Objective To examine the impact of acute classroom movement break (CMB) and physically active learning (PAL) interventions on physical activity (PA), cognition, academic performance and classroom behaviour. Design Systematic review. Data sources PubMed, EBSCO, Academic Search Complete, Education Resources Information Center, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, SCOPUS and Web of Science. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Studies investigating school-based acute bouts of CMB or PAL on (PA), cognition, academic performance and classroom behaviour. The Downs and Black checklist assessed risk of bias. Results Ten PAL and eight CMB studies were identified from 2929 potentially relevant articles. Risk of bias scores ranged from 33% to 64.3%. Variation in study designs drove specific, but differing, outcomes. Three studies assessed PA using objective measures. Interventions replaced sedentary time with either light PA or moderate-to-vigorous PA dependent on design characteristics (mode, duration and intensity). Only one study factored individual PA outcomes into analyses. Classroom behaviour improved after longer moderate-to-vigorous (>10 min), or shorter more intense (5 min), CMB/PAL bouts (9 out of 11 interventions). There was no support for enhanced cognition or academic performance due to limited repeated studies. Conclusion Low-to-medium quality designs predominate in investigations of the acute impacts of CMB and PAL on PA, cognition, academic performance and classroom behaviour. Variable quality in experimental designs, outcome measures and intervention characteristics impact outcomes making conclusions problematic. CMB and PAL increased PA and enhanced time on task. To improve confidence in study outcomes, future investigations should combine examples of good practice observed in current studies. PROSPERO registration number CRD42017070981.


This report analyzes the special immigrant visas (SIVs) classifications for Iraqis and Afghans within the context of both the larger special immigrant category and selected other permanent admissions categories. It discusses the legislative changes to the individual Iraqi and Afghan special immigrant programs since their initial authorization, provides statistics on visa issuances, and considers challenges that have faced the programs.


Small reservoirs (SRs) are essential water storage infrastructures for rural populations of Sub-Saharan West Africa. In recent years, rapid population increase has resulted in unprecedented land use and land cover (LULC) changes. Our study documents the impacts of such changes on the water quality of SRs in Burkina Faso. Multi-temporal Landsat images were analyzed to determine LULC evolutions at various scales between 2002 and 2014. Population densities were calculated from downloaded 2014 population data. In situ water samples collected in 2004/5 and 2014 from selected SRs were analyzed for Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) loads, an integrative proxy for water quality. The expansion of crop and artificial areas at the expense of natural covers controlled LULC changes over the period. We found a very significant correlation between SPM loads and population densities calculated at a watershed scale. A general increase between the two sampling dates in the inorganic component of SPM loads, concomitant with a clear expansion of cropland areas at a local scale, was evidenced. Results of the study suggest that two complementary but independent indicators (i.e., LULC changes within 5-km buffer areas around SRs and demographic changes at watershed scale), relevantly reflected the nature and intensity of overall pressures exerted by humans on their environment, and locally on aquatic ecosystems. Recommendations related to the re-greening of peripheral areas around SRs in order to protect water bodies are suggested.


Insomnia is a widespread health problem that often leads to the use of hypnotic medication. Among the available pharmacological agents to treat insomnia, benzodiazepines (BZD) present some undesirable effects, entailing risks of tolerance and dependence, and increased risk of automobile accidents, falls and fractures in the elderly. Cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) of insomnia, which focuses on psychological and behavioral factors that play a role in maintaining sleep-related problems, is efficient to improve sleep in the elderly who suffer from primary insomnia. This treatment may represent an alternative to pharmacotherapy or again be complementary during discontinuation of hypnotic medication. The CBT of insomnia may include different components such as stimulus control, sleep restriction, relaxation, cognitive restructuring and sleep hygiene. For people who are dependent to BZD or other hypnotic medication, a supervised tapering based on attaining successive objectives is generally added to the CBT of insomnia.


We present a model in which workers must be educated to get a good job and firms must innovate in order to increase productivity. Education as well as innovation and production require skilled labor as inputs. This, together with the fact that learning opportunities differ across workers, determine simultaneously the long-run level of skilled employment and the long-run rate of growth. We study the impact of changes in the factors which affect the education of workers and the incentives to innovate, and discuss the growth and employment effects of labor market policy measures.


Serious concern with the oral tradition as it existed before and side by side with Middle High German written literature is linked in Middle High German studies to the introduction of the theory of oral formulaic composition (henceforth referred to as the Theory). True, the existence of an oral tradition has never seriously been doubted, but, beyond rather general notions of recurrent structural elements and hypotheses of a development of oral narrative texts in verse from song to epic, hypotheses which saw the oral text for the most part through the spectacles of literacy as a basically stable unit subject to alteration and adulteration, the mechanics of an oral tradition played no role in research concerned with Middle High German literature. And to this day we know practically nothing about the oral performances of the vernacular lyric of the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Research on the oral tradition of epic poetry and its relationship to the written transmission, however, received more than a negligible impetus from the Theory, despite its general rejection, particularly on the part of German germanists. In this survey of the impact of the Theory on Middle High German studies, I shall therefore neither pass over the sins of the representatives of the Theory in silence, nor suppress my own view that the application of the Theory, amended and stripped of its early enthusiasms, has set in motion a current of research on the interrelationships between literacy and orality which promises to illuminate more than one dark corner of literary and social history.--Page 398.


We study the individual compliance behavior of polluting firms in an experimental setting under two different penalty functions (a linear and a strictly convex) and two different regulatory instruments (emission standards and tradable pollution permits). We find that a convex penalty, as compared to a linear penalty, increases the market price of pollution permits and the violation rate of firms. The effect of the structure of the fine on the price of permits operates through an increase in the ask-prices of sellers, not on the bids by suppliers. With convex penalties, sellers are not willing to sell a permit at a price as low as with linear penalties. We do not observe an effect of convex penalties on the compliance status of firms with emission standards. These results call for attention on the possible effect that the type of penalties may have on the cost-effectiveness of pollution control programs based on tradable pollution permits.


Measurement and Imaging of Planar Electromagnetic Phantoms Based on NMR Imaging Methods Planar electromagnetic phantom design for measurement and imaging using NMR has been performed. Electromagnetic phantom computation and testing on a NMR 0.178 Tesla Esaote Opera imager were accomplished. The classical geometrical and chemical phantoms are generally used for testing of NMR imaging systems. They are simple cylindrical or rectangular objects with different dimensions and shapes with holes filled with specially prepared water solutions. In our experiments a homogeneous phantom (reference medium) - a container filled with water - was used. The resultant image represents the magnetic field distribution in the homogeneous phantom. An image acquired by this method is actually a projection of the sample properties onto the homogeneous phantom. The goal of the paper is to map and image the magnetic field deformation using NMR imaging methods. We are using a double slender rectangular vessel with constant thickness filled with specially prepared water solution in our experiments. For detection a carefully tailored gradient-echo imaging method, susceptible to magnetic field homogeneity, was used.


ABSTRACT This qualitative case study examined the experiences of two pre-service teachers with visual impairments at a Turkish university. Two pre-service teachers with visual impairments, four teacher educators, six peers, and three administrators participated in this study. The data were collected through individual and focus group interviews, observations, reflective journals, and formal documents. The qualitative analysis of data was completed with the utilisation of MAXQDA software. The findings suggested that even though the institution fulfilled the minimum requirements for the regulations, there were several issues that needed to be addressed in order to provide accessibility to the students with visual impairments. Also, the empowerment and advocacy of students with disabilities were oppressed by dominance social, cultural, and political bodies. In this regard, recommendations and implications for future research are discussed.


Sweetpotato (Ipomea batatas) is one of the most important staple crops in densely populated parts of Eastern Africa and is quickly becoming an important supplementary staple in the southern part of the continent (Silver et al, 2004). It is vital to small scale farmers with limited land, labor and capital. One of the major yield limiting factors in sweetpotato production are lack of clean planting material owing to infection of Sweetpotato virus diseases (SPVD) Therefore there is a need to provide farmers with better technologies for rapidly multiplying clean planting materials and maintaining a clean stock for a long period on-farm without compromising on the quality An experiment was set at Kakamega Agriculture research station (Altitude 1585m, 0 16'N and 34 45 E, annual precipitation 1995mm, annual evaporation 1770 mm), in Kenya from June 2009 to July 2010. The soil is deep fertile basaltic loam fertile that are well drained Three varieties of sweet potato free from virus but susceptible to SPVD obtained from CIP Nairobi, Kenya were evaluated against three methods of control –exposed, Fleece-cover and Fleece-tunnel. The experiment was laid out as factorial experiment with a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Each replication acted as a block with each block having 9 plots. Sizes of plot were 2mx5m with plant population of 500. Spacing was 10cm between plants and 20 cm between lines with each line having 25 plants. After 5 months data was taken on vine vigor, aphid and white fly population. ELISA test was used for the detection of viruses in plant materials. Initial results showed significant reductions of white fly and aphid populations in both tunnel and fleece cover compared with the control. First virus test (5 months after planting) indicate reduction in virus infection in protected treatments. Preliminary data reveals the use of horticulture fleece as a cheap measure to protect sweet potato vines from virus infection. .


Hefzibah Eyal-Giladi was a creative and innovative pioneering scientist in the creation of the field of early chick embryo development. She had a sharp thinking and enthusiastic attitude, which enabled her to make a deep impression that was highly valued by the general scientific community. Notably, she was a highly successful female researcher in an era which was dominated by male scientists. Her unique personality and keen intellect enabled her to break these borders in a most successful manner. The experiments conducted by her personally, her students and her collaborators served to provide the basic knowledge and paradigms for future scientists in the field, also paving the way for discoveries in other vertebrate model systems. The experimental embryology assays she performed were "old school", examining embryos and explants at a precise morphological level of tissue interactions. In recent years, most of the experimentation in embryology has shifted to molecular and genetic levels. However, the results obtained with these technologically advanced research tools still re-confirm the fundamental findings obtained by Eyal-Giladi using "classic" experimental embryology techniques. Finally, Hefzibah Eyal-Giladi was an outstanding teacher and lecturer. For five decades, she trained and taught generations of undergraduate and graduate students in Israel, exposing them to the field of embryology and developmental biology in the most exciting and enthusiastic way.


Despite the increasing number of studies of barred galaxies at intermediate and high redshifts, double-barred (S2B) systems have only been identified in the nearby (z <= 0.04) universe thus far. In this feasibility study, we demonstrate that the detection and analysis of S2Bs is possible at intermediate redshifts (0.1 less than or similar to z less than or similar to 0.5) with the exquisite resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys (HST/ACS). We identify barred galaxies in the HST/ACS data of the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) using a novel method. The radial profile of the Gini coefficient - a model-independent structure parameter - is able to detect bars in early-type galaxies that are large enough that they might host an inner bar of sufficient angular size. Using this method and subsequent examination with unsharp masks and ellipse fits, we identified the two most distant S2Bs currently known (at redshifts z = 0.103 and 0.148). We investigate the underlying stellar populations of these two galaxies through a detailed colour analysis, in order to demonstrate the analysis that could be performed on a future sample of intermediate-redshift S2Bs. We also identify two S2Bs and five S2B candidates in the HST/ACS data of the Cosmic Evolution Survey (COSMOS). Our detections of distant S2Bs show that deep surveys like GOODS and COSMOS have the potential to push the limit for S2B detection and analysis out by a factor of 10 in redshift and look-back time (z approximate to 0.5, Delta t approximate to 5 Gyr) compared to the previously known S2Bs. This in turn would provide new insight into the formation of these objects.


There is a general consensus among climate models that the direct influence of increasing temperature on evaporative demand will result in drier soils, reduced water supply, and more frequent drought conditions. The data available to evaluate long‐term soil water trends that may result from climate change are sparse. We examine soil water data collected over a 32‐yr period at four sites covering a 1000‐m elevation gradient in a semiarid watershed. Meteorological data from these sites have previously confirmed a significant, increasing temperature trend with no significant precipitation trend during the period of record. There are, however, well‐documented climatic trends with elevation that may influence vegetative response to a warming climate. We evaluated the soil water data to: (i) determine any significant temporal trends and (ii) compare soil water among sites to evaluate spatial trends. No significant temporal trends were observed at any of the sites. There were, however, strong spatial trends with elevation and season. Two linked explanations for the lack of temporal trends emerge from the data. First, these semiarid systems are relatively insensitive to the effects of temperature increase because transpiration is limited by low leaf area, soil water content, and solar radiation for all but 4 to 5 wk per year. Second, the large degree of interannual variability of soil water during those critical weeks tends to obscure any subtle temporal trends in soil water dynamics that may be present.


Traditionally, ODE parameter inference relies on solving the system of ODEs and assessing fit of the estimated signal with the observations. However, nonlinear ODEs often do not permit closed form solutions. Using numerical methods to solve the equations results in prohibitive computational costs, particularly when one adopts a Bayesian approach in sampling parameters from a posterior distribution. With the introduction of gradient matching, we can abandon the need to numerically solve the system of equations. Inherent in these efficient procedures is an introduction of bias to the learning problem as we no longer sample based on the exact likelihood function. This paper presents a multiphase MCMC approach that attempts to close the gap between efficiency and accuracy. By sampling using a surrogate likelihood, we accelerate convergence to the stationary distribution before sampling using the exact likelihood. We demonstrate that this method combines the efficiency of gradient matching and the accuracy of the exact likelihood scheme.


The concept of judicial review of the constitutionality of state and federal statutes by the Supreme Court is generally rested upon the epic decision in Marbury v. Madison. The controversies which have surrounded the exercise of this power by the Supreme Court require a periodic reexamination of the concept of judicial review at its source, the Marbury opinion. This article proceeds by examining the historical context in which the case arose and analyzes the opinion in terms of various alternative approaches which might have been utilized by Chief Justice Marshall. The specific holding of the case is isolated in contrast to later interpretation given it, and a collection of relevant historical materials is presented to lend insight into the constitutional viewpoints of the period.


Committee Members: Charity Butcher, Chair; Maia Hallward; Marcus Marktanner; Emilia Justyna Powell (The University of Notre Dame) Transitional justice seeks to deal with legacies of the most brutal conflicts and political transitions within states; however, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Post-conflict justice, as a subset of transitional justice, is concerned with justice mechanisms in the wake of armed conflict. Despite a growing literature exploring the conceptualization and effectiveness of transitional justice, less attention has been paid to the factors influencing the decision to adopt transitional justice and choice of mechanism(s). Further, theoretical understandings of how these choices ultimately contribute to the broader goals of justice, truth, and peace are limited. This study proposes domestic legal traditions as an explanatory factor influencing the pursuit of postconflict justice. More specifically, I expect to find that states have preferred, or congruent postconflict justice mechanisms based on their domestic legal traditions. To test this relationship, I develop a congruence variable to link domestic legal traditions to post-conflict justice mechanisms. I utilize the Post-Conflict Justice (PCJ) Dataset to test hypotheses regarding adoption and mechanism selection, finding that states prefer specific post-conflict justice mechanisms. More importantly, a survival analysis shows that the implementation of congruent post-conflict justice mechanisms increases the likelihood of longer-lasting peace in the postconflict period. These findings provide key insights into important factors that can inform policy and best practices when considering the adoption and implementation of post-conflict justice.


There is a wide body of literature on biotechnology clusters. However, most of the works has been focused on the description of the clusters as well as the development of biotechnology clusters in USA, Europe and other developed countries. Much less attention has been paid to the development of biotechnology clusters in developing countries. The aim of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the emergence of biotechnology clusters in Egypt and South Africa.


ABSTRACTAtmospheric aerosol charging is caused mainly by cosmic rays and/or natural radioactive material decay. Because the ionization process generates well-balanced ion pairs, positive and negative ions in the air are at almost the same concentrations. The atmospheric aerosol electrical charge is therefore usually neutral. We measured the particle charge polarity distribution in the atmosphere during a lightning event at ground level. We found that the 80–200 nm particle charge balance during a lightning event was skewed either to the positive or the negative. Furthermore, the particle charge polarity changed very rapidly (within a few minutes) from negative to positive or vice versa. There was also a two-fold higher charged particle fraction during a lightning period than a normal day. This increased charged particle fraction may decrease the total particle concentration in the atmosphere by deposition on raindrop surfaces.


As audiences, we are amazed by feats we could not hope to achieve ourselves and we applaud them. Newspaper reviews often use the words "perfect" or "flawless" to indicate that something desirable has occurred in a dance performance. Perhaps in recognition that a dancer needs to strive to great heights and work hard before he or she can perform well, teachers sometimes try to inspire students to perfection. It is not surprising, then, that goals of perfection may appear both admirable and desirable. But is perfection or excellence most advantageous? Is there a difference between the two and, if so, what might it mean for dancers and for those who teach them? In this paper current ideas about perfectionism, including its positive and negative aspects, are described first. This is followed by an outline of pertinent research into the relationships that perfectionism has with a range of well- and ill-being indicators. The paper also addresses the issue of perfectionism among teachers, as well as students and dancers, and finishes with recommendations for practice.


Human erythrocytes have specific insulin receptors. When studied in an insulin radioreceptor assay, erythrocytes from adult-onset, nonobese diabetic subjects bound at least 42 percent less insulin than the normal subjects at insulin concentrations from 0.1 to 100 nanograms per milliliter. The diabetic subjects had 190 insulin receptor sites per cell as compared with the 380 insulin receptor sites per cell for the normal subjects. The deficit of insulin binding in the diabetic subject was thus associated with a fewer number of insulin binding sites per cell with little or no change in affinity. The erythrocyte is a readily available cell for the evaluation of cellular insulin receptor activity.


Abstract In the following, I explore the mutually enriching dialogue between the grotesque (based on Mikhail Bakhtin) and postcolonial literature that provides a leitmotif in Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses on multiple levels: first and foremost, it defines the migrant protagonists' experience as one of metamorphosis, transgression and change; in the grotesque just as in the experience of migration, the familiar and the unfamiliar conflate, and this is foregrounded in The Satanic Verses in striking manner: the protagonists Saladin Chamcha and Gibreel Farishta transform physically into grotesquely jointed creatures, one an incarnation of the archangelic divine, the other a goatish Satan. In so, the often violent physicality of the grotesque foregrounds the migrant's identity formation to be one in which the self not only encounters, but physically integrates and eventually transforms constructions of alterity. In very concise terms, identity here emerges to be a relational process, and this is the reason, too, why the grotesque has been hailed as a new form of postcolonial ethics1 concerned with representations of alterity. The grotesque, however, is also a transformatory force, which overtopples hierarchies and binary oppositions. In The Satanic Verses, the migrant protagonists are thus empowered, by way of their transformations, not only to cross but temporarily to displace borders; their chimerical forms interact with the narrative structure and multiple voices of the text to question the value of cultural hierarchies and divides. The grotesque opens up these borderlines into spaces of hybridity and creative energy, and takes effect, too, on the discourses of fundamentalism that are deconstructed in the text itself and became decisive in the notoriously dramatic aftermath of its publication.


Synchrony measurements of spontaneous low‐frequency blood oxygenation level‐dependent (BOLD) fluctuations are increasingly being used to investigate spatial regions of functional connectivity. Although information regarding BOLD–BOLD synchrony between different regions is frequently reported, the relationship between spontaneous activity and behavioral state, and the association of spontaneous signal synchrony and evoked response, are less well characterized. The purpose of this study is to exploit the higher signal‐to‐noise ratio and in turn available spatial resolution at 7.0 T to understand the relationship between synchrony, measured as Pearson's R value, and amplitude, measured as signal standard deviation over time, in sensorimotor cortex for four separate behavioral states: eyes closed resting (EC), eyes open fixation (EO), EO with constant right hand fist clench (EO‐F) and EO with 6 s off/6 s on (0.083 Hz) right hand finger tapping (EO‐T). BOLD (TE/TR = 25/3,000 ms; 100 time points) scans were performed in healthy volunteers (7.0 T; 4 M/3 F; right‐handed) at high spatial resolution = 1.6 × 1.6 × 1.6 mm3. Results (z > 5; P < 0.05; low‐pass filtering <0.067 Hz) reveal that synchrony is highest in the EC state (R = 0.35 ± 0.07) and reduces for EO (R = 0.26 ± 0.07), EO‐F (R = 0.23 ± 0.07; P < 0.05), and EO‐T (R = 0.12 ± 0.04; P < 0.05) conditions. Amplitude was highest in the EC condition and only reduced significantly (P < 0.05) for the EO‐T condition. Synchrony within sensorimotor cortex correlated with evoked finger‐tapping response magnitude (R = 0.81; P = 0.03), suggesting that spontaneous signal synchrony may be a predictor of evoked BOLD response magnitude and may account for intersubject variability in sensorimotor cortex. Hum Brain Mapp, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Background: The obesity epidemic, which is among the most common nutritional disorders, is rising rapidly worldwide. It leads to several health problems such as metabolic disorders, stroke, and even cancer. Efforts to control obesity with exercise and diet have a limited value in obese patients and different approaches to do this have been tried. In this paper, we share our experience with bioenteric intragastric balloon (BIB) in treating obesity: Its safety, tolerability, and its efficacy in weight reduction. Materials and Methods: From January 2009 to September 2012, a total of 190 gastric balloons was inserted on patients at the endoscopy unit in King Fahd Hospital of the University, Al-Khobar. This is an evaluation of the first 100 patients. All the patients had a body mass index of over 30 kg/m2 and were within the age range of 17-55 with a mean age of 32 years. After consent, preballoon investigation tests and anesthesia evaluation, BIB was inserted under monitored anesthesia care sedation in the endoscopy suite. The balloon was filled with 500-700 mls of stained saline. All patients' were given an analgesic and antiemetic for a week and antisecretory proton pump inhibitor's for 6 months. Diet and the importance of the exercise were part of the preballoon insertion phase and protocol. The balloon was removed after 6-12 months. Results: The weight loss response to BIB in the 100 patients are classified into four groups: In the uncooperative, noncompliant patients - the maximum weight loss was 7 kg, while in the most compliant patients the weight loss reached up to 39 kg. In addition, there was significant improvement into diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and fatty liveras. Its safety and tolerability were extremely acceptable. Conclusion: Our data indicates that in well-selected patients, BIB is an effective device, which with minimum complications helps to achieve body weight loss and resolve many obesity related morbidities in cooperative and dedicated obese patients.


Objectives
This study concerns how the description of foods on restaurant menus relates to their nutrient content as disclosed on company websites. We aimed to test halo effects, regarding how claims about some desirable features might be associated with the presence of other attributes.

Methods
We used item descriptions and nutrient data for food items (n = 92,949) at the top-selling restaurant chains (n = 92) from 2012 through 2017 in the United States, compiled by the MenuStat project. We classified items into 4 types (mains, appetizers, desserts, sides) and claims into 3 groups using 29 search terms based on consumer interests in health (e.g., "nutritious"), product sourcing (e.g., "local" or "organic"), and vegetal items (vegetarian or vegan). Nutrient data focus on 4 dietary recommendations to limit sodium (mg), trans-fat (g) and saturated fats (% of energy), and to increase fiber (g). We also report calories per item (kcal) and its share from carbohydrates, protein and total fat (%). We used multiple regression to test whether nutrient content was associated with menu claims, controlling for year and restaurant brand, the item being marked as "shareable", on a kid's menu, or regional and limited-time offerings. Methods and hypotheses were preregistered on As-Predicted.com.

Results
Contrary to our prediction, nutrient content was more often aligned with U.S. dietary guidelines when their description did include claims. With 3 claim types, 4 food types and 4 recommendations we test 48 possible cases. In 25 (52%) we found alignment between claims and nutrient recommendations, e.g., main dishes with health-related claims had 2% less calories from saturated fat (P < 0.01) and 142 mg less sodium (P < 0.01). In 3 of 48 cases (7%), claims were contrary to recommendations, all of which were desserts with sourcing claims which had more sodium, more trans-fat and more saturated fat than other desserts (all P < 0.01). In 20 of 48 cases (42%) there was no significant difference between items with and without claims.

Conclusions
Items described as vegetarian/vegan or with sourcing and health claims had nutrient contents that were more often aligned with dietary guidelines than other items. Menu labeling that communicates meal content more directly, such as nutrient fact panels, could inform choice and build trust in restaurant meals.

Funding Sources
None.


Eureau is the European Federation of National Associations of Water and Wastewater Services. At the request of Eureau Commission 1, dealing with drinking water, a survey was produced focusing on raw drinking water sources and drinking water treatment technologies applied in Europe. Raw water sources concerned groundwater, surface water, surface water with artificial recharge and river bank filtration. Treatment schemes concerned no treatment, conventional treatment, advanced treatment and conventional plus advanced treatment. The response covered 73% of the population to which drinking water is supplied by the utilities joint in Eureau. Groundwater and surface water are the major raw water sources (>90%). In total, 59% of the drinking water supply concerns not-treated drinking water or drinking water treated with only conventional technologies, while 12% of the drinking water is not disinfected. Challenges for the European drinking water sector are the contamination of raw water sources with emerging substances, absence of disinfection and the potential formation of disinfection by-products. These challenges entail research needs such as the development of quantitative structure activity relationships (QSARs) to better understand and predict the removal rates of treatment technologies for emerging contaminants, the introduction of Water Safety Plans to safeguard the hygienic quality of drinking water, and the optimization of disinfection processes and strategies.


The quality and quantity of the influence that atmospheric CO2 has on crop growth is still a matter of debate. This study's aim is to estimate if CO2 will have an effect on biomass yields at all, to quantify and spatially locate the effects and to explore if an elevated photosynthesis rate or water-use-efficiency is predominantly responsible. This study uses a numerical carbon based crop model (BioSTAR) to estimate biomass yields within the administrative boundaries of Niedersachsen in Northern Germany. 10 crops are included (winter grains: wheat, barley, rye, triticale - early, medium, late maize variety - sunflower, sorghum, spring wheat), modeled annually for the entire 21st century on 91,014 separate sites. Modeling was conducted twice, once with an annually adapted CO2 concentration according to the SRES-A1B scenario and once with a fixed concentration of 390 ppm to separate the influence of CO2 from that of the other input variables. Rising CO2 concentrations will play a central role in keeping future yields of all crops above or around today's level. Differences in yields between modeling with fixed or adapted CO2 can be as high as 60 % towards the century's end. Generally yields will increase when CO2 rises and decline when it is kept constant. As C4-crops are equivalently affected it is presumed that an elevated efficiency in water use is the main responsible factor for all plants.


Base-level maps (or " isobase maps " , as originally defined by Filosofov, 1960), express a relationship between valley order and topography. The base-level map can be seen as a " simplified " version of the original topo-graphic surface, from which the " noise " of the low-order stream erosion was removed. This method is able to identify areas with possible tectonic influence even within litho-logically uniform domains. Base-level maps have been recently applied in semi-detail scale (e.g., 1:50 000 or larger) morphotectonic analysis. In this paper, we present an evaluation of the method's applicability in regional-scale analysis (e.g., 1:250 000 or smaller). A test area was selected in northern Brazil, at the lower course of the Araguaia and Tocantins rivers. The drainage network extracted from SRTM30 PLUS DEMs with spatial resolution of approximately 900 m was visually compared with available topographic maps and considered to be compatible with a 1:1,000 000 scale. Regarding the interpretation of regional-scale morphostructures, the map constructed with 2nd and 3rd-order valleys was considered to present the best results. Some of the interpreted base-level anomalies correspond to important shear zones and geological contacts present in the 1:5 000 000 Geological Map of South America. Others have no correspondence with mapped Precambrian structures and are considered to represent younger, probably neotectonic, features. A strong E-W orientation of the base-level lines over the inflexion of the Araguaia and Tocantins rivers, suggest a major drainage capture. A N-S topographic swath profile over the Tocantins and Araguaia rivers reveals a topographic pattern which, allied with seismic data showing a roughly N-S direction of extension in the area, lead us to interpret this lineament as an E-W, southward-dipping normal fault. There is also a good visual correspondence between the base-level lineaments and geophysical anomalies. A NW-SE lineament in the southeast of the study area partially corresponds to the northern border of the Mosquito lava field, of Jurassic age, and a NW-SE lin-eament traced in the northeastern sector of the study area can be interpreted as the Picos-Santa Inês lineament, identifiable in geophysical maps but with little expression in hypsometric or topographic maps.


We have reported that dopamine (DA) inhibits Na-K-ATPase activity in the cortical collecting duct (CCD) by stimulating the DA1 receptor, and the present study was designed to evaluate the mechanism of this effect. Short-term exposure (15-30 min) of microdissected rat CCD to DA, a DA1 agonist (fenoldopam), vasopressin (AVP), forskolin, or dibutyryl cAMP (dBcAMP), which increase cAMP content by different mechanisms, strongly (approximately 60%) inhibited Na-K-ATPase activity. 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine, an inhibitor of adenylate cyclase, completely blocked Na-K-ATPase inhibition by DA or fenoldopam, and IP20, an inhibitor peptide of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA), abolished the Na:K pump effect of all the cAMP agonists listed above. To verify whether the mechanism of pump inhibition by agents that increase cell cAMP involves phospholipase A2 (PLA2), we used mepacrine, a PLA2 inhibitor, which also abolished Na-K-ATPase inhibition by DA or fenoldopam, as well as by AVP, forskolin, or dBcAMP. Arachidonic acid (10(-7) - 10(-4) M) inhibited Na-K-ATPase activity in dose-dependent fashion. Corticosterone, which induces lipomodulin, a PLA2 inhibitor protein inactivated by PKA, equally abolished the pump effects of DA, fenoldopam, forskolin, and dBcAMP, suggesting that lipomodulin might act between PKA and PLA2 in cAMP-dependent pump regulation. We conclude that dopamine inhibits Na-K-ATPase activity in the CCD through a DA1 receptor-mediated cAMP-PKA pathway that involves the stimulation of PLA2 and arachidonic acid release, possibly mediated by inactivation of lipomodulin. This pathway is shared by other agonists that increase cell cAMP and thus stimulate PKA activity.


The Shwachman-Bodian-Diamond syndrome (SBDS) is an autosomal disorder with multisystem defects. The Shwachman-Bodian-Diamond syndrome gene (SBDS), which contains mutations in a majority of SBDS patients, encodes a protein of unknown function, although it has been strongly implicated in RNA metabolism. There is also some evidence that it interacts with molecules that regulate cytoskeletal organization. Recently, it has been demonstrated by computer-assisted methods that the single behavioral defect of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) of SBDS patients is the incapacity to orient correctly in a spatial gradient of chemoattractant. We considered using the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum, a model for PMN chemotaxis, an excellent system for elucidating the function of the SBDS protein. We first identified the homolog of SBDS in D. discoideum and found that the amino acids that are altered in human disease were conserved. Given that several proteins involved in chemotactic orientation localize to the pseudopods of cells undergoing chemotaxis, we tested whether the SBDS gene product did the same. We produced an SBDS-GFP chimeric in-frame fusion gene, and generated transformants either with multiple ectopic insertions of the fusion gene or multiple copies of a non-integrated plasmid carrying the fusion gene. In both cases, the SBDS-GFP protein was dispersed equally through the cytoplasm and pseudopods of cells migrating in buffer. However, we observed differential enrichment of SBDS in the pseudopods of cells treated with the chemoattractant cAMP, suggesting that the SBDS protein may play a role in chemotaxis. In light of these results, we discuss how SBDS might function during chemotaxis.


This clinical resource is purpose-built to help primary caregivers take a lead role in diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of diverse pediatric kidney diseases. Diagnose and manage renal diseases with confidence. The resource book has clear, concise overviews of the full range of renal conditions you're likely to encounter; evidence-based discussion of each condition's clinical course, pathogenesis, and etiology; expert management recommendations and valuable clinical pearls, tables, algorithms, and clinical calculators to help with differential diagnosis and patient workups; advice on when to treat vs when to refer; practical implications of recent research findings; and how-to diagnostic solutions. Contents include evaluating patient presentation; history and physical examination; examination of the urine; use of the clinical laboratory; imaging of the kidney and urinary tract; prenatal and perinatal diagnosis; guidelines for patient referral; proven approaches to common conditions; congenital abnormalities; urinary tract infection; hematuria and proteinuria; glomerular disease; renal tubular disease; water and electrolyte disorders; acute kidney injury; chronic renal failure; hypertension; genetic diseases; and kidney in systemic disease.


Background: In the present study the effect of a workplace-oriented intervention for persons on long-term sick leave for clinical burnout, aimed at facilitating return to work (RTW) by job-person match through patient-supervisor communication, was evaluated. We hypothesised that the intervention group would show a more successful RTW than a control group. Methods: In a prospective controlled study, subjects were identified by the regional social insurance office 2-6 months after the first day on sick leave. The intervention group (n = 74) was compared to a control group who had declined participation, being matched by length of sick leave (n = 74). The RTW was followed up, using sick-listing register data, until 1.5 years after the time of intervention. Results: There was a linear increase of RTW in the intervention group during the 1.5-year follow-up period, and 89% of subjects had returned to work to some extent at the end of the follow-up period. The increase in RTW in the control group came to a halt after six months, and only 73% had returned to work to some extent at the end of the 1.5-year


The human population is increasing at an alarming rate, whereas at the same time agricultural productivity is decreasing due to the effect of various environmental problems. In particular, cold stress is a serious threat to the sustainability of crop yields. Indeed, cold stress can lead to major crop losses. Various phenotypic symptoms in response to cold stress include poor germination, stunted seedlings, yellowing of leaves (chlorosis), reduced leaf expansion and wilting, and may lead to death of tissue (necrosis). Cold stress also severely hampers the reproductive development of plants. The major negative effect of cold stress is that it induces severe membrane damage. This damage is largely due to the acute dehydration associated with freezing during cold stress. Cold stress is perceived by the receptor at the cell membrane. Then a signal is transduced to switch on the cold-responsive genes and transcription factors for mediating stress tolerance. Understanding the mechanism of cold stress tolerance and genes involved in the cold stress signaling network is important for crop improvement. Here, I review cold stress tolerance mechanisms in plants. The major points discussed are the following: (1) physiological effects of cold stress, (2) sensing of cold temperatures and signal transduction, and (3) the role of various cold-responsive genes and transcription factors in the mechanism of cold stress tolerance.


This paper investigates heterogeneity of the impact of labor-saving technologies on household time use across stages of the family life cycle. Using the Ghana Living Standards Survey 5, we assess the impact of two treatments - piped water and borehole water supply technologies. Results confirm the hypothesis that technology is more useful for relaxing the time constraint in households with children. The effect is stronger the more labor-saving is the technology. In households with young children (0 to 6 years old), however, the technologies show no significant effect. Parents in that stage of the family life cycle are in such an extreme time constraint that the relatively small amount of time saved with the water supply technology is not enough to significantly release their burden.


High levels of gamma glutamyltransferase (gamma-GT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), as well as fatty liver index (FLI) has been associated with higher cardiovascular disease risk factors in adults. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between gamma-GT, ALT, and fatty liver index FLI levels across a gradient number of ideal cardiovascular health metrics in a representative sample of adults from the Chilean National Health Survey 2009–2010. Data from 1,023 men and 1,449 women (≥ 15 years) from the Chilean Health Survey 2009–2010 were analyzed. Ideal cardiovascular health was defined as meeting ideal levels of the following components: four behaviours (smoking, body mass index, physical activity and diet adherence) and three factors (total cholesterol, blood pressure and fasting glucose). Adults were grouped into three categories according to their number of ideal cardiovascular health metrics: ideal (5–7 metrics), intermediate (3–4 metrics), and poor (0–2 metrics). Blood levels of gamma-GT and ALT were measured and the FLI was calculated. A higher number of ideal cardiovascular health index metric was associated with lower gamma-GT, ALT and FLI (p from trend analysis <0.001). Also, adults meeting at least 3–4 metrics were predicted less likely to have prevalence of abnormal levels of gamma-GT and FLI (p<0.001) compared to adults who met only 0–2 metrics. These findings reinforce the usefulness of the ideal cardiovascular health metrics proposed by the American Heart Association as a tool to identify target subjects and promote cardiovascular health in South-American adults.


This study evaluates the clinical and laboratory data of children with secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (sHLH) related to malignancy. Charts of patients who met the diagnostic criteria for sHLH associated with malignancy between January 2000-2006 at six different hospitals in Turkey were reviewed retrospectively. The diagnosis of HLH had been established by bone marrow aspiration in 27 patients, cerebrospinal fluid and bone marrow aspiration in one patient and lung-liver biopsy in another. Twenty-nine children were diagnosed as having sHLH related to malignancy. Twenty cases (18 ALL and 2 AML) with acute leukemia (10 girls/10 boys, median age: 8 years [3-14 years]) were found to have sHLH. Five patients with acute leukemia had HLH at the time of diagnosis (Group 1a), and 15 patients with acute leukemia were diagnosed as having sHLH during therapy (Group 1b), namely reactive sHLH associated with the chemotherapy. Nine patients, including two cases each of rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma, Hodgkin disease, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and one case with Langerhans cell histiocytosis, were diagnosed as having concomitant hemophagocytosis at the initial evaluation of the tumor (Group 2). Fever, anemia, and hypertriglyceridemia were present in all sHLH cases of all three groups. Hepatomegaly was detected in 60.0%, 73.3%, and 88.8% of the three groups, respectively. Splenomegaly was more frequent in patients of Groups 1a (60.0%) and 2 (88.8%) than in those of Group 1b, the reactive ones (13.3%). Hypofibrinogenemia was detected in all patients of Group 1a and Group 2. Low level of fibrinogen was present in 91.6% of patients in Group 1b. All patients in Group 1b (100%) had neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. Neutropenia was found at rates of 60.0% and 55.5% in Group 1a and Group 2, respectively. Thrombocytopenia was detected in 80.0% of patients in Group 1a and 77.7% in Group 2. The overall mortality rate was 34.4% (10 cases) in our series of 29 children with sHLH; 50% of deaths were directly attributable to HLH. Pediatric malignancy-associated HLH patients have been commonly described as case presentations or in a review of the literature. We believe that our cohort, compiling 29 children regarding the association between malignancy and HLH, will be useful for pediatricians who are interested in this still mysterious topic.


Abstract. A novel Laser-SLAM algorithm is presented for real indoor environment mobile mapping. SLAM algorithm can be divided into two classes, Bayes filter-based and graph optimization-based. The former is often difficult to guarantee consistency and accuracy in largescale environment mapping because of the accumulative error during incremental mapping. Graph optimization-based SLAM method often assume predetermined landmarks, which is difficult to be got in unknown environment mapping. And there most likely has large difference between the optimize result and the real data, because the constraints are too few. This paper designed a kind of sub-map method, which could map more accurately without predetermined landmarks and avoid the already-drawn map impact on agent's location. The tree structure of sub-map can be indexed quickly and reduce the amount of memory consuming when mapping. The algorithm combined Bayes-based and graph optimization-based SLAM algorithm. It created virtual landmarks automatically by associating data of sub-maps for graph optimization. Then graph optimization guaranteed consistency and accuracy in large-scale environment mapping and improved the reasonability and reliability of the optimize results. Experimental results are presented with a laser sensor (UTM 30LX) in official buildings and shopping centres, which prove that the proposed algorithm can obtain 2D maps within 10cm precision in indoor environment range from several hundreds to 12000 square meter.


Poverty is multi-dimensional. It is characterized by lack of purchasing power, exposure to risk, malnutrition, high mortality rate, low life expectancy, insufficient access to social and economic services and few opportunities for income generation. This study was carried out in Irewole local government area of Osun state to determine the level of poverty in the study area. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution, percentage, regression and Foster, Greer and Thorbecke (FGT) model. A total of 120 copies of questionnaire were administered for collection of information from respondent.The results from the analyzed data indicated that most of the respondents were middle-aged with mean age of approximately 38years, about 75.2% of the respondents are married, 86.0% of them had formal education. The mean income of the respondents was analyzed to be #57,590.91 and the mean per capita is ₦12,625.441, the poverty line was also analyzed to be #8,416.96, the poverty incidence of 36.36 percent shows the percentage of those that fell below the poverty line, the poverty depth of 7.2 percent shows that the income of the respondents needs to be raised by that percentage to move out of poverty, and the severity is 2.79 percent which implies that poverty exist but not so severe in the study area. The study recommends that more effort and resources should be devoted to poverty reduction programmes. However, there is need for the government to formulate and implement policies that will provide employment, housing, education, improved health care facilities and other things specifically for the urban poor.


We induced a chronic relapsing form of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in 7- to 10-week-old female SJL/J mice using a subcutaneous injection of an emulsion containing syngeneic mouse spinal cord homogenate in phosphate-buffered saline and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT) in incomplete Freund's adjuvant. Following the animals' recovery from the first attack periods, we fed them varying doses of type I interferon (IFN) or mock IFN three times per week for 6 weeks. This treatment decreased proliferation to guinea pig myelin basic protein and MT compared with control in draining lymph node and diminished inflammation in the CNS. Oral IFN altered the cytokine profile of concanavalin A-activated spleen cells by decreasing IFN-γ secretion. These results suggest that type I IFNs are active by the oral route, have significant clinical and immunomodulatory effects, and can decrease an established and ongoing immune response to sensitized antigens. The oral administration of biologic-response modifiers, such as type I IFNs, provides a potentially nontoxic, convenient, continuous means of delivering immunoactive substances via the gut regional immune system that can alter cytokine production and suppress clinical relapses.


This trend article describes some recent work related to the development of flame retardancy of six common plastic materials, polypropylene, polystyrene, poly(methyl methacrylate), unsaturated polyester, polyurethane, and epoxy resin. Conventionally, a single fire retardant element is used to achieve fire retardancy but in this paper, there is a description of combinations of fire retardant elements, including a nano-sized material.


Meet Rebecca Bloomwood. She's a journalist. She spends her working life telling others how to manage their money. She spends her leisure time...shopping. Retail therapy is the answer to all her problems. She knows she should stop, but she can't. She tries Cutting Back, she tries Making More Money. But neither seems to work. The stories she concocts become more and more fantastic as she tries to untangle her increasingly dire financial difficulties. Her only comfort is to buy herself something - just a little something...Can Becky ever escape from this dream world, find true love, and regain the use of her Switch card? "The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic..." is the perfect pick me up for when it's all hanging in the (bank) balance.


Six soil series from Carey Island were investigated to determine their acidity and charge characteristics.
The study showed that the soils contained high amounts of basic cations, Al and S042-, which
were reflected by their low pH and high electrical conductivity. The soils were highly buffered below pH
5.5 and this was found to be highly correlated to Al content. Further, it was found that negative charges
on the clay surfaces increased with increase in soil pH. These observations' are contrary to the fact that the
clay minerals in these soils are of the permanent charge type.


We wake as if surprised the other is still there, each petting the sheet to be sure. How have we managed our way to this bed—beholden to heat like dawn indebted to light. Though we're not so selfimportant as to think everything has led to this, everything has led to this. There's a name for the animal love makes of us—named, I think, like rain, for the sound it makes. You are the animal after whom other animals are named. Until there's none left to laugh, days will start with the same startle and end with caterpillars gorged on milkweed. O, how we entertain the angels with our brief animation. O, how I'll miss you when we're dead.


Occupational Health Psychology, by Stavroula Leka and Jonathon Houdmont (Editors). Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010, 368 pages (ISBN 978-1-4051-6809115-9, CA$71.95, Paperback) Reviewed by E. KEVIN KELLOWAY DOI: 10.1037/a0023317 Although a relatively young subfield in psychology, occupational health psychology (OHP) is at the point of consolidating a diverse research literature. Journals devoted to the field (e.g., Work & Stress, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology) have emerged and there are several collections devoted to summarising the research literature for researchers and graduate students. Leka and Houdmont offer a further contribution with this volume which they describe as the first textbook devoted to occupational health psychology intended for undergraduate instruction in the field. Certainly there is a growing need for such a text. Undergraduate courses in occupational health psychology are beginning to emerge and, at present, instructors must either adapt texts from other areas (e.g., health psychology or occupational health and safety) or rely on collections of research articles. Despite this need, creating "the first" textbook in the field is a daunting task as such a venture is likely to be scrutinized by others in the field who may have themselves contemplated writing such a volume. Leka and Houdmont have chosen an interesting strategy in creating an edited textbook with individual chapters written by estabUshed experts in the field. In doing so, they have in many cases gotten "the best" people in a particular area to write chapters in their area of expertise. Despite their reliance on multiple authors, the editors have maintained a consistent style throughout the volume ? each chapter begins with a chapter outline and ends with a chapter summary. Textboxes throughout are used to highlight individuals prominent in the field (e.g., Tom Cox) or to highlight applications and research issues and to provide definitions of key terms. I would expect that students will appreciate such pedagogical features in addition to the depth of expertise that underlies each chapter. Although not divided into sections, one can intuit a structure to the book that begins with a broad perspective on occupational health psychology and then progressively adopts a narrower focus. As one would expect, the volume begins with an introduction to occupational health psychology authored by Leka and Houdmont. They offer a definition of the field as well as a brief history. Although based in the United Kingdom, they also incorporate the emergence of OHP as a field in North America. The first major set of chapters deals with issues of work stress. Cox and Griffiths (Chapter 2) provide a theoretical view of work stress ? they focus on the major theories that have dominated much of the recent research in the area. O'DriscoU and Brough (Chapter 3) review the effects of work organisation on health with a specific focus on psychosocial risk factors. In the fourth chapter, Randall and Nielsen review interventions designed to e?minate or mitigate the effects of workplace stressors. In Chapter 5, Leka and Cox review the management of psychosocial risk factors in organisations. This is an approach to stress management that is well established in the U.K. and has considerable potential for application in organisations. In contrast to this narrowing focus on workplace stress, the next "set" of chapters deals with a variety of issues related to occupational health psychology. Noblet and Rodwell consider issues of workplace health promotion. Bakker and Derks review the implications of positive organisational scholarship for occupational health psychology. In Chapter 8, Leather Zarola and Santos consider the effect of the physical workplace ? an issue often overlooked by psychologists. Zwetsloot and Leka focus on issues of corporate culture with implications for health and well-being. …


This paper describes the theory, design, implementation, simulation, and testing of an ASIC capable of generating false target radar images for countering wideband synthetic aperture and inverse synthetic aperture imaging radars. The 5.5 /spl times/ 6.1 mm IC has 81632 transistors, 132 I/O pins, and consumes 0.132 W at 70 MHz from a 3.3-V supply. An introduction to the application and operation of the ASIC in an electronic attack system is also presented. The false target image is fully programmable and the chip is capable of generating images of both small and large targets, even up to the size of an aircraft carrier. This is the first reported use of all-digital technology to generate false target radar images of large targets.


In situ and ex situ catalytic upgrading of pyrolysis vapors from Douglas fir pellets in the presence of activated carbon (AC) prepared by chemical activation was studied in a microwave pyrolyzer. The in situ catalytic upgrading configuration gave lower bio-oil yields (10.25–25.5 wt%) than ex situ catalytic upgrading configuration (20.03–32 wt%). The bio-oil yield from the in situ upgrading process was significantly affected by both catalytic reaction temperature and catalyst to biomass ratio. However, the bio-oil yield from ex situ upgrading process was only significantly affected by catalyst to biomass ratio. Bio-oils compositional analysis indicated that the ex situ upgrading process generated higher phenols concentration (4.14–19.76 mg ml−1) than in situ upgrading (4.14–9.90 mg ml−1). However, the selectivity of phenols from in situ upgrading process reflected by the peak area percentages was higher than that from ex situ upgrading. The catalyst recycling tests showed that the prepared AC catalyst can be reused for three times in phenol-rich bio-oil production via catalytic microwave pyrolysis.


In computer vision, active stereoscopic systems are widely used for 3D surface reconstruction of real objects. Many structured light approaches have been shown in the literature. However, not anyone adapted the processing to the geometrical characteristics of the surface. Instead, the sensing process covers uniformly the entire object in order to obtain a very dense 3D point cloud. A further time-consuming mesh simplification task is therefore necessary to simplify the manipulation of the 3D model. This could be avoided, if the sensing process is already as intelligent as necessary to generate only those points needed to optimally describe the surface. In our development we show a solution, which is based on an iterative process adapting the point distribution to the spatial structure of the object. Starting from an initial sparse point pattern a refinement process is guided which analyses the object based on curvature measurements allowing to detect areas of greater morphological variation where further measurements have to be introduced. Thus, the acquired 3D model is already optimised during the acquisition process. Numerous experiments showed that compared to the 3D models generated from commercial system, the loss of morphological quality is negligible, but the gain by the simplification of the model is considerable.


Freshwater ecosystems are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Where long‐term datasets are available, shifts in species phenology, species distributions and community structure consistent with a climate change signal have already been observed. Identifying trends across the wider landscape, to guide management in response to this threat, is limited by the resolution of sampling. Standard biomonitoring of macroinvertebrates for water‐quality purposes is currently not well suited to the detection of climate change effects, and there are risks that substantial changes will occur before a management response can be made. This study investigated whether dragonflies, frequently recommended as general indicators of ecological health, are also suitable as indicators of climate change.


Serratia marcescens LRL781, a gram-negative bacterium, produces an extracellular protease. Evidence is provided for an outer membraneassociated, larger molecular weight, enzymatically inactive precursor of the protease. Antiserum was prepared against the extracellular protease, which was purified from the supernatant fraction of S_. marcescens LRL781 cultures. Column adsorption of the antiprotease serum was performed using a slurry of live cells and cellulose. The resulting effluent was serologically inactive against protease preparations and chromium chloride-coupled protease-rabbit erythrocytes. Whole washed cells agglutinated in the presence of the antiserum. Cells were uniformly labeled with ferritin conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG, indicating that the protease precursor is a surface antigen. In addition, agglutination titers determined on S_. marcescens LRL781 cultures of different ages showed the same titer, suggesting the surface antigen was present on all cultures. Cell surface fractions of Ŝ. marcescens LRL781 were prepared using a lithium chloride-lithium acetate extraction buffer. The precursor molecule co-purified with the outer membrane fraction. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to quantitate the antigen present in each cell fraction. The ELISA indicated that the outer membrane fraction had a higher specific activity than any other cell fraction. The precursor was associated with a carbohydrate moiety. The precursor occurs in a large insoluble aggregate as indicated by lack of penetration into polyacrylamide gels and by a high specific activity in the void volume of a Sepharose 6B-C1 column. Western blot electrophoresis yielded results similar to that of the ELISA (ie. the antigen remained at the top of the gel). O'Farrell (1975) gel electrophoresis revealed that the precursor is acidic in nature, as is the protease, and that the precursor has an apparent molecular weight of 71,000 (molecular weight of protease 47,000). The outer membrane fraction could not be solubilized with detergents, enzymes, or organic solvents. Peptide mapping of protein spots excised from O'Farrell gels was performed, and revealed that nine peptides are shared by the protease and the precursor. Cleveland (1977) gel analysis was used to detect four serologically-related peptides shared between the protease and its precursor.


A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) consists of mobile wireless nodes. The communication between these mobile nodes is carried out without any centralized control. MANET is a self organized and self configurable network where the mobile nodes move arbitrarily. The mobile nodes can receive and forward packets as a router. Routing is a critical issue in MANET and hence the focus of this thesis along with the performance analysis of routing protocols. We compared three routing protocols i.e. AODV, DSR and OLSR. Our simulation tool will be OPNET modeler. The performance of these routing protocols is analyzed by three metrics: delay, network load and throughput. All the three routing protocols are explained in a deep way with metrics. The comparison analysis will be carrying out about these protocols and in the last the conclusion will be presented, that which routing protocol is the best one for mobile ad hoc networks.


The expert performance framework distinguishes between deliberate practice and less effective practice activities. The current longitudinal study is the first to use this framework to understand how children improve in an academic skill. Specifically, the authors examined the effectiveness and subjective experience of three preparation activities widely recommended to improve spelling skill. Deliberate practice, operationally defined as studying and memorizing words while alone, better predicted performance in the National Spelling Bee than being quizzed by others or reading for pleasure. Rated as the most effortful and least enjoyable type of preparation activity, deliberate practice was increasingly favored over being quizzed as spellers accumulated competition experience. Deliberate practice mediated the prediction of final performance by the personality trait of grit, suggesting that perseverance and passion for long-term goals enable spellers to persist with practice activities that are less intrinsically rewarding—but more effective—than other types of preparation.


our Life provides the only whole school solution for combining Citizenship and PSHE at Key Stage 3 and 4. The third editions of this bestselling series contains extensive materials on Economic Wellbeing and Financial Capability. Building on the huge success of the second editions, each full-colour Student's book has been completely updated to provide a range of age-appropriate stimulus material and engaging activities designed to develop student's skills, knowledge and understanding in line with the revised Programme of Study and the National Framework for PSHE. Your Life: * offers a progressive, coherent programme for the Citizenship and PSHE throughout secondary school * reduces preparation time with well-researched, balanced coverage of a huge range of topics * is ideal for use on a year by year or selective basis with a clear flexible structure and self-contained units * offers masses of support for teachers including photocopiable activities and assessment material Contents 1. You and your feelings - self esteem 2. You and your body - drugs and drugtaking 3. You and your resonsibilities - other cultures and lifestyles 4. You and your money - gambling 5. You and your values - where do you stand? 6. You and your family - divided families 7. You and your safety - at home and in the street 8. You and the law - the police 9. You and other people - friends and friendships 10. You and the media - the power of advertising 11. You and your time - making the most of your leisure 12. You and the world of work - employment and unemployment 13. You and your body - drinking alcohol 14. You and the community - the school as a community 15. You and your opinions - speaking your mind 16. You and your body - contraception and safer sex 17. You as a citizen - of the European Union 18. You and the world of work - understanding business 19. You and the community - taking action on the local environment 20. You and other people - older people 21. You and global issues - food and water 22. You and your achievements - reviewing your progress


Resting-state fMRI (R-fMRI) has shown considerable promise in providing potential biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis and drug response across a range of diseases. Incorporating R-fMRI into multi-center studies is becoming increasingly popular, imposing technical challenges on data acquisition and analysis, as fMRI data is particularly sensitive to structured noise resulting from hardware, software, and environmental differences. Here, we investigated whether a novel clean up tool for structured noise was capable of reducing center-related R-fMRI differences between healthy subjects. We analyzed three Tesla R-fMRI data from 72 subjects, half of whom were scanned with eyes closed in a Philips Achieva system in The Netherlands, and half of whom were scanned with eyes open in a Siemens Trio system in the UK. After pre-statistical processing and individual Independent Component Analysis (ICA), FMRIB's ICA-based X-noiseifier (FIX) was used to remove noise components from the data. GICA and dual regression were run and non-parametric statistics were used to compare spatial maps between groups before and after applying FIX. Large significant differences were found in all resting-state networks between study sites before using FIX, most of which were reduced to non-significant after applying FIX. The between-center difference in the medial/primary visual network, presumably reflecting a between-center difference in protocol, remained statistically significant. FIX helps facilitate multi-center R-fMRI research by diminishing structured noise from R-fMRI data. In doing so, it improves combination of existing data from different centers in new settings and comparison of rare diseases and risk genes for which adequate sample size remains a challenge.


Abstract Globally, large private and public funds are invested into CO2 capture and storage (CCS) research to provide the knowledge and technology required to mitigate CO2 emissions below a sustainable level. A pertinent question to ask is whether this is the best way of spending limited resources. This paper presents a study aiming to quantify the potential economic gains from selected CCS innovations created in the international research centre BIGCCS and its successor NCCS. Development of CCS technology is currently driven by technology push and the lack of a market makes it hard to predict future potentials for increased revenue. Consequently, the study investigates potential cost reductions from implementing the innovations in full-scale industry projects based on qualified assumptions. The results show that even with limited deployment of CCS the potential cost savings from implementation of the innovations by far exceed the research investment. Additional value not considered is in this work is expected from commercialisation of the technologies for the technology providers, improved competitive edge for providers of CO2 free products and enhanced safety for people, equipment and environment. By developing illustrative examples from technology innovations, the study aims to contribute to a broader public CCS debate addressing also potential gains and commercial opportunities in addition to the current focus on costs and safety.


Headaches are common medical problems, and many patients will want to purchase over-the-counter (OTC) drugs to "cure" their headaches. However, when faced with all the products available, which one is the right one for a specific problem? An understanding of the different types and causes of headaches, together with knowledge of the active ingredients, will ensure that a suitable selection is made.


The role of self-relevance has been somewhat neglected in static face processing paradigms but may be important in understanding how emotional faces impact on attention, cognition and affect. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of self-relevant primes on processing emotional composite faces. Sentence primes created an expectation of the emotion of the face before sad, happy, neutral or composite face photos were viewed. Eye movements were recorded and subsequent responses measured the cognitive and affective impact of the emotion expressed. Results indicated that primes did not guide attention, but impacted on judgments of valence intensity and self-esteem ratings. Negative self-relevant primes led to the most negative self-esteem ratings, although the effect of the prime was qualified by salient facial features. Self-relevant expectations about the emotion of a face and subsequent attention to a face that is congruent with these expectations strengthened the affective impact of viewing the face.


This summer, the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) invited me to deliver the keynote lecture at its international conference in Fort Worth, Texas. (The full text of the 2012 Pritchard Lecture is available on the SWCS Web site at http://www.swcs.org/documents/filelibrary/12ac/2012_Meine_Pritchard_Lecture_CAFD0AA4FD40F.pdf.) I felt especially honored given the theme of the conference: "Choosing Conservation: Considering Ecology, Economics, and Ethics." I began my remarks by thanking the SWCS for its courage in highlighting that theme. It is no small challenge to explore the complex connections among these "three Es." To do so is to ask fundamental and often uncomfortable questions of ourselves. It is so much easier to ignore the questions or to fall back on conventional answers. The theme could not be more timely. To be reminded of that, all one had to do was step outside the conference center in Fort Worth. As in much of the continental United States, it was very hot and dry outside. On the way to the conference, one witnessed it. The effects of extreme heat and drought were evident across the land—in countless stressed farms and desiccated corn fields, in cottonwood leaves turned prematurely yellow, in ponds at half capacity and rivers of sand…


A key requirement of democratic governance is that policy outcomes and the majority preference of the electorate are congruent. Many studies argue that the more direct democratic a system is, the more often voters get what they want, but the empirical evidence is mixed. This analysis explores the democratic effect of initiatives and referendums theoretically and empirically. The prediction of the formal model is that "bad" representation (i.e., a large preference deviation between the electorate and the political elite) is good for the democratic effect of direct democracy. An empirical investigation of original voter and elite survey data, analyzed with multilevel modeling and poststratification, supports this argument. Building on the literature, the findings of the analysis suggest that the extent to which direct democratic institutions are conducive for policy congruence—and may thus be advisable as democratic correctives to representative systems—depends on the political conflict structure.


This demonstration shows how an inexpensive high frame-rate USB camera is used to emulate existing and proposed activity-driven event-based vision sensors. A PS3-Eye camera which runs at a maximum of 125 frames/second with colour QVGA (320×240) resolution is used to emulate several event-based vision sensors, including a Dynamic Vision Sensor (DVS), a colour-change sensitive DVS (cDVS), and a hybrid vision sensor with DVS+cDVS pixels. The emulator is integrated into the jAER software project for event-based real-time vision and is used to study use cases for future vision sensor designs.


We present a theoretical study of fluorescence enhancement in the vicinity of a superlens slab, the other side of which is connected to a prism. The fluorescent molecule is regarded as an electric dipole. The dipole excitation rate follows Fermi's golden rule, while its relaxation process has several pathways that can be analyzed within the range of classical electromagnetic theory. The calculated results are explained by surface modes and reveal a great potential of the proposed configuration in enhancing and detecting fluorescence.


Difficult asthma is a heterogeneous disease of the airways including various types of bronchial inflammation and various degrees of airway remodeling. Therapeutic response of severe asthmatics can be predicted by the use of biomarkers of Type2-high or Type2-low inflammation. Based on sputum cell analysis, four inflammatory phenotypes have been described. As induced sputum is time-consuming and expensive technique, surrogate biomarkers are useful in clinical practice. Eosinophilic phenotype is likely to reflect ongoing adaptive immunity in response to allergen. Several biomarkers of eosinophilic asthma are easily available in clinical practice (blood eosinophils, serum IgE, exhaled nitric oxyde, serum periostin). Neutrophilic asthma is thought to reflect innate immune system activation in response to pollutants or infectious agents while paucigranulocytic asthma is thought to be not inflammatory and characterized by smooth muscle dysfunction. We currently lack of user-friendly biomarkers of neutrophilic asthma and airway remodeling. In this review, we summarize the biomarkers available for the management of difficult asthma.


This thesis examines the significance of the Commonwealth in Canadian foreign policy, the motivations behind Canadian policy and the reasons for changes in this policy in the period 1956-1965 in particular. It does so by evaluating Canadian policy towards the development and use of Commonwealth institutions for cooperation. The thesis begins by sketching the development of Canadian policy towards the Commonwealth between 1944 and 1955. It argues that Canadian behaviour during this period set a pattern, which as it evolved in the face of changing conditions, was generally pursued through the period 1956 to 1965. The Commonwealth's role in Canadian policy was as a 'bridge' between the West and the new members from the developing world in support of Western interests in the Cold War. The thesis then looks at the year 1956. When the Suez Crisis occurred, the Commonwealth seemed poised for another transformation as members prepared to admit the first African member and considered British plans for closer economic links with Europe. The Canadian government's actions highlight its efforts to counteract division within the Commonwealth and preserve the 'bridge' to the developing world. The next three chapters review the record of John Diefenbaker's premiership. When he came to office in 1957, he proposed upgrading Canadian foreign policy towards the Commonwealth. Diefenbaker launched initiatives on trade and aid, and had to react to changing patterns of membership, a Commonwealth crisis over South Africa and the British application for EEC membership. Where the Diefenbaker government diverged from the established pattern of Canadian behaviour, its policies failed. For the most part, however, it maintained this pattern as the only practical way to effectively use the modern Commonwealth in ways conducive to the maintenance and advancement of Canadian interests. The last chapter examines the Canadian government's support for the Commonwealth secretariat. The thesis argues that this was not a substantial shift in Canadian policy, but rather a reflection of changes which had taken place within the Commonwealth and was largely consistent with previous policy.


We characterized stratified deposits from the Upper Toluca Pumice at Toluca volcano, Mexico, to distinguish the various modes of transport at play in their genesis. Using the concept of hydraulic equivalence, we determined that deposits resulted from a combination of suspended-load fallout, saltation, and rolling. In particular, some well-sorted coarse stratified beds have a single pumice mode most likely indicative of clasts having traveled through both the transport system and the traction bed. Such beds are likely remnants of the sorting operated within the large-scale transport system. Other coarse beds have pumice and lithic modes suggesting rolling in the traction bed. We propose that boundary layer processes control the sorting of those beds and all finer beds. By helping to discriminate between transport mechanisms, hydraulic equivalences have a general applicability in geophysical flows involving clasts of contrasted densities.


Cloud computing was and it will be a new way of providing Internet services and computers. This calculation approach is based on many existing services, such as the Internet, grid computing, Web services. Cloud computing as a system aims to provide on demand services more acceptable as price and infrastructure. It is exactly the transition from computer to a service offered to the consumers as a product delivered online. This paper is meant to describe the quality of cloud computing services, analyzing the advantages and characteristics offered by it. It is a theoretical paper. Keywords: Cloud computing, QoS, quality of cloud computing


Summary Background: Pseudallescheria boydii pneumonia is rarely reported among immunocompetent patients. Case Report: We report a case of a 62 year old white female with pseudallescheria boydii pneumonia. The patient was non-immunocompromised, had a history of mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection prior to presentation. After successful response to initial antitubercular therapy, the patient developed recurrent symptoms and bibasilar nodular infiltrates. Second line therapy for MAC failed to improve symptomatology. Pseudallescheria boydii pneumonia was diagnosed from a bronchoscopic biopsy. Treatment with voriconazole resolved her symptomatology and radiological infiltrates. Conclusions: This case highlights the importance of a high index of suspicion for superimposed fungal infections in patients who are refractory to medical treatment of bacterial pneumonitis such as MAC. Further diagnostic interventions are encouraged when insufficient clinical improvement is observed. Prompt initiation of an antifungal regimen is warranted.


If practical colorants could be found to meet theoretical requirements then there would be no need for color correction in multi-color printing. Color correction is necessary because the available yellow, magenta, and cyan inks absorb and transmit in all parts of the visible spectrum. It is possible to measure how much these colorants deviate from the ideal with the use of a reflection densitometer. The red, green, and blue filter positions on a densitometer will read the cyan, magenta, and yellow densities respectively. From these densities the amount of color correction necessary to compensate for the inks deficiencies is expressed in terms of percent masking. This is usually computed by the formula: percent mask = highest unwanted density/wanted density. The percent mask is often computed from the densities found when measuring a solid area of a particular colorant. The ratio of unwanted densities to wanted densities is often assumed to remain constant for solids and tints. This is the proportionality rule and is assumed to hold true in what are known as the masking equations (which are the basis for photographic masking for color correction.) The problem is that when a graduated scale of a single color is printed from a light tint to a solid, the proportions of the wanted and unwanted densities do not remain the same for varying tint values and solids. This is known as proportionality failure. This paper deals with the statistical evaluation of the three factors (and the interactions between them) which have been suspected of being the primary causes of this phenomenon. The three factors being tested are solid ink density (ink film thickness), type of paper, and half tone screen ruling. The results indicated that screen ruling was the most important factor for all colors with solid ink density being the next in importance. But the type of paper used was not found to influence proportionality failure, except with magenta ink. This, along with the fact that there was very little proportionality failure in yellow ink, may indicate a certain degree of confusion between proportionality failure and the influence of various factors (including paper) on the 'purity' of a color. It was shown in this experiment that the optimum printing levels which produce the least amount of proportionality failure were at the lowest solid ink density practical, the finest screen ruling, and on uncoated paper (yellow notwithstanding since it displayed comparatively no proportionality failure.) The implications of these results indicate that certain modifications in color correction methods may be necessary if printing conditions deviate widely from these optimum levels.


ABSTRACT The European Union (EU) is said to be tired of enlargement – but how likely is it that a candidate would be ready to join within 10, 15 or more years? This research forecasts how prospective members are likely able to perform in implementing EU law until 2050. Using compliance data of all states from the 2004, 2007 and 2013 accession rounds, as well as of five current/potential candidates, we construct an empirical model on candidates' ability to comply with the acquis communautaire. We employ in-sample and out-of-sample techniques to ensure high model prediction accuracy and, ultimately, forecast the five candidates' potential compliance levels in 2017–2050. Our research shows that only one candidate might sufficiently be able to comply with the accession criteria until 2023, while many are unlikely to be ready before the mid-2030s. Focusing on prediction and forecasting, our contribution is given by the research's policy relevance and its methodological innovation.


Objectives Rock and pop fame is associated with risk taking, substance use and premature mortality. We examine relationships between fame and premature mortality and test how such relationships vary with type of performer (eg, solo or band member) and nationality and whether cause of death is linked with prefame (adverse childhood) experiences. Design A retrospective cohort analysis based on biographical data. An actuarial methodology compares postfame mortality to matched general populations. Cox survival and logistic regression techniques examine risk and protective factors for survival and links between adverse childhood experiences and cause of death, respectively. Setting North America and Europe. Participants 1489 rock and pop stars reaching fame between 1956 and 2006. Outcomes Stars' postfame mortality relative to age-, sex- and ethnicity-matched populations (USA and UK); variations in survival with performer type, and in cause of mortality with exposure to adverse childhood experiences. Results Rock/pop star mortality increases relative to the general population with time since fame. Increases are greater in North American stars and those with solo careers. Relative mortality begins to recover 25 years after fame in European but not North American stars. Those reaching fame from 1980 onwards have better survival rates. For deceased stars, cause of death was more likely to be substance use or risk-related in those with more adverse childhood experiences. Conclusions Relationships between fame and mortality vary with performers' characteristics. Adverse experiences in early life may leave some predisposed to health-damaging behaviours, with fame and extreme wealth providing greater opportunities to engage in risk-taking. Millions of youths wish to emulate their icons. It is important they recognise that substance use and risk-taking may be rooted in childhood adversity rather than seeing them as symbols of success.


This paper describes the Next Generation Preschool Math project, a $3 million, four-year research and development initiative funded by the National Science Foundation. Over the past year and a half we have developed and tested more than 50 interactive prototypes to teach preschool math learning. We will discuss the eight apps that emerged from that work, as well as the prototypes. We will detail the iterative and collaborative production process that included researchers, developers, and teachers.


Recent experiments on similarly shaped polymer microcavity lasers show a dramatic difference in the far-field emission patterns. We show, for different deformations of the ellipse, quadrupole and hexadecapole, that the large differences in the far-field emission patterns are explained by the differing ray dynamics corresponding to each shape. Analyzing the differences in the appropriate phase space for ray motion, it is shown that the differing geometries of the unstable manifolds of periodic orbits are the decisive factors in determining the far-field pattern. Surprisingly, we find that strongly chaotic ray dynamics is compatible with highly directional emission in the far field. © 2004 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 140.3410, 140.1540, 140.4780, 140.3580, 350.3950.


Genome editing corrects a muscle disease Patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy find their muscles growing progressively weaker. Studies identified dystrophin as the culprit gene, which galvanized research into gene-targeted therapies. Long et al. apply genome editing to "correct" the disease-causing mutation in mice genetically destined to develop the disease. This germline editing strategy kept muscles from degenerating, even in mice harboring only a small percentage of corrected cells. Although not feasible for humans, this proof of concept sets the stage for applying genome editing to specific cell types involved in the disease. Science, this issue p. 1184 A mutation that causes muscular dystrophy in mice can be corrected by genome editing, which prevents the disease from developing. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an inherited X-linked disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding dystrophin, a protein required for muscle fiber integrity. DMD is characterized by progressive muscle weakness and a shortened life span, and there is no effective treatment. We used clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat/Cas9 (CRISPR/Cas9)–mediated genome editing to correct the dystrophin gene (Dmd) mutation in the germ line of mdx mice, a model for DMD, and then monitored muscle structure and function. Genome editing produced genetically mosaic animals containing 2 to 100% correction of the Dmd gene. The degree of muscle phenotypic rescue in mosaic mice exceeded the efficiency of gene correction, likely reflecting an advantage of the corrected cells and their contribution to regenerating muscle. With the anticipated technological advances that will facilitate genome editing of postnatal somatic cells, this strategy may one day allow correction of disease-causing mutations in the muscle tissue of patients with DMD.


Knowledge of vocal improvised music, whether demonstrated by high or low obscure pitch sounds, the beating of the chest while making music sounds, vocal pitch matching or vocal animation with or without the use of technology, has paved the way for a steady stream of vocal artists through the years, each dedicated to vocal exploration. While jazz vocal improvisation appears on the surface to involve few or no rules, it is a form of communication between artist and listener, where the artist adheres to a set of rules or principles. Here the jazz improviser is treated as part of an ecosystem, a concept in the biological sciences that comprises a set of interacting organisms and environments in a particular place. Within the jazz vocal improvisational ecosystem there are various roles, approaches and activities. What follows is a description showing how the analogy with biological ecosystems can be applied to a 'vocal ecology', how this viewpoint may also aid the improvising jazz vocalist in artistic expression and considerations for the vocalist with vocal difficulties in communication.


In a widely watched You Tube video, U.S. President Barack Obama is asked whether or not the drug war may in fact be counterproductive. Instead of the resounding NO that would have come from any of his recent predecessors, Obama responded: "I think this is an entirely legitimate topic for debate.�? He then qualified his remarks by adding, "I am not in favor of legalization.�? Nonetheless, even acknowledging the legitimacy of debate on U.S. drug policy is a significant shift from the past, when successive administrations stifled discussion and routinely labeled anyone promoting alternative approaches to the so-called U.S. "war on drugs�? as dangerous and surreptitiously promoting massive drug use and poisoning America's youth. With over two years in office, the Obama administration has had time to begin to make its mark on the government's domestic and international drug policies. But has the welcome change in tone been matched by a change in policies? The track record to date is disappointing, with far more continuity than change. The Obama administration, apparently less fearful of being criticized as "soft on drugs,�? has ratcheted down the rhetoric and has placed greater emphasis on the problem of demand and problematic drug use. Some necessary but modest changes have also taken place with respect to domestic drug policy. Yet broader drug policy reforms at the domestic level remain elusive and in the international sphere the U.S. "war on drugs�? continues apace.


AIM
Prostacyclin, which is mainly synthesized by vascular endothelial cells, exerts antiplatelet and smooth-muscle-relaxant effects, thereby maintaining cardiovascular homeostasis. Prostacyclin analogues have been clinically proven to improve ischemic symptoms and prevent the occurrence of vascular events in the lower extremities of patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans. We examined the presence of prostacyclin receptor (IP receptor) in an arteriosclerotic human femoral artery.

METHODS
Specimens of the femoral artery were obtained at the time of limb amputation from an 83-year-old woman. Atherosclerotic lesions and associated changes such as calcification were evident. The specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and processed for immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS
A monolayer of cells was observed on the luminal side of the femoral artery. Single immunohistochemistry showed the presence of the IP receptors on cells of the luminal side of the femoral artery. Triple-immunofluorescence staining revealed colocalization of IP-receptor-positive cells and cells positive for von Willebrand factor, a marker of vascular endothelial cells.

CONCLUSIONS
We investigated the presence of the IP receptor in the human femoral artery immunohistochemically, and demonstrated their strong expression in endothelial cells. This finding suggests that prostacyclin or prostacyclin analogues may act on their receptors on endothelial cells in patients with arteriosclerosis obliterans.