Objectives : The goal of the present study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Persian version of Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) in the elderly population. Method : 250 normal elderly individuals and 100 elderly individuals with Alzheimer's dementia, aged between 60 and 80 who were selected using stratified- randomized sampling, were evaluated using Mini-Mental State Examination, RAVLT, and DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. Results : In determining convergent validity, a positive significant correlation was revealed between the four parts of RAVLT (sum, immediate and delayed recall and recognition) and the logical sub test of Wechsler Memory Scale (p< 0.001, r= 0.346). By comparing the test scores between the normal and Alzheimer's group, discriminant validity analysis showed significant difference of their data in all parts of the test (p< 0.001). Roc curve exhibited a sensitivity of more than 89% and a specificity higher than 81% (p<0.001), and the cut-off points of 2.5 to 6.5 were determined with U-Dense formula for different parts of the test. Conclusion : The Persian version of the RAVLT has good validity and reliability. Also, based on the determined cut-off points, it can be used to evaluate and interpret the situation of short term memory and learning performance in the elderly, and for


A double-blind trial with the beta 1-selective blocker metoprolol in suspected acute myocardial infarction and during 3 months' follow-up included 1395 patients, aged 40-74 years, 698 on metoprolol and 697 on placebo. In order to further evaluate the tolerability to beta-blockade in the elderly, the total series was divided into 2 groups according to median age (61 years) and into quartiles, the lowest quartile (40-57 years) being compared with the highest (67-74 years). The decrease in heart rate and systolic blood pressure after intravenous metoprolol in the acute phase was similar in the elderly and the younger patients. Hypotension was observed more often in the metoprolol-treated than in the placebo-treated younger patients, while no difference was observed in the elderly. Bradycardia was observed more often in the metoprolol group in both age groups, while there was no difference regarding the incidence of congestive heart failure in either the younger or in the elderly patients. The effect on mortality, serious ventricular arrhythmias and chest pain seemed to be similar in different age groups. From the present series we conclude that hemodynamic reactions and tolerability to beta-blockade can be expected to be similar in elderly and younger patients.


In spite of a number of new, alternative power supply back up technologies, batteries are here to stay. Continuous monitoring of back up systems on the battery level becomes a vital factor of many mission-critical installations. In this paper, the authors explore the possibilities of implementation of new generation, state of the art battery monitoring systems based on wireless technology. This technology introduces a number of challenges, particularly in noisy UPS and industrial environments. The latest developments, however, indicate that all known issues could be resolved. This paper presents the concept of a monitoring system consisting of "intelligent" probes measuring various parameters, for both single batteries and the battery system; a local or remote data processing and storage unit (DPS); and, usually, remote management and reporting applications. One of distinguishing features of the proposed system is the absence of wire connections between battery probes and the DPS. This is a major step, so important in the field, towards improving the ease of installation and maintenance of the monitoring system, as well as increasing its overall reliability. While smart probes and a DPS are sufficient for basic monitoring and alarm indications, the real strength of the system is its capability of evaluating the batteries' "health", thus making it possible to replace a battery BEFORE critical failure. Management and monitoring applications, running on a remote computer, collect data from multiple DPS's, store it in a relational database, and give the user the capability of creating both predetermined (canned) and ad-hoc reports. Processed data and reports are available in the multi-user environment. Finally, the paper addresses practical aspects of field installation, set up, maintenance and networking


Certain multimedia and voice services, such as VoIP, IPTV, etc., are significantly delay sensitive and their performance is influenced by the overall transmission delay and its variance. One of the most common solutions used in access networks are xDSL lines, especially ADSL2+ or VDSL2. Although these subscriber lines also use packet communication, there are several differences and mechanisms, which influence their resulting delay. Their delay characteristics are also dependent on the individual settings of each xDSL provider, therefore we decided to investigate this area for typical commercially available lines in Czech Republic. Based on the measured values and experiments with real ADSL2+ lines we also developed a potential modeling method, which is presented in this article as well. The parameters for packet jitter based on the generalized Pareto distribution were modeled.


Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) transposons are mobile elements that move via a DNA intermediate. The (haploid) human genome harbours more than 300 000 DNA transposon copies, accounting for approximately 3% of the total genomic DNA. Nearly one-third of these elements are specific to the primate lineage, but there is no evidence for transposition activity within the past 40 million years. However, there is growing evidence that DNA transposons have contributed in shaping the current genome architecture of humans and have been a recurrent source of new regulatory and coding DNA throughout mammalian evolution. Notably, more than 50 human genes are currently known to descend from transposase sequences recycled to perform diverse cellular functions.

Key Concepts:

DNA (or class 2) transposons represent a minority of the mobile genetic elements populating mammalian genomes, but still account for more DNA in our genome than all protein-coding sequences.

DNA transposition was once very active in mammals and has generated approximately 100 000 primate-specific insertions in our genome.

DNA transposon germline activity suddenly ceased ∼40 million years ago in the human lineage, but has persisted in other mammalian lineages – most prominently and recently in vesper bats.

Despite the lack of current transposition activity, DNA transposons may still be promoting genomic rearrangements, including recurrent ectopic recombination events associated with pathologies.

Like many other mobile elements in the human genome, some DNA transposons have been incorporated into the regulatory apparatus of the genome through the donation of enhancers and regulatory elements modulating adjacent gene expression.

Transposases have been a source of coding sequences for the assembly of several new genes during vertebrate evolution, including at least 50 genes in the human genome. The function of most human transposase-derived genes remains unknown or poorly understood, but some have emerged as key regulators for a variety of cellular processes.

Keywords:

transposable elements;
selfish DNA;
noncoding DNA;
new genes;
genome evolution


Learning multimodal representations involves integrating information from multiple heterogeneous sources of data. It is a challenging yet crucial area with numerous real-world applications in multimedia, affective computing, robotics, finance, human-computer interaction, and healthcare. Unfortunately, multimodal research has seen limited resources to study (1) generalization across domains and modalities, (2) complexity during training and inference, and (3) robustness to noisy and missing modalities. In order to accelerate progress towards understudied modalities and tasks while ensuring real-world robustness, we release MULTIBENCH, a systematic and unified large-scale benchmark for multimodal learning spanning 15 datasets, 10 modalities, 20 prediction tasks, and 6 research areas. MULTIBENCH provides an automated end-to-end machine learning pipeline that simplifies and standardizes data loading, experimental setup, and model evaluation. To enable holistic evaluation, MULTIBENCH offers a comprehensive methodology to assess (1) generalization, (2) time and space complexity, and (3) modality robustness. MULTIBENCH introduces impactful challenges for future research, including scalability to large-scale multimodal datasets and robustness to realistic imperfections. To accompany this benchmark, we also provide a standardized implementation of 20 core approaches in multimodal learning spanning innovations in fusion paradigms, optimization objectives, and training approaches. Simply applying methods proposed in different research areas can improve the state-of-the-art performance on 9/15 datasets. Therefore, MULTIBENCH presents a milestone in unifying disjoint efforts in multimodal machine learning research and paves the way towards a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of multimodal models, all the while ensuring ease of use, accessibility, and reproducibility. MULTIBENCH, our standardized implementations, and leaderboards are publicly available, will be regularly updated, and welcomes inputs from the community.


Thiocyanate (SCN) inhibits H+ secretion and increases the resistance and potential difference (PD) of the gastric mucosa. These results support our separate-site electrogenic theory of HCl secretion. Recent work shows that an ATP-driven mechanism in the gastric mucosa can produce H+ by a neutral exchange of K+ for H+. The SCN increase in resistance and PD, if due to an inhibition of a high-conductance mechanism(s) in the secretory plasma membrane, is not easily compatible with the neutral mechanism. Therefore, the possibility was examined that SCN induces the increase in resistance by other mechanisms. The HCl and NaCl concentration profiles in the pit and tubular lumina were calculated. The effects of SCN were determined with isotonic, hypotonic, hypertonic, buffered, and high [H+] secretory solutions. The results indicate that SCN produces an increase in resistance of about 130 omega. cm2 of the plasma membranes of the tubular cells. A scheme is proposed that incorporates the neutral K+-H+ mechanism into an electrogenic system.


The primary objective of this research is to develop a Drainage Information Analysis and Mapping System (DIAMS), with online inspection data submission, which will comply with the necessary requirements, mandated by both the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB-34) and the federal storm water regulations. The DIAMS project will serve as a vehicle for evaluating underground drainage infrastructure assets which includes locating and cataloging pipes, storm-water devices (e.g., manufactured treatment devices), outfalls, and other structures, (e.g., manholes and catch basins), as well as, collecting inspection and rehabilitation/replacement/repair data. The DIAMS has an electronic documentation system that performs quality checks on the submitted inspection data and stores the approved data in a comprehensive information management system for updating, analysis, classification and mapping. The DIAMS utilizes a two layer front and back end management tool comprised of MS Access for data submission and SQL database for data storage that is accessed through a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI is structured into four modules: Data Uploading, Asset Identification, System Administration, and Financial Analysis. The Data Uploading module includes the conversion of user input field data into comprehensive information format, review of input data, quality assurance and quality control checking, and appending the data to the system database. Users can locate assets needing immediate repair by road/milepost based upon their condition state. The Asset Identification module stores all the receiving storm water data such as the quality/quantity of water and discharge to watersheds, while also being able to develop general property reports. The module also gives users an assessed condition state, which allows the m to select the best treatment technique. The System Administration module allows individual flexibility through editing keywords. The Financial Analysis module analyzes the selected data and provides optimal recommendations to inspect, rehabilitate, replace, repair or do nothing at both project and network levels. Financial analyses are derived from a sequential process including defining networks, confirming input data sets, and optimizing for budget allocation preferences. At the project level this is achieved by comparing inspection and/or rehabilitation/replacement/repair costs via an updatable user cost, currently based on the 2011 NJDOT Engineer's Estimate – Maintenance Drainage Repair Contract, with risks and costs associated with failure. At the network level, the associated costs are optimized to meet annual maintenance budget allocations by prioritizing assets needing inspection and rehabilitation/replacement/repair. When all input data have been appended into the module, DIAMS can generate financial summaries and work orders.


This Collective Article presents information on 37 taxa belonging to 6 Phyla and extending from the western Mediterranean to the Levantine Sea. The new records were found in 10 countries as follows: Algeria: first reports on the presence of the fish species Lesueurigobius sanzi , L. friesii , L. suerii and Luvarus imperiali ; France: first record of the alien nudibranch Godiva quadricolor ; Italy: first record of an adult-sized red emperor snapper Lutjanus sebae from the southern Tyrrhenian Sea; first record of the pantropical rhodophyte Chondria curvilineata and the Lessepsian fish Siganus luridus from southern Sicily; record of a large pregnant female Dusky shark Carcharhinus obscurus off Sicily; Albania: first record of the fish Ruvettus pretiosus , new records of the alien molluscs Conomurex persicus , Bursatella leachii , Dendostrea cf. folium , Fulvia fragilis and Ruditapes philippinarum and additional report of the alien bivalve Pinctada imbricata radiata ; Montenegro: first record of the sea slug Thecacera pennigera in the Adriatic Sea; Greece: first record of the invasive calcarean sponge Paraleucilla magna in Greek waters; occupancy estimation of the established cryptogenic rhodophyte Ganonema farinosum , the alien crustacean Percnon gibbesi and the alien fish species Fistularia commersonii , Siganus luridus , and S. rivulatus along the Cretan coastline; first record of the alien mollusc Sticteulima lentiginosa in Greek waters suggesting a westward unintentional expansion of this species; Turkey: photographic evidence of interactions of the monk seal Monachus monachus with sea-cage farms in the Turkish Aegean Sea and first record of the yellow boxfish Ostracion cubicus in the Turkish Mediterranean; Cyprus: first records of the rare speleophilic fish Thorogobius ephippiatus and Grammonus ater in Cyprus, extending the known distribution of the latter Mediterranean endemic species eastwards; first records of the alien fish Kyphosus vaigiensis and the alien crustacean species Macrophthalmus indicus and Carupa tenuipes as well as additional records of the alien echinoderm Diadema setosum and the alien ascidian Symplegma brakenhielmi in the country; Lebanon: first report on the presence of the four alien fish species Cephalopholis taeniops , Equulites popei , Pseudupeneus prayensis and Sphoeroides pachygaster ; Egypt: first record of the Lessepsian fish Synchiropus sechellensis in the Egyptian Mediterranean waters.


After decades of academic research, urban
accessibility metrics are beginning to see adoption in
transportation and metropolitan planning practice. Such metrics
capture the potential for reaching destinations enabled by
transport (e.g. number of jobs available within a given commute
time), not just the mobility benefits accruing from the use of
transport (e.g. time and emissions reductions for a given commute),
and have well-established advantages. From a transportation equity
perspective, for example, measuring the potential for reaching
destinations instead of actual travel avoids bias against groups
who travel infrequently due to current or historical barriers to
access. This dissertation elaborates on how accessibility concepts
complement theories of urban planning and social space before
considering two related extensions of accessibility metrics for
public transport planning. First, drawing on collaborative planning
literature, and using mixed-methods including pre-test/post-test
survey designs, various versions of interactive mapping tools were
tested in public workshop settings. The outcomes of these workshops
suggest that accessibility concepts can improve public involvement
in transit planning. Suitability for broad public participation
applications, however, requires accessibility to be easily
customizable and tailored to constraints that users find salient.
Constrained accessibility metrics are the second focus of this
dissertation. Adjusting accessibility metrics to account for
unreliability in actual transit operations, matching and
competition in destination opportunities (e.g. jobs), and capacity
in transit networks, may help align these metrics more closely with
users' personal experience. Spatial analysis techniques are used to
implement some of these adjustments and show that they strengthen
correlations with broader urban outcomes of interest, such as
employment and use of healthcare resources. The concluding part of
the dissertation discusses how these findings can inform
substantive and procedural dimensions of public transport planning
and urban policy.


This study focuses on the non-financial value-added of venture capital investors (VCs) as perceived by the CEOs of Finnish biotechnology companies. It pays attention to differences in the value-added between informal venture capitalists, private sector venture capitalists and public sector venture capital organizations. In addition, this study pays attention to value-adding mechanisms which venture capitalists use in developing their portfolio companies and factors which influence the perceived value-added. In general, venture capitalists in Finnish biotechnology companies were found to be rather active hands-on investors, especially in terms of frequent contacts. In addition, their non-financial support was in most cases perceived as important for the success of the Finnish biotechnology companies. The VCs provide value-added indirectly through screening and signaling, and directly through monitoring and providing non-financial support in variety of business areas, for example, in strategic planning and in obtaining additional financing. The value-adding of the VCs was found not to be merely vested in the VCs role in the investeeŽs board of directors, as the VCs were found rather often to be in contact with their investee companies outside the board meetings. The value-adding profile of each VC type was found to differ somewhat from one another. Of all VC types, informal VCs were perceived to provide value-added the most and were the most active in other respects. The public sector VCs stood out as most active providers of indirect value-added through signaling, while private sector VCs were characterized by being actively involved in implementing proper corporate governance. As predicted, the perceived value-added was found to be greater when the relationship with between the CEO and the lead VC was close and there were no tensions inside the investee company resulting from the involvement of VC. The results showed also that short experience of the CEO in investee companyŽs industry increased the perceived value-added.


In this work, the agility of detection algorithms in cognitive radio is studied. A sequential change detection framework is developed to investigate the delay of detection algorithms. Three scenarios with different information about primary users' parameters available at cognitive users are considered. Optimal detection schemes that minimize the detection delay under certain false alarm constraints are developed. Minimal detection delay is characterized as a function of the false alarm probability and the Kullback-Leibler distance between signal plus noise and noise only models.


Many plant and animal species reproduce both sexually and asexually. These 2 reproductive modes are both likely to be costly and, in many species, they occur at different times of the year. Here, I present information on the sexual and asexual reproductive biology of the brittle star Ophiactis savignyi (Echinodermata, Ophiuroidea) in the Florida Keys, USA. Small brittle stars (less than 3 mm) are almost always non-mature, and non-mature individuals are more likely to have recently undergone clonal division than mature brittle stars. Males appear to have a lower size threshold for sexual maturity than do females, but the sexes do not differ in the recency of clonal division. The greatest proportion of mature brittle stars was observed in the late summer through fall in all 3 years of the study. The incidence of asexual reproduction increases in the late fall through late winter. It therefore appears that brittle stars are more likely to split after the sexual reproductive season. The onset of cloning as the sexual reproductive season ends may result from differences in the time of year in which each mode confers the greatest fitness benefit or may arise from energetic trade-offs between the 2 modes of reproduction.


OBJECTIVE The sequelae of increasing childhood obesity are of major concern. We assessed the association of BMI in late adolescence with diabetes mortality in midlife. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The BMI values of 2,294,139 Israeli adolescents (age 17.4 ± 0.3 years), measured between 1967 and 2010, were grouped by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention age/sex percentiles and by ordinary BMI values. The outcome, obtained by linkage with official national records, was death attributed to diabetes mellitus (DM) as the underlying cause. Cox proportional hazards models were applied. RESULTS During 42,297,007 person-years of follow-up (median, 18.4 years; range <1–44 years) there were 481 deaths from DM (mean age at death, 50.6 ± 6.6 years). There was a graded increase in DM mortality evident from the 25th to the 49th BMI percentile group onward and from a BMI of 20.0–22.4 kg/m2 onward. Overweight (85th to 94th percentiles) and obesity (the 95th percentile or higher), compared with the 5th to 24th percentiles, were associated with hazard ratios (HRs) of 8.0 (95% CI 5.7–11.3) and 17.2 (11.9–24.8) for DM mortality, respectively, after adjusting for sex, age, birth year, height, and sociodemographic variables. The HR for the 50th through 74th percentiles was 1.6 (95% CI 1.1–2.3). Findings persisted in a series of sensitivity analyses. The estimated population-attributable fraction for DM mortality, 31.2% (95% CI 26.6–36.1%) for the 1967–1977 prevalence of overweight and obesity at age 17, rose to a projected 52.1% (95% CI 46.4–57.4%) for the 2012–2014 prevalence. CONCLUSIONS Adolescent BMI, including values within the currently accepted "normal" range, strongly predicts DM mortality up to the seventh decade. The increasing prevalence of childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity points to a substantially increased future adult DM burden.


In the cases of infectious hepatitis that has a complication of cholecystopathy, the author studied mainly its pathogenesis; and obtained the following results. 1. Out of 138 cases with hepatitis 33 cases (23.9%) had cholecystopathy as the complication. When these 33 cases are studied histologically by liver biopsy, periacinar form of chronic infectious hepatitis is found in 13 cases (39.3%), occupying the greatest percentage; followed by acute infectious hepatitis in 5 cases (15.2%), parenchymatous form of chronic infectious hepatitis in 4 (12.1%), posthepatitic cirrhosis in 4 (12.1%); and posthepatitic fibrosis in 2 (6.1%). On the other hand, judging cholecystopathy from various patho-histological forms, cholangiolitic hepatitis in 100%; periacinar form of chronic infectious hepatitis in 43.3%; posthepatitic fibrosis in 28.6%; parenchymatous form of chronic infectious hepatitis in 20%; posthepatitic cirrhosis in 11.9%; and acute infectious hepatitis in 11.8%. 2. Those showing biliary dyskinesia are mainly composed of the form revealing no marked changes in the liver biopsy (so-called posthepatitis syndrome) or the periacinar form of chronic infectious hepatitis. 3. Those having the complication of cholecystitis are more frequently found in acute infectious hepatitis and posthepatitic cirrhosis. 4. Generally even in the liver biopsy at the time of operation the infiltration of round cells and edema formation in portal region are characteristic traits of the common cholecystitis. 5. In the necropsy of infectious hepatitis likewise the liver and gallbladder are affected simultaneously; and the edema formation from the sublayer of mucous membrane to the sublayer of serous membrane and the congestion of capillary blood vessels with cell infiltration are the main common histological changes in the gallbladder. 6. When the antiserum obtained from the rabbit sensitized with dog abdominal organs (liver, gallbladder, duodenum, stomach, and rectal mucous membrane) as the antigen is injected into dogs, allergic cholecystitis can be induced in 100% of the animals with the use of gallbladder antiserum; in 80% with liver antiserum; in 60% with antiserum of rectal mucous membrane; and in 40% each with stomach antiserum or with antiserum of duodenal mucous membrane. In these instances intralobular and portal cell infiltration and edema formation in portal region can also be observed. 7. The characteristic traits of hepatitic cholecystopathy are the edema formation extending from the sublayer of the gallbladder mucous membrane to the sublayer of serous membrane and cell infiltration around blood vessels. As for the pathogenesis there seems to multiple factors; namely, dyscholia due to functional disturbances of the liver, the loss of the gallbladder motility due to invasion of inflammation inducing substances from portal tract through lymph ducts on serous inflammation, and also it is possible to be met with the secondary infection with an increase in the number of intestinal bacteria coexisting, and in some the involvement of allergic inflammation in gallbladder can be recognized.


Since the mid 1970s the Seventh-day Adventist Church has become increasingly involved in management by objectives and has adapted and applied it with varying degrees of success in conferences and churches. Very little overt pragmatic and theological motivations have accompanied the promotion of this movement toward the use of management by objectives in the church. Leaders have simply proceeded with it on the apparent assumption that since it is an effective leadership approach in secular organizations it would be equally effective in an ecclesiastical situation . While the thesis of this study contends that management by objectives is compatible with a Seventh-day Adventist understanding o f the nature and mission of the church, it seeks to identify the pragmatic and theological foundations on which it may be allowed to stand. An investigation of the application of management by objectives in the Wisconsin Conference o f Seventh-day Adventists demonstrates how needful it is for conference leaders to build on these foundations in order to allow it to serve its purpose with integrity . The most important dynamics of management by objectives are identified as missional intentionality , responsible democracy, a wise use of authority , and accountability. These concepts are examined in the light o f Scripture and integrated with a Seventh-day Adventist understanding of church leadership. A conclusion that is reached at this point suggests that a more theologically precise modification of management by objectives would be ministry by objectives. Such a designation seems to be more in keeping with the biblical perspective of servanthood and service in Christian leadership, yet does not require that management by objectives become untrue to the intent of its pragmatic design. Regarded in this manner it is altogether compatible with the most important principles of Christian leadership that are brought to view in Scripture. As a safeguard against the development o f objectives for the sake of objectives, an attempt is also made in this study toward the development of a Seventh-day Adventist ecclesiology by means of the construction of certain models: The church as a Matrix of the New Humanity, as an Apocalyptic Movement, a Servant, and Organization. These models suggest a broad scope o f inreach and outreach ministries that ought to be re fle cte d in the objectives of the church. This approach to churchmanship provides for theology to inform our goal setting instead of the reverse. Theology is retained in its commanding place in the church. Management by objectives functions in an "afterward" and subservient capacity as an adaptable medium through which the theology of the church might be reflected in its structures. When kept in this relationship, and viewed from boll; a pragmatic and theological point of view, management by objectives and the nature and mission o f the Seventh-day Adventist Church are compatible.


In this paper we discuss general identification results for Structural Vector Autoregressions (SVARs) with external instruments, considering the case in which r valid instruments are used to identify g ≥ 1 structural shocks, where r ≥ g. We endow the SVAR with an auxiliary statistical model for the external instruments which is a system of reduced form equations. The SVAR and the auxiliary model for the external instruments jointly form a `larger' SVAR characterized by a particularly restricted parametric structure, and are connected by the covariance matrix of their disturbances which incorporates the `relevance' and `exogeneity' conditions. We discuss identification results and likelihood-based estimation methods both in the `multiple shocks' approach, where all structural shocks are of interest, and in the `partial shock' approach, where only a subset of the structural shocks is of interest. Overidentified SVARs with external instruments can be easily tested in our setup. The suggested method is applied to investigate empirically whether commonly employed measures of macroeconomic and financial uncertainty respond on-impact, other than with lags, to business cycle uctuations in the U.S. in the period after the Global Financial Crisis. To do so, we employ two external instruments to identify the real economic activity shock in a partial shock approach.


Introduction. Part I: Basic Bookkeeping: Why You Need It. Chapter 1: So You Want to Do the Books. Chapter 2: Getting Down to Bookkeeping Basics. Chapter 3: Outlining Your Financial Roadmap with a Chart of Accounts. Part II: Keeping a Paper Trail. Chapter 4: Ledgers: A One-Stop Summary of Your Business Transactions. Chapter 5: Keeping Journals. Chapter 6: Computer Options for Your Bookkeeping. Chapter 7: Controlling Your Books, Your Records, and Your Money. Part III: Tracking Day-to-Day Operations with Your Books. Chapter 8: Buying and Tracking Your Purchases. Chapter 9: Counting Your Sales. Chapter 10: Employee Payroll and Benefits. Chapter 11: Employer-Paid Taxes and Government Payroll Reporting. Part IV: Preparing the Books for Year's (or Month's) End. Chapter 12: Depreciating Your Assets. Chapter 13: Paying and Collecting Interest. Chapter 14: Proving Out the Cash. Chapter 15: Closing the Journals. Chapter 16: Checking Your Accuracy - By Trial and Hopefully No Error. Chapter 17: Adjusting the Books. Part V: Reporting Results and Starting Over. Chapter 18: Developing a Balance Sheet. Chapter 19: Producing an Income Statement. Chapter 20: Completing Year-End Payroll and Reports. Chapter 21: Satisfying the Tax Man. Chapter 22: Prepping the Books for a New Accounting Cycle. Part VI: The Part of Tens. Chapter 23: Top Ten Ways to Manage Your Business Cash with Your Books. Chapter 24: Top Ten Most Important Accounts for Any Bookkeeper. Appendix: Glossary. Index.


We consider here a single sender-destination multi-relay channel. The links connecting the nodes are supposed to be erasure where symbols are received correctly without any error, or lost. We consider that the nodes are not able to use any interference cancellation mechanism. The interference might be suppressed through using separated physical channel or thought a time-sharing mechanism. This model is realistic for many practical scenarios in the context of wireless networks. In previous works, the capacity region of broadcast erasure channels as well as the capacity of the single-sender relay channel (under degraded and non-degraded hypothesis) has been derived. This paper extends the previous results to the more general case of multi-relay channels. We derive the cut-set bound for a general (stationary ergodic) multi-relay erasure channel, and we show that it can be reached through a practical linear coding scheme based on MDS codes.


Observations continue to support the interpretation of the anomalous microwave foreground as electric dipole radiation from spinning dust grains as proposed by Draine & Lazarian. In this paper, we present a refinement of the original model by improving the treatment of a number of physical effects. First, we consider a disk-like grain rotating with angular velocity at an arbitrary angle with respect to the grain symmetry axis (i.e., grain wobbling) and derive the rotational damping and excitation coefficients arising from infrared emission, plasma–grain interactions, and electric dipole emission. The angular velocity distribution and the electric dipole emission spectrum for disk-like grains is calculated using the Langevin equation, for cases both with and without fast internal relaxation. Our results show that for fast internal relaxation, the peak emissivity of spinning dust, compared to earlier studies, increases by a factor of ∼2 for the warm neutral medium (WNM), the warm ionized medium (WIM), the cold neutral medium (CNM), and the photodissociation region, and by a factor ∼4 for reflection nebulae. The frequency at the emission peak also increases by factors ∼1.4 to ∼2 for these media. Without internal relaxation, the increase of emissivity is comparable, but the emission spectrum is more extended to higher frequency. The increased emission results from the non-sphericity of grain shape and from the anisotropy in damping and excitation along directions parallel and perpendicular to the grain symmetry axis. Second, we provide a detailed numerical study including transient spin-up of grains by single-ion collisions. The range of grain size in which single-ion collisions are important is identified. The impulses broaden the emission spectrum and increase the peak emissivity for the CNM, WNM, and WIM, although the increases are not as large as those due to the grain wobbling. In addition, we present an improved treatment of rotational excitation and damping by infrared emission.


Human methylmalonyl-CoA epimerase (MCEE) catalyzes the interconversion of D-methylmalonyl-CoA and L-methylmalonyl-CoA in propionate catabolism. Autosomal recessive mutations in MCEE reportedly cause methylmalonic aciduria (MMAuria) in eleven patients. We investigated a cohort of 150 individuals suffering from MMAuria of unknown origin, identifying ten new patients with mutations in MCEE. Nine patients were homozygous for the known nonsense mutation p.Arg47* (c.139C>T), and one for the novel missense mutation p.Ile53Arg (c.158T>G). To understand better the molecular basis of MCEE deficiency, we mapped p.Ile53Arg, and two previously described patient mutations p.Lys60Gln and p.Arg143Cys, onto our 1.8 Å structure of wild-type (wt) human MCEE. This revealed potential dimeric assembly disruption by p.Ile53Arg, but no clear defects from p.Lys60Gln or p.Arg143Cys. Functional analysis of MCEE-Ile53Arg expressed in a bacterial recombinant system as well as patient-derived fibroblasts revealed nearly undetectable soluble protein levels, defective globular protein behavior, and using a newly developed assay, lack of enzymatic activity - consistent with misfolded protein. By contrast, soluble protein levels, unfolding characteristics and activity of MCEE-Lys60Gln were comparable to wt, leaving unclear how this mutation may cause disease. MCEE-Arg143Cys was detectable at comparable levels to wt MCEE, but had slightly altered unfolding kinetics and greatly reduced activity. We solved the structure of MCEE-Arg143Cys to 1.9 Å and found significant disruption of two important loop structures, potentially impacting surface features as well as the active-site pocket. These studies reveal ten new patients with MCEE deficiency and rationalize misfolding and loss of activity as molecular defects in MCEE-type MMAuria.


Polyoxometalates are the polyoxoanions of the early transition metals, especially tungsten, molybdenum and vanadium. Although they were first described in the 19th century, their development was slow until modern experimental techniques enabled a greater understanding of their structures and properties. In the last 40 years a large variety of shapes, sizes and compositions have been investigated; functionalisation via covalent grafting of organic groups onto the polyoxometalate clusters is less investigated and provides a method of fine tuning the properties of these materials towards desired applications. Polyoxotungstates (polyoxometalates with tungsten as the metal) are investigated here, those with the Keggin structure being of interest due to the relatively easy formation of lacunary anions which have a highly nucleophilic surface and can react with electrophilic groups to add functionality to the cluster. Organophosphonyl and organosilyl derivatives are prepared with formulae (NR\(^1\)\(_4\))\(_3\)H\(_n\)[XW\(_{10}\)O\(_{36}\)(R\(^2\)PO)\(_2\)], (NBu\(_4_)\(_3)[XW\(_9\)O\(_{34}\)(R\(^3\)SiO)\(_3\)(R\(^3\)Si)], (NBu\(_4\))\(_3\)H\(_n\) [XW\(_9\)O\(_{34}\)](tBuSiOH)\(_3\)], (NBu\(_4\))\(_3\)H\(_n\)[XW\(_9\)O\(_{34}\)(tBuSiO)\(_3\)(SiR\(^4\))], (NBu\(_4\))\(_3\)H\(_n\)[XW\(_9\)O\(_{34}\)(R\(^2\)PO)\(_2\)] or (NBu\(_4\))\(_3\)Na[SiW\(_9\)O\(_{34}\)(R\(^2\)PO)\(_3\)] (X = Si or P; R\(^1\) = Bu or Et; R\(^2\) = Et, H\(_2\)C=CH, H\(_2\)C=CHCH\(_2\), H\(_2\)C=CHC\(_6\)H\(_4\), HOOC(CH\(_2\))\(_m\) (m = 1 or 2) or H\(_3\)CCOC\(_6\)H\(_4\); R\(^3\) = H\(_2\)C=CH or H\(_2\)C=CHCH\(_2\); R\(^4\) = R\(^3\) or (CH\(_2\))\(_3\)Br; n=0 or 1). The structures are confirmed and investigated using multinuclear NMR (\(^1\)H, \(^{31}\)P and \(^{29}\)Si), IR, MS, EA, single crystal X-ray diffraction and Cyclic Voltammography. The derivatised polyoxotungstate clusters have the potential to take part in further reactions using the organic functionalities to create inorganic-organic hybrid materials which retain the electrochemical properties of the polyoxotungstate units. Examples include the polymerisation of carbon double bonds and condensation reactions of carboxylic acids and amines; both are investigated here. Radical polymerisation is successful in creating polymeric materials, either through single reaction of the polyoxotungstate cluster or a co-polymerisation reaction with a second co-monomer. Reaction with amines did not proceed as expected, instead one of the RPO groups was removed from the cluster, producing a new set of singly derivatised clusters, [SiW\(_{10}\)O\(_{36}\)(R\(^2\)PO)]\(^{6-}\) from [SiW\(_{10}\)O\(_{36}\)(R\(^2\)PO)\(_2\)]\(^{4-}\). These create potential for a product with asymmetrically functionised polyoxotungstates containing a mixture of R groups [SiW\(_{10}\)O\(_{36}\)(R\(^2\)PO)(R\(^{2b}\)PO)]\(^{4-}\), thus providing greater control over the organic functionality on the cluster and increasing the number of potential derivatives available.


We have measured gene conversion tract length in strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae containing three to six restriction site heterozygosities in a 9-kb interval. Tetrads containing a conversion were identified genetically by nonmendelian segregation of a marker in the middle of the interval. Gene conversions accompanied by a crossover have a tract length of 1.4 kb +/- 0.7 kb, which is indistinguishable from a tract length of 1.6 +/- 0.8 for conversions without an associated exchange. Among tetrads identified first as having a crossover in the interval, the average gene conversion tracts were apparently significantly shorter (0.71 +/- 1). We provide evidence that this apparent difference is due to the method of measuring conversion tracts and does not reflect a real difference in tract length. We also provide evidence that the number and position of restriction site markers alters the apparent distribution of the conversion tracts. More than ninety percent of the conversion tracts spanning three or more sites were continuous.


Two test diets with different fiber concentrations (15% acid detergent fiber [ADF], 30% ADF) were fed to five adult female ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata). Apparent digestibility (%) of dry matter (DM), gross energy (GE), and fiber components (neutral detergent fiber [NDF], ADF, hemicellulose [HC], and cellulose [C]) were measured. Rates of digesta transit (TT1) and retention time (RGIT) were assessed using acetate beads, Co-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and Cr-mordanted fiber. Apparent digestibilities (%) of components of the 15ADF and 30ADF diets, respectively, were 51.0 and 41.7 for DM, 47.0 and 39.7 for GE, and 20.4 and 20.7 for NDF. TT1 was approximately 2.7 hours. RGIT was 3.8 hours. No differences in TT1 or RGIT between dietary treatments or marker types were detected. Results of this study support anecdotal observations that Varecia variegata have a limited capacity to utilize plant cell wall constituents as a significant energy source, when compared with more folivorous prosimans. Zoo Biol 18:529–536, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.


Abstract This paper provides an assessment of the trends in hazardous waste shipments across the U.S.‐Mexican border. These wastes are generated in the maquiladoras (assembly plants) operating in the northern border of Mexico and are expected to be shipped back to the United States under the conditions imposed by the Environmental Cooperation Agreement. However, very little of such waste is actually sent back. This study first estimates generation rates for hazardous waste, based on shipment data, by type of maquiladora industry for 1995 and prior years. Second, it uses Sonora, Mexico, as a case to illustrate the impending problems of waste transportation and treatment by projecting hazardous waste shipments to 2005. The paper concludes with some suggested research to address the current policy impasse in managing hazardous wastes in the U.S.‐Mexican border.


Abstract In contemporary debates about legal responsibility for sexual misconduct, the status of "affomative consent" is front and center. Most often associated with the campus rape crisis and the enforcement of Title IX by colleges and universities, affirmative consent places responsibility on individuals who initiate sex to secure the affirmative permission of their partners before engaging in sexual conduct. Going beyond "no means no," affirmative consent is best captured by the slogan "only yes means yes" and aims to protect those sexual assault victims who react passively or silently in the face of sexual aggression, even though they do not desire to have sex and would not have initiated the sexual activity if they had been given the choice. The criminal law in most states has not yet caught up with these developments and has continued to require either a showing of "force" on the part of the defendant or proof of a verbal objection on the part of the victim. Given its prominence, one might expect affirmative consent to emerge as a central issue in the revision of the Restatement (Third)'s provisions on consent. Instead, affirmative consent makes an appearance only briefly in the Restatement's commentary and has not affected the core black letter statements of the law of consent. Although purporting to be neutral, the approach of the Restatement (Third) is incompatible with affirmative consent, both in the Restatement's definitions of actual and apparent consent and in its determination to assign the burden of proof to the plaintiff instead of the defendant. Because there is no controlling precedent that would prevent the Restatement (Third) from embracing affirmative consent, the Restatement (Third) is free to follow the Title IX model and incorporate affirmative consent into the body of tort law. This article makes the case for adopting affirmative consent in sexual misconduct tort cases, even if the criminal law in any given jurisdiction continues to apply a more defendant-oriented consent rules.


Islamic finance is an old concept but a very young discipline in the academic sense. It lacks the required extent and level of theories and models needed for expansion and implementation of the framework provided by Islam. In these circumstances, unawareness and confusion exist as to the form of the Islamic financial system and instruments. The main difference between the present economic system and the Islamic economic system is that the later is based on keeping in view certain social objectives for the benefit of human beings and society. Islam, through its various principles, guides human life and ensures free enterprise and trade. That is the reason why the conventional banker does not have to be concerned with the moral implications of the business venture for which money is lent.


With this essay I present the fragile thought-image of the soap-bubble to venture an augmented understanding of what an atmospheric ecology might be, what it might include, and how it might contribute to a thinking of interiors. In contemporary digital design the soap-bubble or soap film is most often investigated for what it can tell us about material behaviour, and how an understanding of material behaviour as it occurs in 'Nature' can be innovatively applied to design problems. Soap film can be studied in terms of what it tells us about surface tension and minimal distribution of material, which then allows the designer to better understand tensile structures. It also contributes to an understanding of cell walls (from the scale of the microscopic to the macroscopic), and how an interior condition responds to the pressure of an exterior condition. Appropriated from nature through a process of biomimicry the behaviour of soap film and soap-bubbles has been broadly used to test speculative design schemes and also to generate new digital techniques and technologies. I propose to liberate the thought-figure of the soap-bubble from this set of technical studies and applications in order to extend an understanding of how it can be used to frame atmospheric ecologies, especially after the manner in which soap-bubbles cluster and froth. Ecology here must be understood in an expanded sense that encompasses not just naturally occurring systems, championed by special interest groups that fight for a specific environmental niche, but also subjective and social ecologies, and how these different systems remain profoundly intertwined. I draw on the work of Peter Sloterdijk, Jakob von Uexkull, and also Gregory Bateson to offer other visions of what an atmospheric ecology might be, and how it can offer us more open definitions of the interiors in which we need to find a way to survive.


Elevated activity of the transcription factor nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) contributes to tumorigenesis by decreasing apoptosis caused by cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Clear cell renal carcinoma, a common kidney cancer, is frequently associated with mutations in or decreased expression of the gene encoding von Hippel Lindau (VHL), a protein well known for its role as an E3 ubiquitin ligase substrate recognition subunit mediating ubiquitination of the hypoxia-responsive transcription factor HIF-1α. However, several lines of evidence suggest that the role of VHL in these tumors is not related to its regulation of HIF-1α. Cells deficient in VHL activity also often exhibit elevated NF-κB signaling. Yang et al. affinity purified proteins that interacted with VHL and identified the adaptor protein CARD9, which is involved in activation of NF-κB. The interaction between CARD9 and VHL was confirmed using multiple assays--in vitro with recombinant proteins, in transfected cells, and with endogenous proteins. CARD9 consistently appeared as a doublet when assayed by electrophoresis, the top band was absent in CARD9 isolated from VHL-deficient cells, and both molecular forms collapsed into a single faster-migrating form when the samples were treated with phosphatase. VHL interacts with casein kinase 2 (CK2), and CARD9 has two CK2 consensus phosphorylation sites in the C-terminal region. CARD9 was a substrate for CK2 in vitro. Overexpression of VHL increased the interaction between CK2 and CARD9, and purified dephosphorylated CARD9 was phosphorylated by incubation with a VHL-containing cell extract. Inhibition of CK2 activity (by siRNA or with pharmacological agents) decreased the phosphorylation of CARD9. Phosphorylation of CARD9 by CK2 appeared to inhibit the ability of CARD9 to inhibit NF-κB, because cells expressing CARD9 mutants lacking the C-terminal domain or with mutated phosphorylation sites or cells in which CK2 was inhibited pharmacologically exhibited enhanced NF-κB activation. In VHL−/− renal carcinoma cells, knockdown of CARD9 with siRNA attenuated the NF-κB activity, increased apoptosis in response to TNF-α, and decreased tumor growth in a mouse xenograft assay. Thus, VHL appears to have a second important function with relevance for cancer--serving as a kinase adaptor to regulate NF-κB activity. H. Yang, Y. A. Minamishima, Q. Yan, S. Schlisio, B. L. Ebert, X. Zhang, L. Zhang, W. Y. Kim, A. F. Olumi, W. G. Kaelin Jr., pVHL acts as an adaptor to promote the inhibitor phosphorylation of the NF-κB agonist Card9 by CK2. Mol. Cell 28, 15-27 (2007). [PubMed]


BACKGROUND
Although clinical trials have shown that proper management of diabetes can improve outcomes, and treatment guidelines are widespread, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in the United States are rising. Since process measures are improving, poor glycemic control may reflect the failure of health care providers to intensify diabetes therapy when indicated--clinical inertia. We asked whether interventions aimed at health care provider behavior could overcome this barrier and improve glycemic control.

METHODS
In a 3-year trial, 345 internal medicine residents were randomized to be controls or to receive computerized reminders providing patient-specific recommendations at each visit and/or feedback on performance every 2 weeks. When glucose levels exceeded 150 mg/dL (8.33 mmol/L) during visits of 4038 patients, health care provider behavior was characterized as did nothing, did anything (any intensification of therapy), or did enough (if intensification met recommendations).

RESULTS
At baseline, residents did anything for 35% of visits and did enough for 21% of visits when changes in therapy were indicated, and there were no differences among intervention groups. During the trial, intensification increased most during the first year and then declined. However, intensification increased more in the feedback alone and feedback plus reminders groups than for reminders alone and control groups (P<.001). After 3 years, health care provider behavior in the reminders alone and control groups returned to baseline, whereas improvement with feedback alone and feedback plus reminders groups was sustained: 52% did anything, and 30% did enough (P<.001 for both vs the reminders alone and control groups). Multivariable analysis showed that feedback on performance contributed independently to intensification and that intensification contributed independently to fall in HbA1c (P<.001 for both).

CONCLUSIONS
Feedback on performance given to medical resident primary care providers improved provider behavior and lowered HbA1c levels. Similar approaches may aid health care provider behavior and improve diabetes outcomes in other primary care settings.


Management of traumatic facial nerve disor-ders is challenging. Facial nerve decompres-sion is indicated if 90–95% loss of function is seen at the very early period. A thorough knowledge on diagnosis, treatment and prog-nosis of facial nerve injuries is essential. Treatment of facial nerve injuries depends on two principal factors : onset of facial weak-ness (acute or delayed) and extent of facial weakness. Transmastoid approach is suit-able for patients whose nerve injury lies distal to geniculate ganglion. The aim of this study is to present retrospective re-view of 6 patients with facial paralysis after trauma who underwent facial nerve decom-pression via the transsmastoid approach be-tween 2011 to 2013. Good recovery of fa-cial nerve function was observed in 5 out of the 6 patients after surgical decompres-sion with post operative HB grade I /II .


In this paper we clarify some considerations about the enhancement of archaeological heritage of the hillforts or castrosfrom the castreja culture of the Iron Age, located in the northwest of the IberianPeninsula (north of Portugal and Galicia). Some ideas and reflexions, regarding the aspects considered relevant at the time of elaborating enhancement projects for this kind of heritage are included, with the aim of improving its sustainability and capacity of being of interest for both public and cultural or archaeological tourism. In this sense, we sum the results obtained in the rehabilitation projects for some of the hillforts that are located in the north of Portugal and some bath-sauna with oven. The Pedra Formosa (beautiful stone) of these hillforts are also briefly mentioned. Finally, we present some possible archaeological tourism routes


Embedded in the sport of triathlon is an uneasy relationship between the independence and individualism fostered by the nature of the sport and the sporting collectivism needed to safely stage triathlons, establish accepted measures of high performance and secure government, media and Olympic recognition. This tension is highlighted in remote locations where local identities and recreational communities tend to present stronger forces in the shaping of triathlon practice than the sport's governing institutions and its rules and regulations. Katherine, a landlocked town in Australia's Northern Territory situated approximately 300 km from Darwin, offers a colourful and useful example of the divergent priorities of sporting and local recreational communities. This paper draws on interviews, newsletters, cuttings and triathlon ephemera as well as scholarship regarding sports clubs and social capital, the process of sportification, and the potential role of the natural and built environment in shaping local sporting practice. It examines the rise and fall of organized triathlon in Katherine and proposes that the rule of triathlon law gained only a temporary and tenuous hold most likely due to the strength of geo-spatially defined recreational identities and practices.


Interference has long been used for precision measurement of path-length changes. Since the advent of the laser, interference has become one of the most versatile tools in metrology. Specifically, ultra-short laser pulses allow unprecedented resolution in absolute length measurements. While ultra-short laser pulses lead to high resolution, for example in white-light interferometry, they are very susceptible to dispersion. Quantum resources have been proposed to overcome some of the problems related to distortions in the interferometric signal. For example, the Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interferometer relies on frequency-entangled photon pairs and features automatic evenorder dispersion cancellation and high interference visibility resilient to unbalanced loss. Quantum-OCT is a technique based on HOM interferometry, that promises to overcome Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) a classical imaging technique based on low coherence light. Furthermore, straightforward modifications of the HOM interferometer can display several different interferometric signals, including the HOM peak, quantum beating, and phase super-resolution. However, the quantum resources required are hard to produce and dim, leading to long integration times and single-photon counting. In this thesis, we introduce the theory behind Chirped-Pulse Interferometry (CPI), a new technique that combines all the advantages of Q-OCT, including even-order dispersion cancellation, but without the need for any quantum resources. We then experimentally implement CPI and demonstrate all the important characteristics shared by the HOM interferometer, but at dramatically larger signal levels. We show how CPI can be used to measure dispersion cancelled axial profiles of an optical sample and show the improvement in resolution over white-light interferometry. Finally, we show that by modifying CPI in analogous ways to HOM, CPI can also be made to produce interferometric signal identical to the HOM peak, quantum beating, and phase super-resolution.


The practical application of dephosphorization is discussed in the paper. Using the method of austenitic manganese steel waste re-melting, we get inevitable, phosphorus contents that exceed the admissible limits. The phosphorus increases the hardness and tensile strength of steel and it seriously affects the ductility and resistance to shock or impact. Experiments on the dephosphorization of highly allied manganese steel containing high phosphorous was made in laboratory conditions and the experimental results showed that the content of phosphorous in the steel can be lowered quickly and considerably. The industrial conditions allowed us to obtain similar results with those obtained in the laboratory. The only difference between the two experiments is the dephosphorization level, which was higher in the laboratory compared to the level obtain on an industrial scale, even if the experiments were done in similar conditions. ARTICLE HISTORY Received: 28.06.2017. Accepted: 07.08.2017. Available: 30.09.2017.


Women's position in the labour market is quite vulnerable and they face widespread discrimination, especially in the informal sector. This position is changing, both quantitatively and qualitatively, and there is a marked trend towards feminisation of workforce. This paper focuses on this changing position of women in the informal manufacturing sector in India over the 1989-2000 period. The share of women in total employment is declining in the sectors traditionally labeled for women and increasing in the non-traditional sectors. Distribution of women employment is becoming more evenly spread across both activity groups and regions. Widespread casualisation emerges to be a prominent phenomenon. Poverty, literacy and per capita income are identified as important determinants of incidence of women employment. In recent years women's participation seems to be less distress driven. Regulations regarding minimum wage, mass literacy campaign along with vocational and on the job training are some of the policy suggestions.


Despite the general progress made in terms of financial inclusion worldwide (there has been a nominal increase in the number of adults who have access to a bank account), the gender gap remains unaltered since 2011. In order to overcome the barriers faced by women to access and use financial services three sets of recommendations are proposed for G20 countries: 1) a set of cross cutting issues that are needed to support women's financial inclusion, 2) measures to close the gender gap by supporting the inclusion of the financially excluded women -the unbanked-, 3) recommendations to support the development of women led business through their access to and use of financial services. These recommendations are framed under the understanding that social norms constrain women's capacity to access and meaningfully use financial services. For financial inclusion to have an impact on women's economic empowerment, livelihoods and broader welfare effects, these social norms need to be taken into account and acted upon. While social norms change is complex, financial services and products design and roll out can have a role to play.


A pasture system that combines the early high productivity of a spring cereal and the late-season growth ability of a winter cereal vegetative tillers may provide an important forage/pasture resource in southwestern Saskatchewan. At the Semiarid Agricultural Research CentreAgriculture and Agri-Food Canada, SK, two annual cereals, a spring barley, cultivar AC Lacombe, and a winter rye, Prima, were seeded in early May of 2001 into four pastures each 1.3 ha. Two pastures utilized steers that were implanted (ComponentTM E-S) and had received CRC rumensin while the other two pastures utilized steers with no implant or CRC rumensin. Results found that the implanted and CRC rumensin treated steers were more efficient in converting the cereal forage to gains than the control steers. Average daily gains of treated steers were higher than the control group and were 1.2 kg d vs 0.7 kg d, respectively. Grazing days and total kg of livestock production per ha for treated verses control treatments were 133 verses 131 and 12.1 verses 5.5, respectively. It is possible that a synergistic and/or additive effect may have occurred through the use of the implant and rumensin treatments and resulted in a higher than expected improvement in animal performance.


The paper presents results from the first phase of a research project carried out at the solar power plant located at Plataforma Solar de Almeria (PSA), Spain. The final goal of this project is to develop a control scheme in order to optimise the thermal energy extracted from the plant using a model-based predictive control strategy. In this contribution, the modelling and identification of the nonlinear plant is presented in two different approaches. The first approach is the development of a neural network model, while the second approach is the development of a physical model. The non-linear models are validated with data collected during experiments performed at PSA. Further on. the two models are compared in order to decide which one gives better results in approximating the behaviour of the plant.


As the global higher education landscape undergoes change at an unprecedented rate, are learning spaces evolving in tandem, leading or chasing the change? Learning spaces are no longer bound by physical or time constraints; advancements in information and communication technologies have penetrated all academic disciplines and formal bodies of knowledge (Usher, 2010). Within the higher education learning landscape, technological advancements have made possible hybrid models of interactive learning; promoting access, collaboration, sustainability and global awareness. As educationalists the learning spaces we create for our students need not be bound by physical or time constraints. How we shape, re-shape, use and re-use spaces can be transformative to the students learning experience. This poster will be digitally interactive; delegates will be able to scan links on the poster to view online resources on the project website. This poster will examine the integration of such spaces (physical and digital), teaching approaches, facilities and resources to support student learning through the use of Photovoice as a means to narrate the presence of learners, teachers, and the learning experience. The 'Learning Places' project included the design and fit of a pilot classroom to test the SCALE-UP (Student Centred Active Learning Environment with Upside-down Pedagogies) approach to delivering large group teaching. Subsequent discursive activities included joint staff and student drawing workshops, and student-led edited compilations of their experiences in print and digital publications. The project highlighted the role of the learner as an active agent in their learning experience and considered the role of the teacher as an expert facilitator of learning (Race, 2011). Our professional challenge is to build a sense of belonging and community among students. Yi-Fu Tuan purports that space becomes place when endowed with value (2001). The way in which 'value' is created in learning places is fundamental to education. The construction of learning environments that foster high quality learning through inclusivity and equity of all learners is dependent upon understanding and responsiveness to how students use such places. Assessing the elements, structure and impact of those places (physical and/or digital) through discussion with both staff and students can inform future pedagogies.


Re-engineering and reuse of programs implemented on programmable logic controllers (PLCs) became vital in the recent years. This is because the programming of PLC programs is an exhaustive and expensive activity. This paper outlines a re-engineering approach based on the formalization of PLC programs. The approach utilizes XML as an intermediate step for the transformation of the existing PLC programs into a vendor independent format. After this transformation XML is used as a basis for the visualization and formalization of the PLC code. The formalization consists of two main steps: first the modular structure of the program is transferred to an UML class diagram and in the second step the algorithms contained in the modules are converted to state diagrams. This conversion uses an abstraction method to avoid large automata


We introduce {\em bounded asynchrony}, a notion of `concurrency tailored to the modeling of biological cell-cell interactions. Bounded asynchrony is the result of a scheduler that bounds the number of steps that one process get ahead of other processes; this allows the components of a system to move independently while keeping them coupled. Bounded asynchrony accurately reproduces the experimental observations made about certain cell-cell interactions: its constrained nondeterminism captures the variability observed in cells that, although equally potent, assume distinct fates. Cells are not ``scheduled'', but we show that distributed real-time behavior can lead to component interactions that are observationally equivalent to bounded asynchrony; this provides a possible mechanistic explanation for the phenomena observed during cell fate specification. We use model checking to determine cell fates. The nondeterminism of bounded asynchrony causes state explosion during model checking, but partial-order methods are not directly applicable. We present a new algorithm that reduces the number of states that need to be explored: our optimization takes advantage of the bounded-asynchronous progress and the spatially local interactions of components that model cells. Our experiments illustrate that the algorithm leads to substantial savings in model checking.


The 5th National Audit Project (NAP5) of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland into accidental awareness during general anaesthesia (AAGA) yielded data related to psychological aspects from the patient, and the anaesthetist, perspectives; patients' experiences ranged from isolated auditory or tactile sensations to complete awareness. A striking finding was that 75% of experiences were for <5 min, yet 51% of patients [95% confidence interval (CI) 43-60%] experienced distress and 41% (95% CI 33-50%) suffered longer term adverse effect. Distress and longer term harm occurred across the full range of experiences but were particularly likely when the patient experienced paralysis (with or without pain). The patient's interpretation of what is happening at the time of the awareness seemed central to later impact; explanation and reassurance during suspected AAGA or at the time of report seemed beneficial. Quality of care before the event was judged good in 26%, poor in 39%, and mixed in 31%. Three-quarters of cases of AAGA (75%) were judged preventable. In 12%, AAGA care was judged good and the episode not preventable. The contributory and human factors in the genesis of the majority of cases of AAGA included medication, patient, and education/training. The findings have implications for national guidance, institutional organization, and individual practice. The incidence of 'accidental awareness' during sedation (~1:15,000) was similar to that during general anaesthesia (~1:19,000). The project raises significant issues about information giving and consent for both sedation and anaesthesia. We propose a novel approach to describing sedation from the patient's perspective which could be used in communication and consent. Eight (6%) of the patients had resorted to legal action (12, 11%, to formal complaint) at the time of reporting. NAP5 methodology provides a standardized template that might usefully inform the investigation of claims or serious incidents related to AAGA.


The electronegativity effect of the alkali cations on the formation of methanethiol by reaction of methanol and H2S was studied with K+, Rb+, and Cs+ supported on γ-Al2O3. Catalyst activation in H2S led to the formation of sulfur oxyanions, including SO3−2, S2O3−2, SO4−2 and S2O6−2. The surface modified aluminas have strong basic properties. Accessible alkali cations on γ-Al2O3 are the active sites catalyzing the SN2 nucleophilic substitution. These sites stabilize two Lewis acid–base pairs, formed upon H2S and methanol dissociation, in proximity. Decreasing electronegativity of the alkali enhances the concentration of basic sites and their adsorption capacity. In consequence, the rates of methanethiol formation increased in the sequence K/γ-Al2O3 < Rb/γ-Al2O3 < Cs/γ-Al2O3. The activation energies also decreased in parallel with the decreasing electronegativity of the alkali, which is attributed to the increasing electron density at the SH− groups that facilitates the nucleophilic attack.


Regression analysis is undoubtedly an important tool to understand the relationship between one or more explanatory and independent variables of interest. In this thesis, we explore a novel methodology for fitting a wide range of parametric and nonparametric regression models, called the I-prior methodology (Bergsma, 2018).
We assume that the regression function belongs to a reproducing kernel Hilbert or Kreĭn space of functions, and by doing so, allows us to utilise the convenient topologies of these vector spaces. This is important for the derivation of the Fisher information of the regression function, which might be infinite dimensional. Based on the principle of maximum entropy, an I-prior is an objective Gaussian process prior for the regression function with covariance function proportional to its Fisher information.
Our work focusses on the statistical methodology and computational aspects of fitting I-priors models. We examine a likelihood-based approach (direct optimisation and EM algorithm) for fitting I-prior models with normally distributed errors. The culmination of this work is the R package iprior (Jamil, 2017) which has been made publicly available on CRAN. The normal I-prior methodology is subsequently extended to fit categorical response models, achieved by "squashing" the regression functions through a probit sigmoid function. Estimation of I-probit models, as we call it, proves challenging due to the intractable integral involved in computing the likelihood. We overcome this difficulty by way of variational approximations. Finally, we turn to a fully Bayesian approach of variable selection using I-priors for linear models to tackle multicollinearity.
We illustrate the use of I-priors in various simulated and real-data examples. Our study advocates the I-prior methodology as being a simple, intuitive, and comparable alternative to similar leading state-of-the-art models.


Competitors proposing to merge sometimes propose price regulation in a consent decree as a condition of receiving merger approval. Antitrust enforcement agencies in the United States have been reluctant to use such price-regulating decrees, as they suffer from practical problems in implementation. It is less recognized, however, that the use of consent decrees to regulate post-merger prices may be unlawful. Such decrees exceed the scope of antitrust law and blur the distinction between the legislative power to regulate prices and the executive power to enforce the antitrust laws. Despite the willingness of merging parties to accept price regulation in consent decrees, economic and constitutional considerations counsel against antitrust enforcement agencies adopting this practice.


Via the analysis of a cross-section of episodes from Russell T. Davies's era of the revived BBC Science Fiction television series Doctor Who (2005–2010), this paper demonstrates that the programme utilises representations of the viewer's everyday lifeworld to figure a posthuman rhetoric. Through the viewer's inphenomenal interaction with its representation of the mundane, the show emphasises the already significantly posthuman nature of the technologically saturated lifeworld of the contemporary individual. It challenges Darko Suvin's notion of cognitive estrangement, which fails to describe the show's Science Fictional discourse, and instead proposes the alternate mechanism of cognitive engagement. This inquiry, therefore, reappraises the thematic concerns of the show during the years when Russell T. Davies served as the programme's showrunner, revealing Doctor Who's emphasis upon the everyday (post)human lifeworld. It concludes that the show refutes technocentric ideologies, and thus rigorously demonstrates the consonance between the (post)human present and posthuman future.


Surgical treatment of hand trauma is a highly complex form of surgery that requires mastery of several different disciplines, including microsurgery of blood vessels less than 1 mm in diameter, osteosynthesis, and flap coverage of traumatic defects. Combining these disciplines into an effective surgical repertoire requires no little creativity.This work intends to provide clear, practical guidance to the less experienced so that they gain confidence in carrying out the core procedures involved in the surgical management of hand trauma. Key Features: Stepwise, concise descriptions of all core procedures, highly and helpfully illustratedProcedures and topics covered include: nailbed repair, infections of the hand, flexor and extensor tendon repair, EIP to EPL tendon transfer, digital nerve repair, replantation and revascularization, fracture fixation techniques, limb threatening emergencies, and moreA wealth of useful tips and tricks, for trainees by trainees


BACKGROUND
Corticosteroids are widely used in the treatment of idiopathic facial paralysis (Bell's palsy), but the effectiveness of additional treatment with an antiviral agent is uncertain. Significant morbidity can be associated with severe cases of Bell's palsy. This review was first published in 2001 and revised several times, most recently in 2009. This version replaces an update of the review in Issue 7 of the Cochrane Library subsequently withdrawn because of an ongoing investigation into the reliability of data from an included study.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the effects of antiviral treatments alone or in combination with any other therapy for Bell's palsy.

SEARCH METHODS
On 7 October 2014 we searched the Cochrane Neuromuscular Disease Group Specialized Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, DARE, NHS EED, and HTA. We also reviewed the bibliographies of the identified trials and contacted trial authors and known experts in the field and relevant drug companies to identify additional published or unpublished data. We searched clinical trials registries for ongoing studies.

SELECTION CRITERIA
We considered randomised controlled trials or quasi-randomised controlled trials of antivirals with and without corticosteroids versus control therapies for the treatment of Bell's palsy. We excluded trials that had a high risk of bias in several domains.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Pairs of authors independently assessed trials for relevance, eligibility, and risk of bias, using standard Cochrane procedures.

MAIN RESULTS
Ten trials, including 2280 participants, met the inclusion criteria and are included in the final analysis. Some of the trials were small, and a number were at high or unclear risk of bias. Other trials did not meet current best standards in allocation concealment and blinding. Incomplete recoveryWe found a significant benefit from adding antivirals to corticosteroids in comparison with corticosteroids alone for people with Bell's palsy (risk ratio (RR) 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39 to 0.97, n = 1315). For people with severe Bell's palsy (House-Brackmann scores of 5 and 6 or the equivalent in other scales), we found a reduction in the rate of incomplete recovery at month six when antivirals plus corticosteroids were used, compared to corticosteroids alone (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.99, n = 478). The outcome for the participants receiving corticosteroids alone was significantly better than for those receiving antivirals alone (RR 2.82, 95% CI 1.09 to 7.32, n = 768). The treatment effect of placebo was significantly lower than that of antivirals plus corticosteroids (RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.76, n = 658). Antivirals alone produced no benefit compared with placebo (RR 1.10, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.40, n = 658). Motor synkinesis or crocodile tearsIn two trials comparing antivirals and corticosteroids with corticosteroids and placebo that assessed this outcome, we found a significant difference in long-term sequelae in favour of antivirals plus corticosteroids (RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.36 to 0.87, n = 469). Two trials comparing antivirals alone with corticosteroids alone investigating this outcome showed fewer sequelae with corticosteroids (RR 1.52, 95% CI 1.08 to 2.12, n = 472). We found no data on long-term sequelae for other comparisons. Adverse events Adverse event data were available in three studies giving comparison data on 1528 participants. None of the four comparisons (antivirals plus corticosteroids versus corticosteroids plus placebo or no treatment; antivirals versus corticosteroids; antivirals plus corticosteroids versus placebo; antivirals versus placebo) showed significant differences in adverse events between treatment and control arms. We could find no correlation with specific treatment within these results.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Low-quality evidence from randomised controlled trials showed a benefit from the combination of antivirals with corticosteroids compared to corticosteroids alone for the treatment of Bell's palsy of various degrees of severity. Low-quality evidence showed a benefit of combination therapy compared with corticosteroids alone in severe Bell's palsy. Corticosteroids alone were more effective than antivirals alone and antivirals plus corticosteroids were more effective than placebo or no treatment. There was no benefit from antivirals alone over placebo.Moderate-quality evidence indicated that the combination of antivirals and corticosteroids reduced sequelae of Bell's palsy compared with corticosteroids alone.We found no significant increase in adverse events from the use of antivirals compared with either placebo or corticosteroids, based on low-quality evidence.


N,N'-diethylurea (DEU) was employed as a ligand to form the octahedral complexes [M(DEU)6]2+ (M=Co, Ni and Zn). Compounds [Co(DEU)6](BF4)2 (1), [Co(DEU)6](CIO4)2 (2), [Ni(DEU)6](CIO4)2 (3), and [Zn(DMU)6](CIO4)2 (4) have been prepared from the reactions of DEU and the appropriate hydrated metal(II) salts in EtOH in the presence of 2,2-dimethoxypropane. Crystal structure determinations demonstrate the existence of [M(DEU)6]2+ cations and CIO4 − (in 2–4) or BF4 − (in 1) counterions. The [M(DEU)6]2+ cations in the solid state are stabilized by a pseudochelate effect due to the existence of six strong intracationic N-H ⋯ O(DEU) hydrogen bonds. The [M(DEU)6]2+ cations and counterions self-assemble to form hydrogen-bonded 2D architectures in 2–4 that conform to the kgd (kagome dual) network, and a 3D hydrogen-bonded rtl (rutile) network in 1. The nature of the resulting supramolecular structures is influenced by the nature of the counter-ion. The complexes were also characterized by vibrational spectroscopy (IR).


The Uruguay Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (hereafter, the GATT), which is to be signed by more than 10 nations on December 15, 1993, represents the culmination of seven years of negotiations on reforms of international trade. Assuming that the U.S. Congress will ratify the agreement, most, if not all, agricultural commodities produced in the United States will be affected in some way. The purpose of the present paper is to examine the likely effects of the GATT on U.S. peanut markets. Although the market value of U.S. peanut production is small compared to many other U.S. agricultural commodities, the impacts of the GATT on peanut markets are of considerable interest for at least two reasons. First, because peanut production is concentrated in a relatively small number of states, peanut revenues constitute an important component of incomes in many communities in the southeastern United States. The impacts of the GATT on peanut markets are therefore important to farmers and policy makers in these areas. Second, the federal peanut program is unique among U.S. commodity programs with its marketing quota, price supports, and import restrictions. An important component of the federal peanut program is explicit restriction on imports of peanuts. The restriction has brought attention to the trade conditions for peanuts that seems not to be justified by the value of trade in peanuts. During the course of the Uruguay Round negotiations, for example, peanut import restrictions were used by other countries as an example of restrictive U.S. trade policies. (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)


Problem statement: The high-velocity railway link between Bologna and Firenze (Italy) is today under construction and several tunnels have to be excavated for this purpose, some of these using TBMs. A small diameter tunnel, named Cunicolo ginori, was realized by TBM parallel to a large railway tunnel (Vaglia), at the distance of only 35 m. Approach: The Vaglia tunnel had been excavated by conventional methods and provided, thanks to a detailed survey and a systematic geotechnical monitoring (rock quality evaluation and convergence measurements) the characterization data of the crossed rock mass; moreover the TBM performance data in Cunicolo ginori were continuously monitored. A tunnel stretch, 587 m long, was recorded and the analysis of the data from both surveys allowed to correlate the geomechanical parameters of the rock-mass to the TBM performances (net advancement rate, thrust, specific energy). Results: Based on this large amount of data a new system to predict the net TBM advancement rate for a tunnel in rock masses of known geological and geomechanical characteristics was then developed. Also the Utilization Coefficient (CU) can be correlated to the rock quality Indices: The net advance rate and the utilization coefficient provide a mean to foresee the gross advancement rate and to evaluate the suitability of a machine for the excavation of a tunnel. Conclusion: In this study, an analysis had been carried out on about 587 m of a service tunnel, excavated by a TBM in a flysch formation.


Simulation of GNSS signals is very important to test and validate algorithms. With some algorithms, such as acquisition or tracking, we do not need to simulate a realistic constellation with actual ranges, Doppler or navigation data. We can simply simulate the signal after reception at a receiver's front-end and only take into account and fix to desired values certain parameters, such as the intermediate and the sampling frequencies, the Doppler and Doppler rate, or the signal and the noise power. This last parameter requires some caution, because the noise power depends on the type of sampling (real or complex). In this article we show how to simulate noisy GNSS signals after a front-end. We will first present the model considered for the received signal and review the constraints on the intermediate and sampling frequencies for real and complex sampling. Then, we will introduce the noise, review the properties of a white noise, and discuss the sampling of a band-limited white noise to determine the expression of the noise power.


Abstract The role of thoracic paravertebral block (PVB) in preventing chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) after breast cancer surgery (BCS) has gained interest, but existing evidence is conflicting, and its methodological quality is unclear. This meta-analysis evaluates efficacy of PVB, compared with Control group, in preventing CPSP after BCS, in light of the Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials (IMMPACT) recommendations. Electronic databases were searched for randomized trials comparing PVB with Control group for CPSP prevention after BCS. Eligible trials were assessed for adherence to IMMPACT recommendations. The primary outcomes were CPSP at 3 and 6 months, whereas secondary outcomes were PVB-related complications. Data were pooled and analyzed using random-effects modelling. Trial sequential analysis was used to evaluate evidence conclusiveness. Data from 9 studies (604 patients) were analyzed. The median (range) of IMMPACT recommendations met in these trials was 9 (5, 15) of 21. Paravertebral block was not different from Control group in preventing CPSP at 3 months, but was protective at 6 months, with relative risk reduction (95% confidence interval) of 54% (0.24-0.88) (P = 0.02). Meta-regression suggested that the relative risk of CPSP was lower when single-injection (R2 = 1.00, P < 0.001) and multilevel (R2 = 0.71, P = 0.01) PVB were used. Trial sequential analysis revealed that 6-month analysis was underpowered by at least 312 patients. Evidence quality was moderate according to the GRADE system. Evidence suggests that multilevel single-injection PVB may be protective against CPSP at 6 months after BCS, but methodological limitations are present. Larger trials observing IMMPACT recommendations are needed to confirm this treatment effect and its magnitude.


Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development 2014, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 09-12 July 2014. Practice Research and Social Work Education - a Challenge to Enhance Social Work KnowledgeAbstractByPhD and senior lecturer Matts MosessonLinneus University, Vaxjo, firstname.lastname@example.com Practice Research (PR) is very much about producing knowledge, especially the kind that is difficult to describe as evidence-based. Considering that evidence is suggested to be found in the empiric area, and you can describe PR as very empirically-based, maybe it is possible to see even PR produced knowledge as evidence-based. The empirical field of Social Work is extreme broad and diffuse. Therefore, it's a challenge to collect empirical data solely. If PR can be seen as producing knowledge, Social Work education can in one way be seen as transmitting knowledge to students. We can always consider what information we are transmitting and it's origin. Nevertheless, as observations upon the various course syllabi may reveal, students are expected to obtain a particular field of knowledge. Seldom (or never) is the student supposed to produce certain knowledge. What I want to discuss in this paper is that there is a great opportunity within Social Work education (at least in Sweden and as far as I know in most countries) to let the students produce knowledge. The opportunity lies for example within the part of the education programme that is called practical placement (in Sweden one semester, or 30 ECTS). Within the practical placement, the students are placed at different institutions that practice social work, and are supervised by professional social workers. This gives the opportunity for some of the important principles for PR that was expressed in "The Salisbury Statement".It is a situation where collaboration between practitioners, students, educators, researchers and users is natural.It is a situation where participation is a precondition.It I a situation where ethical reflexivity and critical reflection is demanded by booth the supervisors and the education.It is a situation that offers an arena were social work interventions meets the users, and the consequences can be reflected in that context. In the paper I will elaborate some of the ways of how we will develop more of student's knowledge production in collaboration with practitioners and users. I will use one example that describes how empirical data can be gathered, at the same time as the data can be used to develop practice social work and to give students the opportunity to produce knowledge together with users, practitioners and researchers. In short the project I designed like this:The context is professional social work where students do their practical placement as a part of their social work education. The aim is to, within the framework of Practice Research, gather and analyse empirical data to enhance an develop social work practice as well as give contributions to new and better knowledge. The student and her/his supervisor (professional social worker) works in collaboration with service users, practitioners and researchers. As one tool for gathering data we use the "Mirror Method" (developed in Finland by Laura Yliruka). At first there is a three days course in using the method. The social work team's deal with real cases in everyday settings. They use the Mirror Method to discuss and document the cases, and the result of the discussions is immediately used in practice. The documentation is used as empirical data to be furthermore analysed. The student will use some of the data to produce new knowledge presented in a bachelor thesis. Keywords: education, practice research, students, practitioners, users, collaboration, data collection


OBJECTIVE
Abnormalities of eating behavior are definitional components of eating disorders (ED), but are seldom observed directly. This study assessed abnormalities of eating behavior in ED patients before treatment and documented changes after multidisciplinary treatment.

METHOD
Thirty-three ED patients (13 ANR, 10 ANB, 10 BN) and 10 controls selected a lunch meal in a cafeteria before and after treatment with energy intake (kilocalories) and macronutrients covertly observed. Visual analog scales (VAS) measured hunger and satiety.

RESULTS
Before treatment, all ED patient groups experienced low hunger and high fullness, compared to controls. After treatment, hunger increased and satiety decreased. ANR patients, after treatment, increased energy intake from 366 to 916.5 kcal (p < .001), while BN patients increased from 409.9 to 663 kcal (p = .03). ANB nonsignificantly increased. ANR chose significantly more fats (22.7% to 36.2%, p = .05).

DISCUSSION
Treatment partially normalizes pre-meal hunger and satiety in ED patients and significantly improves eating behavior (total energy intake and fat content) in ANR and BN patients. Reasons for nonsignificant changes in ANB are not obvious. We recommend documentation of eating behavior by simple, inexpensive, observational methods in a naturalistic setting before and after treatment of ED patients.


OBJECTIVE To investigate the effectiveness of tramadol for treatment of osteoarthritis in dogs. DESIGN Randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled crossover study. ANIMALS 40 dogs with clinical osteoarthritis of the elbow or stifle joint. PROCEDURES Dogs orally received 3 times/d (morning, midday, and night) for a 10-day period each of 3 identically appearing treatments (placebo; carprofen at 2.2 mg/kg [1 mg/lb], q 12 h [morning and night], with placebo at midday; or tramadol hydrochloride at 5 mg/kg [2.3 mg/lb], q 8 h) in random order, with treatment sessions separated by a minimum 7-day washout period. Vertical ground reaction forces (vertical impulse [VI] and peak vertical force [PVF]) were measured and Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) scores assigned prior to (baseline) and at the end of each treatment period. Repeated-measures ANOVA was performed to compare VI and PVF data among and within treatments, and the χ2 test was used to compare proportions of dogs with a CBPI-defined positive response to treatment. RESULTS 35 dogs completed the study. No significant changes from baseline in VI and PVF were identified for placebo and tramadol treatments; however, these values increased significantly with carprofen treatment. Changes from baseline in VI and PVF values were significantly greater with carprofen versus placebo or tramadol treatment. A significant improvement from baseline in CBPI scores was identified with carprofen treatment but not placebo or tramadol treatment. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE 10 days of treatment with tramadol as administered (5 mg/kg, PO, q 8 h) provided no clinical benefit for dogs with osteoarthritis of the elbow or stifle joint.


A new photometric measure of light intensity that takes into account the relatively large contribution of the ipRGCs to the non-image forming (NIF) system was recently proposed. We set out to revise publications reporting on alertness scores as measured by the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) under different light conditions in order to assess the extendibility of the equivalent-melanopic function to NIF responses in humans. The KSS response (−Δ KSS) to the different light conditions used on previous studies, preferably including a comparison to a dim light condition, was assessed. Based on the light descriptions of the different studies, the equivalent melanopic lux (m-illuminance) was calculated. The −Δ KSS was plotted against photopic-illuminance and m-illuminance, and fitted to a sigmoidal function already shown to described KSS responses to different light intensities. The root mean-squared error and r2 were used as criteria to explain the best-describing light unit measurement. Studies that compared only the influence of light under otherwise same conditions and in which participants were not totally sleep deprived were included. Our results show that the effects of light on KSS are better explained by a melanopic unit measurement than by photopic lux. The present analysis allowed for the construction of a melanopic alertness response curve. This curve needs to be validated with appropriate designs. Nonetheless, it may serve as starting point for the development of hypothesis of predictions on the relative changes in KSS under a given condition due to changes in light properties.


Background: Post-exercise pain is an uncommon symptom in young, healthy adults. Rest and avoidance of exercise are frequently ineffective and poorly accepted by young, active and otherwise healthy individuals. Methods: A total of 123 patients with extremity muscle pain, swelling and paraesthesia during the last 10 years were evaluated from a prospective database with compartment pressures and selectively evaluated with Doppler ultrasound and angiography. Results: Patients were young (average 28 years) with long duration of symptoms (average 3.5 years), affecting both upper limbs (3), and lower limbs (120), and 80% were bilateral. Eighty-six were male (70%). All of them were taking part either in active sports or exercise programmes, mostly athletics (49%). Common symptoms were isolated muscle pain in the anterolateral compartments in all patients, paraesthesia in 15% and swelling in 10%. Post-exercise mean compartment pressure was 61 mmHg (normal <30 mmHg). Modified open fasciotomies were performed by lateral and medial incisions in lower limbs and by a single incision in upper limbs. Minor complications occurred in 11% of patients. Full relief of symptoms occurred in 90%, 7% had some improvement of symptoms, and treatment failure occurred in 3% of patients. Conclusion: Chronic exertional compartment syndrome is underdiagnosed and should be considered as a potential cause for post-exercise pain in young individuals, and should be treated surgically. Measurement of compartment pressure is important in order to confirm the diagnosis. Open fasciotomy is safe and effective and should be considered as the preferred surgical procedure.


Introduction: We evaluated the incidence and clinical outcome of patients with hypertensive acute ischemic stroke (AIS) admitted to a tertiary care center in Central India. In addition, we examined the status of stroke biomarkers namely neuron-specific enolase (NSE), glial specific protein (S-100ββ), and inter-α-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain 4(ITIH4) in the serum of patients suffering from AIS with hypertension (HTN) and without HTN. Methods: A total of 104 patients with AIS were enrolled for the study. Clinical outcome and stroke biomarker levels were evaluated in them at the time of hospital discharge and then followed at 12 months and 18 months after hospital discharge. Results: HTN is a major risk factor associated with 67%(70.104) of patients with AIS. Multivariate analysis suggests higher odds of 4.088(95%Cl, 0.721–23.179) and 2.437(95%Cl, 0.721–23.179) for 12 and 18 months outcome in patients with AIS and HTN, respectively. Serum NSE and S-100ββ decreased at the time of discharge as compared to admission level in improved patients suffering from AIS with or without HTN, whereas levels of ITIH4 peptides 2 and 7 increased at the time of discharge (compared to its admission level) only in improved patients with AIS regardless of HTN or non-HTN condition. Conclusion: HTN is one of the major risk factors associated with higher risk of AIS as well as long-term unfavourable outcome after AIS in Central India region. NSE, S-100ββ, and ITIH4 were found to be independent predictors of outcome in patients with AIS irrespective of HTN and non-HTN condition.