proposed skill items to improve clarity. The second step consisted of a pilot survey of digital skills, both in the UK and in the Netherlands. During the final step, we examined the consistency of the five Internet skill scales and their characteristics when measured in a representative sample survey of Dutch Internet users. The result is a theoretical, empirically and cross-nationally consistent instrument consisting of five types of Internet skills: operational, navigation information, social, creative, and mobile.


Body cameras are sweeping the nation and becoming, along with the badge and gun, standard issue for police officers. These cameras are intended to ensure accountability for abusive police officers. But, if history is any guide, the videos they produce will more commonly be used to prosecute civilians than to document abuse. Further, knowing that the footage will be available as evidence, police officers have an incentive to narrate body camera videos with descriptive oral statements that support a later prosecution. Captured on an official record that exclusively documents the police officer's perspective, these statements—for example, "he just threw something into the bushes" or "your breath smells of alcohol"—have the potential to be convincing evidence. Their admissibility is complicated, however, by conflicting currents in evidence law.

Oral statements made by police officers during an arrest, chase, or other police-civilian interaction will typically constitute hearsay if offered as substantive evidence at a later proceeding. Yet the statements will readily qualify for admission under a variety of hearsay exceptions, including, most intriguingly, the little-used present sense impression exception. At the same time, a number of evidence doctrines generally prohibit the use of official out-of-court statements against criminal defendants. This Article unpacks the conflicting doctrines to highlight a complex, but elegant, pathway for courts to analyze the admissibility of police statements captured on body cameras. The result is that the most normatively problematic statements should be excluded under current doctrine, while many other statements will be admissible to aid fact finders in assessing disputed events.


"In Radical Arab nationalism and political islam, Lahouari Addi attempts to assess the history and political legacy of radical Arab nationalism to show that it contained the seeds of its own destruction. While the revolutionary regimes promised economic and social development and sought the unity of Arab nations, they did not account for social transformations, such as freedom of speech, that would eventually lead to their decline. But while radical Arab nationalism fell apart, authoritarian populism did not disappear. Today it is expressed by political Islam that aims to achieve the kind of social justice radical Arab nationalism once promised. Addi creatively links the past and present while also raising questions about the future of Arab countries. Is political Islam the heir of radical Arab nationalism? If political Islam succeeds, will it face the same challenges faced by radical Arab nationalism? Will it be able to implement modernity? The future of Arab countries, Addi writes, depends on this crucial issue. "


Unscrewing the lid of a honey jar stuck tight takes more than simply muscle power and a vice-like grip. It also takes coordination between your hands—one twisting the lid and the other holding the jar—to open the jar without it spinning out of your grasp.

But you might not suspect that in tasks like this, you unconsciously appoint one of your hands the leader and assign the other a supporting role—and the leader is not necessarily your writing hand. A new study reveals that people are surprisingly flexible in assigning these roles, and that they can quickly switch dominance between hands depending on the nature of the task. This dominance turns out to be thoroughgoing, from the brain's cortex down to specific muscles in each hand.

In the new experiments, Roland S. Johansson and colleagues had 37 people, all right-handers, play a video game similar to the arcade classic Whac-A-Mole: when a target appeared in a random spot on a video screen, the players moved a cursor to touch the target as quickly as possible. Key to the experiments was a custom-made controller, a rectangular box with knobs on two ends, that the players used. To move the cursor horizontally on the screen, the players pushed the controller's knobs inward or pulled them out; twisting the knobs, like screwing or unscrewing a jar's lid, sent the cursor up or down.

With this setup, the researchers could see whether a person's hands were acting perfectly in concert or whether one hand took a dominant role, acting a bit before the other or pushing or twisting harder than the other. The researchers found that one hand did consistently dominate, so the body of the controller would shift or twist slightly at first, before the supporting hand had a chance to compensate.

But which hand was dominant depended on the rules of the game, and the players were flexible, quickly switching dominance between their hands when the rules of the game changed. For example, when the game was set up so squeezing the knobs inward moved the cursor to the left, then the players would make their right hand dominant. Conversely, when the researchers changed the rules so an inward squeeze sent the cursor right, then the left hand was dominant.

Johansson and colleagues found that the dominance of one hand manifests differently in each half of the body depending on the rules of the game. In the dominant hand, the muscles were stiffer and contracted at a higher rate, whereas the supporting hand was more relaxed and could compensate for the forces from the dominant hand. Also, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) showed that in motor-control areas of the brain's cortex and cerebellum, the center of activity switched between the brain's hemispheres when the rules of the game changed. Finally, the researchers used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), bursts of magnetic fields that can boost activity in a specific brain region, to study how the brain's signals reached the hands. They found that the corticospinal pathways, which connect the brain's primary motor cortices with the spinal cord, were especially active only on the side controlling the dominant hand.

Together these findings suggest the body has a flexible system for assigning dominance to one hand while suppressing activity for the other hand so it can assume a supporting role, the authors argue. Dominance could come from the top down, from goals processed in the higher levels in the brain, or from the bottom up, perhaps from tactile sense of objects—or from a combination of the two. What's clear, however, is that the hands don't have to fight it out.


The effect of the drug rapamycin on life span can be separated from its effects on metabolism. Long-term treatment of mice and other organisms with the drug rapamycin extends life span. But, at the same time, the drug disrupts metabolic regulation and the action of the hormone insulin. Lamming et al. (see the Perspective by Hughes and Kennedy) dissected the action of rapamycin in genetically modified mice and found, encouragingly, that these two actions of rapamycin can be separated. Rapamycin inhibits a protein kinase complex known as mTORC1, and this appears to provide most of the life-lengthening effects of the drug. However, rapamycin also acts on a related complex known as mTORC2, and it is the disruption of mTORC2 action that produces the diabetic-like symptoms of decreased glucose tolerance and insensitivity to insulin. D. W. Lamming, L. Ye, P. Katajisto, M. D. Goncalves, M. Saitoh, D. M. Stevens, J. G. Davis, A. B. Salmon, A. Richardson, R. S. Ahima, D. A. Guertin, D. M. Sabatini, J. A. Baur, Rapamycin-induced insulin resistance is mediated by mTORC2 loss and uncoupled from longevity. Science 335, 1638–1643 (2012). [Abstract] [Full Text] K. J. Hughes, B. K. Kennedy, Rapamycin paradox resolved. Science 335, 1578–1579 (2012). [Abstract] [Full Text]


This article reports findings from a study undertaken in two parts between November 2006 and May 2008, investigating the drug treatment needs of new migrants to the UK. The study explored the eligibility and treatment needs of new communities in London. This article reports findings in relation to EU Accession Eight (A8) nationals' entitlement and access to drug treatment. For this part of the study 20, in depth interviews were conducted with staff of Drug and Alcohol Action Teams and treatment services in seven London boroughs to identify levels of service provision, along with practitioners' interpretations of entitlement to services, perceptions of local need and gaps in treatment. Additionally, 19 interviews were conducted with related service providers. Six service users were interviewed. Findings show professionals are eager to address the needs of A8 migrants but services are providing limited treatment to A8 nationals. However, entitlements vary between boroughs and decisions are pragmatic, based upon assessments of clinical necessity but also financial constraints. Decisions made on this footing can lead to services being denied despite intense need and resulting in reduced opportunities for planning. The article concludes with observations as to how provision might develop to meet a changing context.


Higher-order programming languages (i.e., languages in which procedures or labels can occur as values) are usually defined by interpreters that are themselves written in a programming language based on the lambda calculus (i.e., an applicative language such as pure LISP). Examples include McCarthy's definition of LISP, Landin's SECD machine, the Vienna definition of PL/I, Reynolds' definitions of GEDANKEN, and recent unpublished work by L. Morris and C. Wadsworth. Such definitions can be classified according to whether the interpreter contains higher-order functions, and whether the order of application (i.e., call by value versus call by name) in the defined language depends upon the order of application in the defining language. As an example, we consider the definition of a simple applicative programming language by means of an interpreter written in a similar language. Definitions in each of the above classifications are derived from one another by informal but constructive methods. The treatment of imperative features such as jumps and assignment is also discussed.


Product Liability is a recognised authority in the field and covers the product liability laws through which manufacturers, retailers, and others may be held liable to compensate persons who are injured, or who incur financial loss, when the products which they manufacture or sell are defective or not fit for their purpose. Product defects may originate in the production process, be one of design, or be grounded in a failure to issue an adequate warning or directions for safe use and practitioners advising business clients or claimants will find this book provides all the necessary information for practitioners to manage a product liability claim. This new edition has been fully updated to take account of 10 years of development in case law and regulation, and the increasing impact of cross-border and transnational sale of goods. The Court of Justice of the European Union handed down major rulings concerning the Product Liability Directive which affect the application of the Directive and national arrangements and Fairgrieve and Goldberg examines this in detail. For any legal practitioner operating in areas which require knowledge of European product liability law, an understanding of the impact of recent developments is essential and this work is an essential resource for practitioners working on product liability, sale of goods, personal injury and negligence. The work provides comprehensive coverage of the law of negligence as it applies to product liability, of the strict liability provisions of the Consumer Protection Act 1987, and of the EU's Product Liability Directive on which the Act is based. Although the majority of cases involve pharmaceuticals and medical devices, in recent English cases the allegedly defective products have been as diverse as a child's buggy, an All Terrain Vehicle, and even a coffee cup. Many cases are brought as group actions, and the book examines the rights of those who are injured by defective products. As well as considering the perspective of the law as it has developed in the UK, this edition contains detailed discussion of case law from other jurisdictions including the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France and Germany. The coverage in the work is complemented by a full analysis of issues which arise in transnational litigation involving problems of jurisdiction and the choice of laws.


It is not difficult to compose a brief summary of the Supreme Court's assisted suicide decisions that would be suitable for bar review study guides and law student outlines: With no dissenters, the Court overturned the decisions of the Second and Ninth Circuit Courts that conferred Fourteenth Amendment protection upon the choice of competent, terminally ill adults to end their own lives with medication prescribed by their physicians. (1) Holding that the Constitution does not protect a right to commit suicide that itself entails a right to assistance in committing the act, the majority opinions relegate assisted suicide and euthanasia to the "laboratory of the states." (2) However, the decisions leave open the ill-defined possibility that the Court might revisit the issue, particularly if presented with a more narrowly focused claim than the one vindicated by the two circuit courts. Such a description would probably enable recent law school graduates correctly to answer a multiple choice bar exam question on "whether there is a constitutional right to die." But grasping their "bottom line" is not the same as grappling with the power of the two decisions to shape our society's ongoing debate about the neuralgic ethical and legal questions entangled in end-of-life decisionmaking. As legal theorist and literary critic James Boyd White has taught us, courts do not simply issue abstract judgments that impersonally and mechanically guide the behavior of individual and institutional agents in our society. According to White, those who play a role in the legal enterprise are engaged in a type of "constitutive rhetoric" that actually helps shape the moral identity of the community in which they participate. The community-constituting character of law does not inhere solely in the results that issue in particular cases, but also in the very way the questions are framed for decision. A lawyer arguing a client's position, and a fartiori a judge rendering an opinion, "is always saying not only 'Here is how this case should be decided,' but also 'Here--in this language--is the way this case and similar cases should be talked about. The language I am speaking is the proper language of justice in our culture.'" (3) Assuming that White is correct, if we are to understand the full import of the Supreme Court decisions on assisted suicide, we cannot fix our gaze solely on the conclusions they reach. We must also scrutinize the way the justices frame the issues at stake, the communal hopes and fears they invoke, the modes of argument they find persuasive and those that they discount, and the particular words and phrases through which they convey all of those things. By exercising the authority to interpret the constitutive document of our nation that has ultimately rested in their hands since the Court decided Marbury v. Madison in 1803, the justices inevitably wield a tremendous power of moral formation. In effect, they are moral teachers who help to shape the character of our nation. White reminds us that the "habit of regarding law as the instrument by which 'we' effectuate 'our policies' and get what 'we want' is wholly inadequate. It is the true nature of law to constitute a 'we' and to establish a conversation by which that 'we' can determine what our 'wants' are and should be" (p. 42). How, then, do the opinions in Glucksberg (4) and Quill (5) refocus the discussion regarding our communal obligations to the persons in our midst who are confronting the momentous and often terrifying task of relinquishing their earthly existence? In what follows, I would like to examine three issues on which these decisions are likely to exert significant pedagogical influence: (1) the tension between general rules or classifications and the particular needs of individuals; (2) the relationship among pain, dignity, and equality; and (3) the limits of philosophical theory and the importance of practical experience. Equality, Rules, and Exceptions The opinion of the Court in Glucksberg communicates its most significant moral lesson in the way that it frames the legal claim at stake. …


Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) refers to the non-consensual creation, distribution or threatened distribution of nude or sexual images. This research examines the prevalence, nature and impacts of IBSA victimisation and perpetration in Australia. This form of abuse was found to be relatively common among respondents surveyed and to disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with a disability, homosexual and bisexual people and young people. The nature of victimisation and perpetration was found to differ by gender, with males more likely to perpetrate IBSA, and females more likely to be victimised by a partner or ex-partner.


Understanding the processes and rates of groundwater recharge in arid and semi-arid areas is crucial for utilizing and managing groundwater resources sustainably. We obtained three chloride profiles of the unsaturated-zone in the desert/loess transition zone of northwestern China and reconstructed the groundwater recharge variations over the last 11, 21, and 37 years, respectively, using the generalized chloride mass balance (GCMB) method. The average recharge rates were 43.7, 43.5, and 45.1 mm yr^(-1), respectively, which are similar to those evaluated by the chloride mass balance (CMB) or GCMB methods in other semi-arid regions. The results indicate that the annual recharge rates were not in complete linear proportion to the corresponding annual precipitations, although both exhibited descending tendencies on the whole. Comparisons between the daily precipitation aggregate at different intensity and recharge rates reveal that the occurrence of relatively heavy daily precipitation per year may contribute to such nonlinearity between annual precipitation and recharge. The possible influences of vegetation cover alterations following precipitation change cannot be excluded as well. The approximately negative correlation between the average annual recharge and temperature suggests that changes in temperature have had significant influences on recharge.


ABSTRACT In recognition of the need for immunological memory-inducing components for future Neisseria meningitidis group B vaccines, we previously searched the proteome of N. meningitidis and identified T-cell-stimulating protein A (TspA). This study was designed to confirm the immunogencity of TspA and to examine the subset of T-helper cell responses to the protein in patients and nasopharyngeal carriers. The tspA gene was reconstructed, cloned, and expressed in Escherichia coli, and the recombinant TspA (rTspA) protein was affinity purified. T-cell proliferative responses to rTspA were detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of convalescent patients and carriers, confirming that TspA-specific T-cell responses were stimulated by invasive disease and nasopharyngeal colonization. Following stimulation of PBMCs with meningococcal lysate, increased frequencies of both Th1 and Th2 cells were observed, indicating that, as during carriage, invasive meningococcal disease induced an unbiased T-helper subset response. A similar unbiased T-helper response was also detected against rTspA in the PBMCs of convalescent patients. The response of PBMCs from the carriers to TspA stimulation, however, was very weak, and the frequencies of cytokine-positive CD4 cells were not significantly greater than the frequencies in unstimulated control cultures. All of the patients and carriers responded with serum antimeningococcal immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies, while four of six samples from patients and 5 of 14 samples from carriers contained detectable anti-rTspA IgG antibodies. Taken together, the results of this study confirmed the immunogenicity of TspA in humans during natural meningococcal infection, and therefore, TspA is worthy of further investigation as a possible T-cell stimulating component of future vaccines.


A new numerical mathematical method is presented for stack of lamellar gratings. It is based on expansion of the electromagnetic field in terms of the eigenfunctions of the Helmholtz equation. These eigenfunctions are in turn expanded in terms of sets of polynomial basis functions. It is shown that, for arbitrary polarization and for both dielectrics and lossy metals, the eigenvalues and the eigenvectors and, consequently, the spectral location of resonances converge at an exponential rate with increasing dimension of the polynomial basis. For the solution of the boundary-value problem physical arguments are used to derive a new algorithm that is of high numerical accuracy and is inherently stable. Single-precision arithmetic is sufficient, even for the calculation of strong resonances.