The processes driving the bioavailability of trace metals in agricultural soils amended with organic wastes have been investigated for long time. Researches were however largely focused on laboratory-scale and short-term (< 5 years) studies. Current regulations thus remain largely based on thresholds given as total metal burden rather than on bioavailability indicators. For example, French regulations and standards imposed total metal concentrations in soil over which sewage sludge spreading is forbidden or maximal flux of total metal supplied to the soil by organic amendments. Consequently, it is today very hazardous for decision-makers, risk assessors, and stakeholders to operationally assess the risk related to trace metal bioavailability in soil contaminated by the long -term application of organic wastes. To tackle this issue, we monitored over 10 years (17 cropping cycles) the biogeochemistry of copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) in a field trial of market -gardening crops fed with mineral or organic (poultry litter compost or pig slurry compost) fertilizers. Total concentrations of trace metals in fertilizers, plants and soil were monitored for 10 years. During the three last cropping cycles, bulk soil and rhizosphere were collected and the soil solution was recovered. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, pH, total concentration of trace metals and Cu speciation were determined in soil solution. The total metal concentration in soil remained stable overtime whatever the fertilizers applied for Ni, but only when mineral fertilizers were applied for Cu and Zn. The mass-balance modelling of Cu and Zn cycles in the soil- plant system confirmed that the 25% build-up in total Cu and Zn concentration in soil was due to organic fertilizer applications. In comparison with soil amended with mineral fertilizers, organic fertilizers generated an increased in pH and DOC concentration. The chemical changes observed in soil amended with organic fertilizers induced in soil solution an increase in total Cu concentration up to one order of magnitude but a decrease in free Cu activity up to two orders of magnitude. Plants further alkalinized the rhizosphere by 0.5 pH u nit in average and increased both the concentration and the binding properties of DOC in the rhizosphere compared to the bulk soil. These alterations of rhizosphere chemistry further decreased free Cu activity in soil solution. The results were finally consistent with trace metal concentration in plants that tended to be lower in plants fed with mineral fertilizers than in plants fed with organic fertilizers. This case study is consequently a striking illustration that risk assessment based on the consideration of bioavailability can reach opposite conclusions in comparison with risk assessment based on total metal burden. The concept of bioavailability and its operational application should be consequently better accounted for the risk assessment of trace metal contaminated soils following long-term application of organic wastes.


[3H]Prazosin bound to a single class of alpha-1 adrenoceptors in bovine aortic membranes with a Kd of 25 pM. Digitonin solubilized 30% of the receptors as assayed by specific [3H] prazosin binding. The rank order potency of displacing ligands was the same for both membrane-bound and soluble alpha-1 adrenoceptors [prazosin greater than phentolamine greater than yohimbine and (-)-epinephrine = (-)-norepinephrine much greater than (+)-norepinephrine]. Prazosin had a significantly lower affinity for the soluble receptor, whereas the other adrenergic ligands had the same affinity for both forms of the receptor. The alpha-1 adrenoceptor was affinity-labeled with 2-[4-(4-azido-3-[125I]iodobenzoyl)piperazin-1-yl]-4-amino-6,7- dimethoxyquinazoline and analyzed by reducing sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular mass of the receptor binding subunit in both bovine aorta and rat liver was found to be 86,000 MW. It is concluded from this study that bovine aortic alpha-1 adrenoceptors have pharmacologic and biochemical characteristics similar to those in other tissues.


Nonlinear Raman microscopy is an emerging technique in biomedical imaging. An inexpensive prototype system, based on coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS), demonstrates value for real-time, minimally invasive chemical analysis of cells and tissues. It overcomes drawbacks of both Raman and CARS, and in doing so demonstrates potential for clinical application-including blood analysis and breast cancer detection.


Focusing in particular on Wilkie Collins's The Law and the Lady (1875) and Anthony Trollope's Phineas Redux (1873), this essay examines the manner in which Victorian novels grapple with various forms of evidence, ranging from the forensic and detective knowledge of the police to a knowledge of another person's character that is often termed "belief." The author elaborates the complex role belief plays in British empiricist texts by John Locke and David Hume and in the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century treatises on evidences directly influenced by empiricist philosophy, where one could distinguish what one might call a "belief-in-evidence" from a "belief-against-the-evidence." This essay then demonstrates how episodes of character witness in Victorian legal fictions become venues for addressing the value of belief in others and its complex participation in the attempt to discover truths. Belief, in these novels, is frequently more correct than the evidence marshaled by the police. That this is so often the case suggests an idealistic desire to imagine continuities and forms of knowledge more complete than those accommodated by the epistemology of detection.


Keyword spotting and in particular Wake-Up-Word (WUW) detection is a very important task for voice assistants. A very common issue of voice assistants is that they get easily activated by background noise like music, TV or background speech that accidentally triggers the device. In this paper, we propose a Speech Enhancement (SE) model adapted to the task of WUW detection that aims at increasing the recognition rate and reducing the false alarms in the presence of these types of noises. The SE model is a fully-convolutional denoising auto-encoder at waveform level and is trained using a log-Mel Spectrogram and waveform reconstruction losses together with the BCE loss of a simple WUW classification network. A new database has been purposely prepared for the task of recognizing the WUW in challenging conditions containing negative samples that are very phonetically similar to the keyword. The database is extended with public databases and an exhaustive data augmentation to simulate different noises and environments. The results obtained by concatenating the SE with a simple and state-of-the-art WUW detectors show that the SE does not have a negative impact on the recognition rate in quiet environments while increasing the performance in the presence of noise, especially when the SE and WUW detector are trained jointly end-to-end.


Recent measurements of Si Iv/C Iv ratios in the high-redshift Lya forest [Songaila & Cowie, A J, 112. 335 (1996a); Savaglio et al., A&A (in press) (1997)] have opened a new window on chemical enrichment and the first generations of stars. However, the derivation of accurate Si/C abundances requires reliable ionization corrections, which are strongly dependent on the spectral shape of the metagalactic ionizing background and on the "local effects" of hot stars in nearby galaxies. Recent models have assumed power-law quasar ionizing backgrounds plus a decrement at 4 Ryd to account for He 11 attenuation in intervening clouds. However, we show that realistic ionizing backgrounds based on cosmological radiative transfer models produce more complex ionizing spectra between 1-5 Ryd that are critical to interpreting ions of Si and C. We also make a preliminary investigation of the effects of He II ionization front nonoverlap. Because the attenuation and reemission by intervening clouds enhance Si IV relative to C iv. the observed high Si Iv/C IV ratios do not require an unrealistic Si overproduction [Si/C_>3 (Si/C)..-,]. If the ionizing spectrum is dominated by "local effects" from massive stars, even larger Si tv/C Jv ratios are possible. However, unless stellar radiation dominates quasars by more than a factor of 10, we confirm lhe evidence for some Si overproduction by massive stars; values Si/C_-2 (Si/C)ofit the measurements better than solar abundances. Ultimately, an adequate interpretation of the ratios of C iv, Si IV, and C. may require hot, collisionally ionized gas in a multiphase medium. © 1997 American Astronomical Society. [S0004-6256(97)00205-7]


Domino CMOS circuits are an option for speeding up critical units. An inherent problem of Domino logic is that under specific input conditions the charge redistribution between parasitic capacitances at internal nodes of a circuit can violate the noise margins and cause erroneous responses at the output. The dominant solution to this problem is the multiple precharging of the gate's internal nodes. However, the added precharge transistors are not testable for stuck-open faults. Undetectable stuck-open faults at these transistors may cause noise margins reduction and consequently may affect the reliability of the circuit since its operation in the field will be sensitive to environmental factors such as noise. In this paper, we propose new multiple precharging design schemes that enhance Domino circuits' testability with respect to transistor stuck-open and stuck-on faults


The antibacterial activities of twelve species of anthozoans (4 gorgonians, 5 soft corals and 3 antipatharians) collected off the east coast of India were assayed against four dominant marine fouling bacterial strains isolated from the biofilm of fouled aluminium panels. Of the 48 combinations (12 corals x 4 bacteria) eighteen interactions showed antibacterial activity (37.5%). Such activity was most apparent in gorgonians, which inhibited bacterial growth in ten out of sixteen interactions (62.5%) compared with that of five out of twenty interactions (25%) among soft corals and three out of twelve interactions (25%) among antipatharians. The activity scores varied with different extracts and test organisms used, and was highest in antipatharians. Among the four bacterial strains Vibrio sp. was the least sensitive (2/12) when compared with Flavobacterium sp. (6/12). This is the first report of antibacterial activities of antipatharian colonies against marine microfoulers. The results imply that anthozoan corals harbour potent agents which could be exploited for the development of antifouling technology.


An 11-year-old female spayed Siberian Husky was presented with a left hind, swollen, bleeding mass involving digit 4. Radiographs revealed osteolytic lesions involving the distal phalanx (P3) and part of the middle phalanx (P2). Digit amputation was performed; histopathology was consistent with hemangiosarcoma. Although no signs of systemic involvement were detected around the time of amputation, the patient was euthanised 47 days later due to regional and distant metastasis.


: This study is intended to investigate the effect of multimedia strategies on EFL learners' achievement. The study sample consisted of 50 fourth level female students who are studying English as a foreign language, in Saudi Arabia, Shaqra University, College of Arts and Science at Shaqra, English Language Department for the academic year 2018-2019. Three tools used for data collection included pre-post oral tests, pre-post written tests, and interviews for college teachers. The pre-oral and written tests were conducted to assess and determine the students' level of performance while the post-oral and written tests were carried out to validate the progress achieved by the students after they were taught with multimedia. The data of the study were analyzed using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS). The main findings of the study revealed that teaching through multimedia has a positive effect on the students' achievement and it also plays an essential role in the development of teaching and learning process. Moreover, it helps EFL learners to cope with their different learning strategies. Finally, there are some recommendations for English teachers and learners of English language.


Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a disease of global epidemiological importance. In Brazil, this disease is caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum chagasi , being transmitted to humans, wild and domestic animals by bites of sand flies vectors. We elaborated this systematic review with the objective of investigating residents' knowledge about control measures of visceral leishmaniasis. The databases Pubmed, Lilacs and SciElo were used in the search of the articles, with the following descriptors "Knowledge and Control and Visceral Leishmaniasis". A total of 174 articles were found, of which only four were selected. We found that the people interviewed are not aware of measures for the prevention and control of visceral leishmaniasis. Therefore, there is a need to implement educational campaigns aimed specifically at combating this disease


This article is a result of a longitudinal case study regarding Home Depot's operation in China. From 2006 to 2011, the author conducted 37 in-depth interviews with Home Depot executives, managers, lawyers, employees, suppliers, and consumers, as well as its Western and Chinese competitors. These interviews generated 500+ pages of transcripts and field notes. Home Depot entered China in 2006 by acquiring 12 stores from a Chinese company, Home Way. However, by September 2012 all Home Depot stores in China had been closed.

This interview-based single-case-study research has these notable contributions. First, this research stresses the importance of host culture in creating a business model when an international retailer expands to a foreign country. Second, the research develops a new Host Culture Analysis Framework: CELM (host Culture, business Environment, target consumer Lifestyle, and target consumer Mentality). Third, by applying the CELM framework to the Chinese market, this research suggests that Home Depot could have replaced its ineffective DIY (Do-It-Yourself) model with the new DIFM (Do-It-for-Me) business model for China. Fourth, this article proposes a new urban boutique store (UBS) retail format for international retailers entering emerging markets. Finally, this research shows that in-depth interview is a solid research method to be applied to case studies, for the discovery of deeper reasons of international expansion failures. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The present study used attention operating characteristics (AOCs) to examine whether age differences existed in divided attention (DA) performance when both primary (cued recall) and secondary tasks (letter recall) were analyzed simultaneously. Additionally, to determine if age differences in DA might depend on the amount of elaborative processing required at study, participants either read (low elaboration) or generated (high elaboration) target words. AOC analyses indicated that performance was disrupted most when attention was divided at encoding versus retrieval, and dividing attention had a greater negative impact on older adults' performance relative to younger adults'. Furthermore, the high elaboration condition was less affected by DA than the low elaboration condition for both age groups. The results indicate that although the ability to divide attention declines with age, some elaborative study strategies may be more resistant to DA effects for both younger and older adults.


In the perspective of promoting the strategic goal of healthy China, this study reviewed the informatization process of disease prevention and control in China and clarified the important role of national health information in chronic disease information surveillance throughout the life cycle. Guided by goals, needs, and problems, it is proposed that when basic personal electronic health record (EHR) are not well-established, personal electronic disease record (EDR) could be established to support business collaboration. Driven by the construction of national health informatization, this study proposed the relationship between the national health and chronic disease prevention and control coverage and described the architecture design of an integrated and restructured national disease prevention and control information system and its life-cycle monitoring and information management model for chronic disease health events.


It is a kind of function word , modal particle to line with the word. Learn the angle and say , it is the primitive mankind before emerging in language , burst out the apparent historic site outside various kinds of emotion in the heart from happenning. Say in terms of linguistics, it has the indefinite language (pronunciation ), the word added of need that in order to compose a piece of writing or sing, beautiful with the beautiful form to make the lyrics have metres in verse.


Sorting is among the first of algorithm, than any computer science student encounters during college and it is considered as a simple and well studied problem. With the advancement in parallel processing many parallel sorting algorithms have been investigated. These algorithms are designed for a variety of parallel computer architectures. In this paper, a comparative analysis of performance of three different types of sorting algorithms viz. sequential quick sort, parallel quick sort and hyperquicksort is presented. Quick sort is a divideand-conquer algorithm that sorts a sequence by recursively dividing it into smaller subsequences, and has Ө(nlogn) complexity for n data values. The comparative analysis is based on comparing average sorting times and speedup achieved in parallel sorting over sequential quick sort and comparing number of comparisons. The time complexity for each sorting algorithm will also be mentioned and analyzed.


The heterotopically transplanted rat urinary bladder (HTB) was developed in our laboratory as a model to study the role of urine in urinary bladder carcinogenesis. With this model, normal urine was found to enhance urinary bladder carcinogenesis initiated by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea or N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine. Two crude urinary components (Fractions I and II) were obtained by gel filtration chromatography; they stimulated ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) in a test bladder carcinoma cell line 804G, and promoted carcinogenesis in the HTB system. Fraction I was found to stimulate growth of 804G cells in vitro. Preliminary data indicate that Fraction I contains at least one, and possibly two heat-stable ODC-inducible and mitogenic components. Further characterization of these components is in progress. The HTB system has been demonstrated to be useful for other investigations; for example, α-difluoromethylornithine, an enzyme-activated irreversible inhibitor of ODC, when instilled repeatedly to the bladder lumen, inhibited tumorigenesis in HTBs.


Familial neuroendocrine tumors are reviewed. The most dramatic advances have been the application of molecular genetic techniques to define the etiologies and develop predictive testing for patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 and type 2 syndromes. All three neoplastic lesions involved in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (parathyroid, pituitary, and pancreatic islet) have shown loss of heterozygosity at chromosome 11. By contrast, the most consistent occurrence of loss of heterozygosity in tumors from multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 patients was not at chromosome 10 but at chromosome 1 p. Molecular genetic testing of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 and type 2 family members at risk provides a powerful tool for early identification and treatment of susceptible individuals. Efforts to clarify familial neuroendocrine tumors without associated multiple endocrine neoplasia syndromes continue. The best characterized tumor of this type is familial medullary thyroid carcinoma. Familial paraganglioma, neuroblastoma, and carcinoid also are reviewed. Potential barriers to genetic screening for familial neuroendocrine tumors are discussed.


This study was aimed to analyze the prospects of development of the financial aspects of amplang processing and marketing channel of amplang processing business. The data was collected through a survey, completed by direct observation in the field and interviews with the respondents. The applied data analysis includes analysis of costs, revenues, income and business feasibility. The results showed the average revenue earned from amplang processing business is Rp. 7.040,000 per month or Rp. 70.400,000 per year, while the average cost of Rp. 4.623.167 per month or Rp. 46.238.333/year. The average income was found as much as Rp. 2.416.167/month or Rp. 24,161,667 / year. The value of the balance of revenue and cost (R/C) in the business of processing amplang is 1.54, which means that the amplang processing business is able to provide a gain of 1.54 of the cost. There are two pattern of marketing channel that were identified in the field, the first pattern is: amplang producer to retailer to consumer; and the second pattern is: amplang producer to consumer directly.


Abstract.  This paper introduces the idea of coding a practically relevant body of knowledge (BoK) in Information Systems (IS) that could have major benefits for the field. In its main part, the paper focuses on the question if and how an underlying body of action‐oriented knowledge for IS experts could be distilled from the IS research literature. For this purpose the paper identifies five knowledge areas as the most important parts for an IS expert's BoK. Two of these are claimed as distinct areas of competence for IS experts: IS application knowledge and IS development (ISD) process knowledge. The paper focuses particularly on ISD process knowledge because it allows the organizing of practically relevant IS knowledge in an action‐oriented way. The paper presents some evidence for the claim that a considerable body of practically relevant IS process knowledge might, indeed, exist, but also notes that it is highly dispersed in the IS literature. It then argues that the IS research community should take stock of this knowledge and organize it in an action‐oriented way. Based on results from prior work it proposes a four‐level hierarchical coding scheme for this purpose. In order to test the idea of coding action‐oriented knowledge for IS experts, the paper reports the results of a coded literature analysis of ISD research articles published from 1996 to 2000 in two leading IS journals – Information Systems Journal and MIS Quarterly. The results suggest that ISD approaches form a useful framework for organizing practically relevant IS knowledge.


Condyloma Acuminata (CA) or wart is a benign lesion which is caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV) type-6 or type-11 infection. During pregnancy, condyloma has a tendency to proliferate and may have recurrence. This is because during pregnancy physiological changes takes place to the external genitalia and immunological effects during pregnancy promote HPV replication, and increased vaginal secretions contacting the skin and mucous membranes in pregnancy also lead to proliferation of CA in pregnancy. A 25-year-old primigravida presented to our hospital at 36 weeks pregnancy with extensive genital warts. These lesions regressed itself one month postpartum and remained only on vulva. Podophyllum resin application was planned for remaining lesions two months postpartum. The few treatments that have been tested and recommended for use in pregnancy are Bi and Tri Chloro Acetic Acid (BCA/TCA) application, cryotherapy, electrocautery and surgical excision, including laser treatment.


Cytosine methylated at the 5-carbon position is the most widely studied reversible DNA modification. Prior findings indicate that methylation can alter mechanical properties. However, those findings were qualitative and sometimes contradictory, leaving many aspects unclear. By applying single-molecule magnetic force spectroscopy techniques allowing for direct manipulation and dynamic observation of DNA mechanics and mechanically driven strand separation, we investigated how CpG and non-CpG cytosine methylation affects DNA micromechanical properties. We quantitatively characterized DNA stiffness using persistence length measurements from force-extension curves in the nanoscale length regime and demonstrated that cytosine methylation results in increased DNA flexibility (i.e., decreased persistence length). In addition, we observed the preferential formation of plectonemes over unwound single-stranded "bubbles" of DNA, under physiologically relevant stretching forces and supercoiling densities. The stiffness and high structural stability of methylated DNA is likely to have significant consequences on the recruitment of proteins recognizing cytosine methylation and DNA packaging. Statement of Significance Despite countless structural and functional studies of DNA methylation, a key epigenetic mark in higher organisms, research towards the understanding of DNA intrinsic structural properties in the context of methylation layout representing different epigenetic landscapes is still in its initial stage. We utilize single molecule spectroscopy to analyze the effect of sparse symmetric and asymmetric 5-mC modification on the mechanical stability of long double-stranded DNA. Our findings establish that at physiologically relevant forces and supercoiling densities increased DNA flexibility of non-CpG methylated DNA translates to the high structural stability.


Max Rafferty is best remembered as a larger-than-life traditionalist who boasted of "killing progressive education in California." Though rarely attracting sustained scholarly attention, the twice-elected state superintendent (1962–71) and bestselling author often serves as a symbol of the conservative populism that germinated in the Golden State and then nationally in the late twentieth century. This article challenges the "Rise of the Right" narrative, employing Rafferty's career as a lens through which to understand the political and cultural transformations wrought by the late 1960s, and how educational questions – particularly those negotiated in K-12 schoolhouses, and specifically bilingual and sex education – were crucial to these shifts.


The task of creating indicative summaries that help a searcher decide whether to read a particular document is a difficult task. This paper examines the indicative summarization task from a generation perspective, by first analyzing its required content via published guidelines and corpus analysis. We show how these summaries can be factored into a set of document features, and how an implemented content planner uses the topicality document feature to create indicative multidocument query-based summaries.


Synthesis of high-efficiency, cost-effective, and stable photocatalysts has long been a priority for sustainable photocatalytic CO2 reduction reactions (CRR), given its importance in achieving carbon neutrality goals under the new development philosophy. Fundamentally, the sluggish interface charge transportation and poor selectivity of products remain a challenge in the CRR progress. Herein, this work unveils a synergistic effect between high-density monodispersed Bi/carbon dots (CDs) and ultrathin graphite phase carbon nitride (g-C3 N4 ) nanomeshes for plasma-assisted photocatalytic CRR. The optimal g-C3 N4 /Bi/CDs heterojunction displays a high selectivity of 98% for CO production with a yield up to 22.7 µmol g-1 without any sacrificial agent. The in situ confined growth of plasmonic Bi clusters favors the production of more hot carriers and improves the conductivity of g-C3 N4 . Meanwhile, a built-in electric field driving force modulates the directional injection photogenerated holes from plasmonic Bi clusters and g-C3 N4 photosensitive units to adjacent CDs reservoirs, thus promoting the rapid separation and oriented transfer in the CRR process. This work sheds light on the mechanism of plasma-assisted photocatalytic CRR and provides a pathway for designing highly efficient plasma-involved photocatalysts.


In this Thesis, computational models for carbonaceous dust grains were examined and
compared to known experimental data. Different formation routes of molecules, important to the
astrochemical evolution of the universe, have been investigated and their relative energies were
analysed with respect to the harsh conditions in interstellar dark clouds of extremely low pressure
(10‐17 bar) and temperature (10 – 20 K).
Dust grains are present in the universe, and evidence shows they are siliceous or
carbonaceous, possible with an icy mantle surrounding the core. In this research, only carbonaceous
surfaces were examined. Two models were used to represent polycyclic, aromatic carbonaceous
surfaces: coronene, C24H12, representing a relatively small hydrocarbon, and graphene – a single
graphite sheet – which represents an extended carbonaceous surface.
The main aims of this Thesis were to examine the validity of computationally modelled
astrochemical reactions and to investigate the catalytic effect of dust grain surfaces on these
reactions. Several formation reactions were examined, including water, methanol and carbonyl
sulfide formation. The abundance of these molecules in dark molecular clouds cannot be explained
by solely considering gas phase type reactions, and the influence that the carbonaceous surfaces
have on these reactions was investigated in order to examine any catalytic effect that they may
have.


Summary

1. The composition and spatiotemporal dynamics of biological communities are influenced by biotic processes, such as predation and competition, but also by physical disturbances, such as floods in running waters. However, the interplay of disturbance with predation is still poorly understood, especially in frequently disturbed streams. Further, different predator species can affect prey communities in different ways depending on their feeding mode and efficiency.

2. We investigated the individual and combined effects of flood-induced bed disturbance and fish predation on the benthos for 4 weeks in 18 streamside channels fed by a flood-prone New Zealand river. Bed movements caused by floods were simulated by tumbling the substratum in half the channels. Six channels each were stocked with introduced brown trout (Salmo trutta) or native upland bully (Gobiomorphus breviceps) or had fish excluded. We studied algal biomass and both invertebrate density and daytime activity on surface stones on several dates after the disturbance, invertebrate community composition in the substrata of the entire channels on day 28 and leaf decomposition rates over the 28-day period.

3. Disturbance affected algal biomass and density, richness and activity of surface stone invertebrates, and overall density and richness of channel invertebrates. Presence or absence of fish, by contrast, did not influence overall invertebrate standing stocks when subsurface substrata were included but did affect invertebrate densities on surface stones in 45% of all analysed cases and invertebrate activity on surface stones in all cases. Leaf decomposition rates were not influenced at all by the experimental manipulations.

4. Native upland bullies featured more often than exotic brown trout in causing invertebrate density changes and equally often in causing changes to grazer behaviour. Overall, our results imply that fish predation can have strong effects on the benthic invertebrate community in frequently disturbed streams, especially via behavioural changes.


We report on the observation of a surprisingly high specific capacitance of β-FeSi2 nanoparticle layers. Lateral, interdigitated capacitor structures were fabricated on thermally grown silicon dioxide and covered with β-FeSi2 particles by drop or spin casting. The β-FeSi2-nanoparticles, with crystallite sizes in the range of 10–30 nm, were fabricated by gas phase synthesis in a hot wall reactor. Compared to the bare electrodes, the nanoparticle-coated samples exhibit a 3–4 orders of magnitude increased capacitance. Time-resolved current voltage measurements show that for short times (seconds to minutes), the material is capable of storing up to 1 As/g at voltages of around 1 V. The devices are robust and exhibit long-term stability under ambient conditions. The specific capacitance is highest for a saturated relative humidity, while for a relative humidity below 40% the capacitance is almost indistinguishable from a nanoparticle-free reference sample. The devices work without the need of a fluid phase, th...


Objective To determine the long-term benefit of the Vibrant Soundbridge (VSB) middle ear implant in patients with severe mixed hearing loss and to compare it with other hearing devices. Design A retrospective analysis. Setting University-affiliated medical center. Patients Six patients with severe mixed hearing loss and a mean sensorineural hearing loss component between 40 and 70 dB. Interventions Patients received a VSB with the floating mass transducer (FMT) coupled to the round window or to the oval window via a residual stapes structure. Main Outcome Measures Functional gain and speech recognition results. Results are compared with 2 control groups matched for mean sensorineural hearing loss: 1) patients with mixed hearing loss and a bone-anchored hearing device, and 2) patients with sensorineural hearing loss and traditional implantation of the VSB. Results There is large variance in functional gain between the patients suggesting high variability in the effectivity of the FMT coupling. The speech recognition results for the experimental group were not systematically better than in either control group. Conclusion There is large variability in results that might be ascribed to coupling effectivity. On the average, speech recognition results were not better or worse than those found in patients with similar hearing loss fitted with bone-anchored hearing devices.


The presenilin-dependent γ-secretase complex is mainly composed of four distinct proteins, namely presenilin 1 or presenilin 2, nicastrin, anterior pharynx defective-1 (Aph-1) and presenilin enhancer (Pen-2). The mechanisms by which the complex is assembled, how its stochiometry is controlled and how its catalytic activity is regulated are poorly understood. Recent studies indicated that Aph-1 and Pen-2 undergo proteolysis by the proteasome. We have examined the susceptibility of endogenous and overexpressed Aph-1a and Pen-2 to proteolysis by endogenous and purified proteasome as well as by recombinant caspases. We show that endogenous Aph-1a and Pen-2 resist proteolysis by caspases and by the proteasome. Furthermore, we show that unexpected interference of proteasome inhibitors with the cmv promoter region driving expression of Aph-1a and Pen-2 led to artifactual enhancement of overexpressed Aph-1a and Pen-2-like immunoreactivities but that these proteins also resist to in vitro degradation by endogenous and purified proteasome.


Multilevel fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA) based on the standard Rokhlin translation function cannot handle effectively cases where the element size is very small compared to the wavelength. Broadband MLFMA allows the creation of additional levels with smaller cubes, and so also these cases can be computed. However, if the element size varies a lot across the model and the childless cubes are all on the same level, either the sparse system matrix or the cube structure can require large amounts of memory. This paper presents an algorithm that modifies broadband MFLMA so that the memory requirements stay reasonable in all cases.


Bacteriophages belonging to the Caudovirales order possess a tail acting as a molecular machine used during infection to recognize the host and ensure high-efficiency genome delivery to the cell cytoplasm. They bear a large and sophisticated multiprotein organelle at their distal tail end, either a baseplate or a tail-tip, which is the control center for infectivity. We report here insights into the baseplate assembly pathways of two lactoccocal phages (p2 and TP901–1) using electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. Based on our "block cloning" strategy we have expressed large complexes of their baseplates as well as several significant structural subcomplexes. Previous biophysical characterization using size-exclusion chromatography coupled with on-line light scattering and refractometry demonstrated that the overproduced recombinant proteins interact with each other to form large (up to 1.9 MDa) and stable assemblies. The structures of several of these complexes have been determined by x-ray diffraction or by electron microscopy. In this contribution, we demonstrate that electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry yields accurate mass measurements for the different baseplate complexes studied from which their stoichiometries can be discerned, and that the subspecies observed in the spectra provide valuable information on the assembly mechanisms of these large organelles.


Immigration law has been called "segregation's last stronghold." Forty years after Loving v. Virginia, the government continues to regulate intimate relationships through immigration law. Examining these contemporary statutes with the same distrust of nativism that the Supreme Court in Loving applied to Virginia's Racial Integrity Act reveals the ways that barriers to family intimacy posed by current law may continue to perpetuate the racial hierarchies that were targeted in Loving. Part II of this Article briefly reviews some of the ways in which immigration and nationality laws regulated family intimacy in the century preceding the Loving decision. These laws, which expressly countenanced racial quotas and race-based bars to admission and naturalization, operated in tandem with antimiscegenation laws to construct and enforce racial boundaries within the United States. Part III explores contemporary immigration and nationality laws, detailing some of the ways in which formal legal barriers to marriage and intimate family relationships persist under these contemporary laws. Part IV discusses the larger social significance of the legal barriers to intimacy created by immigration and naturalization laws. This Part also illustrates the concrete ways in which the nativism that still undergirds modern immigration and nationality laws frustrates the goal of dismantling state-enforced racial hierarchies. Part V asserts that racial hierarchies cannot be completely eliminated, nor "White Supremacy" completely dismantled, under a constitutional order that too sharply limits its concerns about family to relationships between citizens.


INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this study was to present a nationwide cumulative incidence and an age-specific incidence rate of groin hernia repair as well as to evaluate the validity of inguinal and femoral hernia operation codes in the Danish National Patient Registry (DNPR).

METHODS
All persons born in Denmark from 1977 to 2010 were investigated for groin hernia operations registered in the DNPR with respect to date of admission, operation, discharge and specific operation codes. To validate the predictive values of registrations, we randomly extracted data on elective and emergency groin hernia operations from the DNPR from 2005 to 2010 and examined the medical records.

RESULTS
The study population (n = 2,109,417) from 1977 to 2010 was followed from the primary groin hernia operation (n = 53,262) to 2010, yielding a total of 33.4 million person-years of follow-up. The probability of being operated for a groin hernia prior to the age of 34 years was 5.70% (95% confidence interval (CI): 5.62-5.78) for males and 1.26% (95% CI: 1.20-1.32) for females. The highest incidence rate was seen among males aged 0-1 years (10.19 (95% CI: 10.00-10.38)). The positive predictive value of patients registered with inguinal hernia operations in the DNPR who had been operated for an inguinal hernia was 100% (95% CI: 96-100%) and 91.3% (95% CI: 83-96%) for femoral hernia operations.

CONCLUSIONS
The incidence rate of groin hernia operations peaked at the 0-1 year age group in males and at the 3-4-year age group in females. Furthermore, the validation of the DNPR showed very high positive predictive values for both inguinal hernia operations and femoral hernia operations.

FUNDING
none.

TRIAL REGISTRATION
not relevant.


One of the most critical pieces of the self-driving puzzle is the task of predicting future movement of surrounding traffic actors, which allows the autonomous vehicle to safely and effectively plan its future route in a complex world. Recently, a number of algorithms have been proposed to address this important problem, spurred by a growing interest of researchers from both industry and academia. Methods based on top-down scene rasterization on one side and Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) on the other have shown to be particularly successful, obtaining state-of-the-art accuracies on the task of traffic movement prediction. In this paper we build upon these two directions and propose a raster-based conditional GAN architecture, powered by a novel differentiable rasterizer module at the input of the conditional discriminator that maps generated trajectories into the raster space in a differentiable manner. This simplifies the task for the discriminator as trajectories that are not scene-compliant are easier to discern, and allows the gradients to flow back forcing the generator to output better, more realistic trajectories. We evaluated the proposed method on a large-scale, real-world data set, showing that it outperforms state-of-the-art GAN-based baselines.


Rare-earth and fluorine were diffused along grain boundaries in NdFeB sintered magnets during heat treatment after rare-earth fluoride liquid coating. In the case of Dy fluoride coating, the coercivity for NdFeB sintered magnets with a thickness of 1 mm after the diffusion was increased from 0.80 MA/m to 1.13 MA/m (41%) with remanence reduction of 0.6%. Segregations for Dy atoms near the grain boundaries and fluorine atoms at the grain boundary were found by TEM observations. The increase of coercivity per the weight of the rare-earth fluorides has a correlation with the anisotropy field of the RE2Fe14B (RE is rare-earth elements). Furthermore, the Dy quantity required for the observed increase of coercivity can be reduced to 1/3 compared to the previous NdFeB sintered magnets using the fluoride coating and diffusion process.


The Election system in India is a basic foundation for our successful democracy. The Election Commission in India is a statutory body which is having the responsibility of conducting elections in state level as in central elections. The election system is not only seen in India, it can be seen in all countries of the world. The election system also decides the successful running of the government also. Even though, it is a traditional system in India, still it is has applied many changes it itself, and now it is a most developed progressive system in India.The Election system in India, has many features like adult franchise, reservation in constituencies, nomination system etc. Our election system in India is very strong administrative machinery which conducts elections in periodic wise.


MgB2 tapes have been synthesized through the ex-situ powder-in-tube (PIT) method. This technique involves the cold working of tubes of various metals-in this case Ni-previously filled by suitably reacted MgB powders, followed by proper heat treatments. In particular, it allows the use of different starting powders and the control over their properties. We studied the influence of the starting powders on the superconducting properties of the final conductors, and we tried to improve their behavior in magnetic field by mastering their grain size and by inserting appropriate doping. In order to improve the pinning properties of the tapes, the granulometry has been varied through ball-milling of MgB, and different dopants-such as carbon or SiC nanoparticles-have been introduced either on the precursors or on MgB. Critical current measurements on the tapes are presented, both magnetic from the SQUID and transport in high magnetic field. In particular, IV characteristics have been measured up to 13 Tesla at GHMFL (Grenoble) in order to extract the critical current in two directions, i.e. with the field perpendicular and parallel to the tape surface.


In this paper, we propose to reinterpret the problem of generating referring expressions (GRE) as the problem of computing a formula in a description logic that is only satisfied by the referent. This view offers a new unifying perspective under which existing GRE algorithms can be compared. We also show that by applying existing algorithms for computing simulation classes in description logic, we can obtain extremely efficient algorithms for relational referring expressions without any danger of running into infinite regress.


Purpose: Acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with glyphosate poisoning has a poor prognosis. This study aimed to predict the risk factors for AKI in patients with glyphosate poisoning at the emergency department (ED). Methods: Clinical data on glyphosate poisoning patients at ED who were older than 18 years were collected retrospectively between January 2013 and December 2019. The clinical characteristics and clinical outcomes of the AKI group in patients with glyphosate poisoning were compared with the non-AKI (NAKI) group. Results: Of 63 glyphosate poisoning patients, AKI was observed in 15 (23.8%). The AKI patients group showed the following: old age (p=0.038), low systolic blood pressure (p=0.021), large amount of ingestion (p=0.026), delayed hospital visits (p=0.009), high white blood cells (WBC) (p<0.001), high neutrophil counts (p<0.001), high neutrophil-lymphocyte (LN) ratios (p<0.001), high serum potassium (p=0.005), low arterial blood pH (p=0.015), and low pO2 (p=0.021), low bicarbonate (p=0.009), and high Poisoning Severity Score (PSS) (p<0.001). AKI patients required hemodialysis, ventilator care (p<0.001, p=0.002), and inotropics (p<0.001). They also showed more intensive care unit admission (p<0.001), longer hospitalization (p<0.001), and high mortality (p<0.001). Logistic multivariate regression analysis showed that high WBCs (OR, 1.223) and increased LN ratios (OR, 1.414) were independently associated with the occurrence of AKI. Conclusion: In patients with glyphosate poisoning at ED, high WBCs and increased LN ratios can help predict the occurrence of AKI.


1. The influence of temperature on the intensity of reflexion of X-rays by crystals was first dealt with theoretically by Debye, and later by Waller, each of whom based their work on the dynamical theory of crystal lattices due to Born and Karman. Measurements of the temperature coefficient for rocksalt at high temperatures have been made by James,! and at the temperature of liquid air by James and Miss Firth. In their paper, the latter compare the observed intensities, both at high and low temperatures, with those predicted by Waller's theoretical treatment, and find, for temperatures up to about 500° Abs., a substantial agreement, although throughout that range the diminution of intensity with temperature is rather less rapid than theory indicates. Above 500° Abs., the observed rate of decrease of intensity is much greater than the theoretical rate. In making the comparison with theory several simplifying assumptions were made which were equivalent to assuming the lattice to consist of only one kind of atom. Now the work of Waller on crystals containing more than one kind of atom shows that it is necessary to consider a separate temperature coefficient for each type.


Introduction Pouchitis is a clinically significant complication of ileal pouch-anal anastomosis. There is a paucity of head-to-head comparisons between treatments and no data were available about how each treatment rank against each other. A network meta-analysis of the different treatments used for acute, chronic and prevention of pouchitis was conducted. Methods Biomedical databases and the Cochrane Central registry were searched between 1978 and 2021 for randomised controlled trials examining treatment for acute, chronic and prevention of pouchitis. A network meta-analysis was performed using the frequentist model with pooled relative risks and P scores used to rank treatments. Results 18 studies were included from a screen of 4291 abstracts. When compared to placebo, rifaximin was found to be the best antibiotic for acute pouchitis whereas ciprofloxacin ranked highest against metronidazole. For chronic pouchitis, metronidazole followed by probiotics was statistically significant and effective treatments in inducing remission although metronidazole had the highest adverse events. Adalimumab and bismuth were also found to be superior to placebo; however, they did not reach statistical significance. Probiotics proved superior to placebo in the prevention of pouchitis development. Conclusions This is the first network meta-analysis which compares the efficacy and tolerability of treatments in the management and prevention of acute and chronic pouchitis. It confirms that antimicrobial therapy remains the mainstay of treatment and adds weight to current guideline recommendations. Our results demonstrate that rifaximin and probiotics may deserve a more prominent role. While biologics are starting to show promise, large-scale head-to-head comparisons are warranted to validate the efficacy of these treatments.


Preparing for the Revolution: Information Technology and the Future of the Research University is a report released in October 2002, produced by the US National Academies, advisors on science, engineering and medicine. The report describes emerging technologies that are reshaping higher education, including the organization, management, governance and finance of universities. Universities must work with stakeholders to anticipate and influence the learning systems of the future. The next phase of the study will organize national channels for dialogue.


To evaluate the roles of apoptotic cells in peripheral blood (PB) on multiple organ injury, five patients with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and one with refractory anemia were examined. The following findings were confirmed. 1) High‐dose alkylating agents were administrated as conditioning regimens to all HSCT patients. 2) Many organs were injured in all cases. 3) Neutrophils accumulated in the capillaries of injured organs, and endothelial cells were extensively injured. 4) Large numbers of apoptotic cells and γH2AX+ cells were observed in the foci of large cells with hyperchromatic nuclei. 5) Increased numbers of apoptotic cells (6/6), γH2AX+ cells (6/6), scavenger receptor A positive (SRA+) cells (6/6), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α+ cells (5/6) were observed in PB smear preparations. 6) Cytokines exceeded the normal levels in most patients. From these findings, apoptotic cells were considered to be produced by the administration of high‐dose alkylating agents in HSCT patients, and apoptotic cells and SRA+ cells in PB were thought to play important roles in the development of multiple organ injury in HSCT and MDS patients.


Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of motivation on job satisfaction and job performance of executives of Bhilai Steel Plant. The idea was to profile factors causing high motivation and job satisfaction and also to profile those factors that contribute low motivation and dissatisfaction at work and to manage those factors in order to achieve high job performance. The rationale for the study was simply an observation that some employees seem better adjusted and happy at work and are able to cope well with the demands of the working environment while others are not. Another objective is to find out that is management aware of what motivates their executives and to strategically utilize those motivational tools to maintain high levels of job satisfaction.


The impressive penetration of 802.11-based wireless networks in many metropolitan areas around the world offers, for the first time, the opportunity of a "grassroots" wireless Internet service provided by users who "open up" their 802.11 (Wi-Fi) access points in a controlled manner to mobile clients. While there are many business, legal, and policy issues to be ironed out for this vision to become reality, we are concerned in this paper with an important technical question surrounding such a system: can such an unplanned network service provide reasonable performance to network clients moving in cars at vehicular speeds.To answer this question, we present the results of a measurement study carried out over 290 "drive hours" over a few cars under typical driving conditions, in and around the Boston metropolitan area (some of our data also comes from a car in Seattle). With a simple caching optimization to speed-up IP address acquisition, we find that for our driving patterns the median duration of link-layer connectivity at vehicular speeds is 13 seconds, the median connection upload bandwidth is 30 KBytes/s, and that the mean duration between successful associations to APs is 75 seconds. We also find that connections are equally probable across a range of urban speeds (up to 60 km/hour in our measurements). Our end-to-end TCP upload experiments had a median throughput of about 30 KBytes/s, which is consistent with typical uplink speeds of home broadband links in the US. The median TCP connection is capable of uploading about 216 KBytes of data.Our high-level conclusion is that grassroots Wi-Fi networks are viable for a variety of applications, particularly ones that can tolerate intermittent connectivity. We discuss how our measurement results can improve transport protocols in such networks.


The pervasiveness and growing processing capabilities of mobile and embedded systems have enabled the widespread diffusion of the Fog Computing paradigm in the Internet of Things scenario, where computing is directly performed at the edges of the networked infrastructure in distributed cyber-physical systems. This scenario is characterized by a highly dynamic workload and architecture in which applications enter and leave the system, as well as nodes and connections. This article proposes a runtime resource management and provisioning middleware for the dynamic distribution of the applications on the processing resources. The proposed middleware consists of a two-level hierarchy: (i) a global Fog Orchestrator monitoring the architecture status and (ii) a Local Agent on each node, performing a fine-grain tuning of its resources. The co-operation between these components allows one to dynamically adapt and exploit the fine-grain nodes view for fulfilling the defined system-level goals, for example, minimizing power consumption while meeting Quality of Service requirements such as application throughput. This hierarchical architecture and the adopted policies offer a unified optimization strategy that is unique with regard to existing approaches that typically focus on a single aspect of resource management at runtime. A middleware prototype is presented and experimentally evaluated in a Smart Building case study.


The objective of this program was to generate a life prediction model for electron-beam-physical vapor deposited (EB-PVD) zirconia thermal barrier coating (TBC) on gas turbine engine components. Specific activities involved in development of the EB-PVD life prediction model included measurement of EB-PVD ceramic physical and mechanical properties and adherence strength, measurement of the thermally grown oxide (TGO) growth kinetics, generation of quantitative cyclic thermal spallation life data, and development of a spallation life prediction model. Life data useful for model development was obtained by exposing instrumented, EB-PVD ceramic coated cylindrical specimens in a jet fueled burner rig. Monotonic compression and tensile mechanical tests and physical property tests were conducted to obtain the EB-PVD ceramic behavior required for burner rig specimen analysis. As part of that effort, a nonlinear constitutive model was developed for the EB-PVD ceramic. Spallation failure of the EB-PVD TBC system consistently occurred at the TGO-metal interface. Calculated out-of-plane stresses were a small fraction of that required to statically fail the TGO. Thus, EB-PVD spallation was attributed to the interfacial cracking caused by in-plane TGO strains. Since TGO mechanical properties were not measured in this program, calculation of the burner rig specimen TGO in-plane strains was performed by using alumina properties. A life model based on maximum in-plane TGO tensile mechanical strain and TGO thickness correlated the burner rig specimen EB-PVD ceramic spallation lives within a factor of about plus or minus 2X.


The effect of Schistocephalus solidus infection on reproductive development and behaviour of male three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus from an upland lake (Llyn Frongoch, Wales, U.K.) was investigated. Uninfected and infected males were collected on two separate occasions during the 2005 breeding season and encouraged to build nests under favourable laboratory conditions. Male nuptial colouration, courtship levels and nesting activity were recorded daily over two separate 21 day studies. Completed nests were removed, encouraging males to build multiple nests. On termination of each study, males were dissected and the kidney and any S. solidus plerocercoids were removed and weighed. In contrast to uninfected males, which readily built multiple nests, no infected males completed a nest during either study. Infected males also exhibited significantly reduced courtship levels, nesting activity, nuptial colouration, kidney development and body condition, compared with uninfected fish. Among infected three-spined stickleback, courtship and nesting behaviours tended to be more severely impacted in fish harbouring heavier plerocercoid burdens. In contrast to other populations, male three-spined stickleback from Llyn Frongoch appear to be unable to overcome the negative impacts of infections on reproductive development and behaviour when provided with short-term favourable conditions. Discrepancies between populations might have been related to the trophic status at the site of capture, emphasizing the importance of studying the biological effects of infections under different environmental conditions.


The paper focuses on the dining culture difference between china and America according to analyzing the period of the film, The Joy Luck Club, in which Waverly takes her boyfriend Rich to meet his future mother-in-law.


Rural migration, which has commenced in Europe in the late 1700s, can be defined as the social movement that has occurred in parallel with the Industrial Revolution. The urbanization of the population in rural areas arising from various economic and social causes is also accepted as a result of economic and social changes and developments. It is also a known fact the cited developments and changes have been considered to be a problem for the country and various measures have been taken with an eye to solve the foregoing issue. Basing on such an approach, it is concluded that rural migration has consistently a negative impact. However, it should also be considered that it is necessary to evaluate rural migration as an expected consequence of the economic development process of a country and the necessity of turning this situation into opportunity must also be considered. This study, which has been conducted through basing on this point, aims to bring to the forefront the fact that rural migration, as well as being a problem, also creates some positive results. It is expected also that the aim for bringing this fact to the forefront is expected to be helpful in revealing the requirement that migration from rural areas should also be discussed with the positive aspects thereof.


A 140 kW energy storage flywheel has been developed to provide 15 seconds of ride-through power for industrial UPS applications. The flywheel, which operates in a vacuum, is supported by Active Magnetic Bearings (AMB) to minimize bearing losses, and has a high power motor/generator coupled to an efficient power conversion module. The backup bearing system was tested extensively due to the potential for very long spin down times in the event of a failure in or loss of power to the magnetic bearing system. Key issues encountered during testing are discussed and solutions identified. High fidelity orbit and time-history data from a full speed drop and spin down are presented and discussed in detail. The final backup bearing system is capable of three 2.75 hour spin downs from 36,000 rpm.Copyright © 2007 by ASME


Babesiosis is a rare worldwide-distributed protozoal zoonosis caused by a haemoprotozoan of the genus Babesia, transmitted through bites of tick of the genus Ixodes. The first demonstrated case of human babesiosis in the world was discovered in Europe, in 1957. However, most of the cases were reported later in the north-east of the United States where Babesia microti has been the cause of over 300 cases of human babesiosis since 1969. In Europe, the most severe cases are observed in asplenic patients infected by a parasite of cattle, the Babesia divergens. Only two cases of babesiosis have been reported in Spain. We present a case of erythema figuratum associated to septic babesiosis in a non-splenectomized man, which is currently the third case of babesiosis in Spain.


PURPOSE
Segmentation of the chest wall, is an important component of methods for automated analysis of breast MRI. Methods reported to date show promising results but have difficulties delineating the muscle border correctly in breasts with a large proportion of fibroglandular tissue (i.e., dense breasts). Knowledge-based methods as well as methods based on deep learning have been proposed, but a systematic comparison of these approaches within one cohort of images is currently lacking. Therefore, we developed a knowledge-based method and a deep learning method for segmentation of the chest wall in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of dense breasts and compared their performances.

METHODS
Two automated methods were developed, an optimized knowledge-based method (KBM) incorporating heuristics aimed at shape, location and gradient features, and a deep learning-based method (DLM) using a dilated convolution neural network. A dataset of 115 T1-weighted MR images was randomly selected from MR images of women with extremely dense breasts (ACR BI-RADS category 4) participating in a screening trial of women (mean age 56.6 years, range 49.5-75.2 years) with dense breasts. Manual segmentations of the chest wall, acquired under supervision of an experienced breast radiologist, were available for all datasets. Both methods were optimized using the same randomly selected 36 MRI datasets from a total of 115 datasets. Each MR dataset consisted of 179 transversal images with voxel size 0.64 x 0.64 x 1.00 mm3 . In the remaining 79 datasets, the results of both segmentation methods were qualitatively evaluated. A radiologist reviewed segmentation results of both methods in all transversal images (n=14 141) and determined whether the result would impact the ability to accurately determine volume of fibroglandular and fatty tissue and whether segmentations masked breast regions that might harbor lesions. When no relevant deviation was detected, the result was considered successful. In addition, all segmentations were quantitatively assessed using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and Hausdorff distance (HD), 95th percentile of the Hausdorff distance (HD95), false positive fraction (FPF) and false negative fraction (FNF) metrics.

RESULTS
According to the radiologist's evaluation, the DLM had a significantly higher success rate than the KBM (81.6% vs. 78.4%, p<0.01). The success rate was further improved to 92.1% by combining both methods. Similarly, the DLM had significantly lower values for FNF (0.003±0.003 vs. 0.009±0.011, p<0.01) and HD95 (2.58±1.78 mm vs. 3.37±2.11, p<0.01). However, the KBM resulted in a significantly lower FPF than the DLM (0.018±0.009 vs. 0.030±0.009, p<0.01).There was no significant difference between the KBM and DLM in terms of DSC (0.982±0.006 vs. 0.984±0.008, p=0.08) or HD (24.14±20.69 mm vs. 12.81±27.28 mm, p=0.05).

CONCLUSION
Both optimized knowledge-based and deep learning-based method showed good results to segment the pectoral muscle in women with dense breasts. Qualitatively assessed, the DLM was the most robust method. A quantitative comparison, however, did not indicate a preference for one method over the other. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Water oxidation (WO) is a central reaction in the photo- and electro-synthesis of fuels. Iridium complexes have been successfully exploited as water oxidation catalysts (WOCs) with remarkable performances. Herein, we report a systematic study aimed at benchmarking well-known Ir WOCs, when NaIO4 is used to drive the reaction. In particular, the following complexes were studied: cis-[Ir(ppy)2 (H2 O)2 ]OTf (ppy=2-phenylpyridine) (1), [Cp*Ir(H2 O)3 ]NO3 (Cp*=1,2,3,4,5-pentamethyl-cyclopentadienyl anion) (2), [Cp*Ir(bzpy)Cl] (bzpy=2-benzoylpyridine) (3), [Cp*IrCl2 (Me2 -NHC)] (NHC=N-heterocyclic carbene) (4), [Cp*Ir(pyalk)Cl] (pyalk=2-pyridine-isopropanoate) (5), [Cp*Ir(pic)NO3 ] (pic=2-pyridine-carboxylate) (6), [Cp*Ir{(P(O)(OH)2 }3 ]Na (7), and mer-[IrCl3 (pic)(HOMe)]K (8). Their reactivity was compared with that of IrCl3 ⋅n H2 O (9) and [Ir(OH)6 ]2- (10). Most measurements were performed in phosphate buffer (0.2 m), in which 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10 showed very high activity (yield close to 100 %, turnover frequency up to 554 min-1 with 10, the highest ever observed for a WO-driven by NaIO4 ). The found order of activity is: 10>2≈4>6>5>7>1>9>3>8. Clues concerning the molecular nature of the active species were obtained, whereas its exact nature remains doubtfully.


The chemical composition of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of the smooth strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO 307 and a spontaneously derived rough mutant, obtained by selection for resistance to the LPS-specific phage E79, are compared. The rough LPS was shown to contain lipid A, heptose, 2-keto 3-deoxyoctonic acid, galactosamine, alanine and phosphate but lacked glucose, rhamnose and fucosamine which were important constituents, on a weight basis, of the smooth LPS. These results, and chromatographic analysis of the polysaccharide fraction indicate that the rough strain lacked side chain material and was defective in its inner core region. The chemical date obtained were consistent with a core in the PAO strain similar to that of strain NCTC 1999, enhancing the evidence for a common core polysaccharide in the LPS of P. aeruginosa strains.


Reactions of proton phototransfer in organic compounds and photochemical lasers based on these reactions are considered. A principle of operation of a photochemical laser is described. Selection criteria of acid-base systems to serve as active media in photochemical lasers are determined. A list of acid-base laser systems, conditions of their fabrication, and emission characteristics are collated. Specific losses in photochemical lasers are analysed. Methods of expanding the spectral range of tunable emission in the photochemical lasers are described. The bibliography includes 134 references.


Adapting to sweeping changes in health care organizations, senior nurse executives (SNEs) are redefining their roles--combining clinical skills, broad management understanding, and inspirational leadership to develop the skill set needed for success in today's unpredictable health care environment. Whether within the traditional organization as senior executives or outside it as individual small business owners, many SNEs are demonstrating creative, entrepreneurial leadership skills. CEOs value these but also emphasize the need for greater business and financial expertise from the SNE.


The purpose of this study was to study the effect of high-dose omeprazole therapy (20 mg twice daily) on kinetics of moderate amounts of orally administered ethanol. Eight healthy men participated in the study. After an overnight fast, they drank 0.5 g/kg body weight ethanol over 20 min. Blood samples were drawn before and then every 20 min after ethanol ingestion for the next 3 h. Subjects then ingested omeprazole 20 mg twice daily for 6 days. On the seventh day, the same dose of oral ethanol was administered as before and blood samples drawn. Blood ethanol concentrations were determined. We fit a one-compartment model with first-order absorption and zero order elimination to the blood ethanol data with PCNONLIN (SCI Software, Lexington, KY, U.S.A.) separately for each subject before as well as after omeprazole therapy. Area under the curve was calculated using the trapezoidal rule. There were no differences in the peak concentration, time to peak concentration, area under the curve, or elimination rate constant for ethanol before and after omeprazole treatment. Omeprazole treatment (20 mg twice daily) does not affect the pharmacokinetics of orally ingested ethanol in healthy male subjects. Our results do not rule out a possible effect on psychomotor function as a result of a pharmacodynamic interaction.


It is desirable to use light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as sources in cost-sensitive loop applications to exploit their low cost and high reliability compared with present injection lasers. It is also highly desirable to install single-mode fiber (SMF) to permit future utilization of its extreme bandwidth for upgrading, possibly beyond 1 Gb/s. Traditionally, however, LEDs used with SMF have been considered impractical due to the low launched power.


OBJECTIVE
To ascertain the association between early computed tomography (CT) scan findings and the need for assistance with ambulation, activities of daily living (ADLs), and supervision at rehabilitation discharge and at 1 year after traumatic brain injury (TBI).

DESIGN
Prospective longitudinal design.

SETTING
Seventeen Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems (TBIMS) centers.

PARTICIPANTS
A total of 1,839 adults with TBI admitted to TBIMS trauma centers with subsequent acute rehabilitation; 849 were followed to 1 year after injury.

INTERVENTIONS
Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Accumulated CT scan pathology from the first week after injury; FIM instrument and Disability Rating Scale at rehabilitation discharge and 1 year after injury; and Supervision Rating Scale at 1 year.

RESULTS
Chi-square analyses showed that individuals with a midline shift greater than 5mm (lateral compression) were more likely to require the assistance of another person at discharge from acute rehabilitation with ambulation (29% vs 17%-19%, P=.02), toileting (47% vs 33%-38%, P=.05), lower-body dressing (57% vs 39%-46%, P=.015), bladder continence (32% vs 19%-23%, P=.03), and overall supervision (53% vs 44%, P=.0006) than patients with a midline shift of lesser degree. At 1 year, 57% of patients with a midline shift greater than 5mm on acute CT scans were being supervised in the home versus 30% to 39% of those with a shift of lesser degree (P=.003); there were no significant differences in the percentages of those needing assistance for ambulation or ADLs. The association of subdural hematoma with ambulation, self-care, and supervision needs was related to the degree of midline shift but not to the presence of subdural hematoma. Individuals with subcortical contusions were more likely to require assistance at rehabilitation discharge for ambulation (32% vs 18%, P<.0001), lower-body dressing (61% vs 44%), toileting (52% vs 35%), bladder continence (34% vs 22%), and overall supervision (61% vs 44%) than those without subcortical contusions (P<.0001). At 1 year, individuals with acute subcortical contusions were more likely to need assistance with ambulation (15% vs 8%, P=.004) and stair climbing (15% vs 9%, P=.03). Those with bilateral frontal (54% vs 46%, P=.009) or bilateral temporal (58% vs 46%, P=.03) contusions were more likely to need assistance with overall supervision at rehabilitation discharge, compared with those with unilateral or no cortical contusions.

CONCLUSIONS
The presence of either a midline shift greater than 5mm or a subcortical contusion on acute CT scans is associated with a greater need of assistance with ambulation, ADLs, and global supervision at rehabilitation discharge. Patients with bilateral cortical contusions require more global supervision at rehabilitation discharge but no more supervision for ambulation and ADLs. These findings may aid health care professionals and potential caregivers in planning for rehabilitation and supervision needs after rehabilitation discharge and, to a lesser extent, at 1 year after TBI.


We study the problem of estimating the number of triangles in a graph stream. No streaming algorithm can get sublinear space on all graphs, so methods in this area bound the space in terms of parameters of the input graph such as the maximum number of triangles sharing a single edge. We give a sampling algorithm that is additionally parameterized by the maximum number of triangles sharing a single vertex. Our bound matches the best known turnstile results in all graphs, and gets better performance on simple graphs like G(n, p) or a set of independent triangles. We complement the upper bound with a lower bound showing that no sampling algorithm can do better on those graphs by more than a log factor. In particular, any insertion stream algorithm must use [EQUATION] space when all the triangles share a common vertex, and any sampling algorithm must take T1/3 samples when all the triangles are independent. We add another lower bound, also matching our algorithm's performance, which applies to all graph classes. This lower bound covers "triangle-dependent" sampling algorithms, a subclass that includes our algorithm and all previous sampling algorithms for the problem.


Since 1983, we have treated advanced (UICC stages 111 and IV) squamous carcinomas of the larynx by primary radiotherapy, using three small fractions a day, 3–4h interfraction interval, 5 days per week. The early patients received doses per fraction of 1.5 Gy, and a total dose of approximately 70 Gy, given as a split-course over 6 to 7 weeks. While overall tumor control and laryngeal preservation was good, a number of severe late radiation reactions were seen. The schedule was then modified, with a reduction in the fraction size to 1.1 Gy, the total dose to 60 Gy, and the overall time to 4 weeks, with omission of the mid-treatment "split." Since 1986, we have treated 26 patients in this way. Acute reactions are brisk, but rapidly healing. loco-regional control was achieved in 22 patients, only one of whom has relapsed to date, in a solitary node, salvaged by radical neck dissection. Four have died of uncontrolled loco-regional malignancy, and three of intercurrent disease while in clinical remission. No serious late morbidity has been observed in surviving patients, and vocal quality is good in the majority. These results suggest that this hyperfractionated and accelerated radiotherapy schedule may offer an acceptable nonsurgical, voice-preserving treatment for advanced laryngeal carcinoma; it can be used in a normally working radiotherapy department.


Aortic dilation is common in patients with congenital heart disease including those with a bicuspid aortic valve, connective tissue disease, coarctation of the aorta, and conotruncal defects. In addition, neo-aortic dilation has been described in patients after aortic reconstruction including the Norwood procedure, the arterial switch operation, and the Ross procedure. Although aortic catastrophe is rare in patients with congenital heart disease, common pathologic endpoints in these patients likely manifest with similar aortic tissue behavior. A lifelong care model with similar indications for surveillance and prophylactic repair to other more common aortopathies is therefore warranted. Still, reoperative aortic arch reconstruction in these patients is often a complex and high-risk endeavor, and in all cases, a tailored and adaptable plan ensuring adequate myocardial and cerebral protection with appropriate rescue measures is paramount. A surgical team taking on these challenging cases should possess an armamentarium of open, hybrid, and endovascular techniques which can be individualized to a patient's unique anatomy, surgical history, and concomitant lesions as well as the team's measured outcomes and experience.


Abstract IntroductionIntroduction: Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis (IGM) is a rare, debilitating, chronic inflammatory disease of the breast, occurring in women of the child-bearing age, which can clinically, and radiologically mimic abscess, tubercular infection or breast cancer. Homoeopathy can treat the disease by addressing its multifactorial origin, given its holistic approach. The paper presents a case series of 11 patients of IGM treated with classical homoeopathy in place of conventional methods. Case Summary Case Summary: After exclusion of differential diagnosis of inflammatory breast lesions by radiology, and biopsy, the patients were given individualised homoeopathic treatment. Common symptoms were pain, single or multiple lumps, abscesses, sinuses, ulcers and discharge in various patients. Descriptive statistics, clinical observation and patient's feedback were used for analysis. 11patients were followed up for a median period of 24 months. All 11 patients experienced subsidence of the lumps with no recurrence and general improvement in health, without any conventional medication or surgical intervention. The initial experience of resolution of IGM with homoeopathic treatment is encouraging. For an evidence-based evaluation of the results, larger numbers of case studies are required. The key to positive outcome of the case series was meticulous follow up of each patient and intervention with acute homoeopathic remedies, as indicated.


In this paper, we report a novel technological issue for the realization of low loss coplanar passive circuits on low resistivity (LR-20 ¿.cm) silicon substrate using simultaneously a silicon surface micromachining in the slots and a thick polymer layer (BCB). The silicon etching into the coplanar slots leads indeed to a noticeable decrease of the losses, whereas filling the coplanar gaps with the low loss polymer minimizes the field interaction with the lossy silicon substrate and results in a much higher quality factor.


Heart failure is a frequent human disease, partly related to anomalous activation of the defense systems, following a cardiovascular aggression. Increases in the prevalence of heart failure have been observed in the so-called occidental culture countries, probably due to the increased prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, ageing population, and heart failure patients' survival. During the last two decades, intensive investigation in the human and non-human set have contributed to better knowledge of the patophysiology, the prevention and the therapeutic approach of heart failure. The Authors reviewed on some aspects of the neurohumoral activation in heart failure, with therapeutic implications.


The FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade) regulations were introduced in 2003 with the intention of reversing the rate of destruction of the world's forests. One of the European Union's aims is to halt the import of illegally acquired and endangered timber. The timber trade law (regulation (EU) 995/2010) stipulates that importers of tropical timber must be able to identify the origin of timber used in their products, and from the 3rd March 2013, it is a criminal offence to sell endangered timber in the European Union without a FLEGT licence. There are few analytical methods available to determine the declared origin of timber. The current procedure involves checking of shipping documents and visual checks of common timber species for origin identification.

In this project, one hundred timber core samples of Sapele (Entandrophragma), Rosewood (Dalbergia) and Ebony (Diospyros) trees were taken from across West Africa and Madagascar. The δ2H, δ13C, and δ18O isotopes of the extracted cellulose were determined by using an elemental analyser coupled to an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (EA-IRMS). The study revealed that δ2H and δ18O of cellulose showed no correlation with δ2H and δ18O of precipitation water, suggesting the leaf-to-air-vapour pressure difference (VPD), as well as alternative ground water sources may influence the isotopes laid down in cellulose of tropical timber. Additionally, multi-element profiles of the timber samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), to assess the potential for geographical origin discrimination based on the combined profile of stable isotope ratios and multi-element concentrations. Using the multivariate statistical technique of canonical discriminant analysis (CDA), data were processed enabling a cross validation rate of 86.6%.
Twelve elemental variables were selected by the CDA for the multivariate analysis (Mo, Zn, Ca, As, δ13C, δ18O, Sb, Mn, Pb, Cu, La, Ba), which provided maximum discrimination between the timber samples originating from Ghana, Cameroon, The Congo, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Madagascar. Hence, the combination of the methodologies of stable isotope ratio and trace element analysis offers an effective approach to verifying the declared origin of timber.


Prostate cancer (PC) is the most commonly diagnosed male cancer both in the United States and in Europe. Approximately 20-25% of cases will develop metastatic disease, which eventually progresses to lethal castration-resistant form of the disease (CRPC). Even though the exact mechanism by which CRPC develops remains to be fully understood, several mechanisms of castration resistance have been identified. Importantly, androgen signaling remains active even in the CRPC stage. This has led to the clinical development of second-generation AR-targeting drugs enzalutamide and abiraterone that target the ligand-binding domain of AR directly and indirectly, respectively. Unfortunately, a significant subset of patients show primary resistance to these agents. One potential explanation for this is the presence of AR splice variants (AR-Vs). AR-Vs are alternatively spliced isoforms of the AR mRNA usually resulting in truncated AR protein product. Even though AR-Vs lack variable portions of the AR COOH-terminal domain including the ligand-binding domain (LBD), they are constitutively active as transcription factors. The aim of this work was to study AR-Vs and also AR rearrangements, mutations and copy number variations (CNVs) to better understand the emergence of CRPC. This was done by analyzing specimens from different stages of prostate cancer by next-generation sequencing methods. Our sample cohorts included hormone-naive PCs and lymph node metastases as well as locally recurrent and metastatic CRPCs. AR mutations and CNVs were detected only in CRPC specimens. Genomic structural rearrangements of AR (AR-GSRs) were observed in 5/30 metastatic CRPC patients but they were not associated with the expression of previously known AR-Vs, and their variant allele fractions were low. The main AR-Vs detected were AR-V3, AR-V7 and AR-V9, whose expression levels were higher in CRPC cases in comparison to prostatectomy samples. The differences were statistically significant for either variant alone or when their expression fractions were combined (p=0.0006). In addition, metastatic CRPC cases expressed significantly more AR-V3, AR-V7 and AR-V9 when compared to non-androgen deprived pelvic lymph node metastases (p=0.0282). The expression of these AR-Vs was strongly associated with the levels of full-length AR. Out of 25 CRPC metastases that expressed any AR variant, 17 cases harbored expression of all three of these AR-Vs. In conclusion, AR-V3, AR-V7 and AR-V9 tend to be co-expressed in metastatic CRPC highlighting the fact that targeting of the AR ligand-binding domain might not be sufficient to achieve a treatment response in certain patients. Consequently, targeting of AR via regions common to all AR-Vs is likely to provide additional benefit to patients suffering from CRPC. Citation Format: Heini M. Kallio, Reija Hieta, Anniina Brofeldt, Matti Annala, Kati Kivinummi, Teuvo L. Tammela, Matti Nykter, William B. Isaacs, Hans G. Lilja, G Steven Bova, Tapio Visakorpi. Constitutively active androgen receptor splice variants AR-V3, AR-V7 and AR-V9 are co-expressed in castration-resistant prostate cancer metastases [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1802.


Distributed video coding (DVC), a new video coding paradigm based on Slepian-Wolf and Wyner-Ziv theories, is a promising solution for implementing low-power and low-cost distributed wireless video sensors since most of the computation load is moved from the encoder to the decoder. In this paper, the hardware architecture design of an efficient distributed video coding system, hybrid DVC with frame-level coding mode selection, is proposed. With the fully block-pipelined architecture, coding mode pre-decision, and specially-designed LDPC code engine, the proposed hardware is an efficient solution for distributed video sensors with high rate-distortion performance.


Helical windings (or zigzag windings) are used in a number of applications, however, in electrical machines, mainly employed in low-power, high-speed permanent magnet (PM) brushless dc machines due to the cost effectiveness of the winding type while maintaining reasonable performance. Typically, helical windings are used for low-voltage applications due to their spiral form, which makes them most suitable for a small number of turns. In high-speed electrical machines, such a low number of turns are applicable. It is apparent that high-speed PM machines suffer from rotor eddy-current losses, which in some cases may lead to PM demagnetization due to overheating. The performance of the machine is compromised by these losses; hence, they have to be considered during the design procedure. There are many papers analyzing the magnetic field of these machines employing helical windings; however, none of them present a simple and precise electromagnetic model of a machine with the helical winding. This paper presents an analytical approach to model the resulting 3-D magnetic field of the helical winding, considering eddy currents in the conducting media of the rotor. The model is verified with the 3-D finite-element method by means of comparing magnetic field and rotor eddy-current losses.


The efficacy of circumpatellar electrocautery in reducing the incidence of post-operative anterior knee pain is unknown. We conducted a single-centre, outcome-assessor and patient-blinded, parallel-group, randomised, controlled trial to compare circumpatellar electrocautery with no electrocautery in total knee replacement in the absence of patellar resurfacing. Patients requiring knee replacement for primary osteoarthritis were randomly assigned circumpatellar electrocautery (intervention group) or no electrocautery (control group). The primary outcome measure was the incidence of anterior knee pain. A secondary measure was the standardised clinical and patient-reported outcomes determined by the American Knee Society scores and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index. A total of 131 knees received circumpatellar electrocautery and 131 had no electrocautery. The overall incidence of anterior knee pain at follow-up at one year was 26% (20% to 31%), with 19% (12% to 26%) in the intervention group and 32% (24% to 40%) in the control group (p = 0.02). The relative risk reduction from electrocautery was 40% (9% to 61%) and the number needed to treat was 7.7 (4.3 to 41.4). The intervention group had a better mean total WOMAC score at follow-up at one year compared with the control group (16.3 (0 to 77.7) versus 21.6 (0 to 76.7), p = 0.04). The mean post-operative American Knee Society knee scores and function scores were similar in the intervention and control groups (knee score: 92.4 (55 to 100) versus 90.4 (51 to 100), respectively (p = 0.14); function score: 86.5 (15 to 100) versus 84.5 (30 to 100), respectively (p = 0.49)). Our study suggests that in the absence of patellar resurfacing electrocautery around the margin of the patella improves the outcome of total knee replacement.


Background Antibiotic overuse is a major public health challenge worldwide and it can result in the emergence and spread of drug resistance. In Mozambique, there are limited data related to primary care physicians' antibiotic prescription patterns. The aim of this study was to assess the antibiotic prescription patterns for HIV- positive patients in primary health care. Methods A prospective cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted in eight primary health care units in Southern Mozambique. The study was based on recording outpatient prescriptions using a structured questionnaire. Three hundred and sixty-nine prescriptions and clinical records of HIV-positive patients from 31 prescribers were assessed. A total of eight general practitioners, 13 medical technicians and 10 nurses participated. Results Antibiotics were used in 65.9% of prescriptions, with an average of 0.9 antibiotics per prescription. Of a total of 334 prescribed antibiotics, 69.8% were for the treatment of infections and 30.2% for prophylaxis. Penicillin (29.2%), sulphonamides (19.7%), and quinolones (16.3%) were the most prescribed classes of antibiotics for treatment. For prophylaxis, only sulphonamides (93.1%) and macrolides (6.9%) were prescribed. The diagnosis was the only variable that had a significant association with antibiotic prescription (p < 0.001). Most of penicillins (68.0%) and sulphonamides (21.4%) were prescribed to treat infections related to the respiratory tract. Conclusion The prescription of antibiotics was high and influenced by patient clinical conditions. Antibiotics were prescribed either for treatment or prophylaxis of infections, mostly to treat respiratory tract infections. Prescribers should be encouraged to adopt a rational use of antibiotics to reduce unnecessary prescriptions.


We have investigated polymerization-induced phase separation (PIPS) of epoxy solution in oligoethylene glycol (PEG200) using time resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). To control the characteristic length or the pore size, especially to realize the nanometer characteristic length, we have investigated the structure formation process as a function of the fractions of crosslinking agent (curing agent) and oligoethylene glycol. It was found that the effects of the crosslinking agent fraction on the characteristic length was small, but those of the oligoethylene glycol fraction were so large to reduce the characteristic length down to 12.6 nm. The structural origin of the characteristic length was not assigned to structure due to the PIPS, but some structure originally existing in epoxy solution in PEG200 fixed by the crosslinking reaction.


To study the effect of fluoride on the physicochemical properties of carbonate-containing apatites, two series of fluoridated CO3 apatites with various fluoride contents were synthesized at 80 degrees C and pH 7.4. The alpha-axis dimensions of these apatites decreased with the increase of both fluoride and carbonate contents. The crystallinity of the apatites showed similar patterns of variation with the degree of fluoridation irrespective of carbonate content. These patterns appear analogous to the complex pattern of the fluoridated hydroxyapatites previously reported. In contrast to this unexpected crystallinity phenomena, the apparent solubility of fluoridated CO3 apatites in acetate buffer solutions at pH 4.0 and 6.0 and 37 degrees C decreased monotonically with increasing degree of fluoridation and approached that of fluoridated hydroxyapatites at high fluoride content. Dissolution rate of fluoridated CO3 apatite pellets at pH 4.0 also showed a simple decrease with increasing degree of fluoridation and was extremely sensitive to acid at low fluoride content.


This accessible book takes a unique person-centred approach to working with older people and provides an introduction to the legislation, policy, theory and research needed by social workers. The authors explore the experience of being an older person and how practitioners can work to make positive differences to older people's lives. In addition, the book: Goes beyond the mechanistic care management approaches to social work and encourages the reader to see older people holistically Features case studies and exercises to assist readers in reflecting on their practice Examines a range of contexts and perspectives, including sexuality, spirituality, learning disabilities Encourages wider reflection on the constraints posed by organisations employing social workers and the impact on their practice Provides an up-to-date exploration of safeguarding issuesThe authors take into account financial constraints with regard to the care of older people and the impact of a changing demography, but remain upbeat and positive about the value of social work intervention. Social Work with Older People is relevant for students on placement in adult services or voluntary organizations and social work practitioners working with older people. Contributors: Gill Butler, Rick Fisher, Chris Gaine, David Gaylard, John Gisby, Vivienne Killner, Andrea Linell, Andy Mantell, Debbie Smallbones, Chris Smethurst, Sally Stapleton, Graham Tooth, Christine Wright


Abstract The aim of this study was: (i) long-term (2010, 2011 and 2013) evaluation of the relative air humidity in the winter wheat canopy, (ii) finding of relationships between relative air humidity in canopy and computed or measured meteorological values (precipitation totals, evapotranspiration, moisture balance, specific air humidity, volume soil moisture, % of available soil water content, value of soil water potential), (iii) testing of simulation of daily relative air humidity, based on selected meteorological values and potential evapotranspiration (FAO Penman-Monteith method) and actual evapotranspiration, (iv) testing of simulation of relative air humidity hourly values in the wheat canopy, (v) evaluation of dependence between relative air humidity and leaf wetness. The measurement was performed at the experimental field station of Mendel University in Žabčice (South Moravia, the Czech Republic). Data recording for wheat canopy was conducted by means of a meteostation equipped with digital air humidity and air temperature sensors positioned in the ground, effective height of the stand and in 2 m above the ground. The main vegetation period of wheat was divided into three stages to evaluate differences in various growing phases of wheat. The data from nearby standard climatological stations and from agrometeorological station in Žabčice were used for establishment of relationships between relative air humidity in winter wheat canopy and surrounding environment by correlation and regression analysis. Relative air humidity above 90% occurred substantially longer on the ground and at the effective height of the stand in comparison with the height of 2 m. By means of regression analysis we determined that the limit of 90% was reached in the canopy when at the climatological station it was just 60 to 90% for ground level and 70 to 90% for effective height, especially during the night. Slight dependence between measured or computed meteorological variables and relative air humidity in winter wheat canopy was found (r = 0.23 − 0.56 for precipitation totals, r = 0.27 − 0.57 for % of available soil water capacity, etc.). The simulation of hourly values of relative air humidity in wheat canopy is partially possible just when using the data of relative air humidity from the relevant standard climatological station.


This paper aims to provide an account for the English anaphors under the framework of the recent development of minimalism (Chomsky 1999, 2001). I propose that the anaphor has the uninterpretable [a] feature. The Agree operation erases the [a] feature by feature match. Once the [a] is deleted, the derivation converges, providing a proper interpretation of the anaphor. When there is no matching phi-features, the [a] cannot be eliminated, inducing the derivation to crash. The Agree operation can account for not only the typical local binding cases in English but the apparent long-distance binding cases in the picture-DP and expletive constructions. Consequently, the traditional concept of the binding domain and dichotomy between local and long-distance types are abandoned in favor of the analysis under the framework of minimalism. The minimalist accounts thus maximally simplifies the binding principles, using the general operation Agree only.


Despite the rising importance of enhancing community resilience to disasters, our understanding on how communities recover from catastrophic events is limited. Here we study the population recovery dynamics of disaster affected regions by observing the movements of over 2.5 million mobile phone users across three countries before, during and after five major disasters. We find that, although the regions affected by the five disasters have significant differences in socio-economic characteristics, we observe a universal recovery pattern where displaced populations return in an exponential manner after all disasters. Moreover, the heterogeneity in initial and long-term displacement rates across communities across the three countries were explained by a set of key universal factors including the community's median income level, population size, housing damage rate, and the connectedness to other cities. These universal properties of recovery dynamics extracted from large scale evidence could impact efforts on urban resilience and sustainability across various disciplines.