Recombinant protein DBP, expressed in a bacculoviral vector, representing the native Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein (DBP) was used in an indirect ELISA to assay the total anti-DBP antibody (IgM + IgG) responses in Sri Lankan patients with acute vivax malaria. The test populations were selected from two malaria endemic areas, Anuradhapura (n=64) and Kataragama (n=93), and from an area non-endemic for malaria, Colombo (n=91). The prevalences of anti-DBP antibodies were 53%, 38% and 44% from Anuradhapura, Kataragama and Colombo, respectively. A significant difference (Chi-square test, p<0.05) was found between the proportions of responders and non-responders to DBP in Kataragama. Responding proportions of individuals previously exposed (PE) and previously not exposed (PNE) differed significantly only in Colombo (Chi-square test, p<0.05). Significant differences (Mann-Whitney U test, p<0.05) were evident between anti-DBP antibody magnitudes; (i) in Anuradhapura and Kataragama and (ii) of PNE individuals from Colombo and the total responders (both PNE + PE) from Anuradhapura. A significant difference (Mann-Whitney U test, p<0.01) in the end point titers (EPT) between PNE and PE individuals was limited to Colombo. Associations between host factors (age, parasitaemia, number of past infections, the duration between present and penultimate infections and the days of symptoms) and total antibody responses (antibody magnitudes and EPT) were examined (Spearman Correlation coefficient, p<0.05). The significant associations found were between (i) parasitaemia and then total antibody responses of residents in Anuradhapura, (ii) between the parasitaemia group <0.01% and the total antibody response of residents in Kataragama (a negative correlation), (iii) number of past infections in Colombo and (iv) the duration between the present and penultimate infections in Colombo and in Anuradhapura with EPT and the antibody magnitudes, respectively. In conclusion, results of the present study imply that naturally acquired anti-DBP antibodies may play a functional role in the immunity to vivax malaria in Sri Lanka


THIS TEXTBOOK is about computer science. It is also about Python. However, there is much more. The study of algorithms and data structures is central to understanding what computer science is all about. Learning computer science is not unlike learning any other type of difficult subject matter. The only way to be successful is through deliberate and incremental exposure to the fundamental ideas. A beginning computer scientist needs practice so that there is a thorough understanding before continuing on to the more complex parts of the curriculum. In addition, a beginner needs to be given the opportunity to be successful and gain confidence. This textbook is designed to serve as a text for a first course on data structures and algorithms, typically taught as the second course in the computer science curriculum. Even though the second course is considered more advanced than the first course, this book assumes you are beginners at this level. You may still be struggling with some of the basic ideas and skills from a first computer science course and yet be ready to further explore the discipline and continue to practice problem solving. We cover abstract data types and data structures, writing algorithms, and solving problems. We look at a number of data structures and solve classic problems that arise. The tools and techniques that you learn here will be applied over and over as you continue your study of computer science.


The implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) needs agreed, scientifically sound and practical methodologies for monitoring and assessing the state and trend of land degradation as well as for monitoring the performance of management programmes. The lack of sufficient and integrated monitoring and assessment (M&A) has in the past been identified as a major constraint for combating desertification. Implementing efficient M&A programmes, however, requires careful analysis of the information needs of the different stakeholders, a clear scientific concept of the processes and drivers of land degradation and an analysis of the theoretical and practical possibilities for adequate M&A. This paper briefly analyses the information needs of diverse stakeholders, reviews existing M&A systems, and highlights key aspects for a scientifically sound approach to monitoring and assessment. Analysis of existing approaches shows that in spite of their relevance, standardised procedures for their implementation at operational scales are lacking. This is partly attributable to the lack of agreed and clear definitions, related difficulties in defining and hence in measuring the attributes chosen to represent land degradation and desertification and the varying degrees of paucity of field data. There is also the urgent need to better integrate bio‐physical and socio‐economic aspects of desertification through a suitably robust scientific framework that links the drivers, processes and symptoms of desertification. Such a framework will allow for the identification of key variables to be monitored and will provide a basis for an improved forecasting and assessment of vulnerability, thereby providing highly important information for policy‐ and decision‐making. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This essay traces the emergence of a rich and densely layered field of art writing within the Anthropocene. We ask: If the Anthropocene is all around us, where is it in art writing? We identify the emergence of Anthropocenic art writing: writing that is not art writing about the Anthropocene per se but rather art writing that takes its cue from the operations and outcomes of the Anthropocene itself, including its flagrant disregard for boundaries (disciplinary and otherwise), and its agency. We find such strategies already at work, particularly, in writing by artists such as Hito Steyerl, Martha Rosler, and Chris Kraus, as well as in writing that is polyphonic either through the collaboration of multiple writers or through collage. We map art writing's strata (its past and present delineations, some of its cardinal points) in order to identify sites of resistance to the accelerations of the contemporary era, which is to say places where deceleration and deliberation may be possible. Anthropocenic art writing claims such modes as its own. While for scientists the Anthropocene has been marked by the contestation of golden spikes, in art writing these proxy signals go far beyond employing "nature" and the environment as a theme or topic, taking the Anthropocene as an allegorical mode itself.


AIM
The current study aimed to analyse the dentoskeletal effects of the Invisalign mandibular advancement (MA) device in the treatment of skeletal Class II malocclusions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Pre-treatment and post-treatment lateral skull radiographs from patients treated with MA versus TB (Twin-Block Appliance) at the Department of Orthodontics of the University of L'Aquila, Italy, were traced. Eligibility criteria included SNB<78; ANB>4; no previous orthodontic treatments; and vertebral maturation stage (CVM) CS3. Radiographs from patients with craniofacial anomalies, or who underwent extraction treatments, were excluded. Totally, 20 patients were examined, 10 of whom treated with MA and 10 treated with TB. All the radiographs were traced by one expert operator, blind to the groups. A preliminary method error study was performed to exclude intra-operator differences.

RESULTS
Baseline characteristics of the participants were similar between the groups. Both appliances demonstrated a reduction of SNB and ANB angle, and a decrease in overjet. TB demonstrated a higher efficacy in increasing mandibular dimensions. A significant retroinclination of the upper incisive was observed in the TB group, where a decrease of SNA angles was additionally observed. The resulting differences between the two groups could be attributed to the different design of the appliances.

CONCLUSIONS
The present data show the effectiveness of both TB and MA in the management of skeletal Class II malocclusions due to mandibular retrusion. But some differences exist in the dentoalveolar effect of the two appliances. MA seems indicated in Class II cases where a control of the upper frontal teeth position is needed.


Use of tumor-targeted fluorescence dyes to help surgeons identify otherwise undetected tumor nodules, decrease the incidence of cancer-positive margins, and facilitate localization of malignant lymph nodes has demonstrated considerable promise for improving cancer debulking surgery. Unfortunately, the repertoire of available tumor-targeted fluorescent dyes does not permit identification of all cancer types, raising the need to develop additional tumor-specific fluorescent dyes to ensure localization of all malignant lesions during cancer surgeries. By comparing the mRNA levels of the hypoxia-induced plasma membrane protein carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX) in 13 major human cancers with the same mRNA levels in corresponding normal tissues, we document that CA IX constitutes a nearly universal marker for the design of tumor-targeted fluorescent dyes. Motivated by this expression profile, we synthesize two new CA IX-targeted near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent imaging agents and characterize their physical and biological properties both in vitro and in vivo. We report that conjugation of either acetazolamide or 6-aminosaccharin (i.e., two CA-IX-specific ligands) to the NIR fluorescent dye, S0456, via an extended phenolic spacer creates a brightly fluorescent dye that binds CA IX with high affinity and allows rapid visualization of hypoxic regions of solid tumors at depths >1 cm beneath a tissue surface. Taken together, these data suggest that a CA IX-targeted NIR dye can constitute a useful addition to a cocktail of tumor-targeted NIR dyes designed to image all human cancers.


BACKGROUND Endoscopic oesophageal changes are diagnostically helpful and identify patients exposed to the risk of disease chronicity. However, there is a serious lack of agreement about how to describe and classify the appearance of reflux oesophagitis AIMS To examine the reliability of criteria that describe the circumferential extent of mucosal breaks and to evaluate the functional and clinical correlates of patients with reflux disease whose oesophagitis was graded according to the Los Angeles system. METHODS Forty six endoscopists from different countries used a detailed worksheet to evaluate endoscopic video recordings from 22 patients with the full range of severity of reflux oesophagitis. In separate studies, Los Angeles system gradings were correlated with 24 hour oesophageal pH monitoring (178 patients), and with clinical trials of omeprazole treatment (277 patients). RESULTS Evaluation of circumferential extent of oesophagitis by the criterion of whether mucosal breaks extended between the tops of mucosal folds, gave acceptable agreement (mean κ value 0.4) among observers. This approach is used in the Los Angeles system. An alternative approach of grouping the circumferential extent of mucosal breaks as occupying 0–25%, 26–50%, 51–75%, 76–99%, or 100% of the oesophageal circumference, gave unacceptably high interobserver variation (mean κ values 0–0.15) for all but the lowest category of extent (mean κ value 0.4). Severity of oesophageal acid exposure was significantly (p<0.001) related to the severity grade of oesophagitis. Preteatment oesophagitis grades A–C were related to heartburn severity (p<0.01), outcomes of omeprazole (10 mg daily) treatment (p<0.01), and the risk for symptom relapse off therapy over six months (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Results add further support to previous studies for the clinical utility of the Los Angeles system for endoscopic grading of oesophagitis.


Over the past decade, a variety of powerful multiple testing procedures have been developed for the analysis of clinical trials with multiple clinical objectives based, for example, on several endpoints, dose-placebo comparisons and patient subgroups. Sample size and power calculations in these complex settings are not straightforward and, in general, simulation-based methods are used. In this paper, we provide an overview of power evaluation approaches in the context of clinical trials with multiple objectives and illustrate the key principles using case studies commonly seen in the development of new therapies.


Social networking sites (SNSs) allow users to connect with each other by overcoming geographical and temporal boundaries and thus empower people to search for social support from online. Social support has been considered a key social value that online users can obtain from social networking sites. Research has shown that social support may reduce stress and promote well-being among diverse populations. Despite its significance to society, the online social support function of SNSs has been surprisingly under-investigated. Some fundamental questions—such as (1) What are the dimensions of online social support on SNSs? and (2) How does online social support influence other factors on SNSs?—have not been answered. This study is one of the first to attempt to answer those questions. Specifically, this study aims to first identify the definitional dimensions of online social support on SNSs through an extensive review of the literature. Second, this study uses these dimensions to model online social support and test its effects on other SNS factors: commitment and continuance intention. Eventually, the results support all proposed hypotheses. The theoretical contributions and managerial implications of this study are discussed at the end.


Background Around 20,000 extra deaths occur in winter in the UK every year. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the main causes. We aimed to assess firstly the overall effect of a cold weather spell on risk of CVD, and secondly the possible modifying influences of socio-demographic, clinical, health behaviour and environmental factors on people's susceptibility to CVD events. Methods Data were used from the British Regional Heart Study, a prospective study in British men. 4,252 men from general practices in 24 towns across Great Britain were followed from 1998–2000, when aged 60–79 years, until 2012 for CVD incidence. Using daily temperature for participants' town of residence, cold spells were defined as four consecutive days when temperature fell below the 10th percentile specific to the local weather station for that calendar month. These were identified for dates immediately prior to an event and for equivalent days of the week within the same month. A case-crossover analysis was carried out. Results 915 men suffered a CVD event during follow-up: of these 514 suffered fatal events either at the time of the first CVD event or later during follow-up. The odds ratio associated with a cold spell for all CVD events was 2.05 (95% CI 1.39–3.04, p < 0.001), and 1.79 (95% CI 1.04–3.09, p = 0.035) for fatal events. There was no significant evidence for effect modification by age group, prevalent CVD, diabetes, occupational social class, region of residence, physical activity, being retired, living alone, or being married. There were suggestions that men who consumed alcohol more than occasionally had a greater odds than other men (OR 3.03 vs 1.50, p = 0.088), that current smokers had a greater odds than non-smokers (4.51 vs 1.69, p = 0.073), and that men with COPD had a greater odds (4.05 vs 1.70, p = 0.088). Men who owned a car and also a house that was both centrally heated and double glazed had a lower odds than others (1.43 vs 2.75, p = 0.12). Discussion Spells of cold days, occurring commonly in winter, double the risk of CVD events. Men who either drink or smoke, or suffer COPD, may carry increased susceptibility to CVD in winter, over and above their usual increased risk. There was weak evidence for a protective effect for well-heated homes. The absence of clear relative increases in susceptibility still means that people with generally high absolute risk of CVD will carry the highest absolute increase in risk during cold periods.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the status of dietary behaviors of 1-7 years old children and its relationship with growth-development in Chinese rural areas and to provide 13,692 1-7 years old scientific evidences for corresponding intervention.

METHODS
children from seven provinces in Chinese rural areas were randomly identified by multistage stratified cluster sampling. The ascertainment methods included face to face questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. Chi-square test and non-conditional logistic regression analysis were used to assess the relationship between dietary behaviors and growth-development.

RESULTS
Among the respondents, 53.1% occasionally/never drank milk/soymilk, 48.1% ate snacks almost everyday, 22.5% were picky eaters, 7.3% were breakfast-skippers, 1.9% couldn't dine on time. Multivariate nonconditional logistic regression analysis showed that occasionally/never have breakfast, occasionally/never drink milk or soymilk, occasionally/never eat snacks were associated with stunting. Occasionally/never have breakfast or eat snacks were associated with underweight. The five dietary behaviors were not associated with wasting, overweight and obesity in our study.

CONCLUSION
The incidence of children's poor dietary behaviors was relatively high in Chinese rural areas, which had a close association with children stunting and underweight.


Ubiquitin-like with PHD and RING Finger domains 1 (UHRF1 in human, NP95 in mouse) is an important epigenetic regulator connected to apoptosis and tumor development. UHRF1/NP95 integrates different chromatin modifications and is essential for their maintenance throughout the cell cycle. UHRF1/NP95 comprises domains for interaction with histones of different modification states (TTD and PHD) and methylated DNA (SRA) coupled to a catalytically active E3 Ubiquitin ligase domain (RING). While multivalent binding of multidomain proteins to complex patterns of chromatin modifications is a hallmark of the histone code, the regulation of such factors has not been fully investigated. Emerging evidence indicates that the chromatin binding modules of UHRF1/NP95 do not act in isolation but in concert to orchestrate coordinated interaction with different histone and DNA modifications. Here, we dissected the molecular details of regulation of chromatin binding by UHRF1/NP95. Using intramolecular crosslinking analysis and NMR studies we show that flexible inter-domain linker regions establish contacts between the different chromatin-binding modules and globally direct the overall folding and spatial domain arrangement of the protein. These contacts are modulated by ligand binding (histones, DNA) as well as by the allosteric regulator phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate (PI5P). Indeed, in vitro binding experiments imply that the unstructured linker regions of the protein can alter binding behavior of the chromatin interaction domains and therefore control specificity of UHRF1/NP95. Interestingly, we found that murine NP95 has two splice variants, which only differ in a nine amino acid insertion in one of the inter-domain linker regions. In agreement with our hypothesis, this insertion is sufficient to facilitate differential regulation of chromatin binding by the two isoforms. Overall, our results show that flexible inter-domain linkers are versatile tools to dynamically regulate the interplay of several domains. We therefore propose a general model of fine-tuned combinatorial readout of epigenetic modifications by certain multidomain proteins.


Abstract The tubing processes for high-purity low-activation V-4Cr-4Ti alloys were developed. From examination on the fabrication process parameters, suitable annealing condition prior to the 3-directional rolling, intermediate annealing condition, and limit for reduction of area for 1 pass at the rolling, were obtained. From microstructural observations, cracks induced during the 3-directional rolling can be attributed to the banding structure of Ti precipitates. Resulting tubes were evaluated by impurity tracing, ultrasonic inspection, eddy current testing, measurements on grain size after recrystallization and tensile tests. Grain size of the tubes after recrystallization was larger than that of the plate with the same thickness at an annealing temperature of 1273 K. At lower annealing temperature, the difference was small, however. Carbon and oxygen contaminations of about 60 and 200 wppm at the maximum, repectively, and defects on the tube wall surface were detected. They can be improved by minor change in the current process. The contamination increased tensile strength, whereas the surface defects smaller than 20 μm did not induce significant degradation of tensile properties. The examination of fabrication process parameters and evaluation of the resulting tubes successfully demonstrated the feasibility of vanadium alloys for component materials for fusion reactors.


Sound localisation is a complex perceptual process that involves the integration of
information derived from multiple audible cues. Human sound localisation is mediated
by these audible cues. The primary audible cues are the interaural time difference (ITD),
phase difference (IPD) and intensity difference (IID) that result from diffraction of sound
waves around the head and pinnae. The ITD and the IID have received much attention
in the literature as they are considered to be the most important binaural cues. These cues
result from a neural comparison between the signals at both ears. Although these cues
are signal-dependent, they have not been investigated using day-to-day life signals due to
the experimentation complexity. Many research studies employed either single frequency
or unnatural signals to draw conclusions. Further, the IPD could not be distinguished
from the ITD for multiple frequency signals.
This thesis presents new experimental techniques which are developed to investigate the
role of primary audible cues in sound localisation. These techniques independently
control and investigate the cues with multiple frequency signals. Listening experiments
are initially completed with single cues which are followed by experiments with cues in
conflict. The stimuli are chosen to include representative day-to-day life signals. Two
audible cues at a time are used simultaneously in conflict so that their relative importance
can be determined. Experimental techniques included a mathematical approach to
manipulate the phase of all the component frequencies in a multiple frequency signal,
whilst leaving the amplitude structure unchanged. This approach is adopted to
distinguish the IPD from an equivalent ITD for multiple frequency signals. It is therefore
possible to investigate the IPD independently with multiple frequency signals. The
experimental results indicate that the effect of the IPD can be compensated for by an
appropriate opposing ITD. In general, localisations become centrally diffuse when either
the ITD or the IPD is placed in conflict with the IID.
A localisation model is developed to provide predictions for the effect of one cue against
an alternative cue, similar to the experiments. The results from the model are in
agreement with the experiments. It is not evident whether the ITD or the IPD is more
effective.
The new techniques and the localisation model provide the opportunity to investigate the
primary audible cues with representative day-to-day life signals. It has become possible
to independently assess these cues and to draw conclusions based on their role in sound
localisation.


The security of sensitive information against 'prying eyes' has been of prime concern throughout the centuries. Therefore, a mechanism is required to guarantee the security and privacy of information. Under the existing circumstances cryptography is the only convenient method for protecting information transmitted through communication networks. The hardware implementation of cryptographic algorithms plays an important role because of growing requirements of high speed and high level secure communications.
Accordingly, in this research attempt is taken to develop a faster and reliable cryptographic hardware by implementing one of the stream ciphers, RC4A in hardware. Verilog Hardware Description Language (HDL) and top down design methodology has been used to design the hardware implemented in this thesis. For hardware implementation of the design, an Altera Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device, EP20K200EFC484-2X from APEX family, APEX 20KE, has been used. The designed hardware consumed 480 logic elements, 146 I/Os, and 10,240 bits memory. The hardware implementation achieved the data transfer rate of 22.28 MB/S in a clock frequency of 33.33 MHz. The implementation is able to support variable key lengths from 8 bits up to 512 bits. Unlike other stream ciphers, the proposed implementation generates two output streams at a time, whereas others generate only one output stream. So, user may use any of keystream which increase the unpredictability of the key as well as security.


Aim: Assessing the effect of Diltiazem gel on scleroderma digital ulcers compared to Nitroglycerin ointment and placebo. Methods: A single blind randomized controlled trial was done on 90 scleroderma patients, randomly divided to three groups: one receiving Diltazem gel 2%, the other receiving Nitroglycerin ointment 2% and control one receiving Vaseline as placebo for 2 times per day for 8 weeks. The patients' demographic information and disease characteristics were summarized. The longest diameter of the ulcers was measured in 3 groups at the beginning and at the end of the study. The site of the ulcers and the number of new ones were, also, determined for each patient Results: The effect size of the ulcers, in each three groups, was significantly lower at the end of the survey (Diltiazem P


This practice note describes the privileges and immunities legal framework of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. This legal regime shows a certain complexity derived for the peculiar character of a disarmament and verification institution, whose intrusiveness poses many challenges to States Parties, particularly on the privileges and immunities of inspection teams and the protection of confidential information. The OPCW managed to protect its privileges and immunities adequately, without almost no legal conflicts both at the domestic and international level. The disputes settlement mechanisms play an important role in providing ways to avoid legal controversies.


High pressure science has extended its applications beyond its classic domain of physics
and geophysics. Diamond anvil cell techniques have been adapted to the study on
chemical transformations at high pressure and pressure-modified reaction kinetics,
contributing to a better understanding of reaction processes and new preparative
strategies and opening unexplored chemical pathways for new materials. In this thesis,
we aim to present examples of the contribution of the diamond anvil cell to high
pressure science, as well as to explore potential applications for this revolutionary
perturbation tool.
We first introduce a study on sodium silicide (NaSi), a Zintl phase, a potential compound
for polymerization at high pressure. This system is an interesting model that illustrates
some of the common processes observed in high pressure research.
The investigation on the behaviour of sodium orthonitrate (Na3NO4) at high pressure
aimed to analyse possible routes towards the synthesis of as yet unknown
orthocarbonates and maybe discover compounds with an ever higher coordination for
nitrogen or a NO4-containing three-dimensional network.
Recently synthesised polyoxometalate (POM) clusters have shown interesting
thermochromic properties, which has been related to a redox reaction occurring within
the metal-oxygen cage. At high temperature, it has been proposed that the SO3
heteroanion groups contained in the cluster transform to SO4 by the introduction of
bridging oxygen from the cage. An oxygen rearrangement would reduce up to four metal
atoms, inducing the colour change. We aimed to investigate here whether a similar
electron localization process is possible upon compression of these systems.
Finally, we develop pioneering high-pressure DAC experiments on amyloid fibrils, using
synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Our approach allows us to estimate the Young's modulus
of these biological macromolecular materials and discuss their low compressibility for
applications in nanotechnology.


We demonstrate self-pulsating heterogeneously integrated III-V-on-SOI two-section distributed feedback laser diodes, with a wide range of self-pulsation frequencies between (but not limited to) 12 and 40 GHz. The spectral width of the free-running pulsations is 40 MHz. The dependence of the self-pulsation frequency on the injected current combination and the temperature is investigated. Finally, locking the self-pulsation to an electrical RF signal with power as low as –17 dBm is demonstrated, which can be used for the generation of an optical microwave carrier with a spectral width less than 10 Hz. Such laser could be beneficial for radio-over-fiber applications.


The thesis attempts to set sources broadly representative of the range of British attitudes to Germany and the Germans - from Spender, Low, Maxse and Dillon, to Bowse, Namier, Vansittart, Gollancz and Barraclough in a framework informed by multidisciplinary theory. There are five main themes: the classification of attitudes; the analysis of content; the identification of a relatively constant British self-image; the potential for attitudinal dilemmas and cognitive dissonance inherent in that self-image; national character as a concept and as a descriptor. Although dealt with in this order the themes interrelate. For example, the first phase of content analysis [chapters 4 to 8], where the emphasis is on the way in which sources differ, anticipates the discussion in chapter 10 of the differences in their approaches to the modal distribution of cultural and individual characteristics in Germany; the classificatory model proposed as an alternative to the Idealist-Realist dichotomy in chapter 2 [and 'tested' in a brief case study in chapter 3] is consistent with the definition of the self-image and facilitates discussion on cognitive dissonance.

It is proposed that a classificatory system based on an Idealist-Realist dichotomy with respective pro and anti-German sub-sets does not adequately highlight the nuances and ambiguities which often informed group or individual attitudes toward Germany. It is argued that such a system cannot readily deal with the views of realists who were ideologically neutral [i. e. not ideologically anti-German] in their definition of Germany as the enemy, of idealists who were ideologically opposed to Germany, or of others who were equivocal. An alternative model is offered in the form of partially congruent parallel continuums of competition and cooperation, travelling in opposite directions in relation to respective minimum and maximum positions.

In chapters 4 to 8 the content analysis of sources focuses on their different perceptions of Germany and the Germans: whether they made distinctions between Germans - and what form such distinctions took - or regarded them as 'all of a kind.' It is argued that underlying expressed attitudes to Germany and the Germans from the British side was a notion of self, incorporating two main components: a pragmatic component defining Britain as a material competitor in a competitive world, and an ideological component defining a package of traits and values associated with the cultural condition 'being British. ' The ideological component of the self-image was commonly validated and served as an assessment instrument for making judgements on Germans. It is argued that the intellectual and psychological need to maintain a consistent relationship between expressed attitudes and declared values, particularly when the values were central to the self-image, led to the use of dissonance reducing mechanisms.

The ways in which one national culture may reasonably be said to differ from another, and the methodological requirements for tenable cross-cultural analysis, are explored through critical consideration of the concept 'national character.' A theoretical framework is devised for the critical analysis of the views presented by the sources on the national character of the Germans. This framework relates their perception of modal structure [unimodal, bimodal, multimodal] to their level of commitment - positive or negative - to propositions on cultural homogeneity, differential sharing, the causal autonomy of situational factors, the significance of international cultural influences, the innate nature of characteristics, and concern for methodological rigour. An image of the configurations and features in the German cultural profile is formulated. Recognition of the partial and provisional nature of this image, and discussion of what it omits and lacks in terms of texture, is used to demonstrate the deficiencies of the Schwarzweissmalerei approach to Germany and the Germans.


Herbal medicine has been used for many years and it remains widespread in developing countries while the use of complementary alternative medicine is increasing rapidly in developed countries. Senna didymobotrya is important for its medicinal use among many communities to treat a wide range of ailments. The study examines the patterns of morphological variation and phenetic relationships among 39 populations of S. didymobotrya in Kenya using17 quantitative and 17 qualitative characters. A survey was carried out in Siaya, Kisumu, Nandi and Nakuru Counties to collect S . didymobotrya plants. Results on morphometric analysis indicated that the standard deviations were highly significant when all quantitative characters were considered. Stem diameter, plant height and stem height had the highest standard deviation of 13.14, 11.74 and 11.15 respectively. Leaf length and Internodal length had the lowest standard deviations of 0.18 each. Principal component analysis indicated that the plant height, stem height, stem diameter, habitat, pod length, pod width and number of seeds accounted for a cumulative percentage of 70% and above of the cumulative variance in a lineal combination of parameters hence can be used to separate the populations. Correlation matrix of the morphological characters indicated a high positive correlations between inflorescence length of basal stalk and inflorescence length (0.83), stem height and plant height (0.62), leaflet width and leaflet length (0.56), leaflet number and leaf number (0.54), pod width and pod length (0.52). The cluster analysis dendrogram placed the plants in four major clusters; Cluster 1 had one plant accession PJ/NK/33 collected from Nakuru County. Cluster II had one plant PJ/KS/13 collected from Kisumu County. In Cluster IV also had one plant accession PJ/SI/2 collected from Siaya County. Cluster III consisted of 36 plants with close relationship (Plants accessions PJ/SI/4 - 10, PJ/KS/11- 18, PJ/NA/19 - 29, PJ/NK/30 - 32 and PJ/NK/34 – 39). The highest similarities and high variations in cluster I, II, and III results that call the relationship between them in question. An identification key has been constructed which, for the first time, can be used to assign herbarium specimens to their respective taxa. Further research should be carried out to collect more samples from other regions within the country and other parts of the world to understand the morphological variations sufficiently to circumscribe the taxonomical doubts on how many species and/or lineages that do exist due to the influence of habitat type on the morphological variation between populations and if other methods like molecular markers (isozymes or microsatellites) are employed ,to reveal patterns of genetic variability. The beneficiaries of this study are the herbalists, pharmacologists, researchers, patients and the general public. Keywords: Senna didymobotrya , Morphometric analysis, Cluster analysis, PCA, Numerical taxonomy.


Culinary herbs, the use of which has increased significantly in the last decade, are known to possess health promoting properties, which are attributed mainly to their polyphenols. However, despite the fact that such herbs undergo some form of cooking prior to consumption, there is a paucity of data concerning the effects of cooking on their properties. Furthermore, little is known of the disposition of these polyphenols following digestion and absorption, and thus it is not known whether these herbs have the potential to be significant contributors of dietary polyphenols at amounts used domestically. Thus the aim of this study was to investigate: the impact of cooking processes on the polyphenolic antioxidant activity (AA) of parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme; the impact of digestion in vitro on the AA of the herbs post cooking; the role of the gut on the AA of these herbs using the Caco-2 model of intestinal transport; and whether the AA of these herbs, contributes to their anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. Results showed that cooking significantly increased the AA of these herbs. AA was further enhanced following in vitro digestion with rosmarinic acid identified as the predominant polyphenol. Polyphenolic activity was detected post absorption in vitro but, possibly due to the dilute nature of the samples used, individual polyphenols were not identified. Anti-inflammatory activity of the herbs investigated was significantly associated with their AA. However, there was no association between AA and the anti-microbial activity of aqueous extracts of herbs. Some oil extracts possessed anti-microbial activity, which was enhanced by cooking. In conclusion, this study suggests that the culinary herbs investigated have the potential to contribute to dietary polyphenol intake and thus their health promoting properties. However, the biological significance of this contribution in vivo is yet to be established.


PURPOSE: to check the agreement among the obtained results in hearing screening through the observation of behavioral responses and the transient evoked otoacoustic emissions. METHOD: a double-blind study was carried out with 139 infants attended in Neonatal Hearing Screening service of Santa Maria University Hospital. Different examiners evaluated the presence of eye blink reflex and transient evoked otoacoustic emissions. RESULTS: among the 139 evaluated infants, 123 showed eye blink reflex and otoacoustic emissions; 10 showed only otoacoustic emissions; and 3 failed in both tests. Sixteen infants should be re-evaluated. Nine did not come back to repeat the tests. Seven children were re-evaluated, two passed in both tests; five maintained the failed status and they were referred to evaluation on Auditory Response Audiometry. Two children showed otoacoustic emissions, but did not have eye blink reflex. In the evaluation of Auditory Response Audiometry, one manifested normal hearing and the other showed acute hearing loss. One child who did not evidence otoacoustic emissions, but manifested eye blink reflex, had compatible Auditory Response Audiometry with moderate hearing loss in both ears. The infant who failed in both test showed severe bilateral hearing loss in the evaluation of Auditory Response Audiometry. CONCLUSION: even though the otoacoustic emissions are present, the absence of eye blink reflex should be considered a reason to evaluate the Auditory Response Audiometry, and this can be sign of auditory neuropathy. Considering that the analysis of otoacoustic emissions and the evaluation of eye blink reflex are complement procedures. The apparent disagreement among some results can show different types of hearing disorder.


In Understanding the Social Economy, Jack Quarter, Laurie Mook, and Ann Armstrong integrate a wide array of organizations founded upon a social mission - social enterprises, nonprofits, co-operatives, credit unions, and community development associations - under the rubric of the 'social economy.' This framework facilitates a comprehensive study of Canada's social sector, an area often neglected in the business curricula despite the important role that these organizations play in Canada's economy. Invaluable for business programs that address issues such as community economic development, co-operatives, and nonprofit studies and management, Understanding the Social Economy presents a unique set of case studies as well as chapters on organizational design and governance, social finance and social accounting, and accountability. The examples provide much needed context for students and allow for an original and in-depth examination of the relationships between Canada's social infrastructure and the public and private sectors. With this work, Quarter, Mook, and Armstrong illuminate a neglected facet of business studies to further our understanding of the Canadian economy.


In Australia, biodiversity loss is a national concern, especially in agricultural landscapes such as the West Australian wheatbelt. Landscape restructuring offers a means of ameliorating such losses. If restructuring is to occur, the associated actions must match the 'triple bottom line', they must be economically gainful, socially adoptable and ecologically possible. This paper addresses one component of this bottom line, social influences. To further focus this discussion, remnant vegetation conservation, one important element of managing for biodiversity, is explored on private lands in the WA wheatbelt.

The social influences on the landscapes of the WA wheatbelt are cultural, political and economic. History and attitudes can be considered key elements of culture. Historically, the WA wheatbelt has experienced a number of 'waves' of clearing of remnant vegetation, generally directed toward improving the nation's agricultural production as well as populating rural areas. In terms of attitudes, the majority of landholders in the wheatbelt talk positively about nature conservation. Unfortunately, however, results from research in Australia and elsewhere indicates that the links between attitudes and behaviour are tenuous. In Australian agricultural areas behaviour is better predicted and influenced by landholders' perceptions of environmental problems, the financial constraints they face, and the farming subculture to which they belong. Politically in Australia, the character of rural landscapes is predominantly influenced by state governments. In terms of economic influences, if a change is not economically viable, rural landholders will not make it.

In Australia as elsewhere, governments seek to restructure rural landscapes through applying policy instruments. These are tools, generally used by government, to change how people behave. Instruments available to conserve remnant vegetation on private lands include motivational ones (eg, education, partnerships), financial (eg, subsidies), market-based (eg, tradeable rights), self-regulatory (eg, codes of practice) and regulatory (eg, regulations). Most are voluntary with current trends favouring such approaches. In particular, policy makers are interested in market-based and self-regulatory instruments, as both are perceived as righting current market failures.

A question vexing policy makers and others is selecting the 'best' policy instrument(s) to achieve biodiversity conservation. Principles can be derived to help answer this question. Of central importance is selecting more than one instrument and making sure the instrument mix is complementary. Clearly identifying the property rights associated with remnant vegetation on private lands, and therefore who pays for and receives the associated costs and benefits, is also important. Crucial too is matching the policy instrument with the appropriate institution, whether it is Commonwealth, state or local government, industry, a community group or individual. And last, because regions and their landscapes have different legal, social and environmental features, different landscapes will require different policy mixes.


The propagation in a new microstructured plasmon optical fiber specifically designed for sensing of water dissolved chemicals is investigated using a finite element method. The fiber is made by a silica core with a small air hole in the center of the structure, surrounded by six air holes placed at the vertices of a hexagon, and further enclosed by gold and water layers. In order to enhance the sensitivity, the structure is designed to have the phase matching point corresponding to the maximum of the power fraction for a core guided mode in the water and gold layers and to a minimum in the glass layer, and vice versa for the plasmon mode. This way, near the phase matching point there is a strong interaction between the core and plasmon modes, causing a splitting in the real part of the propagation constant and also a shift of the imaginary part of the effective index toward the higher wavelengths. The real part of the group refractive index shows a minimum (maximum for the group velocity) and a very small value of the imaginary part of the group refractive index near the phase matching point for the degenerate core mode. When the analyte refractive index is increased by 0.001 RIU, the phase matching point is shifted by 4 nm toward longer wavelengths, with a corresponding sensitivity better than 2.5×10−5  RIU.


At the forefront of the cognitive revolution, renowned psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck turned to information processing in order to understand the sources, consequences, and cures of anxiety disorders and phobias. In the first half of this classic text, Beck elaborates on the clinical picture of anxiety disorders and phobias and presents an explanatory model to account for the rich complexity of these phenomena. Cognitive psychologist Gary Emery then details the therapeutic principles, strategies, and tactics developed on the basis of the cognitive model of anxiety disorders and phobias.This fifteenth anniversary edition of the foundational work on cognitive therapy features a new introduction by Beck, in which he offers an up-to-date appraisal of the current state of cognitive therapy and its application to the treatment of phobias and anxiety.


Slope measurements are often necessary for assessing features and processes within the natural environment. Land managers often use handheld equipment rather than more complicated surveying equipment in order to measure slopes and to conduct field work efficiently. One type of handheld device used to measure slope is a laser clinometer. In order to determine the accuracy and user error associated with this type of clinometer, slope measurements were taken at multiple locations using two types of equipment: 1) a Haglof Sweden Vertex III Hypsometer with a laser clinometer function and 2) a Topcon GTS-603/AF electronic survey total station which can measure elevations and distances to an accuracy of ± 2mm. Slope measurements were compared among the four Vertex III clinometer users in order to determine the variation associated with each user. Also slopes determined by the clinometer were compared to those determined by Topcon GTS-603/AF in order to assess the accuracy of the clinometer. Slopes measured by the laser clinometer users were not significantly different (=0.05) than those measured using the total station, and the differences on average between the laser clinometer and the total station slopes were less than one percent slope for all clinometer observers.


Sustainable manufacturing is a vision that the manufacturing community has for contributing to the global society's ability to address sustainability issues. While there is no standard definition of sustainable manufacturing, one universally accepted notion is that sustainable manufacturing must optimally address a comprehensive set of highly interdependent objectives from environmental, economic and social perspectives. This is impossible without systems' thinking that guides the sustainable manufacturing activities every step of the way from product idea generation, to adoption of sustainable design and manufacturing processes, to selection of sustainable materials, and ultimately to product disposal, reuse or recycling. New course on sustainable manufacturing has been developed and offered several years now at Syracuse University, USA. An underlying principle in developing and offering the course is the premise that sustainability manufacturing requires a holistic view to a complete product lifecycle from the moment of conceiving new product ideas till the end of the product life, while simultaneously considering the impact of decisions made in each phase of the manufacturing activity on sustainability. The principle has been realized by: (i) adoption of a broadened definition of manufacturing and (ii) a semester-long project of developing sustainable products. In the course, manufacturing means not only material transformation processes but also manufacturing systems including supply chain considerations for sustainability. The sustainable product development project provides students with a context where they can apply methods, techniques and tools being acquired from the course. Also the developed products can lead to further entrepreneurial opportunities.


In the last decades the necessity of implant devices is continuously increasing. The researchers have thus focused their attentions on the development of new biocompatible materials, in particular polymers. Among them, polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has gained wide interest in load-bearing applications such as spinal cages due to its yielding behavior and its superior corrosion resistance. Since such applications are characterized by notches and other stress concentrators weakening the implant resistance, a design tool for assessing their tensile and fatigue behavior in the presence of such discontinuities is highly claimed. To this aim, tensile and fatigue data available in literature of neat and differently notched PEEK samples (circumferentially cracked and U-notched specimens with different notch radii) experimentally tested in a phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at 37 °C have been analyzed using the strain energy density (SED) approach. The method is shown to provide accurate results regardless of the different notch geometries, both for tensile and fatigue data. Concerning the former, the tensile strength was in fact estimated with an error lower than ±10%, regardless of the strain rate, while for the latter the SED approach was able to summarize the fatigue data with a single narrow scatter band independently from the notch geometry


The recent past has witnessed the appearance of substantial data relating to endocrine therapy of breast cancer. In the adjuvant therapy setting in early breast cancer, several large, well-conducted, randomized, double-blind clinical trials have provided evidence for the value of the third-generation aromatase inhibitors (AI) anastrozole, exemestane, and letrozole. The three major studies to date [i.e., Arimidex, tamoxifen alone, or in combination (ATAC), International Exemestane Study (IES), and letrozole after 5 years of tamoxifen (MA.17)] evaluated three different populations of women from the standpoints of duration of prior tamoxifen and thus time since the treatment of the primary breast cancer. A consistent pattern of improvement in disease-free survival was seen whether the control arm was tamoxifen (ATAC and IES) or placebo following tamoxifen (MA.17). From a toxicity standpoint, the major findings with the AIs were a decreased incidence of thromboembolic events and endometrial cancers but an increase in musculoskeletal complaints and potential for decreasing bone density. The last issue should be clarified with ongoing studies addressing the impact of the three AIs on bone density and fractures. In summary, based on ATAC, IES, and MA.17, respectively, the following conclusions can be drawn relating to postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive early breast cancer: anastrozole is a reasonable choice for initial endocrine adjuvant therapy, exemestane should be considered for women who have received 2 to 3 years of tamoxifen, and letrozole should be considered for those who have completed about 5 years of tamoxifen. In the prevention setting, tamoxifen has been evaluated in multiple trials involving >28,000 women and, despite clear evidence of benefit, the level of acceptance of this agent by women seems to be low. Two recently developed prevention trials, IBIS 2 and MAP.3, involve the study of aromatase inhibitors against a placebo control rather than tamoxifen. Whereas the recent adjuvant trials have established the value of the third-generation aromatase inhibitors in early-stage breast cancer, the marked reductions in contralateral breast cancers seen in these trials suggest they will be of value in the prevention setting in women at increased risk of developing the disease.


ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Quercetin is a ubiquitous fl avonoid found in many plants. Neuroprotective effects of quercetin
have been shown in several in vitro and in vivo studies, but its mechanism of action has not been fully defi ned
yet. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a fundamental neurotrophin with vital functions in the survival
of neuronal cells. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of quercetin on expression of BDNF
mRNA in the hippocampus of rat brain.
METHODS: Male rats were daily gavaged with quercetin (10, 20 or 50 mg/kg·bwt) for 30 days. Hippocampal
levels of the BDNF transcripts were assessed using quantitative (q) RT-PCR.
RESULTS: Quercetin at doses of 20 and 50 mg/kg caused a signifi cant increase in the mRNA expression of
BDNF as compared with the control group. Quercetin treatment at a dose of 10 mg/kg failed to cause any signifi
cant changes in the levels of BDNF mRNA
CONCLUSION: Our fi ndings suggest that the neuroprotective effects of quercetin may be at least partly due
to its inducing effects on the expression levels of the BDNF mRNA (Fig. 1, Ref. 40). Text in PDF www.elis.sk.
KEY WORDS: BDNF, quercetin, hippocampus, rat.


Art to Engineering: Curved Folding and Developable Surfaces in Mechanism and Deployable Structure Design Todd G Nelson Department of Mechanical Engineering, BYU Doctor of Philosophy This work investigates how curved-crease origami and the developable surfaces which compose it can be transitioned to engineering design. Methods for creating flexible, tailorableproperty surfaces that function as thick panels in place of paper are presented. Concepts from curved-crease origami and developable surfaces that can describe and extend engineering applications are discussed and demonstrated. These concepts are particularly beneficial to applications where curved surfaces are integral to the function, deployability is desired, and planar manufacturing could be beneficial. The first part of this work uses arrays of compliant elements to create flexible-tailorable property surfaces. The key feature to these arrays is the alignment of the most flexible bending axis of the individual elements to the ruling line arrangement of a developable surface. This alignment can enable bending of thick panels while maintaining lower stresses, a quality necessary for the transitioning of curved-crease origami into thick materials. The stiffness and stress of these arrays is modeled and physical prototypes are demonstrated. Additionally, shape factors are developed for these compliant arrays (CAs) to facilitate material selection for the panels and understand how the geometry of the array changes the effective properties of the panel. The second part of this work describes and demonstrates several concepts of curved-crease origami and developable surfaces that can benefit mechanism and structure design, particularly in the context of rolling-contact mechanisms. The design of a rolling-contact joint connected by flexible bands similar to a Jacob's Ladder toy is extended through incorporating curved creases into the design. The resulting design is deployable from a compact state to a functional state and can be manufactured from a single plane and folded into shape. Mathematical formulations are presented to describe the classes of developable surfaces in terms of properties which are frequently important in mechanism design. These natural equations for a single class of developable surface are conducive to modeling the folding motion of rigid-ruling developables, developables whose ruling lines do change location in a surface during folding. These formulations are used to generalize the design of rolling-contact joints to a family of joints capable of single degree of freedom spatial motions, being manufactured from a plane, and exhibiting a tailorable force response. Finally practical design suggestions for the implementation of rolling-contact joints is given. These include methodology to create sunken flexures which serve to increase the normal force between rolling bodies to prevent slip.


This thesis considers a particular blind source separation problem, where the sources are assumed to only take values in a known finite set, denoted as the alphabet. More precisely, one observes M linear mixtures of m signals (sources) taking values in the known finite alphabet. The aim in this model is to identify the unknown mixing weights and sources, including the number of sources, from noisy observations of the mixture.
Finite Alphabet Blind Separation (FABS) occurs in many applications, for instance in digital communications with mixtures of multilevel pulse amplitude modulated digital signals. The main motivation for this thesis, however, comes from cancer genetics, where one aims to infer copy number aberrations of different clones in a tumor.
In the first part of this thesis, we provide necessary and sufficient identifiability conditions and obtain exact recovery within a neighborhood of the mixture.
In the second part, we study FABS for single mixtures M=1 within a change-point regression setting with Gaussian error. We provide uniformly honest lower confidence bounds and estimators with exponential convergence rates for the number of source components. With this at hand, we obtain consistent estimators with optimal convergence rates (up to log-factors) and asymptotically uniform honest confidence statements for the weights and the sources. We explore our procedure with a data example from cancer genetics.
In the third part, we consider multivariate FABS, where several mixtures M > 1 are observed. For Gaussian error we show that the least squares estimator (LSE) attains the minimax rates, both for the prediction and for the estimation error. As computation of the LSE is not feasible, an efficient algorithm is proposed. Simulations suggest that this approximates the LSE well.


Human validation of computer vision systems increase their operating costs and limits their scale. Automated failure detection can mitigate these constraints and is thus of great importance to the computer vision industry. Here, we apply a deep neural network to detect computer vision failures on vehicle detection tasks. The proposed model is a convolution neural network that estimates the output quality of a vehicle detector. We train the network to learn to estimate a pixel-level F1 score between the vehicle detector and human annotated data. The model generalizes well to testing data, providing a mechanism for identifying detection failures.


This was a survey research whose purpose was to investigate the weaning knowledge, attitudes and practices among mothers with infants in Makuyu Division, Maragua District. The major objectives of this study was to (1.) Determine the level of weaning knowledge among mothers with infants aged birth to 12 months. (2.) Investigate the attitudes of mothers towards the weaning process. (3.) Investigate the weaning practices that mothers carry out. (4.) Investigate the cultural beliefs and traditions influencing the weaning process. The data for this study was collected using an interview schedule, which was administered by the researcher to a sample of 160 mothers with infants from Makuyu Division. A sample size of 1GO was adequate because this represented almost 10% of the sample frame. In addition, the method of data collection is time consuming and is used in obtaining in-depth information. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and descriptive statistics namely, frequencies and percentages were used. Chi -Square test was used to establish the relationship between socio economic variables and the weaning knowledge, attitudes and practices. Tables, graphs and a pie chart were used for data presentation. The findings revealed that most of the respondents were aged between 20 29 years. The results also revealed that most of the respondents had reached primary level. Very few mothers were considered to have high knowledge on weaning. It was also found out that the most common source of information on weaning was the hospitals/MCH. The respondents-had various attitudes towards weaning and this was measured using a 3 point likert scale ranging from Disagree (1) to Agree (3). The weaning practices by mothers in Makuyu showed that most mothers had started weaning very early before the recommended age (4 6 months). The cultural practices and beliefs seemed to influence the mothers, weaning practices. Most of the respondents agreed with the community on the forbidden and recommended food for infants. The most common forbidden foods for infants mentioned were avocado and eggs. The most recommended food for infants mentioned by respondents was raw bananas. Results from the Chi-square test also revealed some of the significant relationships, which were between education level and weaning practices of respondent (X=4.6 p=0.03), income and weaning practices of the respondent (X =4.2 p=0.04) and age and weaning attitude of respondent (X=7.9 p=0.02). Based on the findings, the following recommendations were made to improve weaning. It was recommended that women in Makuyu Division to start income generating projects, to enhance their monthly income, and stop depending on their husbands as their main source of income. It was also recommended that the maternal and child welfare clinics, as well as the health field workers in Makuyu Division to teach and sensitize mothers with infants, on proper and good weaning practices.


On Caries Risk Profile and Prevention in an Adult Saudi Population Helal Sonbul, Department of Cariology, Institute of Odontology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Box 450, SE-405 30 Goteborg, Sweden. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Objectives. The aims of this thesis were to evaluate: 1) the caries profile in an adult Saudi population with several dental restorations using a computer-based program (Cariogram), 2) the prevalence of primary and recurrent caries and of filled tooth surfaces in relation to the Cariogram outcome, expressed as "the chance of avoiding caries", 3) the quality of dental restorations and the additional value of using bitewing radiographs, 4) the effect of a "modified fluoride toothpaste technique" on the incidence and progression of approximal caries diagnosed on bitewings and 5) the preventive effect of this toothpaste technique on buccal and lingual enamel caries and to determine the role of patient compliance. Material and Methods. A total of 175 adults, mean age 30 years, were included. All the individuals were interviewed about their oral health, dietary habits and use of fluoride. Caries was registered both clinically and radiographically. Salivary and microbiological data were obtained using chair-side tests. A risk profile was created using the Cariogram model and the entire population was categorised into various risk groups, based on the Cariogram profile. In 100 adults (as a subgroup from the 175 patients), a total of 803 dental restorations were evaluated, based on the United States Public Health Service (USPHS/Ryge) criteria. Bitewings of Class II restorations were taken to examine the marginal integrity and the anatomic form proximally. Finally, the 175 participants were randomly assigned to either a test (n=88) or a control group (n=87). The test group patients were instructed to use the "modified fluoride toothpaste technique", in which various behavioural factors were standardised in order to improve the caries preventive effect of fluoride toothpaste. The patients in the control group were asked to continue using their regular fluoride toothpaste twice a day without any further instructions. Approximal caries was scored radiographically and enamel buccal/lingual caries clinically at baseline and after 2 years. Results. The prevalence of initial, total decayed and recurrent caries was high. Significant differences were found between the Cariogram risk groups with respect to these caries indices; the lower the "chance of avoiding caries", the higher the values of the caries indices. The mean "chance of avoiding caries" according to the Cariogram was 31% for the whole population (n=175). Overall, the anatomic form and surface texture obtained unacceptable scores in the majority of the restorations. After adding the radiographic evaluation, the percentage of unacceptable restorations increased by 28% and 17% with regard to marginal integrity and anatomic form respectively. After 2 years, a significant difference was found in the number of new approximal enamel caries between the test group 0.72 (n=54) and the control group 2.27 (n=52) (p<0.001). When all the data were pooled, the test group had a lower incidence of total approximal caries than the control group (p<0.001). The test group also had a lower progression rate of approximal caries (p<0.01). The test group (n=56) had a lower buccal/lingual caries incidence than the control group (n=57) (p<0.05). Both the total progression and the number of arrested buccal/lingual caries were in favour of the test group, but the differences were not statistically significant. The caries reduction in the subgroup with good compliance was significantly higher than in the subgroup with less good compliance. Conclusions. 1) The Cariogram model was able to identify the caries-related factors contributing to the future caries risk. 2) There was an association between various caries indices and the Cariogram risk groups. 3) The main reason for the unacceptable rating of restorations was recurrent caries. Unacceptable anatomic form and surface texture of the dental restorations were also common and the bitewing radiographs were found to be valuable as an aid to clinical quality evaluation. 4) The "modified fluoride toothpaste technique" reduced the incidence of approximal caries by 66%. 5) The corresponding preventive fraction for buccal/lingual enamel caries was 44% and the patients' compliance appeared to play an important role in this result.


Climate variability during the Holocene has become a hot spot in the frame of the paleoclimate research. The relatively stable background climate condition in this period enables us to gain more knowledge for the present climate, by a better comprehension of the internal variability of the climate system. Contemporarily,
understanding of the long-term climate change during the Holocene, attributed to the external forcing, can assist us to better constrain the prediction of future climate change. Climate modeling studies, with the advantage of high resolution in both spatial and temporal, can supply essential information for the physical mechanisms involved in each process and thus contribute to such an effort, which cannot be achieved only by proxy data.
Several long-term simulations for the different Holocene periods have been performed with the coupled general circulation model COSMOS. Comparison among the simulations reveals that change in the orbital forcing is the primary factor that drives the climate evolution during the Holocene. The most intriguing feature is that the
seasonality is increased significantly over the North Hemisphere, in particular the mid-high latitude. Even over the low latitude, e.g. the Caribbean region, such a change can result in approximately 1°C stronger seasonality in the sea surface temperature of the Caribbean Sea, supported by coral based reconstruction. Existing of the Laurentide ice sheet (LIS) and its melting have strong cooling effect on the regional scale. This influence can be extended globally by ocean-atmosphere circulation. Large amount of water trapped by the LIS, together with the orbital induced movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, cause a shift in
fractionation of the water isotope from early to mid-Holocene, observed in different proxy records. The ocean circulation is greatly modulated by these forcing, with decreased by more than 2 Sv during the mid-Holocene due to the orbital forcing and further weakened by freshwater injection from the LIS melting during the early
Holocene.
Although the external induced climate mean states exhibit distinct global and regional features, the internal variability of the climate system shows no remarkable change during the Holocene. The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, associated with the long-term variation in the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, has a similar quasi periodicity of 50-80 years in each simulation as indicated by observation. Another long-term variation in the global meridional overturning circulation, associated with the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds, demonstrate a similar pattern in both pre-industrial and mid-Holocene conditions. On shorter time scales, the El Nino-Southern Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation, indentified as the major forcing mechanisms controlling the seasonal and interannual variability of the Caribbean climate, show a common feature during the Holocene as found in the present-day studies. However, the climate influence of these phenomena could vary in the magnitude and regional scale under different background climate conditions. The
results suggest that a larger fluctuation in the mean climate induced by the external forcing might amplify the influence of the internal variability, and eventually add it to the mean climate as a positive feedback.


Background: Identification of breast cancer stem cells as the chemo-resistant and tumor-initiating population represents an important milestone in approaching anticancer therapies. Targeting this minor subpopulation of chemo- and radio-resistant stem-like cells, termed as the cancer stem cells (CSCs) and their eradication could significantly enhance clinical outcomes. Most of the presently administered chemotherapeutics target the tumor bulk but are ineffective against the CSCs. We report here that diosgenin (DG), a naturally occurring steroidal saponin, could effectively inhibit CSCs from three breast cancer cell lines, MCF7, T47D and MDA-MB-231, by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting the CSC associated phenotypes. Methods: CSCs were enriched in these cells lines, characterized for CSC traits by immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry. Proliferation and apoptosis assays were performed in these breast CSCs in the presence of DG to obtain the inhibitory concentration. Apoptosis was confirmed with gene expression analysis, Western blotting and propidium iodide staining. TCF-LEF reporter assay, sFRP overexpression and RNAi silencing studies were performed to study regulation of the Wnt pathway. Statistical significance was evaluated by a two-sided Student's t-test. Results: Using the TCF-LEF reporter system, we show the effect of DG on CSCs is predominantly through the network regulating CSC self renewal, the Wnt β-catenin pathway. Specifically, the Wnt antagonist, the secreted frizzled related protein 4, (sFRP4), had a defining role in the action of DG. Gain-of-function of sFRP4 in CSCs could improve the response to DG wherein CSC mediators were inhibited, β-catenin was down regulated and the effectors of epithelial to mesenchymal transition and pro-invasive markers were repressed. Conversely, the loss-of-function of sFRP4 had a reverse effect on the CSC population which therein became enriched, their response to DG treatment was modest, β-catenin levels increased, GSK3β expression decreased and the expression of epithelial markers of CSC was completely abrogated. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate the effect of DG on inhibiting the resilient breast CSCs which could provide a benchmark for the development of DG-based therapies in breast cancer treatment.


This paper proposes a model that explains the nonneutrality of money from two well-documented psychological assumptions. The model incorporates into the general-equilibrium monopolistic-competition framework of Blanchard and Kiyotaki [1987] the psychological assumptions that (1) consumers dislike paying a price that exceeds some ``fair'' markup on firms' marginal costs, and (2) consumers do not know firms' marginal costs and fail to infer them from prices. The first assumption in isolation renders the economy more competitive without changing any of its qualitative properties; in particular, money remains neutral. The two assumptions together cause money to be nonneutral: greater money supply induces lower monopolistic markups, higher hours worked, and higher output. Whereas an increase in money supply is expansionary, it decreases the fairness of transactions perceived by consumers to such an extent that it reduces overall welfare. The cost of inflation is a psychological one that derives from a mistaken belief by consumers that transactions have become less fair. In fact, it is this misperception that makes an increase in money supply expansionary: consumers misattribute the higher prices arising from higher money supply to higher markups; the misperception of higher markups angers them and makes their demand for goods more elastic; in response, monopolists reduce their markups, thus stimulating economic activity. Through a similar mechanism, an increase in technology induces higher output but higher monopolistic markups and lower hours worked.


We consider the situation where I items are ranked by paired comparisons. It is usually assumed that the probability that item i is preferred over item j is pij = F (μi−μj) where F is a symmetric distribution function, which we refer to as the comparison function, and μi and μj are the merits or scores of the compared items. This modelling framework, which is ubiquitous in the paired comparison literature, strongly depends on the assumption that the comparison function F is known. In practice, however, this assumption is often unrealistic and may result in poor fit and erroneous inferences. This limitation has motivated us to relax the assumption that F is fully known and simultaneously estimate the merits of the objects and the underlying comparison function. Our formulation yields a flexible semi-definite programming problem that we use as a refinement step for estimating the paired comparison probability matrix. We provide a detailed sensitivity analysis and, as a result, we establish the consistency of the resulting estimators and provide bounds on the estimation and approximation errors. Some statistical properties of the resulting estimators as well as model selection criteria are investigated. Finally, using a large data-set of computer chess matches, we estimate the comparison function and find that the model used by the International Chess Federation does not seem to apply to computer chess.


A velocity-dependent friction model that accurately predicts the losses associated with a plasma armature railgun is presented. Test results from a 1-m-long, 1.27-cm square-bore, plasma-armature railgun have been used to determine the validity of the model. The divergence between the calculated and measured performance is typically less than 5% at railgun currents below 500 kA; however, at currents greater than 500 kA, the deviation increases. Experimental evidence suggests that the railgun's lack of stiffness and subsequent venting of driving pressure rather than the electromechanical model is primarily responsible for the divergence. To test this theory, a rail was built using external preloading rings (Ringfeder) to increase its stiffness. On the first test of the Ringfeder railgun, 625 kA was discharged into the gun and the projectile was accelerated to 5.9 km/s. Test data indicate that the projectile accelerated through the entire length of the railgun and that a minimum amount of plasma leakage occurred during the test. >


The cloud computing technology came into existence during the21st century; outsourcing data to cloud service for storage becomes a useful yet efficient trend, which benefits in sparing efforts on data maintenance and management. Nevertheless, since the outsourced cloud storage service is not fully trustworthy, it raises security concerns on how to realize data de-duplication in cloud while achieving integrity auditing. In this work, we study the problem of secure de-duplication on cloud data, also ensuring integrity. Specifically, aiming at achieving both data integrity and de-duplication in cloud, we propose a system, namely D-cloud. D-cloud introduces an auditing entity with maintenance of the cloud, which helps generate hash value before uploading as well as audit the integrity of data having been stored in cloud. Compared with previous work, the computation by user in D-Cloud is greatly reduced during the file uploading and auditing phases. D-cloud is designed realizing the fact that users always want to encrypt their data being uploaded, and enables integrity auditing and secure de-duplication on encrypted data.


In the context of global concerns about climate change that stem from the alarming and unprecedented growth of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, this study discusses the use of energy by large consumers of electricity in Brazil in the perspective of sustainable development, energy resources, and regulatory policies. It evaluates the commitment to emissions restrictions among the major customers of an electricity utility company that serves 4.1 million consumers (68% of the population and 66% of the gross internal product for the second-highest economically developed Brazilian state). The evaluation is based on proposed metrics and indicators. By considering the Brazilian commitment to a policy of sustainable development, this study reviews the primary international agreements and recommendations that have been developed to mitigate and adapt to climate change and sustainability. A survey was developed for participating organizations classified by economic sector to assess their awareness to 18 issues that reflect international guidelines on emission constraints. Based on total energy consumption, the survey discusses the worrying level of GHG emissions (tCO 2 eq) that is associated with the generation of electricity by customers of the largest utility company. In spite of 90% of the organizations having considered sustainability as a business opportunity and a competitive differential that enables niche markets, the results of this study demonstrated low commitment to the desired emissions restrictions.


Shareholder litigation is the most frequently maligned legal check on managerial misconduct within corporations. Derivative lawsuits and federal securities class actions are portrayed as slackers in debates over how best to control the managerial agency costs created by the separation of ownership and control in the modern corporation. In each instance, early hopes these suits would effectively monitor managerial misconduct have been replaced with concerns about the size of the litigation agency costs of such representative litigation, which can arise when a self-selected plaintiff's attorney and her client that are appointed to pursue the claims of an entire class of shareholders have interests that may differ from those of the class. Now, however, a new form of shareholder litigation has emerged that is distinct from derivative or securities fraud claims: class action lawsuits filed under state law challenging director conduct in mergers and acquisitions. The empirical data reported in this article show that these acquisition-oriented suits are now the dominant form of corporate litigation, outnumbering derivative suits by a wide margin. Are these acquisition-oriented class actions just another deadbeat in the corporate governance debate? Should policymakers take action to cut back on the development of this new form of shareholder litigation? In this paper, we argue that, just as with derivative suits and securities fraud class actions, good policy must balance the positive management agency cost reducing effects of these acquisition-oriented shareholder suits against their litigation agency costs. This new breed of suits has positive management agency cost reducing effects that may offset the litigation agency costs that accompany them. Our data set of all 1000 corporate fiduciary duty cases filed in Delaware in 1999 and 2000 is the largest empirical study of shareholder litigation. We find that more than 80% of these cases are class actions against public companies challenging one type of director decision - whether or not to participate in a corporate acquisition. By contrast, derivative suits, the traditional shareholder litigation that is the staple of corporate law casebooks, make up only about 14% of all fiduciary duty suits. The acquisition-oriented class actions are a new, previously unstudied category of representative litigation, an area long dominated by studies of state derivative suits and federal securities fraud class actions. We find these suits do provide some management agency costs reductions, but these are concentrated in only one subset of the suits that are brought. Settlements leading to relief in an acquisition setting are not spread across all acquisitions complaints (including hostile, second bidder acquisitions, etc.), but rather concentrated where there is a majority shareholder who is attempting to cash-out the minority interest held by public shareholders on terms that have been picked by the majority. On the opposite side of the equation - whether these suits possess high litigation agency costs - we find conflicting evidence. The acquisition-oriented class action suits have many characteristics that have been identified in other contexts as indicators of agency costs (e.g., suits filed quickly, many suits per transaction). Yet, these litigation agency costs are below the level of perceived costs that spurred securities fraud legislation. Placing our findings in the historical context of the debate over the value of representative shareholder litigation, we believe that the positive management agency cost reducing effects of acquisition-oriented class actions are substantial, while the litigation agency costs they create do not appear excessive. For these suits, we therefore disagree with earlier studies that have claimed that all representative shareholder litigation has little, if any, effect in reducing management agency costs and should be evaluated solely in terms of its litigation agency costs.


To help restore food availability for birds, arable field margins (extensively managed strips of land sown with grasses and forbs) have been established on European farmland. In this study we describe the effect of field margins on the diet of Eurasian Skylark nestlings and adults living on intensively managed Dutch farmland. We tested the hypotheses that field margins offer a higher diversity of invertebrate prey than intensively managed crops, and that the diet of nestlings receiving food from field margins will therefore be more diverse than that of other nestlings. Field margins had a greater variety of invertebrate prey groups to offer than the intensively managed crops. Coleoptera were the most frequently and most abundantly eaten prey group by both adults and nestlings. Together, Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera and Araneae accounted for 91% of the nestling diet. Nestlings ate larger prey items and a larger proportion of larvae than adults. Almost 75% of both adults and nestlings consumed plant material, perhaps indicating a scarcity of invertebrate resources. When provided with food from field margins, the mean number of invertebrate orders in the nestling diet increased significantly from 4.7 to 5.5 and the number of families from 4.2 to 5.8 per sample. Thus, birds that used field margins for foraging could indeed provide their young with more invertebrate prey groups than birds only foraging in crops and grassland.


Medication compliance is an important determinant in schizophrenia treatment outcomes. This study aimed to investigate medication compliance in cases of patients receiving a single antipsychotic medication among adult outpatients with schizophrenia, and examine whether their antipsychotic therapy and other factors may affect the medication compliance. Subjects with schizophrenia who had received any single outpatient first- or second-generation antipsychotic therapy from the Yuli Veterans Hospital, Taiwan, during August and November 2006 were identified from medical chart reviews. The selected subjects were surveyed for information including their medication compliance, sociodemographics, treatment-related side effects, social support, and perceived treatmentrelated benefits. Their physicians were also surveyed on their medication compliance, Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scores, and comorbid mental illness (es). Good medication compliance was defined as consumption of more than 75% of prescribed antipsychotics in the previous month. Subjects were categorized into this group when both their self-reported consumption and their physicians' estimation were higher than 75%. A logistic regression model was adopted to evaluate the association of each factor with medication compliance. Of the 76 subjects surveyed, 39 (51%) received second-generation antipsychotics (amisulpride, risperidone, or olanzapine), while 37 (49%) received first-generation antipsychotics (haloperidol or sulpiride). Thirty-eight (50%) consumed more than 75% of prescribed medications in the previous month. The average age was 41, and 62% of the sample was male. Education level and employment type were significantly different between individuals with good and poor medication compliance. The regression result indicated that education of above nine years was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of good medication compliance. Employment and perceived treatment benefits were marginally significantly correlated with good medication compliance. Second-generation antipsychotics, however, had no correlation with good medication compliance.


I present a model of expert comprehension performance for 2 2 "interaction" graphs typically used to present data from two-way factorial research designs. Developed using the ACT-R cognitive architecture, the model simulates the cognitive and perceptual operations involved in interpreting interaction graphs and provides a detailed characterisation of the information extracted from the diagram, the prior knowledge required to interpret interaction graphs, and the knowledge generated during the comprehension process. The model produces a scan path of attention fixations and a symbolic description of the interpretation which can be compared to human eye movement and verbal protocol data respectively, provides an account of the strategic processes that control comprehension, and makes explicit what underlies the differences between expert and novice performance. 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.


Offering a window into the world of ordinary Athenians, Aristophanes' "The Birds and Other Plays" is a timeless set of comedies, combining witty satire and raucous slapstick to wonderful effect. This "Penguin Classics" edition is translated from the Greek by David Barrett and Alan H. Sommerstein. The plays in this volume all contain Aristophanes' trademark bawdy comedy and dazzling verbal agility. In "The Birds", two cunning Athenians persuade the birds to build the utopian city of 'Much Cuckoo in the Clouds' in the sky, blockading the Olympian gods and installing themselves as new deities. The Knights is a venomous satire on Cleon, a prominent Athenian demagogue, who vies with a humble sausage-seller for the approval of the people; while "The Assembly-Women" deals with the battle of the sexes as the women of Athens infiltrate the all-male Assembly in disguise. The lengthy conflict with Sparta is the subject of Peace, inspired by the hope of a settlement in 421 BC, and Wealth reflects on the economic catastrophe that hit Athens after the war. These lively translations by David Barrett and Alan H. Sommerstein capture the full humour of the plays. The introduction examines Aristophanes' life and times, and the comedy and poetry of his works. This volume also includes an introductory note for each play. Aristophanes (c.445-386 BC) was probably born in Athens. Little is known about his life, but there is a portrait of him in "Plato's Symposium". He was twice threatened with prosecution in the 420s for his outspoken attacks on the prominent politician Cleon, but in 405 he was publicly honoured and crowned for promoting Athenian civic unity in "The Frogs". Aristophanes had his first comedy produced when he was about twenty-one, and wrote forty plays in all. The eleven surviving plays of Aristophanes are published in the "Penguin Classics" series as "The Birds and Other Plays", "Lysistrata and Other Plays", "The Wasps and Other Plays" and "The Frogs and Other Plays". If you enjoyed "The Birds and Other Plays", you might like Aristophanes' "The Frogs and Other Plays", also available in "Penguin Classics".


PURPOSE
There are numerous reports describing the direct or indirect cellular toxicity of bevacizumab. In this study, we measured the direct toxicity of bevacizumab and determined its modulation by growth factors in cultured human corneal fibroblasts.

METHODS
To measure the toxicity of bevacizumab and ranibizumab on corneal fibroblasts, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays, fluorescence-activated cell sorting analyses, and Ki-67 staining were performed. The role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in bevacizumab-related toxicity was evaluated after suppression of VEGF expression using small interfering RNA (siRNA) and VEGF receptor inhibition with SU1498. We evaluated alteration of cellular toxicity and anti-angiogenic function of bevacizumab with cotreatment of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) or nerve growth factor (NGF) using human corneal fibroblasts and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

RESULTS
Application of bevacizumab induced cellular toxicity and delayed proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, but ranibizumab did not cause cellular damage. Elevated LDH observed after bevacizumab treatment was decreased by cotreatment with varying concentrations of fetal bovine serum. However, VEGF cotreatment, VEGF suppression, and VEGF receptor blocking did not influence bevacizumab-induced cell death. Cotreatment of cells with bFGF or NGF and 2 mg/mL bevacizumab reduced LDH elevation. Low-dose bFGF or NGF did not interfere with the antiangiogenic function of bevacizumab as measured by the tube formation assay and MTS (dimethylthiazol-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay of HUVECs.

CONCLUSIONS
This study determined the cellular toxicity of bevacizumab and its modulation with bFGF or NGF. Cotreatment with bFGF or NGF with bevacizumab reduced cellular damage without interfering with the original antiangiogenic function. Some components of serum have a protective effect on bevacizumab-induced corneal epithelial change.


AIMS
There is an increasing need for translational studies identifying molecular targets contributing to atherosclerotic plaque destabilization. Local molecular plaque markers that are related to plaque vulnerability may hold predictive value to identify patients who are at increased risk to suffer from cardiovascular events. Animal studies revealed that adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (FABP4) is associated with the progression of atherosclerosis; however, FABP4 expression studies in human atherosclerotic plaques are lacking. We investigated FABP4 expression in carotid atherosclerotic lesions in relation to plaque composition and future cardiovascular events.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Atherosclerotic plaques were obtained from 561 patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA). Plaques were analysed for the presence of macrophages, lipid core, smooth-muscle cells, collagen, calcification, and intraplaque haemorrhage. Patients were followed for 3 years after CEA. The primary outcome was defined as the composite of vascular death, vascular event, and surgical or percutaneous vascular intervention. Fatty acid binding protein levels correlated with unstable plaque characteristics and symptomatic lesions. Patients with increased FABP4 plaque levels showed a two-fold increased risk [HR = 1.99, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) (1.30-3.04)] (P = 0.005) to reach the primary outcome during follow-up. Increased FABP4 levels related to primary outcome, independent from general cardiovascular risk factors [HR = 1.33, 95% CI (1.08-1.65)] (P = 0.008).

CONCLUSION
FABP4 levels in atherosclerotic lesions are associated with an unstable plaque phenotype and an increased risk for cardiovascular events during follow-up. Besides risk stratification for adverse future cardiovascular events, the outcome of the present study supports the relevance of exploring FABP4 antagonists as a potential pharmaceutical intervention to treat atherosclerotic disease progression.


This PhD work was aimed to design, develop, and characterize gelatin-based scaffolds, for the repair of defects in the muscle-skeletal system.
Gelatin is a biopolymer widely used for pharmaceutical and medical applications, thanks to its biodegradability and biocompatibility. It is obtained from collagen via thermal denaturation or chemical-physical degradation. Despite its high potential as biomaterial, gelatin exhibits poor mechanical properties and a low resistance in aqueous environment. Crosslinking treatment and enrichment with reinforcement materials are thus required for biomedical applications.
In this work, gelatin based scaffolds were prepared following three different strategies: films were prepared through the solvent casting method, electrospinning technique was applied for the preparation of porous mats, and 3D porous scaffolds were prepared through freeze-drying.
The results obtained on films put into evidence the influence of pH, crosslinking and reinforcement with montmorillonite (MMT), on the structure, stability and mechanical properties of gelatin and MMT/gelatin composites. The information acquired on the effect of crosslinking in different conditions was utilized to optimize the preparation procedure of electrospun and freeze-dried scaffolds.
A successful method was developed to prepare gelatin nanofibrous scaffolds electrospun from acetic acid/water solution and stabilized with a non-toxic crosslinking agent, genipin, able to preserve their original morphology after exposure to water. Moreover, the co-electrospinning technique was used to prepare nanofibrous scaffolds at variable content of gelatin and polylactic acid. Preliminary in vitro tests indicated that the scaffolds are suitable for cartilage tissue engineering, and that their potential applications can be extended to cartilage-bone interface tissue engineering.
Finally, 3D porous gelatin scaffolds, enriched with calcium phosphate, were prepared with the freeze-drying method. The results indicated that the crystallinity of the inorganic phase influences porosity, interconnectivity and mechanical properties. Preliminary in vitro tests show good osteoblast response in terms of proliferation and adhesion on all the scaffolds.


Submillimeter galaxies are extremely luminous (> 1012 Lsolar), high redshift (z > 1) galaxies detected by their thermal dust emission. If powered by star formation, extreme star formation rates are 102-10^3 Msolar per year are implied. Characterizing submillimeter galaxies is crucial to understanding galaxy formation and evolution. Cumulatively, surveys to date have detected hundreds of these galaxies.
Bolocam is a millimeter-wavelength bolometer-array camera designed for mapping large fields. This survey uses Bolocam to detect submillimeter galaxies at the bright end of the luminosity function. Due to the strong negative K-correction at 1.1 mm, Bolocam's detection sensitivity is approximately uniform for galaxies of a given intrinsic luminosity for redshifts 1 < z < 10.

We present results from our 1.1 mm galaxy survey made with the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory during January and May 2003. In total, 17 source candidates were detected at a significance of > 3.0σ . Nine candidates are new detections, while 8 candidates have coincident SCUBA 850 μ m and/or MAMBO 1.2 mm detections. Monte-Carlo simulations with real and simulated data were implemented to confirm the robustness of our source candidates, quantify our false detection rate, determine our detection threshold and completeness of this survey, and estimate the impact of source confusion. From our observed number counts, we estimate the underlying differential number count distribution and find it to be in general agreement with previous surveys. We combine our source catalog with those from previous submillimeter and radio surveys and estimate redshifts for these sources.

This research is funded in part by grants from NASA (NGT5-50384), NSF (AST-9980846, AST-0206158, AST-0098737), and PPARC (PPA/Y/S/2000/00101, PPA/G/O/2002/00015)