Primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) is a common disease of the parathyroid glands. Multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) 1-related pHPT is most often caused by multiglandular disease and can best be treated with subtotal parathyroidectomy (3-3½ glands) and bilateral transcervical thymectomy to lower the risk of recurrent and persistent disease. Also, the risk of permanent hypoparathyroidism (hypocalcaemia) is significantly lower than after total parathyroidectomy with autotransplantation.MEN2A-related and sporadic pHPT are most often caused by solitary parathyroid disease and can be treated effectively (low recurrence rate) and safely (low risk of hypoparathyroidism and nerve damage) with minimally invasive parathyroidectomy. Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is the procedure of choice for most adrenal tumors. Tumor size is the most significant predictor of short-term outcome after laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Patients with tumors larger than 3 cm have a longer operation time, a higher conversion rate, more estimated blood loss, more intraoperative and postoperative complications, and a longer postoperative hospital stay compared with patients with tumors smaller than 3 cm. In addition, the clinicopathological diagnosis has an effect on surgical outcome, however to a lesser degree than tumor size. Patients with adrenal metastases, hypercortisolism, and pheochromocytoma had more blood loss than patients with aldosteronoma, while operation time for patients with pheochromocytoma was longer. Identification and control of the adrenal vein are critical steps in laparoscopic adrenalectomy. Variants of adrenal venous anatomy, in the number of veins draining the adrenal gland or in the location of the adrenal vein in relation to the hepatic vein or inferior phrenic vein, occur in a significant percentage of patients, particularly in patients with pheochromocytomas and large tumors. The presence of variant anatomy doesn't, however, lead to more perioperative complications of laparoscopic adrenalectomy. A pheochromocytoma is a rare (nor)epinephrine-secreting, neuro-endocrine tumor of the adrenal gland. It can cause severe hypertension, headache, and palpitations, but also a crisis, which can lead to shock with multi-organ failure and possibly death. Elective (laparoscopic) adrenalectomy is the treatment of choice. Preoperative treatment with alpha- (and beta-) blockers is necessary to lower the risk of intraoperative hemodynamic instability, multi-organ failure and severe hypotension after tumor resection. Both patients presenting in crisis as well as patients with MEN2 and small tumors, who often present with less symptoms and less severe hypertension, should not be excluded from this (pre)treatment regime. Pheochromocytomas in MEN2 occur in half of the patients, and are frequently bilateral. Laparoscopic unilateral subtotal adrenalectomy is a feasible surgical strategy for pheochromocytoma in MEN2 patients. It is an acceptable method, because malignant pheochromocytoma rarely occur in MEN2 patients and because of the generally slow progression of the disease in MEN2, yearly screening and timely surgery can minimize the risk of a hypertensive crisis from recurrent pheochromocytoma. Subtotal adrenalectomy has low recurrence rates and the great advantage of preserving adrenocortical function, thereby preventing the need for and complications of chronic steroid replacement.


Abstract. Cities concentrate most of the world's population and are the stage of difficult problems around logistics, economy, or quality of life, to enumerate just a few. As an object of research on itself, a urban agglomeration is difficult to characterize; it is both an ensemble of various disconnected heterogeneous elements, and the product of numerous actions and effects between those elements. Studies of the structure and the functioning of cities date back to one century ago, with an increased interest in the last decades on the phenomenon of expansion and all of its impacts. Models of city growth face the complex nature of this system and are approximative. Different representations seek to balance characteristics as data availability, level of detail of internal processes, or precision. The uflow model approaches the problem with the metaphor of an abstract field, which evolves over time and signals the conversion from empty to urban cells. The procedure for calibration adjusts parameters according to the history of the region under study, and is able to capture local conditions. The implementation takes advantage of parallel hardware, and the simulation can be performed in reverse mode, a feature that can be useful to verify the adaptation of the tool to a given scenario, or to compute approximations of the past state of a region. Tests confirmed the expected behaviour of the algorithms, and good agreement with actual data. The flexibility of the concept of intensity of urbanization is open to the integration of different data sources into the model, and the possibility of simulating their evolution over time.


Since 2007 there have been increasing calls to abandon a regime of Stabilizing Inflation (SI) in favor of Nominal GDP (NGDP) targeting. One argument in favor of NGDP targeting is that it allows inflation to redistribute resources among bond holders efficiently. Here we examine this claim in a large open monetary economy and show that, in contrast to SI, NGDP targeting is in fact (Pareto) efficient in a world with stochastic real uncertainty, and in the absence of complete insurance markets (only nominally risk free bonds are available). However this result is ultimately fragile and breaks down once we attempt to deviate from the simplistic setting necessary for the result to hold


Agriculture plays vital role in the development of agricultural country. In India about 70% of population depends upon farming and one third of the nation's capital comes from farming. Issues concerning agriculture have been always hindering the development of the country. The only solution to this problem is smart agriculture by modernizing the current traditional methods of agriculture. Hence the project aims at making agriculture smart using automation and IoT technologies. The highlighting features of this project includes smart GPS based remote controlled robot to perform tasks like weeding, spraying, moisture sensing, bird and animal scaring, keeping vigilance, etc. Secondly it includes smart irrigation with smart control and intelligent decision making based on accurate real time field data. Thirdly, smart warehouse management which includes temperature maintenance, humidity maintenance and theft detection in the warehouse. Controlling of all these operations will be through any remote smart device or computer connected to Internet and the operations will be performed by interfacing sensors, Wi-Fi or ZigBee modules, camera and actuators with micro-controller and raspberry pi. Keywords: IoT, automation, Wi-Fi


The current research demonstrated the effect of silica loaded nanoparticles (citrus, naringenin and hesperetin) on acrylamide (ACR) intoxicated rats, through measuring specific selected biomarkers on brain. Brain neurotransmitters noradrenaline (NA), adrenaline (A), dopamine (DA) and serotonine (5-HT), acetylcholine esterase (ACHE) andcaspase-3 enzyme activity and DNA degradation (Comet) were evaluated. ATPase enzyme activity and total protein content were also evaluated. Besides, the presented data showed significant deterioration in the all selected biomarkers investigation in aclylamide-intoxicated rats. It showed significant reduction in brain neurotransmitters (NAADA and 5-HT), ATPase enzyme activity and total protein content while significant elevation in AchE and Caspase-3 enzyme activity and DNA damage. Treatment of intoxicated rats with the three silica loaded nanoparticles indicated amelioration with different percentage of improvement in the all measured biomarkers as well as in rat's brain architecture. Thus it could be concluded that, the using of natural product nanoparticles can up-regulate brain neurotransmitters, suppressing DNA damage, diminished brain damage that leads to delay disease development and/or its complication


A debate (instead of seminar) on 'Survival of hospital pharmacy preparations—standards for quality and safety, where to go?' (17th European Association of Hospital Pharmacists Congress 2012, Milan) was the first of its kind, wanting primarily to contribute to an unimpeded compounding and manufacturing process in hospital pharmacies and secondarily to bridge gaps between pharmacy and industry preparation. Approving the aim of the resolution (CM/ResAP (2011)1), that is, harmonising quality of hospital pharmacy preparations, meant agreement on an ethical values level. However, the positions of the three presenters were far removed from each other on a factual level, although different statements could be elucidated and some promising approaches highlighted.


Abstract The dramatic changes in urban housing provision in China after 1980 have been widely described and assessed. This paper updates earlier accounts of policy change in China and reflects upon the significance of these changes for theoretical and conceptual frameworks used in comparative housing studies. Housing privatisation and commercialisation transformed the Chinese socialist housing system into a dynamic housing market but new housing problems characteristic of market economies have emerged. Government at the national level has responded by developing new policies to support affordable and social housing; and at local level various new housing provision schemes have been tested, but their scale and impact have been limited because of the priority given by the local state to economic growth and securing local land related revenues. This paper suggests that the new phase of policy involves a distinctive hybrid approach rather than convergence on familiar market based, residual or corporatist approaches.


One of the most exciting new areas In computer technology is the development in color image processing field. Image processing is used to improve the visual quality of an image. Jaguar Java Software is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) software, powerful yet very simple to use, provides the means to filter color images in RGB Color space
and YUV Color space, to produce high quality filtered images. YUV Color space model proved to filter images in a smooth way without loosing any data, only enhancing the image structure. Different images were applied, and satisfactory results were obtained of multi-applications objectives. Swing was used as the main programming language, which is part of the Java Foundation Classes (JFC) library. It offers much improved functionality as new
components, expanded component features, better event handling.


Real-time database systems associate the concept of deadlines with transaction executions. Previous approaches use \best eeort" techniques to schedule a given set of transactions to meet the deadlines as well as to ensure the consistency of the database. However, such approaches are inadequate for target applications which have \hard" real-time deadlines that need to be met in the event of crisis situations. In such cases, it is important to obtain contingency plans that may be invoked with guaranteed execution time characteristics. This paper presents an alternative model for real-time database systems in which deadlines are associated with \contingency" constraints rather than directly with transactions. Our approach leads to a predicate-based model that intrinsically incorporates both triggering and relative timing constraints regarding the transaction executions. We exhibit that selecting contingency plans with respect to various optimality criteria has inherent computational ineeciencies. We study the issues in scheduling of the selected plans with the focus on the contention among the transactions for data resources. Our results exhibit that the data contention, by itself, has a severe adverse impact on the schedulability of the deadline-constrained transactions. We discuss some of the practical implications of our results, and we suggest some countermeasures to handle the computational complexities.


Effectiveness of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) pretreatment systems in removing transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) substances Shang Tse Lee Transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) have been reported as one of the main factors of membrane fouling in seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) process. Research has been focused on algal TEP so far, overlooking bacterial TEP. This thesis investigated the effects of coagulation on removal of bacterial TEP/TEP precursors in seawater and subsequent reduction on TEP fouling in ultrafiltration (UF), as a pretreatment of SWRO. Furthermore, the performance of pretreatment (coagulation + UF) has been investigated on a bench-scale SWRO system. TEP/TEP precursors were harvested from a strain of marine bacteria, Pseudoalteromonas atlantica, isolated from the Red Sea. Isolated bacterial organic matter (BOM), containing 1.5 mg xanthan gum eq./L TEP/TEP precursors, were dosed in Red Sea water to mimic a high TEP concentration event. Bacterial TEP/TEP precursors added to seawater were coagulated with ferric chloride and aluminum sulfate at different dosages and pH. Results showed that ferric chloride had a better removal efficiency on TEP/TEP precursors. Afterwards, the non-coagulated/coagulated seawater were tested on a UF system at a constant flux of 130 L/mh, using two types of commercially available membranes, with pore sizes of 50 kDa and 100 kDa, respectively. The fouling potential of coagulated water was determined by the Modified Fouling Index (MFI-UF). Transmembrane pressure (TMP) was also continuously monitored to investigate the fouling development on UF membranes. TEP concentrations in samples were determined by the alcian blue staining 4 assay. Liquid chromatography-organic carbon detection (LC-OCD) was used to determine the removal of TEP precursors with particular emphasis on biopolymers. Finally, SWRO tests showed that TEP/TEP precursors had a high fouling potential as indicated by MFI-UF, corresponding to the TMP measurements. Coagulation could substantially reduce TEP/TEP precursors fouling in UF when its dosage was equal or higher than 0.2 mg Fe/L. The flux decline experiments showed that coagulation + UF pretreated water had a smaller fouling potential than MF pretreated water. This thesis also provides useful and practical information on controlling bacterial TEP/TEP precursors fouling in UF and RO systems.


Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2 (PI-RADS v2) provides clinical guidelines for multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) [T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI)] of prostate. However, DCE-MRI seems to show a limited contribution in prostate cancer (PCa) detection and management. In our experience, DCE-MRI, did not show significant change in diagnostic performance in addition to DWI and T2WI [biparametric MRI (bpMRI)] which represent the predominant sequences to detect suspected lesions in peripheral and transitional zone (TZ). In this article we reviewed the role of DCE-MRI also indicating the potential contribute of bpMRI approach (T2WI and DWI) and lesion volume evaluation in the diagnosis and management of suspected PCa.


Interrupting the Sepsis Process with an Evidence-Based Education Intervention by Martha Olson MSN, Walden University, 2013 MS, Southwest Minnesota State University, 2003 BSN, The University of Iowa, 1998 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice Walden University May 2015 Abstract Sepsis is a concern, especially for the vulnerable populations. The early signs of sepsis are vague and often difficult to detect, but when detected early, are treatable with antibiotics and fluid resuscitation. When a nurse is unaware of the early signs, treatment is delayed and multiorgan failure may progress quickly. To teach nurses about changes in patient condition and thus increase their confidence in identifying sepsis, an educational intervention, guided by adult learning theory and social learning theory, was created using a PowerPoint presentation, simulation, and debriefing. The purpose of this project was to educate nurses working in a critical access hospital on the early signs of sepsis, laboratory values, and the 2012 Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines. The education was implemented and evaluated using a pre-post survey which demonstrated an increased confidence level in early sign and symptom recognition, identification of laboratory values, and implementation of the guidelines for treating sepsis. Descriptive statistics revealed that the confidence level improved following the education session in all 3 areas. Interrupting sepsis based on evidence-based practice improves the outcomes for the patient with sepsis. It also improves nurses' confidence in identifying sepsis in the earlySepsis is a concern, especially for the vulnerable populations. The early signs of sepsis are vague and often difficult to detect, but when detected early, are treatable with antibiotics and fluid resuscitation. When a nurse is unaware of the early signs, treatment is delayed and multiorgan failure may progress quickly. To teach nurses about changes in patient condition and thus increase their confidence in identifying sepsis, an educational intervention, guided by adult learning theory and social learning theory, was created using a PowerPoint presentation, simulation, and debriefing. The purpose of this project was to educate nurses working in a critical access hospital on the early signs of sepsis, laboratory values, and the 2012 Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines. The education was implemented and evaluated using a pre-post survey which demonstrated an increased confidence level in early sign and symptom recognition, identification of laboratory values, and implementation of the guidelines for treating sepsis. Descriptive statistics revealed that the confidence level improved following the education session in all 3 areas. Interrupting sepsis based on evidence-based practice improves the outcomes for the patient with sepsis. It also improves nurses' confidence in identifying sepsis in the early stages via clinical changes and laboratory values. Interrupting the Sepsis Process with an Evidence-Based Education Intervention by Martha Olson MSN, Walden University, 2013 MS, Southwest Minnesota State University, 2003 BSN, The University of Iowa, 1998 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice Walden University May 2015


Biological organization is discussed within a holistic framework. A new orientation is presented of natural processes with an approach in model construction that is focused strictly on physical form and centered away from abstractions that escape the perceptual senses, lead towards the postulation of non-verifiable and non-witnessible entities. A universal construction composed of first perspective representations of path, witness as unique loci in volumes of space delineated as surfaces that are rendered from planar projections, themselves projections from the coordinates of linear motion. A dynamic heterogeneous unit structure as a shape, existing at all loci, is shown to be emerging in both volume and number in a natural set, Natures' Set, confined in test to the descriptive elements uniqueness, self belonging, self avoiding, emerging. Conceptual and physical form, self belonging, and non self belonging respectively, are proposed to exist in a unique shape that can be generated graphically. Memory, reduced in definition to the quality of path, is accounted for biologically as energy-matter transformation: the existence of DNA (a likewise linear set of loci from which surfaces and volumes are ultimately rendered) is attributed as 'a piece of energetically active path' arising as a failure of (path possessing) energy to find a ground state within a course outlined by a geometrical inversion of inside and out that is inherent to the presented model. An accounting of the universe, the existence of life, DNA, is suggested to entail a shape as a primary universal.


In Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District Number One v. Holder (NAMUDNO), the Supreme Court suggested in dicta that federal legislation that treats states unequally may be constitutionally suspect. This suggestion is wrong. It should be put to rest in the Court's pending case, Shelby County v. Holder, addressing the constitutionality of section five of the Voting Rights Act. The idea that federal legislation must treat states equally lacks support in constitutional text, history, or precedent, and it is particularly unfounded with respect to legislation, like section five of the VRA, that is based on Congress's Fifteenth Amendment authority to enforce that Amendment's prohibition on discriminatory denials of the right to vote.


The Er-doped concentric-cores dispersion compensating fiber (EDDCF) has been demonstrated. The rare earth has been doped as a ring around the inner core. We have obtained 14-dB gain at 1550 nm (using 100-mW pump power and 980-nm wavelength) with dispersion of about -165 ps/(km.nm). It is useful for the optical fiber network where amplification as well as negative dispersion are necessary.


The paper by Schoeman et al published in this issue of the SAJCN makes for bleak reading. The picture presented is of under-resourced rural clinics, lacking basic facilities such as water and toilets (never-mind telephones), with poorly trained staff who considered themselves overworked, and who believed that the solution to many of the prevalent childhood conditions was caregiver education, but evidently expended little effort offering any. The population of parents and caregivers served consisted largely of poor, single unemployed women claiming limited home food security, yet almost half were overweight or obese. Although the study is dated (conducted in 2003), many of its findings are likely to be as valid today.


The efficiency of solar disinfection for the inactivation of Total Coliforms (TC) and Escherichia coli (EC) in drinking water was tested in two pilot studies performed in rural communities of the States of Chihuahua and Oaxaca, Mexico. The solar disinfection of drinking water (or photodisinfection) is an inexpensive alternative for easy application in rural communities. The study zones were selected mainly because they lack formal water supply systems and the population is forced to consume untreated water directly from rivers and shallow or artesian wells. The efficiency of the water disinfection process based on solar energy was determined in the dry and rainy seasons with water from the most contaminated sources in the study zones. The performed tests consisted of studying the effect of disinfecting water by direct exposure to sunlight during the whole day, with and without solar concentrators, in plastic bottles of commercial beverages. The three types of bottles used were transparent, partially painted black (one half of the bottle, along the longitudinal axis), and totally black. The study shows that, in these geographic zones, the available water must be disinfected before consumption, and disinfection efficiency can reach 100% through the use of solar radiation.


The changing practice of dispensing medication in pediatric offices needs ongoing evaluation to determine the extent to which patients' and practice's needs are being met. Research should assess the extent to which in-office dispensing enhances patient compliance and patient education or whether it increases or decreases patient medication errors. Pediatricians choosing to dispense medication should monitor such research carefully, review state and federal laws periodically, and evaluate recommendations from professional organizations. The American Academy of Pediatrics holds that the practice of medication dispensing is acceptable and appropriate provided that it is legally permissible and that it is structured primarily to serve the best interests of the patient.


BACKGROUND
It is now well established that Hodgkin cells are clonal B cells with a CD30 and CD15 phenotype. However, on immunohistochemistry, in our experience and the experience of others, CD20 positivity in an otherwise typical classical Hodgkin's Lymphoma is not uncommon and if associated with CD15 negativity poses a potential diagnostic trap and is likely to be called B-NHL.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the frequency of B-cell related antigens CD20 and CD79a in classical Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 91 consecutive cases of classical Hodgkin's Lymphoma were analyzed for co-expression of CD20 and CD79a. Both males and females of all ages were included in this study. All cases of nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin's Lymphoma were excluded. All the cases were stained with a panel of antibodies including LCA, CD20, CD79a, CD30, CD15, CD3, EMA and Alk. Protein.

RESULTS
All 91 cases of classical Hodgkin's Lymphoma showed negativity for LCA and positivity for CD30. Eighteen cases (19.8%) showed distinct membrane staining with CD20 in most of the large atypical cells. However, out of these, only 7 cases (7.7%) showed CD79a co-expression, which was largely focal. CD15 negativity with CD20 positivity was seen in 7 (7.7%) cases of otherwise typical classical Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS
CD20 expression is frequent in classical Hodgkin's Lymphoma and our results are in consensus with reported literature on this subject. In these cases, LCA negativity of large cells was extremely useful in clinching the right diagnosis.


If you Google "egg freezing," you will find numerous newspaper and magazine articles discussing this new reproductive technology. You will also encounter countless clinics currently helping women extract and freeze their eggs. You might find an occasional warning about the potential risks associated with egg freezing, as the media is buzzing with questions about this new, ethically uncertain technology. If you conduct a legal search, however, you will not find answers to these questions. In October 2012, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine lifted the "experimental" designation from egg freezing procedures. Women can now freeze their eggs in their twenties, thirties, or forties, and conceive children with those eggs in their forties, fifties, or sixties. While the potential benefits of "freezing one's fertility" have been widely discussed, the physical, psychological, and financial risks associated with egg freezing have not been appropriately explored. Clinics and patients remain vulnerable as women freeze their eggs within a medical regime that has far outpaced legal guidelines. Few regulations relate to assisted reproductive technology, and none pertain specifically to egg freezing. As egg freezing becomes more popular, or even routine, it is important that issues including informed consent, what happens to abandoned or pre-deceased eggs, and what constitutes appropriate damages for breaching an egg freezing contract are fully analyzed and discussed. This article jump-starts that discussion, suggesting that while egg freezing should remain an option, it raises complex issues about reproductive rights that are unlikely to be resolved without legislative action. Consequently, this Note recommends a concrete, balanced solution — legislatively mandated standard form contracts — which will provide both patients and fertility clinics with uniformity, predictability, and security. This new structure will help prevent legal and ethical controversies from arising, while preserving reproductive freedom as egg freezing continues to grow in demand.


A very important issue that plays a crucial role in development of the economies is the underutilization of its human capital i.e. unemployment. This paper investigates macroeconomic determinants of unemployment rate in Bangladesh economy for the period of 2000-2011 using Simple Single Equation Linear Regression Model (SELRM). The variables selected for the study are Unemployment rate, GDP growth rate, Exchange rate and Inflation rate (CPI based). The results of regression analysis showed significant impact of all the variables. Our main finding includes that Inflation rate stimulate unemployment positively and GDP growth rate and Exchange rate has negative impact on unemployment.


We describe a doubly resonant optical parametric oscillator (DRO) pumped with the second harmonic of a narrow-linewidth Nd: YAG laser. The linewidth of the DRO signal was less than 13 kHz, the DRO was shown to generate a phase-locked subharmonic of the pump at degeneracy, and the signal and the idler were shown to be mutually coherent with the pump and to be phase anticorrelated with each other away from degeneracy. The signal–idler heterodyne linewidth was 500 Hz, and pump phase modulation was shown to transfer to the DRO phase at degeneracy.


The Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription 3 (STAT3) oncogene is a master regulator of many human cancers, and a well-recognized target for therapeutic intervention. A well known STAT3 inhibitor, S3I-201 (NSC 74859), is hypothesized to block STAT3 function in cancer cells by binding the STAT3 SH2 domain and disrupt STAT3 protein complexation events. In this study, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis revealed that STAT3, in the presence of S3I-201, showed a minimum of five specific sites of modification, cysteine's 108, 259, 367, 542, and 687. Moreover, a prepared fluorescently labeled chemical probe of S3I-201 (DB-6-055) revealed that S3I-201 non-specifically and globally alkylated intracellular proteins at concentrations consistent with S3I-201's reported IC50. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that S3I-201 is a sub-optimal probe for interrogating STAT3-related cell biology.


Gypsies and Travellers experience some of the poorest health outcomes of any group in society. Accommodation insecurity, the conditions of their living environment, community participation and discrimination all play key roles in exacerbating these poor health outcomes, while at the same time these factors also hold the key to effectively addressing and improving the health and wellbeing of these communities. Long-term, joined-up working is urgently required at both local and national level to address the wider social determinants of Gypsies and Travellers health.

This report was commissioned by the Department of Health to inform the work of the National Inclusion Health Board.


the present study deals with a more detailed, and updated,
modified model that allows for the identification of internet usage patterns by
gender. The model was modified due to the development of the internet and new
access models, on the one hand, and to the fact that previous studies mainly
focuses on various individual (non-interactive) influences of certain factors,
on the other.

The Decision Tree (DT) method, which is used in our study, does
not require a pre-defined underlying relationship. In addition, the method
allows a great many explanatory variables to be processed and the most
important variables are easy to identify. Obtained results can serve
as to web developers and designers, since by indicating the differences between
male and female internet users in terms of their behaviour on the internet it
can help in deciding when, where and how to address and appeal to which section
of the user base. It is especially important to know their online preferences
in order to enable the adequate and targeted placement of information, actions
or products and services for the intended target groups.


The advantages of technology cannot be ignored and new technological applications come into our life almost every day. In this sense, it is inevitable to use those technological devices in the field of education for efficient teaching and learning. This paper deals with the attitudes of prep school students toward using Socrative in the classroom as a tool of response system in real time. Socrative is a smart student response system that enables instructors to discover or assess what students have learned in their lectures in real time. The study was conducted at the beginning of the second semester of 2014-2015 academic year in a university prep school. The survey was applied after the Socrative being practiced for a five-month period of first semester. The survey instrument which was previously used by Dervan (2014) was used to reveal students' attitudes toward Socrative. The result of this study indicated that Socrative is a right tool that can help to improve users' engagement in the classroom. Moreover, statistical analysis showed that there was no difference between the attitudes across gender.


Modern lifestyle factors (high-caloric food rich in fat) and daily chronic stress are important risk factors for metabolic disturbances. Increased hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and the subsequent excess production of glucocorticoids (GCs) in response to chronic stress (CS) leads to increases in metabolic complications, such as type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance (IR). Melatonin (MLT), which protects several regulatory components of the HPA axis from GC-induced deterioration, might improve glucose homeostasis. Piromelatine is a melatonin receptor-1/melatonin receptor-2 (MT1/MT2) agonist with high affinity for MLT receptors and a longer duration of action than MLT. The objective of the present study was to explore the potential effects of piromelatine on glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity in rats with IR induced by a high-fat diet combined with CS (CF). The results showed that piromelatine prevented the suppression of body weight gain and energy intake induced by CF and normalized CF-induced hyperglycemia and homeostasis model assessment–IR index, which suggests that piromelatine prevented whole-body IR. Piromelatine also prevented CF-induced dysregulation of genes involved in glucose and lipid metabolism, including proinflammatory cytokines, in adipose tissue. In addition, piromelatine also attenuated CF-induced excess free corticosterone release, increased glucocorticoid receptor expression, and decreased 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-1 expression, suggesting that piromelatine might ameliorate impaired glucose metabolism and prevent IR by normalizing HPA-axis functions. In conclusion, piromelatine might be a novel therapeutic agent for glucose intolerance and IR.


Abstract A nuclear forensics methodology has been developed that is capable of source attribution of separated weapons-grade plutonium in case of an interdiction. The methodology utilizes plutonium and contaminant fission product isotopes within the separated plutonium sample to determine the characteristics (reactor parameters) of the interdicted material. The reactor parameters of interest include source reactor type, fuel irradiation burnup, and time since irradiation. The MCNPX-2.7 radiation transport code was used to model reactor cores and perform neutronics simulations to estimate the resulting isotopes of irradiated UO2 fuel. The simulation results were used to create a reactor-dependent library of irradiated fuel isotope ratio values as a function of fuel burnup and time since irradiation. Ratios of intra-element isotopes (fission product or actinide) are used as characteristics to determine a combination of reactor parameters of interest that could have produced the interdicted sample. The isotopes selected for the attribution methodology development were based upon the initial criteria of isotope production yield in fuel and half-life. Subsequently, intra-element isotope ratios were formed with the criterion that the ratio must have a functional dependence on at least one of the reactor parameters of interest. The developed methodology compares the values of reactor-dependent intra-element isotope ratios in the library developed to the same ratios of the interdicted sample. A maximum likelihood calculation methodology was utilized to perform the aforementioned multiple intra-element isotope ratio comparison to produce a single metric to depict the result of the comparison. The methodology can predict the reactor type, fuel burnup, and time since irradiation of the sample by selecting the array of reactor-dependent intra-element isotope ratios that provides the maximum likelihood value. The methodology was tested with intra-element ratios of pseudo interdicted sample data and found to be viable for source attribution.


To develop our understanding about how learning theory can help to make sense of and inform the facilita- tion of player learning, this article presents a fictitious discussion, which takes place following a postgraduate sports coaching lecture on learning theories, pedagogy and practice. Following the lecture, Coach Educator (CE) joins two group members for a coffee to listen to their thoughts, experiences, and coaching practices in relation to pertinent player learning theory. Behaviourist Coach (BC) discusses his approach to coaching and how he has come to coach in this way; and his practices that conform to behaviourist learning theory. When BC has finished sharing his views and practices, CE then invites the other student to contribute to the discussion. Constructivist Coach (CC) recognises that his philosophical beliefs about the facilitation of player learning are vastly different to those of BC. As such, CC decides to share his approach to coaching, which aligns itself with constructivist learning theory. It is hoped that this dialogue will not only further theorise the facilitation of player learning, but do so in a way that helps coaching practitioners make the connection between learning theory and coaching practice.


Selective exposure refers to the tendency of individuals to attend to information that is in line with their political views. This study advocates a behavioral approach to selective exposure research by introducing eye-tracking as a straightforward measure of selection processes. We tested participants' selective exposure to political poster advertisements from one left-wing and one right-wing party. Individuals were simultaneously exposed to on-screen ads by the two different parties, and their eye movements were unobtrusively recorded. Findings indicate that the political orientation of the participants explained selective exposure in terms of the time taken to look at each ad. Implications for selective exposure research are discussed.


The indole nucleus is a privileged heterocyclic scaffold, which is present in several natural and synthetic compounds. New synthetic strategies to access functionalized indoles have therefore attracted the attention of both synthetic and medicinal chemists over the decades. In this study, the bismuth nitrate-promoted disproportionative condensation of indoles with cyclohexanone in one pot, to yield C3-cyclohexyl substituted indoles and 1,3-di(1H-indol-3-yl)benzene derivatives is reported for the first time. Using 3-methylindole with cyclopentanone, cyclohexanone, and cycloheptanone results in new and different synthetic pathways. The plausible reaction mechanisms are presented and supported with DFT (M06-2X/6-31+G(d,p)) calculations.


The last 18 months have been a major set-back in the British policy landscape affecting carbon emissions from buildings with several policies being abolished or downgraded. Following the vote to leave the EU, there is now considerable uncertainty around the future of UK energy efficiency policy. This is despite the fact that an increase in policy action is required: In June, the 5th Carbon Budget was adopted by Government setting firm carbon targets for the period from 2028 to 2032. Parliament approved them in July 2016. Reaching those targets will require bold and ambitious policy action across all sectors including buildings. In this paper, we analyse whether or not the UK is on track to meeting its carbon targets. Through modelling of a range of scenarios for the period 2016–2030, we show that the Gov-ernment's own projections for abatement indicate that the UK will not meet the 5 th Carbon Budget in buildings. Worryingly, a large part of the projected abatement from buildings (85 %) is considered by the Committee on Climate Change to be 'at-risk', and after the vote to leave the EU there is uncertainty around which previously EU driven policies driven will remain. In other words, the majority of projected emissions abatement from buildings is seen as uncertain and may not be achieved. We also illustrate what would be required in order to meet the carbon targets including the technology mix and potential policy options. Our research shows that the benefits of meeting the 5 th Carbon Budget in buildings justify considerable public and private investment to capture them. We quantified the main costs and benefits generally considered for formal policy impact assessments, calculated in accordance with official guidance. We show that there is a strong economic case for investing in upgrading the UK's building stock.


Abstract Current limitations of Canadian Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactors to reliably locate defective fuel bundles have created interest in new identification techniques. Noble gas tagging, which would involve the addition of specific combinations of Kr and Xe isotopes to the fuel-to-sheath gap during manufacturing, has the potential to offer a means of locating failed-fuel bundles on power, where the released tag could be measured in the primary heat transport system by mass spectrometry. Moreover, the technique could be of particular interest for demonstration irradiations with new fuel bundle designs. This work outlines preliminary considerations on the applicability of noble gas tagging for CANDU reactors. This assessment involved the determination of suitable tag isotopes, the simulation of the impact of the tag on the thermal performance of a fuel element, and the determination of the detection limit of a quadrupole inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer instrument for krypton samples with typical aqueous concentrations in the range of 10-12 to 10-9 (molKr/molH2O).


Repair, reuse and disposal are closely interlinked phenomena related to the service lives and persistence of technologies. When technical artefacts become old and worn out, decisions have to be taken: is it necessary, worthwhile or even possible to maintain and repair, reuse or dismantle them - or must they be discarded? These decisions depend on factors such as the availability of second-hand markets, repair infrastructures and dismantling or disposal facilities. In telling the stories of China's power grid, Canadian telephones, German automobiles and India's shipbreaking business, among others, the contributions in this volume highlight the persistence of technologies and show that maintenance and repair are not obsolete in modern industries and consumer societies.


The diagnosis of porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD) in pigs requires the detection of characteristic clinical signs and pathological changes, and the detection of virus in tissues of affected pigs. To increase Australia's capacity to independently diagnose PCVAD in Australia, techniques for the detection of Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) infection in pigs were developed and are reported in this thesis. These techniques were applied to samples obtained from normal pigs and pigs with disease and confirmed the presence of PCV2 and PCVAD in the Australian pig herd.

Viral DNA was detected in tissues of infected pigs by both standard PCR and real-time PCR techniques. The real-time PCR was more sensitive. While the conventional PCR was able to detect approximately 100 copies of the viral genome, the real-time PCR was able to detect 20 copies of the genome. An immunohistochemical (IHC) technique which was also developed enabled the visualisation of PCV2 antigen in fixed tissues of pigs with PCVAD.

The techniques that were developed were applied to an examination of tissues from pigs affected by illthrift and increased weaner mortality in herds in South Australia, New South Wales and Western Australia. Lesions suggestive of the PCVAD postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) were detected and virus antigen was detected in association with lesions. The nature of the clinical signs and histopathological lesions detected, coupled with the presence of PCV2 antigen, suggested that PCVAD was present in some Australian pig herds. Phylogenetic analysis of the strains of PCV2-associated with these disease outbreaks demonstrated they were of a type not previously detected in Australia and similar to strains associated with PMWS in North America.

To further assist in investigation of PCV2 infections in the Australian pig herd, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed that specifically detected antibody to PCV2 and not the related and non-pathogenic Porcine circovirus type 1. The development of this assay required the production of a virus capsid protein antigen using a prokaryotic protein production system. The ELISA was used to test serum samples form the Australian national pig serum bank. A high prevalence of PCV2 infection was detected in most pig herds examined in all Australian states.

International trade in pig meat has resulted in many countries placing restrictions on the importation of pig meat, requiring imported pig meats to be cooked to destroy viral agents. This study investigated the in vitro resistance of an Australian strain of PCV2 to heat treatment at temperatures between 56°C and 85°C. The viability of the virus was determined by a combination of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and IHC to visualise viral capsid antigen within infected cells. This study indicated that PCV2 retained its infectivity following heating up to and including 75°C for 15 mins, but was inactivated following heating to 80°C and above.
The investigations reported make a significant contribution to PCV2 research in Australia and ensure Australia's capacity to independently investigate PCVAD in the Australian pig herd.


Seniors will make up an unprecedented 25% of Canadians by the year 2030. This demographic shift will challenge our society to address the basic human right of a dignified and healthy aging. One troubling aspect of aging is the degree to which seniors experience isolation and loneliness. Cohousing can offer older adults a place to age in place, within a 'community-of-care'. However, the challenges of creating senior cohousing are numerous - the failure rates staggering. What factors contribute to this challenge? What could the way forward look like? This thesis searches for answers in the perspectives of professionals representing sectors of the development process. Interviews were conducted with experts in: non-profit housing, housing policy, development consulting, and private real-estate. Focusing on urban senior cohousing in Ottawa, Convivium Cohousing is used as a case study to ground the theory. It is expected findings will transfer to other parts of Canada.


Generic University recently underwent a successful reaffirmation of accreditation process with The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. As part of the 3-year process, a committee, named the Education and Communication working group, was formed to inform and engage with the entire Generic community. The aim of this report is to describe the process and strategies this working group employed to achieve those goals in a distance learning environment. The primary charges of the Education and Communication working group were to (1) educate stakeholders about the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the importance of accreditation, and their role in the accreditation process; (2) provide consistent and quality communication to ensure stakeholders are appropriately informed about HLC and the self-study process; and (3) create and execute an appropriate and supportive communication and education plan during the HLC self-study process. The Education and Communication working group primarily focused on internal stakeholders, including students, faculty, and staff. Additional outreach specifically addressed associated individuals, such as alumni and field site supervisors. Other institutions may define their constituencies differently but will find that the goals, plans, and strategies described here will help them to achieve involvement by their stakeholders in accreditation processes. DOI: 10.18870/hlrc.v3i3.114


Abstract: During the late Permian, an alluvial environment prevailed along the northern margin of the North China Plate in the Xingcheng area, Liaoning Province, China. In this region, the middle–late Permian Shihhotse Formation and the late Permian Hamashan Formation record this transition from previous swamp-dominated settings. The two formations are mainly coarse-grained deposits and can be correlated with the Pingdingshan Sandstone, which developed as widespread alluvial facies in the central and southern parts of the North China Plate. Tectonic uplift around the plate due to Variscan orogenic activities probably contributed to the onset of alluvial prevalence, but the sedimentary characteristics in the Xingcheng area indicate that aridification was also an important driver. This is supported by the presence of root systems composed of rhizoliths in the Shihhotse Formation and Stigmaria fossils at the top of the alluvial conglomerate of the Hamashan Formation. Viewed at a larger scale, this basin-wide alluvial episode on the North China Plate was contemporaneous with the Wuchiapingian extreme aridity and followed a short humid interval. The overlying Changhsingian–Induan redbeds mark a paleoclimatic change to semiarid and arid again. The paleoenvironmental changes recorded in the upper Permian and Lower Triassic strata of the North China Plate, therefore, provide essential information for the understanding of late Paleozoic terrestrial evolution.


The log-normal Rician probability-density function is based on the following paradigm for the optical field after propagation through atmospheric turbulence: a field with reduced coherence that obeys Rice–Nakagami statistics is modulated by a multiplicative factor that obeys log-normal statistics. The larger eddies in the turbulent medium produce the log-normal statistics, and the smaller ones produce the Gaussian statistics. On the basis of this model all the parameters required by the density function can be calculated by using physical parameters such as turbulence strength, inner scale, and propagation configuration. The heuristic density function is consistent with available data at low and at high turbulence levels.


Self-tracking has attracted a lot of attention from researchers and public opinion makers owing to its potential for improving life conditions through preemptive action on health, and as a tool of user empowerment vis-à-vis health-care professionals and private and public institutions. Nevertheless, the 'stuff' that is typically tracked – exercise and diet being the dominant tracking activities – refers to cultural and social practices that, for the individual user, are utterly mundane and reside in an experiential realm of everyday life. Self-tracking has to be understood in relation to behavior that is predominantly about getting things done in ways that are possible, suitable and meaningful for the individual. To account for this, we propose to conceptualize self-tracking as a communicative phenomenon along three dimensions: communication with the system, the self and social networks of peers. We develop the theoretical framework, drawing upon empirical findings from a qualitative study on how self-tracking is practiced and experienced in the context of exercise by different categories of empirical users. We demonstrate that the meanings of self-tracking practices are, at once, shaped by the motivation of an individual user who is situated in a broader web of everyday activities, and stimulated and augmented by communicative features provided by the technology.


Clove oil ethanolic solution (CL-EtOH) have always been used for fish anesthesia. However, ethanol causes major side effect of fish hypersensivity. In this study, clove oil loaded nanoemulsion (CLN) was developed in order to enhance water miscibility of clove oil without using ethanol in the preparations. The obtained CLN was characterized in terms of droplet size, size distribution expressed as polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential. The anesthetic effect of CLN in comparison with CL-EtOH on Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia) was investigated. The results showed that the best CLN was composed of 20% w/w clove oil and 15% w/w polysorbate 20. This CLN has internal droplet size of 63.2 ± 1.0 nm, PDI of 0.31 ± 0.04, and zeta potential of - 30.3 ± 8.1 mV. GC-MS analysis indicated that eugenol was the main compound in clove oil. It was found that the induction time to anesthesia for Nile tilapia that received this CLN was shorter than that received CL-EtOH at the same eugenol concentration. The results of this study showed the potential of nanoemulsion on water miscible and efficacy enhancing of clove oil without using ethanol. The obtained CLN from this study is a promising formulation for fish aquaculture where fish sedation is required.


The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of coaching and coaching education in Portugal. In Portugal, sport coaching is traditionally considered a part-time vocation. There has been a growing concern of the Portuguese authorities to increase the standards of quality for sport coaching. Following the 1974 revolution there were profound alterations in how coaching and coach education are regulated. The legislative changes in coach education occurred mainly due to the harmonisation of the qualifications in the European Union. More recently, the responsibility for coach certification has moved from the different sports federations to a national sports organization that has created four grades of coach education. Coach education in all grades requires a general and a specific curricular component as well as an internship supervised by an accredited mentor. The academic formation is now well regulated. However, some sport federations are resistant to this academic certification process because they f...


An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of mediated contact between ethnic Koreans and migrant workers in South Korea. Positive contact generated more positive perception of and affect toward the migrant workers but did not change South Koreans' social distance from migrant workers. The effects of negative contact, on the other hand, were consistently significant across all three attitude measures. When the effect sizes of positive and negative mediated contact were compared, positive contact generated a stronger effect, albeit only marginally significant, than negative contact on the perception of migrant workers. In the affect and social distance measures, no significant difference was found. Furthermore, negative mediated contact increased power values through its influence on the attitudes toward migrant workers; parallel indirect effects of positive contact on universalism values were not found. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed, followed by suggestions for future studies.


Segregation by race, ethnicity and income is a persistent feature of U.S. cities and communities, and ethnic enclaves have formed ever since immigration became more diverse. For low-skilled immigrants in particular, settling in an ethnic enclave may offer important opportunities and facilitate coping with the new environment. However, immigrant enclaves may also foster occupational segregation and retard assimilation, with the willingness to invest in language acquisition playing a key role. This paper expands on earlier work focusing on the linkage between spatial segregation and language acquisition. Using data from the 2000 U.S. Census the study stratifies immigrants by their location in one of four metropolitan areas by educational attainment and national origin in order to determine the effect of these individual characteristics on English proficiency. The probability of speaking English was found to vary across the four locales and educational attainment. Language acquisition was highest in the metropolitan area where the immigrant share is smallest, and is increasing in educational attainment. �


Ask anyone who has owned a pet and they'll assure you that, yes, animals have personalities. And science is beginning to agree. Researchers have demonstrated that both domesticated and non domesticated animals - from invertebrates to monkeys and apes - behave in consistently different ways, meeting the criteria for what many define as personality. But why the differences, and how are personalities shaped by genes and environment? How did they evolve? The essays in "Animal Personalities" reveal that there is much to learn from our furred and feathered friends. The study of animal personality is one of the fastest-growing areas of research in behavioral and evolutionary biology. Here Claudio Carere and Dario Maestripieri, along with a host of scholars from fields as diverse as ecology, genetics, endocrinology, neuroscience, and psychology, provide a comprehensive overview of the current research on animal personality. Grouped into thematic sections, chapters approach the topic with empirical and theoretical material and show that to fully understand why personality exists, we must consider the evolutionary processes that give rise to personality, the ecological correlates of personality differences, and the physiological mechanisms underlying personality variation.


Agricultural development programmes in the sandy regions of the dry zone of Sri Lanka envisage the establishment of suitable fodder for livestock under irrigation programmes using brackish underground water. A study evaluated the response of three popular tropical grasses and the natural species to irrigation with brackish water having conductivities ranging from 0.5-6.0 ms. cm, when established in a sandy soil. The study was carried out for 6-7 months, with regular irrigation to correspond to the dry season. Growth of all three species was affected by increasing conductivity of water. Brachiaria mutica was affected to the greatest extent. Yields of Paspalum dilatatum were reduced to a lesser extent with increasing brackishness of water. Panicum maximum produced the highest yield and provided a significant quantity offodder in all treatments. However, the introduced species outyielded the natural species with the exception of Brachiaria at the higher levels of conductivity. The data illustrated the effect of brackishness on the yielding ability of the selected species. The practical significance of the study in terms ofpossible uses of these species in growing grasses under irrigation in the sandy tracts for herbage production in the dry season is presented.


Abstract The Cragg family memorandum book is a detailed source for society and politics in the rural area around Lancaster, a region often neglected by historians in favour of the archive-rich south Lancashire. It records local and national events from the point of view of provincial Quaker yeomen. The most striking entries are republican radical in character. They attack the government and aristocracy about the war, taxes, and militia ballot. This was a period when the older ideological world of the eighteenth century was being eroded by the new forces of a wider free market in both economy and politics, but where the more ideologically-certain world of the mid nineteenth century had not yet solidified to fill up the void. The memorandum book deals with all three debates and is a reflection of this unstable world. A key theme in the memorandum book is a sense of place. The historiography of Britain during the French wars emphasizes a growing identification with the Britishness shared by most inhabitants. The memorandum book illustrates how this identification was filtered through local mechanisms of power and regional identities: a 'Lancashire Britishness'.


OBJECTIVE
Research how specialists in health promotion and agroecology understand the concepts in those areas of common guidelines and how the relationship between such concepts is conceived. METHODS. Qualitative research. Fourteen specialists in the two areas were interviewed about the relationship between the agrofood system and health, concepts of agroecology and health promotion, and the relevance of including agroecology in public health training courses and vice-versa.

RESULTS
There is little dialogue between the fields of study that were considered similar, food quality being the main interface between the areas. agroecology appeared to be a system of healthy food production, but the study showed other connections: agroecology and empowerment, a spur to autonomy and quality of life, and better socioeconomic conditions for the farmer; agroecology and environmental health; agroecology and community involvement; agroecology, territoriality, and cultural rescue [translator's note: this is a term for measures taken to revitalize or preserve imperiled indigenous cultures]; and agroecology, local foods, and low costs of production. Health promotion already was linked in effect to practices oriented to healthy lifestyles. The specialists appeared favorable toward including knowledge about public health in agroecology and vice-versa.

CONCLUSIONS
Agroecology and health promotion contribute to one another and are complementary, and bringing them closer together can lead to an enriched discussion about rural health and the concept of public policies that focus on this theme, thereby stimulating actions for improvement and intersectoral practices.


This paper uses detailed data on sequential offers from seven vastly different real-world bargaining settings to document a robust pattern: agents favor offers that split the difference between the two most recent offers on the table. Our settings include negotiations for used cars, insurance injury claims, a TV game show, auto rickshaw rides, housing, international trade tariffs, and online retail. We demonstrate that this pattern can arise in a perfect Bayesian equilibrium of an alternating-offer game with two-sided incomplete information, but this equilibrium is far from unique. We then provide a robust-inference argument to explain why agents may view the two most recent offers as corresponding to the potential surplus. Split-the-difference offers under this weaker, robust inference can then be viewed as fair. We present a number of other patterns in each data setting that point to split-the-difference offers as a strong social norm, whether in high-stakes or low-stakes negotiations.


The semester spent preparing this graduate thesis document was the culmination of my studies at Roger Williams University. Under the direction of Professor Hasan-Uddin Khan, this project has evolved from a mere idea with an initial thesis into a body of work which embraces a new, more harmonious thesis than the original. The project focuses on a site in Ellenville, NY which was chosen for its geological history and damage done to rural land during the series of hurricanes in the recent years. The program was chosen based upon local study of land use and the surrounding vernacular culture within the context.


Little is known about whether physiotherapeutic knee classes provide additional benefits in the rehabilitation after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). In the present randomized study, we compare the results of a hospital-based programme, Knee-class Therapy (KT), with an individual programme with limited physiotherapy appointments, Guided Therapy (GT), 6 and 12 months after knee surgery, in terms of function, activity level, muscle strength, knee-joint stability and knee-joint mobility. After ACLR, 24 patients were randomized to the KT group and 27 to the GT group. Fourteen patients in the KT group and 24 in the GT group completed the physiotherapy appointments as prescribed. At 6 months after surgery, the median Lysholm knee score was significantly higher in the KT group. At the 12-month follow-up, the GT group's improvement in the Lysholm knee score was significantly greater than the KT group's. Non-compliance was high in the KT group. The subgroup analysis of the non-compliers in the KT group showed that their improvement in the Lysholm knee score between 0 and 12 months was significantly greater than that of the KT group's compliers. These results could indicate that an individual exercise programme with limited physiotherapy appointments might be as effective as physiotherapeutic knee classes.


The performances of satellite and sondes ozone measuring instruments available in the tropics between 10 and 26 km during the southern hemisphere summer in 2003 and 2004, have been investigated by comparison with series of profiles obtained by solar occultation in the visible Chappuis bands using a SAOZ UV-Vis spectrometer carried by long duration balloons. When compared to SAOZ, systematic positive or negative altitude shifts are observed in the satellite profiles, varying from <50 m for the GOMOS v6.0b stellar occultation instrument, followed by +100/200 m for solar occultation systems (SAGE II v6.2, HALOE v19 above 22 km), but as large as −900 m for the OSIRIS limb viewing system. The ozone relative biases are generally limited, between −4% and +4%, for measurements in the visible Chappuis bands (SAGE II and SAGE III moon v3, GOMOS above 22 km and OSIRIS), the near IR (HALOE above 22 km) and the ozonesondes, but increase to +5.5% (SCIAMACHY IUP v1.63) though still in the visible, and +7% in the mid-IR (MIPAS NL v4.61) and the submillimetric range (SMR v222). Regarding precision, evaluated statistically from the zonal variability of ozone concentration, the best measurements are found to be those of SAGE II (2%), followed by HALOE above 22 km (3–4%), then the ozonesondes, SAGE III moon, SCIAMACHY and OSIRIS (4–5%), GOMOS above 22 km (~6%), MIPAS (8.5%) and finally SMR (16%). Overall, all satellite ozone measurements appear to be of little utility in the tropical troposphere except those of SAGE II (and eventually SAGE III), though low biased by 50% and of limited (50%) precision.


This paper deals with the emergence and development of feminism in general and feminist psychology with special emphasis on feminist's reaction to traditional assumptions in Freudian psychology and male dominated theory and research. Feminist movement simply started as a women's activism which later claimed political identity and finally ended as women's liberation movement. Feminists simply advocate gender equality. Emergence of feminist psychology movement and appearance of significant female figures in psychology is further explained along with their contribution to the theory, personality and specific developmental issues along with its input to the therapy and counseling field. The influence of four feminist philosophical approaches namely, liberal feminism, cultural feminism, radical feminism and social feminism are also shortly discussed alongside with their practical implications. Above and beyond, feminist contribution to the therapy field reflected in offering specific therapy goals are also discussed. Self esteem as a core issue and one of feminist therapy goals is finally discussed and presented through a specific case study illustration. Feminist therapy is important therapy approach with significant therapy goals contribution in relation to women's mental health issues. Consideration of sex, gender, cultural diversity, etiology, diagnosis and treatment is feminist request for successful therapy because fixing woman for functioning in a dysfunctional society seems not enough.


Introduction In his 1929 Kappa Delta Pi Lecture Series inaugural address, John Dewey clearly identified the need for a philosophical hypothesis capable of determining "the significance of scientific results for educational practice" (Seals, 2001, 256). (1) Concerned that practitioners would be tempted to yield to "either a recurring cycle of educational fads or a pseudo-scientific commitment to educational Essentialism" (ibid.), Dewey called on philosophers to do more than identify appropriate means for education; he called for a philosophy capable of formulating educational ends beyond the dominant discourses of the day. In 1938, he returned to give the tenth annual Kappa Delta Pi address. Once again Dewey issued a call, this time to address the need for a philosophy of experience capable of articulating "what education is and what conditions have to be satisfied in order that education may be a reality and not a name or a slogan" (Dewey, 1938, 91). Deeply concerned about major divides and "false choices" (Garrison, 1996) between "traditional" and "progressive" education, in this lecture (later published as Experience and Education) Dewey proposed an "anti-dualistic concept of experience" constituted by two "universal" features: continuity and interaction (Imai, 2003). More than six decades later, this slim volume is still a source of insight, inspiration and intrigue. Selected quotes from Experience and Education serve as "fuel" for the ongoing "conversation" in Kappa Delta Pi's recent collection, Experiencing Dewey: Insights for Today's Classroom (Breault & Breault, 2005). Educators from a wide range of content areas reflecting on their emergent philosophies and practices continue to acknowledge the influence of Experience and Education on their own intellectual development. (2) And prominent critics including Diane Ravitch and E. D. Hirsch, Jr. continue to cite Dewey's philosophy of experience in their analyses of progressive education's historical and contemporary excesses. (3) Selected passages from Experience and Education, portraying Dewey as "overly obsessed by the concept of first-hand knowledge," even find their way into recommendations to the Texas Legislature (Koeltzow, 2000). To what can we attribute the enduring influence of this small book? It may be, in part, Dewey's reassuring confidence in "education when it is treated as intelligently directed development of the possibilities inherent in ordinary experience" (Dewey, 1938, 89). It may be his principled refusal to combine a simplistic praise of all things progressive with a "wholesale condemnation of the old education" (27). It may be his contention that the dichotomy between "the old education and the new" is not irreconcilable, but a remnant, like other "ancient bifurcations and untenable dualisms" (Garrison, 1985, 552). It may be his conviction that philosophers must do more than identify defects in competing ideologies and associated practices. While Dewey's use of language has been described as convoluted and obtusely theoretical, Experience and Education is replete with concrete connections. He portrays education as organic and evolving, employing expansive metaphors to capture the wisdom of the wise mother who mediates for the benefit of the dependent infant or the beauty of music that modulates from a human center to the harmonious organization of a "more objective intellectual scheme" (Dewey, 41-43, 83). Well aware of the capacity for metaphorical misdirection, Dewey also warns against the kinds of misleading comparisons between education and medicine or law so common in current reform rhetoric. The remainder of this brief review of Experience and Education is organized, as is the book itself, around Dewey's analysis of various fallacies of bifurcation revealed in "warring" notions of traditional and progressive education. Examining dichotomies of theory, social control, freedom, subject matter, and purpose, he confronts "either/or" fallacies, not as simple logical errors, but as opportunities for expanding and deepening educators' understandings--not as attempts to deceive, but as unsound reasoning amenable to greater conceptual wholeness. …


No company is immune to crisis situations, an affirmation which, despite its triviality, is undeniably true. However, from the early 2014, such statement may have become even more true to Russian corporations, as the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula gave start to rounds of economic sanctions that are still perpetrated today. Such measures, which were initiated in response to the Kremlin's political maneuvers, have hit a number of Russian companies, and increased the degree of uncertainty in which they have to operate, as they see economic restriction's impact not only on the business activity tangible factors—i.e., economic rewards, service, and performance—but also on intangible factors—i.e., image and reputation—as well. Crises are integral parts of all world systems, unfortunately. While they are a theoretically well-understood issue, in practice, crises are perceived as a very painful phenomenon. A crisis can be compared to riding a roller coaster. First, as we gain speed and climb up the tracks we are filled with a sense of joy and delight. These feelings are quickly replaced with anticipation, panic, and fear as the roller coaster plunges into the "abyss."


The objectives of this study were to characterize the ingress and egress activities of wheeled mobility device (WhMD) passengers using fixed-route large, accessible transit vehicles (LATVs), and to examine factors associated with incidents occurring on ramps. A retrospective review of public transit video surveillance footage of WhMD-seated passengers accessing fixed-route LATVs was conducted. Ingress and egress activities were characterized based on travel conditions and characteristics of the WhMD and LATV ramp. Incidents were identified based on predetermined criteria, and chi-square analysis was performed to identify WhMD and/or ingress/egress characteristics associated with incidents. Video records of 250 WhMD trips were analyzed. A total of 39 incidents occurred during ingress and 12 incidents occurred during egress. Results indicated that the frequency of incidents was significantly greater for scooter users and passengers who ascended the ramp using a rear-facing WhMD orientation. Narrow LATV ramp width was associated with the greatest number of incidents, followed by problems related to LATV door width and steep ramp slope.


NIKOLOVA, L., 2013. Impact of some technological factors on the growth of carp fish (Cyprinidae) reared in autochthonous polyculture. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 19: 1391-1395 The study was conducted in two consecutive years in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Institute – Plovdiv. For the needs of ecologo- and bio-friendly fish farming, the impact of some factors on the growth of carp fish reared in polyculture, based on a natural nutritive basis, have been investigated. Rearing in autochthonous polyculture led to satisfactorily fish growth. The polyculture structure is a significant source of common carp growth variation, as the impact decreases when taking into ac count intense vegetation in the pond, and increases when taking into account the size of the pond. Common carp had better growth in one-year polyculture. The polyculture structure had no impact on bighead carp growth. One-year old grass carp grew more intensively compared to two-year old grass carp. Fertilization is a significant source for growth variation, but the impact is specific for the different species. Positive effect of the factor is established only for bighead carp. Significant sources for growth variation in all studied species are pond size and macrophytes density level.


An award-winning author presents a detailed tutorial covering every feature of this popular program Each year, Mastering AutoCAD appears at the top of the AutoCAD book sales charts; it's the world's all-time bestselling series on the AutoCAD design software. This revision thoroughly covers all the new features and gives you a complete education in AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. Whether you're an architect or drafter, involved in another discipline that uses CAD software, or an AutoCAD instructor, you'll benefit from Omura's comprehensive coverage. Award-winning Autodesk Authorized Author, George Omura, has written more than 20 books on AutoCAD Uses concise explanations, focused examples, step-by-step instructions, and hands-on projects to fully cover both AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT Introduces the basics of the interface and drafting tools, then moves into intermediate skills such as effectively using hatches, fields, and tables Elaborates on the more important skills for real world applications like layouts, plotting, and quick 3D modeling Showcases the newest features including parametric design, free-form 3D mesh modeling, and enhanced PDF support Details advanced skills including attributes, dynamic blocks, drawing curves, and macro programming Explores 3D modeling and imaging, and discusses customization and integration DVD includes video tutorials, a searchable PDF of the book, "before and after" tutorial files, a trial version of AutoCAD 2010, and additional tools and utilities Mastering AutoCAD 2010 and AutoCAD LT 2010 is equally effective as a tutorial and a stand-alone reference for this extremely popular technical drawing software. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.


Abstract In this article we analyse a workbench for the analysis and design of web applications automatically generated from a visual-oriented meta-CASE. This tool suitably exploits UML metamodelling and process modelling to visually specify the target workbench, and employs visual language generation systems for their deployment. The generated workbench consists of a visual environment which includes knowledge about software process and mechanisms to check the consistency between the developed models. We present the results of a preliminary case study we have carried out to collect information on the user experience with the generated workbench.


In a text that mirrors their language and thoughts, Marcia Sewall has masterfully recreated the coming of the pilgrims to the New World, and the daily flow of their days during the first years in the colony they called Plimoth. "Aye, Governor Bradford calls us pilgrims. We are English and England was our home...But our lives were ruled by King James, and for many years it seemed as though our very hearts were in prison in England..." "September, 1620, our lives changed. We were seventy menfolk and womenfolk, thirty-two good children, a handful of cocks and hens, and two dogs, gathered together on a dock in Plymouth, England, ready to set sail for America in a small ship called the Mayflower..." After an abundance of prayers and tears we made farewells at dockside and boarded our small ship. Our voyage across the Atlantic Ocean "began with a prosperous wind," but the sea soon became "sharp and violent" and storms howled about us. When the pilgrims set out for America, they brought with them a dream for the future. Sickness, hardship, and heartache stood in the way of that dream. But the pilgrims worked hard, keeping their dream close to their hearts, until they were finally able to make it come true.


Cells expressing class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules are found within the corpus luteum (CL) of several species. Expression and localization of class II MHC molecules in the bovine CL were examined in the present study. Immunohistochemical evaluation revealed class II MHC molecules on single cells in early CL (days 4 and 5 post-estrus). Two class II MHC-expressing cell types were observed in midcycle CL (days 10-12 post-estrus), single cells similar to those observed in the early CL, and endothelial cells. Not all endothelial cells expressed class II MHC, and further investigation revealed expression of only one type of class II MHC molecule, DR, on endothelial cells. Class II MHC was also localized to endothelial cells in late CL (day 18 post-estrus). Steroidogenic luteal cells were negative for class II MHC throughout the estrous cycle. Quantitative RT-PCR revealed higher (P < 0.05) concentrations of mRNA encoding the alpha-subunit of DR (DRA) in late CL when compared with those in the early CL. DRA mRNA abundance was also measured in cultures of mixed luteal and luteal endothelial (CLENDO) cells, in the presence or absence of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF). No differences were found in the DRA mRNA concentration between mixed luteal and CLENDO cell cultures, and TNF had no effect on DRA mRNA concentration in both cell types. Expression of DR by endothelial cells of the midcycle CL may induce anergy of T lymphocytes, or stimulate them to secrete products that enhance normal luteal function.


The area under the ROC curve (AUC) is a widely used performance measure in machine learning. Increasingly, however, in several applications, ranging from ranking to biometric screening to medicine, performance is measured not in terms of the full area under the ROC curve but in terms of the partial area under the ROC curve between two false-positive rates. In this letter, we develop support vector algorithms for directly optimizing the partial AUC between any two false-positive rates. Our methods are based on minimizing a suitable proxy or surrogate objective for the partial AUC error. In the case of the full AUC, one can readily construct and optimize convex surrogates by expressing the performance measure as a summation of pairwise terms. The partial AUC, on the other hand, does not admit such a simple decomposable structure, making it more challenging to design and optimize (tight) convex surrogates for this measure. Our approach builds on the structural SVM framework of Joachims (2005) to design convex surrogates for partial AUC and solves the resulting optimization problem using a cutting plane solver. Unlike the full AUC, where the combinatorial optimization needed in each iteration of the cutting plane solver can be decomposed and solved efficiently, the corresponding problem for the partial AUC is harder to decompose. One of our main contributions is a polynomial time algorithm for solving the combinatorial optimization problem associated with partial AUC. We also develop an approach for optimizing a tighter nonconvex hinge loss–based surrogate for the partial AUC using difference-of-convex programming. Our experiments on a variety of real-world and benchmark tasks confirm the efficacy of the proposed methods.


Since the first appearance of modern man one trait of human behaviour appears to be an inherent desire to leave our mark on a particular object or space and controversial 'SprayCan' graffiti that appeared in the 1970s is but a modern extension of this phenomenon. The Mobspray project started out looking at the possibilities for allowing environmentally friendly location based virtual graffiti tagging using mobile phones equipped with a RFID reader/writer. However, our experiences produce aspects akin to the 'tagging' behaviour of 'real' writing crews and indeed behaviour often associated with gaming. This demonstration will show how both how simple and easy to use mobile phones equipped with RFID technology are, and how tangible objects can be used to create interesting mixed reality experiences for the modern urban landscape.


Knowledge bases play crucial roles in a wide variety of information systems, such as search engines and intelligent personal assistants. For responding constantly fluctuating user information demands, we aim to construct a large-scale and well-structured multi-domain knowledge base from the world's evolving data. In this paper, we discuss enterprise-specific issues with knowledge base construction and present how to deal with these issues in our construction system. To maintain the quality of our knowledge base at the production-level, our construction system is carefully designed to incorporate various automatic and manual validation methods. We partly leverage manual validation methods to deal with business requirements and user feedback quickly since it is difficult to filter out all incorrect facts automatically in practice. Our constructed knowledge base is already utilized in real-world Japanese Web services, and the number of entities in it keeps growing steadily.


Most models of aggregate economic activity, like the standard neoclassical growth model, ignore the fact that equipment and structures are maintained and repaired. Once physical capital is purchased in these models, there are typically no more decisions made regarding its use. The theme of this article is that there is evidence to suggest that incorporating expenditures on the maintenance and repair of physical capital into models of aggregate economic activity will change the quantitative answers to some key questions that have been addressed with these models. This evidence is primarily from a little-used economywide survey in Canada. The survey shows that the activity of maintaining and repairing equipment and structures is an activity that is generally both large relative to investment and a substitute for investment to some extent—and to a large extent during some episodes.


In this paper we present excerpts from the records at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics Archives that show that T.G. Taylor, an astronomer at the Madras Observatory, was an independent discoverer of the Great Comet of 1831 (C/1831 A1) on 7.00972 January 1831 UT, although John Herapath who first observed the comet from Hounslow Heath (England) on January 7.25 is generally credited with the discovery. Taylor continued to observe the comet until 20 February 1831, and his observations were duly published by the Madras Observatory in 1832.


We conduct a laboratory experiment where third-party spectators can redistribute resources between two agents, thereby offsetting the consequences of controllable and uncontrollable luck. Some spectators go to the limits and equalize all or no inequalities, but many follow an interior allocation rule previously unaccounted for by the fairness views in the literature. These interior allocators regard an agent's choice as more important than the cause of her low income and do not always compensate bad uncontrollable luck. Instead, they condition such compensation on the agent's decision regarding controllable luck exposure, even though the two types of luck are independent.


Abstract Background Treatment of melioidosis comprises intravenous drugs for at least 10 days, followed by oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) for 12 to 20 weeks. Oral TMP-SMX is recommended for 12 weeks in Australia and 20 weeks in Thailand. Methods For this open-label, pragmatic, multicenter, noninferiority, randomized controlled trial, we enrolled patients with culture-confirmed melioidosis who had received oral eradication treatment for 12 weeks and had no clinical evidence of active melioidosis. We randomly assigned patients to stop treatment (12-week regimen) or continue treatment for another 8 weeks (20-week regimen). The primary end point was culture-confirmed recurrent melioidosis within 1 year after enrollment. The noninferiority margin was a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.0. The secondary composite end point, combining overall recurrent melioidosis and mortality, was assessed post hoc. Results We enrolled 658 patients: 322 to the 12-week regimen and 336 to the 20-week regimen. There were 5 patients (2%) in the 12-week regimen and 2 patients (1%) in the 20-week regimen who developed culture-confirmed recurrent melioidosis (HR, 2.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], .52–13.69). The criterion for noninferiority of the primary event was not met (1-sided P = .37). However, all-cause mortality was significantly lower in the 12-week regimen group than in the 20-week regimen group (1 [.3%] vs 11 [3%], respectively; HR, 0.10; 95% CI, .01–.74). The criterion for noninferiority of the secondary composite end point, combining overall recurrent melioidosis and mortality, was met (1-sided P = .022). Conclusions Based on the lower total mortality and noninferiority of the secondary composite end point observed, we recommend the 12-week regimen of TMP-SMX for oral eradication treatment of melioidosis. Clinical Trials Registration NCT01420341.


This paper offers an alternative analysis of Goldberg's (1995) account of communication verbs appearing in the ditransitive construction. Based on a more finely-grained frame-semantic analysis of constructional phenomena, it is shown that generalizations over specific syntactic frames are possible at different levels of semantic abstraction. This, in turn, allows us to make across-the-board generalizations that hold not only between lexical units evoking the same frame, but also between lexical units belonging to different frames at different levels of abstraction. The resulting network of constructions combines Goldberg's proposals regarding the status of abstract-schematic constructions with item-specific knowledge regarding the specific lexical units, with various midpoints in between. This approach has the advantage that there is no need for fusing lexical entries with abstract meaningful constructions, thereby avoiding some of the problems that arise due to the separation of syntax and the lexicon in some constructional approaches.


Lipid homeostasis is controlled in part by the nuclear receptors peroxisome proliferator (PP)-activated receptor α (PPARα) and liver X receptor (LXR) through regulation of genes involved in fatty acid and cholesterol metabolism. Exposure to agonists of retinoid X receptor (RXR), the obligate heterodimer partner of PPARα, and LXR results in responses that partially overlap with those of PP. To better understand the gene networks regulated by these nuclear receptors, transcript profiles were generated from the livers of wild-type and PPARα-null mice exposed to the RXR pan-agonist 3,7-dimethyl-6S,7S-methano, 7-[1,1,4,4-tetramethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphth-7-yl]-2E,4E-heptadienoic acid (AGN194,204) or the PPAR pan-agonist WY-14,643 (WY; pirinixic acid) and compared with the profiles from the livers of wild-type and LXRα/LXRβ-null mice after exposure to the LXR agonist N-(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)-N-[4-(2,2,2-trifluoro-1-hydroxy-1-trifluoromethylethyl)phenyl] sulfonamide (T0901317). All 218 WY-regulated genes altered in wild-type mice required PPARα. Remarkably, ∼80% of genes regulated by AGN194,204 required PPARα including cell-cycle genes, consistent with AGN-induced hepatocyte proliferation having both PPARα-dependent and -independent components. Overlaps of ∼31 to 62% in the transcript profiles of WY, AGN194,204, and T0901317 required PPARα and LXRα/LXRβ for statistical significance. Ofthe 50 overlapping genes regulated by T0901317 and WY, all but one were regulated in a similar direction. These results 1) identify new transcriptional targets of PPARα and RXR important in regulating lipid metabolism and liver homeostasis, 2) illustrate the importance of PPARα in regulation of gene expression by a prototypical PP and by an RXR agonist, and 3) provide support for an axis of PPARα-RXR-LXR in which agonists for each nuclear receptor regulate an overlapping set of genes in the mouse liver.


The separate effects of pressure (10 −4 and 1.0 GPa), water, CO 2 , oxygen fugacity and calcium doping on the liquid line of descent of a primitive leucite-basanite magma (SiO 2 = 47.06 wt%, MgO = 12.76 wt% and Mg# = 75.1) from the Montefiascone Volcanic Complex (Vulsini volcanoes, central Italy) were experimentally investigated in the 1350–1160 °C temperature range. Results indicate that low-pressure liquidus temperatures are ≤1280 °C and that the high-pressure T liquidus is 1350 °C under anhydrous conditions; the latter is lowered to ~ 1275 °C by the addition of 3 wt% water. Cr-spinel is always the liquidus phase. At comparable f O 2 values, high and low pressure runs produced the same phase assemblage (spinel + olivine + clinopyroxene) up to 50 % crystallization, although olivine was partially or totally replaced by phlogopite in hydrous experiments. An increase in oxygen fugacity and the addition of CaO determine an increase in both the degree of melt crystallization and the stability field of clinopyroxene. These determine contrasting effects on the composition of residual liquids: the former increases SiO 2 content, whereas the latter induces the desilication of melts. The replacement of olivine by phlogopite, induced by increasing amounts of water, leads to the production of glass with lower potassium contents. Comparison of the natural and experimental melts shows that many of major and trace element variations exhibited by high-K primitive ( i.e. , high Mg/Mg + Fe) magmas at Montefiascone, are consistent with their derivation from a single parental leucite-basanite melt by fractional crystallization of different proportions of mineral phases, plus carbonate assimilation. The changes in phases stability and melt composition caused by carbonate assimilation may also have fundamental implications for the origin of the calcic high-magnesium leucitites and melilitites. In particular, the complex metasomatic interactions that can develop at the interface between potassic magmas and carbonate wall rocks, may lead to melting of calcite. This low-viscosity melt readily mixes with the surrounding magma inducing the crystallization of Ca-Tschermak-rich pyroxene and hercynitic spinel, affecting significantly the SiO 2 , CaO and alumina composition of the resulting hybrid melt. A key finding of our study is that magmas such as the studied leucite-basanite may be considered parental to the wide spectrum of mafic high-K compositions in the Roman Province, which have been traditionally considered as representing near primary magmas reflecting distinct mantle source compositions and/or processes.


Quantitative culture research is dominated by Hofstede's framework, which is based on survey data collected in the late 1960s and early 1970s. As countries develop economically, modernization theory predicts shifting societal values, which likely affect country's scores on Hofstede's culture dimensions. We examine how Hofstede's dimensions have developed over time by replicating Hofstede's dimensions for two generational cohorts using data from the World Values Survey. Results show that, on average, societies score higher on Individualism and Indulgence versus Restraint, and lower on Power Distance. Cultural change is absolute rather than relative, however, so that countries' culture scores relative to each other are hardly affected. Country pair cultural differences (i.e., cultural distances) are relatively stable. We discuss the implications of our findings for culture research in business and management.


Three‐dimensional microscopy provides more extended depth of penetration compared with conventional light microscopy and is known to be useful in clinical evaluation of thick biological specimens. Skin nerve biopsy together with the quantification of intraepidermal nerve fibers in multiple thick sections has been widely adopted for evaluating peripheral neuropathies. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectivity of three‐dimensional microscopy in reducing the required time and inter‐rater discrepancies, especially in the case of personnel not familiar with the quantification methods. A total of six cryo‐sectioned specimens were analyzed for the study and the skin samples were collected from one patient with postherpetic neuralgia who voluntarily participated in the study. Two investigators, a physician and non‐physician assessed the intraepidermal nerve fiber densities and required analysis time using three different methods including direct visualization of tissue slides, and analysis with two‐ and three‐dimensional images. Three‐dimensional microscopy could produce images that enabled reliable evaluation of intraepidermal nerve fibers; the accuracy of analysis was statistically comparable between the physician and non‐physician (p > .05). Three‐dimensional microscopy also enabled the non‐physician to proceed meaningfully faster evaluation compared with the direct visualization method (p = .03). Three‐dimensional microscopy could be one of the useful methods to improve accuracy and convenience of the analysis of intraepidermal nerve fibers especially appropriate for unaccustomed physician or non‐physician.


The Thames A Rater class had a predominant role in the popularisation of inland racing in the United Kingdom towards the end of the 19 century, and remains a historical racing class that owes its longevity to the progresses made in naval architecture and technology; the most emblematic example being the 43 feet tall carbon fibre rigs on the 27 feet centenary wooden hulls. Today, the class is a perfect illustration of the balance between historical conservation and modernisation. The design of a contemporary wooden Thames A Rater will be presented, aiming at retaining the spirit of tradition of the class, while incorporating the latest design evolutions, and complying with the current rules and regulations. Techniques such as computational fluid dynamics and parametric optimisation will be employed, leading to a significant increase in performance quantified thanks to a velocity prediction programme, thus demonstrating the applications of modern naval architecture techniques to historical crafts.