IZA DP No. 15505 AUGUST 2022 Much Ado about Nothing? School Curriculum Reforms and Students' Educational Trajectories* We estimate the impact of a large curriculum reform in Switzerland that substantially increased the share of foreign language classes in compulsory school on students' subsequent educational choices in upper secondary school. Using administrative student register data and exploiting the staggered implementation of the curriculum reform, we find that exposure to more foreign language classes during compulsory school has only minor effects on educational choices of the overall student population. However, we find substantial effect heterogeneity: while the reform has no effect on the direct educational progression of either low-track female or high-track students, it impedes low-track male students' transition to upper secondary education. The effect of foreign language classes on the educational trajectory of low-track male students is particularly pronounced for students who do not speak at home the school's language of instruction. Finally, we find that female students who start vocational training immediately after compulsory school are more likely to select into training occupations that require higher foreign language skills instead of natural science skills. JEL Classification: I21, I24, I28


We investigate the epidemiological origins of ethnic diversity and its persistence. First, we conceptualize the role of malaria for the incentives to voluntary isolation in a Malthusian environment. The theory predicts that interactions in multiple geographically clustered groups with high sexual endogamy allowed limiting disease prevalence and increasing group fitness in pre-modern populations exposed to malaria. Second, using disaggregate level data, we document the hitherto unexplored and robust role of malaria for pre-colonial, historical and contemporaneous ethnic diversity in Africa. Third, falsification tests based on malaria epidemiology and history further allow us to validate the specific predictions of the model. No effect can be detected for other placebo vector-borne diseases. Malaria is a main driver of pre-colonial ethnic diversity in Africa but not in the Americas, where the pathogen was absent before European colonization. Fourth, the effect of ancestral malaria on endogamic cultures is the main predicted channel for the persistence of African ethnicities. Exploiting within village variation across 18 African countries, we find that ancestral malaria, but not malaria today, still affects the differential persistence of ethnicities through its legacy of active endogamic cultures.


Ticagrelor is one of the most powerful P2Y12 inhibitor. We have recently reported that, in patients with concomitant Stable Coronary Artery Disease (SCAD) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), treatment with ticagrelor, as compared to clopidogrel, is associated with an improvement of the endothelial function (Clinical Trial NCT02519608). In the present study, we showed that, in the same population, after 1 month treatment with ticagrelor, but not with clopidogrel, there is a decrease of the circulating levels of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and that these changes in circulating levels of EGF correlate with on-treatment platelet reactivity. Furthermore, in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) incubated with sera of the patients treated with ticagrelor, but not with clopidogrel there is an increase of p-eNOS levels. Finally, analyzing the changes in EGF and p-eNOS levels after treatment, we observed an inverse correlation between p-eNOS and EGF changes only in the ticagrelor group. Causality between EGF and eNOS activation was assessed in vitro in HUVEC where we showed that EGF decreases eNOS activity in a dose dependent manner. Taken together our data indicate that ticagrelor improves endothelial function by lowering circulating EGF that results in the activation of eNOS in the vascular endothelium.


The title complexes, [M(C5O5)(C12H8N2)2], with M = Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II), all lie across twofold rotation axes, around which two 1,10-phenanthroline ligands are arranged in a chiral propeller manner. The Co(II) and Ni(II) complexes are isostructural, with octahedral coordination geometry, while the local geometry of the Cu(II) complex is severely distorted from octahedral.


Globally normalized neural sequence models are considered superior to their locally normalized equivalents because they may ameliorate the effects of label bias. However, when considering high-capacity neural parametrizations that condition on the whole input sequence, both model classes are theoretically equivalent in terms of the distributions they are capable of representing. Thus, the practical advantage of global normalization in the context of modern neural methods remains unclear. In this paper, we attempt to shed light on this problem through an empirical study. We extend an approach for search-aware training via a continuous relaxation of beam search (Goyal et al., 2017b) in order to enable training of globally normalized recurrent sequence models through simple backpropagation. We then use this technique to conduct an empirical study of the interaction between global normalization, high-capacity encoders, and search-aware optimization. We observe that in the context of inexact search, globally normalized neural models are still more effective than their locally normalized counterparts. Further, since our training approach is sensitive to warm-starting with pre-trained models, we also propose a novel initialization strategy based on self-normalization for pre-training globally normalized models. We perform analysis of our approach on two tasks: CCG supertagging and Machine Translation, and demonstrate the importance of global normalization under different conditions while using search-aware training.


Data classification has attracted considerable research attention in the field of computational statistics and data mining due to its wide range of applications. K Best Cluster Based Neighbour (KB-CB-N) is our novel classification technique based on the integration of three different similarity measures for cluster based classification. The basic principle is to apply unsupervised learning on the instances of each class in the dataset and then use the output as an input for the classification algorithm to find the K best neighbours of clusters from the density, gravity and distance perspectives. Clustering is applied as an initial step within each class to find the inherent in-class grouping in the dataset. Different data clustering techniques use different similarity measures. Each measure has its own strength and weakness. Thus, combining the three measures can benefit from the strength of each one and eliminate encountered problems of using an individual measure. Extensive experimental results using eight real datasets have evidenced that our new technique typically shows improved or equivalent performance over other existing state-of-the-art classification methods.


In this work, by means of Monte Carlo simulations, we analyze the presence of a resonance in the DC current response of an asymmetric nonlinear nanodiode (called self-switching diode) to AC voltage excitations in the Terahertz range. The phenomenon, which takes place at room temperature, can be enhanced and tuned by the geometry of the device, being potentially useful for selective Terahertz detection. The resonance is linked to a noise mechanism: collective charge fluctuations in the space-charge region around the active channel of the device, which are visible both in noise and rectification. The enhancement of the DC current is attributed to the phase shift between the applied signal and the response of the charge around the channel near the vertical trenches, which controls the electron flow through the diode. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


It is known that the cubic (parent phase) to trigonal (R-phase) martensitic transformation is accompanied by some precursor phenomena in the parent state, such as appearance of weak diffuse scattering, although the mechanism is not clear. In the present work, the structural modulation in the parent phase was analyzed both in the real and reciprocal spaces by electron microscopy with a recently developed omega-type energy-filter and imaging plates. Some essential differences in characters were observed between the diffuse scattering in the parent phase and the superlattice reflection in the R-phase, such as in the extinction rules and peak positions etc. We presumed that the diffuse scattering originated from a transverse-type lattice modulation, and the modulated regions in the parent phase had a different crystal structure from the R-phase. Dark-field images with the diffuse scattering showed a characteristic domain-like morphology. By considering these observations, the presence of variants for the lattice modulation was proposed.


On 9 July 1990, in Moore v. Regents of the University of California, the Supreme Court of California ruled in a four-to-three decision that individuals do not have rights to a share in profits earned from research performed on their bodily materials. In its decision, the Supreme Court of California ruled that cancer patient John L. Moore did not have personal property rights to samples or fluids that his physicians took from his body for research purposes. Moore created the precedent in California that although physicians are required to disclose their research interests to their patients, patients do not have property-related claims to any samples that their physicians take from their body. The Supreme Court of California's decision in Moore v. Regents of the University of California enabled physicians and researchers to retain legal ownership on samples taken from their patients' bodies so that they can conduct what the court describes as socially important medical research, such as work on reproductive cancers or developmental disorders.


Vladimir Mikhailovitch Bekhterev was a pioneering Russian neurologist, psychiatrist, and psychologist. A highly esteemed rival of Ivan Pavlov, his achievements in the areas of personality, clinical psychology, and political and social psychology were recognized and acclaimed throughout the world. However, when his version of reflexological doctrine ran afoul of official Soviet ideology in the 1920s his work was banned and his influence suppressed through the dispersal of his many colleagues and disciples. Bekhterev himself died in 1927 under mysterious circumstances. This translation of Suggestion and Its Role in Social Life is a significant instance of intellectual and cultural restoration. It marks a starting point of Bekhterev's lifelong endeavor to relate his clinical observations and philosophy of science to problems of the social world. Bekhterev's investigation reviews and explains the many conflicting positions in the social and scientific thought concerning the nature and power of suggestion. He takes pains to differentiate the process from persuasion and hypnosis, and discusses suggestion and autosuggestion in the waking state, examining their effectiveness on feeling, thought, and behavior. He then discusses the destructive consequences of the process--violent crime, suicide, witchcraft, and devil-possession hysteria-- in a wide variety of contexts important in the Russia, Europe and North America of the period. Bekhterev presents a structural model of the mind, including both conscious and unconscious realms, and the phenomena of suggestion without awareness; in doing so he anticipated much present-day work on preconscious influence. Suggestion and Its Role in Social Life is a landmark study in collective psychological research that may lead to revisions in histories of social psychology. It will be read by psychologists, sociologists, and social historians.


Background In previous work, we found that intensive amplitude training successfully improved micrographia in Parkinson's disease (PD). Handwriting abnormalities in PD also express themselves in stroke duration and writing fluency. It is currently unknown whether training changes these dysgraphic features. Objective To determine the differential effects of amplitude training on various hallmarks of handwriting abnormalities in PD. Methods We randomized 38 right-handed subjects in early to mid-stage of PD into an experimental group (n = 18), receiving training focused at improving writing size during 30 minutes/day, five days/week for six weeks, and a placebo group (n = 20), receiving stretch and relaxation exercises at equal intensity. Writing skills were assessed using a touch-sensitive tablet pre- and post-training, and after a six-week retention period. Tests encompassed a transfer task, evaluating trained and untrained sequences, and an automatization task, comparing single- and dual-task handwriting. Outcome parameters were stroke duration (s), writing velocity (cm/s) and normalized jerk (i.e. fluency). Results In contrast to the reported positive effects of training on writing size, the current results showed increases in stroke duration and normalized jerk after amplitude training, which were absent in the placebo group. These increases remained after the six-week retention period. In contrast, velocity remained unchanged throughout the study. Conclusion While intensive amplitude training is beneficial to improve writing size in PD, it comes at a cost as fluency and stroke duration deteriorated after training. The findings imply that PD patients can redistribute movement priorities after training within a compromised motor system.


SUMMARY For two generations, policy makers, environmental groups, industry associations and other stakeholders have given global forest deterioration concerted and sustained attention. Widespread disappointment over the failure to achieve a binding global forest convention at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit has been followed by frustration over the relatively limited impact to date of post-Rio forest-related global policy initiatives, including intergovernmental and non-state efforts. This paper argues that "reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation" (REDD) initiatives will yield significant impacts only if decision makers are committed to a results-based "dual effectiveness" test, addressing both forest degradation and global emissions reductions, and involving significant and measurable global-scale targets. While the importance of such a commitment may appear obvious, lessons from past forest and climate efforts suggest that greater results-based accountability is needed to overcome short-term and narrowly defined organizational and national self-interest.


In this paper i t is shown how to estimate the modal parameters as well as their uncertainties using the prediction error method o f a dynamic system on the basis of output measurements only. The estimation scheme is assessed by means of a simulation stud y. As a part of the introduction, an example is given showing how the uncertainty estimates can be used in applications such as damage detection.


Among the four elements, the earth seems to be for Beckett the matter which allows the human being to go back to his roots, through the most fundamental postures or through walking. It is the matter of space itself which, from a Beckettian point of view, needs to be explored step by step, by covering the distance. We will then use Deleuze and Guattari's "geophilosophy" to analyse the beating between "deterritorialization" and "reterritorialization," the character's "nomadism," the wandering on Earth following the rythm of a constant "come and go" – in a word, to draw Beckett's cartography.


Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are becoming increasingly important in the way we organize our lives, our workplaces and our societies. ICT allows people and organisations, that have never interacted with each other in the past, to initiate new and mutually beneficial businesses across the world. This means that personal and business information is increasingly being communicated across interpersonal, inter-business and international borders. Keeping this information safe and protecting the fragile IT infrastructure from criminals is a growing problem in most societies. Unfortunately, traditional security technologies based on a strong perimeter defence work poorly in an inter-connected world that obeys Metcalfe's law which states that "the value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of connected users of the system", i.e. , where there is a strong incentive for interactions across the different borders. During the past decade, trust management has emerged as a promising solution to many challenges in networks and distributed systems as well as emerging problems in computer security and privacy.

 This special issue on "Frontiers in Trust Management" attempts to highlight some of the latest re- search addressing those challenges. It collects a series of papers on trust management issues that extends papers and ideas presented at the Fifth IFIP WG 11.11 International Conference on Trust Management or one of the affiliated workshops in Copenhagen, June 27 – July 1, 2011.


Business activity is exposed to market and individual threats of significant importance for its development. Responsible entrepreneurs should take actions focused on minimizing the impact of risk on the functioning of the organization and achieving market successes. Pilot studies confirmed the preferences of transport sector enterprises to limit potential risks at every stage of their operations. One of the solutions in risk management is its transfer to the insurer. The purpose of the presented article is to identify the most important problems related to risk in a selected transport company as a basis for preparing an insurance program ensuring optimal protection. For its implementation, an analysis of the business conditions of the audited entity was conducted, identification and analysis of possible risk was made, and scenarios of optimal protection were implemented through the application of a special risk management mechanism and its transfer to the insurer. The study is a contribution to selected issues and an attempt to present the results of the conducted research at the stage of creating a long-term offer of the insurance program as the protection of the enterprise against risk. The choice of the subject of research was intentional, as the entities providing TSL services are strongly threatened by the occurrence of risk in their operations.


The long-term course of migraine with aura (MA) has been poorly explored. The present 11-year follow-up study assessed the long-term natural history and possible prognostic factors of MA with onset in childhood or adolescence. Patients were recruited from the original case records of our department, which are specifically designed to report all headache characteristics, aura symptoms and electroencephalogram (EEG) findings. A total of 77 patients (47 females; 30 males) whose records contained detailed descriptions of both headache and aura symptoms apparently meeting the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD)-II criteria for MA (i.e., 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.6) underwent structured face-to-face follow-up headache interviews, all of which were conducted by the same neurologist, who has particular expertise in this field. A multivariate model (logistic regression analysis) was used to investigate the association between possible prognostic factors and the remission of both aura and headache at follow-up. The results of our study showed that 23.4% of the MA patients were headache-free at follow-up, 44.1% still had MA and 32.5% had a transformed headache diagnosis (i.e., fulfilling the criteria for ICHD-II 1.1. or 2). Patients with basilar-type migraine (1.2.6) showed the highest headache remission rate (38.5%). Our study seems to show that migraine with typical aura (1.2.1–1.2.2) is associated with a favourable evolution of aura symptoms over time (remission of aura in 54.1% of patients). Subjects experiencing only visual aura had a lower remission rate compared with those with visual ± sensory ± aphasic aura symptoms (36.8% vs. 61.5%, p = 0.054). A short headache duration (<12 hrs) and the presence of EEG abnormalities at baseline were the only significant predictors of aura remission at follow-up (odds ratio [OR] = 9.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.79 ± 46.51, and OR = 4.76, 95% CI: 1.18 ± 19.15, respectively). No significant predictors of headache remission were found. In conclusion, our results suggest that MA shows a favourable course. Further prospective studies with detailed EEG analysis both at baseline and at follow-up are needed in order to confirm the possible prognostic role of EEG abnormalities in MA. That said, it would, in our opinion, be highly premature at present to submit children with MA to EEG examinations for prognostication purposes.


The objective of this study was to estimate genetic correlations between calving difficulty score and carcass traits in Charolais and Hereford cattle, treating first and later parity calvings as different traits. Genetic correlations between birth weight and carcass traits were also estimated. Field data on 59,182 Charolais and 27,051 Hereford calvings, and carcass traits of 5,260 Charolais and 1,232 Hereford bulls, were used in bivariate linear animal model analyses. Estimated heritabilities were moderate to high (0.22 to 0.50) for direct effects on birth weight, carcass weight, and (S)EUROP (European Community scale for carcass classification) grades for carcass fleshiness and fatness. Heritabilities of 0.07 to 0.18 were estimated for maternal effect on birth weight, and for direct and maternal effects on calving difficulty score at first parity. Lower heritabilities (0.01 to 0.05) were estimated for calving difficulty score at later parities. Carcass weight was positively genetically correlated (0.11 to 0.53) with both direct and maternal effects on birth weight and with direct effects on calving difficulty score. Carcass weight was, however, weakly or negatively (-0.70 to 0.07) correlated with maternal calving difficulty score. Higher carcass fatness grade was genetically associated with lower birth weight, and in most cases, also with less difficult calving. Genetic correlations with carcass fleshiness grade were highly variable. Moderately unfavorable correlations between carcass fleshiness grade and maternal calving difficulty score at first parity were estimated for both Charolais (0.42) and Hereford (0.54). This study found certain antagonistic genetic relationships between calving performance and carcass traits for both Charolais and Hereford cattle. Both direct and maternal calving performance, as well as carcass traits, should be included in the breeding goal and selected for in beef breeds.


Abstract Background: The goal of the presented study was to identify personality and temperament traits of Olympic taekwondo competitors at a varied level of advancement in relation to their sports performance. Material and methods: There were 127 Olympic taekwondo competitors in a junior category (n = 63) and a senior one (n = 64) who were divided into two research groups, i.e. competitors who won medals and competitors who did not win medals in the Polish championship of Olympic taekwondo. Results: Having analysed the data, it turned out that the two researched groups (juniors and seniors) were similar regarding a low level of anxiety and neuroticism, a high level of extroversion and an average level of agreeableness. The only variable significantly differentiating competitors in junior and senior groups was neuroticism. Conclusions: In the junior group, it was extroversion that differentiated the competitors with or without medals, in the senior one – agreeableness. abstract Background: The goal of the presented study was to identify personality and temperament traits of Olympic taekwondo competitors at a varied level of advancement in relation to their sports performance. Material and methods: There were 127 Olympic taekwondo competitors in a junior category (n = 63) and a senior one (n = 64) who were divided into two research groups, i.e. competitors who won medals and competitors who did not win medals in the Polish championship of Olympic taekwondo. Results: Having analysed the data, it turned out that the two researched groups (juniors and seniors) were similar regarding a low level of anxiety and neuroticism, a high level of extroversion and an average level of agreeableness. The only variable significantly differentiating competitors in junior and senior groups was neuroticism. Conclusions: In the junior group, it was extroversion that differentiated the competitors with or without medals, in the senior one – agreeableness.


The fish-remains contained in the six specimens submitted to me by Mr. Homer for examination are derived from not fewer than sixteen individuals. With the exception of one mutilated tail, the posterior portions of all are deficient. The cranial bones are for the most part in good preservation; some of the fins are also well shown, more especially those parts composed of hard spines. The teeth and scales are also in perfect condition. The anterior portion of the endo-skeleton is displayed in several of the specimens, together with the dermal apparatus for supporting the dorsal and anal fins. Unfortunately the precise character of the dorsal fin is not recognizable, nor can the soft rays of any of the fins be counted with accuracy. The branchiostegous rays are also indefinable, both as to form and number; and the vomer and palatine bones are not visible. These deficiencies render doubtful the determination of the family or genus to which the species is to be referred. Enough, however, is preserved to afford, if not conclusive evidence, at all events an approximation to the truth. There is no question but that all the specimens belong to one and the same species, and the crowded position of their remains warrants the conclusion that it was a gregarious species. The characters of the scales and fin-rays determine it to be a true Ctenoid of Agassiz, or Acanthopteroid of Müller, and belonging to one of the most typical families of the Order. In the absence of the


Bacterial strains (190) capable of growth on epsilon-caprolactam as a sole source of carbon and nitrogen were isolated from epsilon-caprolactam industrial sewage. Most of the strains (90%) were found to contain plasmids. Some of the strains (36.8%) assigned provisionally to the genus Pseudomonas contained plasmids controlling epsilon-caprolactam catabolism. The plasmids had a molecular mass from 50 to 300 MDa. Certain plasmids differed in the frequency of conjugation transfer and in the presence of other genetic determinants (resistance against heavy metal ions) and also determined the different character of bacterial growth on epsilon-caprolactam and on its intermediate catabolites.


We characterize precisely the possible rate of decay of the anti-analytic half of a trigonometric series converging to zero almost everywhere.


In 20 years, 19 patients with myasthenia gravis and invasive thymoma have been seen by the Neurology Service at the UCLA Center for Health Sciences. This represents 4 percent of 493 myasthenia gravis patients seen during the same time and 37 percent of myasthenic patients with thymomas. Eight are still alive and 11 have died. Fifteen patients had the onset of myasthenic symptoms before discovery of the thymoma, while only four patients had chest symptoms and/or radiographic evidence of an anterior mediastinal mass prior to the onset of weakness. Radical excision of the tumor, if possible, and the remaining thymus, high dosage alternate day prednisone, and radiation therapy, if indicated, seem the treatments of choice. Recurrences of tumor nodules may necessitate further local radiation or the use of cytotoxic agents.


Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting brand competitive positioning (BCP) and its components in the home appliance industry and also to develop a scale for it, considering both the seller's and the buyer's side.

Design/methodology/approach
The factors were investigated both qualitatively and quantitatively. Data was collected from findings of previous research as well as interviews with experts in the industry. After conducting thematic analysis, the extracted factors were confirmed by experts. A total of 400 samples was used to test the BCP scale. Respondents were the customers of some selected home appliance brands.

Findings
The results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that seven main factors influenced BCP, including product quality, service quality, perceived price, sales and distribution, marketing communication, market orientation and reputation and background. Also, the five components of BCP are distinctiveness, desirability, credibility, value for money and top of the mind awareness.

Originality/value
Modelling a new scale on BCP is of considerable importance. Using mixed method, the current study presents a new scale named Brand Competitive Positioning Scale.


Recent studies have shown that online users tend to select information adhering to their system of beliefs, ignore information that does not, and join groups - i.e., echo chambers - around a shared narrative. Although a quantitative methodology for their identification is still missing, the phenomenon of echo chambers is widely debated both at scientific and political level. To shed light on this issue, we introduce an operational definition of echo chambers and perform a massive comparative analysis on more than 1B pieces of contents produced by 1M users on four social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Gab. We infer the leaning of users about controversial topics - ranging from vaccines to abortion - and reconstruct their interaction networks by analyzing different features, such as shared links domain, followed pages, follower relationship and commented posts. Our method quantifies the existence of echo-chambers along two main dimensions: homophily in the interaction networks and bias in the information diffusion toward likely-minded peers. We find peculiar differences across social media. Indeed, while Facebook and Twitter present clear-cut echo chambers in all the observed dataset, Reddit and Gab do not. Finally, we test the role of the social media platform on news consumption by comparing Reddit and Facebook. Again, we find support for the hypothesis that platforms implementing news feed algorithms like Facebook may elicit the emergence of echo-chambers.


The paper presents the analysis of epidemic activity of natural plague foci around the world, including in CIS and the Russian Federation, over the period of 2000–2018. It was established that in 2010–2018, epidemic manifestations took place in natural plague foci where the main carriers are synanthropic (black, multinippled rats) and commercial (marmots, souslik, ground squirrels) species of rodents. Retaining of low epizootic activity of lowland natural plague foci in the territory of the Russian Federation is observed. In 2018, plague epizooties were detected in the territory of the Gorno-Altai high-mountain and Tuva mountain natural foci, the total coverage area being 2641 km 2 . 13 strains of the main subspecies and 6 strains of Altaic subspecies of plague microbe were isolated. Demonstrated were the prospects of GIS-technology usage for the enhancement of epidemiological surveillance over plague in Russia. Epizootiological forecast for persisting challenging epidemiological situation in Kosh-Agach district of the Republic of Altai and Mongun- Taiginsky, Ovyursky and Tes-Khemsky Kozhuuns of the Republic of Tuva was substantiated. Recorded was high probability of retention of strained epizootic and epidemiological situation in the south and central parts of the desert zone in the Republic of Kazakhstan, high-mountain areas of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. Also conservation of epidemic risks for the territories of the countries in Africa (Republic of Madagascar), South (Peru, Bolivia), and North (USA) America, China, and Mongolia was noted.


As a cornerstone of one of the youngest, largest, and most prestigious planned communities in the country (the City of Irvine), UCI was established on sprawling undeveloped acreage on the bluffs bounding the Pacific Ocean. This allowed the campus to be methodically and systematically designed from scratch with a large, circular central park encircled by a one‐mile underground utility tunnel loop connected to central energy and information infrastructure. The UCI Microgrid was integral to this modern design along with a modern district heating and cooling system. Today, the UCI Microgrid serves a community of more than 30,000 people and encompasses a wide array of building types (residential, office, research, classroom), transportation options (automobiles, buses, shared‐cars, bicycles), and a wide array of distributed energy resources. Through an array of prior and current research programs, the UCI Advanced Power and Energy Program (APEP) has teamed and worked with the UCI Administration and Facilities Management (FM) to integrate key microgrid hardware, software, and simulation assets into the UCI Microgrid.


Background: acute poisoning is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children all over the world. Objectives: to find out the types of acute accidental poisoning (AAP) in children in Baghdad and various host and environmental factors responsible for. Method: one hundred and seventy poisoning cases and hundred controls were enrolled in a case control study done in central pediatrics teaching hospital for the period from 1st of Jan. 1998 to 30th of April 1998. Results: kerosene poisoning was the commonest type (56.4%) followed by drugs (23.5%) then organophosphorus insecticides (11.8%), household products (3.5%). The highest frequency was noticed at 8.00 am-12.00 noon followed by 12.00 noon – 4.00 pm. It has been found that there is no significant relationship between poisoning and sex of child, mother educational level but the followings found to be significant risk factors: age of 1-3 years followed by 3-5 years, urban residence, peak time of poisoning was during midmorning hours and early afternoon, also order of the child (5th) besides family size (family of 4-7 members), mother's age of above 35 years, not working mother (housewife). Also it showed a relation with recurrence of poisoning in the same child (7.1%) or other sibling in the same family (16.5%) , being at home (86,5%) and use inappropriate method of storing and placing poisonous materials. Conclusion & recommendations: significant risk factors regarding younger age, larger family size, early day time occurrence and recurrence of accidents in the same family, in addition to improper storage places necessitate the need for earlier poison prevention education programs as an integral part of well child visits even before child is mobile. Date Submitted:04.03.2013 Date Accepted:12.06.2013 Address for Correspondence: Rabab Hassan Baaker Senior Lecturer In Pediatric Department, Al Mustansiriya Medical College


The National Audit Office (NAO) asked RAND Europe to conduct a qualitative study into general practitioners' (GPs) prescribing behaviors. This study aims to understand what shapes GPs' prescribing decisions, and how the cost efficiency of prescribing might be improved. This qualitative study contributes to the NAO's larger investigation into primary care prescribing in England, and more specifically how financial savings can be delivered.


Oncogenic cells have intrinsic properties for evading attack by the immune system, which largely contribute to the oncogenic pathology. Therefore, the development of drugs that can block these properties represents an important goal toward obtaining effective strategies to cure cancer. Currently, monoclonal antibodies targeting the programmable cell death 1 (PD-1) receptor and its ligand (PD-L1) are widely used in targeted therapy, which show high effectivity in clinical studies resulting in a significant increase in the duration of anticancer immunity. The PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway was recently identified as a mechanism of the negative regulation of the immune system, and as the main mechanism by which oncogenic cells evade the body's immune system. Moreover, the expression of PD-1 receptor in the tumour microenvironment cells is related to several other signaling pathways involving both hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells. The interaction of PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibits the activity of cytotoxic T-cells and tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes with increased T-cell suppressor activity. Consequently, the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway promotes tumour cells to evade the immune response. Therefore, blockage of PD-1/PD-L1 enhances antitumor immunity, reduces the number of T-cell suppressors and suppresses their activity, and restores the activity of cytotoxic T-cells. The PD1 receptor and it is ligands PD-L1 and PD-L2 are representatives of the immunoglobulin superfamily and are part of the "immunological control points" system, the main functions of which include the regulation and modulation of the immune response, reduction of immune cell-induced damage in organs and tissues, and prevention of autoimmune processes. Accordingly, development of therapeutic anti-PD1 and anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibodies that could lead to the reactivation of a specific antitumor immune response is a promising strategy of tumour immunotherapy. To date, monoclonal antibodies blocking PD-1/PD-L1 have achieved good results and were approved by the Food and Drug Administration.


The modification described utilizes a serum bottle closed with a butyl rubber stopper with a crimped metal seal for the growth of obligately anaerobic bacteria.


BACKGROUND
Much of the difficulty in understanding acetabular fracture patterns is due to the complex three-dimensional relationship of the acetabulum to the greater pelvis. We hypothesized that combining three-dimensional "hands-on" anatomic models with two-dimensional informational teaching sheets would improve the ability of orthopaedic residents to accurately classify acetabular fracture patterns and aid in preoperative surgical approach selection.

METHODS
Thirty-five orthopaedic residents from two programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education participated in this prospective study. Twenty-question quizzes based on radiographs and computed tomography images of acetabular fractures tested the ability of the residents to accurately classify these fractures. One-half of the residents had access to informational teaching sheets only, and the other group had access to three-dimensional pelvic models of the fractures in addition to the informational sheets.

RESULTS
There was a positive correlation between the postgraduate year in training and the mean pre-intervention quiz score (r2 = 0.89). The mean improvement in the quiz score was 15% ± 15% for first and second-year residents compared with 3% ± 12% for fourth and fifth-year residents (p = 0.04). The resident group that used the three-dimensional "hands-on" models showed greater post-intervention improvement in the quiz score.

CONCLUSIONS
In this preliminary study, active learning that incorporated three-dimensional "hands-on" pelvic models improved the ability of orthopaedic residents to accurately classify acetabular fracture patterns compared with use of informational teaching sheets alone.


Wildlife conservation planning, funding and implementation often takes account of and sets priorities on the basis of wildlife numbers, biodiversity and species habitat, protected area status and their value in the bigger landscape picture, practicality and the chances of success—which reflect well on the funding body. Armed conflict is almost always seen as a negative factor and in the case of it arising, many organisations pull out. The Democratic Republic of Congo has been affected by several such conflicts but has also benefitted from the first project aimed specifically at maintaining biodiversity conservation during armed conflict. This paper takes Garamba National Park, DRC as a case study, presents population data of the main large mammals from 40 years of systematic aerial survey and relates trends to the specific effects of eight conflict crises and times of peace and the presence or absence of international support between 1960 and 2016. It draws lessons learned from first hand experience of the mechanisms and secondary effects of armed conflict and the approaches to maintaining conservation during such periods.


The aim of the present study is to examine the relationship between resilience, subjective well-being and academic achievement (i.e., school engagement and perceived performance). To achieve this, a battery of instruments was applied to 945 Compulsory Secondary Education students from Basque Country (425 boys and 520 girls) of medium socio-cultural level and aged between 12 and 17 (M age = 14.50, SD = 1.82). The study tests a structural model for analyzing the effects of resilience and subjective well-being on school engagement and perceived performance. The findings provide evidence in favor of the influence of resilience and subjective well-being as decisive psychological variables in the prediction of school engagement and perceived performance. Finally, the results of this study highlight the need to foster education of resilience and subjective well-being to improve academic achievement among adolescent students.


"Tail-clamp" PNAs composed of a short (hexamer) homopyrimidine triplex forming domain and a (decamer) mixed sequence duplex forming extension have been designed. Tail-clamp PNAs display significantly increased binding to single-stranded DNA compared with PNAs lacking a duplex-forming extension as determined by T(m) measurements. Binding to double-stranded (ds) DNA occurred by combined triplex and duplex invasion as analyzed by permanganate probing. Furthermore, C(50) measurements revealed that tail-clamp PNAs consistently bound the dsDNA target more efficiently, and kinetics experiments revealed that this was due to a dramatically reduced dissociation rate of such complexes. Increasing the PNA net charge also increased binding efficiency, but unexpectedly, this increase was much more pronounced for tailless-clamp PNAs than for tail-clamp PNAs. Finally, shortening the tail-clamp PNA triplex invasion moiety to five residues was feasible, but four bases were not sufficient to yield detectable dsDNA binding. The results validate the tail-clamp PNA concept and expand the applications of the P-loop technology.


Climatic variations influence formation and maturation of coffee grains by altering their intrinsic characteristics, which can allow for several types of coffee qualities, including the potential for production of special coffee. This study was carried out to verify the effect of environmental conditions and crop cultivation on chemical composition and their consequences in cup quality of coffees from region of Jesuitas, Parana State. During the same crop season this study was accomplished (2002-2003), cup quality was evaluated among the producers in several coffee-growing municipalities in Parana State. It was observed that 86% of samples were classified simply as "soft" (smooth flavor) or "hard" (bolder flavor), and 14% were classified as rioysh/rio (strong unpleasant taste). The results concluded that the practices adopted by producers, who have collaborated with the study, reflected positively on the final cup quality, when compared to the overall quality results in the State. The climatic conditions and practices of crop management and harvest in the Jesuitas region made for bolder coffee with low acidity, comparable to high quality coffees produced in Brazil and abroad.


The object of the present study was to prepare and evaluate the controlled release of Lamivudine microspheres by W/O/W multiple emulsion solvent evaporation technique using osmogen like sodium chloride, polymers like ethyl cellulose, cellulose acetate and polyvinyl alcohol as a continuous phase. The prepared microspheres were characterized for the percent drug content, encapsulation efficiency, FTIR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), In vitro dissolution studies, in vitro kinetic studies and accelerated stability studies. FTIR studies showed the stable character of Lamivudine in the microspheres. SEM revealed that the microspheres were smooth and spherical in nature. The release kinetics study revealed that the prepared microspheres were best fitted to the zero order, Higuchi model, Hixson Crowell model and Modified cube root equation for the best formulation. The release kinetics data and characterization studies indicate that drug release from microspheres was diffusion-controlled and that the microspheres were stable.


We consider an example of a second order nonlinear system with large parametric uncertainties. The two parameters of the system are assumed to belong to a finite set. The goal is to guarantee (practical) convergence of the system output to a given constant reference signal. Feedback linearization-based candidate controllers with pole placement are designed for each possible set of parameters. After that, we consider the design of a high-level logic-based supervisor to organize switching between these candidate controllers. Three different approaches are used and compared.


The use of race measures in clinical prediction models is contentious. We seek to inform the discourse by evaluating the inclusion of race in probabilistic predictions of illness that support clinical decision making. Adopting a static utilitarian framework to formalize social welfare, we show that patients of all races benefit when clinical decisions are jointly guided by patient race and other observable covariates. Similar conclusions emerge when the model is extended to a two-period setting where prevention activities target systemic drivers of disease. We also discuss non-utilitarian concepts that have been proposed to guide allocation of health care resources.


According to the United Nations population fund, the world is undergoing the largest wave of urban growth in history, with more people now living in cities than in rural areas. Cities are also responsible for a high proportion of global carbon emissions, which are the main driver of anthropogenic climate change. By taking the lead on low carbon development, cities have the opportunity to engage in an important dialogue about sustainable development, directly address local issues, and contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Low carbon development strategies allow cities to position themselves as major players in climate change mitigation, as well as set an example for the development of national emission reduction policies. The systematic approach offered by a low carbon city development program (LCCDP) enables a city to overcome the barriers faced in single project implementation and pursue an integrated low carbon pathway. It provides a common framework to identify, implement, and measure low carbon interventions that will not only contribute to lower emissions, but will also address urban development needs. The LCCDP guidebook helps orient cities to design and implement an LCCDP that complies with the LCCDP assessment protocol, which is a new protocol based on existing, internationally recognized standards for systems design, and GHG accounting. The LCCDP assessment protocol consists of a set of standardized requirements developed to ensure that LCCDPs will achieve their targets and objectives when implemented. Thus the guidebook aims to assist the reader through the process of designing and implementing an LCCDP.


Recently, wireless recharging technologies have merged as a promising approach to address the energy constraint problem in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Far from other energy-harvesting sensor nodes, wireless rechargeable sensor nodes are thin small-size, enabling a large range of applications such as embedded infrastructure sensing and human activity recognition. A typical Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Network (WRSN) includes two components: i) a collection of rechargeable sensor nodes and ii) several readers, capable of mobility and functioning as energy distributors and data collectors. In this paper, we for the first time investigate the optimal scheduling problem in WRSN for stochastic event capture, i.e., how to jointly mobilize the readers for energy distribution and schedule sensor nodes for efficient event capture. We extensively study the problem and analyze the quality of capture for different application scenarios. At last, numerical results are offered to demonstrate the correctness and effectiveness of our solutions.


Measurement of thyroid nodule stiffness by strain elastography already showed promising results. The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of elastography in predicting thyroid cancer by determination of strain ratio comparing nodule stiffness with thyroid tissue and surrounding neck tissues as well (carotid artery, neck muscles). Totally, 310 thyroid nodules in 275 patients were examined by conventional ultrasound and elastography prior to aspiration biopsy. 22(7.1%) thyroid carcinomas were histologically confirmed and included in the study. 39 benign nodules (27 confirmed by histology and 12 with benign cytology and at least 2 years stable ultrasound finding) formed control group. Elastography was evaluated qualitatively using 6-grade score and strain ratio to surrounding thyroid tissue, carotid artery and neck muscles was determined. High-risk elastographic score (4,5) was more frequent in carcinomas (67%) compared with benign nodules (11%, p<0.001). Significant differences in distribution of strain were found in all studied parameters except comparison with thyroid tissue in transversal dimension. Strain ratio comparing the stiffness with neck muscles had a higher negative predictive value than elastographic score and conventional ultrasound (92 vs. 83 and 82% respectively). Moreover, the combination of ultrasound and strain ratio to neck muscles increased sensitivity and negative predictive value to 100%. Our results suggest, that strain ratio to neck muscles in combination with ultrasound seems to have good sensitivity and negative predictive value for predicting thyroid cancer and may be beneficial in cases when comparison to surrounding thyroid tissue is problematic (Hashimoto thyroiditis, multinodular goiter, large nodule).


This study investigatesboth the impact of participation in the National Fitness 100 project, a National Sports Promotion Act of Korea policy, and plans for implementing operational efficiencies. It highlights the significance of the project and provides information to help people at home and abroad live healthy lives by improving their fitness. The research participants were three exercise therapists and one physical-fitness tester,selected from regional physical-fitness centers in four South Korean cities (C, D, J, N), as well as four people who have participated in National Fitness 100 every year since 2017. In-depth interview data were collected and analyzed in depth through an inductive category analysis. The first impact of participation in National Fitness 100 was participant satisfaction with sports programs accessed through free fitness tests and personalized exercise prescriptions; these were recognized as a state-supported sports-welfare service. Second, the state-approved fitness certificate issued for eachfitness-certification stage gave participants pride and a sense of challenge, motivating them to continue to engage withNational Fitness 100. To ensure thatNational Fitness 100 operates efficiently, it is essential, first, to develop certificates that evaluate and recognize the individual goals achieved by participants. Second, the recently introduced Sports Activity Certification service should improve participation through active promotion and compensation systems, based on records of sports-activity performance. Third, health, nutrition, hygiene, and fitness must be integrated through governance activation to enable collaboration and improvement among disadvantaged groups and regions. Finally, it is expected that this study will provide information and practice to improve health and fitness, which havebeen impeded by the spread of COVID-19 worldwide.


Significant strides toward improving the outcome of newborn infants have been observed during the modern era of neonatal-perinatal medicine. One of the challenges that neonatologists and pediatricians face is deciding when to change current practices. New literature is abundant, but it must be critically reviewed and evaluated before changes in practice are made. The evidence-based medicine process can be used to help in changing practices or adopting new practices. It is based on five steps: 1) forming answerable questions; 2) searching for the best evidence; 3) critically appraising the evidence; 4) applying the evidence in practice; and 5) evaluating one's performance. This article reviews the five steps of the evidence-based medicine process. The various levels of evidence, including randomized, controlled trials and systematic reviews, are defined and discussed. An example of a critically appraised topic, a practical tool that can be used as an aid in addressing the first three questions of the evidence-based medicine process, is included. Once the evidence has been evaluated, the decision of whether or not to implement a change in individual practice or in institutional guidelines must be made. These decisions are difficult and require a variety of individual and societal factors to be taken into account. Examples of evidence-based medicine in neonatal and perinatal medicine include the use of antenatal corticosteroids for promotion of lung maturity, the use of surfactant replacement therapy for the treatment and prevention of respiratory distress syndrome, and prophylactic indomethacin for the prevention of intraventricular hemorrhage. Review of these examples provides insight into the strengths and weaknesses of evidence-based medicine.


There is a growing emphasis on designing with people with diverse health experiences rather than designing for them. Yet, collaborative design becomes difficult when working with individuals with health conditions (e.g., stroke, cancer, abuse, depression) that affect their ability or willingness to engage alongside researchers and verbally express themselves. The present paper analyzes how the clinical practice of art therapy engages these individuals in co-creative, visual expression of ideas, thoughts, and experiences. Drawing on interviews with 22 art therapists and over two years of field work in a clinical setting, we detail how art therapists view making as expression for people with complex communication needs. Under this view, we argue that art therapy practice can inspire collaborative design engagements by understanding materials as language, creating space for expression, and sustaining expressions in a broader context. We discuss practical and ethical implications for design work involving individuals with complex communication needs.


Abstract : In August 2008, a military conflict between Georgia and Russia occurred in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russian military action in this conflict was immediately preceded by a number of cyber attacks against a variety of Georgian Government Web sites, and while the perpetrator(s) was never conclusively identified, Russia denied involvement. Importantly, however, the Georgian cyber attacks seem to be the first instance of cyber attacks used in combination with conventional attacks. In combating each other through the kinetic attacks used to date, nation-states have been required to comply with the long-standing law of armed conflict. Yet, modern warfare now challenges this accepted regulation in two ways. First, as was just demonstrated, cyber attacks now may complement traditional kinetic attacks. And second, it is not fellow states that nations now commonly face in combat as people suspected was the case during the Georgian attacks, but rather nonstate actors, a fact made evident by the ongoing Global War on Terror. This thesis will therefore seek to answer two questions: (1) Are existing international laws governing cyber attacks conducted by nation-states against terrorists sufficient? (2) If existing law is insufficient, how should international law be amended to better regulate the use of such cyber attacks in counterterrorism operations? To test the idea of sufficiency, the thesis will first examine potential nation-state cyber-attack scenarios that may be seen in future counterterrorism operations, and whether those possible attack scenarios are in keeping with international law principles. This assessment ultimately demonstrates that problems of evaluation and enforcement stymie attempts at regulation of nation-state cyber attacks in counterterrorism operations, creating new areas of concern for international law, which can only be resolved through the creation of cyber attack-specific legal principles and enhanced enforcement mechanisms.


What is the economic rationale for investing in science? Based on an open economy model of creative destruction, we characterize four key factors of optimal investment in basic research: the stage of economic development, the strength of the manufacturing base, the degree of openness, and the share of foreign-owned firms. For each of these factors, we analyse its bearings on optimal basic research investment. We then show that the predicted effects are consistent with patterns observed in the data and discuss how the factor-based approach might inform basic research policies.


Giardiasis is an infection caused by flagellated protozoan which is called Giardia lamblia. The protozoa is an
intestinal parasite and has a global distribution.The prevalence of it varies between 5% -30%.The present study was
undertaken to analyze probable correlation between blood cells and immune system status in children aged 2 to 10
years with giardiasis who selected from Iran University of Medical Sciences hospitals. Children with giardiasis
underwent precise laboratory analysis with regard to blood cell counts (lymphocytes, monocytes and polymorph
nuclear cells) and serum factors (Immunoglobulin and complements components).The examination showed that the
blood in affected children with giardiasis has a significant reduction in terms of lymphocytes and monocytes.Whilst
otherwise, white cells showed no significant differences. Similarly, serum analysis defined significant reduction in
C3 and C4 complements components. In contrast, despite observing insignificant differences in amount of IgG,
serum level of IgE, IgM and IgA immunoglobulin increased significantly. These differences are possibly related to
cellular immune function and complement system.


Analysis of phylogenomic metrics of a recently released draft genome sequence of the halotolerant, acidophile 'Thiobacillus prosperus' DSM 5130 indicates that it is not a member of the genus Thiobacillus within the class Betaproteobacteria as originally proposed. Based on data from 16S rRNA gene phylogeny, and analyses of multiprotein phylogeny and average nucleotide identity (ANI), we show that it belongs to a new genus within the family Ectothiorhodospiraceae, for which we propose the name Acidihalobacter gen. nov. In accordance, it is proposed that 'Thiobacillus prosperus' DSM 5130 be named Acidihalobacter prosperus gen. nov., sp. nov. DSM 5130T ( = JCM 30709T) and that it becomes the type strain of the type species of this genus.


In the space of orientation-preserving circle maps that are not necessarily surjective nor injective, the rotation number does not vary continuously. Each map where one of these discontinuities occurs is itself discontinuous and we can consider the possible values of the rotation number when we modify this map only at its discontinuities. These values are always rational numbers that necessarily obey a certain arithmetic relation. In this paper we show that in several examples this relation totally characterizes the possible values of the rotation number on its discontinuities, but we also prove that in certain circumstances this relation is not sufficient for this characterization.


In this paper we introduce the concept of mutual entropy map for continuous maps on metric spaces. It is a non-negative extended real number which depends on two measures which are preserved by a system. Then we will extract the Kolmogorov entropy of ergodic systems from the mutual entropy as a special case when the two measures are equal. MSC(2010): 37A35.


Since several epidemiological studies have indicated an elevated risk for certain types of cancer in both living and working environments where exposure to an extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (ELF) occurs, public concern about ELF has been increasing because it is impossible to imagine life today without electricity. We reviewed studies on biological effects of ELF with respect to their cytological and biochemical effects, including mutagenicity, clastogenicity and carcinogenicity. The studies can be summarized as follow: 1) There is evidence that outer surface of the cell membrane is the primary locus for ELF-induced cellular alterations. 2) ELF modulate the proliferation of normal as well as transformed cells in vivo and in vitro. The magnitude of the proliferative effects depends on ELF intensity, exposure duration and other cellular factors. 3) No studies clearly demonstrate deleterious effects of ELF exposure on mammalian reproduction and development, but several suggest such effects. 4) Reported evidence does not demonstrate that the ELF acts as a cancer initiator. However, it might act as a promoter or affect tumor progression. Further observations and epidemiological studies of ELF must be accompanied by laboratory experiments to evaluate biological and health effects.


An exerpiment was conducted to study the comparative efficacy of fluchioralin, pendimethalin and oxyflurofen applied alone and along with hand weeding at 45 days after planting (DAP), 3 hand weeding alone given 20, 40 and 60 days after planting (DAP) and unweeded check were carried out. It was concluded that pendimethalin @ 1.0 kg / ha along with a hoeing and weeding at 45 days after planting (DAP) was found most effective and economically viable weed control treatment for onion seed production.


Interdependency is an important consideration in managing systems and systems of systems. Included in this consideration is identifying, representing, and measuring the ripple effects of dependencies between systems and consumers who rely on their products and services. Anticipating these effects enables planners to minimise dependency risks that, if realised, can have cascading impacts on the ability of systems to deliver services. This paper presents advances in modelling interdependent systems by integrating two methods: functional dependency network analysis (FDNA) and the inoperability input-output model (IIM). Their integration enables hierarchical modelling of perturbations to systems at the physical or operational network levels. To highlight the insights gained by integrating FDNA and IIM, a simulated electric power system that feeds a large metropolitan area is presented. This simulated case demonstrates that other consequence measures, such as the inoperability metric presented herein, must be used in conjunction with monetary objectives to generate holistic prioritisation strategies.


This report outlines in detail the situation of rural youths Neither in Employment, nor in Edu-cation or Training (NEET) aged between 15 and 34 years old, over the last decade (2009-2019) in Portugal. To do this, the report portrays indicators of: youth population; youth em-ployment and unemployment; education; and, NEETs distribution. The characterisation of all indicators adopts the degree of urbanisation as a central criterion, thereby enabling propor-tional comparisons between rural areas, towns and suburbs, cities and the whole country. These analyses are further divided into age subgroups and, where possible, into sex groups for greater detail.The statistical procedures adopted across the different selected dimensions involve: des-criptive longitudinal analysis; using graphical displays (e.g., overlay line charts); and, the calculation of proportional absolute and relative changes between 2009 and 2013, 2013 and 2019, and finally 2009 and 2019. These time ranges were chosen to capture the in-dicators evolution before and after the economic crisis which hit European countries. All data was extracted from Eurostat public datasets.The analyses show that between 2009 and 2019 the rural youth population aged 15 to 24 years has been increasing in Portugal. Although the youth unemployment rate is higher in cities, rural areas faced more difficulties in overcoming the effects of the crisis, particularly among young adults aged over 25 years. In the field of education, however, there was an absolute and relative reduction in the proportion of young people with lower qualifications compared with young people in early school leavers in rural areas between 2009-2019, even though it still remains well above the 10% target defined by the Europe 2020 strategy. Finally, the proportion of NEETs in Portugal is higher in rural areas, in all age groups with available data, compared to cities and towns and suburbs, thereby revealing territorial in-equalities in access to employment and education opportunities.


In this paper, a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) analysis of the transmission line equations for a general circuit simulator is presented. A two-port circuit representation is derived for integrating a dispersive transmission line network within a circuit/system simulator. The circuit model consists of resistive elements and dependent current sources, which are updated at every time step by the FDTD algorithm. The frequency dependence of the conductors' parameters is taken care of by a recursive integration that employs the Vector Fitting algorithm. The application of this model is presented for several examples, such as nonuniform transmission lines, plane wave excitation of the line, and determination of overvoltages induced by a nearby lightning stroke.


An annotated list of 14 species of the genus Chlaenius Bonelli, 1810 of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China and adjacent regions is given. Five taxa are newly recorded from China: Ch. (Chlaeniellus) melampus Ménétriés, 1849, Ch. (Ch.) tenui-limbatus Ballion, 1871, Ch. (Achlaenius) tristis tristis (Schaller, 1783), Ch. (Trichochlaenius) steveni (Quensel, 1806), and Ch. (Epomis) circumscriptus (Duft-schmid, 1812). One species, Ch. (s. str.) pallipes (Gebler, 1823), is excluded from the faunal list of Xinjiang, and one species, Ch. (Ch.) nigricornis (Fabricius, 1787), is presumably included in the list. Ch. (Ch.) chrysothorax Krynitzky, 1832 is considered as distinct species, not as subspecies of Ch. kindermanni Chaudoir, 1856. A new synonymy is established: Chlaenius chrysothorax Krynitzky, 1832 = Chlaenius chloodes Andrewes, 1935, syn. n. Chlaenius tristis is trans¬ferred to the subgenus Achlaenius Mandl, 1992 from the subgenus Chlaeniellus Reitter, 1908 on the base of structure of the apical gonocoxite. The re-description of the poorly known Ch. (Chlaeniellus) semenowi Tschitschérine, 1896 is given; its type locality is clarified. The similarity of Ch. (Trichochlaenius) steveni with Ch. (Eochlaenius) suvorovi (Semenov, 1912) is shown based on the structure of the apical gonocoxite. A key to species of the genus Chlaenius from Xinjiang is compiled.


By reserving transmission capacity on a series of links from one node to another, making a virtual path connection (VPC) between these nodes, several benefits are made. VPCs will enable segregation ...


The present study was to investigate the effective role of renewable sources of Ca+2 from eggshell (ES) with different doses to restrict obesity disorders. Rats were classified as follows, G1 : normal diet for 26 weeks; G2 : high-fat diet (HFD) for 26 weeks; G3 , G4 , and G5 were supplemented with HFD for 16 weeks and treated with 7.2 g Ca+2 ES/Kg rat chow, 18 g Ca+2 ES/Kg rat chow, and 2% diet containing fat (DCF), respectively, for the remaining 10 weeks. Results revealed a significant effect of the low dose of Ca+2 supplement in form of ES than high dose and 2% DCF; on basis of anthropometric parameters, lipid, leptin, adiponectin, thyroid hormones, Ca+2 , 25-hydroxyl vitamin-D, and oxidative and inflammatory parameters were regulated. Results were confirmed with the histopathological study. Therefore, it was concluded that Ca+2 supplementation can be used as a beneficial source for obesity management with anticholesterol actions. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Obesity represented public health hazards. The eggshell is one of the waste products that contain a high percentage of Ca+2 . The current data exposed using a low dose of ES as a new source of Ca+2 supplement for treatment of HFD rats leads to significant enhancement of lipid profiles, liver enzymes, kidney functions, leptin, adiponectin, Ca+2 , 25(OH)-D, TSH, fT4, and PTH levels. Also, there was a reduction in weight gain, Bwt, BMI, BG, insulin, and HOMA-IR. Moreover, the oxidant-pro-oxidant system was improved in both hepatic and adipose tissues where NO and TBARS concentrations were diminished, and SOD specific activity was elevated. Additionally, TNF-α and ADAM17 expression were downregulated. Hence, it was concluded that there was good evidence that diets supplemented with ES were associated with the reduction of obesity complications especially regulating fat processing and storage in the body.


BACKGROUND
Listeria Right Now™ is a novel, enrichment-free test for the detection of Listeria spp. in swab samples taken from environmental surfaces. Results are available in less than 1 h. In a previous Performance Tested MethodSM (PTM) study, the test was validated for swab samples from stainless-steel and sealed concrete surfaces.

OBJECTIVE
A PTM matrix extension study was conducted to validate the method for the detection of Listeria spp. in swab samples from ceramic tile, plastic, and rubber surfaces.

METHODS
Performance of the Listeria Right Now method was compared to that of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Bacteriological Analytical Manual reference culture procedure for the detection of Listeria spp. in swab samples taken from inoculated ceramic tile, plastic, and rubber surfaces. Data were analyzed using a probability of detection model.

RESULTS
There were no significant differences in performance between the Listeria Right Now and reference culture methods for any of the three surfaces tested, as determined by probability of detection analysis.

CONCLUSIONS
The Listeria Right Now method is an effective procedure for the detection of Listeria spp. from a variety of environmental surfaces.

HIGHLIGHTS
Listeria Right Now provides accurate results, without enrichment, in real time. This enables food industry personnel to react swiftly to suspected Listeria contamination incidents.


Introduction: Intrarater reliability of inclinometer scapular upward rotation measures was determined over a two‐week period among unimpaired females prior to a larger study on women with breast cancer. Methods: A measurement‐focused study was performed at a university laboratory. Following institutional review board approval, a convenience sample of 15 unimpaired females were recruited. Measures were taken 3 times at each position (0°, 90°, and 120° of glenohumeral elevation) during two sessions that were two weeks apart. The position order for testing was randomized and the rater was blinded to actual degree numbers. Interclass correlation coefficients [ICC (3,k)] and standard error of the measure (SEM) assessed reliability with probability at P ≤ .05 (two tailed) for significance and a test value of .90. Results: Overall agreement was significant (ICC = .953; P < .001) with an SEM of ± 4.42°. Secondary analysis by position found significant agreement at 120° (ICC = .968; P = .001); but not at 0° (ICC = .908; P = .416) or at 90° (ICC = .892; P = .567). SEM by position were: ± 2.02° (0°), ± 4.73° (90°), and ± 5.63 (120°). Limitations are the small sample and inability to generalize results to multiple raters or clinical populations. Conclusion: Results suggest good overall intrarater test‐retest reliability for research and values are provided for SEM as a relative index for reliability. Further study is required by using a larger sample to confirm study results and to generalize findings to the breast cancer population.


We review the teory of the pseudo-iperbolic functions on the basis of an algebraic point of view which employs the Eisenstein group. We frame the teory within the general context of the number decomposition and discuss the importance of these functions in the theory of the generalized Fourier transforms


With the growth of software flaws there is a rise in the demand of security embedding to achieve the goal of secure software development in a more efficient manner. Different practices are in use to keep the software intact. These practices also meant to be scrutinized for better results on the basis of the level of security, efficiency and complexity they are providing. It may also be weighted on the basis of Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability (CIA). Software security is a step by step procedure which can not be achieved just at a specific level but it should be taken into account from the beginning of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). In this paper, we have taken into account some of the best practices for secure software development and categorized them based on the phases in software development lifecycle. The results enable us to draw a clear picture of the best practices in software development which will enable a developer to follow them on a particular SDLC phase.


There has been a revolution in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. Several oral regimens combining direct‐acting antivirals (DAAs) from different families [NS5B nucleotide inhibitors, NS5B non‐nucleoside inhibitors, NS5A replication complex inhibitors and NS3/4A protease inhibitors (PI)] have been developed. These regimens result in an increase in sustained virological response (SVR) rates to above 90% and reduce the duration of treatment to 12 weeks or less. As of 2016 several regimens will be approved with additive potencies, without cross‐resistance and with a good safety profile. Remaining issues will include increasing screening and access to care so that HCV may become the first chronic viral infection eradicated worldwide. This review summarizes results obtained with oral DAA combinations that have been approved and/or have completed phase 3 clinical trials for HCV infection and discusses future perspectives.


The Cartan subalgebras of non-stable linear actions of connected simple groups and non-stable irreducible linear actions of connected semisimple groups are computed.


Abstract Conflict across African states has often been linked to ethnic-based biases in government, and exclusive policies. However, the domestic politics of developing states, and the elites who contest for power therein, have often been overlooked when explaining the patterns and risk of disorder and violence. We consider how African leaders practice politics in whom to represent, and at what level. These choices have consequences as how regimes accommodate political elites creates different competitive conditions which, in turn, create incentives and opportunities for political violence. Using a dataset on cabinet appointments over twenty years, we find that high levels of elite political inclusion and mal-apportionment in positions is consistently associated with increases in non-state violence. Power distribution levels among those groups included in senior positions account for more political violence than that which stems from exclusive politics.


- A lifelong African American activist, Fannie Barrier Williams made history as a controversial reformer and writer in an era fraught with racial discrimination and injustice. Williams first came to prominence when protesting the exclusion of African American women from the 1893 Columbian Exposition and later worked in support of Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. In her speeches, essays, and articles, Williams argued for an interracial worldview - a third way that involved neither accommodationism nor rejectionism. Committed to aiding and educating Chicago's urban poor, Williams played a central and continuous role in the development of the Frederick Douglass Center, which she called "the black Hull House." An active member of the NAACP and the National Urban League, she fought a long and successful battle to become the first African American admitted to the influential Chicago Women's Club. Her efforts to promote the well-being of African American women brought her into close contact with such influential women as Celia Parker Woolley, Jane Addams, Susan B. Anthony, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett. Williams's writings illuminate the difficulties of African American women in the Progressive Era. She frankly denounced white men's sexual and economic victimization of black women and condemned the complicity of religious and political leaders in the immorality of segregation. Citing the discrimination that crushed the spirits of African American women, Williams called for educational and professional progress for African Americans through the transformation of white society. Accompanied by Deegan's introduction and detailed annotations, Williams's perceptive writings on race relations, women's rights, economic justice, and the role of African American women are as fresh today as when they were written.


The potential for reproductive toxicity of an antisense oligonucleotide designed to inhibit ICAM-1 was evaluated as part of the safety assessment for this compound. Since antisense compounds are often specific to the species in which they are intended to work, both the human and murine active ICAM-1 inhibitors were tested (ISIS 2302 and ISIS 3082, respectively). Male and female mice were treated prior to cohabitation, through cohabitation, gestation, delivery, and weaning. Mice were treated with 0, 3, 6, and 12 mg/kg ISIS 2302 or ISIS 3082 by daily i.v. injection. Reproductive indices evaluated included estrus cycling, sperm count and motility, fertility, litter parameters, fetal development, delivery, fetal body weight, lactation, and weaning. Behavioral assessment and reproductive capacity of the F1 generation mice was assessed on selected animals. Concentrations of oligonucleotide in selected maternal target organs, placenta, fetal tissues, and expressed milk were also measured. There were no changes in reproductive performance, litter parameters, fetal development, or postnatal development in mice treated with either ISIS 2302 or ISIS 3082. Maternal liver and kidney contained dose-dependent concentrations of oligonucleotide, but there was relatively little or no oligonucleotide measured in placenta, fetal tissues, or expressed milk. Neither the human nor murine-specific antisense inhibitor of ICAM-1 produced any reproductive toxicity in mice, and exposure of fetus or pups was negligible.


In this doctoral thesis, we discuss anomalous Higgs interactions, namely the interactions which deviate from those predicted by the standard model, in two candidates of physics beyond the standard model, gauge-Higgs unification and dimensional deconstruction. As the characteristic feature, these scenarios predict the presence of non-linear Higgs interactions at the classical level with matter fields. Also the predicted Yukawa coupling or corresponding coupling with scalar matter of Higgs is not a constant and depends on the vacuum expectation value of the Higgs field, in clear contrast to the case of the standard model. After the discovery of the Higgs, main focus will be on the precision tests of Higgs interactions and we expect that such analysis concerning anomalous Higgs interaction makes sense. We also clarify what are essential causes for the anomalous Higgs interaction and point out that there are two: periodicity of physical observables in the Higgs field and the violation of translational invariance along the extra dimension. These two ingredients are argued to exist in both scenarios of gauge-Higgs unification and dimensional deconstruction.


In this paper, we propose a method for image block loss restoration based on the notion of sparse representation. We use the sparsity pattern as side information to efficiently restore block losses by iteratively imposing the constraints of spatial and transform domains on the corrupted image. Two novel features, including a pre-interpolation and a criterion for stopping the iterations, are proposed to improve the performance. Also, to deal with practical applications, we develop a technique to transmit the side information along with the image. In this technique, we first compress the side information and then embed its LDPC coded version in the least significant bits of the image pixels. This technique ensures the error-free transmission of the side information, while causing only a small perturbation on the transmitted image. Mathematical analysis and extensive simulations are performed to validate the method and investigate the efficiency of the proposed techniques. The results verify that the proposed method outperforms its counterparts for image block loss restoration.


The progression of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders involves amyloid beta-protein (A beta) deposition and pathologic changes in the parenchyma as well as cerebral blood vessels. The cerebrovascular A beta deposits in these disorders are associated with degenerating smooth muscle cells in the vessel wall, which have been shown to express the A beta precursor (A beta PP) and A beta. Here, we show that A beta 1-42, an abundant cerebrovascular form of A beta, causes cellular degeneration in cultured human cerebrovascular smooth muscle cells. This stress response is accompanied by a striking increase in the levels of cellular A beta PP and soluble A beta peptide produced in these degenerating cells. These data provide the first experimental evidence that A beta can potentially contribute to the onset and progression of the cerebrovascular pathology. The present findings suggest that this mechanism may involve a molecular cascade with a novel product-precursor relationship that results in the adverse production and subsequent accumulation of A beta.


OBJECTIVE
To establish the diagnostic accuracy of tissue impedance measurement interpretation (TIMI) for determining correct versus incorrect Veress needle placement.

STUDY DESIGN
Prospective, randomized, blinded trial.

STUDY POPULATION
Canine cadavers (n = 20).

METHODS
Two laparoscopists (1 experienced, 1 novice), blinded to tissue impedance measurement results, placed reusable Veress needles in canine cadavers in a randomized order. A 3rd individual interpreted impedance measurements as consistent with correct or incorrect Veress needle placement. Veress needle tip locations were marked by injecting contrasting colors of India ink. Tissue dissection was performed to localize ink. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, precision, and kappa statistics for TIMI for placements by the experienced and novice laparoscopist were determined. P < .05 was considered significant.

RESULTS
TIMI identified 29/33 correct and 7/7 incorrect placements, respectively. Impedance measurement interpretation had 87.9% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 90% accuracy, and 100% precision overall. Agreement between TIMI and Veress needle location was moderate (kappa 0.50, P = .01) for placements by the experienced laparoscopist and very high (kappa 0.88, P < .01) for the novice laparoscopist.

CONCLUSIONS
Diagnostic accuracy of TIMI for Veress needle placement was higher than has been reported for other tests, and TIMI had a shallow learning curve. TIMI successfully detected all incorrect Veress needle placements. Further prospective evaluation of Veress needle placement with and without TIMI is warranted to determine if its use increases operator detection of inappropriate Veress needle placements or decreases installment phase complication rates.


Discussion of paper 46-125 by K. P. Puchlowski, presented at the AIEE summer convention, Detroit, Mich., June 24-28, 1946 and published in AIEE TRANSACTIONS, 1946, August-September section, pages 585-91.


AIMS
Alcohol intake is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. This study was designed to investigate whether chronic alcohol intake affects myocardial infarction (MI)-induced cardiac remodeling and heart failure.

METHODS
Eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups: Sham group (Sham), MI plus drinking water group (MI + Vehicle), and MI plus daily alcohol intake for 6 weeks with or without gavage of additional alcohol every 3 days (MI + Alcohol and MI + Alcohol + G). The MI were induced by permanent left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery ligation surgery before vehicle or alcohol treatment. The blood alcohol concentration (BAC), cardiac function, release of cardiac enzymes, pathological changes and mitochondrial function were measured.

RESULTS
As expected, supplementation of alcohol in drinking water significantly increased random BAC in mice. Long-term exposure to alcohol further reduced body weight, ejection fraction and fractional shortening in comparison with the MI + Vehicle group. Histopathological data showed that alcohol increased fibrosis in infarct zone, which was well correlated with the functional decline. Also, as compared to the MI + Vehicle group, the adenosine diphosphate-supported respiratory function of freshly isolated cardiac mitochondria was inhibited in the MI + Alcohol + G group. Besides, upon MI-induced cardiac damage, we did not observe further changes in heart weight, cardiomyocyte enlargement in remote zone, exercise capacity, lung edema and the release of cardiac enzyme after chronic alcohol intake.

CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrated that chronic daily alcohol exposure exacerbated MI-induced cardiac dysfunction, which is related to promoted myocardial fibrosis and inhibited mitochondrial function.


This study describes the thermodynamics of dissolution of flavonoid naringin in different aqueous solutions of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) containing 0–100% (w/w) under atmospheric pressure and over a temperature range of 298.15 to 325.15 K. The temperature dependence of solubility of naringin was analyzed using the modified Apelblat equation model, ideal model, and the λH equation model. In a mean harmonic temperature, the dissolution thermodynamic parameters of naringin containing , and were also calculated. Furthermore, the effects of solvent composition on the solubility of this flavonoid were analyzed in terms of Hildebrand's solubility parameter (δH) and Kamlet, Abboud and Taft (KAT) solvatochromic parameters (α, β, and π*). Finally, the preferential solvation parameters of the flavonoid naringin by DMSO (δxDMSO,S) were determined from experimental solubility data using the inverse Kirkwood–Buff integrals (IKBIs). It was found that water preferentially solvates naringin in water-rich mixtures while DMSO forms local solvation shells in compositions from 50% (w/w) or xDMSO = 0.19 up to pure co-solvent. Moreover, the structure of solvation shells of naringin in the under study mixtures was obtained by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The computational results showed that in the compositions xDMSO > 0.20, the probability of presence of the DMSO molecules in vicinity of naringin is more than water molecules. These findings are compatible with the available IKBI data.


Preliminary results are reported of the use of a surgical technique since April 1983 for excision of subclinical mammography-observed anomalies. The procedure involves the insertion of a harpoon-shaped metallic thread, after detection by mammography, to obtain guidance of surgical procedures. Preliminary results in 36 cases included the detection of 10 cancers, confirming documented data in this field, and it would therefore appear worthwhile continuing along this pathway of early diagnosis.


We propose an unsupervised method for parsing large 3D scans of real-world scenes into interpretable parts. Our goal is to provide a practical tool for analyzing 3D scenes with unique characteristics in the context of aerial surveying and mapping, without relying on application-specific user annotations. Our approach is based on a probabilistic reconstruction model that decomposes an input 3D point cloud into a small set of learned prototypical shapes. Our model provides an interpretable reconstruction of complex scenes and leads to relevant instance and semantic segmentations. To demonstrate the usefulness of our results, we introduce a novel dataset of seven diverse aerial LiDAR scans. We show that our method outperforms state-of-the-art unsupervised methods in terms of decomposition accuracy while remaining visually interpretable. Our method offers significant advantage over existing approaches, as it does not require any manual annotations, making it a practical and efficient tool for 3D scene analysis. Our code and dataset are available at https://imagine.enpc.fr/~loiseaur/learnable-earth-parser


In game-theoretic equilibrium, players' beliefs about choices by others are statistically correct. This "mutual consistency" assumption often predicts poorly in one-shot games. We develop an alternative "cognitive hierarchy" (CH) theory. In the CH model players who are not thinking strategically (0 steps) randomize. Players doing k steps of thinking predict accurately what lower-level players (steps 0 to k − 1) do, and best-respond given their beliefs. The model can explain why equilibration is so limited in some games (such as p-beauty contest), and surprisingly accurate in other games (such as business entry). The average number of thinking steps is about 1.5 across many games.


The increase in density of cerebral tumours following intravenous injection of contrast media was measured by computer tomography and was evaluated quantitatively. The density increase of 158 tumours five minute after injection was between 0 and 29 CT units. There are considerable variations in density increase of various types of tumour, but the scatter is so wide as to preclude a diagnosis of tumour type. In 75 tumours repeated measurement of contrast changes were carried out for two hours following the injection. Again the variation differs with different types of tumour, but is not characteristic enough for exact clinical diagnosis. In 26 patients contrast concentrations were measured in the tumour and the blood and a pharmaco-kinetic compartmental analysis was carried out. In some tumours contrast changes can be explained by a single compartment model, whereas in others a two compartment model is necessary. Certain conclusions regarding the mechanism of contrast uptake can be reached.


Background: Hydatidiform mole is a cause of early trimester miscarriages which if not properly treated may lead to increasing severity of vaginal bleeding and maternal death. Aim: The aim of the study was to review the demographic characteristics of patients with hydatidiform mole, and the clinical outcome in the last decade. Subject, method and material: This was a retrospective review of cases of hydatidiform mole from 1st of January 2004 to 31st of December 2013. The clinical data were retrieved from patients' folders and histologically confirmed cases were analyzed using EpiInfo7 and simple percentages. The total number of deliveries over the study period was obtained from the labour ward register. Results: There were 72 cases of hydatidiform mole giving a prevalence of 3.6 per 1000 deliveries. However only 68 folders contained results of histology. Women of age groups 35-39 years (48.5%) and 15-19 years (26.5%) were those predominantly affected. Vaginal bleeding (85.3%), large for gestational age (57.4%), anaemia (57.4%), passage of vesicles (55.9%) were the most common presentations. Pregnancy test was positive in all the cases, while ultrasononography aided diagnosis in 88.2% of the cases. Suction evacuation was done in all the cases. About 63% of patients had 1-3 months follow up, while 2.9% continued beyond 1 year. The case fatality was 1.47%. However, 12 patients never came back to the hospital after evacuation. Conclusion: Molar pregnancy is a common cause of first trimester miscarriages and contributes to maternal morbidity and mortality in our Centre.


The knowledge of the original potential is of primary importance in order to obtain a good geochemical model for the petroleum system modeling. For mature source rocks it is possible to measure in laboratory only the residual features: petroleum potential – PPR, total organic carbon content – TOCR, hydrogen index – HIR.
In case of extremely mature rocks only the TOC value remains as a proof of an early naphthogenic appeal. Historically, there were at least three different methods
to evaluate the original petroleum potential. After a bibliographical review on the subject, the different evaluation hypotheses introduced by Claypool (in Hunt, 1995), Scotti (1998, Agip internal report) and Jarvie (2012) have been verified and compared.
The common base is the utilization of the residual features, which can be measured in laboratory, and the analysis of the original quality of the organic matter, or more precisely of the kerogen, its diagenetic product, in terms of one more plausible value of the hydrogen index - HI.
Once the reliability of the results in different theoretical conditions has been tested, we have verified the different approaches on real sample of source rocks, considering the samples from the Hils Syncline in the Posidonia Shale (Germany). The intrusion of the laccolitic body in this region allowed different conditions of maturity within the same formation, making possible the measurement of the naphthogenic residual features, through the decrease of the HI in samples that can be considered similar.
The more recently proposed method (Jarvie, 2012) is also the most accurate, even if of complex application. Claypool (1995) proposed a formula that is even more complex and of difficult application, since it needs many parameters sometimes indefinable; moreover, in particular situations, it can lead to poor quality results.
Scotti's method (1998) offers results that are identical to those obtained with Jarvie's formula (2012) only in case of overmature source rocks; if the maturity of the source rocks is intermediate and the kerogen is of excellent quality, we can
observe a gap in comparison to Jarvie's method (2012). Using a simpler version of this formula, the calculation often converge towards the more precise formula proposed by Jarvie (2012). This seems to be of easier use, since it does not consider a really critical parameter that is the quantity of free hydrocarbon present in the sample, which can be sometimes hard to identify due to the presence of migrated hydrocarbons, in addition to indigenous ones.
The study allowed to define the limits and the peculiarities of each proposed method and to establish which is the more correct work flow in order to evaluate the original potential of a source rock.


C cachexia is a paraneoplasic syndrome affecting the large majority of terminally ill cancer patients and is clinically characterized by a number of symptoms which are not overcome by standard nutritional supplementation or by pharmacological therapy. L-Carnitine has been tested in preliminary studies in human cachexia, resulting in improved fatigue and quality of life. Our results show that in experimental cachexia the marked alterations of lipid metabolism are suppressed by L-carnitine supplementation, and associated with increased survival. The anti-inflammatory effects of L-carnitine supplementation seem to be similar to those elicited by chronic physical exercise in cachectic animals and patients. We have shown that the expression of lipid metabolism-related proteins is restored to normal levels in the liver and muscle after exercise training, re-establishing cellular function. These results are associated with decreased local and systemic inflammation, to which the white adipose tissue markedly contributes in cachexia. The molecular basis of the effects of L-carnitine supplementation and of exercise training upon cancer cachexia, with special focus on the relevance of white adipose tissue, will be examined.