Abstract. Intensification of pastoral agriculture is occurring rapidly across New Zealand, including increasing use of irrigation and fertiliser application in some regions. While this enables greater gross primary production (GPP) and livestock grazing intensity, the consequences for the net ecosystem carbon budget (NECB) of the pastures are poorly known. Here, we determined the NECB over one year for an irrigated, fertilised and rotationally grazed dairy pasture and a neighbouring unirrigated, unfertilised, winter-grazed pasture. Primary terms in the NECB calculation were: net ecosystem production (NEP), biomass carbon removed by grazing cows and carbon (C) input from their excreta. Annual NEP was measured using the eddy-covariance method. Carbon removal was estimated with plate-meter measurements calibrated against biomass collections, pre- and post-grazing. Excreta deposition was calculated from animal feed intake. The intensively managed pasture gained C (NECB  =  103 ± 42 g C m−2 yr−1) but would have been subject to a non-significant C loss if cattle excreta had not been returned to the pasture. The unirrigated pasture was C-neutral (NECB  =  −13 ± 23 g C m−2 yr−1). While annual GPP of the former was almost twice that of the latter (2679 vs. 1372 g C m−2 yr−1), ecosystem respiration differed by only 68 % between the two pastures (2271 vs. 1352 g C m−2 yr−1). The ratio of GPP to the total annual water input of the irrigated pasture was 37 % greater than that of the unirrigated pasture, i.e. the former used the water input more efficiently than the latter to produce biomass. The NECB results agree qualitatively with those from many other eddy-covariance studies of grazed grasslands, but they seem to be at odds with long-term carbon-stock studies of other New Zealand pastures.


Deformation and metamorphism in the Mount Olympos region, Greece, are the result of subduction of continental crust (A-type subduction) during the Alpine orogeny. New structural and petrologic data from this region provide insight into the creation of low geothermal gradients in A-type subduction zones and the preservation of blueschist facies assemblages. Early convergent deformation was accompanied by greenschist-amphibolite facies metamorphism. Blueschist facies mineral assemblages overprinted higher grade assemblages during large-scale, episodic shortening that occurred during and after continental collision. Prehnite-pumpellyite facies assemblages are postkinematic with respect to contractional fabrics, but predate a prolonged period of extension that was not accompanied by metamorphism. Under-plating and extension permitted unroofing and preservation of the blueschists with no over-printing by greenschist facies assemblages.


Using satellite estimates of snow depth, we examine the interannual variability of the monsoon rains of Bangladesh, an area greatly affected by land surface hydrological processes including Himalayan snowpack size, snowmelt river flooding, and Bay of Bengal storm surge. For the twentieth century, we found Bangladesh monsoon rainfall (BMR) to be uncorrelated with the All‐Indian Monsoon Index. This result is consistent with previous findings for shorter time records. We next used a short 9‐year record of satellite estimates of April snow depth for the Himalayan region and concurrent seasonal El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions in the equatorial Pacific to develop an empirical model that explains a high percentage of BMR interannual variability. Inclusion of late spring river discharge levels further improves the empirical model representation of BMR for June–September. These results, though with a limited length satellite record, suggest that BMR interannual variability is constrained by concurrent ENSO conditions, spring Himalayan snowpack size and land surface flooding. The same results could not be obtained from analyses using satellite estimates of snow cover. These findings stress the need for development of a quality longer record of satellite estimated snow depth. The twentieth‐century analysis also indicates that BMR should be considered independently of Indian monsoon rainfall.


This is the first book written specifically for the new PMI-ACP exam. It is a single, compact reference that will help the reader prepare for and pass the certification exam. Contents include: Understanding Agile, The PMI-ACP Exam, The Agile Manifesto, Project Justification, Teams & Team Space, Agile Planning, Working with Agile, Coaching with Agile, Agile Methodologies, How to Pass the PMI-ACP Exam, Glossary of Terms, 2 Simulated Exams with Answers.


We propose a method for the automatic segmentation, recognition and measurement of neuronal fibers in microscopic images of nerves. This permits a quantitative analysis of the distribution of the areas of the fibers, while nowadays such morphometrical methods are limited by the practical impossibility to process large amounts of fibers in histological routine. First, the image is thresholded to provide a coarse classification between myelin (black) and non-myelin (white) pixels. The resulting binary image is simplified using connected morphological operators. These operators simplify the zonal graph, whose vertices are the connected areas of the binary image. An appropriate set of semantic rules allow us to identify a number of white areas as axon candidates, some of which are isolated, some of which are connected. To separate connected fibers -- candidates sharing the same neighboring black area -- we evaluate the thickness of the myelin ring around each candidate area through Euclidean distance transformation by propagation with a stopping criterion on the pixels in the propagation front. Finally, properties of each detected fibers are computed and false alarms are suppressed. The computational cost of the method is evaluated and the robustness of the method is assessed by comparison to the manual procedure. We conclude that the method is fast and accurate for our purpose.


The title of this volume was supplied by a Hungarian villager, who made use of a popular idiom to express his disillusionment with the results of rural privatisation. Author Chris Hann draws on his own ethnographic materials from Hungary and elsewhere to explore a wide range of topics, from political economy to questions of ethnic and religious identity and minority rights. Applying a broad definition of 'property relations', he argues that private ownership, multi-party politics and the proliferation of NGOs are poor compensation for a decline in the substantive material and moral conditions of citizenship. The spread of neoliberal economic principles, identity politics and new 'rights' agendas is not restricted to the post-socialist countries and the volume therefore employs a wider comparative framework. Underlying all the chapters (none of them previously published in this form in English) is an inclusive, eclectic approach to contemporary anthropology. Hann concludes by arguing that anthropologists of all traditions and theoretical persuasions need to renew their engagement with world history. To recognise the enduring unity of Eurasia is an important step towards overcoming the distortions of Eurocentrism.


An appropriate division of power between the board of directors and shareholders of the company is quintessential for the success of the company. However, for a long period of time the monitoring powers of the shareholders were limited. Recently, both the European and the national member states' legislators refined corporate law and allocated more (monitoring) powers in the hands of the (general meeting of) shareholders. This paper addresses in a comparative perspective the powers of the general meeting in five countries. First, the power of the shareholders that is provided through the European company law directives is briefly described. Next the "national" powers of (1) ordinary general meetings and (2) extra-ordinary meetings are addressed and compared. Third, the law in action is used to analyse the developments of shareholder rights and shareholder activism and to discuss whether the law and regulations provide in the appropriate shareholders rights.


Aims. We study the evolution of the recurrent nova U Scorpii during its outburst in 2010. Methods. Optical spectroscopic observations of the nova were obtained during 0.83–162.5 days after outburst maximum. Optical linear polarisation observations were made before the onset of the super soft X-ray source (SSS) phase and during the SSS phase. Radio continuum observations were made in the 1280 MHz band during the early decline phase, and in the 610 MHz band at the onset and end of the SSS phase. We also present optical spectra obtained in the pre-outburst quiescence phase. Results. The overall spectral evolution during the 2010 outburst is similar to the previous outbursts. However, the dense temporal coverage, especially during the early phases, reveals several short term variations not reported previously. The early phase emission line widths indicate extremely high velocities for the nova ejecta, ∼10 000 km s −1 . The line profiles are broad, boxy and structured. Narrow P-Cygni absorptions, at ∼500 km s −1 are seen associated with the He I lines, and also the Ca II, N I and hydrogen lines (at wavelengths >8000 A) in the spectrum of day 6.83, obtained immediately after an optical flare. This absorption component could be arising in the plasma emitting the Nitrogen lines seen in X-rays, that probably lies outside the binary orbit. Rapid variations are detected in the strength of the 4660 A N III feature, which shows a significant increase in the line strength on days 8.83 and 13.82, at orbital phases of 0.75 and 0.25, respectively. Instrinsic polarisation is detected just before the onset, and during the SSS phase, with pv ∼ 1.4% during the SSS phase. The flux variations of the N III feature and the intrinsic polarisation are most likely associated with the reforming accretion disc/stream. We estimate the mass of the ejected (hydrogen) shell to be ∼4.6 × 10 −6 M� , for a spherical shell geometry. The non-detection of U Sco in the 1280 MHz and 610 MHz radio bands is consistent with the low mass of the nova ejecta, subgiant nature of the secondary, and the distance to the nova.


The most widely accepted explanation for the inverse association between private investments and current accounts (Glick and Rogoff 1995) rests on data for manufactures through 1990. Is this consensus robust to revisions to the national accounts and the expansion of information technologies since 1990? To address this question I replicate their results and I find that post-1990 developments eliminate the support for such a conclusion. I also implement alternative formulations and find, again, a lack of empirical support for their findings. Thus I examine the role of measurement errors and focus on the treatment of the manufacturing sector as representative of the whole economy and the exclusion of the contribution of capital when measuring productivity. Correcting these two measurement errors restores to Glick and Rogoff's conclusion its original strength. JEL no. O4, F4, E2, C3, C5


AIM
To assess the clinical outcomes and compare the segmental range of motion (ROM) at the implanted L4-L5 level, the cranial and caudal adjacent levels, and the ROM of the whole lumbar spine after semi-rigid lumbar fusion with 2 different devices.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Patients with neurogenic claudication, due to grade 1 spondylolisthesis and spinal stenosis at levels L4-L5, were treated either Bio-flex® (n = 28) and Cosmic® (n = 23); discectomy was not performed at any level. The clinical outcomes were compared between the 2 groups. All patients underwent neutral, flexion, and extension radiography before the surgery and after 2 years postoperatively. ROM was assessed at the level of L4-L5, L3-L4, L5-S1, and at the whole lumbar spine.

RESULTS
According to clinical outcomes, 82% and 78% of patients in the BioFlex and Cosmic groups, respectively, had a good or excellent result. In both groups, there was significant reduction of the segmental ROM at the implanted L4-L5 level (p = 0.039 and 0.011).

CONCLUSION
These outcomes may play a role in decreasing the risk of ASD after dynamic stabilization, at least 2 years after surgery.


Interpretability and explainability of deep neural net models are always challenging due to their size and complexity. Many previous works focused on visualizing internal components of neural networks to represent them through human-friendly concepts. On the other hand, in real life, when making a decision, human tends to rely on similar situations in the past. Thus, we argue that one potential approach to make the model interpretable and explainable is to design it in a way such that the model explicitly connects the current sample with the seen samples, and bases its decision on these samples. In this work, we design one such model: an explainable, evidence-based memory network architecture, which learns to summarize the dataset and extract supporting evidences to make its decision. The model achieves state-of-the-art performance on two popular question answering datasets, the TrecQA dataset and the WikiQA dataset. Via further analysis, we showed that this model can reliably trace the errors it has made in the validation step to the training instances that might have caused this error. We believe that this error-tracing capability might be beneficial in improving dataset quality in many applications.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of post mortem aqueous humor analysis in estimating serum chemistry in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). Serum and aqueous humor from the left eye were collected from 35 sea lions that were euthanized due to poor prognosis. Each animal was examined post mortem, and each head was preserved at ambient temperature. Aqueous humor was collected from the right eye either 24 or 48 h after death. All samples were analyzed with an automated chemistry analyzer by bichromatic photometry and potentiometry. Blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, sodium, chloride, and magnesium showed significant positive linear relationships between serum and aqueous humor values both at the time of death and 24 h later. For aqueous humor sampled after 48 h, the relationships were only significant for blood urea nitrogen and creatinine. For the remaining chemistry parameters, the relationship between levels of those from serum and in aqueous humor were not significant. Serum and aqueous humor collected from 15 animals diagnosed with renal failure were evaluated for antibodies to Leptospira using the microscopic agglutination test. All tested sera were positive for L. interrogans serovar pomona, with titers greater than 1:25,600. Of titers tested in the aqueous humor, 56% were positive, having values of 1:200 to 1:12,800. These results indicate that an accurate estimate of serum blood urea nitrogen and creatinine can be made from the analysis of aqueous humor at necropsy of California sea lions within 48 h of death, facilitating the diagnosis of renal failure in beached carcasses (one of the most common causes of death in wild sea lions).


Monitoring and understanding the mechanism of metal corrosion throughout the nuclear fuel cycle play a key role in the safe asset management of facilities. They also provide information essential for making an informed choice regarding the selection of decontamination methods for steel plant and equipment scheduled for decommissioning. Recent advances in Quartz Crystal Nanobalance (QCN) technology offer the means of monitoring corrosion in-situ, in radiologically harsh environments, in real time and with high sensitivity. Oxalic acid has been widely used in nuclear plants and installations as a corrosion inhibitor for carbon steels and as a decontamination cleaning agent due to its ability to remove rust from the surface of ferritic metals and alloys. As an exemplar system for decontamination, the corrosion behaviour of mild carbon steel and pure iron samples in 1 wt% to 8wt% oxalic acid solutions have been measured and compared in real time and in situ using QCN. Corrosion rates measured using QCN are found to agree with those obtained using corrosion current (iCORR) measurements, with the added advantages of: (i) real time measurements of higher sensitivity with the potential for making them in situ; (ii) reduced uncertainty in the conversion of the QCN measured frequency change to a mass change-based corrosion rate compared to the conversion of the iCORR measured by LSV with Tafel extrapolation to mass change; (iii) the provision of mechanistic insights into the action of oxalic acid on Fe-rich steels. QCN has been used as a corrosion monitoring technique to study the impact of radiolytically generated peroxide on the corrosion protection afforded by oxalate to Fe surfaces. Results reveal that QCN can be the ideal means of measuring corrosion rates in situ, in real time, when two chemical reactions are taking place such as the ferrous oxalate layer production and the breakdown of the layer due to Fenton reactions. QCN has been studied as a corrosion monitoring technique for other decontamination solutions such as basic and acid permanganate and oxalic acid / nitric acid mixtures. Results reveal that QCN is a very promising tool for studying the efficacy of these new decontamination agent formulations with the sensor providing useful mechanistic information of the mode-of-action of the decontaminating agent from the mass change (gain or loss) in real time.


The Maryland Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) is seeking a new information system to replace its legacy system for youth case management. The major goal of the new information system is to improve the process of juvenile case management, and thus deliver more effective services to youths, by better facilitating the tracking of case information and the production and handling of case-related documents. The primary challenge in designing the new system is to integrate optimally the appropriate components of existing processes, information, and documents. Our approach has shown that fostering user discussion and review of existing documents is extremely valuable in defining existing processes and information requirements, and effectively highlights areas where valuable process changes can be made and what system features are needed to support them. Subsequently linking user requirements for documents with innovative graphic user interface techniques can integrate diverse information for users and can affect additional positive changes to organizational processes.


Despite the vast amount of resources at the disposal of humanity today, the intricacies of human biology are often a mystery. The chemical and biological products of the human genome have been well studied and documented, but many of the chemical and neurological pathways are missing quite a few details. The human stress response is one of the most primal and valuable functions of this code that developed as a selfpreservation mechanism (Hans, 1975) to naturally increase the odds of procreation. However, this function is prone to overload, particularly in individuals with certain epigenetic traits instilled by early life events, or even events taking place before their life began. Left unchecked, this overclocked stress response can lead to irate outward behavior with no known cause, and even worse, no known treatments. These irate behaviors can be seen on the experimental level; mice who are not adequately groomed by their mothers expressed an increase glucorticoid receptor (GR) response than mice with adequate grooming (Radtke et al., 2011). In human studies, these GR reactions are responsible for a myriad of mental disorders including suicidal tendencies, psychopathy, and increased aggression. Gene therapy is possible for these epigenetic factors, opening up new possibilities for treatment of mental disorders.


The paper analyses one of the longest contemporary wave measurements in the northern Baltic Sea, performed at Almagrundet 1978-2003. This record contains the roughest instrumentally measured wave conditions (significant wave height = c. 7.8 m) in the northern Baltic Proper until December 2004. The data for the years 1979-95, the period for which the data are the most reliable, show a linear rising trend of 1.8% per annum in the average wave height. The seasonal variation in wave activity follows the variation in wind speed. The monthly mean significant wave height varies from 0.5 m in May-July to 1.3-1.4 m in December-January. No corrections have been made in the analysis to compensate for missing values, for their uneven distribution, or for ice cover.


To some a book on the "origins"of sexual inequality is absurd. Male dominance seems to them a universal, if not inevitable, phenomenon that has been with us since the dawn of our species. The essays in this volume offer differing perspectives on the development of sex-role differentiation and sexual inequality, but share a belief that these phenomena "did"have social origins, origins that must be sought in sociohistorical events and processes. In this way Stephanie Coontz and Peta Henderson introduce a book which fills a yawning gap in Marxist and feminist theory of recent years. "Women s Work, Men s Property"brings together specialist historical and anthropological skills of a group of American and French feminists to examine the origins of the sexual division of labor, the nature of pre-state kinship societies, the position of women in slave-based societies, and the specific forms taken by the oppression of women in archaic Greece. "Men s Work, Women s Property"will be welcomed by teachers and students of women s studies and anyone with an interest in the biological, psychological and historical roots of sexual inequality."


Nitric oxide (NO) generating surfaces are potentially promising for improving haemocompatibility of blood-contacting biomaterials. In the present report, Cu-modified poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) and polyurethane (PU) were prepared via polydopamine (pDA)-assisted chelation. The copper content on the PVC and PU modified surfaces, assessed by inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), were about 3.86 and 6.04 nmol·cm−2, respectively. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data suggest that copper is attached to the polymer surface through complex formation with pDA. The cumulative leaching of copper from modified PVC and PU during the five day incubation in phosphate buffered saline (PBS), measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), was about 50.7 ppb and 48 ppb, respectively which is within its physiological level. Modified polymers were tested for their ability to catalytically generate NO by decomposing of endogenous S-nitrosothiol (GSNO). The obtained data show that Cu-modified PVC and PU exhibited the capacity to generate physiological levels of NO which could be a foundation for developing new biocompatible materials with NO-based therapeutics.


SUMMARY The CES-D is a screening instrument to measure depressive symptoms during the last week. It is useful and easy to use because no trained staff is needed to administer and score it. Interest in depression has been consistent in Mexico in recent years, and the CES-D is one of the most used scales. The goal of this paper is to present a bibliometric analysis of scientific papers reporting data obtained with the scale; the papers had to be published in a scientific journal with a reviewing board, a group of peer reviewers and be ISNN registered. Materials were found in EBSCOhost and Google Scholar databases. 80 papers were published between 1986 and 2011. An average of three papers was published every year. Most of the studies were developed in Mexico City and nationwide; there was a bi-national study, a multinational one, and four in several states combined. The journals with the highest number of papers were: SALUD MENTAL, Salud Publica de Mexico, and Revista Mexicana de Psicologia. There were 17 institutions involved in coordinating the studies; six of them were international. 41% of the studies were conducted with adolescents, 32% with women, and 90% in urban contexts. There are some areas which need further study to build a more comprehensive understanding about the distribution and characteristics of depressive symptoms and hence new studies must be designed to include understudied groups and populations.


In this paper, a new method of alpha- beta associative memories for images (MAABI) is presented. This method results in the alpha-beta transform (TAB) for images. The alpha-beta transform presented in this paper is applied to sub-blocks of a gray-scale image and generates an alpha-beta heteroassociative memory on each sub-block using a given transformation matrix. By means of the inverse alpha-beta transform (TABI), the original image patterns are recovered. The data compression process is divided into three stages: transformation, quantization and coding. Our model is focused on image transformation; we compare it with the morphological transform (TM) based on the morphological associative memories (MAM). In order to measure the number of bits contained in an image, the Shannon's entropy is used. The TM, as well as such traditional transforming methods as the discrete cosine transform (DCT) and the discrete wavelet transform (DWT), cannot perform compression over an image; that is why the main advantage of the AB is a smaller value of the entropy measure of the transformed image compared to the entropy of the original image. In addition, TAB provides a faster processing with a small number of elementary operations such as addition, subtraction, maximum and minimum.


This article aims to bring together three different long-term, global comparative studies on women's work in three sectors: the textile industry, domestic service and sex work from the seventeenth century to today. Although there were notable differences between developments in these three occupations over time, it is clear that they all represent the ubiquitous precarity that runs through the history of work. Instead of viewing precarious labour as a novel development, history shows that the ILO model of 'standard employment' is an exception in history. Both in the Global North and in the Global South, at least half of the world's historical population – women – often worked in underpaid, poorly organized jobs, under unequal power relations. However, despite these consistent practices of subordination, this article also highlights that within the given constrictions, female labourers who were formally powerless could exert considerable agency, using informal networks and power mechanisms that often emerged from the inherent intimacy of the labour relations they were involved in.


In this paper, I investigate how we can legitimate that certain regularities get epistemic authority in specific contexts of scientific practice. With "epistemic authority" I refer to the fact that regularities are trusted to achieve epistemic goals like prediction, explanation and manipulation. For my analysis, I use the Neuber rule, a regularity used to model creep in notches, as an exemplar. I distinguish two traditional ways of legitimating epistemic authority: a necessitarian approach and an epistemic mark approach. Throughout the paper, I argue that neither is, in its current form, sufficient to account for the epistemic authority of regularities like the Neuber rule. Regarding necessity, I expand arguments from Matthias Frisch's work in philosophy of physics to show that (1) the Neuber rule is currently not successfully derived from (more) fundamental laws, (2) the idea that there are truly fundamental laws that can be used to represent any phenomenon is not unproblematic given the functioning of scientific practice, and (3) even if there are such fundamental laws, there is no guarantee that their necessity is undamaged by the modelling practices of science. I then present an alternative that resembles the basic idea behind the epistemic mark approach, but is significantly more informative. For this part, I build on insights from Sandra Mitchell's work in philosophy of biology. This results in a pragmatic approach to epistemic authority. At the same time, this paper functions as a defence and expansion of both Frisch and Mitchell's work. I also emphasize the benefits of combining insights from various philosophical disciplines. Acknowledgments I would like to thank the Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek for supporting this research. I am grateful for helpful comments by Leen Devreese, Stathis Psillos, Dingmar Van Eck and Erik Weber. The work has been significantly improved due to suggestions from Phyllis Illari. Remaining errors are, of course, my own. Epistemic authority: a pragmatic approach.


Innovation policies are central to growth agendas in most countries, but have figured much less prominently in strategies to promote social inclusion. In recent years, many countries have implemented "inclusive innovation policies"– a specific set of innovation policies that aim to boost the capacities and opportunities of disadvantaged individuals to engage in innovation activities, including research and entrepreneurship. Examples include the provision of grants to researchers from disadvantaged groups, the deployment of programmes to popularise science and technology, the provision of micro-credit to entrepreneurs and the provision of grants to firms locating their R&D activities in peripheral regions. This paper analyses the role that inclusive innovation policies can play in tackling social, industrial and territorial inclusiveness challenges by drawing on 33 detailed policy examples from 15 countries. The paper discusses why these policies should be a priority, explores the specific challenges that arise in their implementation and provides recommendations as to how the challenges can best be addressed.


Asthma's sustenance as a global pandemic, across centuries, can be attributed to the lack of an understanding of its workings and the inability of the existing treatment modalities to provide a long lasting cure without major adverse effects. The discovery of statins boosted by a better comprehension of the pathophysiology of asthma in the past few decades has opened up a potentially alternative line of treatment that promises to be a big boon for the asthmatics globally. However, the initial excellent results from the preclinical and animal studies have not borne the results in clinical trials that the scientific world was hoping for. In light of this, this review analyzes the ways by which statins could benefit in asthma via their pleiotropic anti-inflammatory properties and explain some of the queries raised in the previous studies and provide recommendations for future studies in this field.


PURPOSE
To evaluate causes and management of congenital corneal opacities (CCO) diagnosed in a tertiary care eye center and to compare the data with a previous study at the same institution.

METHODS
Computerized medical records in all patients with congenital corneal opacities diagnosed in the Cornea Service at Wills Eye Hospital (Philadelphia, PA) between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2015, were retrospectively reviewed. Children aged 12 years and younger at the first visit were included in the study. Patients' demographics, ocular diagnosis, laterality, associated ocular abnormalities, other ocular surgery performed prior or subsequent to the first visit, and their treatment were extracted from the medical records.

RESULTS
A total of 77 eyes in 56 patients were examined. The mean age at presentation was 32.8 ± 44.2 months, with the mean follow-up period of 26.7 ± 30.1 months. The most frequent diagnosis was Peters anomaly (53.2%), followed by limbal dermoid (13.0%), aniridia with glaucoma and microphthalmos (6.5%), sclerocornea and congenital glaucoma (5.2%), idiopathic (3.9%), Axenfeld-Rieger anomaly and Hurler syndrome (2.6%), and microcornea (1.3%). Primary keratoplasty was performed in 26 eyes, with the outcome rate in the clear cornea of 76.0% during the follow-up.

CONCLUSION
Peters anomaly is the most common cause of congenital corneal opacities encountered at our institution. Penetrating keratoplasty is the most frequent choice of corneal surgery to treat congenital corneal opacities. Additional interventions during penetrating keratoplasty were moderately positively correlated with graft failure. This study also shows the rates of some etiologies of that changed over the recent decades in our tertiary care Cornea Service. Although Peters anomaly remains the most common presenting reason for congenital corneal opacities, its rate appears to be increasing over the recent decade. Congenital corneal opacities due to birth trauma, which is one of the preventable causes, were observed in a previous study in our clinic; however, no new cases were noted in this study.


The different compartments of the gastrointestinal tract are inhabited by populations of micro-organisms. By far the most important predominant populations are in the colon where a true symbiosis with the host exists that is a key for well-being and health. For such a microbiota, 'normobiosis' characterises a composition of the gut 'ecosystem' in which micro-organisms with potential health benefits predominate in number over potentially harmful ones, in contrast to 'dysbiosis', in which one or a few potentially harmful micro-organisms are dominant, thus creating a disease-prone situation. The present document has been written by a group of both academic and industry experts (in the ILSI Europe Prebiotic Expert Group and Prebiotic Task Force, respectively). It does not aim to propose a new definition of a prebiotic nor to identify which food products are classified as prebiotic but rather to validate and expand the original idea of the prebiotic concept (that can be translated in 'prebiotic effects'), defined as: 'The selective stimulation of growth and/or activity(ies) of one or a limited number of microbial genus(era)/species in the gut microbiota that confer(s) health benefits to the host.' Thanks to the methodological and fundamental research of microbiologists, immense progress has very recently been made in our understanding of the gut microbiota. A large number of human intervention studies have been performed that have demonstrated that dietary consumption of certain food products can result in statistically significant changes in the composition of the gut microbiota in line with the prebiotic concept. Thus the prebiotic effect is now a well-established scientific fact. The more data are accumulating, the more it will be recognised that such changes in the microbiota's composition, especially increase in bifidobacteria, can be regarded as a marker of intestinal health. The review is divided in chapters that cover the major areas of nutrition research where a prebiotic effect has tentatively been investigated for potential health benefits. The prebiotic effect has been shown to associate with modulation of biomarkers and activity(ies) of the immune system. Confirming the studies in adults, it has been demonstrated that, in infant nutrition, the prebiotic effect includes a significant change of gut microbiota composition, especially an increase of faecal concentrations of bifidobacteria. This concomitantly improves stool quality (pH, SCFA, frequency and consistency), reduces the risk of gastroenteritis and infections, improves general well-being and reduces the incidence of allergic symptoms such as atopic eczema. Changes in the gut microbiota composition are classically considered as one of the many factors involved in the pathogenesis of either inflammatory bowel disease or irritable bowel syndrome. The use of particular food products with a prebiotic effect has thus been tested in clinical trials with the objective to improve the clinical activity and well-being of patients with such disorders. Promising beneficial effects have been demonstrated in some preliminary studies, including changes in gut microbiota composition (especially increase in bifidobacteria concentration). Often associated with toxic load and/or miscellaneous risk factors, colon cancer is another pathology for which a possible role of gut microbiota composition has been hypothesised. Numerous experimental studies have reported reduction in incidence of tumours and cancers after feeding specific food products with a prebiotic effect. Some of these studies (including one human trial) have also reported that, in such conditions, gut microbiota composition was modified (especially due to increased concentration of bifidobacteria). Dietary intake of particular food products with a prebiotic effect has been shown, especially in adolescents, but also tentatively in postmenopausal women, to increase Ca absorption as well as bone Ca accretion and bone mineral density. Recent data, both from experimental models and from human studies, support the beneficial effects of particular food products with prebiotic properties on energy homaeostasis, satiety regulation and body weight gain. Together, with data in obese animals and patients, these studies support the hypothesis that gut microbiota composition (especially the number of bifidobacteria) may contribute to modulate metabolic processes associated with syndrome X, especially obesity and diabetes type 2. It is plausible, even though not exclusive, that these effects are linked to the microbiota-induced changes and it is feasible to conclude that their mechanisms fit into the prebiotic effect. However, the role of such changes in these health benefits remains to be definitively proven. As a result of the research activity that followed the publication of the prebiotic concept 15 years ago, it has become clear that products that cause a selective modification in the gut microbiota's composition and/or activity(ies) and thus strengthens normobiosis could either induce beneficial physiological effects in the colon and also in extra-intestinal compartments or contribute towards reducing the risk of dysbiosis and associated intestinal and systemic pathologies.


This paper is an attempt to measure and evaluate the efficiency of the health care system of Serbia in comparison with countries in the European region using the data envelopment analysis (DEA), one of the most important methods to model and measure the efficiency of health care systems. The research included the sample of 42 countries representing decision-making units (DMU), divided into two groups of countries with similar levels of development. To assess the performance of those DMUs we used three outputs representing mortality rates and three inputs representing health care expenditure and health care human resources. In the presence of undesirable outputs, the proposed model was Bad Output Model with simple modifications. The analysis showed that 19 out of 42 countries are relatively efficient in providing health services and a close examination of these efficient countries shows that most countries are countries with low input values. On the other hand, Serbia's health system is ranked the 15th out of 21 analyzed systems within its group, with a gap of 37% in comparison with the first ones ranked. The usual explanation is that the health system in Serbia has been affected, during time, by the lack of reforms, by poor funding as well as by the lack of interest of the authorities in establishing a long-term strategy; further analysis, however, are needed to show the reasons for this state and what steps should be done to improve the current state. We find that this paper could be useful to both public health practitioners and researchers especially because due to its complexity in undertaking, the measuring efficiency at the system level has recently been applied only in few studies and this research will be a significant contribution.


Volume 12 in the Rusch series continues work already begun on the School of Aristotle. It focuses on two Peripatetic philosophers who lived in the third century BCE, when Stoicism and Epicureanism flourished. Lyco of Troas was the third head of the Peripatos after Aristotle. Hieronymus of Rhodes was a member of the school and an antagonist of Lyco. Excellence in teaching was Lyco's distinguishing attribute, but he also attracted benefactors and had the reputation of being a bon vivant. Hieronymus is best known for his work on ethics, but he also wrote on literature, history, and rhetoric. Our understanding of the work being done in the Peripatos during the third century BCE will be greatly enhanced by Peter Stork's new edition of Lyco and Stephen White's edition of Hieronymus. The two editions in this volume are accompanied by full translations as well as notes on the Greek and Latin texts (an apparatus criticus) and substantive notes that accompany the translation. The editions will replace those of Fritz Wehrli, which were made over half a century ago and published without an accompanying translation. In addition to the two editions, this volume includes ten essays that address significant themes presented by the texts. Three of the essays deal with biographical material: "Diogenes Life of Lyco" (Jorgen Mejer), "Hieronymus in Athens and Rhodes" (Elisabetta Matelli), and "Peripatetic Philosophers as Wandering Scholars" (Peter Scholz). Four develop philosophical topics: "Hieronymus of Rhodes on Vision" (Todd Ganson), "The Historical Setting of Hieronymus fr. 10 White" (Peter Lautner), "Peripatetic Reactions to Hellenistic Epistemology" (Hans Gottschalk), and "Lyco and Hieronymus on the Good Life" (Stephen White). Three concern rhetoric and literature: "Lyco Phrastikos" (William Fortenbaugh), "Hieronymus on Isocrates' Style" (David Mirhady), and "Hieronymus in Ancient Commentaries on Hesiod's Shield" (Andrea Martano).


The present paper studies the chromaticity gamut of multi-color printing processes. Heptatone (7-color) printing - the most promising variant of multi-color printing - offers a significantly larger gamut than a conventional CMYK printing process, approaching CRT and film gamuts. The behavior of the process in the device-independent CIE-XYZ and CIE-L*u*v* colorimetric spaces is explored using the compound Neugebauer model developed for this purpose. A simple and straightforward Moire-free separation process is proposed. The strong point of the proposed separation process is the fact that only 3 different screen layers are needed for any odd number of basic colors including black.


Context. Since 1995, more than 1500 exoplanets have been discovered around a wide variety of host stars (from M- to A-type stars). Tidal dissipation in stellar convective envelopes is an important factor that shapes the orbital architecture of short-period systems.Aims. Our objective is to understand and evaluate how tidal dissipation in the convective envelope of low-mass stars (from M to F types) depends on their mass, evolutionary stage, and rotation.Methods. Using a simplified two-layer assumption, we analytically compute the frequency-averaged tidal dissipation in the convective envelope. This dissipation is due to the conversion into heat of the kinetic energy of tidal non-wavelike/equilibrium flow and inertial waves because of the viscous friction applied by turbulent convection. Using grids of stellar models allows us to study the variation of the dissipation as a function of stellar mass and age on the pre-main sequence and on the main sequence for stars with masses ranging from 0.4 to 1.4 M⊙.Results. During their pre-main sequence, all low-mass stars have an increase in the frequency-averaged tidal dissipation for a fixed angular velocity in their convective envelope until they reach a critical aspect and mass ratios (respectively α = Rc/Rs and β = Mc/Ms, where Rs,Ms,Rc, and Mc are the star's radius and mass and its radiative core's radius and mass). Next, the dissipation evolves on the main sequence to an asymptotic value that is highest for 0.6 M⊙ K-type stars and that then decreases by several orders of magnitude with increasing stellar mass. Finally, the rotational evolution of low-mass stars strengthens the importance of tidal dissipation during the pre-main sequence for star-planet and multiple star systems.Conclusions. As shown by observations, tidal dissipation in stars' convection zones varies over several orders of magnitude as a function of stellar mass, age, and rotation. We demonstrate that i) it reaches a maximum value on the pre-main sequence for all stellar masses and ii) on the main sequence and at fixed angular velocity, it is at a maximum for 0.6 M⊙ K-type stars and decreases with increasing mass.


Abstract: The progress of biodiversity conservation is a function of the historic development of reserve systems, studies of which provide data on reservation gaps and direction for more systematic conservation planning. We used mapped plant communities as a surrogate for the globally significant biodiversity of Tasmania in an analysis of reservation status in relation to a range of conservation targets for 1937, 1970, and 1992. Before the 1970s the representation of plant communities in the Tasmanian National Park system was strongly biased toward the reservation of communities that are not economically valuable, typically those occurring in scenic alpine and subalpine areas. In 1970 <3% of economically valuable communities were reserved above 15% of their pre‐European area, compared with over 17% of communities without economic value. These statistics support the "worthless lands" hypothesis. Between 1970 and 1992 there was a dramatic rise in the representation of communities in the reserve system in response to a change in motivations for reserve establishment and the availability of gap analyses for many plant communities and species. This increase included large increases in the reservation of both economically valuable and noneconomically valuable plant communities. In 1992, one‐third of the plant communities in Tasmania had 15% of their pre‐European area represented in the reserve system, with over 20% of economically valuable communities and 58% of noneconomically valuable communities having over 15% of their pre‐European area reserved. Although gaps in the reservation of forest communities have been partially filled since 1992, some treeless lowland communities are still highly depleted and unreserved. The reserve system in Tasmania, however, is closer to a representative system of biodiversity than in most other countries.


Technical efficiency for cotton growers is examined using both stochastic (SFA) and nonstochastic (DEA) production function approaches. The empirical application uses farm-level data from four counties in west Texas. While efficiency scores for the individual farms differed between SFA and DEA, the mean efficiency scores are invariant of the method of estimation under the assumption of constant returns to scale. On average, irrigated farms are 80% and nonirrigated farms are 70% efficient. Findings show that in Texas, the irrigated farms, on average, could reduce their expenditures on other inputs by 10%, and the nonirrigated farms could reduce their expenditures on machinery and labor by 12% and 13%, respectively, while producing the same level of output.


This study explores the explanatory value of two theories of desistance – the cessation of criminal behavior – in explaining why 27 individuals left the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS). The article focuses specifically on jihadists that turned away from ISIS after March 2011, asking why individuals desist from ISIS and choose to leave the caliphate. A dataset of 27 narratives of desistance was analysed to answer the question to what extent desistance from ISIS by jihadists can be explained by the Laub & Sampson's life course theory and by Altier, Thorogughood & Horgan's model of push and pull factors . The primary pathways for desistance are coded according to the two theories. The results show that of the 27 individuals, the majority desisted from the caliphate because of their perception of the excessive use of force by ISIS and their inability to cope with the effects. A minority desisted because of their perception of alternative options outside the terrorist group or because of important life events that happened 'at home'. Thus, the article concludes that the push and pull factors model is valid in the explanation of desistance from the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq whereas life course theory does not hold explanatory value


[1] In this study, a Boolean classification was applied using novel methods to 3-D vegetation structural and topographic attributes found within flux footprint source/sink areas measured by eddy covariance instrumentation. The purpose was to determine if the spatial frequency of 3-D attributes, such as canopy height, effective leaf area index, etc., found within 1 km resolution Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) pixels were significantly different from or similar to attributes sampled by flux footprints originating from prevailing wind directions. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used for the first time to apply confidence limits to individual MODIS pixels based on (1) the spatial distribution of cumulative frequencies of attributes representative of those sampled by eddy covariance and (2) temporal representation of MODIS pixels related to area sampling frequency by eddy covariance based on wind direction. Structural and topographic attributes at homogeneous Southern Old Aspen and heterogeneous Upland Aspen sites are representative of 56% and 69% of a 1 km radius area surrounding the tower and 21% and 47% of a 4 × 4 km area. Attributes found within the MODIS "tower" pixel compare well with attributes most frequently sampled by eddy covariance instruments at both sites. By classifying pixels using the Boolean approach, correspondence between MODIS pixels and eddy covariance estimates of gross primary production (GPP) explain up to 13% more variance than using pixels proximal to the tower. This study, therefore, provides a method for choosing MODIS pixels that have similar attributes to those found within footprints most frequently sampled by eddy covariance.


The basic unit of nature – the ecosystem – is a special form of wealth, which we can think of as a stock of natural capital. However, perhaps because this capital is free, we have tended to view it as limitless, abundant and always available for our use, exploitation and conversion. Capitalizing on Nature shows how modeling ecosystems as natural capital can help us to analyze the economic behavior that has led to the overuse of so much ecological wealth. It explains how this concept of ecosystem as natural capital sheds light on a number of important issues, including landscape conversion, ecological restoration, ecosystem resilience and collapse, spatial benefits and payments for ecosystem services. The book concludes by focusing on major policy challenges that need to be overcome in order to avert the worsening problem of ecological scarcity and how we can fund novel financing mechanisms for global conservation.


Investigation of groundwater resources in Jersey and Guernsey has been driven by different needs in three phases: the first, an intensive phase, took place between 1940 and 1945, when the islands were occupied by German armed forces; the second in the 1970s, in response to increasing reliance on, and demand for groundwater; and the third between 1991 and 1998, in response to a drought between 1989 and 1991. First phase investigation in Alderney was followed directly by third phase work. Maps and reports from the first phase studies for all three islands have only recently been rediscovered: second and third phase investigations were all carried out in ignorance of the German work. The surviving German documents have revealed studies on crystalline basement aquifers with thin Quaternary cover far in advance of work elsewhere in the British Isles at that time. German work on Jersey centred on a map portraying the different hydraulic properties of the various rock types as a two-dimensional model, whereas that on Guernsey concentrated on availability of potable water and depth to water in the coastal areas of the island. Both investigations depended on well and borehole inventories as primary data sources. The modern third phase studies also used well inventories, but were supported with hydrochemical evidence to determine groundwater provenance. These studies considered the groundwater flow systems as three-dimensional models using conceptualized flow systems and island-wide water balances to understand the hydrogeology of the islands. Nevertheless, the work carried out by the German geologists showed a comprehensive and advanced understanding of the hydrogeology of the islands which would, in hindsight, have been of great benefit to the second and third phase studies if it had been available when they were carried out.


The author argues that, since the early 1980s, the Supreme Court of Canada has followed the path of judicial restraint when adjudicating federalism disputes to a degree that is unprecedented in the Court''s history. The Court has almost entirely abandoned, for more than two decades, the use of declarations of invalidity to police the federal division of legislative powers. Over the same period, however, the Court has demonstrated an increased willingness to invoke the interjurisdictional immunity doctrine and the paramountcy doctrine to limit the application and operation of provincial statutes. The combined effect of these trends has been to increase the legal potential for federal dominance and provincial subordination. The jurisprudence makes the exercise of provincial legislative autonomy increasingly conditional upon securing federal consent or forbearance. So long as the provincial pursuit of distinct policies in the growing areas of shared jurisdiction is conditional upon a permissive federal posture, the provinces cannot be confident that their autonomy will be safeguarded in the future.


We follow the main stocks belonging to the New York Stock Exchange and to Nasdaq from 2003 to 2012, through years of normality and of crisis, and study the dynamics of networks built on two measures expressing relations between those stocks: correlation, which is symmetric and measures how similar two stocks behave, and Transfer Entropy, which is non-symmetric and measures the influence of the time series of one stock onto another in terms of the information that the time series of one stock transmits to the time series of another stock. The two measures are used in the creation of two networks that evolve in time, revealing how the relations between stocks and industrial sectors changed in times of crisis. The two networks are also used in conjunction with a dynamic model of the spreading of volatility in order to detect which are the stocks that are most likely to spread crises, according to the model. This information may be used in the building of policies aiming to reduce the effect of financial crises.


The srbi gene encodes a lipoprotein receptor with high affinity for high density lipoprotein that is mainly expressed in the liver and in steroidogenic tissues. Disruption of this gene in mice and mutations in humans lead to alterations in lipoprotein metabolism and/or fertility. During murine development, scavenger receptor class B member I (SR-BI) is present in the yolk sac and the placenta and is only expressed in the embryo itself late in gestation. In humans, it has been detected in trophoblast cells and placenta. Although the proportion of mice carrying a null mutation in SR-BI obtained from heterozygous intercrosses is lower than the expected by the Mendelian ratio, suggesting the involvement of this receptor in intrauterine development, the cause of this demise has remained unknown. In this work, we show that embryos lacking SR-BI exhibit a high prevalence of exencephaly with a sex bias toward females. Immunolocalization studies confirmed that SR-BI is not expressed in the embryo at early stages of development and allowed a more detailed description of its localization in the cells that mediate maternal-fetal transport of nutrients. SR-BI-null embryos contain less cholesterol than their wild-type littermates, suggesting the involvement of SR-BI in materno-fetal cholesterol transport. Newborn SR-BI-deficient pups exhibit intrauterine growth restriction, suggesting that this receptor is also important for fetal growth. Altogether, the results of our work suggest that the presence of SR-BI in extraembryonic tissues is involved in the maternal-fetal transport of cholesterol and/or other lipids with a role during neural tube closure and fetal growth.


In this work, the synthesis of carboxyl functionalized semiconducting polymer dots (PFBT-COOH Pdots) is achieved by a co-precipitation method. The PFBT-COOH Pdots show extraordinary fluorescence brightness and excellent photostability, and the fluorescence of PFBT-COOH Pdots is selectively quenched by ferric ions. Upon addition of phytic acid (PA) to the Pdots/Fe(III) system, PA is able to selectively and preferentially bind with the ferric ions, thus leading to fluorescence recovery of the PFBT-COOH Pdots. Therefore, a simple, selective and sensitive fluorescence probe for PA detection is designed based on the fluorescence quenching-recover process. This probe exhibits a good linear relationship (R = 0.9988) with a linear range from 2.5 μmol L−1 to 450 μmol L−1 and a limit of detection of 0.63 μmol L−1. The probe also shows good selectivity for PA and a good recovery ratio, and it is applied to the determination of PA in a corn grains sample with satisfactory results.


Accessibility is an important area of interoperability between real and virtual worlds that must be considered during standards-setting. The number of persons with disabilities is large and increasing, as is their use of virtual worlds. All elements of virtual worlds must be accessible. Four types of real world disability impact functioning in virtual worlds: keyboard/mouse; print; hearing/speech; and cognitive. Some virtual worlds include accessibility features, such as resizable UI elements and fonts. Alternative keyboards and mice usually work adequately in virtual worlds. However, common text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and screen reader software doesn't interface well with virtual worlds. Existing accessibility guidelines and legislation (Universal Design, Internet accessibility standards and guidelines, and online game accessibility guidelines) might be applicable to virtual worlds. Practical limitations to implementation of these solutions include their complexity and cost. As government agencies, universities, and employers increase their use of virtual worlds, specific standards for virtual world accessibility, including interfacing with common assistive technology, need to be created and enforced.


OBJECTIVE
The object of the paper is to analyse the treatment of tinnitus in two ancient works, Celsus De Medicina and the Greek Hippocratic Corpus. Whilst reviews of historical references to tinnitus have identified this material, this is the first detailed treatment of the subject in these authors.

DESIGN
The paper considers the material relating to tinnitus and suggested treatments in the Roman medical writer Celsus (mid first century AD) in contrast with those found in the Greek Hippocratic Corpus (late fifth, early fourth century BC).

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION
The lifestyle change, diet and pharmacological treatments suggested by Celsus are analysed and shown as likely to be effective. Celsus is shown to be remarkably modern in his understanding of the aetiology of the disease and his suggested dietary and pharmacological treatments appear to be soundly based. Celsus' pharmacological approach differs from the more theoretical stance of the Hippocratic Corpus based on humoural theory. The Hippocratric Corpus is more detailed in its descriptions of otological pathology and more concerned with a humoural explanation of the disease, but offers useful advice on diet and regimen and also provides the first detailed description of what appears to be Ménière's Syndrome.


This technical note analyzes the methodologies used to evaluate neighborhood upgrading programs, describes their results, and suggests approaches for future evaluations. Local and central governments are increasingly utilizing slum or neighborhood upgrading programs to deal with the multiple problems of urban poverty. These programs employ a methodology of integral interventions, combining of both infrastructure works and social services targeted to specific neighborhoods. Due to this variety of interventions the assessment of their impact is complicated and requires a comprehensive approach. This document analyzes the methods used in the evaluation of a number of upgrading programs either looking at individual interventions or their combined outcomes. It proposes a methodological approach for their assessment based on three categories of outcomes: housing, neighborhood, and individual. For each type of outcome, the authors present a literature review of common interventions and their evaluation results. The document also suggests relevant indicators for evaluating slum upgrading programs according to these three types of outcomes, and finally, it presents methodological issues to take into consideration when designing the evaluations of integral programs.


The aims of this PhD programme were: optimisation of conditions for clonal
isolation of Trypanosoma cruzi from individual triatomine bugs and molecular characterisation of clonal isolates from field sites in Paraguay, with special
consideration given to host/vector associations and transmission cycles, and further
characterisation of putative parents and experimental hybrid progeny of T cruzi 1.
with comparison of hybrid genotypes and field isolates from Paraguay.
The development of an optimised solid medium plating technique allowed the
resolution of mixed infections by the isolation of clonal colonies of T cruzi from
single triatomine bugs and experimentally infected mice. Some nutrient plate types
produced rapid growth with high plating efficiencies and longer colony viability in
comparison with previous methods. Using this technique growth was also possible
without the use of a CO2 incubator.
Paraguayan isolates were characterised from mammal hosts, sylvatic T infestans,
and domestic T infestans from several geographical locations. Isolates were
characterised by phenotyping and by genotyping large and small subunit rRNA and
mini-exon genes. Analysis enabled assignment of isolates into one of two major
lineages (TCI or TC2), and further attribution to one of five subgroups of TC2 (a-e).
In Paraguay isolates were all subgroups of TC2. We identified TC2b, TC2c. TC2d
and Tc2e circulating in Paraguay. TC2b, TC2d and TC2e were present in domestic
cycles (with a predominance of TC2e, 55.2%) and TC2c, TC2b and TC2d in sylvatic
cycles. Two species of armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus; TC2c, TC2d and
Euphractus sexcinctus; TC2b, TC2d) were identified as sylvatic reservoirs of T cruzi.
These findings accord with our theory that terrestrial armadillos and rodents may have
an evolutionary association with TC2.
Sylvatic colonies of the vector T infestans were identified from two locations in
the Paraguayan Chaco. T cruzi infection in sylvatic T infestans was identified as
TC2b. This vector was previously regarded as almost exclusively domestic. and this
finding has significant implications for future vector surveillance programmes in
Paraguay.
By further characterisation of hybrid clones it has been proved for the first time
that T cruzi has an extant capacity for genetic exchange. Two genetically transformed putative parental types and six double drug resistant clones, previously isolated by coinfection of mammal cells, were analysed by isoenzyme phenotype, random amplified
polymorphic DNA (RAPDs), karyotype analysis and DNA sequencing. These results,
together with parallel work performed within our group, suggest an unusual
mechanism of genetic exchange involving fusion of parental genotypes and
subsequent loss of alleles in polyploid progeny, in conjunction with homologous
recombination, and uniparental inheritance of kinetoplast maxicircle DNA. There
were parallels between experimentally generated hybrids and natural isolates. The
implications of genome fusion and aneuploidy are profound and the mechanism is
likely to be widespread providing a possible means of rapid speciation and evolution.


Abstract. This replication and extension of DeYoung, Quilty, Peterson, and Gray's (2014) study aimed to assess the unique variance of each of the 10 aspects of the Big Five personality traits ( DeYoung, Quilty, & Peterson, 2007 ) associated with intelligence and its dimensions. Personality aspects and intelligence were assessed in a sample of French-Canadian adults from real-life assessment settings ( n = 213). Results showed that the Intellect aspect was independently associated with g, verbal, and nonverbal intelligence while its counterpart Openness was independently related to verbal intelligence only, thus replicating the results of the original study. Independent associations were also found between Withdrawal, Industriousness and Assertiveness aspects and verbal intelligence, as well as between Withdrawal and Politeness aspects and nonverbal intelligence. Possible explanations for these associations are discussed.


Because of the ongoing pandemic around the world, the mechanisms underlying the SARS-CoV-2-induced COVID-19 are subject to intense investigation. Based on available data for the SARS-CoV-1 virus, we suggest how CoV-2 localization of RNA transcripts in mitochondria hijacks the host cell's mitochondrial function to viral advantage. Besides viral RNA transcripts, RNA also localizes to mitochondria. SARS-CoV-2 may manipulate mitochondrial function indirectly, first by ACE2 regulation of mitochondrial function, and once it enters the host cell, open-reading frames (ORFs) such as ORF-9b can directly manipulate mitochondrial function to evade host cell immunity and facilitate virus replication and COVID-19 disease. Manipulations of host mitochondria by viral ORFs can release mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the cytoplasm and activate mtDNA-induced inflammasome and suppress innate and adaptive immunity. We argue that a decline in ACE2 function in aged individuals, coupled with the age-associated decline in mitochondrial functions resulting in chronic metabolic disorders like diabetes or cancer, may make the host more vulnerable to infection and health complications to mortality. These observations suggest that distinct localization of viral RNA and proteins in mitochondria must play essential roles in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. Understanding the mechanisms underlying virus communication with host mitochondria may provide critical insights into COVID-19 pathologies. An investigation into the SARS-CoV-2 hijacking of mitochondria should lead to novel approaches to prevent and treat COVID-19.


Stereo matching is a promising approach for smart vehicles to find the depth of nearby objects. Transforming a traditional stereo matching algorithm to its adaptive version has potential advantages to achieve the maximum quality (depth accuracy) in a best-effort manner. However, it is very challenging to support this adaptive feature, since (1) the internal mechanism of adaptive stereo matching (ASM) has to be accurately modeled, and (2) scheduling ASM tasks on multiprocessors to generate the maximum quality is difficult under strict real-time constraints of smart vehicles. In this article, we propose a framework for constructing an ASM application and optimizing its output quality on smart vehicles. First, we empirically convert stereo matching into ASM by exploiting its inherent characteristics of disparity–cycle correspondence and introduce an exponential quality model that accurately represents the quality–cycle relationship. Second, with the explicit quality model, we propose an efficient quadratic programming-based dynamic voltage/frequency scaling (DVFS) algorithm to decide the optimal operating strategy, which maximizes the output quality under timing, energy, and temperature constraints. Third, we propose two novel methods to efficiently estimate the parameters of the quality model, namely location similarity-based feature point thresholding and street scenario-confined CNN prediction. Results show that our DVFS algorithm achieves at least 1.61 times quality improvement compared to the state-of-the-art techniques, and average parameter estimation for the quality model achieves 96.35% accuracy on the straight road.


Abstract. Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) sheets have been widely used in strengthening different concrete elements such as beams, slabs, and columns. This sparked the interest of many researchers to conduct research on CFRP sheets; to have a better understanding for their behavior. This paper studied numerically the effect of using CFRP as a strengthening technique for Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams subjected to blast loading. A previous experimental investigation done by a Chinese researchers was considered in this study as a reference, and was modeled numerically (using ABAQUS) for this study. The model was then calibrated in order to conduct the numerical analysis on the effect of CFRP. Three different configurations of CFRP were considered: bottom CFRP strips for flexural strengthening, diagonal side strips for shear strengthening, and U-shaped strips for both shear and flexural strengthening. The variables considered in this study were; the mid-span deflection, strain in steel reinforcement and structural damage in both beams and CFRP sheets. Results showed that using CFRP in the bottom tensile face of RC beams helps in absorbing blast energy. In addition, using CFRP has shown a reduction in the tensile strain of the beam reinforcements.


Many readers will be familiar with the work of Robert Chambers, including his six 'biases' of the development professional--namely spatial, project, person, seasonal, diplomatic, and professional--and with his suggestions for overcoming them. Many will also be familiar with the challenge of putting his advice into practice, notably on short-term assignments. The question asked here is whether the consultant can do anything constructive about those who are 'last' on the development ladder; and in so doing render the invisible just a bit more visible. This article provides four illustrations taken from the author's experiences in Mozambique, Malawi, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe. All involve attempts to partially apply Chambers' ideas. All are modest in ambition, scale, and scope. The main purpose of describing these cases is to stimulate discussion of the possibilities of incorporating the ideas of participatory and inclusive development processes within the unpromising confines of the two- or three-week assignment.


Currently there is limited design guidance for calculation that involves an unchannelled balcony spill plume. The current guidance for unchannelled spill plume can be obtained from CIBSE (TM19) and BS PD 7974 (Part 2). The guidance is a result of an analysis performed by Law (1995) on a set of experiments performed by Hansell et al (1993). Recently a series of unchannelled balcony spill plume experiments have been performed by Harrison (2009) at 1/10 th -scale as part of a research project. Harrison (2009) developed a simplified design formula to calculate the mass flow rate from unchannelled spill plume. Results from Harrison suggested that an unchannelled balcony spill plume is a complex problem and his experiments were limited by the experimental facility. Harrison (2009) recommended that this problem should be supported with computer modelling for design. Research from Harrison (2009) also resulted in a correlation that can be used to calculate the effective width of an unchannelled balcony spill plume. This research is primarily a numerical simulation of the unchannelled balcony spill plume using Fire Dynamics Simulator 5 version 5.3.0 (FDS 5). FDS 5 was used to model unchannelled balcony spill plume experiments performed by Harrison (2009) at 1/10 th -scale. Results from Harrison"s (2009) experiment were used to verify the results from the FDS simulation. A good match was obtained between experimental results and FDS simulation results. The 1/10 th -scale model was extended to full-scale using the scaling laws. Then, the model was used to perform a series of unchannelled balcony spill plume simulations with variables of balcony breadth, compartment opening, fire size and height of rise of the spill plume. Mass flow rate readings from simulations were used to improve the effective width correlations developed by Harrison and an improved effective width correlation was developed. Unchannelled balcony spill plume mass flow rate prediction with the revised effective width correlation was compared with mass flow rate predictions using the effective width correlation from Law (1995) and Harrison (2009). Results showed that the unchannelled balcony spill plume with revised effective width correlation has a better overall performance when compared to the effective width correlation from Law (1995) and Harrison (2009).


In a 2005 publication, Deary and Der presented data on both longitudinal and cross-sectional ageing effects for a variety of reaction time measures among a large sample of the Scottish population. This dataset is reanalysed in order to look for secular trends in mean simple reaction time performance. By extrapolating longitudinal aging effects from within each cohort across the entire age span via curve fitting, it is possible to predict the reaction time performance at the start-age of the next oldest cohort. The difference between the observed performance and the predicted one tells us whether older cohorts are slower than younger ones when age matched, or vice versa. Our data indicate a significant decline of 36 ms over a 40-year period amongst the female cohort. No trends of any sort were detected amongst the male cohort, possibly due to the well-known male neuro-maturation lag, which will be especially pronounced in the younger cohorts. These findings are tentatively supportive of the existence of secular declines in simple reaction time performance, perhaps consistent with a dysgenic effect. On the basis of a psychometric meta-analysis of the female reaction time decline, the g equivalent decline was estimated at -6.15 IQ points, or -1.54 points per decade.


Environmental conditions experienced in early life affect growth and influence life his- tory strategies, especially in seasonal environments. We studied the seasonal and sexual variation in resource allocation in juvenile southern elephant seals to investigate whether they show a seasonal decline in growth. We also examined whether sexual differences in growth may lead to separate growth strategies that suit each sex in maximizing fitness. We examined the variation in length (as a measure of somatic growth), body mass and condition of 470 individual 1- to 4-yr-old elephant seals relative to their different growth strategies. Applying a novel growth function, we observed increased somatic growth in summer compared to winter. Males were larger, had higher proportions of lean tissue and grew faster than females, demonstrating the evolution of a male growth strategy of attaining maximum size quickly, and a female strategy of achieving primiparity at an early age. This evidence supports the idea that seasonal patterns reflect seasonal variation in prey availability and quality, and differential growth strategies promote optimal resource allocation and increase an indi- vidual's probability of survival and future breeding success in the highly dynamic and seasonal Southern Ocean.


In this research the topological accessibility values have been used as an alternative parameter for accessibility to examine whether any advantages to the evaluation of the socio spatial environment that are difficult to acquire with the geometrical distance measurement. The topological accessibility have been calculated via space syntax analysis which is called as 'spatial integration'. The basic principle of the space syntax methodology is based on the strict relationship between topological structure of urban environment and human behavior. In the space syntax method, the physical structure is represented as built space as a three dimensional objects such as buildings and non-built space as a base for movements in urban space. Topological structure itself affects the movement in space which is called as 'natural movement' and this relationship also affects the other sub systems such as land use, land values, etc. As the previous researches proves, topological structure and other urban systems are strongly correlated it is expected that spatial integration value should explain the spatial variations of physical environment. In this research this relationship analysed in Bandirma case in Balikesir province of Turkey. The analysis have been carried out with three factors based on spatial analyses and questionnaires of 795 households; the satisfaction from built environment, housing prices and Euclidean distances to the port, highways, city centre, seashore, schools, and industrial area. The first regression results show that there is a complex relationship between spatial structure and topological accessibility. According to the residual values, the spatial integration values through the main arterials fit better than the other areas of Bandirma. On the other hand, there are three distinct groups in the Bandirma case: The area near the main arterials, lately developed planned areas and old city structure. Comparing the last two areas show that spatial integration values in the old city structure are more meaningful in explaining the other factors than the newly developed areas. This difference may be the result of the difference between two types of spatial development reflecting the opposite perspectives which are bottom-up and top-down approaches. This research shows that the spatial integration values can be used as another variable to measure accessibility and this parameter may also help to explain the other features of spatial environment.


We have observed first-order mantle reverberations, specifically SH -polarized ScSn and sScSn phases reflected at near-normal incidence from upper mantle discontinuities, as discrete phases on long-period digital seismograms of the HGLP and SRO networks. Such arrivals correspond to an n or n + 1 member dynamic ray family denoted by { ScSn, Sd ± S }, where n is the multiple number of the parent phase, " d +" signifies a reflection from the top of an internal discontinuity at depth d , and " d −" signifies a reflection from the bottom. The travel times and attenuation of these phases place important constraints on the nature of the transition zone. We have employed the phase equalization and stacking algorithm of Jordan and Sipkin (1977) to obtain the differential attenuation operators of { sScSn, S650 + S } − sScSn and { ScSn, S650 − S } − ScSn phase pairs from deep-focus Tonga events recorded by the HGLP station KIP on the island of Oahu. The apparent Q 's of the zeroth-order and first-order reverberations over the frequency band of 10 to 30 mHz have been inverted for the average quality factors of the upper mantle ( QUM ) and lower mantle ( QLM ) and the reflection coefficient of the 650 km discontinuity ( R 650). At 20 mHz, the results are: QUM = 82 ± 18, QLM = 231 ± 60, and | R 650| = 0.080 ± 0.004 (at normal incidence). The QLM estimate is significantly less than recent normal mode solutions, suggesting that lower mantle attenuation structure is frequency-dependent at very low frequencies. We have measured the differential travel times between the first-order reverberations { sScSn, S400 + S } and { sScSn, S650 + S }, which yields a direct estimate of the vertical shear-wave travel time between the discontinuities along the Tonga-to-KIP path. The observed two-way time, 92.2 ± 1.5 sec, is less than predicted by some recent oceanic upper mantle models, indicating either a smaller separation of the discontinuities and/or greater shear velocity in the transition zone. Measurements of differential travel times between first-order reverberations and multiple ScS phases suggest that the former is more likely and are consistent with depths of 400 and 650 km for the transition zone discontinuities. Observations of first-order mantle reverberations can potentially provide unique constraints on lateral heterogeneity of the earth's mantle, especially within the transition zone.


The Internet has emerged as a network which enables a vast range of interactions between businesses and government organizations and individuals. These interactions are classified as B2C (business to consumer), B2B (business to business) and C2C (consumer to consumer) creating ever growing forms of Internet connectedness.This connectedness enables a vast range of self-service opportunities via the Internet. Self-Service in the Internet Age explores attitudes and behaviors to this new form of self-service provision. It focuses on how services are used and viewed by those who choose to use or not use them in a variety of contexts such as personal banking, shopping, travel, education, and health.


For decades, individuals and entities wishing to contest their federal tax liabilities have had a choice among three paths. First, they could file a prepayment petition in the U.S. Tax Court. Second, they could pay the tax and then sue for a refund in their local federal district court. Third, they could pay the tax and then file for a refund in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. What they could not do is seek an injunction preventing the Internal Revenue Service from assessing or collecting the tax in question. Standing in their way would be the Anti-Injunction Act (AIA), which provides (in relevant part) that "no suit for the purpose of restraining the assessment or collection of any tax shall be maintained in any court by any person." But all that is now in doubt. In 2017, a federal district court in Texas held that the AIA did not bar the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from bringing a pre-enforcement challenge to an Obama administration regulation that specified the circumstances under which domestic companies that seek to move their legal domicile overseas will be subject to a targeted tax on inversion gain. As far as judicial decisions on matters of tax procedure go, this one was a bombshell, with commentators noting that the holding breaks from decades of judicial precedent and opens the door to more challenges to IRS rules. The IRS is now contesting the district court's ruling in a closely watched appeal to the Fifth Circuit.
In a though-provoking and comprehensive article, Kristin Hickman and Gerald Kerska argue that the district court's holding in the Chamber of Commerce case is largely consistent with the "lost" history of the AIA. According to Hickman and Kerska, the AIA historically applied only after a taxpayer filed a return and federal tax officials began their assessment and collection efforts; pre-enforcement judicial review of a tax regulation would, on this reading, fall outside the statute's scope. This essay responds to Hickman and Kerska's claims. Specifically, I argue (1) that the history of the AIA is at best inconclusive as to whether the statute should be construed broadly or narrowly; (2) that developments in federal tax and administrative law since 1867 do not weigh decisively in favor of a narrow interpretation of the statute; and (3) that the AIA has come to play an important role in protecting an under-resourced IRS from an onslaught of administrative law challenges across a wide range of litigation forums. I end by arguing that any further narrowing of the AIA should be done by Congress — not by the courts — and should be accompanied by an increase in IRS resources and additional limits on taxpayer forum shopping.


While science communication has become increasingly professionalised, philosophers have been far less active in, and reflective about, how we talk to the public. In thinking about the relationship between the 'public intellectual' and science communication, however, philosophy has some important contributions to make, despite the differences of content and disciplinary approach. What, then, can both these professions learn from each other about how to engage with the public and the risks that this might involve? Abstract


BACKGROUND:We sought to determine to what extent intraoperative salvaged red blood cells (RBC) might theoretically reduce exposure to appropriately transfused allogenic erythrocytes in Cesarean delivery patients. METHODS:Medical records of Cesarean delivery patients requiring blood transfusions from January 1, 1992 to June 30, 1996 and June 1, 1998 to June 30, 2003 were reviewed. For each patient, we calculated the number of allogenic RBC units that could have theoretically been avoided had intraoperative autotransfusion been performed, based upon estimated blood loss, preoperative hematocrit, and the amount of retrieved blood needed to yield a single RBC unit. RBC transfusion appropriateness was determined using the recommended guideline of transfusing RBCs if the hemoglobin is <7 gm/dL in a patient with continuing bleeding. RESULTS:A small percentage of Cesarean delivery patients (1.8%) received blood product transfusions. Of 207 patients receiving blood transfusions, salvaged erythrocytes could have theoretically decreased exposure to allogenic RBCs in 115 (55.6%) patients. Only 75.7% of these 115 patients were appropriately transfused with erythrocytes. CONCLUSION:Theoretically, based on best, average, and worst RBC salvage recovery calculations, 25.1%, 21.2%, or 14.5% of the appropriately transfused patients, respectively, could have completely avoided allogenic RBC transfusion.


The progressive importance of the small business sector to the facilitation of economic growth that is necessary for the creation of job opportunities in South Africa, cannot be overemphasised. The role which tax reform plays in the encouragement of the small business sector is of the utmost importance in providing an enabling environment. The purpose of this article is to address the less advantageous treatment of, especially, assessed losses in the corporate form as opposed to the non-corporate form. In the course thereof an alternative tax proposal, based on the working of the S Corporation in the United States of America, is put forward, which could improve neutrality between the various enterprise forms. The tax treatment and functioning of the S Corporation is investigated to determine the applicability and practicality of such a treatment of assessed losses and profits for the corporate form in South Africa. Such an application is necessary because of the assumed influence that the treatment of assessed losses have in the choice of an enterprise form. This choice should, however, be based on economic considerations rather than on tax considerations. A neutral tax system should not influence people to choose one course of action above another mainly or solely because their position is more favourable under one of the options.


Nutrition labels on food items provide valuable information to consumers. To ensure authenticity, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) checks the reported values on the nutrition labels. This Application Note shows a total sugar analysis method for commercially available maple syrup using the Agilent 1260 Infinity Binary LC system coupled with the Agilent 1260 Infinity Refractive Index Detector. The method involved the use of Agilent HiPlex Ca column with 100% water as mobile phase. The method was validated for area and retention time (RT) precision, linearity, and accuracy. Robustness of the method was tested by varying pump flow, column temperature, injection amount, and refractive index optical unit temperature. The total sugar value reported on the maple syrup's nutrition label was verified. This method can be used by food manufacturers to report total sugar content to meet nutrition labeling requirements. Author


An intellectual biography of Alfred H. Barr, Jr. founding director of the Museum of Modern Art. Growing up with the twentieth century, Alfred Barr (1902-1981), founding director of the Museum of Modern Art, harnessed the cataclysm that was modernism. In this book-part intellectual biography, part institutional history-Sybil Gordon Kantor tells the story of the rise of modern art in America and of the man responsible for its triumph. Following the trajectory of Barr's career from the 1920s through the 1940s, Kantor penetrates the myths, both positive and negative, that surround Barr and his achievements. Barr fervently believed in an aesthetic based on the intrinsic traits of a work of art and the materials and techniques involved in its creation. Kantor shows how this formalist approach was expressed in the organizational structure of the multidepartmental museum itself, whose collections, exhibitions, and publications all expressed Barr's vision. At the same time, she shows how Barr's ability to reconcile classical objectivity and mythic irrationality allowed him to perceive modernism as an open-ended phenomenon that expanded beyond purist abstract modernism to include surrealist, nationalist, realist, and expressionist art. Drawing on interviews with Barr's contemporaries as well as on Barr's extensive correspondence, Kantor also paints vivid portraits of, among others, Jere Abbott, Katherine Dreier, Henry-Russell Hitchcock, Philip Johnson, Lincoln Kirstein, Agnes Mongan, J. B. Neumann, and Paul Sachs.


From the Publisher:
In this second edition, author Mikkel Aaland updates Photoshop for the Web to include important new techniques and workarounds for the latest release of Photoshop -- version 5.5. The first edition was loaded with step-by-step examples and real-world solutions from some of the world's hottest Web sites. The second edition adds coverage of Photoshop 5.5's newest features, including a compression tool that ultimately leads to faster download times and higher quality Web graphics. This edition also details features new to version 5.0, inlcuding the changeable type tool, color profiling, and the history palette.
If that's not enough, Photoshop for the Web, 2nd Edition also covers Adobe's ImageReady 2.0 Web graphics production software, now part of the Photoshop 5.5 package. You'll find information on ImageReady 2.0's image slicing, animation, and JavaScript rollover capabilities.
Topics include:
Using 5.5's powerful Save For Web Feature Automatically creating an interactive Web photo gallery with 5.5 Image manipulation and processing with 5's history brush Working with browser-safe colors to create stunning images regardless of platform or hardware Using Photoshop 5's contact sheet feature to organize digital photographs Quickly building Web backgrounds, buttons, and graphical type Creating JavaScript rollovers with ImageReady 2.0 Streamlining Web production with Photoshop 5's changeable type tool Using Photoshop 5.5's new color decontamination features Using Photoshop as a Web layout tool Customizing Photoshop for Web production, including 5's color profiling Improving photos taken with a digital camera Controlling anti-aliasing with custom brushes Getting rid of the dreaded halo syndrome Optimizing images for JPEG compression Coding layout information in a Photoshop layer Changing Photoshop's matte color to match your Web page color Importing vector graphics into Photoshop Straightening scans with Photoshop 5's ruler tool Integrating PS and ImageReady to create the most efficient Web production environment Working with ImageReady 2.0's slicing feature

In its first edition, Photoshop for the Web has received praise from press and readers alike: The Canada Computer Paper picked it as one of the 10 best computer books of 1998.
Hewlett Packard's E-Business Web site called it "one of the most useful Photoshop books I've ever picked up." And My Mac magazine said, "Aaland knows Photoshop inside out and how to maximize it for Web creation."

Readers were even more effusive:
"This is the first book that gives me both ready-to-use recipes and enough information to experiement with and learn my own solutions. Highly recommended!" "Aaland has provided an excellent and detailed analysis of using Photoshop to produce web pages ... a must-read book!" "Within minutes of perusing Aaland's book, I found exactly 4 new tricks that I immediately applied to improve my web site." "This book now rests on my most hallowed piece of real estate - on my desk next to my mouse."

Photoshop for the Web, 2nd Edition shows you how to use the latest version of Photoshop to create Web graphics that look great and download blazingly fast.


This paper proposes a novel method to protect logging information more securely. The method, named NIGELOG, produces multiple backups of the logging information, hides them in arbitrary directories, and periodically moves these backups to other directories. Also, NIGELOG can automatically restore the original logging information by using the backups even if the original file is altered or deleted by intruders. NIGELOG is implemented as a C++ class library with some standard software libraries and does not require additional hardware such as write-once media. It is easier to apply NIGELOG to UNIX applications which produces log-files.


IMAGINING DEMONS IN POST-BYZANTINE JERUSALEM: JOHN OF DAMASCUS AND THE CONSOLIDATION OF CLASSICAL CHRISTIAN DEMONOLOGY The Rev. Nathaniel Ogden Kidd, B.A., M.Div Marquette University, 2018 This dissertation traces the consolidation of a classical Christian framework for demonology in the theological corpus of John of Damascus (c. 675 – c. 750), an eighth century Greek theologian writing in Jerusalem. When the Damascene sat down to write, I argue, there was a great variety of demonological options available to him, both in the depth of the Christian tradition, and in the ambient local imagination. John's genius lies first in what he chose not to include, but second in his ability to synthesize a minimalistic demonology out of a complex body of material and integrate it into a broader theological system. John's synthesis was so effective, in fact, that it looks reflexively obvious as a statement of Christian demonology in the Scriptural-patristic tradition: it would not necessarily have been so to his contemporaries. I begin the study with an invitation to enter into an imaginative of reading John through the epithet "destroyer of demons" attached to him in his commemoration, and conclude it with an analysis of John's understanding of the demonic as a "demon destroying" demonology. Between these terminal points are four chapters: two parsing what John drew from the Christian faith as he knew and had received it, and two considering extrinsic factors shaping John's thought and imagination, including a discussion of alternate systems of demonology that we can locate in John's approximate context. The final analysis mirrors my initial discussion of the themes that John inherited, drawing attention to the subtle ways he transformed his theological tradition in laying out a precise paradigm for future theological reflection on the nature of the devil and demons. John's demonology – though minimal – is robust, and to read John using his ideas about the devil and demons as a focal point both draws attention to the complexities hidden within demonology as a subject and heightens our appreciation for the extraordinary qualities of the Damascene's intellect and contribution. In broadest application, finally, recognizing the vast difference between the assumptions, methods, and means underwriting John's demonology and our own in seeking to understand it prompts reflection on the nature and limits of the historical imagination in theology.


Background. In team sports, according to perform variety of motor skills, development of special bio-motor abilities and imposed proper exercise stress, hematologic adaptations following exercise will be different. Objectives. Therefore, the aim of this study was the effects of six weeks combined training program on hematological parameters in elite basketball players. Methods. Fifteen athletes from 30 qualified players for basketball playoff league, with the average age of (24±1/5) years, selected randomly and they were participated in 6weeks (3 sessions per week) of combined training (circular resistance training and basketball special-skills). Blood samples were drawn in the fasting state for Three times: before, after and 24 recovery hours in order to measure the hematologic parameters (red and white blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV, PLT, MCH, MCHC, plasma volume). Results. Significant increase in the white blood cells and platelet counts were obtained, in two stages; after and 24 hours recovery times. While the levels of hemoglobin, hematocrit, and number of red blood cells (RBC) were decreased after 24 hours of recovery significantly. The significant changes weren't observed in MCH, MCHC, MCV and plasma volume factors following the combined training program. Conclusion. Performing combined training plays an important role in physiological and hematological adaptations processes and promotion athletic performance. While, prescription this method of training must be associated with regularly biochemical blood monitoring to balance between exercises stress and recovery strategies.