The green agenda for cities and the economy in general is a major focus of global institutions and is increasingly a major national and urban priority. Core issues and best practice for built environment businesses were collated from published studies and used in a survey of Australian firms to see how committed they were to the green economy. The results show high awareness of the challenges and opportunities with 85% of firms having sustainability as an established agenda with senior management and over 20% of built environment firms deriving more than 50% of their sales from green products and services. This is much higher in design firms and is globally high. Whilst recognizing the scope for more engagement by industry in transitioning to a low carbon green economy, there is doubt within the built environment sector about how to create a business case for innovative green ventures and a lack of certainty or encouragement from government about how to proceed.


We consider a two-user state-dependent multiaccess channel in which the states of the channel are known noncausally to one of the encoders and only strictly causally to the other encoder. Both encoders transmit a common message and, in addition, the encoder that knows the states noncausally transmits an individual message. We find explicit characterizations of the capacity region of this communication model in both discrete memoryless and memoryless Gaussian cases. In particular, the capacity region analysis demonstrates the utility of the knowledge of the states only strictly causally at the encoder that sends only the common message in general. More specifically, in the discrete memoryless setting, we show that such a knowledge is beneficial and increases the capacity region in general. In the Gaussian setting, we show that such a knowledge does not help, and the capacity is same as if the states were completely unknown at the encoder that sends only the common message. Furthermore, we also study the special case in which the two encoders transmit only the common message and show that the knowledge of the states only strictly causally at the encoder that sends only the common message is not beneficial in this case, in both discrete memoryless and memoryless Gaussian settings. The analysis also reveals optimal ways of exploiting the knowledge of the state only strictly causally at the encoder that sends only the common message when such a knowledge is beneficial. The encoders collaborate to convey to the decoder a lossy version of the state, in addition to transmitting the information messages through a generalized Gel'fand-Pinsker binning. Particularly important in this problem are the questions of 1) optimal ways of performing the state compression and 2) whether or not the compression indices should be decoded uniquely. By developing two optimal coding schemes that perform this state compression differently, we show that when used as parts of appropriately tuned encoding and decoding processes, both compression à-la noisy network coding by Lim or the quantize-map-and-forward by Avestimeher , i.e., with no binning, and compression using Wyner-Ziv binning are optimal. The scheme that uses Wyner-Ziv binning shares elements with Cover and El Gamal original compress-and-forward, but differs from it mainly in that backward decoding is employed instead of forward decoding and the compression indices are not decoded uniquely. Finally, by exploring the properties of our outer bound, we show that, although not required in general, the compression indices can in fact be decoded uniquely essentially without altering the capacity region, but at the expense of larger alphabets sizes for the auxiliary random variables.


Price discrimination is one of the most complex areas of EC competition law. There are several reasons for this. First, the concept of price discrimination covers many different practices (discounts and rebates, tying, selective price cuts, discriminatory input prices set by vertically-integrated operators, etc.) whose objectives and effects on competition significantly differ. From the point of view of competition law analysis, it is thus not easy to classify these practices under a coherent analytical framework. Second, there is a consensus among economists that the welfare effects of the (various categories of) price discrimination are ambiguous. It is hard to say a priori whether a given form of price discrimination increases or decreases welfare. The response to this question may indeed depend on which type of welfare standard (total or consumer) is actually pursued. Moreover, even if one agrees on a given standard, the welfare effects of discriminatory prices generally depend on factual issues, such as whether it increases or decreases total output. Third, the exact scope of Article 82(c), the only Treaty provision dealing with discrimination, is not entirely clear. While the European Commission (hereafter, the Commission) and the Community courts have applied Article 82(c) to many different practices, there are good reasons to believe that this provision should be applied to a limited set of circumstances, most forms of discrimination being adequately covered by Article 82(b) or other provisions of the Treaty. Against this background, the main objective of this paper is to throw some light on the compatibility of price discrimination with EC competition law. In order to do so, this paper does not seek to propose a grand unifying theory that would provide a single test offering a way to distinguish between practices compatible and incompatible with the EC Treaty. Instead, we offer an analytical framework which distinguishes between different categories of price discrimination depending on their effects on competition. Different tests may thus be needed to assess the compatibility of the practices belonging to these categories with EC competition law. Another objective of the paper is to show that Article 82(c) should only be applied to the limited circumstances where a non-vertically integrated dominant firm price discriminates between customers with the effect of placing one or several of them at a competitive disadvantage vis-a-vis other customers (secondary line price discrimination). In contrast, Article 82(c) should not be applied to pricing measures designed to harm the dominant firm's competitors (first line price discrimination) or to fragment the single market across national lines. As will be seen, relying on Article 82(c) to condemn such practices goes against the letter and the spirit of this provision and may also apply a wrong test to such practices. It is also not necessary since other Treaty provisions can be used to achieve this objective.


To identify potential effectors of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta-mediated suppression of colon cancer, we used GeneChip expression microarrays to identify TGF-beta-induced genes in VACO 330, a nontransformed TGF-beta-sensitive cell line derived from a human adenomatous colon polyp. PMEPA1 was identified as a gene highly up-regulated by TGF-beta treatment of VACO 330. Northern blot analysis confirmed TGF-beta induction of PMEPA1 in VACO 330, as well as a panel of three other TGF-beta-sensitive colon cell lines. PMEPA1 induction could be detected as early as 2 h after TGF-beta treatment and was not inhibited by pretreatment of cells with cycloheximide, suggesting that PMEPA1 is a direct target of TGF-beta signaling. Wild-type PMEPA1 and an alternative splice variant lacking the putative transmembrane domain were encoded by the PMEPA1 locus and were shown by epitope tagging to encode proteins with differing subcellular localization. Both variants were found to be expressed in normal colonic epithelium, and both were shown to be induced by TGF-beta. Consistent with TGF-beta playing a role in terminal differentiation of colonocytes, in situ hybridization of normal colonic epithelium localized PMEPA1 expression to nonproliferating, terminally differentiated epithelium located at the top of colonic crypts. Intriguingly, in situ hybridization and Northern blot analysis showed that the expression of PMEPA1 was well maintained both in colon cancer primary tumors and in colon cancer liver metastases. PMEPA1 is thus a novel TGF-beta-induced marker of a differentiated crypt cell population. Moreover, as PMEPA1 expression is maintained, presumptively in a TGF-beta-independent manner after malignant transformation and metastasis, it demonstrates that even late colon cancers retain a strong capacity to execute many steps of the normal colonic differentiation program.


We theoretically and experimentally study the spin Hall effect of reflected light at an air-uniaxial crystal interface. The spin-dependent nanometer-sized displacements depend not only on the incident polarization and the incident angle of the light beam, but also on the orientation of the crystal optic axis. The experimental results are in perfect agreement with theoretical predictions for the vertical and horizontal polarization incidence.


ABSTRACT Despite the progress achieved in transformational development in socioeconomic domains, in Oman, like other Gulf Cooperation Council states, fertility rates are higher compared with those in other Middle East nations. Reproductive behaviour often varies geographically; consequently, analysing and modelling this phenomenon should be conducted at subnational and finer levels to capture spatial heterogeneity patterns. In this research, data from the last Omani census are used and local indicators of spatial associations (LISA) as well as spatial econometric models have been employed to examine the effects of sociocultural factors, particularly foreign female domestic workers, on local fertility variations. Remarkable spatial differences were observed in the effects of structural covariates on fertility rates. Several spatial clusters indicate a correlation between higher fertility rates and higher values of other explanatory sociocultural variables. Furthermore, the subnational variations of fertility rates are significantly explained by geographical and sociocultural factors, such a surban-rural settlement, education, female employment in governmental sectors, unemployed women, and the proportion of foreign female domestic workers. The findings also reveal that the rural and Bedouin communities, particularly in the internal governorates, not only displayed higher fertility rates, but also had more unemployed women.


In each of the four countries involved in the research (Italy, France, India and Mexico), two specific "local contexts" are considered, based on contrasting geographical, climatic, cultural and access condition. The questionnaire investigated the different uses of water during a typical day, the perception of quantities of water used by the respondent and by others, and the perceived quality of water. Contrasting pattern of perception/representation/uses emerges between the different sites considered, and environmental conditions and type of supply seem to strongly affect people's perception and action concerning fresh water resources. Beyond seasonal differences, water use seems primarily determined by the opportunities: status, type of housing and life style. Basically, consumption depends on economical status and expressed needs. People tend to use the quantities necessary to what they consider to be their needs, without depriving. In India, as well as in Mexico, poor people limit their daily consumption since, for instance in Mexico, they are forced to walk a number of blocks in order to get water from the only faucet they have for the settlement. On all the sites, the more water is available, the more water is used, without any concern for its wastage. Contrary to Europe, where water quality is overall good, it is of bad quality in India and Mexico. In Mexico middle and high-class individuals distrust water quality, stating that drinking water directly from faucets is risky for health. Poor people instead, see their water quality as good, and consume it directly from faucets. They are pessimistic about the future due to perception of scarcity in the past. The perception of the quality of the water seems to be function of knowledge and objective information. People think that others, not they themselves, waste water. Practically everybody knows one or more neighbours that are water wasters: Only people in the Sardinia Island (Italy), who experience poor water supply, explicitly declare themselves as actively engaged in water saving action in their daily lives. Water perception and consumption is widely dependent on the people's condition of access to water, which in turn is largely dependent their economic faculties in the developing countries. People are more concerned about the local and immediate environmental problems such as water scarcity, garbage being or not being collected and traffic jams rather than depleting water resources, global warming, or other problems of the earth system.


Botanic gardens play major roles in plant conservation globally. Since the 1980s, the number of botanic gardens worldwide and their involvement in integrating ex situ and in situ plant conservation has increased significantly, with a growing focus on understanding, documenting, and capturing genetic diversity in their living collections. This article outlines why genetic diversity is important for conservation, and explores how botanic gardens can establish and expand the use of molecular techniques to support their plant conservation efforts.


Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) has been used for the repair of infarcted myocardium, but concerns have been raised regarding its proarrhythmic potential. We analyzed the influence of G-CSF treatment on sympathetic nerve remodeling and the expression of nestin in a rat model of experimental myocardial infarction (MI). Twenty-four hours after ligation of the anterior descending artery, male Wistar rats were randomized to receive either saline (MI/C) or G-CSF (MI/G) for 5 days. At 56 days after infarction, MI/G rats had a significantly higher left ventricular ejection fraction accompanied by a significant decrease in the left ventricular end-diastolic dimension than the MI/C group. Myocardial norepinephrine levels revealed a significant elevation in MI/G rats in the border zone compared with MI/C rats. Immunohistochemical analysis for tyrosine hydroxylase, growth-associated protein 43, and neurofilament also confirmed the changes of myocardial norepinephrine. At 5 days after infarction, MI/G rats had increased numbers of tissue-infiltrated CD34(+) cells, although a similar increase in circulating neutrophil counts between sham-operated rats treated with G-CSF and MI/G rats was observed. Compared with MI/C rats, MI/G rats showed an increase of nestin and nerve growth factor expression, as assessed by protein expression and mRNA levels. The arrhythmia scores during programmed stimulation were significantly higher in MI/G rats than in MI/C rats, suggesting proarrhythmic potential. These findings suggest that, although G-CSF administration after infarction improved myocardial function, it resulted in the activation of nestin and nerve growth factor expression and increased sympathetic reinnervation, which may increase the arrhythmogenic response to programmed electrical stimulation.


Model systems mimicking the extracellular matrix (ECM) have greatly helped in quantifying cell migration in three dimensions and elucidated the molecular determinants of cellular motility in morphogenesis, regeneration, and disease progression. Here we tested the suitability of proteolytically degradable synthetic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based hydrogels as an ECM model system for cell migration research and compared this designer matrix with the two well-established ECM mimetics fibrin and collagen. Three-dimensional migration of dermal fibroblasts was quantified by time-lapse microscopy and automated single-cell tracking. A broadband matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, a potent MMP-inducer in fibroblasts, were used to alter MMP regulation. We demonstrate a high sensitivity of migration in synthetic networks to both MMP modulators: inhibition led to an almost complete suppression of migration in PEG hydrogels, whereas MMP upregulation increased the fraction of migrating cells significantly. Conversely, migration in collagen and fibrin proved to be less sensitive to the above MMP modulators, as their fibrillar architecture allowed for MMP-independent migration through preexisting pores. The possibility of molecularly recapitulating key functions of the natural extracellular microenvironment and the improved protease sensitivity makes PEG hydrogels an interesting model system that allows correlation between protease activity and cell migration.


This paper describes security extensions of various Windows components based on usage of FIPS 201 (PIV) smart cards. Compared to some other similar solutions, this system has two significant advantages: first, smart cards are based on FIPS 201 standard and not on some proprietary technology; second, smart card security extensions represent an integrated solution, so the same card is used for security of several Microsoft products. Furthermore, our smart card system uses FIPS 201 applet and middleware with smart card APIs, so it can also be used by other developers to extend their own applications with smart card functions in a Windows environment. We support the following security features with smart cards: start-up authentication (based on PIN and/or fingerprint), certificate-based domain authentication, strong authentication, and protection of local resources. We also integrated our middleware and smart cards with MS Outlook and MS Internet Explorer.


Stereotypes concerning older workers' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were examined in three types of organizations. Questionnaires were completed by employees of the governments of a county in the U.S.A. and a city located within the county, a university in the city, and a privately-held business headquartered in the county. Workers in the private business displayed the least age stereotyping overall, whereas those in local government displayed the strongest age stereotypes. Although older respondents rated older workers more favorably than did younger respondents on all scales, older government employees did not rate older workers any higher on motivation for Task Enjoyment and Compensation than did younger government employees. The implications for motivating employees and managing organizational culture are discussed.


THE EFFECT OF NARRATIVE FEEDBACK ON THE LEARNING AND TRANSFER OF COMPLEX COMMUNICATION SKILLS Rebecca A. Kennedy Old Dominion University, 2017 Director: Dr. Mark W. Scerbo The purpose of the present research was to examine the effects of narrative performance feedback on learning and transfer of intercultural communication skills learned in an experiential training task. It was predicted that feedback based on a narrative structure, especially from a first-person perspective, would enhance learning by providing schemas for memory organization, contextual information, and emotional content. Using a healthcare-related training task, participants learned the CRASH principles of intercultural sensitivity and then performed a low-fidelity, text-based simulated conversation with a patient and patient's family member. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three kinds of performance feedback: didactic, third-person narrative, or first-person narrative. Dependent variables were content knowledge as assessed by content quiz scores, transfer of training as assessed by situational judgment tests (SJTs), and subjective experiential learning as assessed by items from the Experiential Learning Survey (ELS). Two separate experiments were conducted: 133 participants completed the task with testing immediately following training, and in a follow-up study 46 participants completed the task with a one-week interval between training and testing. The results showed few significant effects of feedback type. The predicted effects of feedback type on CRASH quiz scores, SJT responses, and ELS scores were not observed. However, there were some interactions between feedback type and gender. Male participants scored significantly lower than female participants on the CRASH content quiz in the didactic feedback condition only, suggesting narrative feedback was uniquely beneficial for males for remembering content. Results from some ELS items suggested that there were gender differences in the didactic condition only, with males giving lower ratings for utility of the training. Taken together, the findings suggest that the type of communication skills performance feedback might not have broad implications in learning, transfer, or subjective experience, but there may be some benefits of narrative feedback for males. Further research is needed to determine whether this effect holds in other contexts with other tasks and measures.


Habitat heterogeneity is a driving factor for speciation and ecosystem functioning and is well studied in macro-ecology. Yet our understanding of microbial adaptations, and governing processes is incomplete. The here presented thesis aims at giving us a better understanding of patterns in micro-heterogeneity, and microbial adaptations to such heterogeneity with particular focus on surface-dominated, aquatic habitats. The most prominent microbial adaptation to surface associated mode of life is biofilm formation. Biofilms rely heavily on type IV pili. These pili systems are well studied in Bacteria, but largely unknown in Archaea. Therefore, the first part of this thesis focuses on resolving genetic and structural feature of the type IV like aap-pilus of the thermo-acidophilic Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. We found the aap-pilus to be indispensible for biofilm formation, and to be unparalleled in variability of its quaternary structure and cross regulation with other filaments. The second part of this thesis investigates particle colonization in the water column, focusing on diatoms as a model system, allowing an in situ assessment of different stages of particle colonization, and potential particle-specificity of the associated bacterial community. Opposing reports from marine systems, we did not observe diatom-specificity in the associated bacterial community. Instead we found bacterial community subsets, one likely originating from sediment resuspension, and the other being controlled by biofilm-forming populations (e.g. Flexibacter), able to attach to newly formed particle surfaces and subsequently facilitate secondary colonization by other bacteria. Finally, the habitat heterogeneity in top-layers of lake sediments were investigated in experimental microcosms. Cell-specific oxygen consumption rates were determined, to assess microbial activity across different scales. Individual activity rates differed strongly across all investigated scales, likely due to spatially heterogeneous distribution of nutrients with differing quality. Vice versa, the influence of microbial activity on micro-habitat-heterogeneity was investigated. We correlated sediment redox-state with bacterial community composition and populations. Our results indicate that habitat heterogeneity is generally beneficial for microorganism, and greater heterogeneity results in greater bacterial diversity. However, this heterogeneity-diversity relationship is limited and microorganisms actively stabilize their immediate redox environment to a preferred, community-specific, stable state, if cell abundances exceed a minimum threshold.


This work describes how teacher education programs can inform teachers' knowledge and practice of leadership. We introduce a leadership typology to illustrate how teachers can lead organizational reform for pedagogical excellence and socially just practices. The model provides teacher educators ways to identify and resolve conflicts generated by imparting innovative pedagogies to teachers who in turn use them in antiquated and inequitable school environments. The model can also be used to develop teachers' professional knowledge of the contexts that mitigate or marginalize their leadership potential. Several examples from current teaching practices in teacher education are used to illustrate how teachers develop leadership knowledge.


We demonstrate a new technique for dispersion compensation in Kerr-lens mode-locked (KLM) lasers that uses a novel resonator design in conjunction with a prismatic end mirror. This approach achieves intracavity dispersion compensation without the need for prism pairs or dispersion-compensating mirrors. A pulse-repetition rate of 1 GHz, to our knowledge the highest repetition rate achieved in a KLM laser to data, is generated with a pulse durations of 111 fs. Pulse durations of 54 fs are achieved at a repetition rate of 385 MHz. We believe that this new dispersion-compensation technique will be useful for the development of compact femtosecond sources.


Abstract. Given the proven effects of weather on the human organism, an attempt to examine its effects on a psychological and emotional level has been made. Emotions affect the bio tone, working ability, and concentration; hence their significance in various domains of economic life such as health care, education, transportation, and tourism. The present pilot study was conducted in Sofia, Bulgaria over a period of eight months, using five psychological methods: Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Test for Self-assessment of the emotional state, Test for evaluation of moods and Test ''Self-confidence-Activity-Mood''. The Fiodorov-Chubukov's complex-climatic method was used to characterize meteorological conditions in order to include a maximal number of meteorological elements in the analysis. Sixteen weather types are defined depending on the meteorological elements values according to this method. Abrupt weather changes from one day to another, defined by the same method, were also considered. The results obtained by t-test showed that the different categories of weather led to changes in the emotional status, which indicates a character either positive or negative for the organism. The abrupt weather changes, according to expectations, have negative effects on human emotions – but only when a transition to the cloudy weather or weather type, classified as ''unfavorable'', has been realized. The relationship between weather and human emotions is rather complicated since it depends on individual characteristics of people. One of these individual psychological characteristics, marked by the dimension ''neuroticism'', has a strong effect on emotional reactions in different weather conditions. Emotionally stable individuals are more ''resistant'' to the weather influence on their emotions, while those who are emotionally unstable have a stronger dependence on the impacts of weather.


This volume assembles new thinking on the theory, practice, and cultural value of the history of literary criticism. Focusing on a theme that has attracted relatively little developed theoretical commentary hitherto, the authors of these essays draw on specialist areas of critical history - and different kinds of problems - to illustrate the paradoxes that attend any attempt to write the history of critical writing. Commentary begins with medieval literary theory, explores the social dimension of restoration criticism, the relations between poetry and criticism, and a test case in eighteenth-century criticism's reception aesthetics. Other essays consider relations between eighteenth-century critical and literary history, between romanticism and New Historicism, and the various ways in which present and past criticism is interrelated. In an introduction to the volume, the editor calls for a clearer confrontation with the representational issues of critical history by those who write about the critical past. Philip Smallwood is Professor of English at the University of Central England.


Despite its promise, reinforcement learning's real-world adoption has been hampered by the need for costly exploration to learn a good policy. Imitation learning (IL) mitigates this shortcoming by using an oracle policy during training as a bootstrap to accelerate the learning process. However, in many practical situations, the learner has access to multiple suboptimal oracles, which may provide conflicting advice in a state. The existing IL literature provides a limited treatment of such scenarios. Whereas in the single-oracle case, the return of the oracle's policy provides an obvious benchmark for the learner to compete against, neither such a benchmark nor principled ways of outperforming it are known for the multi-oracle setting. In this paper, we propose the state-wise maximum of the oracle policies' values as a natural baseline to resolve conflicting advice from multiple oracles. Using a reduction of policy optimization to online learning, we introduce a novel IL algorithm MAMBA, which can provably learn a policy competitive with this benchmark. In particular, MAMBA optimizes policies by using a gradient estimator in the style of generalized advantage estimation (GAE). Our theoretical analysis shows that this design makes MAMBA robust and enables it to outperform the oracle policies by a larger margin than the IL state of the art, even in the single-oracle case. In an evaluation against standard policy gradient with GAE and AggreVaTe(D), we showcase MAMBA's ability to leverage demonstrations both from a single and from multiple weak oracles, and significantly speed up policy optimization


Abstract This paper presents some new stochastic dominance (SD) criteria for ranking transformations on a random variable, which is the first time that this is done for transformations under the discrete framework. By using the expected utility theory, the authors first propose a sufficient condition for general transformations by first degree SD (FSD), and further develop it into the necessary and sufficient condition for monotonic transformations. For the second degree SD (SSD) case, they divide the monotonic transformations into increasing and decreasing categories, and further derive their necessary and sufficient conditions, respectively. For two different discrete random variables with the same possible states, the authors obtain the sufficient and necessary conditions for FSD and SSD, respectively. The new SD criteria have the following features: each FSD condition is represented by the transformation functions and each SSD condition is characterized by the transformation functions and the probability distributions of the random variable. This is different from the classical SD approach where FSD and SSD conditions are described by cumulative distribution functions. Finally, a numerical example is provided to show the effectiveness of the new SD criteria.


The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a professional learning program on the emergent literacy skills of preschool children. Building Blocks for Literacy® is a program consisting of training supported by mentoring designed to teach early childcare providers how to promote the development of early literacy skills. A previous investigation found positive effects of the program on the pre-literacy skills of children in Vermont. The current study extended their work by replicating the training for Head Start teachers (n = 27) in another state. Teachers were divided into three groups. One group received the training and live mentoring; a second group received training and distance mentoring; and a third group of teachers served as controls. The results indicate that children (n = 97) served by teachers who received the training (n = 18) made higher gains on a measure of early literacy skills than those children (n = 36) served by control teachers. The gains made by children in the treatment groups were consistent for teachers who received either live or distance mentoring. Implications for practice are discussed.


Background: Pulp stones (PS) are discrete calcified masses found in the dental pulp, in the pulp tissue or become attached to or embedded into the dentine. The formation of pulp stones is still something of an enigma, leading to existence of some epidemiological gaps. Aim: To determine the prevalence and distribution of pulp stones in posterior tooth group by using panoramic radiograph. Materials and Methods: Panoramic radiographs from 6912 patients attending Kirikkale University Dental Faculty Hospital, Kirikkale, Turkey during the period from July 2009 to August 2011 were reviewed for the presence of pulp stones. The overall incidence of pulp stones in the patients and their correlations between female and male patients and between the right-side and left-side occurrences were analyzed by computer program, SPSS 15. (SPSS Inc. Chicago, USA) with using the χ2 test. Differences were considered as significant when P < 0.05. Results: Pulp stones were detected in 879 out of 6912 patients (person prevalence 12.7%). Pulp stones were detected in 2009 teeth out of a total of 96240 teeth to give a tooth prevalence of 2.1%. Their occurrence was higher in the maxilla than in the mandible for each tooth type. Pulp stones were found to involve the right side more (1224/2009) (61%) than the left side (785/2009)(39%) and they were significantly more common in females than males (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Attention should be paid to the presence of pulp stones and the treatment problems associated with them.


We show that inelastic scattering of quasiparticles by trace concentrations of magnetic impurities may result in significant changes in the nonequilibrium properties of superconductors. We used the approach of Muller-Hartmann and Zittartz to model Kondo scattering of conduction electrons by the magnetic impurities, and hence, to calculate the rates of (i) quasiparticle trapping into the localized impurity states, (ii) trap-enhanced recombination, (iii) pair breaking, and (iv) detrapping of localized quasiparticles by phonons, including both deformation-potential and spin-lattice couplings. Our results indicate that these processes will give rise to anomalies in the temperature dependence of kinetic parameters, which should be easily observable.


A Concise Introduction to Computation Models and Computability Theory provides an introduction to the essential concepts in computability, using several models of computation, from the standard Turing Machines and Recursive Functions, to the modern computation models inspired by quantum physics. An in-depth analysis of the basic concepts underlying each model of computation is provided. Divided into two parts, the first highlights the traditional computation models used in the first studies on computability: - Automata and Turing Machines; - Recursive functions and the Lambda-Calculus; - Logic-based computation models. and the second part covers object-oriented and interaction-based models. There is also a chapter on concurrency, and a final chapter on emergent computation models inspired by quantum mechanics. At the end of each chapter there is a discussion on the use of computation models in the design of programming languages.


Summary Laurel wilt, caused by Raffaelea lauricola, is responsible for extensive mortality of redbay and other American members of the Lauraceae in the southeastern United States. Raffaelea lauricola is a mycangial symbiont of the redbay ambrosia beetle (Xyleborus glabratus), and the beetle and fungus were accidentally introduced from Asia. Branch dieback of camphortree (Cinnamomum camphora), an Asian member of the Lauraceae, has been occasionally observed in areas where laurel wilt has decimated redbay populations, and R. lauricola was isolated from such camphortrees. However, the role of X. glabratus and R. lauricola in this branch dieback remains unclear. Examination of camphortrees on Jekyll Island, Georgia showed that healthy-appearing trees and those with branch dieback had been attacked by X. glabratus, but the trees with branch dieback had four times as many beetle attacks. Raffaelea lauricola was routinely isolated from discoloured xylem near beetle tunnels in healthy trees and those with dieback. Single-point inoculations with R. lauricola on stems of mature, healthy camphortree trees failed to induce wilt-like symptoms or branch dieback, although areas of discoloration were scattered throughout the xylem, and R. lauricola was reisolated irregularly at various heights in some inoculated trees. In growth chamber experiments, single-point inoculations with R. lauricola resulted in systemic colonization but no wilt symptoms or branch dieback in camphortree saplings. In contrast, inoculations at multiple points along the stem (simulating multiple attacks by the vector) caused branch dieback and wilt-like symptoms, including a brownish, diffuse discoloration of the xylem. Camphortree appears to be more resistant than American species of Lauraceae to the vascular wilt caused by R. lauricola. The fungus does colonize camphortrees systemically, however, and can apparently cause branch dieback. This suggests that the fungus may provide brood material for X. glabratus in Asia as it does in the southeastern United States.


Mrs Jones was a 20-year-old primiparous woman, blood group A, rhesus negative and rubella immune. She had normal antenatal ultrasound scans at 16, 20 and 34 weeks' gestation. The risk of her fetus having Down's syndrome was 1:3810. She reported good fetal movements throughout the pregnancy and there was no family history of note. She was admitted to hospital in labour at full-term with intact membranes. The fetal heart rate was normal.

A male infant, John, was born by vaginal delivery at 41 weeks' gestation. Thick meconium was present in the liquor at delivery but none was seen below the vocal cords. At birth, he had poor respiratory effort and a heart rate of 60/minute. He was treated with bag and mask ventilation and his respiratory effort improved. The APGAR scores were 5 at 1 minute and 9 at 5 minutes of age. Cord blood gas analysis was not performed.

At 1 h of age, he was noted to be pale, with poor respiratory efforts and an oxygen saturation of 80% in air. He also had decreased movements. He was sedated, intubated, ventilated and transferred to the neonatal unit. At 75 minutes of age an arterial blood gas in air was: pH 7.01, pCO2 8.0 kPa, pO2 7.7 kPa, HCO3 15 mmol/l and base excess −17 mmol/l. The ventilation was adjusted (FiO2 40%, maximum pressure 26/5 cmH2O) and at 120 minutes of age an arterial blood gas was: pH 7.23 pCO2 4.0 kPa, pO2 20 kPa, HCO3 12 mmol/l and base excess −13 mmol/l.

The history of meconium in the liquor, the need for resuscitation at birth, and the metabolic acidosis led the admitting senior house officer to make a working diagnosis of perinatal asphyxia. Since oxygenation was relatively easy, he …


Autoimmune diseases are a group of disorders in which the immune system dysfunctions and attacks host tissues. Although the pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid disease has not been elucidated, there are several factors that have been associated with the disorder. Factors include genetic predisposition, nutrient deficiencies, use of certain medications affecting thyroid function, and environmental factors including exposure to radiation, heavy metals, and chemical contaminants. Thyroid disorders are often treated with drug therapy, which often have serious side effects and do not necessarily treat the underlying condition leading to the thyroid dysfunction. In recent years there has been increased interest in herbs and supplements as individuals take more interest in their health and well being. For autoimmune disease, vitamin D supplementation is recommended as deficiency in this nutrient has been associated with the disorder. Additionally, it also modulates T cell response and inhibits Th1 cytokines. In cases of autoimmune hyperthyroid disorder, rosmarinic acid, selenium and iodide supplementation are recommended. For autoimmune hypothyroid disorder, blue flag (Iris versicolor) and guggul (Commiphora mukul), selenium and iodide supplementation are indicated. Each of these supplements plays a specific role in restoring normal thyroid function. Further, rosmarinic acid found in plants such as rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), bugleweed (Lycopus virginicus), and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) also calms excess T cell activity and pro inflammatory cytokine release. The use of these combinations of supplements should restore thyroid hormone homeostasis in autoimmune thyroid disorders. Proper medical supervision is required to ensure these herbs and nutrients are used safely and potential adverse effects are avoided.


Remote sensing of shallow waters may produce images characterized by limited image coverage, strong uneven background, and high noise/speckle levels, which contribute to the challenges of extracting spatial information. To better assess the submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) habitat of coastal Pinellas County, Florida, USA, using Hyperion images, two operational image optimization algorithms, vertical radiance correction (VRadCor) for destripe and spectral recognition spatial smooth hyperspectral filter (SRSSHF) for denoise, were modified for use in the shallow coastal waters and then compared to other methods. The VRadCor compresses the cross-track radiance abnormity addressing both the along-track cambering effect with low frequency and the stripe effect with high frequency by estimating both the additive and the multiplicative correction factors. The experimental results show that VRadCor more effectively removes stripes from Hyperion images in comparison to other traditional algorithms. Application of SRSSHF, a special adaptive filter model that compresses the noise by using both spectral and spatial features, was effective for denoising for inner patch areas while retaining (or enhancing) subtle edges between different patches. The use of VRadCor and SRSSHF significantly improves the quality of images of coastal waters while retaining the spectral features of water/SAV. The optimization of the images may lead to improved feature classification or increased accuracy for parameter extraction.


The purpose of this study is to find out how and why the 'poetics of fiction' arose, its sources, and the materials from which it was created. A series of cultural choices made in archaic and classical Greece produced a clash between the traditional 'poetics of truth', which derived poetry from divine inspiration and in the last analysis did not construe the poem as a work of art at all, and the new 'poetics of fiction', which derived poetry from art. The eventual succession of the latter, culminating with the Poetics of Aristotle, amounted to an aesthetic revolution because, as a result of it, literary fiction, which since then has become a necessary framework for both the theory and practice of literature in Western tradition, was for the first time separated from non-fiction and given a status of its own.


The question of existence of outer automorphisms of a simple algebraic group $G$ arises naturally both when working with the Galois cohomology of $G$ and as an example of the algebro-geometric problem of determining which connected components of the automorphism group of $G$ have rational points. The existence question remains open only for four types of groups, and we settle one of the remaining cases, type $^3D_4$. The key to the proof is a Skolem-Noether theorem for cubic etale subalgebras of Albert algebras which is of independent interest. Necessary and sufficient conditions for a simply connected group of outer type $A$ to admit outer automorphisms of order 2 are also given.


With the impending retirement of some 76 million Baby Boomers, understanding the economic, political, and social issues related to the aging population is paramount. If the doom-and-gloomers have their way, the elderly will be put out to pasture, with inadequate health care and financial resources, and a crumbling social welfare system. In Aging Nation, renowed experts in the field, James Schulz and Robert Binstock, agree that there is considerable cause for concern, but with a variety of sound policies and programs in place and smart individual choices, the elderly can prosper, and a demographic tsunami is not inevitable. Drawing from the most current data, the authors provide in-depth analysis of the nation's evolving private and public policies on retirement, faltering employer pensions, health care, workplace conditions, and entitlement programs, and consider such timely issues as poverty among the elderly, rejoining the workforce after retirement, Social Security and health care reform, and the rise of the elderly as a powerful political force. Dispelling popular myths and misconceptions that are perpetrated by politicians and pundits alike, they provide a comprehensive and balanced assessment of the issues and their impact on everyone, old and young. Deserving poor or greedy geezers? The debate rages on. In a period of huge government deficits and the impending retirement of some 76 million Baby Boomers, understanding the economic, political, and social issues related to the aging population is paramount. The policy debates have never been more contentious; they range from deciding who should receive limited subsidized housing and medical services to the ongoing battle over saving Social Security and other entitlement programs. If the doom-and-gloomers have their way, the elderly will be put out to pasture, with inadequate health care and financial resources, and a crumbling social welfare infrastructure that will implode under the strain of intergenerational conflict. This book debunks most aging crises put forth by merchants of doom and offers a new policy focus for our nation. In Aging Nation, renowned experts in the field, James Schulz and Robert Binstock, agree that there is considerable cause for concern, but with a variety of sound policies and programs in place and smart individual choices, the elderly can prosper, and a demographic tsunami is not inevitable. Drawing from the most current data, the authors provide in-depth analysis of the nation's evolving private and public policies on retirement, faltering employer pensions, health care, workplace conditions, and entitlement programs, and consider such timely issues as poverty among the elderly, rejoining the workforce after retirement, Social Security and health care reform, and the rise of the elderly as a powerful political force. Dispelling popular myths and misconceptions that are perpetrated by politicians and pundits alike, they provide a comprehensive and balanced assessment of these issues and their impact on everyone, old and young.


This paper presents a nonscan design-for-testability (DFT) method for register-transfer-level (RTL) circuits. We first introduce the notation to analyze the test generation complexity, as well as two classes of sequential circuits, namely: 1) the combinationally testable class and 2) the acyclically testable class. Then, we introduce a new class of linear-depth time-bounded circuits as one of the acyclically testable classes. The linear-depth time-bounded testability guarantees that the number of time frames required for any testable fault is bounded by a linear function of the number of flip-flops in the circuit during the test generation process. As one of the linear-depth time-bounded classes, we introduce a new class of RTL circuits, called the cycle-unrollable RTL circuits, which is shown to be linear depth time bounded. We propose a DFT method to make RTL circuits cycle unrollable and a test generation method for cycle-unrollable RTL circuits. Experimental results show that we can drastically reduce hardware overhead and test application time compared to the full-scan method and the method proposed by Ohtake Moreover, our proposed method can achieve 100% fault efficiency for gate-level single stuck-at faults in practical test generation time and allow at-speed testing.


Stress has a wide range of negative impacts on people, ranging from declines in real-time task performance to development of chronic health conditions. Despite the increasing availability of sensors and methods for detecting stress, little work has focused on automated stress interventions and their effect. We present MoodWings: a wearable butterfly that mirrors a user's real-time stress state through actuated wing motion. We designed MoodWings to function both as an early-stress-warning system as well as a physical interface through which users could manipulate their affective state. Accordingly, we hypothesized that MoodWings would help users both calm down and perform better during stressful tasks. We tested our hypotheses on a common stressful task: driving. While users drove significantly more safely with MoodWings, they experienced higher stress levels (physiologically and self-perceived). Despite this, users were enthusiastic about MoodWings, expressing several alternative contexts in which they would find it useful. We discuss these results and future design implications for building externalized manifestations of real-time affective state.


Summary Cell-free replication of SV40 DNA in extracts prepared from S phase cells is at least 20-fold more efficient than in extracts from G1 cells. The increased activity of S phase extracts correlates with the presence of an S phase-specific cellular factor that enhances DNA unwinding at the replication origin. This change in origin-DNA structure during the initiation of SV40 replication proceeds through at least three discrete steps which can be distinguished by their extent of topologic unwinding (linking differences of −1, −2 and −5). Specific DNA elements flanking the core origin enhance replication in vivo and facilitate the formation of the pre-initiation complexes, indicating that formation of these underwound conformations may be the limiting step in the initiation of DNA synthesis. In addition, the factor that activates DNA replication in extracts from S phase cells also enhances the formation of the most highly underwound −5 pre-initiation complex. These observations suggest that during SV40 replication, formation of the rate-limiting pre-initiation complex is the focus of at least three regulatory elements. Two of these are DNA sequences flanking the replication origin and the third is a cellular factor specific to the S phase cell.


Publisher's description of the book:

'The game is this: Phillips provides definitions of a series of fashion terms while Clark creates installations that do the same (represented in the book by Norbert Schoerner's photographic record). Naturally it's a stunningly elegant production' – Mark Rappolt, Art Review

'The visual element is only half the experience. The other half exists in the form of a book, published by Violette Editions: a handsome artefact in its own right' – Jane Shillling, The Daily Telegraph

This book examines the nature of dictionaries, archives and dress curation, and adds a stunning visual essay recording two overnight tours through an Artangel-commissioned exhibition at Blythe House.

Phillips' definitions for words commonly associated with fashion and appearance were paired with eleven stations created by Clark on a walk through this vast building, home of the Victoria and Albert Museum's archive. Here in print, extending beyond the works at Blythe House, Phillips adds more words, more definitions and an overarching essay asking broader questions about what dictionaries are, how we use them and why they matter. Judith Clark also presents a written analysis of the Dictionary in her response to questions posed anonymously by authorities in cultural theory, fashion history, arts curation and architecture, as well as a catalogue of references used in creating the installations.

Judith Clark is Reader in the field of Fashion and Museology at London College of Fashion. She has curated major exhibitions at the V&A in London, ModeMuseum in Antwerp, Palazzo Pitti in Florence and Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam.

Adam Phillips, formerly Principal Child Psychotherapist at Charing Cross Hospital in London, is a psychoanalyst and author of 15 acclaimed books, most recently On Balance. He is the Editor of the New Penguin Freud translations, and a regular reviewer for the London Review of Books.

Norbert Schoerner is a photographer and filmmaker whose fashion campaigns have included Comme des Garcons and Prada; his editorial work has been seen in The Face, New York Times Magazine, Vogue and many other publications. Schoerner's work has been widely exhibited, including shows at White Cube, Chapman Fine Arts and the 10th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale (2006).


Despite the scepticism that increasingly surrounds their role and standing in contemporary democracies, scholarly interest in political parties continues unabated. But this interest is also proving uneven, with relatively little attention now being given to the study of party systems. More specifically, the level of theoretical interest in party systems remains limited, with almost no substantial innovations being made since the publication of Sartori's classic work of 1976. In this article, we seek to redress some of this neglect by identifying the relevant parameters that can be used in the definition of party systems and, possibly, in the explanation of party system change. We then go on to look at the minimum defining characteristics of a system of parties (as opposed to a set of parties) before finally arguing that party systems are best understood as multidimensional phenomena in which we identify and discuss the implications of three types of division — vertical, horizontal and functional.


Facial displays are an important form of social communication in nonhuman primates. Clues to the information conveyed by faces are the temporal and spatial characteristics of ocular viewing patterns to facial images. The present study compares viewing patterns of four rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) to a set of 1- and 3-sec video segments of conspecific facial displays, which included open-mouth threat, lip-smack, yawn, fear-grimace, and neutral profile. Both static and dynamic video images were used. Static human faces displaying open-mouth threat, smile, and neutral gestures were also presented. Eye position was recorded with a surgically implanted eye-coil. The relative perceptual salience of the eyes, the midface, and the mouth across different expressive gestures was determined by analyzing the number of eye movements associated with each feature during static and dynamic presentations. The results indicate that motion does not significantly affect the viewing patterns to expressive facial displays, and when given a choice, monkeys spend a relatively large amount of time inspecting the face, especially the eyes, as opposed to areas surrounding the face. The expressive nature of the facial display also affected viewing patterns in that threatening and fear-related displays evoked a pattern of viewing that differed from that recorded during the presentation of submissive-related facial displays. From these results we conclude that (1) the most important determinant of the visual inspection patterns of faces is the constellation of physiognomic features and their configuration, but not facial motion, (2) the eyes are generally the most salient facial feature, and (3) the agonistic or affiliative dimension of an expressive facial display can be delineated on the basis of viewing patterns.


The Marching Song of Democracy by Australian-American composer Percy Grainger is an unusual piece, not only in a musical and aesthetic sense but also in its performance and reception history. Accompanied by an ambitious programme espousing metaphorical democracy and symbolic of 'comradely affectionate athletic humanity', the Marching Song was frequently singled out for promotion and performance by Grainger throughout his life. This signified its fundamental importance to him as a musical representation of his credo, and is at odds with the work's present status as a rarely performed Grainger work. Through examining contemporary public responses, this article explores how the failure of the Marching Song to resonate with Australian audiences is linked with Grainger's deliberate withdrawal of his original compositions from performance in Australia. It is argued that the Marching Song was therefore not only a major composition but also one through which Grainger had envisioned himself to be a prophetic composer of Australian identity. Indeed, even as his bitter attitude began to thaw, this specific work would remain withheld, unlike the more notorious Warriors, his Free Music experiments, or his controversial lecture series. The stark contrasts between the American and Australian receptions of the Marching Song and Grainger's contradictory efforts of promotion and suppression across the two regions are illuminated to provide a degree of reconciliation between Grainger's esteem for the work and its relative neglect.


Multisensor capacitance sensors (MCS) are now popular alternatives to neutron scattering (NS) soil water–monitoring devices. The objectives of this study were to (i) quantify the effect of clay shrinkage–swelling on the soil bulk density; (ii) determine field calibration equations for an MCS and an NS device; and (iii) compare the performance of the MCS with a NS meter under field conditions. The calibration was conducted in a duplex soil with sandy clay loam overlying clay in South Australia. Six access tubes were installed in a 6 by 8 m grid. Three moisture treatments were replicated twice for every moisture level. The bulk density of the top 20 cm increased with increasing water content; this increase was more pronounced in the upper 10‐cm horizon, which could be attributed to soil compaction. However, a negative correlation was obtained between bulk density and water content in the 30‐ to 100‐cm depth layers reflecting the shrinking and swelling properties of the fine‐textured subsoil. Results also show highly significant effects of sampling depth and moisture level on NS and MCS readings. Compared with linear calibration, a three‐parameter model improved NS calibration and/or minimized the root mean square errors for 6 out of the 10 sampling depths. Except for the 10‐cm sampling depth, individual calibration for each 10‐cm soil layer improved the accuracy of the MCS as compared with the use of single calibration equation for the entire profile. Site‐specific calibration improved the accuracy of both the NS and MCS soil water–monitoring devices.


La importancia de la etica en el papel de los arbitros, es un documento de investigacion que analiza varios casos de arbitraje internacional, desde los que se estudia el valor de la neutralidad y de los deberes de los arbitros cuando son participes en un conflicto. International Arbitration has become the most effective process to resolve commercial disputes between international actors. Arbitration is attractive for business players because it (i) creates predictability in the international commercial world; (ii) prevents parallel litigation in different countries and, (iii) assures neutrality in the dispute resolution. However, if the arbitrators are not ethical "judges", these benefits will not exist. The importance of arbitrators' ethics has been recognized by international authorities for decades. Recently, two important codified guidelines for arbitrators' ethics have been modified. The American Arbitration Association's Code of Ethics for Arbitrators in Commercial Disputes and the International Bar Association's Guidelines on Conflicts of Interest in International Arbitration reformed the old Triple A's Code and IBA Rules respectively. This paper intends to compare and contrast the ethical rules that have been modified with the new guidelines issued by the organizations mentioned above. The objectives are to explain the development of the ethical rules for arbitrators' behavior and to discuss the scope of the duty of disclosure, material facts to be disclosed, conflicts of interest, and the neutrality of the party nominee arbitrator. Commonwealth Coatings v. Continental Ca sualty , AT & T Corp. v. Saudi Cable Company , Merit Insurance v. Leatherby Insurance and Sunkist v. Sunkist will be the cases discussed as the judicial context of the ethical rules.


Temperature and irradiance are the most important factors affecting marine benthic microalgal photosynthetic rates in temperate intertidal areas. Two temperate benthic diatoms species, Amphora cf. coffeaeformis (C. Agardh) Kütz. and Cocconeis cf. sublittoralis Hendey, were investigated to determine how their photosynthesis responded to temperatures ranging from 5°C to 50°C after short‐term exposure (1 h) to a range of irradiance levels (0, 500, and 1,100 μmol photons · m−2 · s−1). Significant differences were observed between the temperature responses of maximum relative electron transport rate (rETRmax), photoacclimation index (Ek), photosynthetic efficiency (α), and effective quantum yield (ΔF/Fm') in both species. A. coffeaeformis had a greater tolerance to higher temperatures than C. sublittoralis, with nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) activated at temperatures of 45°C and 50°C. C. sublittoralis, however, demonstrated a more rapid rate of recovery at ambient temperatures. Temperatures between 10°C and 20°C were determined to be optimal for photosynthesis for both species. High temperatures and irradiances caused a greater decrease in ΔF/Fm' values. These results suggest that the effects of temperature are species specific and that short‐term exposure to adverse temperature slows the recovery process, which subsequently leads to photoinhibition.


Background The main purpose of this study is to exhaustively explore risk factors, including age, gender, and several clinical indices, for mortality in elderly patients with femoral neck fracture and to evaluate some of them using survival analyses. Methods This was a retrospective study tracking 1 year for vital prognosis. Data were collected at post-operation from medical records of the cases. Survival analysis was conducted to investigate the risk factors for death, including albumin, urinary retention, activity of daily living (ADL), and cognitive disorder. Results We recruited 318 patients with a history of hip surgery carried out at Toyama Municipal Hospital, in which 39 patients died for 1 year after discharge. The results showed a significant decrease in survival rate in low albumin, positive urinary retention, and low ADL (P < 0.01, by log-rank test). The hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) of albumin, urinary retention, ADL, and cognitive disorder were 0.36 (0.19 - 0.69), 0.4 (0.2 - 0.8), 0.29 (0.15 - 0.58) and 0.65 (0.32 - 1.29), respectively. Conclusions This study demonstrated that albumin, urinary retention and ADL were the important risk factors for mortality, and suggested that the postoperative management of albumin, urinary retention and ADL is important, especially in elderly female patients receiving surgery of femoral neck and trochanteric fractures.


Background: World-wide, esophageal cancer is a growing epidemic and patients frequently present with advanced disease that is surgically inoperable. Hence, chemotherapy is the predominate treatment. Cytotoxic platinum compounds are mostly used, but their efficacy is only moderate. Newer alkylating agents have shown promise in other tumor types, but little is known about their utility in esophageal cancer. Methods: We utilized archived human esophageal cancer samples and esophageal cancer cell lines to evaluate O-6-methylguanine-deoxyribonucleic acid methyltransferase (MGMT) hypermethylation status and determined sensitivity to the alkylating drug temozolomide (TMZ). Immunoblot analysis was performed to determine MGMT protein expression in cell lines. To assess and confirm the effect of TMZ treatment in a methylated esophageal cancer cell line in vivo, a mouse flank xenograft tumor model was utilized. Results: Nearly 71% (12/17) of adenocarcinoma and 38% (3/8) of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patient samples were MGMT hypermethylated. Out of four adenocarcinoma and nine SCC cell lines tested, one of each histology was hypermethylated. Immunoblot analyses confirmed that hypermethylated cell lines did not express the MGMT protein. In vitro cell viability assays showed the methylated Kyse-140 and FLO cells to be sensitive to TMZ at an IC50 of 52-420 μM, whereas unmethylated cells Kyse-410 and SKGT-4 did not respond. In an in vivo xenograft tumor model with Kyse-140 cells, which are MGMT hypermethylated, TMZ treatment abrogated tumor growth by more than 60%. Conclusion: MGMT methylation may be an important biomarker in subsets of esophageal cancers and targeting by TMZ may be utilized to successfully treat these patients.


AIMS
Assess whether alcohol companies restrict youth/adolescent access, interaction, and exposure to their marketing on Twitter and Instagram.

METHODS
Employed five fictitious male and female Twitter (n = 10) and Instagram (n = 10) user profiles aged 13, 15, 17, 19 and/or 21. Using cellular smartphones, we determined whether profiles could (a) interact with advertising content-e.g. retweet, view video or picture content, comment, share URL; and/or (b) follow and directly receive advertising material updates from the official Instagram and Twitter pages of 22 alcohol brands for 30 days.

RESULTS
All user profiles could fully access, view, and interact with alcohol industry content posted on Instagram and Twitter. Twitter's age-gate, which restricts access for those under 21, successfully prevented underage profiles from following and subsequently receiving promotional material/updates. The two 21+ profiles collectively received 1836 alcohol-related tweets within 30 days. All Instagram profiles, however, were able to follow all alcohol brand pages and received an average of 362 advertisements within 30 days. The quantity of promotional updates increased throughout the week, reaching their peak on Thursday and Friday. Representatives/controllers of alcohol brand Instagram pages would respond directly to our underage user's comments.

CONCLUSION
The alcohol industry is in violation of their proposed self-regulation guidelines for digital marketing communications on Instagram. While Twitter's age-gate effectively blocked direct to phone updates, unhindered access to post was possible. Everyday our fictitious profiles, even those as young as 13, were bombarded with alcohol industry messages and promotional material directly to their smartphones.


Abstract Objective. Cystectomy combined with pelvic lymph-node dissection and urinary diversion entails high morbidity and mortality. Improvements are needed, and a first step is to collect information on the current situation. In 2011, this group took the initiative to start a population-based database in Sweden (population 9.5 million in 2011) with prospective registration of patients and complications until 90 days after cystectomy. This article reports findings from the first year of registration. Material and methods. Participation was voluntary, and data were reported by local urologists or research nurses. Perioperative parameters and early complications classified according to the modified Clavien system were registered, and selected variables of possible importance for complications were analysed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results. During 2011, 285 (65%) of 435 cystectomies performed in Sweden were registered in the database, the majority reported by the seven academic centres. Median blood loss was 1000 ml, operating time 318 min, and length of hospital stay 15 days. Any complications were registered for 103 patients (36%). Clavien grades 1–2 and 3–5 were noted in 19% and 15%, respectively. Thirty-seven patients (13%) were reoperated on at least once. In logistic regression analysis elevated risk of complications was significantly associated with operating time exceeding 318 min in both univariate and multivariate analysis, and with age 76–89 years only in multivariate analysis. Conclusions. It was feasible to start a national population-based registry of radical cystectomies for bladder cancer. The evaluation of the first year shows an increased risk of complications in patients with longer operating time and higher age. The results agree with some previously published series but should be interpreted with caution considering the relatively low coverage, which is expected to be higher in the future.


Sponges play a key role in the transfer of energy and nutrients into many benthic ecosystems, and the volume of water they process is an important regulator of these fluxes. Theoretical scaling relationships between sponge volume, osculum cross-sectional area, and pumping rates were recently proposed and confirmed for small sponge specimens in the lab. To examine how these relationships apply to field populations we measured, in situ, the pumping rate (PR) of 20 species representative of different morphologies and host types (high- and low-microbial-abundance, HMA and LMA) from temperate and tropical regions. The total oscula area (∑OSA) increased allometrically with sponge volume (V) exhibiting similar exponents (∑OSA=aVb, b ranging 0.6–0.7) for all species, except for tropical HMAs (b = 0.99). Osculum flow rate (OFR) also increased allometrically with OSA and oscula of the same size pumped at the same rate irrespective of sponge volume. As a result, and in contrast to former reports, the PR of most of the sponges increased allometrically (PR=a∑OSAb) with scaling exponent b≈0.75, whereas PR of tropical HMAs increased isometrically. Osculum jet speed declined with the increase in the OSA for most species. The number of oscula and their OSA were the best predictors of the PR in sponges, explaining 75–94% of the in situ variation in PR throughout the natural range of sponge size. The pumping rate of a sponge population can be estimated by measuring the osculum density and cross-sectional area distribution once the relationships between the OSA and OFR are established for each species.


Degenerate exciton systems have been produced in quasi–two-dimensional confined areas in semiconductor coupled quantum well structures. We observed contractions of clouds containing tens of thousands of excitons within areas as small as (10 μm)2 near 10 kelvin. The spatial and energy distributions of optically active excitons were determined by measuring photoluminescence as a function of temperature and laser excitation and were used as thermodynamic quantities to construct the phase diagram of the exciton system, which demonstrates the existence of distinct phases. Understanding the formation mechanisms of these degenerate exciton systems can open new opportunities for the realization of Bose-Einstein condensation in the solid state.


BACKGROUND
We previously demonstrated comparable thyroid remnant ablation rates in postoperative low-risk thyroid cancer patients prepared for administration of 3.7GBq (131)I (100 mCi) after recombinant human (rh) TSH during T(4) (L-T4) therapy vs. withholding L-T4 (euthyroid vs. hypothyroid groups). We now compared the outcomes of these patients 3.7 yr later.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Fifty-one of the 63 original patients (28 euthyroid, 23 hypothyroid) participated. Forty-eight received rhTSH and serum thyroglobulin (Tg) sampling. A (131)I whole-body scan was performed in 43 patients, and successful ablation was defined by criteria from the previous study. Based on the criterion of uptake less than 0.1% in thyroid bed, 100% (43 of 43) remained ablated. When no visible uptake instead was used, five patients (four euthyroid, one hypothyroid) had minimal visible activity. When the TSH-stimulated Tg criterion was used, only two of 45 (one euthyroid, one hypothyroid) had a stimulated Tg level greater than 2 ng/ml.

RESULTS
No patient in either group died, and no patient declared disease free had sustained tumor recurrence. Nine (four euthyroid, five hypothyroid) had received additional (131)I between the original and current studies due to detectable Tg or imaging evidence of disease; with follow-up, all now had a negative rhTSH-stimulated whole-body scan and seven (three euthyroid, four hypothyroid) had a stimulated serum Tg less than 2 ng/ml.

CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, after a median 3.7 yr, low-risk thyroid cancer patients prepared for postoperative remnant ablation either with rhTSH or after L-T4 withdrawal were confirmed to have had their thyroid remnants ablated and to have comparable rates of tumor recurrence and persistence.


Aims
The method for the confirmation of drugs of abuse for addiction testing within King's College Hospital prior to 2008 was a labour intensive thin layer chromatography method. To replace this with a faster method more suited to future requirements, the laboratory bought a liquid chromatography system with ion trap mass spectrometric detection. The development of the routine analytical method and the implementation of this method within the laboratory using on-line solid phase extraction and Turboflow® sample preparation will allow the laboratory to operate successfully in the field of clinical drugs of abuse testing in the future.

Method
Analyses are performed on an ion trap mass spectrometer with an electrospray ion source following reversed phase liquid chromatography, initially using on-line solid phase extraction with a Jasco XLC® series autosampler and pump and later a Thermo Turboflow® on-line extraction method with a CTC Combi-Pal® autosampler and Agilent 1100 series liquid chromatography system. Elution of drugs and metabolites is performed with a multi-step gradient of ammonium formate buffer and acetonitrile, followed by regeneration of the extraction and analytical columns to starting conditions. Detection is achieved with a Thermo LCQ Fleet ion trap mass spectrometer with a combination of full spectrum survey scans, dedicated product ion scans, neutral loss scans and data dependent product ion scans in two analysis segments. Total run time is only 20 minutes, allowing a throughput of around 65 samples per day.

Results
The methods include the novel combination of the elimination of any hydrolysis step, on-line SPE or Turboflow extraction, detection of multiple drug groups, full spectrum analysis and library matching, the use of data dependent scans and ion trap mass spectrometry using MS3 and neutral loss scans. The methods developed were validated using a departmental method validation protocol and accepted for routine use. Simultaneous detection of over fifty analytes has been found possible in a range of clinically relevant drug groups, including opiates, amphetamines, methadone, propoxyphene, cocaine, ketamine and their metabolites. The use of neutral loss scans and product ion scans of phase 2 drug metabolites permits the addition of previously unidentified drugs and metabolites to the method, allowing the laboratory's services to develop in line with requirements of the service. Quality is maintained through the use of standard operating procedures, staff training, quality control samples and external quality assessment.

Conclusion
Drugs of abuse testing is key for treatment and monitoring of drug addiction. The introduction of modern mass spectrometry techniques has reduced the turnaround time of routine analysis for a range of drugs and metabolites and increased the range of drugs that can be analysed. The methods introduced have revolutionised testing at King's College Hospital and produced a method which is capable of evolving with the needs of the service to keep abreast of future requirements of the service.


Decadal-scale observations of marine reserves suggest that indirect effects on taxa that occur through cascading trophic interactions take longer to develop than direct effects on target species. Combining and analyzing a unique set of long-term time series of ecologic data in and out of fisheries closures from disparate regions, we found that the time to initial detection of direct effects on target species (±SE) was 5.13 ± 1.9 years, whereas initial detection of indirect effects on other taxa, which were often trait mediated, took significantly longer (13.1 ± 2.0 years). Most target species showed initial direct effects, but their trajectories over time were highly variable. Many target species continued to increase, some leveled off, and others decreased. Decreases were due to natural fluctuations, fishing impacts from outside reserves, or indirect effects from target species at higher trophic levels. The average duration of stable periods for direct effects was 6.2 ± 1.2 years, even in studies of more than 15 years. For indirect effects, stable periods averaged 9.1 ± 1.6 years, although this was not significantly different from direct effects. Populations of directly targeted species were more stable in reserves than in fished areas, suggesting increased ecologic resilience. This is an important benefit of marine reserves with respect to their function as a tool for conservation and restoration.


Hyperparameter optimization (HPO) is a fundamental problem in automatic machine learning (AutoML).
However, due to the expensive evaluation cost of models (e.g., training deep learning models or training models on large datasets), vanilla Bayesian optimization (BO) is typically computationally infeasible.
To alleviate this issue, Hyperband (HB) utilizes the early stopping mechanism to speed up configuration evaluations by terminating those badly-performing configurations in advance.
This leads to two kinds of quality measurements:
(1) many low-fidelity measurements for configurations that get early-stopped, and (2) few high-fidelity measurements for configurations that are evaluated without being early stopped.
The state-of-the-art HB-style method, BOHB, aims to combine the benefits of both BO and HB.
Instead of sampling configurations randomly in HB, BOHB samples configurations based on a BO surrogate model, which is constructed with the high-fidelity measurements only.
However, the scarcity of high-fidelity measurements greatly hampers the efficiency of BO to guide the configuration search.

In this paper, we present MFES-HB, an efficient Hyperband method that is capable of utilizing both the high-fidelity and low-fidelity measurements to accelerate the convergence of HPO tasks.
Designing MFES-HB is not trivial as the low-fidelity measurements can be biased yet informative to guide the configuration search.
Thus we propose to build a Multi-Fidelity Ensemble Surrogate (MFES) based on the generalized Product of Experts framework, which can integrate useful information from multi-fidelity measurements effectively.
The empirical studies on the real-world AutoML tasks demonstrate that MFES-HB can achieve 3.3-8.9x speedups over the state-of-the-art approach --- BOHB.


This study was designed to address whether the Perceived Physical Ability (PPA) subscale of the Physical Self-Efficacy Scale (PSES; Ryckman, Robbins, Thornton, & Cantrell, 1982) measures self-efficacy or self-esteem. Secondary analyses of four previously reported data sets were conducted to examine the extent to which the PPA overlaps with multidimensional self-esteem measures. Once the factor structure of the PPA was confirmed, multitrait-multimethod analyses were employed to establish convergent and discriminant validity of the PPA and task-specific self-efficacy measures with self-esteem measures. The results support the position that the PPA may be more reflective of esteem than efficacy. Additionally, task-specific self-efficacy measures demonstrated stronger associations with behavioral outcomes than did the PPA. It is recommended that if the PPA is to be used for research purposes, it may have greater utility as a measure of physical self-esteem rather than self-efficacy.


Recently Graph Injection Attack (GIA) emerges as a practical attack scenario on Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), where the adversary can merely inject few malicious nodes instead of modifying existing nodes or edges, i.e., Graph Modification Attack (GMA). Although GIA has achieved promising results, little is known about why it is successful and whether there is any pitfall behind the success. To understand the power of GIA, we compare it with GMA and find that GIA can be provably more harmful than GMA due to its relatively high flexibility. However, the high flexibility will also lead to great damage to the homophily distribution of the original graph, i.e., similarity among neighbors. Consequently, the threats of GIA can be easily alleviated or even prevented by homophily-based defenses designed to recover the original homophily. To mitigate the issue, we introduce a novel constraint – homophily unnoticeability that enforces GIA to preserve the homophily, and propose Harmonious Adversarial Objective (HAO) to instantiate it. Extensive experiments verify that GIA with HAO can break homophily-based defenses and outperform previous GIA attacks by a significant margin. We believe our methods can serve for a more reliable evaluation of the robustness of GNNs.


Abstract History suggests that social movements for change are often met with powerful counter-movements. Relying upon movement counter-movement dynamics, this paper examines whether or not contemporary reactionary conservatism—in this case Donald Trump's candidacy in 2016, offers an opportunity for African-American mobilization. Today, the reactionary right presents a threat to racial progress and the black community as it has grown from direct opposition to the election of President Obama, immigration reform, and gay and lesbian rights. With conditions ripe for a movement in response to the right, we examine the mobilizing effect on African-Americans of the threatening political context symbolized by Donald Trump. If African-Americans are to retain political relevance beyond the Obama era, then black turnout will need to reach rates similar to the historic 2008 election. Using the 2016 Black Voter Project (BVP) Pilot Study, we explore African-American political engagement in the 2016 election, a time void of President Obama as a mobilizing figure. We find that African-Americans who hold strong negative opinions of Trump in 2016 voted at rates similar to the historical turnout of 2008, offering a possible strategy to mobilize blacks beyond Obama's presidency. Moreover, the threat that Trump represents significantly drives blacks to engage in politics beyond voting even after accounting for alternative explanations. In the end, Trump and the reactionary movement behind him offers a powerful mobilizing force for an African-American population that can no longer look toward the top of the Presidential ticket for inspiration.


Abstract The substitution of phenol by lignin in phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins is one of the most promising end uses of lignin valorization. Lignin from grasses and softwood has been the focus of the studies in this field as they present a higher number of theoretical reactive sites for resin synthesis. Herein we examined the composition and chemical reactivity of "less-reactive" hardwood lignin fractions and their performance in PF resins, synthesized by substituting 50 wt% of the phenol with lignin. Before resin synthesis, the samples were hydroxymethylated and the maximum formaldehyde consumption was recorded. By doing so, we observed that hardwood fractions consumed formaldehyde close to the theoretical calculation, whereas the reference softwood lignin consumed only about ¼ of the theoretical value. In the resin synthesis, we added formaldehyde to the formulation according to the measured maximum formaldehyde consumption. Thus, low values of free formaldehyde in lignin-PF (LPF) resins were achieved (<0.23%). Moreover, the resin bonding strength displayed similar performance irrespective of whether the LPF resins were made with softwood or hardwood lignin (range of 3.4–4.8 N mm−2 at 150°C and 45–480 s of press time). Furthermore, we concluded that hardwood kraft lignins present no disadvantage compared to softwood lignins in PF resin applications, which have significant practical implications.


We fabricated reliable contact structures on n-type GaAs using contact materialsAu, Ge and Pd with layer thicknesses 100 nm, 50 nm and 10 nm, respectively. The contact resistivities for the structures were measured using transmission line model. Contract structures were studied in dependences of the substrate doping density and annealing temperature. The contact resistivity was found to decrease with increasing annealing temperature up to ~180° C. However, a further increase of the annealing temperature, it increased. The contact resistivity was also found to decrease with increasing substrate doping density. The transfer characteristics and morphological study of the contact indicated an ohmic contact with low contact resistivity. The results, however, show that the inter-diffusion between contact materials is an important factor responsible for the low-resistivity transparent contacts and that using the proposed recipe transparent contacts could be achieved for a wide range of n-type substrate doping density.


Over the past few decades, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem has been the subject of post-colonial interpretations which likened the organisation of the pavilions that make up the museum to the form of an Arab village. Focusing on the organisational and formal similarities between the museum and the typology of the Arab village, these interpretations propose that Israel, even before the 1967 War and the conquest of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, had already begun to appropriate Palestinian symbols. These interpretations often refer to drawings made by Al Mansfeld, the museum's architect. This essay argues that while the post-colonial interpretations may be correct, they neglect to address yet another big influence on Mansfeld's thinking when he conceptualised the Israel Museum in the late 1950s. During the early 1930s in Berlin, Mansfeld was a student of two German Expressionist architects, Hans Poelzig and Heinrich Tessenow. During these years, Mansfeld was exposed to expressionist ideas about architecture that later permeated his designs and artwork, including the design of the Israel Museum.


Cumulating evidence suggests that anomalous correlations occur between mental (conscious and non-conscious) states and apparently unrelated physical or mental phenomena at a distance in space and time. In spite of the fact that the evidence is very strong, these correlations are difficult to replicate. Several examples are given of 'failures' to empirically replicate1 original anomalies. It is speculated that this failure to replicate, rather than indicating that the original findings are due to statistical flukes or errors, suggests that when consciousness interacts with matter, an underlying reality arises. This reality is somewhere in between the purely objective shareable reality and the purely subjective reality of one's individual consciousness. Efforts to 'push' anomalous phenomena observed in this intermediate reality into the objective one apparently destroy the phenomena. Possible explanations within a physical and within a system theoretical model are discussed. The physical model is based upon an analysis of the role of consciousness in the so-called 'Measurement Problem' in Quantum Physics. Based upon these discussions a new systematic experimental approach for the study of anomalous phenomena is suggested.


In the story of Australian mediation there are a number of gaps, in the sense of contradictions or incongruities. We might, in this early stage in our mediation history, be well advised to mind these gaps, in the sense of considering and reflecting upon their significance now and for the future. The focus in this article is mainly on the Australian experience, which I shall approach in terms of some broad themes and issues. One foot will be in the accumulated knowledge of the discipline and the other in anecdote, personal reflection on practice and poetic licence.


Sleep drunkenness (SD) consists of difficulty in coming to complete wakefulness accompanied by confusion, disorientation, poor motor coordination, slowness, and repeated returns to sleep. Patients report that these symptoms occur at almost every awakening; nearly all report abnormally ``deep'' and prolonged sleep as well. Approximately one third of all hypersomniacs seen suffered from sleep drunkenness. Of 58 cases of hypersomnia with sleep drunkenness examined, 52 were apparently idiopathic; six cases were possibly symptomatic of organic brain disturbance. A familial history of the disorder was found in 36% of the idiopathic cases. Electroencephalographic abnormalities were not remarkably prevalent or distinctive. Except for relatively high heart and respiratory in nocturnal polygraphic records, and except for extended sleep, no anomalies of sleep patterns were observed.


A magnetic anomaly near the centre of the Vredefort impact structure is attributed to remanent magnetism associated with a large meteorite impact at ~2.0 Ga. The rocks that underlie the anomaly are shocked Archaean granites, which have extremely high remanent magnetism. We propose that the high remanence derives from elongated, micron-size single-domain magnetite particles found along shock-induced planar deformation features in quartz. The magnetite particles appearto have preferred magnetic dipole orientations, and are interpreted to have been intruded alongthe planar deformation features under extreme P—T conditions following the impact event.


Abstract Eight seismically resolvable packages have been identified in the Early Tertiary succession of the Faeroe-Shetland Basin. These packages are calibrated with the microfaunal and microfloral biostratigraphy, thus allowing correlation between wells and comparison with other basins. Mapping of the facies distribution within each package has allowed a detailed understanding of the evolution of the southwestern part of the basin, including the Quad 204 acreage. The development of the area can be related to the plate tectonic evolution of the North Atlantic and has highlighted implications for hydrocarbon exploration. In the earliest part of the Palaeocene (Sequences T10–T32) the position of the shelf/slope break was controlled by the underlying end Cretaceous fault induced topography. The depositional character of the submarine fans which accumulated in the basin is aggradational, collecting in basin floor deeps and progressively onlapping basin floor highs. Reservoir quality is initially controlled by depositional facies but is, essentially, excellent. Basinal muds, particularly regionally extensive maximum flooding surfaces, are believed to provide effective seals. Sequences T36–T40 are progradational in character, the position of the shelf/slope break advancing significantly beyond the positions of underlying Cretaceous fault scarps. This change in depositional character is related to thermal doming and rifting in the North Atlantic. The results of this uplift in the Faeroe-Shetland Basin also instigated a change in sediment provenance, volcanism and the deposition of extensive base-of-slope fan systems. Reservoir effectiveness remains excellent in these fan systems and potential seals are provided by downlapping, progradational shelf/slope systems. Sequences T45 and T50 represent flooding of the Palaeocene shelf systems as the thermal dome collapsed and rifting progressed. The overall control on Early Tertiary reservoir effectiveness in the Faeroe-Shetland Basin is depth of burial. In this part of the basin the Early Tertiary reservoir sands are generally buried at depths less than 2.5 km below sea-bed and reservoir quality remains excellent (porosity > 25% and permeability > 100 Md). The challenge to the oil industry is to understand the charge of this attractive hydrocarbon play.


Different types of breakwaters have been developed in the past for the protection of valuable coastal
property, commercial activity and beach morphology. Among these, gravity-type breakwaters are the
most common and provide good surface wave attenuation. However, these breakwaters are not always
suitable due to their adverse impact on the coastal environment. To alleviate the problem, free surface
breakwaters with a variety of caisson designs have been proposed and developed. The main
advantages of such breakwaters are low capital cost, freedom from silting and scouring, short
construction period, circulation of water beneath the breakwater and exertion of relatively low
hydrodynamic forces on the structure as compared to conventional breakwaters. However, complete
tranquillity on the lee side is not likely to occur due to wave energy transfer through the permeable
pans of the breakwater. The degree of wave attenuation primarily depends on the configuration of the
breakwater, the water depth and the incident wave conditions. The hydrodynamic performance of such
free surface breakwaters is the subject of this thesis.
Semicircular breakwaters mounted on a low-crested rubble mound structure were successfully built
for harbour protection in Japan and China. However, the concept of having semicircular structures as
free surface breakwaters has not yet been explored by the research community. As a result, this
research is initiated with the aim of developing a free surface semicircular breakwater (SCB) that
would serve as an anti-reflection barrier and provide reasonably good wave protection to coastal and
marine infrastructures. To meet this research goal, a free surface SCB models were constructed and
tested in a wave flume under various wave conditions. The experiments were conducted in three
stages. For the first stage, the SCB model was initially tested without any perforations on the curved
surface (i.e. a solid SCB) for different depths of immersion from the still water level in the wave
flume. For the second stage, the front curved wall of the model was subsequently perforated with
rectangular openings of different dimensions, producing front wall porosity of 9, 18 and 27%.
Following this, two rows of rectangular openings near the crest of the rear curved wall were provided
so as to facilitate water infiltration and escape of the run-up waves. For the third stage, additional
effort was made to extend the draft of the breakwater by adding a wave screen at the front or/and rear.
The screen porosity was 25, 40 and 50%.
The hydrodynamic characteristics of the SCB models were investigated in both regular and irregular
seas through a series of systematic experimental programme. The water surface elevations were
measured at different locations upstream and downstream of the models to determine the coefficients
of wave transmission (C7), reflection (C.) and energy dissipation (CL) as well as the wave climate
coefficients in front and inside the breakwater chamber. The horizontal wave forces exerted on the
SCB models and the wave screen(s) were also measured and subsequently normalised to yield the
force coefficients in the analysis. These hydrodynamic coefficients for the respective test cases are
presented and discussed in this thesis.
The experimental results revealed that even though the solid SCB was a better wave attenuator than
the perforated ones, it produced a considerable amount of wave reflection. The perforated SCB with
9% porosity of the front wall (denoted as SCB9) outperformed the other perforated breakwater
models; however, it produced high wave transmission when the draft was limited and subjected to
longer period waves. Hence, wave screens were added to further enhance the performance of the
SCB9. The SCB9 with double screens of 25% porosity was found to provide the highest hydraulic
performance.
Empirical equations were developed using a multiple regression technique to provide design formulae
for wave transmission, wave reflection and horizontal wave forces. The proposed empirical equations
showed good agreement with the experimental data. These equations are intended to be of direct use
to engineers in predicting the hydrodynamic performance of free surface SCBs. However, sensible
engineering judgement must be taken while using these equations as they are based on small scale
laboratory tests.


Cigarette smoking is associated with an increased risk of melanoma metastasis. Smokers show higher PD-L1 expression and better responses to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors than nonsmokers. Here, we investigate whether nicotine, a primary constituent of tobacco, induces PD-L1 expression and promotes melanoma cell proliferation and migration, which is mediated by the α9 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α9-nAChR). α9-nAChR overexpression in melanoma using melanoma cell lines, human melanoma tissues, and assessment of publicly available databases. α9-nAChR expression was significantly correlated with PD-L1 expression, clinical stage, lymph node status, and overall survival (OS). Overexpressing or knocking down α9-nAChR in melanoma cells up- or downregulated PD-L1 expression, respectively, and affected melanoma cell proliferation and migration. Nicotine-induced α9-nAChR activity promoted melanoma cell proliferation through stimulation of the α9-nAChR-mediated AKT and ERK signaling pathways. In addition, nicotine-induced α9-nAchR activity promoted melanoma cell migration via activation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Moreover, PD-L1 expression was upregulated in melanoma cells after nicotine treatment via the transcription factor STAT3 binding to the PD-L1 promoter. These results highlight that nicotine-induced α9-nAChR activity promotes melanoma cell proliferation, migration, and PD-L1 upregulation. This study may reveal important insights into the mechanisms underlying nicotine-induced melanoma growth and metastasis through α9-nAChR-mediated carcinogenic signals and PD-L1 expression.


LiBH4 has been discussed as a promising hydrogen storage material and as a solid-state electrolyte in lithiumion batteries. It contains 18.5 wt% hydrogen and undergoes a structural phase transition at 381K which is associated with a large increase in rotational disorder of the [BH4](-) anion and the increase of [Li](+) conductivity by three orders of magnitude. We investigated the [BH4](-)anion dynamic in bulk LiBH4, in LiBH4-LiI solid solutions and in nano-confined LiBH4 by quasielastic neutron scattering, complemented by DFT calculations. In all cases the H-dynamics is dominated by thermally activated rotational jumps of the [BH4](-) anion in the terahertz range. The addition of LiI as well as nano-confinement favours the disordered high temperature phase and lowers the phase transition below room temperatures. The results are discussed on the basis of first principles calculations and in relation to ionic conductivity of [Li](+).