Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (AAnPB) are recognized as an important group driving the global carbon cycling. However, the diversity of AAnPB in terrestrial environment remains largely unknown as well as their responses to the elevated atmospheric CO2. By using culture‐independent techniques, the diversity of AAnPB in paddy soil and the changes in response to the rising atmospheric CO2 were investigated within China FACE (Free‐air CO2 enrichment) platform. There was a phylogenetically diverse AAnPB community with large population size residing in paddy soil. The community structure of AAnPB in bulk and rhizospheric soils stayed almost identical, while the population size was higher in rhizospheric [2.0–2.5 × 108 copy number of pufM genes g−1 dry weight soil (d.w.s.)] than that in bulk (0.7–0.8 × 108 g−1 d.w.s.) soils. Elevated atmospheric CO2 appeared to significantly stimulate AAnPB abundance (up to 1.4–1.5 × 108 g−1 d.w.s.) and result in a higher AAnPB percentage in total bacterial community (from 0.5% up to 1.5%) in bulk soil, whereas no significant effect was observed in rhizospheric soil. Our results would extend the functional ecotypes of AAnPB and indicate that environmental changes associated with the rising atmospheric CO2 might affect AAnPB community in paddy soil.


This paper present a critical analysis of three qualitative studies made in the cities of Harnosand and Gothenburg, Sweden, in the period October 2001 to May 2003. The aim of the analysis was to identify Internet access barriers among private persons, i.e. factors that constrain the personal use of the Internet at home. The interest for these barriers rises from the body of research, called Social Informatics [1], which examine how people use the Internet and related network information services. Today is Sweden the world�s leading country regarding the number of computers and Internet connections in the homes, but according to a recently published report from World Internet Institute [2] are the high level of possession not mirrored in the use. This condition gives rise to the question: why do not the citizens in Sweden use the technology more extensively in spite of the fact that they have it in their homes? The study shows that there exist a number of access barriers that arise principally from technological and social/cultural conditions. The former ones are not a complex issue to handle; it is just a question of economy and interest, while the latter, formed by the latest centuries social and cultural norms, will be the real challenge.


Southeastern Sicily is one of the Italian regions with high seismic risk and is characterised by the occurrence in the past of large destructive events (Ms = 6.4-7.3) over a territory which is densely urbanised today. The main earthquakes were analysed and some minor damaging shocks reviewed to investigate the main seismogenic features of the region. The comparison between the pattern of seismicity and evidence of Quaternary tectonics allowed us to propose a first tentative, tectonic interpretation of the earthquakes. On the whole, the seismicity of SE Sicily seems distributed along regional fault systems which have had a role in the recent geodynamic evolution of the area. The Malta escarpment, the only structure whose late Quaternary-recent activity is currently known, appears the most probable source for earthquakes with about 7 magnitude. Although no evidence of tectonics subsequent to the middle Pleistocene is available for them, the Scicli line and the NE-SW fault system delimiting the northern sector of the Hyblean plateau seem seismically active with events with maximum magnitude of 5.2 and 6.4, respectively.


Frank Keil's Developmental Psychology represents his vision of how psychology should be taught and is based on nearly four decades of teaching a lecture course in developmental psychology and conducting developmental research. With a cohesive narrative, clear art programme and carefully crafted pedagogy, the book guides students through material that is as rich as it is intriguing. Keil's narrative reflects his passion for engaging students' intellectual curiosity with an analytical approach that explores the big questions, links theory with evidence and treats developmental psychology as a science. Developmental Psychology invites readers to celebrate the beauty and to understand the depth of psychological development.


Animals possess nonverbal displays consisting of chemical signals, postures, gestures, calls, and, in mammals, of facial-vocal expressions, essentially reflecting intentions and attitudes of the sender. Humans, in addition, possess a verbal language with an 'unlimited' repertoire of referential and representational symbols, syntactically combined into meaningful complexes. Because of the vital role of speech the emancipation of vocal utterances in primates is seen as the beginning of linguistic evolution. However, in humans gesturing is closely associated with linguistic expression, favouring a gestural origin. Here I compare features of gesturing and facial-vocal expression in our primate relatives, e.g. referentiality and intentionality, contrasting these with linguistic performance. The conclusion is that a choice between one of the former as the main precursor of language cannot as yet be made.


Several studies shows that corruption is a persistent phenomenon and that many anticorruption campaigns failed in the past. After a review of the literature of the determinants of the dynamic of corruption, our paper investigates the phenomenon of persisting corruption in Italy and in other countries. Econometric estimates, using statistics on crimes against the public administration at a provincial level, show that corruption campaign 'Clean Hands' started in Italy in 1990 has been effective to fight corruption. The main conclusion of our work is that anticorruption campaigns have permanent effects if they intervene at the same time on economic, political and cultural factors.


Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are formidable organisms renowned for their ability to cause infections with limited treatment options and their potential for transferring resistance genes to other Gram-positive bacteria. Usually associated with nosocomial infections, VRE are rarely reported as a cause of community-acquired infection. Presented here is a case of community-acquired infection due to vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium. The patient had been applying herbal leaves topically to his cheek to treat a buccal space abscess, resulting in a burn of the overlying skin. From pus aspirated via the skin a pure culture of E. faecium was grown that was resistant to vancomycin with a MIC of >256 microg ml-1 by the E test and resistant to teicoplanin by disc diffusion, consistent with the VanA phenotype. The organism was suspected of contaminating the leaf and infecting the patient via the burnt skin. This case highlights the need for further studies on the community prevalence of VRE among humans and animals to define unrecognized silent reservoirs for VRE, which may pose a threat to public health.


Background: Health IT adoption is high in Austria, but health IT targeted at the patient is still rare.
Objectives: To analyse the shift from eHealth to ePatient and the role that patient portals may have in this shift, from an Austrian perspective.
Methods: Analysis of the situation in Austria regarding the use of eHealth and patient portals.
Results: While eHealth applications are broadly used in Austria, only few applications address the patient as user and aim at facilitating patient empowerment. Patient portals are one approach to foster patient empowerment. In Austria, a national patient portal is introduced at the moment, but only with limited functionalities. Systematic reviews show that the evidence on the impact of patient portals on patient empowerment is still unclear, which may explain low adoption rates. It seems to be still a long way to support a new generation of ePatients who are equipped, enabled, empowered and engaged in their health and health care decisions.
Conclusion: Patient portals and other eHealth interventions aiming at fostering patient empowerment can only show impact when health care professionals are willing to engage in a true partnership with the patient, and when patients are willing to take over responsibility for their own health management.


Childhood abuse has been associated with a broad range of problems in adulthood, including disruptions in parent-child relationships. The majority of research has focused on the effects of childhood sexual abuse on mothers, but it is also important to better understand the effects of childhood abuse on fathers. The current study examined the effect of various forms of childhood abuse on parent-child conflict and relationship quality using the recent replication of the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS-R). The NCS-R is a nationwide household survey of 9,282 participants that included an assessment of the presence/absence of four forms of childhood abuse: physical abuse, rape, sexual molestation, and witnessing physical violence at home. In addition, victims of childhood abuse were asked to rate the level of conflict and the quality of relationships they have with their children. A series of 2(sex) X 2(exposure) MANOVAs were conducted with relationship quality and relationship conflict as dependent variables. A similar pattern of findings emerged across abuse type. Mothers with a history of childhood abuse reported more conflict with their own children than fathers but a better overall relationship. This study did not support the hypotheses that the effects of childhood abuse are similar for both males and females. Fathers with childhood abuse history may be more likely not to participate in their children's lives. Degree Type Open Access Senior Honors Thesis Department Psychology First Advisor Dr. Dean Lauterbach Second Advisor Dr. Alissa Huth-Bocks Third Advisor Dr. Alida Westman


Feathers, not just for the birds? Theropod dinosaurs, thought to be the direct ancestors of birds, sported birdlike feathers. But were they the only feathery dino group? Godefroit et al. describe an early neornithischian dinosaur with both early feathers and scales. This seemingly feathery nontheropod dinosaur shows that feathers were not unique to the ancestors of birds and may even have been quite widespread. Science, this issue p. 451 A fossil dinosaur with primitive feathers and scales suggests that feathers may have been present across dinosaur clades. Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous deposits from northeastern China have yielded varied theropod dinosaurs bearing feathers. Filamentous integumentary structures have also been described in ornithischian dinosaurs, but whether these filaments can be regarded as part of the evolutionary lineage toward feathers remains controversial. Here we describe a new basal neornithischian dinosaur from the Jurassic of Siberia with small scales around the distal hindlimb, larger imbricated scales around the tail, monofilaments around the head and the thorax, and more complex featherlike structures around the humerus, the femur, and the tibia. The discovery of these branched integumentary structures outside theropods suggests that featherlike structures coexisted with scales and were potentially widespread among the entire dinosaur clade; feathers may thus have been present in the earliest dinosaurs.


ABSTRACT The Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) is increasingly informing military modernisation around the world. Despite the absence of an overarching RMA-based plan in South Africa, there are incidences where elements of the RMA have been taken up in defence thinking and practice. Although unsaid in policy, it is assumed that the South African National Defence Force has to incorporate RMA concepts in its organisation if it aspires to be a modern, technologically advance defence force. 1. INTRODUCTION This article works within a conventional rationalist discourse of defence policy-making to identify how the Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA), an American inspired high-tech approach to defence modernisation, has impacted on South African defence policy. Such a framework lays claim to sound policy through rational assessment of threats and capabilities. Security threats, in this view, are objectively observable phenomena, which security actors can identify. Responses are plans of action to deal with threats. Policy-makers select the appropriate response by objectively judging the most effective action in a certain historical, economic, political and technological context. (1) The article thus takes a limited question--has the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) been adopting elements of the RMA since 1994?--and shows that it has and in what ways. The inquiry addresses several subordinate questions as well. Do defence policy-makers in South Africa know about the IRMA? What do they think about the IRMA? How do they see the IRMA fit into their response to insecurity? Which elements of the IRMA are they applying? How is their perspective about the IRMA expressed in the way that they organise and prepare for the defence function? 2. BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION OF THE INQUIRY Since the Second World War, military and technological developments in the United States (US) sowed the seeds for what in the 1990s became known as the Revolution in Military Affairs, commonly referred to in military circles as the RMA. The term IRMA has since been replaced in US vernacular by the term 'transformation'. Transformation, according to one of its biggest proponents in the US, Adm Cebrowski, can be regarded as the Thermidor phase of the IRMA. (2) The two terms are thus not only linked but on closer inspection ultimately represent the pursuit of similar changes in military organisation and technology. Hence the term IRMA is preferred. In its current form the IRMA involves the incorporation of information technology in military organisation and tactics. These technologies are said to vastly improve information exchange between forces, providing the ability to network different command structures. Enhancing intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, precision targeting, force mobility and logistics, the IRMA promises to lift 'the fog of war' or significantly contribute to this aim. Conceptualisations of this model go beyond existing technology, though, to generate a culture of innovation that would drive technological advances for future applications in war. As a model for effective defence, the IRMA has not been accepted unequivocally. Arguments aimed at tempering enthusiasm for the IRMA centre around three issues, namely whether the changes in military affairs are really of a revolutionary order or just an evolutionary order; the applicability of the IRMA to the type of warfare that has characterised the world since the Second World War (intra-state wars, terrorism); and the extent to which countries other than the US can adopt the IRMA as a model for their own military modernisation. This article engages the last point and asks in particular how the RMA might inform security perceptions and practice in post-apartheid South Africa? Embarking on an assessment of the RMA in the context of an African country may raise objections on the grounds of applicability. …


SUMMARY Little is known about the occurrence of cetaceans found in offshore waters in the Gulf of Alaska; however, whaling records and a few recent surveys have shown this area to be important habitat. The United States Navy maintains a maritime training area in the central Gulf of Alaska, east of Kodiak Island, and has requested additional information on marine mammal presence and use of this area. To determine the occurrence and distribution of marine mammals in and around the Navy training area, a line-transect visual and acoustic survey was conducted 10-20 April 2009 from the NOAA R/V Oscar Dyson. The primary survey area encompassed nearshore, shelf and offshore pelagic waters of the central Gulf of Alaska. Survey lines were designed to provide equal coverage of the nearshore and offshore habitat. During this project, the visual survey covered a total of 760 kilometers (410 nautical miles) on-effort while transit and fog effort legs accounted for 553 km (298 nm). There were a total of 96 sightings (453 individuals) of 11 confirmed marine mammal species; these included fin, humpback, gray, and minke whales as well as killer whales, Dall's and harbor porpoise, Pacific white-sided dolphins and Steller sea lions, harbor seals and sea otters. Additionally, there were 36 sightings (46 individuals) of unidentified large whales, dolphins and pinnipeds. Acoustically, operations were conducted 24-hours/day surveying a total of 3,519 km (1,900 nm) and recording 49 acoustic detections of sperm whales and killer whales. Photographs of nineteen individual killer whales and four fin whales were obtained on this cruise and compared to existing catalogs. Density and abundance estimates were calculated for fin and humpback whales by stratum using several models. All results were fairly similar given the constraints of the sample sizes involved. Best estimates were obtained using additional sightings from a previous cruise on a similar vessel for calculating the sighting detection function (distances at which whales were sighted from the transect line). These yielded estimates of 594 (CV=0.29) and 889 (CV=0.57) fin whales for the inshore and offshore stratum, respectively, and 219 (CV=0.57) and 56 (CV=0.57) humpback whales in the inshore and offshore stratums, respectively. A small proportion of large whales were not identified to species but were most likely fin or humpback whales and estimates of these unidentified whales could be assigned to these species based on the proportion of fin and humpback whales identified in each stratum. This raised …


Using Commodity Flow Data for Predicting Truck Freight Flow on State Truck Routes Goangsung Jin Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, BYU Doctor of Philosophy The increase in truck traffic on highways has brought many problems and challenges to transportation planning and traffic operation, including traffic congestion, transportation system deficiency (insufficient truck parking, etc.), safety, infrastructure deterioration, environmental impacts (air quality and noise), economic development, and so forth. Along with the increase in truck traffic, the need for developing a statewide truck freight demand model has grown so that a state can estimate truck traffic at any point on its highways. The most significant hurdle to including freight transportation in the transportation modeling process is that most of the demand forecasting methodologies currently available were developed for passenger trips, not freight trips. This type of modeling methodology usually makes an assumption that freight trips follow the same behavioral mechanism as passenger trips. In order to overcome the weakness of using a typical four-step demand forecasting modeling process, the concept of commodity flow models (CFMs) can be used to develop a truck freight flow model. It is widely accepted that focusing on the freights enables CFMs to capture more accurately the fundamental economic mechanisms that drive freight movements. The type of commodity being carried is one of the most important characteristics of truck movements, and it is sometimes a challenge to obtain such information from the carriers. Thus, lately, the integration of the freight flow modeling and land use modeling has emerged as an alternate tool to estimate freight movements than the previously developed models. In this study, county-level multiple regression models relating land use to commodity flow were developed using a geographical information system and statistics. Then, a statistical/mathematical statewide commodity flow distribution model was developed by using a physical friction factor (physical distance), a statistical friction factor (Euclidean distance), and economic factors (differences of population and difference of employment among the counties). The commodity flow distributed among truck traffic analysis zones (TTAZs) by the statewide commodity flow distribution model were converted to truck trips and the resulting truck trips were assigned to Utah's truck routes using the all-or-nothing assignment procedure of TransCAD and a genetic algorithm. Truck freight data from the US Census Bureau's Commodity Flow Surveys, which have become available to the public for free via the Internet, enabled the development of a commodity flow based statewide truck freight demand model. It was found that the integration of the freight flow and land use data could be a practical method for modeling tuck traffic demand on state-wide truck routes although the current level of data availability on commodity flow and land use data still constrains the full capability of this type of modeling.


This paper analyzes the jurisdictional and organizational facets of international security against cyberterrorism. This is a "nested," iterative, and recursive analysis, which requires assessment or assumptions regarding goals at one level in order to move on to the next level. In order to examine the need for, and potential structure of, international cooperation to combat cyberterrorism, it is necessary first to examine several subsidiary questions. First, to what extent, and in what contexts, is governmental regulation appropriate to combat cyberterrorism? This is the first level of the subsidiarity analysis: is government action necessary? Second, to what extent, and in what contexts, is domestic government, while possibly necessary, insufficient to combat cyberterrorism? This is a second level of subsidiarity analysis: is local regulation sufficient/ is international cooperation necessary? Third, what form shall international cooperation take: should it be in the form of ad hoc or non-legal and non-organizational relationships among states, or should it be in the form of more formal law or organization? Fourth, what should be the content or responsibilities of this more formal law or organization? This paper cannot answer these questions, but it suggests an analytical framework that may be used to address these questions in a broader research project. Where regulation is called for, the next question is a choice of levels of regulation: sub-national, national, regional, international law or international organization. This paper provides a brief analysis of the problem of allocation of authority - of jurisdiction - over different components of cyberspace, both horizontally and vertically. This analysis is dependent on the particular facts of cyberspace and threats to cybersecurity. This analysis uses tools from property rights theory, regulatory competition theory, and game theory. Next, this paper examines some potential sources of analogy to the international problem of security against cyberterrorism. These sources of analogy include arrangements to control cybercrime, arrangements to control financing of terrorism, and security arrangements for ocean transport.


BACKGROUND: Interscalene block (ISB) is the acute pain management technique of choice for shoulder surgery, but its undesirable respiratory side effects have prompted seeking alternatives. Supraclavicular block (SCB) is proposed as an ISB alternative, but evidence of comparative analgesic and respiratory-sparing effects is inconsistent. We compared the analgesic and respiratory effects of SCB and ISB for shoulder surgery. METHODS: Trials comparing ISB to SCB for shoulder surgery were sought. We decided a priori that SCB would be an acceptable alternative if it were noninferior for (1) postoperative 24-hour cumulative oral morphine equivalent consumption (primary outcome, noninferiority margin Δ = −25 mg) and (2) postoperative pain (secondary outcome, noninferiority margin Δ = 4.0 cm·hour–1); and superior for (3) postblock respiratory dysfunction (primary outcome). Opioid-related side effects and block-related complications were also evaluated. RESULTS: Fifteen studies (1065 patients) were analyzed. In single-injection blocks, SCB was noninferior to ISB for 24-hour morphine consumption (mean difference for SCB-ISB, MD [95% confidence interval {CI}] = −3.11 mg [−9.42 to 3.19], Δ = −25 mg); it was also noninferior for 24-hour pain scores (MD = 0.78 cm·hour–1 [0.07–1.49], Δ = 4.0 cm·hour–1); and decreased the odds of respiratory dysfunction (odds ratio [OR] [95% CI] = 0.08 [0.01–0.68]). Similarly, in continuous blocks, SCB was noninferior to ISB for 24-hour morphine consumption (MD = 0.46 mg [−6.08 to 5.15], Δ = −25 mg), and decreased the odds of respiratory dysfunction (OR = 0.22 [0.08–0.57]). SCB also decreased odds of minor block-related complications (OR = 0.36 [0.20–0.68] and OR = 0.25 [0.15–0.41] for single-injection and continuous blocks, respectively). Consequently, the null joint-hypothesis was rejected, and SCB can be considered an acceptable alternative to ISB. CONCLUSIONS: For acute pain control following shoulder surgery, high-quality evidence indicates that SCB can be used as an effective ISB alternative. SCB is noninferior for postoperative opioid consumption and acute pain, and it reduces the odds of postblock respiratory dysfunction.


Abstract. This study presents two methods for estimating methane emissions from a waste water treatment plant (WWTP) along with results from a measurement campaign at a WWTP in Valence, France. These methods, chamber measurements and tracer release, rely on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and cavity ring-down spectroscopy instruments. We show that the tracer release method is suitable for quantifying facility- and some process-scale emissions, while the chamber measurements provide insight into individual process emissions. Uncertainties for the two methods are described and discussed. Applying the methods to CH4 emissions of the WWTP, we confirm that the open basins are not a major source of CH4 on the WWTP (about 10 % of the total emissions), but that the pretreatment and sludge treatment are the main emitters. Overall, the waste water treatment plant is representative of an average French WWTP.


British literature in the mid-seventeenth century often involved an intensive transformation of genres in order to make intelligible the experience of revolution that was unprecedented, unfamiliar, and disorientating. The Civil War disrupted the self-containment of the Renaissance love lyric (Smith 250-76). Under pressure was the ideal of tenderness itself, whether as a component of love or as the sweet music of the verse that expressed that love. While such pressures would be unsurprising in any wartime culture, mid-century Britain witnessed physical violence produced by a radical religious discourse of spiritual tenderness so that the violence seemed to be perversely emerging out of tenderness itself. The situation of tenderness producing pain had its literary equivalent in the sequence of poems that had become the loadstone for imagining the conflation of tenderness and pain: Petrarch's Canzoniere. Andrew Marvell takes this amatory literary tradition and transforms it so that it can be used to make intelligible the dynamics of a political and religious struggle. Marvell often explored the relationship between aesthetic delicacy or tenderness and a spiritual ideal, in, for example, "On a Drop of Dew," "The Coronet," "The Nymph Complaining for the Death of her Fawn," "Clorinda and Damon," "Bermudas," and the nun sequence in "Upon Appleton House." There are other moments of supra-delicacy in Marvell's poetry where the categories of the aesthetic and the tender or delicate seem to rise up and become thematically important, as in the moment of Charles's death in the Horatian Ode. There is one poem, however, that appears to be wholly set inside the Petrarchan locale and that critics have consistently remarked on as a rendering of particular tenderness and delicacy: "The Picture of Little T.C. in a Prospect of Flowers." (1) By beginning with a young girl or nymph lying in the grass, Marvell opens the poem inside the Petrarchan locale, at the site of most intense vision, where Petrarch first met Laura, the place to which he would return both physically and mentally in order to re-enter the paradise of meeting her and the hope for her return: Sometimes in form of nymph or other goddess arising from the clearest depths of Sorgue she comes to take her place upon the shore sometimes I've seen her there upon fresh grass. (281) (2) Marvell's poem can be read as a witty but fairly simple extension of this Petrarchan story of love--a rendition of the story that describes a prepubescent girl's movement through the stages of naivete, chastity, refusal, wounding and then being wounded by love, told from the point of view of a young man who both fears the girl's future power and wishes her to experience a punishment for her future scorn. Yet, there are two reasons to suspect that a witty extension of the Petrarchan tradition is not the only purpose of Marvell's poem. First, a series of terms in the poem has pointed contemporary relevance. Second, delicacy and tenderness were themselves being attached to particular contemporary factions, and tenderness, in particular, had become the focal point of a crucial conflict in 1646-47. (3) In this conflict, Presbyterians, Independents, and sectarians all wished to be understood to have tender consciences, that is, to be purified spiritually, beautiful, chaste, delicate, and sweet. The claim to the status of "tender" in the context of a struggle over who would hold military and political power and control civic and church discipline gave rise to suspicions on all sides that representations of tenderness merely provided a cloak for a future violent imposition of discipline. If Marvell wished to discuss the super-idealized, aestheticized vision that had become a crucial part of how various factions understood their own legitimacy and suspected others, it would make sense for him to use the Petrarchan literary tradition that focused on the subject of tenderness. …


WDM-PON colourless transmitters based on RSOA self-seeding (SS) proved to be compact self-tuning transceivers up to 10 Gb/s. We employ frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) with different subcarrier modulations to effectively exploit a 2-GHz limited O-band RSOA in a SS architecture, achieving, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, 12-Gb/s transmission over 10-km SSMF. Due to O-band low chromatic dispersion, propagation distance is only limited by the power budget, which determines the sub-bands signal to noise ratio, reducing equalization effectiveness. The paper presents sub-bands allocation, measured constellation diagrams and BERs, which demonstrate the promising capability of the combination of FDM and RSOA SS to obtain beyond 10-Gb/s self-tuning WDM PON transmitters.


Accurate characterisation of micro- and nanoparticles is of key importance in a variety of scientific fields from colloidal chemistry to medicine. Tuneable resistive pulse sensing (TRPS) has been shown to be effective in determining the size and concentration of nanoparticles in solution. Detection is achieved using the Coulter principle, in which each particle passing through a pore in an insulating membrane generates a resistive pulse in the ionic current passing through the pore. The distinctive feature of TRPS relative to other RPS systems is that the membrane material is thermoplastic polyurethane, which can be actuated on macroscopic scales in order to tune the pore geometry.  In this thesis we attempt to extend existing TRPS techniques to enable the characterisation of nanoparticle charge and shape. For the prediction of resistive pulses produced in a conical pore we characterise the electrolyte solutions, pore geometry and pore zeta-potential and use known volume calibration particles. The first major investigation used TRPS to quantitatively measure the zeta-potential of carboxylate polystyrene particles in solution. We find that zeta-potential measurements made using pulse full width half maximum data are more reproducible than those from pulse rate data. We show that particle zeta-potentials produced using TRPS are consistent with literature and those measured using dynamic light scattering techniques.  The next major task was investigating the relationship between pulse shape and particle shape. TRPS was used to compare PEGylated gold nanorods with spherical carboxylate polystyrene particles. We determine common levels of variation across the metrics of pulse magnitude, duration and pulse asymmetry. The rise and fall gradients of resistive pulses may enable differentiation of spherical and non-spherical particles.  Finally, using the metrics and techniques developed during charge and shape investigations, TRPS was applied to Rattus rattus red blood cells, Shewanella marintestina bacteria and bacterially-produced polyhydroxyalkanoate particles. We find that TRPS is capable of producing accurate size distributions of all these particle sets, even though they represent nonspherical or highly disperse particle sets. TRPS produces particle volume measurements that are consistent with either literature values or electron microscopy measurements of the dominant species of these particle sets. We also find some evidence that TRPS is able to differentiate between spherical and non-spherical particles using pulse rise and fall gradients in Shewanella and Rattus rattus red blood cells. We expect TRPS to continue to find application in quantitative measurements across a variety of particles and applications in the future.


Th e loss of sugar content and processing quality during the harvest period happens frequently in sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L. ssp. vulgaris) grown in the Po Valley of Italy. Th e aim of this study was to assess the consequences on sugar content and quality of excess mineral N in the deep soil explored by the roots. Soil mineral N concentration and other chemical properties to a 3-m depth were correlated with sugar content and processing quality of sugarbeet in 27 sites sampled in 2000–2003. At each site, 12 soil samples with 0.25-m depth increments were collected and analyzed separately. Organic matter as high as 10% and mineral N as much as 100 mg kg −1 frequently were found between 2 and 3 m, corresponding to the maximum depth of the sugarbeet root system. Signifi cant negative relationships were observed between mineral N at the 2.5- to 3-m depth and sugar content (r = –0.63) and quality (r = –0.72). Th is study indicates both the utility of soil sampling to the depth reached by the roots, and the need of more complete analyses of mineral N, which should include not only nitrate N, but also ammonium N and organic matter. To reduce the losses of sugar content and quality, the presence of organic layers in the rooting zone should be avoided, or adequately considered in the fertilizer management of the crop.


This study attempted a Contrastive Analysis study of English language and Twi /?wi/ sound systems i.e. the segmental phonological features, with a view to finding out areas of similarities and differences in order to be acquainted with the possible areas of ease and difficulty for Ashanti learners of English as a second language. Findings showed that areas of similarities would not pose any problem for Ashanti learners of English while areas of differences would pose problems in English as a second language. Based on the findings and the conclusion, it was recommended that teachers of English should be aware of the need to concentrate more on speech training, speak, and in turn encourage their students to often speak English, as well as carrying out exercises on error analysis. Similarly, students are advised to cultivate the habit of good listening and speaking habits. They should also listen to both local and international news such as on the British Broadcasting Cooperation (BBC), Voice of America (VOA), among others with a view to making comparative analysis among them. It was also recommended that government should make oral English compulsory at all levels of academic institutions, among other recommendations.


It has frequently been argued that the post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was committed to restorative justice (RJ), and that RJ has deep historical roots in African indigenous cultures by virtue of its congruence both with ubuntu and with African indigenous justice systems (AIJS). In this article, I look into the question of what RJ is. I also present the finding that the term 'restorative justice' appears only in transcripts of three public TRC hearings, and the hypothesis that the TRC first really began to take notice of the term 'restorative justice' after April 1997, when the South African Law Commission published an Issue Paper dealing with RJ. Furthermore, I show that neither the connection between RJ and ubuntu nor the connection between RJ and AIJS is as straightforward and unproblematic as often assumed.


Many different metrics are used in machine learning and data mining to build and evaluate models. However, there is no general theory of machine learning metrics, that could answer questions such as: When we simultaneously want to optimise two criteria, how can or should they be traded off? Some metrics are inherently independent of class and misclassification cost distributions, while other are not -- can this be made more precise? This paper provides a derivation of ROC space from first principles through 3D ROC space and the skew ratio, and redefines metrics in these dimensions. The paper demonstrates that the graphical depiction of machine learning metrics by means of ROC isometrics gives many useful insights into the characteristics of these metrics, and provides a foundation on which a theory of machine learning metrics can be built.


Error is an important problem in laboratory medicine and can be seen in any clinical settings. The error can occur at any step of laboratory investigation ranging from pre-pre analytical, preanalytical, analytical, post analytical and post-post analytical steps. The problem is well described in textbook but the clinical practitioner usually forgets this problem.


Scale is a vital component to consider in ecological research, and spatial resolution or grain size is one of its key facets. Species distribution models (SDMs) are prime examples of ecological research in which grain size is an important component. Despite this, SDMs rarely explicitly examine the effects of varying the grain size of the predictors for species with different niche breadths. To investigate the effect of grain size and niche breadth on SDMs, we simulated four virtual species with different grain sizes/niche breadths using three environmental predictors (elevation, aspect, and percent forest) across two real landscapes of differing heterogeneity in predictor values. We aggregated these predictors to seven different grain sizes and modeled the distribution of each of our simulated species using MaxEnt and GLM techniques at each grain size. We examined model accuracy using the AUC statistic, Pearson's correlations of predicted suitability with the true suitability, and the binary area of presence determined from suitability above the maximum true skill statistic (TSS) threshold. Habitat specialists were more accurately modeled than generalist species, and the models constructed at the grain size from which a species was derived generally performed the best. The accuracy of models in the homogenous landscape deteriorated with increasing grain size to a greater degree than models in the heterogenous landscape. Variable effects on the model varied with grain size, with elevation increasing in importance as grain size increased while aspect lost importance. The area of predicted presence was drastically affected by grain size, with larger grain sizes over predicting this value by up to a factor of 14. Our results have implications for species distribution modeling and conservation planning, and we suggest more studies include analysis of grain size as part of their protocol. Research


In this research, we develop and evaluate a prototype for a WEB Choice Aid (WEBCA) in order to help consumers make choices in web environments. In Chapter 1, we conduct a review of theoretical and empirical decision research and identify reasons why individuals often do not use formal decision theory. We argue that web-based information provides an unprecedented opportunity to make decision theory more practically useful and identify design objectives for an approach that realizes this opportunity. In Chapter 2, we review existing technology and find that none meets all of the identified design objectives. In Chapter 3, we propose the use of means-ends belief networks as a basis for representing consumer knowledge in WEBCA. Means-ends belief networks integrate means-ends theory which defines the semantic content of knowledge with belief network theory which defines the syntactic, probability-based rules for arranging and manipulating this knowledge. This integration reconciles constructive and normative decision paradigms and enables the development of functionality to facilitate consumer learning and decision-making within a seamlessly integrated process.
In Chapter 4, we conduct an empirical analysis of three extant learning methods and one new method which are used to automatically construct means-ends belief networks from actual web data. We identify practical issues in applying these methods and motivate the need for specified improvements. In Chapter 5, we describe the WEBCA prototype which provides a concrete implementation of the design described in Chapters 1 through 3 and which depends on the learning methods illustrated in Chapter 4. In Chapter 6, we conduct a preliminary assessment of WEBCA through interactive sessions with twenty-two participants. We identify usability issues and suggest how they might be resolved in order to more fully realize the design objectives. Overall, user perceptions of usefulness and ease-of-use are good and the results indicate that WEBCA helps individuals to develop product knowledge.


Brilliantly written and thoroughly engaging, the new edition of this groundbreaking book examines the full range of African-European encounters from an unfamiliar African perspective rather than from the customary European one. Updated to include new research, maps, and illustrations, Africa'sDiscovery of Europe, 1450-1850, Second Edition, concludes with an expanded epilogue that extends the themes of African-European commercial and cultural interaction to the present day. By featuring vivid life stories of individual Africans and drawing upon their many recorded sentiments, David Northrup presents African perspectives that persuasively challenge stereotypes about African-European relations as they unfolded in Africa, Europe, and the Atlantic world between 1450 and 1850. Acclaimed by students in classroom settings ranging from secondary schools to graduate colloquia, the text features thematically organized chapters that explore first impressions, religion and politics, commerce and culture, imported goods and technology, the Middle Passage, and Africans in Europe. In addition, Northrup offers a thoughtful examination of Africans' relations--intellectual, commercial, cultural, and sexual--with Europeans, tracing how the patterns of behavior that emerged from these encounters shaped pre-colonial Africa. The book concludes with an examination of the roles of race, class, and culture in early modern times, pointing out which themes in Africa's continuing discovery of Europe after 1850 were similar to earlier patterns, and why other themes were different. Brief, inexpensive, and accessible, the second edition of Africa's Discovery of Europe offers an insightful look at the tumultuous and enduring relations between these two continents.


This paper analyzes two possible methodologies of modeling international technology spillovers in a climate-economy CGE model. Technological change, by affecting productivity, energy and carbon intensity, eventually influences the amount of CO2 emissions, the costs and the timing of the policies targeted at their reduction. Technological change is here defined so as to include also the diffusion and adoption phase. In an increasingly integrated world, new products and technologies developed in one region will eventually diffuse internationally. The two approaches described in this paper are based on two mechanisms used to model technological change in climate models: learning curves, total factor productivity and the autonomous energy efficient improvement parameter. This paper considers spillovers mediated by international trade in capital goods. In particular, it looks at how imports machinery and equipments from the OECD countries can affect the technology variables related to CO2 emissions: learning rates in the first approach, productivity, energy and carbon intensity in the second one.


This thesis presents the design, fabrication and experimental analysis of ZnSe based microcavities. Semiconductor microcavities are micro-structures in which the exciton ground state of a semiconductor is coupled to a photonic mode of an optical cavity. The strong light matter coupling mixes the character of excitons and photons, giving rise to the lower and upper cavity polaritons, quasiparticles with an unusual dispersion due to the extreme mass contrast between the composite exciton and photon. In particular, the dispersion of the lower polariton forms a dip around the lowest energy state with zero in-plane momentum. In this dip, which can be seen as a trap in momentum space, the polaritons are efficiently isolated from dephasing mechanisms involving phonons. The features of these quasiparticles promise a variety of applications, for instance lasing without inversion and micro-optical parametric amplifiers, and an environment to study fundamental physics, such as Bose-Einstein condensation in the solid state. By overcoming the longstanding fabrication problems of ZnSe-based microcavities, the enlarged exciton binding energy in combination with the use of highly reflective dielectric mirrors makes this material system ideally suited to the realisation of polariton-based devices operating at room temperature. An epitaxial liftoff technology is developed that relies on the high etch selectively between the ZnSe heterostructure and a novel II-VI release layer, MgS. Three hybrid microcavities are fabricated with the liftoff technique and spectroscopically characterised. Angle resolved transmission experiments reveal strong hybridization of the ZnSe/Zn0.9Cd0.1Se quantum well excitons and cavity photons in a fixed microcavity. A completely length tunable microcavity is presented and shown to exhibit similar dispersion as for the fixed microcavity, with the addition of evidencing the cavity polariton bottleneck effect. The nonlinear optical features are discussed. Photoluminescence data is presented that evidences the first observation of the build up of cavity polaritons at the edge of the momentum space trap in the lower polariton branch, the bottleneck effect, in a ZnSe based microcavity. Finally, lasing at room temperature in the blue spectral region is presented for a metal/dielectric hybrid microcavity.


This paper describes a quantization noise reduction method in DeltaSigma fractional-N synthesizer design based on a semidigital approach. By employing a phase shifting technique, a low power hybrid finite impulse response (FIR) filtering is realized which is suitable for RF applications. Combined with the hybrid FIR filtering, single-loop topology makes 4th-order and 5th-order DeltaSigma modulators possible for the type-2 4th-order PLL. A prototype fractional-N synthesizer is implemented in 180 nm CMOS for WCDMA/HSDPA applications. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively suppress out-of-band phase noise to meet the phase noise mask requirements in various RF applications.


Outer billiards provides a toy model for planetary motion and exhibits intricate and mysterious behavior even for seemingly simple examples. It is a dynamical system in which a particle in the plane moves around the outside of a convex shape according to a scheme that is reminiscent of ordinary billiards. This book provides a combinatorial model for orbits of outer billiards on kites. The book relates these orbits to such topics as polytope exchange transformations, renormalization, continued fractions, corner percolation, and the Truchet tile system. The combinatorial model, called "the plaid model," has a self-similar structure that blends geometry and elementary number theory. The results were discovered through computer experimentation and it seems that the conclusions would be extremely difficult to reach through traditional mathematics. The book includes an extensive computer program that allows readers to explore the materials interactively and each theorem is accompanied by a computer demonstration.


A technique to produce phase steps in a fringe projection system for shape measurement is presented. Phase steps are produced by introducing relative rotation between the object and the fringe projection probe (comprising a projector and camera) about the camera's perspective center. Relative motion of the object in the camera image can be compensated, because it is independent of the distance of the object from the camera, whilst the phase of the projected fringes is stepped due to the motion of the projector with respect to the object. The technique was validated with a static fringe projection system by moving an object on a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). The alternative approach, of rotating a lightweight and robust CMM-mounted fringe projection probe, is discussed. An experimental accuracy of approximately 1.5% of the projected fringe pitch was achieved, limited by the standard phase-stepping algorithms used rather than by the accuracy of the phase steps produced by the new technique.


Spring migration of arctic breeding birds, mainly waders and Dark-bellied Brent Geese Branta bernicla, was followed by tracking radar in Lund, South Sweden, during 1998-2001 in order to evaluate the capacity of these birds to exploit favourable winds. A total of 888 radar tracks were collected. Here I report on measured flight speeds, flight altitudes and winds and compare these with results from similar studies of arctic waders from around the world. Ground speeds were generally high, showing a strong support by following winds. The support by tailwinds was on average 8.3 ra s(-1). In total, 95% of the tracked flocks were flying with supporting winds. Flight altitudes ranged between 100 m and 3745 m above ground with a grand mean of 1750 m. Birds flying at higher altitude experienced a stronger wind support than birds An MITI- flying at lower altitude. Winds experienced by the birds differed from overall wind conditions during the seasons in question, the former showing a higher concentration in the most favourable sector (winds between south and west). The results indicate that these birds are selective in their choice of migration days with respect to wind, i.e. that they actively choose to migrate during days, and probably also at altitudes, giving them a good wind support. A relatively large proportion of the waders were also found to use strong tailwinds, exceeding the birds' own airspeeds, which support the suggestion of a risk-prone time-selected migration strategy in this group of birds. (Less)


The Conference Irrigation, Society and Landscape, celebrated in Valencia on September the 25th, 26th and 27th of 2014, brought together numerous researchers and professionals interested in traditional irrigation, in order to discuss and reflect on the past, present and future of these natural and cultural systems. The Conference analyzed the historical evolution of irrigation, considering technological, agronomic, social and institutional aspects. The present and potential values of irrigation systems as cultural landscapes were also considered. In addition, the Conference contributed to the analysis of the challenging processes of urbanization and modernization, and the strategies oriented to strengthen the socioeconomic viability and the preservation of these systems. The Conference was conceived to pay homage to Thomas F. Glick, whose research has been anessential contribution to the study of traditional irrigation systems and has encouraged water heritage acknowledgement and protection.


Title of dissertation: A STUDY OF TWO-LEVEL SYSTEM DEFECTS IN DIELECTRIC FILMS USING SUPERCONDUCING RESONATORS Moe Khalil, Doctor of Philosophy, 2013 Directed by: Dr. Kevin D. Osborn Laboratory for Physical Sciences Professor Frederick C. Wellstood Department of Physics In this dissertation I describe measurements of dielectric loss at microwave frequencies due to two level systems (TLS) using superconducting resonators. Most measurements were performed in a dilution refrigerator at temperatures between 30 and 200 mK and all resonators discussed were fabricated with thin-film superconducting aluminum. I derive the transmission through a non-ideal (mismatched) resonant circuit and find that in general the resonance line-shape is asymmetric. I describe an analysis method for extracting the internal quality factor (Qi), the diameter correction method (DCM), and compare it to a commonly used phenomenological method, the φ rotation method (φRM). I analytically find that the φRM deterministically overestimates Qi when the asymmetry of the resonance line-shape is high. Four coplanar resonator geometries were studied, with frequencies spanning 5-7 GHz. They were all superconducting aluminum fabricated on sapphire and silicon substrates. These include a quasi-lumped element resonator, a coplanar strip transmission line resonator, and two hybrid designs that contain both a coplanar strip and a quasi-lumped element. Measured Qi's were as high as 2× 10 for single photon excitations and there was no systematic variation in loss between quasilumped and coplanar strip resonance modes. I also measured the microwave loss tangent of several atomic layer deposition (ALD) grown dielectrics and obtained secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) measurements of the same films. I found that hydrogen defect concentrations were correlated with low temperature microwave loss. In amorphous films that showed excess hydrogen defects on the surface, two independent TLS distributions were required to fit the loss tangent, one for the surface and one for the bulk. In crystalline dielectrics where hydrogen contamination was uniform throughout the bulk, a single bulk TLS distribution was sufficient. Finally, I measured the TLS loss in 250 nm thick HD-PECVD deposited silicon nitride (SiNx) while sweeping an independent applied bias electric field across the capacitor. With a strong microwave field and an increasing bias rate, the loss tangent changed from a low value, where saturation occurs on resonance near the steady state, to a larger value approximately equal to the linear-response loss tangent, where saturation appears to be avoided. This increase was explained with a new theory in which TLSs can experience Landau-Zener transitions as they're swept, where the maximum excitation probability is 1/2 at resonance. Data is found to scale if plotted as a function of the dimensionless sweep rate. The functional form of this loss tangent agrees well with the theory, and is predicted to hold for any amorphous dielectric. By fitting the measured loss tangent as a function of bias sweep rate to the theory, I was able to extract an average TLS dipole moment of 7.9 D and a TLS spectral spatial density of P0 = 4.9× 1043J−1m−3.


Whether inspired by the Frankfurt School or Antonio Gramsci, the impact of critical theory on the study of international relations has grown considerably since its advent in the early 1980s. This book offers the first intellectual history of critical international theory. Richard Devetak approaches this history by locating its emergence in the rising prestige of theory and the theoretical persona. As theory's prestige rose in the discipline of international relations it opened the way for normative and metatheoretical reconsiderations of the discipline and the world. The book traces the lines of intellectual inheritance through the Frankfurt School to the Enlightenment, German idealism, and historical materialism, to reveal the construction of a particular kind of intellectual persona: the critical international theorist who has mastered reflexive, dialectical forms of social philosophy. In addition to the extensive treatment of critical theory's reception and development in international relations, the book recovers a rival form of theory that originates outside the usual inheritance of critical international theory in Renaissance humanism and the civil Enlightenment. This historical mode of theorising was intended to combat metaphysical encroachments on politics and international relations and to prioritise the mundane demands of civil government over the self-reflective demands of dialectical social philosophies. By proposing contextualist intellectual history as a form of critical theory, Critical International Theory: An Intellectual History defends a mode of historical critique that refuses the normative temptations to project present conceptions onto an alien past, and to abstract from the offices of civil government.


PURPOSE
Patient adherence to voice therapy is an established challenge. The purpose of this study was (a) to examine whether adherence to treatment could be predicted from three social-cognitive factors measured at treatment onset: self-efficacy, goal commitment, and the therapeutic alliance, and (b) to test whether the provision of clinician, self-, and peer model mobile treatment videos on MP4 players would influence the same triad of social cognitive factors and the adherence behavior of patients.

METHOD
Forty adults with adducted hyperfunction with and without benign lesions were prospectively randomized to either 4 sessions of voice therapy enhanced by MP4 support or without MP4 support. Adherence between sessions was assessed through self-report. Social cognitive factors and voice outcomes were assessed at the beginning and end of therapy. Utility of MP4 support was assessed via interviews.

RESULTS
Self-efficacy and the therapeutic alliance predicted a significant amount of adherence variance. MP4 support significantly increased generalization, self-efficacy for generalization, and the therapeutic alliance. An interaction effect demonstrated that MP4 support was particularly effective for patients who started therapy with poor self-efficacy for generalization.

CONCLUSION
Adherence may be predicted and influenced via social-cognitive means. Mobile technology can extend therapy to extraclinical settings.


The social computer is a future computational system that harnesses the innate problem solving, action and information gathering powers of humans and the environments in which they live in order to tackle large scale social problems that are beyond our current capabilities. The hardware of a social computer is supplied by people's brains and bodies, the environment where they live, including artifacts, e.g., buildings and roads, sensors into the environment, networks and computers; while the software is the people's minds, laws, organizational and social rules, social conventions, and computer software. Similarly to what happens within a conventional computer and more interestingly within naturally occurring reasoning and control systems like the human body, a social computer exhibits an algorithmic behavior and problem solving capabilities which are the result of very large numbers of local computations, decisions, interactions, data and control information transfers.


A Review of:
Quesenberry, A. C., Oelschlegel, S., Earl, M., Leonard, K., & Vaughn, C. J. (2016). The impact of library resources and services on the scholarly activity of medical faculty and residents. Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 35(3), 259-265. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02763869.2016.1189778

Abstract

Objective – To assess the impact of academic medical library services and resources on information-seeking behaviours during the academic efforts of medical faculty and residents.

Design – Value study derived from a 23-item survey.

Setting – Public medical residency program and training hospital in Tennessee, USA.

Subjects – 433 faculty and residents currently employed by or completing residency in an academic medical centre.

Methods – Respondents completed a 23-question survey about their use of library resources and services in preparation for publishing, presenting, and teaching. The library services in the survey included literature searches completed by librarians and document delivery for preparation of publications, presentations, and lecture material. The survey also included questions about how resources were being accessed in preparation for scholarship. The survey sought information on whether respondents published articles or chapters or presented papers or posters in the previous three years. If respondents answered in the affirmative to one of the aforementioned methods of scholarship, they were provided with further questions about how they access library resources and whether they sought mediated literature search and document delivery services in preparation for their recent presentations and publications. The survey also included questions concerning what types of scholarly activity prompt faculty and residents to use online library resources.

Main Results – The study was provided to 433 subjects, including 220 faculty and 213 residents, contacted through an email distribution list. The response rate to the survey was 15% (N=65). Residents comprised 35% of the respondents, and faculty at each of the three levels of tenure comprised 60%. The remaining 5% of respondents included PhD and non-clinical faculty within the graduate school. Over 50% of respondents reported use of library services in preparation for publishing and presenting. These library services were literature searches, document delivery, and accessing online resources. Faculty and residents reported use of PubMed first (71%) and most often, with 56% of respondents reporting weekly use, followed by Google or Google Scholar, with 20% of respondents reporting its use first and 23% of respondents reporting weekly use.

However, regarding responses to the question concerning how journal articles are accessed, "using a search engine" was chosen most often, at almost 65%, followed by (in order) clicking library links in a database, contacting the library directly, searching the list of library e-journals, clicking publisher links in a database, using personal subscriptions, searching the library catalog, and using bookmarks saved in a web browser. Based on survey responses, faculty reported higher use of library services and resources than residents; however, residents reported higher use of library services and resources when preparing posters and papers for conferences and professional meetings. In addition, several comments spoke to the importance of the library for scholarly activity, many indicating the critical role of library assistance or resources in their academic accomplishments.

Conclusion – This study provides evidence in support of library resources and services for medical faculty and residents, which contributes to discussions of the contributions of medical libraries. As hospital libraries close and academic medical libraries see reductions in budgets, this study contributes to the value of a library's presence, as well as the role of the health sciences librarian in medical research and scholarly communication. This academic medical library was reported to be first and most often used, in comparison with other resources or none, in preparation for publication and presenting. The results of this and similar studies can contribute to the generalizability of its findings relating to the value of medical libraries. In addition, PubMed, UpToDate, and Google were the resources used most often by respondents, along with search engines and library links in databases. These findings can be incorporated into future outreach, marketing, and instructional curriculum for this library's users. The survey results also provide additional support for the library's role in the academic research lifecycle, and free-text comments about the critical role of library services furthered those findings. The authors state that further research is necessary for improving awareness of library resources and services in the role of scholarship at institutions.


The 1934 Ms 6.6 Hansel Valley, Utah, earthquake produced an 8-km-long by 3-km-wide zone of north-south−trending surface deformation in an extensional basin within the easternmost Basin and Range Province. Less than 0.5 m of purely vertical displacement was measured at the surface, although seismologic data suggest mostly strike-slip faulting at depth. Characterization of the origin and kinematics of faulting in the Hansel Valley earthquake is important to understand how complex fault ruptures accommodate regions of continental extension and transtension. Here, we address three questions: (1) How does the 1934 surface rupture compare with faults in the subsurface? (2) Are the 1934 fault scarps tectonic or secondary features? (3) Did the 1934 earthquake have components of both strike-slip and dip-slip motion? To address these questions, we acquired a 6.6-km-long, high-resolution seismic profile across Hansel Valley, including the 1934 ruptures. We observed numerous east- and west-dipping normal faults that dip 40°−70° and offset late Quaternary strata from within a few tens of meters of the surface down to a depth of ∼1 km. Spatial correspondence between the 1934 surface ruptures and subsurface faults suggests that ruptures associated with the earthquake are of tectonic origin. Our data clearly show complex basin faulting that is most consistent with transtensional tectonics. Although the kinematics of the 1934 earthquake remain underconstrained, we interpret the disagreement between surface (normal) and subsurface (strike-slip) kinematics as due to slip partitioning during fault propagation and to the effect of preexisting structural complexities. We infer that the 1934 earthquake occurred along an ∼3-km wide, off-fault damage zone characterized by distributed deformation along small-displacement faults that may be alternatively activated during different earthquake episodes.


The vascular disrupting agent 5,6-dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid (DMXAA), a murine agonist of the stimulator of interferon genes (STING), appears to target the tumor vasculature primarily as a result of stimulating pro-inflammatory cytokine production from tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). Since there were relatively few reports of DMXAA effects in genetically-engineered mutant mice (GEMM), and models of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in particular, we examined both the effectiveness and macrophage dependence of DMXAA in various NSCLC models. The DMXAA responses of primary adenocarcinomas in K-rasLA1/+ transgenic mice, as well as syngeneic subcutaneous and metastatic tumors, generated by a p53R172HΔg/+; K-rasLA1/+ NSCLC line (344SQ-ELuc), were assessed both by in vivo bioluminescence imaging as well as by histopathology. Macrophage-dependence of DMXAA effects was explored by clodronate liposome-mediated TAM depletion. Furthermore, a comparison of the vascular structure between subcutaneous tumors and metastases was carried out using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Interestingly, in contrast to the characteristic hemorrhagic necrosis produced by DMXAA in 344SQ-ELuc subcutaneous tumors, this agent failed to cause hemorrhagic necrosis of either 344SQ-ELuc-derived metastases or autochthonous K-rasLA1/+ NSCLCs. In addition, we found that clodronate liposome-mediated depletion of TAMs in 344SQ-ELuc subcutaneous tumors led to non-hemorrhagic necrosis due to tumor feeding-vessel occlusion. Since NSCLC were comprised exclusively of TAMs with anti-inflammatory M2-like phenotype, the ability of DMXAA to re-educate M2-polarized macrophages was examined. Using various macrophage phenotypic markers, we found that the STING agonists, DMXAA and the non-canonical endogenous cyclic dinucleotide, 2′3′-cGAMP, were both capable of re-educating M2 cells towards an M1 phenotype. Our findings demonstrate that the choice of preclinical model and the anatomical site of a tumor can determine the vascular disrupting effectiveness of DMXAA, and they also support the idea of STING agonists having therapeutic utility as TAM repolarizing agents.


Background Data for Tr14&Ze14, a combination of dilute biological and mineral components was recently reported to be effective in treatment of OAK.3 In a recent meta-analysis of OAK pain from 129 studies/32129 patients (Pt)1, IA placebos (Pb) were significantly superior to oral Pb. Statistically normalized (Hedges g)2 effect sizes (ES) at 3 months compared to IA-Pb were: IA-hyaluronates (HA) 0.34, IA-corticosteroids (C) 0.32, diclofenac 0.23, ibuprofen 0.15, naproxen 0.09, celecoxib 0.04, acetaminophen (indeterminable). Objectives To qualitatively assess risk-benefit; guide clinical utility of Tr14&Ze14 relative to other treatments (Tx). Methods Patients (Pt) with OAK randomized to 3 weekly IA injections of either Tr14&Ze14 or saline.3 Primary efficacy variable was change in knee pain from Baseline to End-of-Study (Week 17) measured by WOMAC OA Pain Subscale (Section A, 1-5) 100 mm VAS (WOP). ES were calculated for comparison to meta-analysis data.2 Safety was assessed by monitoring vital signs, target-knee physical examinations, adverse events, concomitant medications, and regulatory databases (PSURs/DSURs). Results 232 Pt (All Tr14&Ze14, n=119, All Pb, n=113; Intention-to-Treat Tr14&Ze14, n=117, Pb, n=111). As expected, Tr14&Ze14 did not discriminate for WOP after only 1 of 3 injections on Day 8 (p=0.371), but subsequently was significantly superior to Pb (p<0.05) on Days 15, 43, 57, 71, 85 and 99 (primary endpoint); approached significance on Day 29 (p=0.0686, Figure 1). ES compared to IA-Pb were 0.26, 0.22, 0.30, 0.31, 0.30, 0.25 and 0.25 for Days 15, 29, 43, 57, 71, 85 and 99, respectively, indicating persistent efficacy over time with values comparable or superior to independently reported IA and oral Tx. Also, for 50'walk pain, Tr14&Ze14 was significantly superior to Pb (p<0.05) on all Days post-Day 8 except Day 29 (p=0.0501). There were no related SAEs; other AEs were generally mild and mostly unrelated to treatment. PSURs/DSURs confirmed a favorable safety profile; Tr14 exposure was at least 117,333,284 ampoules or 2,257,043 Pt-years with cumulative 7 serious and 39 non-serious possibly-related ADRs; Ze14 was at least 30,168,795 ampoules or 580,169 Pt-years with a cumulative 0 serious and 9 non-serious ADRs. Figure 1. Mean (±SE) WOMAC A Changes from Baseline (ITT Population, N=228). Conclusions Tr14&Ze14 provided statistically significant and clinically relevant pain relief on days 15 to 99 in comparison to Pb in a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial.3 Efficacy ES were consistent with those observed for IA-HA, IA-C and oral NSAIDs. Unlike oral NSAIDs, the safety profile was benign with no signals of cardiovascular, gastrointestinal or other concerning risks. From a qualitative perspective, the risk-benefit relationship for Tr14&Ze14 appears favorable, particularly compared to oral NSAIDs. References Bannuru et al. Ann Intern Med; 162: 1/6/15:p46-54. Cooper & Hedges. The Handbook of Research Synthesis. New York: Russell Safe Foundation; 1994. Lozada, C., del Rio, E., Reitberg, DP., Smith, R., Kahn, C., and Moskowitz, RW. Arth Rheumat 66 (10) Suppl.: S1266 (Abstr 2896). Disclosure of Interest C. Lozada Consultant for: Rio Pharmaceutical Services, LLC; HEEL USA, E. del Rio Consultant for: Biologische Heilmittel Heel GmbH, D. Reitberg Consultant for: Rio Pharmaceutical Services, LLC, R. Smith Consultant for: Rio Pharmaceutical Services, LLC, R. Moskowitz Consultant for: Rio Pharmaceutical Services, LLC; HEEL USA


The course of complaints, prognosis and underlying mechanisms in the early stage of osteoarthritis is poorly understood. To address the many gaps in these areas, the Dutch Arthritis Foundation (DAF) initiated and funded an inception cohort of patients with early symptomatic osteoarthritis of the hip and/or knee: CHECK (Cohort Hip & Cohort Knee). CHECK set out to study clinical, biochemical and radiographic signs and symptoms of early OA with 10-year follow-up of 1,000 persons. In this thesis we describe that rapid joint damage (change of ≥2 grades on a radiological score in 5 years) is related to worsening of pain and function. In participants with slow progression (radiological change of 1 grade or less), pain and physical function remain fairly stable over 5 year. We noted that especially comorbidities, such as additional problems in musculoskeletal system and obesity, but also mental status may have a negative effect on pain and physical health status.
We studied possible differences in evolution of disease characteristics within CHECK participants in two relevant areas: the clinical hallmark pain and the radiological hallmark osteophytes. We concluded that on group level the evolution of pain remains fairly stable, but a considerable individual variation was found. Within this heterogeneous population we identified three homogeneous subgroups of pain trajectories in patients with symptomatic knee OA. Participants of the 'good outcome' trajectory (n=222) had a slight decrease in pain severity over time and ended up with lower pain severity. Participants of the 'moderate outcome' trajectory (n=294) had a variable course over time with moderate pain. The 'poor outcome' trajectory participants (n=189) had an increase of pain severity over time. These trajectories of pain could be characterized by different clinical features, coping strategies and lifestyle factors. Participants who had at baseline a BMI above 25, and/or who had a lower education, had 3 or more comorbidities, had additional hip pain, and/or used the coping strategies 'worrying' and 'resting' were more likely to have a poor outcome. Apart from these baseline characteristics the poor outcome trajectory was also associated with rapid joint damage (change of ≥2 grades on a radiological score in 5 years ). The same method was used to identify homogeneous subgroups regarding the formation of osteophytes over 5 years. Three homogeneous subgroups of osteophyte formation could be identified, but in most participants the course of osteophyte formation over a period of 5 years was relatively flat.
In the management of pain in early OA, the physician should not only take joint damage at that moment into account, but also changes over a period of time. Also attention should be given to personal and environmental factors (such as coping, comorbidities, education). In conclusion, better (or more specific) characterization of the patients' symptoms, contextual factors (personal and environmental) and of the damaged tissue is needed, to improve our ability to target the right treatment to the right patient, resulting in improved outcome.


The maps in this book are drawn with satellites, assembled with pixels radioed from outer space, and constructed from statistics; they record situations of intense conflict and express fundamental transformations in our ways of seeing and of experiencing space. These maps are built with Global Positioning Systems (GPS), remote sensing satellites, or Geographic Information Systems (GIS): digital spatial hardware and software designed for such military and governmental uses as reconnaissance, secrecy, monitoring, ballistics, the census, and national security. Rather than shying away from the politics and complexities of their intended uses, in Close Up at a Distance Laura Kurgan attempts to illuminate them. Poised at the intersection of art, architecture, activism, and geography, her analysis uncovers the implicit biases of the new views, the means of recording information they present, and the new spaces they have opened up. Her presentation of these maps reclaims, repurposes, and discovers new and even inadvertent uses for them, including documentary, memorial, preservation, interpretation, political, or simply aesthetic. GPS has been available to both civilians and the military since 1991; the World Wide Web democratized the distribution of data in 1992; Google Earth has captured global bird's-eye views since 2005. Technology has brought about a revolutionary shift in our ability to navigate, inhabit, and define the spatial realm. The traces of interactions, both physical and virtual, charted by the maps in Close Up at a Distance define this shift.


Phylogenetic relationships among rock-wallabies, Petrogale (Marsupialia: Macropodidae), have proven difficult to resolve. Given the documented interspecific hybridisation in the wild and the ease with which hybrids can be bred in captivity, introgression and hybrid speciation are likely explanations for these difficulties. In this paper, an attempt is made at using a phylogenetic approach to identify Petrogale hybrids of known origin. The Hybrid Detection Criterion (HDC) test is applied to DNA–DNA hybridisation data for 15 full species, two natural yard-bred hybrids, and two artificial hybrids from the same pairs of parental species. While the yard-bred hybrids elude detection with this technique, the artificial hybrids, consisting of equimolar mixture of parental extracts, are easily identified. Moreover, splitsgraphs constructed from five pairs of natural and artificial hybrids, including those evaluated with HDC, and their parents show that, in all cases but one, these two kinds of hybrids do not group together. Because the HDC assumes an intermediate phylogenetic position of the hybrid between its postulated parents, it is likely that unequal crossing-over, or another recombination event, affects the results of the test. These conclusions cast some doubt on the possibility of accurately detecting Petrogale hybrids with a phylogenetic approach.


To the Editor: Arcanobacterium pyogenes is a normal inhabitant of the mucous membranes of domestic animals, such as cattle, sheep, swine, and goats (1). Diseases caused by this agent have been reported for persons who live in rural areas and have underlying illnesses such as cancer and diabetes (2–4). A recent literature review (3), elicited by a case of A. pyogenes endocarditis, found 13 unequivocal cases of human infection with this agent; many patients had a history of close contact with domestic animals. However, septicemia was not reported.

In June 2006, a 27-year-old immunocompetent man was hospitalized in Campinas (Sao Paulo, Brazil) for fever, cough with purulent bloody sputum, and discharge from and pain in both ears. The patient was a farmer who lived in the rural Amazon area and had extensive contact with cattle and swine. For the past 3 days he had been taking amoxicillin, 1.5 g/day, for chronic otitis media. At the time of hospital admission, his temperature was 38.9°C, respiratory rate 24 breaths/min, and blood pressure 100/70 mm Hg. He had palpable hepatosplenomegaly, but no murmur was detected in the precordium. Computed tomography (CT) scan of his chest showed multiple pulmonary nodules and alveolar infiltrates with small cavities suggestive of septic infarctions. Abdominal CT scan confirmed hepatosplenomegaly with focal lesions in the spleen. CT scan of the middle ear showed bilateral cholesteatoma and mastoiditis. No abnormalities were found during 2 transthoracic echocardiography procedures. Laboratory values were PaO2 63.4 mm Hg, hemoglobin 11.9 g/dL, thrombocytes 109 × 103/mm3, leukocytes 11.05 × 103/mm3 with a left shift, serum albumin 2.6 g/dL, alanine aminotransferase 108 U/L, and total bilirubin 2.57 mg/dL. Blood and the ear secretion were submitted for culture. Cefepime was prescribed, 2 g/twice a day.

Three blood cultures grew gram-positive bacilli, initially identified as Corynebacterium spp., sensitive to penicillin, ampicillin, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, clindamycin, vancomycin, and resistant to erythromycin, as determined by disk-diffusion test. Ear discharge culture grew Proteus mirabilis, sensitive to β-lactams, cephalosporins, and aminoglycosides. Subcultures of the gram-positive bacilli on sheep blood agar grew pinpointed, grayish, β-hemolytic colonies, identified as A. pyogenes by use of API Coryne 2.0 kit (bioMerieux, Durham, NC, USA; code 4732761). Although susceptibility standards are not available for this organism, it was considered susceptible to penicillin and ampicillin by combining the disk-diffusion test with the MICs, as determined by the Etest (0.06 mg/L for penicillin, 0.023 mg/L for ampicillin).

Partial 16S rDNA was amplified by using primers p27f and BAC1401r and sequenced by using primers 1100r, 765fs, and 10f. Sequences were compared with those available in GenBank by using gapped BLASTN 2.0.5 software (5). Identification to the species level was defined as a 16S rDNA sequence identity >97%. Phylogenetic analysis was performed by using MEGA version 4.0 (6) after multiple alignments of data by ClustalX (7); gaps were treated as missing data. Clustering was performed by the neighbor-joining method (8). Bootstrap analysis was used to evaluate tree topology of the neighbor-joining data by performing 1,000 resamplings (9). BLASTN analysis of the 16S sequence of the isolate showed 99% identity with the 16S sequence of A. pyogenes (accession no. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"X79225","term_id":"1838947","term_text":"X79225"}}X79225). Phylogenetic analyses with MEGA grouped this isolate with A. pyogenes NCTC 5224 in a branch separated from other species; this grouping supported the phenotypic identification.

During the 7 days after admission, the patient's condition worsened, cefepime was withdrawn, and ampicillin 6 g/day plus gentamicin 240 mg/day were prescribed. The patient became afebrile, gradually recovered, and was discharged after 28 days of therapy.

Our patient had otitis media that progressed to sepsis, which was diagnosed by clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings. The causative agent may have been undetectable in ear discharge if it was overshadowed by a strain of P. mirabilis, a fastidious organism that also colonizes or co-infects this site. Endocarditis could not be ruled out because transesophageal echocardiography was not available.

A. pyogenes is usually susceptible to benzyl penicillin, ampicillin, gentamicin, and macrolides and resistant to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, streptomycin, and tetracyclines (10). The isolate from this patient was sensitive to β-lactams, ceftriaxone, and gentamicin. However, susceptibility standards are not available because A. pyogenes rarely causes disease in humans. The patient had taken oral amoxicillin before admission, but his condition had not improved; subsequent addition of cefepime was also unsuccessful. The organism was probably sensitive to ampicillin, considering the low MIC and the expected serum concentration of the drug, but diffusion into the middle ear may have been poor or the local conditions caused by the cholesteatoma may have influenced the poor outcome of initial therapy. Treatment with intravenous ampicillin plus gentamicin produced full recovery.

Clinical laboratories do not routinely attempt to identify this organism. However, even in the absence of substantial concurrent illness, A. pyogenes must be considered as an etiologic agent of several human infections, especially septicemia, for patients with a history of close contact with domestic animals, mainly cattle and swine.


Information cost theories of property suggest a baseline preference for bright-line rules of first possession as interpretive simplicity reduces the costs of information transmission to a broad property audience. A baseline preference for simplicity allows for rule complexity where increases in the cost of information are outweighed by reductions in deadweight losses. This article suggests that rule complexity may correlate with reductions in deadweight losses through maintenance of social order, at least in 'frontier' contexts where there are risks of violent acts of property encroachment. At the frontier, where the costs of state enforcement outweigh the benefits, the lowest objective sum of transaction costs may be provided by complex rules of first possession that reduce the enforcement costs of property. Complexity may take the form of rules of abandonment, restrictions on claimant eligibility, or distinctions between actual and legal possession. The argument is illustrated by reference to East Timor, which provides an unusual opportunity to analyze the emergence of institutional complexity relating to property, both in circumstances of custom without law and in the context of land law in a new nation-state.


This paper presents the field measured data of the ambient temperature profile and the heat stress occurrences directly underneath ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays (monocrystalline-based), focusing on different temperature levels. A previous study has shown that a 1 °C increase in PV cell temperature results in a reduction of 0.5% in energy conversion efficiency; thus, the temperature factor is critical, especially to solar farm operators. The transpiration process also plays an important role in the cooling of green plants where, on average, it could dissipate a significant amount of the total solar energy absorbed by the leaves, making it a good natural cooling mechanism. It was found from this work that the PV system's bottom surface temperature was the main source of dissipated heat, as shown in the thermal images recorded at 5-min intervals at three sampling times. A statistical analysis further showed that the thermal correlation for the transpiration process and heat stress occurrences between the PV system's bottom surface and plant height will be an important factor for large scale plant cultivation in agrivoltaic farms.


Introduction: Protruding ears represent a common congenital deformity that can generate psychological implications from childhood. Several surgical techniques have been described to correct this defect; however, clinicians frequently observe the intercurrence of abrupt relief of the posterior crus of the antihelix and a partial relapse of the original defect. The objective of this study was to demonstrate a surgical technique that minimizes these complications. Methods: Sixty-five otoplasties were performed at Mater Dei Hospital, Belo Horizonte, MG, between 1995 and 2015. A surgical instrument similar to a 16-cm hemostatic forceps was developed by the plastic surgery team. All patients were operated under local anesthesia and sedation, under the supervision of an anesthesiologist in a hospital setting. Results: Correction of the congenital defect was achieved in all cases using a common method that was performed using a simple, novel technique that facilitates surgery and obtains natural and satisfactory results. Conclusion: The proposed techniques for otoplasty of protruding ears are simple, faster, and require easily obtainable and affordable materials. Satisfactory esthetic results were also achieved without observing the stigmas arising from atrial cartilage rupture. ■ ABSTRACT


This paper presents promising methodologies for modeling and quantifying non-tariff barriers (NTB) to trade in the agricultural and food sectors. We limit the analysis to sanitary, phytosanitary, and technical regulations that can have an impact on trade and to methods that provide some quantitative estimates of the impact of such barriers on market equilibrium, trade flows, economic efficiency, and welfare. Given the heterogeneous nature of these regulations, a unifying methodology does not exist. Quantification of the effects of such measures has focused on a particular product and has relied on methods that belong to different fields of the economic literature. We provide a concise description and evaluation of the various methods available for a more comprehensive assessment of the impact of NTBs on trade and welfare. We conclude by identifying promising areas for future applied research.


The United Nations Security Council is central to the application of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. This article examines the role of the Council in the circumstances of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and questions the secrecy of its decision making. It outlines the similarities between response to genocide in Rwanda and the mass human rights abuses in Darfur, Sudan. It questions the failure of the western press to provide adequate and timely information about both these tragedies.


We present a new stereoscopic compositing technique that combines volumetric output from several stereo camera rigs. Unlike previous multi-rigging techniques, our approach does not require objects rendered with different stereo parameters to be clearly separable to prevent visual discontinuities. We accomplished that by casting not straight rays (aligned with a single viewing direction) but curved rays, and that results in a smooth blend between viewing parameters of the stereo rigs in the user-defined transition area. Our technique offers two alternative methods for defining shapes of the cast rays. The first method avoids depth distortion in the transition area by guaranteeing monotonic behavior of the stereoscopic disparity function while the second one provides a user with artistic control over the influence of each rig in the transition area. To ensure practical usability, we efficiently solve key performance issues in the ray-casting (e.g. locating cell-ray intersection and traversing rays within a cell) with a highly parallelizable quadtree-based spatial data structure, constructed in the parameterized curvilinear space, to match the shape definition of the cast rays.


ABSTRACT This paper aims to understand and characterize occupant behaviour from a perspective of air conditioner (AC) usage. Therefore, it analyses data collected via a questionnaire applied throughout the Brazilian territory, which resulted in 3,259 valid answers explored by non-parametric statistical methods. The main results obtained were: (i) 89% of interviewed occupants prefer naturally ventilated environments at home; (ii) their preference impacts their behaviour, as those who prefer naturally ventilated environments tend to ventilate their house instead of turning on the air conditioner; (iii) climate and family income influence the availability of appliances, i.e. 93.2% of the high-income groups have at least one AC at home in extremely hot climates; (iv) there are groups with a tendency of high AC use, especially those who use AC often, also use it for a longer period of time; and (v) there is a significant difference between the setpoint temperature used in different climates; for instance, the lowest setpoint temperature is used in the hottest climate. This paper intends to contribute to a better understanding of occupants' preferences and behavioural tendencies, especially in Brazilian residences and hot climates, while showing the influence of variables like family income and climate on such issues.


Partnership is of growing importance in development work. Partnerships among state, private business, and civil society organizations are increasingly used to deliver the goods and services required for balanced growth and poverty reduction. Aid activities have shifted from a project focus to a more strategic and holistic focus on programs, sectors, and policies. With this new orientation, partnerships are often essential to deal with the added complexity and the larger number of agencies, groups, and stakeholders involved. "The Partnership Dimension" takes on the issues in a series of chapters divided into two general parts: Part 1, "Foundations of Partnership and Their Evaluation," covers the types of development partnership and critical issues involved, and Part 2, "Partnerships in Practice," then illustrates the aspects and lessons of partnership experience through a series of case studies. Many of the studies focus on the benefits of partnerships between institutions of government and civil society. Benefits include effective knowledge transfer, greater cross-national cooperation, the creation of new networks and capacity, and penetration of new markets. Private firms use partnerships with competitors to learn or reduce risk. There is much to learn about when, where, and how best to use partnerships, and, in particular, partnerships that involve less traditional combinations of actors, such as global partnerships for public policy, country-focused aid partnerships, private sector partnerships for knowledge creation, and partnerships for community development involving business, nongovernmental organizations, and government. Relatively little is known about the costs and benefits, and the risks and rewards, of different types of partnerships, or about how best to conduct partnerships for different purposes. This is why the current volume in the World Bank series is relevant for both development practitioners and policy analysts.


INTRODUCTION
the aim of this study was to determine the risk factors for rebleeding following device-assisted enteroscopy therapy of small bowel vascular lesions.

METHODS
this is a systematic review and meta-analysis. A literature search was performed from January 2003 to October 2019. All studies reporting on at least one risk factor for bleeding recurrence after endoscopic therapy of small bowel vascular lesions were included. A meta-analysis of those risk factors reported in at least three studies was performed to assess their association with rebleeding. The OR and 95 % CI were used for binary outcome data. Heterogeneity analysis was performed using the Tau and I2 index. If I2 > 20 %, potential sources of heterogeneity were identified by sensitivity analyses and a random-effect model was used.

RESULTS
the search identified a total of 572 articles and 35 full-text records were assessed for eligibility after screening. Finally, eight studies that included 548 patients were selected. The overall median rebleeding rate was 38.5 % (range: 10.9-53.3 %) with a median follow-up of 24.5 months. Female sex (OR: 1.96, 95 % CI: 1.14-3.37, p = 0.01, I2 = 0 %), Osler-Weber syndrome (OR: 4.35, 95 % CI: 1.22-15.45, p = 0.02, I2 = 0 %) and cardiac disease (OR: 1.89, 95 % CI: 1.12-2.97, p = 0.005, I2: 0 %) were associated with rebleeding. According to the sensitivity analysis, overt bleeding (OR: 2.13, 95 % CI: 1.22-3.70, p = 0.007, I2 = 0 %), multiple lesions (OR: 4.57, 95 % CI: 2.04-10.22, p < 0.001, I2 = 0 %) and liver cirrhosis (OR: 2.61, 95 % CI: 1.11-6.13, p = 0.03, I2 = 0 %) were also predictors for rebleeding.

CONCLUSIONS
patient characteristics and comorbidities should be considered for follow-up patient management after effective device-assisted endoscopic therapy, as they can predict rebleeding.


Objective The mental health challenges facing people who care for somebody with cancer are well documented. While many support interventions focus on provision of information or cognitive behavioural therapy, the literature suggests that psychosocial interventions could also be of value, especially given the low social support frequently reported by carers. Singing is a psychosocial activity shown to improve social support, increase positive emotions, and reduce fatigue and stress. This study explored whether weekly group singing can reduce anxiety, depression and well-being in cancer carers over a 6-month period. Design A multisite non-randomised longitudinal controlled study. Setting The Royal Marsden National Health Service Trust in Greater London. Participants 62 adults who currently care for a spouse, relative or close friend with cancer who had not recently started any psychological therapy or medication. Interventions On enrolment, participants selected to join a weekly community choir for 12 weeks (n=33) or continue with life as usual (n=29). Outcome measures The primary outcome was mental health using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The secondary outcome was well-being using the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale. Using linear mixed effects models, we compared the change in mental health and well-being over time between the two groups while adjusting for confounding variables including demographics, health-related variables, musical engagement and length of time caring. Results Participants in the choir group showed a significantly greater decrease in anxiety over time than participants in the control group (B=−0.94, SE=0.38, p=0.013) and a significantly greater increase in well-being (B=1.25, SE=0.49, p=0.011). No changes were found for depression. Sub-group analyses showed carers with anxiety or below-average well-being were most likely to benefit. Conclusions This study builds on previous research showing the mental health benefits of singing for people with cancer by showing that weekly singing can also support anxiety and well-being in cancer carers.


About 26,000 Polish officers, enlisted men and political prisoners killed by the Soviet security services in the spring of 1940 are regarded victims of the Katyn crime. The Katyn case has influenced official Russian-Polish relations and the commemoration of the victims plays a significant role in creating Polish and Russian national ideologies. In recent years, the Russian internet has become a widely used space for public and academic debates on the matter. This paper discusses what the Russian-speaking reader can find about the Katyn massacre in Russian online. It analyzes the rhetoric of exemplary articles, forums, and films, the questions they address, and the ideas they advocate.