Background There is research evidence to support the growing recognition that leadership influences successful improvement; also that it is one factor explaining slow, partial or failed improvement. However, the evidence is not strong, especially about how important one or more leaders actions were compared with other situational factors. Methods This paper summarises the evidence found in a review of research into different leader's roles in quality improvement. Results Actions suited to the situation and type of improvement appear to be the most successful, and this has implications for developing leaders to 'fit' their actions to their situation and the improvement, and for research to help them do this better. Conclusions The full review lists other practical implications for leaders where there is good evidence, and notes other literature which could provide guidance for leaders in the absence of research. It also considers the limitations of the research, and specific subjects for future research where knowledge and practical guidance for leaders are especially needed.


A study of saprotrophic microfungi associated with the palm Calamus sp. in Thai forests yielded 88 species, with 40 ascomycetes (45.5%), and 48 anamorphic taxa (54.5%) from 212 fungal collections. The most common fungi were Tetraploa sp. (14.1% of all records), Morenoina palmicola (11.8%), Circinoconis paradoxa (5.2%), Diaporthe sp. (4.7%), and Helminthosporium sp. (4.7%). The percentage of fungi occurring on dry versus damp materials were 68.5% and 31.5%, respectively, with 61% of fungi occurring on petioles and 39% on rachides. The fungi occurring on Calamus sp. are compared with those recorded on other palms in Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong and Thailand.


Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) is widely distributed in the Southwestern United States, where it frequently occurs in association with ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa). Fire suppression and fuelwood harvest likely have reduced oak abundance within the pine-oak type. Gambel oak occurs in multiple age-related growth forms, from small shrubs to large, old trees, and may provide important foraging and nesting habitat for breeding birds. I compared attributes of breeding bird communities in 16 northern Arizona ponderosa pine stands from 1993-1995, that were structurally similar except for the presence or absence of Gambel oak. Overlap in bird species composition was high; pine and pineoak stands had a mean Jaccard similarity value of 0.67. Five species were unique to pine stands, whereas 10 species were largely restricted to or only found in pine-oak stands. Overall bird diversity was significantly higher in pine-oak stands, which also had more species of Neotropical migrants, ground nesters, primary cavity excavators, and secondary cavity users than did pine stands. Pine and pine-oak stands had similar species evenness and similar rates of annual species turnover. Total bird abundance did not differ between cover types; however, primary cavity excavators were more abundant in pine-oak stands. Because of the apparent positive influence of oak on breeding birds, forest managers are encouraged to use treatments that retain and enhance the various growth forms of Gambel oak found in pine-oak stands.


Abstract. We present two Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) instruments built at RIVM: the RIVM DOAS and the miniDOAS. Both instruments provide virtually interference-free measurements of NH3 concentrations in the atmosphere, since they measure over an open path, without suffering from inlet problems or interference problems by ammonium aerosols dissociating on tubes or filters. They measure concentrations up to at least 200 μg m−3, have a fast response, low maintenance demands, and a high up-time. The RIVM DOAS has a high accuracy of typically 0.15 μg m−3 for ammonia for 5-min averages and over a total light path of 100 m. The miniDOAS has been developed for application in measurement networks such as the Dutch National Air Quality Monitoring Network (LML). Compared to the RIVM DOAS it has a similar accuracy, but is significantly reduced in size, costs, and handling complexity. The RIVM DOAS and miniDOAS results showed excellent agreement (R2 = 0.996) during a field measurement campaign in Vredepeel, the Netherlands. This measurement site is located in an agricultural area and is characterized by highly variable, but on average high ammonia concentrations in the air. The RIVM-DOAS and miniDOAS results were compared to the results of the AMOR instrument, a continuous-flow wet denuder system, which is currently used in the LML. Averaged over longer time spans of typically a day, the (mini)DOAS and AMOR results agree reasonably well, although an offset of the AMOR values compared to the (mini)DOAS results exists. On short time scales, the (mini)DOAS shows a faster response and does not show the memory effects due to inlet tubing and transport of absorption fluids encountered by the AMOR. Due to its high accuracy, high uptime, low maintenance and its open path, the (mini)DOAS shows a good potential for flux measurements by using two (or more) systems in a gradient set-up and applying the aerodynamic gradient technique.


I offer a protocol for assessing the sustainability of liveability. This protocol draws on a framework developed to assess vulnerability, and offers two key pertinent features. These are (a) a capacity to incorporate multiple and shifting stakeholder values, and (b) a means of moving from expressions of liveability to underlying ecological attributes that deliver or constrain system change. The applicability of these features to both assessing the sustainability of liveability, and a reappraisal given system change are illustrated using data from a study site in the French Alps. The central place of values intrudes into liveability and sustainability so as to complicate the situation. Even so, the protocol presented here is able to ground the abstractions and equivocation in a transparent and explicit set of announcements. Laying the steps out in the open allows for consistency in comparison and replication without artificially removing the labile flexibility embedded in liveability and sustainability.


Oil-in-water (O/W) microemulsions were prepared by the titration method through phase diagram study. The mixture consisted of surfactant, oil (as carrier), and water. The surfactants were Agnique PG 8107-U, Agnique PG 9116, and Tween 20 while the oils were Agnique BL 7001, Agnique BL 7002, and xylene. The potential of plant-derived insecticide rotenone (Derris elliptica) microemulsion formulations and their effectiveness against crucifer insect pest namely diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella were investigated in laboratory. The objectives of this study were, therefore, to formulate rotenone as microemulsion formulations through phase diagram study, to characterize the formulations, and to determine their LC50 on diamondback moth by bioassay study.Twelve phase diagrams of ternary systems were constructed and isotropic region were established. The systems having wider isotropic region were selected and they were Agnique 8107-U/Agnique BL 7001/water, Agnique 9116/Agnique BL 7001/water, Tween 20/Agnique BL 7001/water, Agnique PG 8107-U/Agnique BL 7002/water, Tween 20/Agnique BL 7002/water and Tween 20/Edenor ME/water systems. From these phase diagrams, 13 microemulsion solutions were derived. These microemulsion solutions were further evaluated for miscibility, surface tension, and particle size analysis.
The phase diagram systems containing Tween 20 as the surfactant showed the greater ability to produce a wider isotropic (microemulsion) region compared to others. The miscibility test showed all surfactants mixed readily with water. In interaction with the all oil phases, Tween 20 showed better miscibility compared with Agnique PG 8107-U and Agnique PG 9116 which produce double layers isotropic emulsion in absence of water. The width of isotropic/transparent region in phase diagrams constructed measured in decreasing order were; Tween 20/Agnique BL 7002/ water > Tween 20/Agnique BL 7001/water > Tween 20/Edenor ME/water > Agnique PG 9116/Agnique BL 7001/water > Agnique PG 8107-U/Agnique BL 7001/water > Agnique PG 8107-U/Agnique BL 7002/water > Tween 20/xylene/water > Agnique PG 9116/Agnique BL 7002/water > Agnique PG 9116/xylene/water > Agnique PG 8107-U/xylene/water > Agnique PG 8107-U/Edenor ME/water > Agnique PG 9116/Edenor ME/water.Three phase diagram systems representing the best microemulsifiable characterization properties and solubility with rotenone were Tween 20/Agnique BL 7001/water, Tween 20/Agnique BL 7002/water and Tween 20/Edenor ME/water systems. Six points in the isotropic regions of the selected phase diagrams were utilized to prepare the microemulsion and coded as M1 to M13. The microemulsions were then subjected to the determination of their surface tensions and particle sizes. The surface tension values of the selected microemulsions were low and their values in decreasing order were; M9 (27.3 mN/m) > M13 (26.9 mN/m) > M2 (26.8 mN/m) > M4 (26.4 mN/m) > M11 (22.8 mN/m) > M7 (22.7 mN/m). The particle size of the microemulsion in decreasing order were; M4 (207.57 nm) > M13 (83.31 nm) > M2 (68.7 nm) > M11 (49.03 nm) > M9 (35.86 nm) > M7 (20.63 nm).
The selected microemusions were used to prepare the rotenone microemulsion formulations. The formulations were then evaluated for their toxicity in comparison with the standard commercial EC formulation (Saphyr®) against the early third instar larvae of the diamondback moth by leaf-dipped bioassay in the laboratory. The mortality of the larvae was recorded at 72 and 96 hours following treatment and data were subjected to the Probit analysis to establish the LC50 and LC95. Based on LC50 values, the toxicity of formulations for 72 hours after treatment in decreasing order were M11 (204.82 ppm) > M7 (139.71 ppm) > M13 (129.89 ppm) > M4 (122.8 ppm) > M2 (116.94 ppm) > M9 (96.09 ppm) > Saphyr® (96.05 ppm) while for 96 hours after treatment, the toxicity in decreasing order were M11 (166.63 ppm) > M7 (119.58 ppm) > M13 (105.82 ppm) > M2 (105.22 ppm) > M4 (97.67 ppm) > M9 (87.22 ppm) > Saphyr® (76.86 ppm). The toxicity study indicated that the rotenone microemulsion formulations especially M9 were comparable to commercial rotenone, Saphyr®.


Well-established rapid mixing techniques such as stopped-flow have been used to push the dead time for kinetic experiments down to a few milliseconds. However, very fast reactions are difficult to resolve below this limit. We now outline an approach that provides access to ultrafast kinetics but does not rely on active mixing at all. Here, the reagents are compartmentalized into water-in-oil emulsion microdroplets (diameter ∼50 μm) that are statically arrayed in pairs, resting side-by-side in a well feature of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) device. A reaction between the contents of two droplets arrayed in such a holding trap is initiated by droplet fusion that is brought about by electrocoalescence and known to occur on a time scale of about 100 μs. A reaction between the reactants (Fe(3+) and SCN(-)) is monitored by image analysis measuring the product formation in the newly merged drop in both space and time, by use of a fast camera. A comparison of the concentration field of the reaction product with the output of a reaction-diffusion system of equations yields a rate constant k ∼ 3 × 10(4) M(-3)·s(-1). Since reaction and diffusion are formally included in the mathematical model, measurements can proceed immediately after the drop fusion, removing the need to allow time for mixing. This approach is different from existing methodologies, for example, experiments in a conventional stopped-flow apparatus but also electrofusion of moving droplets where contents are mixed by chaotic advection before a reaction is monitored. Our analysis makes kinetics accessible that are several times faster than techniques that have to allow time for mixing.


A new practical, high-performance mobile robot localization technique is described that is motivated by the fact that many man-made environments contain substantially flat, visually textured surfaces of persistent appearance. While the tracking of image regions is much studied in computer vision, appearance is still a largely unexploited localization resource in commercially relevant applications. We show how prior appearance models can be used to enable highly repeatable mobile robot guidance that, unlike commercial alternatives, is both infrastructure-free and free-ranging. Very large-scale mosaics are constructed and used to localize a mobile robot operating in the modeled environment. Straightforward techniques from vision-based localization and mosaicking are used to produce a field-relevant AGV guidance system based only on vision and odometry. The feasibility, design, implementation, and precommercial field qualification of such a guidance system are described.


Advanced Accounting delivers an in-depth, comprehensive introduction to advanced accounting theory and application, using actual business examples and relevant news stories to demonstrate how core principles translate into real-world business scenarios. Clearly defined and logically organized Learning Objectives aid in student comprehension, while highlighted Related Concepts illustrate how individual concepts fit into the larger picture. Short answer questions throughout the chapter allow students to test their knowledge before reaching the more in-depth end-of-chapter questions, promoting a deeper understanding of both technical and conceptual aspects of the field. Written by active accounting researchers, this text brings clarity and flexibility to the central ideas underlying business combinations, consolidated financial statements, foreign currency transactions, partnerships, non-profit accounting and more. This new Seventh Edition has been updated to reflect the latest changes to FASB and GASB standards, allowing students to build a skill set based on up-to-date practices. With a student-oriented pedagogy designed to enhance comprehension, promote engagement, and build real-world understanding, this user-friendly book provides an essential foundation in current advanced accounting methods and standards.


Abstract Mulligan mobilization techniques are frequently used in clinical practice but there is little evidence underlying their use. The aims of this study were to determine the immediate effects of the Mulligan traction straight leg rais etechnique (TSLR) on range of straight leg raise (SLR) in subjects with low back pain (LBP). A further aim was to determine whether the presence of lower-quarter mechano-sensitive neural tissue influenced the outcome. Nineteen subjects with LBP with a unilateral limitation of SLR, sub-classified according to the presence or not of mechano-sensitive lower-quarter neural tissue, were included. On the symptomatic side, range of SLR, hip flexion, and posterior pelvic rotation were recorded at the first onset of pain, using goniometers positioned lateral to the knee and pelvis. Following the intervention, there was a significant increase in range of SLR of 11° (95% confidence interval = 9,13) (F [1,16] = 34.28, p<0.001). This increase was attributed to hip flexion rather than pelvic rotation (F[1,16] = 0.79, p = 0.388). In addition, the presence of mechano-sensitive neural tissue did not significantly influence the outcome (F [1,16] = 0.68, p=0.42). These results provide preliminary evidence for the use of the Mulligan TSLR technique in the management of LBP, when a limitation of SLR is present; however, further controlled studies are required to substantiate these findings.


This study explores how high school football athletes' bodies are constructed within the context of contemporary scouting regimes. Deploying a quantitative approach, we analyze 6600 scouting reports on a total of 1650 high school football athletes available online from four high-profile media outlets which offer 'expert' analyses of athletes' body characteristics, performance, and estimated potential. The findings indicate that subjective measurements of the athlete's body are the best predictors of hierarchical classification. The findings also indicate that objective measurements do not seem to predict the subjective assessment of those very athletic bodies. We argue that the evaluation of high school football athletes by so-called expert analysts is remarkably arbitrary, and thus call into question the very practice of football scouting that has become so dominant and influential. 'Scouts' promote a system of scrutiny that contributes the reification of hegemonic relations between the observers and the observed.


Surface-confined macromolecules known as polymer brushes are being increasing applied to a variety of areas. As more information is gained on the molecular structure of polymer brushes and how they respond to environmental stimuli, these applications are becoming wider ranging and better defined. This review seeks to highlight recent contributions in two broad areas: biotechnology and nanotechnology. These are positions in which polymer brushes are well-suited to offer performance gains. Examples are given that describe the benefits of using a well defined, covalently bound, and densely grafted polymer including in areas such as prevention of bacterial adherence, cell attachment, electrochemistry, and formation of colloidal crystals.


Premelting of ice within pores in earth materials is shown to depend on the presence of vapor layers. For thick vapor layers between ice and pore surfaces, a nanosized water sheet can be formed due to repulsive Lifshitz forces. In the absence of vapor layers, ice is inhibited from melting near pore surfaces. In between these limits, we find an enhancement of the water film thickness in silica and alumina pores. In the presence of metallic surface patches in the pore, the Lifshitz forces can dramatically widen the water film thickness, with potential complete melting of the ice surface.


BACKGROUND
Children from socially disadvantaged families experience worse hospital outcomes compared with other children. We sought to identify modifiable barriers to care to target for intervention.

METHODS
We conducted a prospective cohort study of hospitalized children over 15 months. Caregivers completed a survey within 3 days of admission and 2 to 8 weeks after discharge to assess 10 reported barriers to care related to their interactions within the health care system (eg, not feeling like they have sufficient skills to navigate the system and experiencing marginalization). Associations between barriers and outcomes (30-day readmissions and length of stay) were assessed by using multivariable regression. Barriers associated with worse outcomes were then tested for associations with a cumulative social disadvantage score based on 5 family sociodemographic characteristics (eg, low income).

RESULTS
Of eligible families, 61% (n = 3651) completed the admission survey; of those, 48% (n = 1734) completed follow-up. Nine of 10 barriers were associated with at least 1 worse hospital outcome. Of those, 4 were also positively associated with cumulative social disadvantage: perceiving the system as a barrier (adjusted β = 1.66; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02 to 2.30), skill barriers (β = 3.82; 95% CI 3.22 to 4.43), cultural distance (β = 1.75; 95% CI 1.36 to 2.15), and marginalization (β = .71; 95% CI 0.30 to 1.11). Low income had the most consistently strong association with reported barriers.

CONCLUSIONS
System barriers, skill barriers, cultural distance, and marginalization were significantly associated with both worse hospital outcomes and social disadvantage, suggesting these are promising targets for intervention to decrease disparities for hospitalized children.


This emerging initiative stemmed from an Office for Learning and Teaching Project (OLT) project, Transforming Practice Programme 2016: Student Engagement: Students as Partners in Teaching and Learning. The initiative, trialed in semester two, 2016, involved the selection and training of two experienced students to be leaders of a Closed Facebook 'students-only' community which provided advice and triaged queries to appropriate channels. The evaluative processes comprised a participatory action research methodology. Two student leaders who facilitated the Closed Facebook and four academic staff of the project were the participants. The findings demonstrate that the Closed Facebook students-only site provided a safe space, outside the formal learning/classroom environment, where student participants were able to ask and share knowledge. The informal student-for-student learning community complemented the formal structure by facilitating the opportunity for students to become 'experts' as university students as they move-through their learning journey.


Teaching is today often described as a matter of adjusting to the individual lives of students. Building on the premises of three educational theories, mainly Martin Buber's concept of 'inclusion', the article aims to confront this idea and show how pedagogical attitude can be perceived from a relational perspective. A model is constructed in which pedagogical attitude is understood as three different types of teacher-student relationships: a) an asymmetric inter-subjective relationship; b) an asymmetric subject-object relationship; and c) an asymmetric object-subject relationship. The article argues that a genuine pedagogical attitude is included in the first type. It is interpreted as a matter of experiencing from the student's side of the relationship and, at the same time, taking a stand as a pedagogical subject. This interpretation differs from the widespread notion of pedagogical attitude according to which the teacher's position tends to be diluted.


BACKGROUND
Preoperative inspiratory muscle training (IMT) is frequently used in patients waiting for major surgery to improve respiratory muscle function and to reduce the risk of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). Currently, the mechanism of action of IMT in reducing PPCs is still unclear. Therefore, we investigated the associations between preoperative IMT variables and the occurrence of PPCs in patients with esophageal cancer.

METHODS
A multi-center cohort study was conducted in subjects scheduled for esophagectomy, who followed IMT as part of a prehabilitation program. IMT variables included maximum inspiratory pressure (PImax) before and after IMT and IMT intensity variables including training load, frequency, and duration. Associations between PImax and IMT intensity variables and PPCs were analyzed using independent samples t tests and logistic regression analyses, corrected for age and pulmonary comorbidities and stratified for the occurrence of anastomotic leakages.

RESULTS
Eighty-seven subjects were included (69 males; mean age 66.7 ± 7.3 y). A higher PImax (odds ratio 1.016, P = .07) or increase in PImax during IMT (odds ratio 1.020, P = .066) was not associated with a reduced risk of PPCs after esophagectomy. Intensity variables of IMT were also not associated (P ranging from .16 to .95) with PPCs after esophagectomy. Analyses stratified for the occurrence of anastomotic leakages showed no associations between IMT variables and PPCs.

CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that an improvement in preoperative inspiratory muscle strength during IMT and training intensity of IMT were not associated with a reduced risk on PPCs after esophagectomy. Further research is needed to investigate other possible factors explaining the mechanism of action of preoperative IMT in patients undergoing major surgery, such as the awareness of patients related to respiratory muscle function and a diaphragmatic breathing pattern.


In this dissertation we studied the phase diagrams of different systems with two common characteristics: the particles that constitute them are confined to a more or lesser extent, and their masses are small enough for quantum effects to be appreciable. In addition, we considered only the regime in which the temperature is close to absolute zero, what means that the corresponding ground states are expected to be good descriptions of those arrangements. To obtain those ground states we used the diffusion Monte Carlo method, a stochastic technique that allows us to calculate the lowest energy state of any bosonic system within statistical accuracy and taking into account the atom-atom correlations.
The first part of this work will focus on the phase diagram of D_2 on C-graphane, the hydrogenated version of graphene, a compound synthesised for the first time in 2009. Our study is a continuation of a long series of efforts in which the behaviour of quantum gases such as He-4, H_2, He-3, D_2, on quasi-two dimensional (graphite, graphene) or quasi-one dimensional (carbon nanotubes) confinements were considered. The ultimate goal was the experimental discovery or the theoretical prediction of new phases, different from the full three-dimensional homogeneous ones. Within this frame, we calculated the complete phase diagram of ortho-D_2 on graphane, finding it very similar to the one obtained previously for the same adsorbate on graphite [Phys. Rev. B 42, 587(1990), Phys. Rev. 85, 155427(1998)], even though the ground state was a different registered solid "delta" instead of "sqrt(3) x sqrt(3)".
 The second part of this dissertation is concerned with the behaviour of neutral atoms loaded in quasi-one-dimensional optical lattices. An optical lattice is a periodic pattern of potential wells created by the constructive interference of two or more laser beams. The seminal work of Jaksch [Phys. Lett. 81, 3108(1998)] opened the door to many theoretical works on the subject by establishing the equivalence, under certain conditions, of the full optical lattice Hamiltonian and the well-known Bose Hubbard model. That identification proved to be successful when Greiner et al [Nature 415, 39(2002)], found experimentally a Mott insulator, one of the phases known to be supported by the Bose-Hubbard discrete Hamiltonian. Unfortunately, neutral atoms in optical lattices are not always well described by a Bose-Hubbard model. To show that, we computed the phase diagrams of different quasi-one dimensional optical lattices using their full continuous Hamiltonians. We did so both for homogeneous and longitudinally confined systems, finding that even though the phases (or states) were similar for both Hamiltonians, the Bose-Hubbard model underestimates the optical potential depths necessary to create insulator phases (or insulator domains in finite systems). In the same line, a separate study on a disordered system concluded that in a continuous description the stability zone of the Bose glass decreases with respect to the results for with a Bose-Hubbard model.


Loss of the CDK inhibitor p27(KIP1) is widely linked with poor prognosis in human cancer. In Wnt10b-expressing mammary tumors, levels of p27(KIP1) were extremely low; conversely, Wnt10b-null mammary cells expressed high levels of this protein, suggesting Wnt-dependent regulation of p27(KIP1). Interestingly we found that Wnt-induced turnover of p27(KIP1) was independent from classical SCF(SKP2)-mediated degradation in both mouse and human cells. Instead, turnover required Cullin 4A and Cullin 4B, components of an alternative E3 ubiquitin ligase induced in response to active Wnt signaling. We found that CUL4A was a novel Wnt target gene in both mouse and human cells and that CUL4A physically interacted with p27(KIP1) in Wnt-responding cells. We further demonstrated that both Cul4A and Cul4B were required for Wnt-induced p27(KIP1) degradation and S-phase progression. CUL4A and CUL4B are therefore components of a conserved Wnt-induced proteasome targeting (WIPT) complex that regulates p27(KIP1) levels and cell cycle progression in mammalian cells.


The neuropeptide PTTH initiates metamorphosis in the fruit fly through the receptor tyrosine kinase Torso. Holometabolous insects undergo a complete transformation from the larval feeding stage into the reproductive adult, and this metamorphosis is regulated by both environmental factors and internal cues. Metamorphosis in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is triggered when prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) produced by the brain and perceived by the prothoracic gland (PG) elicits production of the steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), the systemic signal that induces physiological and behavioral changes. Although this sequence of events has been known for decades, the molecular machinery linking PTTH to 20E production has been unclear. Rewitz et al. report that PTTH acts through the tyrosine kinase receptor Torso, which also serves as the receptor for Trunk (Trk), a neuropeptide structurally similar to PTTH that is required during embroygenesis but not present in late larvae. Reducing Torso in the PG by tissue-specific RNA interference (RNAi) produced a delayed pupariation phenotype characterized by a prolonged final larval stage and abnormally large pupae. This phenotype was virtually identical to that in animals lacking PTTH and could be prevented by feeding 20E to the torso RNAi animals. Ubiquitous expression of a transgene encoding PTTH or a constitutively active form of Torso caused premature pupariation and small pupae. Although PTTH is not normally present in embryos, ectopic expression of a transgene encoding PTTH in trk mutant embryos partially rescued Trk-dependent gene expression and formation of posterior structures, indicating that PTTH could activate signaling through Torso in the embryo. Because Trk binding to Torso activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascade in the embryo, the authors tested whether PTTH binding to Torso also activated MAPK in the larval PG. RNAi of the MAPK ERK prolonged the late larval growth period and delayed pupariation, and feeding 20E to these animals prevented the RNAi phenotype. Stimulating cultured Drosophila cells with PTTH resulted in ERK phosphorylation, an indication of MAPK pathway activation. Thus, PTTH binding to Torso leads to production of 20E through activation of a MAPK cascade. K. F. Rewitz, N. Yamanaka, L. I. Gilbert, M. B. O'Connor, The insect neuropeptide PTTH activates receptor tyrosine kinase Torso to initiate metamorphosis. Science 326, 1403–1405 (2009). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Background : This study evaluated the role of family history of cancer and gynecologic factors in relation to the etiology of ovarian cancer in a low socioeconomic population in Iran. Methods : From 2007-2009 we conducted a screening program on women with insurance coverage provided by the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation. A total of 26788 women participated in this study of whom 76 cases had ovarian cancer and 26712 were considered as controls. We used rare event logistic (ReLogit) regression analysis with a prior correction method that used the Zelig package in R to obtain odds ratio estimates and confidence intervals. Results : Ovarian cancer was more frequent among postmenopausal than premenopausal (odds ratio: 2.30; confidence interval: 1.17-4.49) women. We observed increased risk for this disease in women with histories of hormone replacement therapy compared to those with no history (odds ratio: 2.36; confidence interval: 1.13-4.91). A greater increase in ovarian cancer was observed in women with family histories of breast (odds ratio: 2.88; confidence interval: 1.44-5.77), ovarian (odds ratio: 11.27; confidence interval: 5.63-22.54) and all cancer sites (odds ratio: 2.95; confidence interval: 1.71-5.08). However, the use of oral contraceptive pills was significantly associated with lower risk for ovarian cancer (odds ratio: 0.47; confidence interval: 0.28-0.79). There was no association between ovarian cancer and age, marital status, occupation, education level, age at menarche, age at first pregnancy and number of pregnancies. Conclusion : Ovarian cancer was considered a rare event. Thus we deemed it necessary to explore the associated risk factors using ReLogit with a prior correction method. The risk factors for ovarian cancer were menopause, history of hormone replacement therapy and family history of cancer of the breast, ovaries and other sites. Oral use of contraceptive pills showed a protective effect on risk for ovarian cancer.


AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate first year elementary mathematics teacher education students' knowledge of prism. For this goal, the participants were asked to define the geometric concept of prism. The participants were 158 first year elementary mathematics teacher education students from a public university in Southern Turkey. The researchers analyzed the participants' definitions of prism. Additionally, 12 of the participants were selected for semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed via content and frequency analysis techniques. Based on the content analysis, the themes that each participant used were determined. After this evaluation, the frequency of each of the themes was calculated. The findings indicated that the participants experienced difficulties in defining the concept of prism. It was also found out that the participants could not adequately use the mathematical language and define the concept.Key WordsGeometry Teaching, Geometric Concepts, Prism, Concept Definition, Teacher Education.Individuals understand their surrounding environment through sense making and concept mapping (Schoenfeld, 1992). A concept is an umbrella term that is used to portray main characteristics of an object or thought (Turk Dil Kurumu [TDK], 2005). It can be argued that concept is an element of understanding and knowledge (Oksuz, 2010). Teaching without conceptual understanding may just lead to memorizing, drill and practice, and computational learning (Sigler & Saam, 2006; Snowman & Biehler, 2003).There can be a wide range of individual differences in definitions of a single concept (Vinner, 1991). Hence, we can classify concept definitions in two large categories; formal and personal definitions. In mathematics, formal definitions are the ones which are formally accepted and respected by the large community of mathematicians (Tall & Vinner, 1981). On the other hand, personal definitions reflect individuals' thoughts and experiences or, more technically, their concept images (Tall, 1991). Definitions based on personal experiences make more sense than other definitions. If the concept image or the individuals' thoughts about the concept is inaccurate, their concept definitions may contain errors (Vinner); and the concept image draws boundaries of the concept (Keiser, Klee, & Fitch, 2003).As a branch of mathematics, in geometry, it is essential to visualize geometric concepts in the mind for conceptual understanding (Hershkowitz, Parzysz, & Dormolen, 1996). Higher level geometric thinking requires at least a basic understanding of concept definition (Linchevsky, Vinner, & Karsenty, 1992). Thus, understanding and accurate explanations of definitions is essential for geometric understanding (Hiebert & Lefevre, 1986).In the literature, we see a number of studies that investigated K-12 and teacher education students' definitions of geometric concepts and their misconceptions (Clements, Sarama & Battista, 1998; Cunningham & Roberts, 2010; de Villers, 1998; Gutierrez & Jaime, 1999; Isiksal, Koc, & Osmanoglu, 2010; Koc & Bozkurt, 2011; Linchevsky et al., 1992; Matos, 1994; Tunc & Durmus, 2012; Zembat, 2007). Such studies indicate that students experience difficulties in defining geometric concepts.Teacher knowledge is important to form desired learning environments (Putnam, Heaton, Prawat, & Remillard, 1992). This is also valid in teaching geometry (Swafford, Jones, & Thornton, 1997). For this reason, teachers should understand the geometry they teach and also prepare the students for advanced levels. Teachers' content knowledge is generally shaped during their pre-service education and before. Yet, pre-service teachers do not always have adequate knowledge of the mathematics they would teach in the future. Pre-service teachers' limited knowledge of mathematics is one of the major obstacles in teacher education programs (Brown & Borko, 1992). …


Mercury is a widely present environmental pollutant that in certain forms poses a threat to ecosystems. Dental amalgam is a clinically well-proven and successful filling material, but the use of dental amalgam is one of several sources of mercury pollution, albeit minor. However, the dental profession recognizes the need to expedite the reduction in the use of mercury including dental amalgam and safe mercury waste management. Increased focus on caries prevention and ongoing research and development of new dental restorative materials with improved quality, safety, longevity and adhesive properties favour a phased reduction in the use of dental amalgam.


We have analyzed the implications of [Mg] VI =>[Fe 2+ ] VI isomorphous substitution in the periclase structure (B1) which forms, under lithospheric P, T conditions, only very limited solid solutions with wustite. The crystallographic study (by single crystal X-ray structure refinements and microprobe analysis) supports the key role of the cation-cation repulsive interactions in the crystal-chemical behaviour of these closely-packed phases. The anomalously large octahedral bond lengths in periclase (Mg-O=2.106 A) and in wustite (Fe-O=2.167 A) are the result of otherwise too short M-M distances (= 1.414 · M-O). In particular, the wustite instability below 570 °C and the problematic existence of a stoichiometric iron end-member indicate that the M-M separation in the "ideal" wustite, although largely increased by the anomalously large Fe-O bond length, is still too short to support the B1 structure. Any periclase-wustite solid solution with a wustite component higher than 8.3% necessarily entails the presence of couples of adjacent [Fe 2+ ] VI cations with separations shorter than that of "ideal" wustite; this makes the solid solutions in this system even less stable than the pure wustite. One easy way to reduce the electrostatic [Fe 2+ ] VI -[Fe 2+ ] VI repulsion, and therefore the instability of iron-bearing periclase, is the iron oxidation with the formation of a more stable spinel phase (magnesioferrite), as it has been demonstrated by heat treatment and structure refinement of several natural ferropericlase crystals with 2–5% of wustite component. Magnesioferrite has a unit-cell edge of 8.39 A which is almost twice the unit-cell of periclase (2 · 4.21 = 8.42 A) and this allows the spinel to grow with the same orientation of periclase, being the oxygen arrangement of the two structures virtually identical. Under very high pressure (≥ 90 GPa) the electrostatic [Fe 2+ ] VI -[Fe 2+ ] VI repulsion of FeO can be greatly reduced by a phase transition from B1 to B8 (NiAs) structure. In the B8 phase the Fe-Fe separation becomes 2.57 A; this short value corresponds to a change in the electronic properties of iron which can now form metallic bonds, in contrast to MgO (B1) phase which is supposed to maintain its stability up to at least 230 GPa.


In the first presidential campaign following the controversial United States Supreme Court decision in Citizens United, much attention was given to the record amount of money spent on the election—close to $3 billion. Ideally, more money spent on campaigning would permit more speech and add to the public discourse, and allowing more speech would encourage and permit bad speech to be countered with good speech. In 2012, however, claims arose that the candidates were being more negative than ever, including resorting to outright deception. Many states have laws on the books that prohibit knowingly false campaign speech on material facts when there is a showing of actual malice, but the impact of these laws is unclear. In 2012, in the midst of the discussion surrounding the negative or untrue campaign speech, the United States Supreme Court quietly denied certiorari to a case that held one such law unconstitutional. That same month, the Court decided Alvarez v. United States, which held that the government could not punish a person for knowingly telling a lie without a showing of actual harm. Ultimately, it seems that the Supreme Court's actions are the death knell for the remaining false campaign speech statutes. Accordingly, this Article will argue that the Supreme Court needs to reconsider the protection for false speech. The Article forwards a new legal test that parallels the political speech doctrine with the commercial speech doctrine by giving less protection to knowingly false campaign speech. * Jason Zenor, Assistant Professor, School of Communication, Media and the Arts, SUNY Oswego. The author would like to express his gratitude to Paul Siegal and the staff of Campbell Law Review for their comments on earlier drafts. All remaining errors are my own. 1 Zenor: A Reckless Disregard for the Truth? The Constitutional Right to L Published by Scholarly Repository @ Campbell University School of Law, 42 CAMPBELL LAW REVIEW [Vol. 38:4


We propose a method to extract row/column-wise heterogeneous elements between two precision matrices for an anomaly localization. We formulate the task as a convex optimization problem using a regularization term that penalizes row/column-wise differences between two matrices. The fundamental difficulties of the problem are that the proposed regularization term (1) is a sum of group-wise regularizations with overlapping supports between the groups, (2) penalizes matrices in a symmetric manner. Our proposed algorithm with an alternating direction method of multipliers can deal with these two difficulties efficiently resulting in a very simple formulation with each updating step computed analytically. We also show the validity of the proposed method through an anomaly localization simulation using a real world data.


Phosphorous (P) is an essential macronutrient and most soils contain high levels of P. However, its availability to plant is limited by rapid immobilization of phosphorous compounds to insoluble forms and hence plant available forms of P in soils are found in low amounts. Phosphate solubilizing bacteria provide an eco-friendly alternative to convert insoluble phosphates into plant available forms. In the present study, three phosphate solubilizing bacterial isolates (PB-1, PB-4 and VC-01) with visually significant phosphate solubilizing abilities were isolated from tomato rhizosphere soil. In-vitro study in pikovskaya's agar revealed that isolate PB-1 had the highest phosphate solubilizing ability with a phosphate solubilizing index of 2.08±0.07 followed by isolate VC-01 (1.31±0.09) and PB-4 (1.24±0.08). Isolates were used as bacterial inoculum to assess their ability to promote tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum var. Srijana) seedling and plant growth in in-vitro and greenhouse experiment respectively. Isolate PB-4 showed best growth promotion in seedling assay whereas isolate PB-1 and VC-01 also promoted seedling growth compared to control. In greenhouse experiment however, isolates VC-01 and PB-1 significantly enhanced all parameters (shoot length, root length, shoot and root dry weight) compared to uninoculated control whereas isolate PB-4 had a positive effect on all parameters except root length.Kathmandu University Journal of Science, Engineering and TechnologyVol. 13, No. 2, 2017, page: 61-70


One of the main goals of Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) is to demonstrate the fast particle confinement properties of the quasi-isodynamic stellarator concept. Fast particle populations will be produced either by Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) or by minority Ion Cyclotron Resonant Heating (ICRH). A fraction of these particles are expected to be lost (even without collisions), despite the optimisation procedure used for the W7-X design. Confinement properties of NBI particles in W7-X were presented in the paper of Drevlak et al (2014 Nucl. Fusion 54 073002). A detailed study is presented here where the loss patterns of an NBI population are described. In particular, focussing on a high-mirror equilibrium, the confinement of fast ions with varying energy injection is studied under collisional conditions. It is found that collisions are not only responsible for classical transport losses but also enhance drift induced losses caused by trapped particles. Moreover, an asymmetry is found in the toroidal position of particle losses which can be explained by local variation in the equilibrium field. The effects of a neoclassically resolved radial electric field are also investigated. Fast particle confinement is significantly improved by the associated E×B drift. In particular, an increasing radial electric field helps to reduce and even stop the losses due to the 3D equilibrium structure for times comparable to slowing down time.


Objective: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of CSF biomarkers and amyloid PET for diagnosing early-stage Alzheimer disease (AD). Methods: From the prospective, longitudinal BioFINDER study, we included 122 healthy elderly and 34 patients with mild cognitive impairment who developed AD dementia within 3 years (MCI-AD). β-Amyloid (Aβ) deposition in 9 brain regions was examined with [18F]-flutemetamol PET. CSF was analyzed with INNOTEST and EUROIMMUN ELISAs. The results were replicated in 146 controls and 64 patients with MCI-AD from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative study. Results: The best CSF measures for identifying MCI-AD were Aβ42/total tau (t-tau) and Aβ42/hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) (area under the curve [AUC] 0.93–0.94). The best PET measures performed similarly (AUC 0.92–0.93; anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate/precuneus, and global neocortical uptake). CSF Aβ42/t-tau and Aβ42/p-tau performed better than CSF Aβ42 and Aβ42/40 (AUC difference 0.03–0.12, p < 0.05). Using nonoptimized cutoffs, CSF Aβ42/t-tau had the highest accuracy of all CSF/PET biomarkers (sensitivity 97%, specificity 83%). The combination of CSF and PET was not better than using either biomarker separately. Conclusions: Amyloid PET and CSF biomarkers can identify early AD with high accuracy. There were no differences between the best CSF and PET measures and no improvement when combining them. Regional PET measures were not better than assessing the global Aβ deposition. The results were replicated in an independent cohort using another CSF assay and PET tracer. The choice between CSF and amyloid PET biomarkers for identifying early AD can be based on availability, costs, and doctor/patient preferences since both have equally high diagnostic accuracy. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class III evidence that amyloid PET and CSF biomarkers identify early-stage AD equally accurately.


This study combines geostatistical analyses with geologic interpretations to further the quantitative understanding of physical heterogeneity within glaciofluvial aquifers. The stochastic simulation of aquifers requires quantitative measures of heterogeneity, including both cumulative distribution and spatial correlation functions. The heterogeneity in glaciofluvial aquifers is typified by low-permeability facies (e.g., till or lacustrine clay) juxtaposed with high-permeability facies (e.g., sand and gravel outwash). The Miami Valley aquifer system was examined at multiple sites for the spatial distribution and correlation of these two hydrofacies. Binary indicator geostatistics were used to quantitatively determine, at each site, the relative volume of each hydrofacies, their spatial distribution, the major principal direction of their spatial correlation, the minor principal direction, and the correlation range in these directions. The percent by volume of the system that is aquitard material decreases down the valley, from 31% to 12%. Each site has an elevation zone with more aquitard material relative to other elevations at that site. The percent aquitard material in these zones decreases down the valley from 45% to 22%. The maximum principal direction of spatial correlation in the aquitard zones generally is NE-SW, subparallel to the trend of the bedrock valley, with a range of the order of 0.75 km and minimum/maximum anisotropy ratio of 0.4. The locations exceeding 0.5 probability of aquitard occurrence generally occur on the valley margins. Thus, among the sites investigated, there is a trend down the valley in the ratio of aquitard volume to aquifer volume, and the spatial correlation and distribution of aquitard material are similar within the aquitard zones. Furthermore, these findings are consistent with aspects of the subglacial and proglacial depositional environments responsible for the facies assemblage and thus are likely to be applicable to other parts of the aquifer system and other aquifer systems where similar geologic processes are inferred to have existed.


As two of the developers of the recently updated National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on feverish illness in children,1 we welcome the paper by De and colleagues2 In their study, the authors investigated the potential of using the white blood count (WBC) as a screening tool in the triage of children with feverish illness.

Paediatricians and other clinicians have struggled for years to find ways of identifying the handful of children with serious illnesses among the thousands who present with fever. It has often been the case that accurate histories, careful examination and clinical acumen are not enough and children with serious illnesses are missed while others with self-limiting viral illnesses are unnecessarily admitted to hospital. In an attempt to reliably identify children with serious illness, we are tempted to use a range of investigations. These include urinalysis, chest X-rays, acute phase reactants and the WBC. During the production of the NICE feverish illness guideline, we performed systematic reviews on all of these investigations. We found that the utility of the WBC has been investigated on numerous occasions in the past and the results have been extremely variable. Most of the studies found were of low quality but in those judged to be of reasonable quality estimates of the sensitivity for detecting serious illness ranged from 20% to 76%. Specificity ranged from 58% to 100%. We concluded that we had insufficient evidence to make general recommendations about the utility of WBC. However, we did identify two specific situations in which cut-offs for WBC could be useful. The first was in feverish children aged 2–3 months who appeared outwardly well. In this situation, a WBC>15×109/L or <5×109/L could identify a child requiring further investigation.3 The other was in the child with …


Over the past several decades, research in sport psychology has greatly enhanced our understanding of the affective, behavioral, and cognitive reactions of sport participants. This research has examined participants from many levels of competition including youth sport (Brustad, 1993; Roberts, 1993), recreational participants (Wesch, Law, & Hall, 2007), and elite performers (Vanden Auweele, De Cuyper, Van Mele, & Rzewnicki, 1993). The purpose of the current project was to investigate the psychology of success among Olympians, thus expanding our understanding of these elite athletes. There were four themes targeted in this research: the impact of fan support, perceptions of the home field advantage, the importance of pre-event rituals, and perceptions of attributes that lead to athletic success. With respect to fan support, one of the earliest studies in sport and social psychology found that audiences play a key role in motor and athletic performance (Davis, Huss, & Becker, 1995; Triplett, 1898). Indeed, a large body of literature now exists detailing the impact of fan and spectator support (Bray & Widmeyer, 2000; Wann, 1997) and it is clear that fans can strongly and with great devotion support their favorite athletes and teams (Wann, Melnick, Russell, & Pease, 2001). For instance, audiences can lead to a social facilitation effect, in which the audience leads to arousal and increases the performer's dominant response (Zajonc, 1965). Consequently, successful athletes tend to perform better in front of an audience while unsuccessful athletes will exhibit a decline in performance. This pattern of effects has been substantiated in sport environments (Davis & Harvey, 1992; Singer, 1965). To extend past work, this research examined athletes' perceptions of three specific aspects of fan support. Specifically, they indicated the extent to which they viewed fans as a source of support, the degree to which they believed fan support had an impact on their performance, and the extent to which they felt that fan support affected their confidence. The second theme examined athletes' beliefs in the home field advantage. Because spectator support is viewed as a major cause of the home field advantage (Courneya & Carron, 1992), this theme was related to the previous theme examining perceptions of fan support. The home field advantage is one of the most well-documented findings in sport psychology (Carron & Hausenblas, 1998). This phenomenon has been noted in numerous sports and at many levels of competition (Jamieson, 2010), including the Olympic Games (Balmer, Nevill, & Williams, 2001, 2003; Leonard, 1989). However, few studies have investigated athletes' perceptions of the home field advantage. One study that did focus on athlete perceptions of the home advantage was conducted by Bray and Widmeyer (2000). These authors examined the perceptions of female intercollegiate basketball players. The respondents were asked to indicate their beliefs in the influence of several game location factors. The results indicated that home court familiarity, fan support, and travel were all believed to be influential in leading to a home field advantage. While this study was quite informative, the respondents were collegiate players and researchers had yet to investigate the home field advantage perceptions of Olympic athletes. Furthermore, sport scientists had yet to fully investigate strategies athletes use to cope with an opponent's home advantage. The current investigation was designed to fill these research voids. The third topic involved participants' pre-event rituals. Pre-event rituals can have a beneficial impact on athletic performance and may take many forms, including psychological, behavioral, or even luck-related (Bull, Albinson, & Shambrook, 1996; Murphy & Jowdy, 1992; Wann, 1997). Indeed, many athletes report superstitious pre-event rituals (Neil, 1982), including participants in basketball (Gregory & Petrie, 1975), hockey (Zimmer, 1984), and baseball (Wann, 1997). …


Background Despite harmful drinking causing a significant burden on global health, there is a large treatment gap, especially in low‐ and middle‐income countries. A major barrier to care is the lack of adequately skilled human resources to deliver contextually appropriate treatments. This paper describes the systematic process used to develop Counselling for Alcohol Problems (CAP), a brief psychological treatment (PT) for delivery by lay counselors in routine primary care settings to men with harmful drinking in India. Methods CAP was developed using a methodology involving 3 sequential steps: (i) identifying potential treatment strategies; (ii) developing a theoretical framework for the treatment; and (iii) evaluating the acceptability and feasibility of the treatment. Results CAP is a 3‐phase treatment delivered over 1 to 4 sessions based on a motivational interviewing (MI) stance and involves the following strategies: assessment and personalized feedback, family engagement, drink refusal skills, skills to address drinking urges, problem‐solving skills and handling difficult emotions, and relapse prevention and management. Data from a case series were used to inform several adaptations to enhance the acceptability of CAP to the recipients and feasibility of delivery by lay counselors of the treatment, for example expansion of the target group to include alcohol‐dependent patients and the extension of the delivery settings to include home‐based delivery. There was preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of CAP. Conclusions CAP is an acceptable brief PT for harmful drinking delivered by lay counselors in primary care whose effectiveness is currently being tested in a randomized controlled trial based in primary care in Goa, India.


Two new species of the genus Hemitriakis Herre, 1923 (Carcharhiniformes: Triakidae) are described from tropical Australia. Hemitriakis falcata is described from ten specimens from the outer continental shelf of Western Australia at depths of 146 to 197 m. Hemitriakis abdita is described from five specimens from the Coral Sea Plateau off north-eastern Queensland at 225 to 401 m. Hemitriakis falcata and H. abdita are separable from their two named congeners H. leucoperiptera, from the Philippine Islands, and H. japanica, from Japan, Taiwan, China and Korea, by a combination of vertebral counts, first dorsal position, fin and eye shape, and juvenile colouration. Hemitriakis falcata additionally differs from H. japanica in chondrocranial morphology. Hemitriakis falcata and H. abdita are sibling species separated by wide, non-overlapping differences in vertebral counts as well as by slight differences in morphometrics, tooth counts, colouration, and cranial morphology. These species represent the first record of Hemitriakis from Australia. A nominal record of H. japanica from Ambon is uncertain while another record of H. japanica from New Caledonia may be based on H. abdita. A key to species of Hemitriakis is presented.


Preaspiration is a comparatively rare phonetic feature, almost entirely confined to languages spoken in far northwestern Europe (Andersen 2002; Helgason 2002). A recent acoustic phonetic investigation into consonant gemination in Sienese Italian (e.g. Stevens & Hajek 2007), however, found that preaspiration occurred in one third of geminate /pp tt kk/ tokens. Up until that point preaspirated stops had not been reported to occur in Sienese or any other variety of Italian including the standard language. With this in mind, the present paper presents the results of an acoustic phonetic investigation into voiceless geminate stops /pp tt kk/ in a controlled corpus of words read by speakers from 15 other Italian cities. Results are analysed according to city as well as factors (e.g. speaker sex, vowel type) known to favour occurrences of preaspiration in other better known preaspirating languages. Preliminary duration values are presented and results are discussed in terms of two specific hypotheses regarding the rise of preaspiration in Sienese Italian.


Mays, Thomas Anthony. M.S., Department of Economics, Wright State University, 2003. Inventing Flight: Economic impacts of heritage tourism and the National Park Service in Dayton, Ohio, as part of the Wright State University Inventing Flight Visitors Survey, July 3-20 Originally established in 1989 as the 2003 Committee, the Inventing Flight Committee was formed to honor the accomplishments of the Wright Brothers through leading the planning and implementation of the 2003 Inventing Flight Celebrations.1 Inventing Flight's efforts will realize a lasting legacy, including long term economic impacts in the Dayton region from increases in heritage awareness, improvements in infrastructure, and the arrival of the National Park Service. Without Inventing Flight, it is unlikely that the Dayton area would have been given the attention necessary to receive designation as a National Historic Park. This designation has and will continue to attract federal funding, increase tourism, and leverage infrastructure improvements from private funds. Although one ex ante impact estimate of the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park (DAHNHP) was based on attendance assumptions not reflective of realistic short and medium-term growth estimates, attendance could continue to rise as economic conditions improve, and the National Historic Park designation could create long-term positive economic benefits for the Dayton regional economy. Based on responses from the WSU Inventing Flight Survey, Inventing Flight visitors who planned to visit the heritage parks tended to be older, with higher planned expenditures, smaller group sizes, and similar overall experiences when compared to non-park visitors. Park visitors gave higher scores to the success of Inventing Flight in increasing aviation awareness, placing Dayton on the map, and projecting Dayton as a high technology area. Although Inventing Flight has attained several accomplishments in terms of the National Historic Park, continued marketing efforts should be implemented to capitalize on the potential for increased tourism and continued positive economic benefits. Economic impact calculations were prepared for both historic DAHNHP attendance from 1994 to 2003 and projected attendance through 2010. The estimates are based on the expenditures of non-resident overnight park visitors, which are defined as visitors residing outside of the Dayton MSA region who choose to stay in a hotel during their visit to the DAHNHP areas. Using the RIMS II methodology, the cumulative total economic impact from 1994 to 2003 is estimated at $4.85 million. About $1.09 million of the economic impact occurred in 2003. The sizes of future economic impacts of the DAHNHP will depend largely on the growth rate of the number of non-resident overnight park visitors. In order to provide a range of estimates, several growth rates for attendance are used to calculate the economic impacts. The growth rates applied in the economic impact calculations include 2.5%, 5%, 10%, and 30%, with the 5% and 10% rates considered more realistic for short term growth. From 2004 to 2010, the projected cumulative total economic impact estimates due to expenditures of non-resident overnight park visitors range from $4.28 million at 5% growth to $5.47 million at 10% growth.


The current and future wireless systems need to support a multitude of services with a wide range of data rates and reliability requirements. The limited battery resource at a mobile terminal coupled with the hostile multipath fading channel makes the problem of providing reliable high data rate services challenging. In this thesis we develop a new framework for the design of power efficient transmission mechanisms that support multimedia traffic having different delay constraints. First, we present optimal design techniques that substantially reduce the transmission power (exceeding 60% in certain cases) for small increases in average communication delays for a single user scenario thereby providing another avenue for mobile devices to save on battery power. The power minimizing schedulers adapt the transmission rate and power based on the queue and channel state. We also construct a variable rate modulation scheme to show the benefits of the proposed formulation in a practical system. Power optimal schedulers with absolute packet delay constraints are also studied and their performance is evaluated via simulations. Second, we design power efficient schedulers that satisfy average delay bounds for multiple users in a broadcast channel. Optimal schedulers that jointly allocate rate and power to the different users based on the different buffer and channel conditions are presented in code-division multiple access (CDMA) and time-division multiple access (TDMA) regimes used commonly in current cellular standards. We show that joint scheduling gains over non-cooperative single user schedulers are largest when the users belong to different delay classes. We also show the superiority of CDMA over TDMA in terms of a larger set of achievable delays and at consistently lower powers. Near optimal low complexity schedulers are introduced in which computational complexity increases gracefully with increasing number of users. We also compute achievable power regions under average delay constraints in a multiple access channel with global and local queue state information. Finally, we develop a framework for designing power limited delay bounded transmission schemes that minimize the outage probability in fading channels with feedback. We explicitly construct schemes that quantitatively demonstrates the outage reduction with increasing delays and amounts of feedback information.


Interest in homeschooling has increased over the last decade, as what was once perceived as a marginal development has turned into a significant phenomenon. There has been, in recent years, a noticeable surge in African American involvement in the homeschooling movement as well. However, there continues to be a general paucity of research on the motivations of homeschooling Black parents. It is the purpose of this essay (1) to present empirical evidence regarding African American motivations for homeschooling; and (2) more specifically, to explore how parental concerns for safety are leading African American families to homeschooling. These concerns, the authors contend, bring to the fore a series of disturbing circumstances and preoccupations that are specific to African Americans.


This research deals with the dynamic ethnic socio-spatial relations and the transformation of ethnic identities in the early-twentieth-century Honolulu, mainly focusing on the Korean community. Against the widely spread notion that the ethnic relations of Honolulu in those days were little associated with the racist ideology which was prevalent in the contemporary mainland cities, this research shows that white-supremacy ideology had exerted strong influence on the minority groups in Honolulu all the way through their immigration and settling-down process. Although Honolulu included a balanced population among several ethnic groups and thus had no ethnic division of "majority" and "minority" in numerical sense, it witnessed an unequal power distribution along ethnic lines and an application of mainland-style racialization or ethnicization to its social structure. Clear occupational stratification and residential segregation by ethnic groups in the earlytwentieth-century Honolulu were nearly equal to situation in the mainland cities. On the basis of socio-spatial segregation, the dichotomized identity, "Local" versus "Haole," evolved. Non-white minorities not only had to compete with each other for limited urban resources or employment opportunities, but also they had to negotiate a collective strategy to cope with an unfair social structure controlled by white supremacy. The coalescence of several ethnic groups into a "Local" identity was fostered by spatial propinquity of their residential neighborhood. Mixed concentration of non-white ethnic groups in a particular place contributed to the formation of a new pan-ethnic identity. The Korean community in Honolulu, most of whose members had been firstly imported to Hawai'ian sugar plantations within the context of colonial capitalism, went through the change of identity in adjusting to the ethnically divided social structure. When the community was incorporated into the Hawai'ian version of multi-ethnic identification process, "Local" versus "Haole," its members' identity as Koreans was also transformed into the identity as Korean-Americans, within the larger construct of "Local" identity. The transformed identity was a product of on-going inter-ethnic negotiation process embedded in the non-white multi-ethnic neighborhood. CHAPTER


This study is motivated by my own experience as a Motswana Pentecostal woman who inhabits
patriarchal spaces of both the Setswana cultures and the Pentecostal church. It highlights the
status of women in Botswana society and the Pentecostal church. The study seeks to construct a
Pentecostal feminist hermeneutic through a contextual reading of selected texts from Luke-Acts
with Pentecostal women in Botswana. The Pentecostal movement is growing exponentially
throughout the world, especially in Africa. Botswana is not an exception. Studies on
Pentecostalism indicate that the overwhelming membership of the Pentecostal churches is
female, yet the teaching and leadership are largely male dominated. Further, women are
marginalised within the Pentecostal spaces through Pentecostal hermeneutics. This is ironic
because the contemporary Pentecostal church traces its origins to the Pentecost narrative in Acts
2 and their theologies emerge from Luke-Acts. On the face of it, Acts 2 and Luke-Acts
encourages egalitarian existence between men and women. This means that Pentecostal beliefs
and doctrines are supposed to be inherently inclusive and yet accusations of gender exclusion are
often levelled against Pentecostalism. Therefore, one of the other aims of this study is to explore
how Pentecostal hermeneutics advances gender exclusion, and how that is contrary to the
theologies that Acts 2:1-47 embody. Using narrative and feminist hermeneutical principles, the study engages with Acts 1-2 in order to establish the importance of using this text to construct a liberating Pentecostal hermeneutic.
Further, Acts 1-2 are situated within the larger context of Luke-Acts and women.
In order to gain insights from Pentecostal men and women about the status of women in the
church and home, Pentecostal hermeneutics, and Luke-Acts, qualitative data collection methods
were employed. These are focus groups, in depth interviews, participant observation and the
Contextual Bible study (CBS). The data from the different research contexts is used throughout
the chapters so that there is no specific chapter on data analysis. The data is filtered through
feminist theoretical framework of analysis.
The research sample consists of 51 Pentecostal women and 3 pastors from two different churches
located in Molepolole, Gaborone and Mogobane. The ages of the women range from 17-73. The
literacy levels also differ; some have never attended formal schools while some had diplomas
and degrees in different disciplines.


One of the most critical decisions a person must make when crafting a will or establishing a trust is whom to name as executor or trustee. Being chosen for these important jobs is an honor, and you must know how to perform the tasks correctly. With the help of this book you will understand the complex process of carrying out a person's final wishes. This book will provide insight whether you are a lawyer, accountant, financial consultant, spouse, adult child, relative, or friend; the simple, easy to understand language makes this book accessible to everyone. You will become familiar with many estate and trust management terms, such as beneficiary, probate, remaindermen, trust agreement, trust property, trustor, and trustee. In addition, you will learn the many duties and responsibilities of an executor, including the disbursement of property to the beneficiaries, collecting and arranging for the payment of debts, approving and disproving creditors claims, calculating taxes, filing forms, assisting the estate attorney, acting as the representative of the estate, inventorying and appraising the assets, and acting in the best interests of the deceased. After reading this book, you will know how to initiate probate; how to preserve the value of the estate; how to notify beneficiaries; how to send notices to the post office, banks, utilities, and credit card companies; how to file for Social Security, civil service, and veteran benefits; how to file tax returns; and, how to file state death and federal estate tax returns. As executor, you will be responsible for settling the deceased person's estate and as trustee, you will be responsible for holding and administering the trust assets in the best interests of the trust's beneficiaries. Using this book as a guide, you can be assured that you will be prepared to properly perform the necessary duties entrusted to you.


An objective of this paper is to investigate the relationship between firms' capital investment spending, cash holdings, and working capital in an expanding Asian financial market.  A sample of publicly traded manufacturing firms on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange was examined during the period 2005-2014. The empirical results provide strong and statistically significant evidence on the effect of cash flow on investment.  Working capital also exhibits significant relationship with capital investment spending, though the relationship is not as strong and significant as that with cash flow and cash holding.  Firms with low dividend payout policy over the sample period depended heavily on cash flow, changes in cash flow and, to a lesser extent, on working capital to finance spending on fixed plant and equipment.  These results suggest that the effect of capital investment spending financed by internal cash flow on firm value may depend on a firm's dividend payout.


The El Puesto lava flow is located in the Payenia Volcanic Province (central-western Argentina), has a length of 70 km and is Middle Pleistocene in age (0.200±0.027 Ma). The flow shows a P-type pahoehoe structure and exhibits several inflation structures, mainly tumuli and also inflation ridges and lava rises. Lava rise pits and radial or annular clefts are common features associated with inflation structures. The gentle slope on which the flow moved (≈0.5°) allowed the lateral coalescence of lobes at the flow front and the development of an external rigid crust that insulated the liquid core. Lava tunnels are frequent and the lava tunnel named "Cueva de Halada" which is located at its medium portion is the best example of a drainage master tube which formed from the cooling of the crust around a stable inflated flow. Tumuli alignments and long inflation ridges reveal the existence of larger tunnels within the flow. Inflation structures may occur in high concentration belts that converge on a single main belt which is assigned to an anastomosed network of internal flow pathways within the main lava body. The development of inflation structures and lava tunnels require low to moderate effusion rates. An average lava supply rate of 1.8x10-4 m3/s and an inflation time of about 15 days were estimated for an average tumulus of this flow. A high and sustained supply of low viscosity lava (η'=1550 - 483 Pa s) was inferred that initially generated a sheet flow of great areal extension. The reduction in effusion rates could then allowed the development of tunnels that carried lava to the distal fronts, generating localized inflation phenomena throughout the lava flow.


Although researchers know a great deal about persuasive messages that encourage terrorism, they know far less about persuasive messages that denounce terrorism and little about how these two sides come together. We propose a conceptualization that distinguishes a message's support for an act from its support for the ideology underlying an act. Our prediction is tested using corpus-linguistic analysis of 250 counter-extremist messages written by Muslims and U.K. officials and a comparison set of 250 Muslim extremist messages. Consistent with our prediction, Muslim extremist and Muslim counter-messages show disagreement on terrorist actions but agreement in ideological aspects, while U.K. officials' counter-messages show disagreement with both Muslim extremists' acts and ideology. Our findings suggest that counter-messages should not be viewed as a homogenous group and that being against violent extremism does not necessarily equate to having positive perceptions of Western values


INTRODUCTION Migration from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 The evolution of websites has so far consisted of two stages; namely, Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. With some common thread, many different characteristics still exist in these two kinds of websites. To understand and capture the potential value that users can obtain in Web 2.0, we need to further examine their behavior in order to create and manage new business models that are based on it. The differences in terms of the definitions and features of Web 2.0 compared with those of Web 1.0 help to focus this paper's research endeavors. O'Reilly (2005) first proposed the concept of Web 2.0 in a conference brainstorming session in 2001 as a new type of value creation by websites whereby the users rather than the website managers generate the content as was previously the case with Web 1.0. O'Reilly (2005) has identified 7 characteristic differences between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0, including (1) the web as a platform, (2) harnessing collective intelligence, (3) the data is the next Intel Inside, (4) the end of the software release cycle, (5) lightweight programming models, (6) software above the level of a single device, and (7) rich users' experiences. Wikipedia is an example that can help us to understand these 7 characteristics of Web 2.0. Wikipedia is an online encyclopaedia which was created by users' contributions through Wiki software. Everyone could access the platform, contribute to the content, and check existing content on the platform through the Wiki software. As Wikipedia accumulated more and more data, more and more users congregated and contributed to it. At the same time, more and more users used Wikipedia to search for the information that they wanted. In this case, we can see the characteristics of Web 2.0, including a platform, collective intelligence, data, software and users' experiences. It provides us with an example of a positive growth loop of Web 2.0. Obviously, the users' sustained contribution to the website is the source of the website value in terms of users' experiences and is enriched by the collective intelligence in the platform. Users receive information from Web 1.0 for which the representative sites include DoubleClick, Ofoto, and Akamai. In this context, the website manager will be an information provider and handle the development direction of the website. There is also a lack of communication between the web manager and users. On the other hand, websites that are representative of Web 2.0 consist of Wikipedia, Flickr, and BitTorrent which serve as a public platform for users who are able to interact with the web manager and other users there. When using Web 2.0, the website manager will act as a platform manager rather than an information provider only. The main tasks for a manager of Web 2.0 are to manage the platform, collective intelligence and data well enough to enrich the users' experiences. This could result in a positive loop for website growth and its market value. Since O'Reilly (2005) proposed the Web 2.0 concept, websites that fit in the concept of Web 2.0 have created high market value in several deals involving acquisitions. For example, Google paid up to 1.6 billion dollars to acquire YouTube in 2006 and Yahoo! also acquired Flickr and Wretch (a blog website in Taiwan) at a very high premium. These cases of acquisition reflect the high value creation of Web 2.0 which mainly hinges on a huge customer base because of users' sustainable contributions. By a sustainable contribution we refer to two different concepts. That is, firstly, "sustainable" means the users' loyalty to the website, and secondly, "contribution" means the content users contribute to the website. Loyal users will attract more users by contributing new content. Thus, users' loyalty and contribution are key factors for the success of Web 2.0 websites. For this reason, we would like to contribute by examing the antecedents of user behavior in Web 2. …


The genus Chaetomium was targeted as a potentially rich source of antiinsectan natural products because different Chaetomium species have been shown to be avoided by or harmful to fungus-feeding insects. Bioassay guided studies using both antiinsectan assays (Helicoverpa zea) and antifungal assays (Aspergillus flavus) led us to a variety of known Chaetomium metabolites (i.e. antibiotic 1233A; chaetochromins ; chaetoglobosins A, B, D, and F ; 19-0-acetylchaetoglobosins A and D ; chaetoviridins A, B, and X ; chetocin ; chetomin ; dethiotetra (methylthio) chetomin ; cochliodinol, cyclosporins A and C ; eugenitin ; sterigmatocystin ; 0-methylsterigmatocystin). Two novel compounds, closely related to cytochalasins, but with previously undescribed ring systems, were discovered to have antiinsectan activity. Among the compounds isolated in this work, only cyclosporin A and sterigmatocystin had been previously reported to have toxicity to insects. Most of these compounds were originally isolated as mycotoxins. The study confirmed our hypothesis that Chaetomium spp. produce potent insecticides as chemical defenses.


The circulation in the North Indian Ocean (NIO henceforth) is highly seasonally variable. Periodically reversing monsoon winds (southwesterly during summer and northeasterly during winter) give rise to seasonally reversing current systems off the coast of Somalia and India. In addition to this annual monsoon cycle, the NIO circulation varies semiannually because of equatorial currents reversing four times each year. These descriptions are typical, but how does the NIO circulation behave during anomalous years, during an Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) for instance? Unfortunately, in situ observational data are rather sparse and reliance has to be placed on numerical models to understand this variability. In this paper, we estimate the surface current variability from a 12-year hindcast of the NIO for 1993?2004 using a 1/2 ° resolution circulation model that assimilates both altimetric sea surface height anomalies and sea surface temperature. Presented in this paper is an examination of surface currents in the NIO basin during the IOD. During the non-IOD period of 2000?2004, the typical equatorial circulation of the NIO reverses four times each year and transports water across the basin preventing a large sea surface temperature difference between the western and eastern NIO. Conversely, IOD years are noted for strong easterly and westerly wind outbursts along the equator. The impact of these outbursts on the NIO circulation is to reverse the direction of the currents ? when compared to non-IOD years ? during the summer for negative IOD events (1996 and 1998) and during the fall for positive IOD events (1994 and 1997). This reversal of current direction leads to large temperature differences between the western and eastern NIO.


Like most Americans of my generation, I had learned little about Indo-China in my schooling. To me, it was a vaguely recalled blob of purple on the map of Asia, clinging to the southeastern border of China. Robert S. Browne (1) This [the year of 1963] has proved to be the summer of "Vietnam" as well as of civil rights! I have been rather busy with the former. Robert S. Browne (2) African American economist Robert Span Browne (1924-2004) is not widely recognized among the pantheon of black liberation movement leaders. However, during the decade of the 1960s, he was among the first public figures to criticize U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and also emerged as a major spokesperson for black separatism, reparations, and decolonization. He helped inaugurate the teach-in movement on U.S. college campuses in 1965, often serving as the leadoff speaker and sharing the stage with prominent antiwar activists such as historian Staughton Lynd and Dr. Benjamin Spock. He also traveled to Vietnam multiple times to bring back eyewitness accounts of the U.S. war in Southeast Asia. Browne even attempted to negotiate terms for peace with the Vietnamese National Liberation Front in Paris in 1968 as part of a delegation that included playwright Arthur Miller. Although Browne moved away from the antiwar movement during the late 1960s, he became a dedicated activist on behalf of black nationalist causes and African independence. This essay seeks to draw attention to the underrecognized political vision and career of Robert S. Browne. A focus on Browne's early life and involvement in the antiwar movement provides a unique opportunity to examine the global and personal influences on the reemergence of black nationalism and internationalism in the late 1960s. From 1955 to 1961 Browne was stationed in Cambodia and South Vietnam as a foreign aid advisor under the auspices of the U.S. government. There he witnessed firsthand the decolonization of these former French colonies, even as he served as an agent of U.S. Cold War policies. In addition, Browne married a woman of mixed Vietnamese and Chinese ancestry during his stay in Southeast Asia, an action that ultimately led to his removal from his government post. He and his wife subsequently raised a multiracial family of four children in the Untied States as Browne became a visible spokesperson against U.S. economic and military intervention in Indochina and a leading advocate for Black Power. To analyze the international and familial influences on Browne's political activism, this essay will focus on three aspects of his life. The first section examines how Browne's early frustrations with American race relations, which were intricately connected to economic inequalities, led to his interest in travel and his desire to live abroad. The second segment analyzes how race shaped Browne's work and family life during his stay in Southeast Asia. The final section describes how Browne utilized his international experiences and multiracial family to construct his political identity as a critic of U.S. intervention in Indochina. This study of Robert S. Browne seeks to contribute to the growing scholarship on black internationalism. (3) Browne's life and politics suggest a different trajectory than those explored by earlier scholars. Some studies have focused on how African Americans perceived international events, and how these global events shaped the development and reception of black freedom struggles within the United States. Other studies have analyzed African American leaders and cultural figures who traveled and lived abroad. However, these individuals tended to either make brief visits such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., or Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, or lived abroad for an extensive period of time due to their status as political exiles such as Robert F. Williams and W.E.B. Du Bois. In contrast, Browne resided and worked in Southeast Asia for six years as an agent of the U. …


In many real-world deployments of machine learning systems, data arrive piecemeal. These learning scenarios may be passive, where data arrive incrementally due to structural properties of the problem (e.g., daily financial data) or active, where samples are selected according to a measure of their quality (e.g., experimental design). In both of these cases, we are building a sequence of models that incorporate an increasing amount of data. We would like each of these models in the sequence to be performant and take advantage of all the data that are available to that point. Conventional intuition suggests that when solving a sequence of related optimization problems of this form, it should be possible to initialize using the solution of the previous iterate---to "warm start" the optimization rather than initialize from scratch---and see reductions in wall-clock time. However, in practice this warm-starting seems to yield poorer generalization performance than models that have fresh random initializations, even though the final training losses are similar. While it appears that some hyperparameter settings allow a practitioner to close this generalization gap, they seem to only do so in regimes that damage the wall-clock gains of the warm start. Nevertheless, it is highly desirable to be able to warm-start neural network training, as it would dramatically reduce the resource usage associated with the construction of performant deep learning systems. In this work, we take a closer look at this empirical phenomenon and try to understand when and how it occurs. We also provide a surprisingly simple trick that overcomes this pathology in several important situations, and present experiments that elucidate some of its properties.


[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to determine the short- and mid-term effects of Kinesio taping on the trapezius muscle in individuals with myofascial pain syndrome. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty-seven patients with active upper trapezius myofascial trigger points were randomly divided to 2 groups: group 1 received Kinesio taping for the upper trapezius muscle, and group 2 received a sham Kinesio taping application. Neck pain (Visual Analog Scale and pressure algometry) and trapezius muscle strength data were collected at baseline, immediately after Kinesio taping application, and at one month follow-up. [Results] The mean changes in Visual Analog Scale scores were significantly different between groups at T2 and T1, with less pain in group 1. The mean changes in algometry scores were significantly different between groups at T3 compared with T2 in favor of group 1. The mean changes in trapezius muscle strength were significantly different between the groups at T2 compared with T1 in favor of group 1. [Conclusion] Patients with myofascial pain syndrome receiving an application of Kinesio taping exhibited statistically significant improvements in pain and upper trapezius muscle strength.


Convection in planetary cores can generate fluid flow and magnetic fields, and a number of sophisticated codes exist to simulate the dynamic behaviour of such systems. We report on the first community activity to compare numerical results of computer codes designed to calculate fluid flow within a whole sphere. The flows are incompressible and rapidly rotating and the forcing of the flow is either due to thermal convection or due to moving boundaries. All problems defined have solutions that allow easy comparison, since they are either steady, slowly drifting or perfectly periodic. The first two benchmarks are defined based on uniform internal heating within the sphere under the Boussinesq approximation with boundary conditions that are uniform in temperature and stress-free for the flow. Benchmark 1 is purely hydrodynamic, and has a drifting solution. Benchmark 2 is a magnetohydrodynamic benchmark that can generate oscillatory, purely periodic, flows and magnetic fields. In contrast, Benchmark 3 is a hydrodynamic rotating bubble benchmark using no slip boundary conditions that has a stationary solution. Results from a variety of types of code are reported, including codes that are fully spectral (based on spherical harmonic expansions in angular coordinates and polynomial expansions in radius), mixed spectral and finite difference, finite volume, finite element and also a mixed Fourier–finite element code. There is good agreement between codes. It is found that in Benchmarks 1 and 2, the approximation of a whole sphere problem by a domain that is a spherical shell (a sphere possessing an inner core) does not represent an adequate approximation to the system, since the results differ from whole sphere results.


Abstract Several individual components of the Mediterranean diet have been shown to offer protection against prostate cancer. The present study is the first to investigate the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the relative risk of prostate cancer. We also explored the usefulness of the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS) in a non-Mediterranean population. FFQ data were obtained from 1482 incident prostate cancer patients and 1108 population-based controls in the Cancer of the Prostate in Sweden (CAPS) study. We defined five MDS variants with different components or using either study-specific intakes or intakes in a Greek reference population as cut-off values between low and high intake of each component. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate the relative risk of prostate cancer for high and medium v. low MDS, as well as potential associations with the individual score components. No statistically significant association was found between adherence to the Mediterranean diet based on any of the MDS variants and prostate cancer risk (OR range: 0·96–1·19 for total prostate cancer, comparing high with low adherence). Overall, we found little support for an association between the Mediterranean diet and prostate cancer in this Northern European study population. Despite potential limitations inherent in the study or in the build-up of a dietary score, we suggest that the original MDS with study-specific median intakes as cut-off values between low and high intake is useful in assessing the adherence to the Mediterranean diet in non-Mediterranean populations.


Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are a family of enzymes whose function in specific aminoacylation of tRNAs is central to the process of protein translation, which occurs in the cytoplasm of all living cells. In addition to their well-established cytoplasmic localization, fluorescence microscopy studies and analysis of the aminoacylation state of nuclear tRNAs have revealed that synthetases are localized in the nuclei of cells from several species including Xenopus laevis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Whether nuclear localization of aaRSs is a general phenomenon that occurs in all eukaryotic cells is an open question. In the work described here, human methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MRS) and human lysyl-tRNA synthetase (KRS) were expressed in human-derived DeltaH2-1 osteosarcoma cells as enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fusion proteins. The subcellular localization of these EGFP-aaRSs was first probed by fluorescence microscopy using cells that coexpressed EGFP-aaRS and a nuclear marker fusion protein, nuDsRed. As expected, both aaRSs were present in the cytosol, while only EGFP-MRS was also clearly localized in the nucleus. To confirm these findings, and to investigate a potentially more sensitive, general method for nuclear localization studies, capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence (CE-LIF) detection was used to analyze single DeltaH2-1 cells expressing both EGFP-aaRS and nuDsRed. While cytosolic EGFP signals were detected for both EGFP-MRS and EGFP-KRS, only EGFP-MRS was found in the nucleus, along with nuDsRed. The detection of EGFP-MRS in nuclei of DeltaH2-1 cells demonstrates the feasibility of using CE-LIF analysis in nuclear localization studies of proteins in mammalian cells.


Cloud forests harbor high levels of orchid diversity. However, due to the high fragmentation of these forests in the Andes, combined with the pressure for new agricultural land, orchid diversity is highly threatened. Despite this worrying scenario, few studies have assessed the effects of habitat loss specifically on orchid assemblages in the Andes. The aim of this study was to analyze the edge effect on orchids in cloud forest fragments of varying size. We measured forest structure, neighboring land cover and edge effect on orchid abundance, species richness and beta-diversity, by sampling assemblages along edge-to-interior transects in six different sized Andean (southwest Colombia) forest remnants. We recorded 11,127 stem-individuals of orchids in 141 species. Within the forest, edges sustained equal or more species than interior plots. Our results revealed neither patch metrics nor forest structure showed any significant association to orchid diversity at any scale. Nonetheless, from our observations in composition, the type of neighboring cover, particularly pastures, negatively influences interior species (richness and composition) in larger reserves. This might be due to the fact that some species found in interior plots tend to be confined, with sporadic appearances in regeneration forest and are very scarce or absent in pastures. Species richness differed significantly between matrix types. Our results suggest that (1) orchid diversity shows spatial variability in response to disturbances, but the response is independent from forest structure, patch size and patch geometry; (2) orchid communities are negatively affected by covers, and this pattern is reflected in reduced richness and high species turnover; (3) orchid richness edge effect across a pasture-interior gradient. Two forest management implications can be discerned from our results: (1) management strategies aiming to reduce edge effects may focus on improvement regeneration conditions around pasture lands; and (2) local scale management and conservation activities of natural forests in cloud forests will favor small reserves that harbor high levels of richness.


This paper describes an experimental investigation of formation damage in a fractured carbonate core sample under underbalanced drilling (UBD) conditions. A major portion of this study has concentrated on problems which are often associated with UBD and the development of a detailed protocol for proper design and execution of an UBD program. Formation damage effects, which may occur even if the underbalanced pressure condition is maintained 100% of the time during drilling operation, have been studied. One major concern for formation damage during UBD operations is the loss of the under-balanced pressure condition. Hence, it becomes vital to evaluate the sensitivity of the formation to the effect of an overbalanced pulse situation. The paper investigates the effect of short pulse overbalance pressure during underbalanced conditions in a fractured chalk core sample. Special core tests using a specially designed core holder are conducted on the subject reservoir core. Both overbalance and underbalanced tests were conducted with four UBD drilling fluids. Core testing includes measurements of the initial permeability and return permeability under two different pressure conditions (underbalanced and overbalanced). Then the procedure is followed by applying a differential pressure on the core samples to mimic the drawdown effect to determine the return permeability capacity. In both UBD and short pulse OBP four mud formulations are used which are: lab oil, brine (3% KCL), water-based mud (bentonite with XC polymer) and fresh water. The return permeability measurements show that a lab oil system performed fairly well during UBD and short OB conditions. The results indicate that a short overbalance pressure provides a significant reduction in permeability of the fractured formations. In most tests, even application of a high drawdown pressure during production cannot restore the initial permeability by more than 40%.