In Ethical Issues in Counseling, Ronald Stein responds to the lack of attention within social work schools to inculcating in students an awareness of the ethical aspects of practice. If one inquires about how ethics are taught, in the absence of a specific course in ethics, teachers respond that attention to ethics permeates the entire curriculum. However, when students are asked this question, their response is likely to be that they have not yet been given any instruction in ethics. This observation holds true among all the helping professions. Today, educators in many professions are concerned about providing instruction in ethics. Stein responds to this need in the counseling professions, with a book aimed at practitioners whose professional identity revolves around education and personal counseling. The book is organized into 13 chapters, each of which elaborates upon different aspects of ethical practice. "Ethics and the Counselor" provides a basic orientation to ethics as an underlying and guiding element of professional practice. "The Rights of the Client" sets out the importance of honoring the client's entitlement to ethical treatment from the counselor, focusing on the primacy of the client's need. "The Rights of the Counselor" stresses the need for counselors to respect and respond to the client's needs throughout the professional relationship. "Codes of Ethics" correctly points out the limits of any code as a guide to the counselor and the consequent need for reflective thinking and decision making. "Confidentiality" emphasizes the obligation of the counselor to maintain confidentiality under most circumstances. Special conditions attending work with children and with groups are addressed. "Working with Children" further discusses special concerns regarding consent, abuse and children's rights. "Sexual Relations with Clients" affirms the need for the counselor to abstain from all aspects of intimacy with clients. "Working with Women" takes a strong position against sexist bias within the counseling professions. "Lying and Deception" considers the difficulties faced by counselors in maintaining a helping relationship in counseling situations in which the "truth" might add pain and stress. "Paternalism" considers briefly situa. tions in which the counselor's effort to protect the client may limit the client's self-determination. UConsulting" focuses on work with professionals or managers who are seeking the expertise of the counselor to augment their decision-making ability within their organizations. The author provides a comprehensive discussion of the various elements that make up ethical practice. In the literature, scant attention has been paid to the philosophical tenents upon which professional ethics rests. If the goal of instruction in ethics is to equip the reader to recognize, confront, and resolve ethical conflicts, professionals need to understand the nature of ethics and its applications. For example, one should be able to distinguish between poor practice and unethical practice. Underlying this notion is the ethical edict that one should practice within one's competence. Ethical practice requires more than abiding by tules found in or inferred from a code of ethics. One needs to consider the special circumstances of a situation to arrive at an ethical decision. E h c d Issues in Counseling provides guidance in thii endeavor.


ABSTRACT The correlation between cell hydration and proliferation is one of the controversial subjects in the present cancer research because the detailed mechanism(s) of correlation between these two cell parameters are not evaluated yet. The fact that magnetic fields have antitumor effects and our previous data that the effect of 4 Hz pulsing magnetic field (PMF) is realized by the activation of Cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent Na/Ca exchange allow us to suggest that through the study of PMF effects on cell hydration and proliferation in soft tissues of sarcoma-180 tumor-carrying mice compared with those of healthy ones will be possible to evaluate the character of correlation between cell hydration and proliferation in norm and pathology. The daily 30-min PMF (0.2 mT) exposed on tumor-carrying mice has lifetime prolongation, time-dependent depression of tumor growth, decrease of thermal threshold, and lactate concentration in blood. In the initial (6 days) period tumorigenesis PMF leads to dehydration in spleen cells, which is accompanied by the activation of cell proliferation, while in late periods of tumorigenesis it leads to cell hydration accompanied with proliferation. We are suggesting that PMF-induced overhydration and the increase of cell proliferation in cancer tissue as a consequence of high [Ca]i-induced activation of Ca-calmoduline-NO-cGMP pathway leads to the activation of FNa/Ca exchange, while its antitumor effect expressed in initial period of tumorigenesis is due to the activation of cGMP-dependent FNa/Ca, where because of low [Ca]i, it brings to cell dehydration as a result of reactivation of Na/K pump.


Phytophthora is an oomycete genus with worldwide distribution, and many of its species cause destructive diseases. In Japan, Phytophthora species are listed as quarantine organisms with the exception of Phytophthora nicotianae. For effective quarantine control, we designed a Phytophthora genus-specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) primer set and a P. nicotianae species-specific quenching probe (QProbe) to establish a simultaneous LAMP-based detection method. We confirmed the specificity of the genus-specific primers, and all 161 taxa were detected. No other species in the closely related genera Pythium and Phytopythium gave positive results with the exception of two species, Phytopythium delawarense and Phytopythium fagopyri. These two species gave inconsistent results. We used annealing curve analysis with the QProbe to demonstrate that P. nicotianae could be distinguished from other species. DNA from inoculated and naturally infected plants was extracted using a time-saving extraction kit and subjected to the simultaneous detection method. We confirmed that all Phytophthora DNAs in the plant samples were detected, and P. nicotianae was specifically identified. This simultaneous detection method will make quarantine inspections faster and easier.


Jack Anderson was one of the most influential rhinoplastic surgeons of our time. He was a student of nasal anatomy and nasal dynamics, both of which guided his approach to aesthetic rhinoplasties. His ideas were freely passed on to those willing to learn. Anderson, early in his career, dedicated himself to becoming a rhinoplastic surgeon. However, rhinoplasty was still in its developmental stage, and there were few teachers. Anderson availed himself of every opportunity to learn, and he compared ideas and techniques and traveled extensively with a small group of his peers, who watched and learned from each other. After a fulfilling career as a surgeon and teacher, emphasizing a traditional endonasal approach, Anderson adapted and became the prime motivating force in the introduction of external rhinoplasty in the United States. It is interesting and instructive to compare his earlier concepts with those of his later years, when he made


Bone disease is observed in almost 80% of newly diagnosed symptomatic multiple myeloma patients, and spine is the bone site that is more frequently affected by myeloma-induced osteoporosis, osteolyses, or compression fractures. In almost 20% of the cases, spinal cord compression may occur; diagnosis and treatment must be carried out rapidly in order to avoid a permanent sensitive or motor defect. Although whole body skeletal X-ray is considered mandatory for multiple myeloma staging, magnetic resonance imaging is presently considered the most appropriate diagnostic technique for the evaluation of vertebral alterations, as it allows to detect not only the exact morphology of the lesions, but also the pattern of bone marrow infiltration by the disease. Multiple treatment modalities can be used to manage multiple myeloma-related vertebral lesions. Surgery or radiotherapy is mainly employed in case of spinal cord compression, impending fractures, or intractable pain. Percutaneous vertebroplasty or balloon kyphoplasty can reduce local pain in a significant fraction of treated patients, without interfering with subsequent therapeutic programs. Systemic antimyeloma therapy with conventional chemotherapy or, more appropriately, with combinations of conventional chemotherapy and compounds acting on both neoplastic plasma cells and bone marrow microenvironment must be soon initiated in order to reduce bone resorption and, possibly, promote bone formation. Bisphosphonates should also be used in combination with antimyeloma therapy as they reduce bone resorption and prolong patients survival. A multidisciplinary approach is thus needed in order to properly manage spinal involvement in multiple myeloma.


Plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) such as silver and gold have fascinating optical properties due to their enhanced optical sensitivity at a wavelength corresponding to their surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption. Present work deals with the fabrication of silver nanoparticles decorated cotton (SNDC) fibers as a cheap and efficient point of contact disinfectant. SNDC fibers were fabricated by a simple microwave assisted route. The microwave power and irradiation time were controlled to optimize size and density of silver nanoparticles (SNPs) on textile fibers. As prepared cotton fabric was characterized for ATR-FTIR, UV-VIS diffuse reflectance, SEM and TEM investigations. Size of SNPs as well as total density of silver atoms on fabric gets increased with the increase of microwave power from 100 W to 600 W. The antibacterial efficacy of SNPs extracted from SNDC fibers was found to be more effective against Gram-negative bacteria than Gram-positive bacteria with MIC 38.5 ± 0.93 μg/mL against Salmonella typhimurium MTCC-98 and 125 ± 2.12 μg/mL against Staphylococcus aureus MTCC-737, a linear correlation coefficient with R2 ranging from ∼0.928–0.935 was also observed. About >50% death cells were observed through Propidium Iodide (PI) internalization after treatment of SNPs extracted from SNDC fibers with concentration 31.25 μg/mL. Generation of ROS and free radical has also been observed which leads to cell death. Excellent Escherichia coli deactivation efficacy suggested that SNDC fibers could be used as potentially safe disinfectants for cleaning of medical equipment, hand, wound, water and preservation of food and beverages.


Laser-plane-based vision reconstruction is an important approach for 3D profile measurement and optical inspection. This study develops a 3D reconstruction method to measure the object with a flexible method. The active vision reconstruction includes an external camera and a 3D reference with an internal camera and laser projector. The 3D calibration object, the external camera, and the 3D reference constitute a closed loop. The internal camera, the 3D calibration object, and the 3D reference compose the other closed loop. The intrinsic invariants of the 3D reference with an internal camera and laser projector are determined by the two loops above. The benefit of the method is to cancel the position constraint for the active vision system with the cubic LED reference and the monocular external camera. Furthermore, as the external camera captures only the images of the 3D reference, the reconstruction system of the projector and the camera is flexible to observe the occlusion location on the measured object. The methods, including the calibration model and reconstruction model of the measurement system, are verified by experiments to demonstrate the potential applications.


In this work, we introduce a new family of $d$-orthogonal polynomials of Meixner type, which are also a special family of multiple orthogonal polynomials. We show that they are matrix elements of a suitable nonlinear operator related to the Lie algebra $\mathfrak{su}(1,1)$. Also by means of Barut-Girardello coherent states, we establish explicitly their principal properties ( recurrence relation, generating function, $d$-orthogonality relations, etc).


The remarkable properties of certain tops are due to a conservation law which originates in the geometry of the frictional forces. It is shown that spherical tops form three distinct families which perform qualitatively different motions and which are characterized by inequalities involving the moments of interia.


The main objective of the study was to prepare a series of new activated biocarbons by means of physical and chemical activation of elderberry inflorescence. The influence of carbon matrix nitrogenation/oxidation on the physicochemical properties and sorption abilities of the carbonaceous materials was investigated. The impact of initial dye concentration, pH and temperature of the system on methylene blue and rhodamine B removal efficiency was checked. It was shown that activation of elderberry inflorescences with CO2 or H3PO4, and their further modification by introducing nitrogen or oxygen functional groups, allowed us obtain a wide range of materials that differ significantly in terms of the chemical nature of the surface, degree of specific surface development and the type of porous structure generated. The samples prepared by chemical activation proved to be very effective in terms of cationic dyes adsorption. The maximum sorption capacity toward methylene blue and rhodamine B reached the level of 277.8 and 98.1 mg/g, respectively. A better fit to the experimental data was achieved with a Langmuir isotherm than a Freundlich one. It was also shown that the efficiency of methylene blue and rhodamine B adsorption from aqueous solutions decreased with increasing temperature of the system.


The cyberspace revolution, globalization, and the ever more rapid pace at which new knowledge is created are among the recent developments which challenge our universities. While they have adapted rather slowly in the past to changing circumstances, there is now an urgent need for them to adjust rapidly in order to fulfill their mission. Success will heavily depend on the presence of an appropriate system of governance, which is becoming more complex as the cyberspace revolution makes university structures less hierarchical. This book examines the contours and dimensions of university governance in research-intensive universities, seeks to develop cogent governance principles, and offers appropriate initiatives and recommendations. The authors, current and former heads of leading research-intensive universities in Western Europe and the United States, all share the defining concern that the fundamental changes of today pose serious challenges for universities and their system of governance. Contributors include James J. Duderstadt (University of Michigan, USA), Robert C. Dynes (University of California at San Diego, USA), Hans J. A. van Ginkel (United Nations University), Werner Z. Hirsch (UCLA, USA), Charles F. Kennel (University of California at San Diego, USA), Richard T. Ingram (Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, USA), Peter Lorange (IMD), Katharine Lyall (University of Wisconsin, USA), Guy Neave (International Association of Universities), Howard Newby (University of Southhampton and CVCP, UK), Frank H. T. Rhodes (American Philosophical Society, USA), Henry Rosovsky (Harvard University, USA), Peter Scott (University of Kingston, UK), Luc E. Weber (University of Geneva, Switzerland), and Harold M. Williams (Getty Trust, UK).


PURPOSE
To investigate whether patient-controlled oral analgesia (PCOA) used by individuals receiving a total knee replacement could reduce pain, increase patient satisfaction, reduce opioid use and/or reduce opioid side effects when compared with traditional nurse (RN)-administered oral analgesia.

METHODS
Patients who underwent an elective total knee replacement at a quaternary care centre (Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario) were randomly assigned to either PCOA or RN-administered short-acting oral opioids on postoperative day 2. Subjects in the RN group called the RN to receive their prescribed short-acting opioid. Subjects in the PCOA group kept a single dose of their prescribed oral opioid at their bedside and took this dose when they felt they needed it, to a maximum of one dose every 2 h. Study outcomes, collected on postoperative day 2, included pain (measured by the Brief Pain Inventory - Short Form), patient satisfaction (measured by the Pain Outcome Questionnaire Satisfaction subscale - component II), opioid use (oral morphine equivalents), opioid side effects (nausea, pruritus and/or constipation) and knee measures (maximum passive knee flexion and pain at maximum passive knee flexion, performed on the operative knee).

RESULTS
Study outcomes were analyzed twice. First, for a subset of 73 subjects who remained in their randomly assigned group (PCOA group, n=36; RN group, n=37), randomized analyses were performed. Second, for the larger sample of 88 subjects who were categorized by their actual method of receiving oral opioids (PCOA group, n=41; RN group, n=47), as-treated analyses were performed. There were no differences in study outcomes between the PCOA and RN groups in either analysis.

CONCLUSION
PCOA was not superior to RN administration on study outcomes. However, PCOA did not increase opioid use or pain. PCOA remains an important element in the patient-centred care facility.


Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease affecting a higher and higher number of persons; for this reason, the study of diabetes, and its complications, has shown a major interest. In order to highlight the modifications appeared in this disease, it is essential to use a suitable model. In "Cantacuzino" NIRDMI there is a double transgenic murine model which develops a fulminating form of type 1 diabetes. Previous studies indicate the usefulness of this diabetic murine model in order to study neuropathy. Capsaicin treatment is one method to reduce neuropathic pain. This study was based on the assumption that intraperitoneal administration of a low dose of capsaicin, on a short period of time, can decrease pain sensations generation and transmission. If from the neurological point of view, capsaicin effects are known, its effects on the immune system are not clear yet. Therefore, in this study we have investigated capsaicin effects on oxygen and nitrogen free radicals generation by phagocytic immune cells, in lymphocyte populations, and also capsaicin effects on plasmatic protein oxidation. Our results point to minor modifications in oxygen reactive species production, simultaneous with a significantly decrease in nitric oxide generation, without affecting lymphocyte populations. Therefore, capsaicin short term administration can be used to reduce pain sensations, without the impairment of immune parameters.


Current studies identify an increasing need to develop enriched tools for ergonomic risk management that can foster an atmosphere enhancing commitment of all stakeholders to create a safe and heathy work environment using ergonomic principles. In this study, a new tool for visualization of ergonomic practices in the workplace is proposed. For developing this tool, an interactive ergonomic risk mapping (intERM) methodology is introduced consisting of five steps while integrating the company's strategic vision and helping to accommodate the impacts of changes in policy and regulatory context, economic and demographic environment, technology and employment context. The proposed systematic and practical methodology is demonstrated on a real-life example. This visual and interactive tool enables prompt identification of and reaction to ergonomic risks, anticipating changes for reducing/eliminating ergonomic risks, as well as increasing company-wide awareness for ergonomic risks and enhancing engagement and ownership of stakeholders.


This article, which has become known as a classic expression of the main characteristics of Zen art, is republished in Marburg Journal of Religion by kind permission of the Eastern Buddhist Society, Kyōto, having been originally published in The Eastern Buddhist in 1966 I/2 (New Series), pages 21-33. It is a translation of "Zen Geijutsu no Rikai" (禅芸術の理解, "On the Understanding of Zen Art") from Hisamatsu's book Tōyōteki Mu (東洋的無, "Oriental Nothingness"), Kyōo: Kōundō 1939, pages 86-97. The original translation was made by Richard DeMartino in collaboration with Fujiyoshi Jikai and Abe Masao. For this re-publication the transliteration of Chinese names has been modernized. The Eastern Buddhist is a journal which was founded in Kyōto in 1921 by Suzuki Daisetsu and associates. Many valuable articles were published in its pages during the 1920s and 1930s. Having enjoyed a new lease of life since the second half of the twentieth century, The Eastern Buddhist is today a leading journal in the field of Buddhist Studies. Other important selections from the early contents may be found in the series Eastern Buddhist Voices (Equinox Publishing). It is hoped that this republication of a key article by HISAMATSU Shin'ichi in a convenient quality format will serve to make it available to a wide readership and further the appreciation of Zen art.


Obesity in rapidly developing countries has recently become an epidemic. That is why the need to fight against this chronic disease is becoming more and more apparent. In order to lose weight it is necessary to achieve negative energy balance either by increasing physical activity or using a low calorie diet. When these methods are ineffective, pharmacotherapy is used. The criterion for the application of medical treatment is a BMI above 30 kg/m2 or above 27 along with the presence of other risk factors. Drugs for weight loss fall into three groups: appetite inhibitors, those increasing energy expenditure by enhancing thermogenesis and those inhibiting the absorption of food in the intestines. This paper presents an overview of these classes of drugs and dietary supplements with an emphasis on their adverse effects and the possibility of poisoning. Despite the fact that in Poland only one drug - orlistat has been registered for the treatment of obesity, the availability of other products is unlimited due to the Internet. This fact, and the tendency of patients to treat obesity by themselves using pharmacological substances, poses a major threat and a challenge to the toxicologist.


Heavy nuclei at collider energies are a source of high energy Weizsaecker-Williams photons. This photon flux may be utilized to study high energy photon-nucleus interactions. Here we concentrate on the coherent diffractive production of heavy vector mesons on nuclear targets and show how it probes the unintegrated glue of the nucleus in the saturation domain. We present predictions for rapidity distributions of exclusive coherent J/Psi and Upsilon mesons which can be measured by the ALICE experiment at the LHC.


The idols and false notions which are now in possession of the human understanding, and have taken deep root therein, not only so beset men's minds that truth can hardly find entrance; but even after entrance is obtained, they will again in the very instauration of the sciences meet and trouble us, unless men being forewarned of the danger fortify themselves as far as may be against their assaults. FRANCIS BACON, Novum Organum. 1608-1620. Book 1, Aphorism 38.


Changes in blood coagulation following the action of intermittent treatment with streptokinase are studied : 1) Fibrinogenemia remains at a concentration slightly higher than that obtained after the first 16 hour perfusion. 2) The thrombin time becomes considerably longer on the first day, then becomes shorter and remains slightly long throughout treatment. The theoretical interest of the rise in plasminogen levels during interruption of perfusions of streptokinase is discussed.


A quantitative criterion is proposed for testing the rationality of an effective QCD baryon theory. The higher order corrections of the standard SU(3) Skyrme model to the Gell-Mann-Okubo relations for baryons are studied according to the criterion, and some interesting results are presented. A possible prescription is recommended.


Gas is very efficient in displacing oil for enhanced-oil-recovery projects because of its high microscopicdisplacement efficiency. However, the process at the reservoir scale suffers from poor sweep efficiency due to density and viscosity differences compared to in-situ fluids. Foam substantially reduces the viscosity of injected gas and hence improves the sweep. Foam rheology in 3D geological porous media has been characterized both theoretically and experimentally. In contrast, the knowledge of foam flow in fractured porous media is far less complete. We study foam rheology in a fully characterized model fracture. This investigation is conducted by varying superficial velocities of gas and surfactant solution. We find in this model fracture the same two foam-flow regimes central to the understanding of foam in 3D porous media: a low-quality regime where pressure gradient is independent of liquid velocity and a high-quality regime where pressure gradient is independent of gas velocity. The transition between regimes is less abrupt than in 3D porous media. Direct observation of bubble size, bubble trapping and mobilization, and foam stability as functions of superficial velocities allows comparison with our understanding of the mechanisms behind the two flow regimes in 3D porous media. Additionally, foam is shear-thinning in both regimes. But in other important respects the mechanisms thought to be behind the two flow regimes in 3D media do not appear in our model fracture. Foam is not at the limit of stability in the high-quality regime. Mobility in the high-quality regime instead reflects reduced and fluctuating foam generation at high foam quality.


Third generation (3G) cellular networks are being implemented in many countries at high rate. Due to the fact that manual cell planning is a time consuming process and prone to a degree of error and inefficiency, there is a need for automated approaches to optimise coverage, capacity and quality of cellular networks in a fraction of the time. This paper studies the application of genetic algorithms to solve the antenna placement problem (APP) in universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) networks. The parameters of the genetic algorithm are tuned so that the algorithm converges optimally. The main task of the algorithm is to find the best set of base station locations so as to maximise coverage and quality of service measured as the signal-to-interference and noise ratio (SINR), as well as minimise the network cost by using fewer base stations. Assuming that a flat area is considered, the performance of the proposed algorithm was evaluated with 98% of the users in the network being covered with a good quality signal.


Sean O'Casey (1880-1964), a self-educated Dublin labourer, first became famous as a dramatist when the Abbey Theatre staged 'The Shadown of a Gunman' in 1923. Two more masterly plays based on the Irish troubles of the period followed, 'Juno and the Paycock' and 'The Plough and the Stars'. After a bitter dispute with W.B. Yeats over the Abbey Theatre's rejection of 'The Silver Tassie', O'Casey, who had moved to London in 1926, decided never to return to Ireland. In England he continued to write plays, experimenting all the time in new forms of drama, to compile his autobiographies and to produce a constant stream of socialist political comment on world affairs. One of the giants of modern drama, he died in Devon in 1964. This biography is the work of one of the most distinguished of all Abbey directors.


Because DC magnets consume a huge amount of electricity (resistive DC magnet) or liquid helium (superconducting magnet), a capacitor-bank-driven pulsed magnet is known to be a cost-effective way of generating high magnetic fields. This type of pulsed magnet is normally operated at liquid nitrogen temperature and consumes little electric power to generate over 50 tesla (T) during a short transient time of less than 50 millisecond (ms). With modern fast data acquisition systems, almost all kinds of physical quantities, such as photoluminescence, magnetization or resistance can be measured during a short magnetic field pulse. We report a recently home-built capacitor-bankdriven pulsed magnetic field facility, in which a capacitor bank of 1.5-MJ maximum stored energy is utilized to generate pulsed magnetic fields up to 50 T with transient pulse time of 22 ms.


C/V doping profiles are simulated through n-type multilayer structures containing heterojunctions. The perceived doping profile obtained from C/V measurements can differ markedly from the actual carrier profile in the vicinity of a hetero- or homojunction. The model is applied to conventional FET structures, high-electron-mobility transistors and superlattices.


Ubiquitin modification of proteins plays a prominent role in regulation of multiple cell processes including ER-associated degradation. Until recently ubiquitination of substrates was thought to occur only via isopeptide bonds, typically to lysine residues or less frequently to the N-terminus of a substrate. We and others recently found that certain viral MARCH E3 ligases can promote ubiquitin conjugation to non-lysine residues via ester or thiolester bonds. The molecular basis for these novel modifications, however, remained undetermined. To probe the mechanism and importance of non-lysine ubiquitination, we have studied the viral immune evasion protein mK3, a RING-CH type E3 ligase encoded by γHV68. We recently identified Ube2j2 as the primary cellular E2 required for mK3-induced MHCI heavy chain ubiquitination and degradation in the proteasome. Surprisingly, Ube2j2-mK3 preferentially ubiquitinates serine residues via ester bonds even when lysine residues are present on wildtype substrates. Furthermore, Ube2j2-mK3 not only adds the initial ubiquitin on the substrates but also promotes assembly of a lysine 48-linked polyubiquitin chain. These findings demonstrate for the first time the physiological important of this novel ubiquitination mechanism and that the same E2-E3 complex can catalyze the coupling of ubiquitin to substrates via an ester bond and assemble a specific polyubiquitin chain via isopeptide bonds.


Ideals arising from graphs are investigated via Grobner bases theory in order to introduce algebraic objects useful for applications related to the field of security.
In particular, the notion of s-sequence for the generators of the edge ideal I(G) of any graph G is considered, so that a description of the Grobner basis for the relation ideal J of the symmetric algebra of I(G) can be obtained. Based on this approach, the initial ideal of J with respect to a monomial order is well-determined and defines the edge ideal of a supporting graph F, essential in transmitting.


The paper explores 70 samples of spring barley from the collection of WIR under conditions of rather rigid natural infectious helminthosporioses (striped, reticulated and dark brown spotting) in FARC of the North-East in 2018-2019. The spotting was investigated 4-5 times during plants ontogenesis every 10-12 days since the phase 29 on the Cadox scale. The methodology suggested by O.S. Afanasenko (2005) was used to assess the diseases. The nature of vegetative-microbial interactions was evaluated by SCDP (square under the curve of disease progress) and IS (stability index) indicators. During immunological experiment, the authors observed 11 samples resistant to dark brown spotting with lesion rate 10.0-13.0%, SCDP parameters equal 167-223, DUT was 0.18-0.25; 18 samples resistant to reticular spotting (6.0-10.0%, PCRB - 53-103, DUT - 0.18-0.35), and 29 samples characterized by immunity and high resistance to stripe spotting (0-5.0%, SCDP - 10-75). IS - 0.01-0.09). Only 4 samples (Makbo, Kalkul, Buyan and Forward) are characterized by group non-specific resistance to reticulate and dark brown spotting and striate immunity. The longest occurrence period (2-7 days) of dark brown spotting was observed in 8 samples, and reticulum spotting (2-13 days) - in 16 samples. The paper finds out that NCL 95098 (Argentina) had the relatively long occurrence period in terms of dark brown spotting, and varieties from Afghanistan (k-5983) and China (k-2929) to reticulate spotting. Badiory, Makbo, Rodos, and Buyan varieties have equal dynamics of both spotting and slow rusting of diseases in ontogenesis. There is a weak (r = -0.33 - reticulate) and medium (r = -0.58 - dark brown) negative correlation between the latent period and the defeat. The regression equations (y = -0,6071x+6,8571; R2 = 0,917 - dark brown; y = -0,3941x+11,35; R2 = 0,733 - reticulated) show that from infection to the first disease symptoms, their daily increase in trend is 0,61 and 0,39%. Kalkul, NCL 95098, Badioryi and Buyan varieties are seen as effective promising for selection programs to produce high yield adaptive varieties under the conditions of the region. Apart from stability, they are distinguished by the number of productive stems, long, well-grained ears and high productivity.


Background: The Tamoxifen and Exemestane Adjuvant Multinational (TEAM) trial included prospectively planned biomarker studies to identify predictive biomarkers for patients receiving endocrine therapy. Quantitative IHC data for ER/PgR, HER1, HER2, HER3 and FISH analysis of HER2 in all cases was available for the current analysis relative to outcome of estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) early breast cancer patients treated with exemestane versus tamoxifen. Patients & Methods: Pathology blocks from 4598 TEAM patients were collected and tissue microarrays constructed. Quantitative analysis of receptors (HER1/2/3) by conventional IHC, and FISH (for HER2 only) were analysed relative to disease-free survival and treatment on an intent to treat basis using survival data for the first 2.75 years of the TEAM trial. Results: Of 4595 eligible cases samples received, 16 were excluded, and 4010 had complete biomarker data for all markers (HER1/HER2 & HER3) for the final biomarker analysis, 3.5% were HER1 positive, 13% HER2 positive & 21% HER3 positive. 1248 (31%) cases were HER1or2or3 positive (HER1-3+ve). HER1-3 positivity was associated with poor outcome (HR=1.6 95%CI=1.3-2.0). In HER1-3 negative patients the hazard ratio (for risk of relapse on exemestane versus tamoxifen in the first 2.75 years) was 0.68 (95% CI = 0.52-0.89), for the HER1-3 positive cases the hazard ratio was 1.14 (95% CI = 0.83-1.56) with a significant treatment by marker interaction (HR=1.68 95%CI=1.1-2.5; p=0.0014 in multivariate analysis). Trends for similar effects were seen for HER1 negative (-ve) vs HER1 positive (+ve) (HRs 0.80, 95%CI=0.65-0.99 vs 1.63 95%CI=0.74-3.59), HER2-ve vs HER2+ve (HRs 0.71, 95%CI=0.57- 0.9 vs 1.69 95%CI=108-2.63) and HER3-ve vs HER3+ve (HRs 0.78 95%CI=0.62-0.99 vs 1.04 95%CI=0.67-1.62) breast cancers. Conclusion: Preferential exemestane versus tamoxifen treatment benefit was seen in HER1/2/3 negative cases, whilst HER1/2/3 positive cases had a poor prognosis in this endocrine treated population (suggesting a degree of resistance to endocrine therapy), and no evidence of additional benefit from AIs versus tamoxifen. These three Type I receptor tyrosine kinases appear to identify breast cancers with relative resistance to all forms of endocrine therapy. This prospectively planned and powered treatment by marker analysis provides high level scientific evidence which may assist clinicians and patients in determining optimal AI schedules for women with early breast cancer. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr S2-4.


Gliomas are the most common form of malignant primary brain tumors with poor 5-year survival rate. Dysregulation of procollagen-lysine, 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase 2 (PLOD2) was observed in gliomas, but the specific role and molecular mechanism of PLOD2 in glioma have not been reported yet. In this study, PLOD2 was found to be frequently up-regulated in glioma and could serve as an independent prognostic marker to identify patients with poor clinical outcome. Knockdown of PLOD2 inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion of glioma cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, inhibition of PLOD2 inactivated PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and thus regulated the expression of its downstream epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated regulators, including E-cadherin, vimentin, N-cadherin, β-catenin, snail and slug in glioma cells. Moreover, PLOD2 could be induced by hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) via hypoxia, thereby promoting hypoxia-induced EMT in glioma cells. Our data suggests that PLOD2 may be a potential therapeutic target for patients with glioma.


A significant advantage when utilizing sequential Monte Carlo simulation in bulk electric system reliability analysis is the ability to provide reliability index probability distributions in addition to the expected values of their indices. Reliability index probability distributions provide a pictorial representation of the annual variability of these parameters around their mean values. Parameter distribution analysis and its potential utilization are relatively new concepts in composite power system reliability analysis and decision making. Computer software has been developed to produce reliability index probability distributions for the individual delivery points (DPs) in a bulk electric system. The results obtained using the sequential software show that the DP reliability index probability distributions have unique characteristics that are basically dependent on the system topology and the system operating philosophy. Operating policies such as load shedding procedures have a significant impact on the DP reliability indices and their associated distributions. The IEEE Reliability Test System is used to illustrate the concepts associated with the determination of DP and system indices and their associated probability distributions. The results obtained using two different load shedding policies are also presented and compared.


We describe the new mineral species zangboite, ideally TiFeSi2, found in the podiform chromitites of the Luobusha ophiolite in Tibet, People's Republic of China. The tabular to irregular crystals range from 0.002 to 0.15 mm in diameter and form an intergrowth with native silicon and a Fe–Si phase. Zangboite is steel grey in color. The luster is metallic, it is opaque, and the streak is black. The mineral is brittle; it has a conchoidal fracture and seems devoid of cleavage. The estimated Mohs hardness is 51⁄2, and the calculated density is 5.09 g/cm3. The ideal composition is Ti 29.95, Fe 34.92, Si 35.13 wt%. Electron-microprobe analyses show traces of Cr, Mn, Zr and Al. The structure of zangboite has been refined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction to R1 = 3.4%. The mineral is orthorhombic, space group Pbam; its unit-cell parameters are a 8.6053(10), b 9.5211(11), c 7.6436(9) Å, V 626.25(13) Å3, Z = 12. The strongest five lines in the powder pattern [d in Å(hkl)(I/I0)] are: 2.1291(232)(100), 2.0251(042) (65), 2.2318(312)(50), 1.9155(004)(57), and 3.8358(002)(50). The mineral species and name were approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (IMA 2007–036).


Expressed emotion (EE) has been linked to negative outcomes for a variety of psychiatric illnesses. Despite development of effective interventions to reduce EE, relatively little is known about EE's antecedents or maintaining factors. The present study uses a novel methodology (measurement of pronouns used by relatives during the Camberwell Family Interview [CFI] or a problem-solving interaction with the patient) to explore possible cognitive correlates of EE. Participants were 98 outpatients with obsessive-compulsive disorder or panic disorder with agoraphobia and their primary relative. Results showed that relatives' pronoun use was stable across situations. Relatives' hostility and criticism, as measured by objective coding of relatives' behavior during the CFI and interactions, respectively, were related to relatives' decreased we-focus and increased me-focus in the 2 situations. In contrast to expectations, relatives' emotional overinvolvement was related to their decreased we-focus during CFIs and interactions. Results support the value of using pronouns as a means to explore important aspects of relationship functioning.


McDonald (Devonian) field, north-central Lea County, New Mexico, is an excellent example of the type of deep structure generally found in the Tatum basin, that is, small size, difficult to isolate with seismic, but lucrative when found, producing up to 1.0 million bbl of oil per well. Production is from Devonian rocks, with secondary Pennsylvanian (Atokan) gas potential. Variations in thickness from well to well of Pennsylvanian and Mississippian stratigraphic equivalents provide insight into the complex structural history of the field. McDonald-sized features are most likely to be discovered only by employing a closely integrated exploration program that includes all geophysical and geological parameters. End_of_Article - Last_Page 119------------


Hosts and pathogens impose coevolutionary pressure on each other as pathogens strive to establish themselves and hosts seek to suppress infection. RNA interference (RNAi) is a mechanism by which cells repress viruses and transposable elements, thereby serving as a form of immune defense. Previous studies have shown that antiviral RNAi genes evolve extraordinarily quickly in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, suggesting that they may adaptively coevolve with viruses and transposable elements. An article by Palmer and colleagues extends this observation to nematodes and multiple insects. Their article can be combined with this Primer to demonstrate the use of comparative genomics and molecular evolutionary analyses in the measurement of natural selection. Related article in GENETICS: Palmer, W. H., J. D. Hadfield, and D. J. Obbard, 2018 RNA-Interference pathways display high rates of adaptive protein evolution in multiple invertebrates. Genetics 208: 1585–1599.


This study examined the characteristics of lower limb muscle activity in elderly persons after ergometric pedaling exercise for 1 month. To determine the effect of the exercise, surface electromyography (SEMG) of lower limb muscles was subjected to Daubechies-4 wavelet transformation, and mean wavelet coefficients were compared with the pre-exercise coefficients and the post-exercise coefficients in each wavelet level. The characteristics of muscle activity after pedaling exercise were also compared between the elderly subjects and young subjects. For the elderly subjects, the mean wavelet coefficients were significantly decreased in the tibialis anterior and the gastrocnemius medialis at wavelet levels of 3, 4, and 5 (125–62.5, 62.5–31.25, and 31.25–15.625 Hz, respectively), by pedaling exercise. However, the mean power of wavelet levels of 2 and 3 (250–125 and 125–62.5 Hz) within the rectus femoris and the biceps femoris were significantly increased in the young subjects. The effect of pedaling exercise is different from the effects of heavy-resistance training. It was suggested that the muscle coordination, motor unit (MU) firing frequency, and firing fiber type of lower limb muscles are changed with the different characteristics between elderly and young persons by pedaling exercise for 1 month.


Hund's coupling is shown to generally favor, in a doped half-filled Mott insulator, an increase in the compressibility culminating in a Fermi-liquid instability towards phase separation. The largest effect is found near the frontier between an ordinary and an orbitally decoupled ("Hund's") metal. The increased compressibility implies an enhancement of quasiparticle scattering, thus favoring other possible symmetry breakings. This physics is shown to happen in simulations of the 122 Fe-based superconductors, possibly implying the relevance of this mechanism in the enhancement of the critical temperature for superconductivity.


High-resolution laser absorption spectroscopy using concentration modulation has been applied to record the near-infrared spectrum of C2 in an AC hollow-cathode discharge of acetylene/helium mixtures. The (2,1) and (1,0) vibronic bands of the d3Π(g)– c3Σ(u)+ system have been observed in the spectral region between 12,010 and 12,540 cm(–1). While the analysis of the (1,0) band was straightforward, the (2,1) band was found to be perturbed. Using the effective Hamiltonians for 3Π and 3Σ+ states, molecular constants for the vibrational levels of the c3Σ(u)+ state were retrieved in least-squares fits of the observed spectral lines. The experimental conditions, detailed analysis of the perturbations, and the determined molecular constants are reported.


Workflow management systems have been applied in enterprises for many years in collaborative environment to assist individuals or organizations to carry out tasks automatically and effectively. As market requirements are developing rapidly, the enterprises now find the traditional workflow management system under such rapid circumstances difficult to copy with changes in the market both promptly and flexibly. The inflexibility of traditional workflow model has cumbered the development of enterprises. Introducing SOA technology to current workflow management systems, we propose a service oriented workflow model to solve the problem mentioned above.Based on this framework, this paper also discusses how decentralized process enactment, and dynamic process adaptation can be achieved. It can improve flexibility, scalability, and interoperability and the proposed workflow management system can cooperate with other systems and enterprise applications more effectively.


The following case illustrates the conceptual framework Marian Tolpin used with me in a 2½-year supervision—namely, the distinct transferences of pathology and remaining health. Taken together, Marian Tolpin called these the total transference. I came to see that these two dimensions of the transference were often intertwined. It was important to be cognizant when I was responding to one dimension or both in the interpretation. This case shows how Tolpin's conceptual framework not only can help to heal psychopathology, but also can foster the development of psychological capacities and resources. In the course of treatment, the analysand developed a newfound sense of self-esteem, a capacity to tolerate a wide range of affects, and to understand himself and others with a greater capacity to appreciate complexity. All of this contributed to his goal of achieving a far more fulfilling relationship than he had imagined possible.


In his novel Maitreya, Severo Sarduy sends up Gabriel García Márquez's trope of archival origins in Cien años de soledad and, in so doing, subverts the phallogocentric discourse on which the Boom relies for legitimacy. This essay analyzes the use of anal fisting in Sarduy's work as an alternative metaphor for accessing the archive and for writing, which subverts Latin American literature's reliance on archival origins. Through an examination of theories by Derrida, Foucault, and González Echevarría, I clarify the significance of the archive and its place in Latin American literature. I also analyze Sarduy's Neobaroque sonnet, "Omítemela más, que lo omitido," to elucidate archival notions implicit in fisting. Lastly, I demonstrate that Lady Tremenda's anal baby ("hijo caudal") in Maitreya is a parody of the inbred birth of "el caudal," the pig-tailed fulfillment of Úrsula's much-feared prediction—and a symbol of archival texts and phallic writing in Cien años de soledad.


We present a comprehensive theoretical study of the physical processes which govern inelastic transitions in slow collisions of antiprotons with hydrogenic ions. Two-centre - one-electron mechanisms are highlighted. Various channels for ionization and excitation are identified utilizing the theory of hidden crossings. New features of the quasimolecular potentials, caused by the negative charge of the antiproton, are described in detail, with particular attention to the topology of the electronic eigenenergy surface in the plane of complex internuclear distance. The ionization and excitation cross sections are calculated and compared with the results of other theories and recent experiments.


ABSTRACT Bai, X.; Zan, Y.F.; Luo, X.F.; Huang, K., and Guo, R.N., 2020. Position loss risk analysis of dynamic positioning systems of semi-submersible drilling units by considering time-varying failure. In: Guido Aldana, P.A. and Kantamaneni, K. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources, Coastal Management, and Marine Science Technology. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 104, pp. 160–165. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Position loss risk analysis of dynamic positioning (DP) systems is essential for the operation of semi-submersible drilling units. Traditional risk analysis methods ignore the probability of equipment failure with time-varying, which may result in inaccurate analysis. In this study, fault tree analysis was combined with the continuous-time Bayesian method based on the D-vine copula model to analyze loss of position (LOP). The D-vine model decomposition method was used to calculate multiple two-dimensional copula correlation measures for determining the system reliability with time and for calculating the effect on the occurrence of LOP. The key aspects of LOP were analyzed from the perspective of the variability of equipment at the time of failure. The results can provide a crucial reference for the maintenance of the DP system.


MPEG-2 is a wide used group of standards, established by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), for the digital compression of broadcast-quality full-motion video. Due to its high acceptance, it is very important to ensure that it behaves in a correct manner. To avoid vulnerability problems the MPEG-2 encoding algorithm has been already formally specified and verified for its correctness. In this paper, we propose the use of the OTS/CafeOBJ Method in order to prove that two MPEG-2 encoding algorithms for the same input produce the same output. Our approach is based on a simplified parallel version of the MPEG-2 encoder. Also, we have proved a mutual exclusion property for this parallel algorithm.


The national curriculum in South Africa demands that children in secondary schools become computer literate and that schools incorporate information and communication technology (ICT) into the curriculum. This is not feasible, as computer equipment is not evenly distributed in schools across the country. Drawing on the experiences of teachers from four high schools captured in focus group discussions, the researcher explores teachers' experiences in managing teaching in an era of incorporating ICT in teaching. The findings suggest that on all the management functions (planning, organising and leading) teachers had more negative than positive experiences with ICT integration and largely negative experiences with training and organising.


Purpose: Regular daily exercise is recognized as important in patients with heart failure (HF), but adherence to exercise recommendations is low. It is important to search for alternative approaches to motivate patients with HF to be more active. The use of exergames (games to improve physical exercise) might be an encouragement for HF patients, especially for people who may be reluctant to engage in more traditional forms of exercise, such as going to the gym or take a walk outside. The aim of this study is to assess the self-reported time playing on the Wii exergame platform when patients get access to the Wii at home for 12 weeks and the factors related to the time playing.Methods: As part of a feasibility study, the Wii was installed in the home of HF patients for a period of 12 weeks and patients were instructed to exergame 20 minutes a day (e.g. virtual bowling or tennis). Patients completed a diary which contained questions about the amount of minutes exergaming, heart failure symptoms and perceived exertion. At baseline and 12 weeks the physical capacity was assessed by 6minute walking test. We compared patients who played more than the median amount of minutes on the Wii with patients who played less than the median time.Results: Thirty-two HF patients (age 64 ± 14, 10 female) were included. The mean time exergaming was 28 (±13) minutes a day (median of 27 minutes). Two patients stopped exergaming during the study. Men played more minutes a day on the Wii (31 minutes) than women (20 minutes), (t =2.243, p <.033) which could not be explained by age. Both male and female patients decreased in time exergaming, comparing the first 6 weeks access to the Wii with the last 6 weeks, but no differences were found in the amount of minutes decrease in exergaming (-5±9) between man and women. Patients who played more than the median time were significant lower educated, had a lower NYHA class and had more often grandchildren than patients who exergamed less than the median time. No association could be found between the groups in exercise capacity, motivation, self-efficacy, symptoms experience, perceived exertion with time exergaming.Conclusion: Patients with HF played a considerable time active games on the Wii during 12 months of access to the Wii. Although women exergamed less than men, they did not decrease more in playing then men during the study. Patients who increased more than the median amount of minutes exergaming had a lower educational level, lower NYHA class, and more patients had grandchildren than patients who exergamed less. Access to exergames seem to be a promising to keep HF patients motivated to be active and to provide social facilitation with grandchildren.


Efforts to achieve better accuracy in numerical relativity have so far focused either on implementing second order accurate adaptive mesh refinement or on defining higher order accurate differences and update schemes. Here, we argue for the combination, that is a higher order accurate adaptive scheme. This combines the power that adaptive gridding techniques provide to resolve fine scales (in addition to a more efficient use of resources) together with the higher accuracy furnished by higher order schemes when the solution is adequately resolved. To define a convenient higher order adaptive mesh refinement scheme, we discuss a few different modifications of the standard, second order accurate approach of Berger and Oliger. Applying each of these methods to a simple model problem, we find these options have unstable modes. However, a novel approach to dealing with the grid boundaries introduced by the adaptivity appears stable and quite promising for the use of high order operators within an adaptive framework.


The role of nitric oxide (NO) on the vasorelaxant effect of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) on the basal tone of rabbit aortic rings conditioned to angiotensin II (Ang II) was studied. ANP aortic relaxation and nitrite release were measured in the presence and absence of endothelium and a NO-synthase inhibitor. Ang II at 10(-8) M triggered a contractile response, conditioning the vessel to a vasorelaxant effect of ANP (10(-8) M). This effect was significantly enhanced by endothelium removal, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 10(-4) M), and methylene blue (10(-5) M). ANP decrease of basal tone in Ang-II-sensitized aortic rings was improved when a higher concentration of Ang II was used (l0(-6) M). Basal and Ang-II-stimulated nitrite release were measured in stretched (S) and nonstretched (NS) aortic rings. Nitrite release was significantly increased in S rings (p < 0.001). L-NAME (10(-4) M) partially inhibited nitrite release in both basal and Ang-II-stimulated S aortic rings. In NS aortic rings, the NO inhibitor did not inhibit basal nitrite release but blunted the Ang-II-stimulated nitrite level. A significant negative correlation between nitrite release and the ANP vasorelaxant effect on basal tone was dependent on the Ang-II-sensitizing dose. The present results demonstrate that ANP relaxant effects on aortic basal tone are related to NO levels, which are regulated by S- and Ang-II-concentration-dependent NO generation and quenching.


Background The association between cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) with the occurrence and prognosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) remains unrevealed. In our study, a systematic review was performed to quantitively analyze the association between CEC and the risk of CAD and follow-up endpoint events of the patients with CAD.Methods A systematic search of electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, OVID, Web of Science and Cochrane Library) for studies published until September 2019 was performed. Cohort, case-control studies, and randomized controlled trials that examined the effect of CEC on risk and prognosis of CAD were included.Results Eighteen studies involving a total of 12615 subjects that met the inclusion criteria were included. Among them, 14 studies reported the CEC levels in control and CAD group and 8 of them analyzed the association of CEC with risk of CAD. Four studies reported the prognosis of CAD or acute coronary syndrome (ACS). From the pooled analyses, significantly decreased CEC level was shown in patients with stable CAD in comparison with the control. It was also true in subgroup analysis of the patients with ACS. The decreased CEC was significantly associated with increased risk of CAD (OR=0.65, 95% CI: 0.55-0.75, P<0.001). Decreased CEC level predicted higher all-cause (OR= 0.39, 95% CI: 0.20-0.77, P=0.007) and cardiovascular related mortality (OR= 0.34, 95% CI: 0.13-0.90, P=0.03) risk in patients with CAD. However, CEC levels failed to predict the occurrence of stroke and myocardial infraction in patients with CAD.Conclusions Decreased cholesterol efflux capacity is an independent risk factor for the occurrence of CAD patients, and its level predicts all-cause and cardiovascular related mortality risk in patients with CAD. Prospective studies should further investigate whether CEC control might improve outcomes in CAD patients.


For the Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) programme half-width strut based scramjet combustor has been designed, developed and tested for the short durations (5 s) as well as for the long durations (20 s) using various materials for the construction of fuel injection struts. Extensive experimental investigations have been carried out to identify suitable material for the long duration (20 s) tests. Niobium C-103 alloy and W-Ni-Fe alloy materials have been used for the construction of fuel injection struts and they have been employed in two different tests. In the first test struts made of Niobium alloy is used and in the second test struts made of W-Ni-Fe alloy is used. It is inferred from the results of the static tests for the 20 s test duration that the leading edges of the struts are eroding due to high thermal load, shear force and oxidizing environments in the five-strut scramjet combustor configuration. The failure of the struts is noticed in the Stage-II injection of the scramjet combustor. The thermo-structural failure of the stage-II fuel injection struts in the scramjet combustor in both the tests has detrimental effect on the performance of the combustor. In the case of Niobium C-103 alloy struts, erosion of the leading edges is found to be severe compared to W-Ni-Fe alloy struts. Hence, the total pressure loss in the former is found to be more compared to the latter. In the first test (Niobium struts used) the flow separation is occurring earlier compared to the second test (W-Ni-Fe struts employed). This is indicative of the onset of the severe leading edges erosion of Niobium C-103 alloy struts compared to W-Ni-Fe alloy struts resulted in more skin friction drag and hence the flow separation at a shorter length. Struts made of W-Ni-Fe alloy seem to be promising candidate material compared to Niobium C-103 alloy. Subsequent tests carried out by employing struts made of W-Ni-Fe alloy divulged that the powder metallurgy route to realise the W-Ni-Fe alloy plate is unable to deliver/impart consistent mechanical properties in all the directions of the plate i.e., anisotropy is prevailing. On this front, it is found that the material developed at this juncture is found to be unsuitable for the scramjet application. To circumvent such scenario two strategies have been proposed for the realization of fuel injection elements.


In the last decade various tissue engineering strategies have emerged for articular cartilage repair. MSCs are currently being used in various clinical trials to exploit the multilineage capacity and differentiation potential of these cells. Altough promising clinical results have been seen, controlling the commitment and differentiation of the cells to the expected pathway remains challenging. Our area of investigation will focus its efforts in achieving the understanding of proper molecular mechanisms that could control the commitment and differentiation of the cells whilst avoiding a hypertrophic or fibrous phenotype. The first and second chapters will provide a background, significance, and an overview on the use of environmental conditions, such as hypoxia, for cartilage repair. Chapter three focuses on validating chondrogenesis of adipose derived stem cells (aMSCs) in low oxygen cultures. Cell type specific effects of low oxygen and 3D environments indicated that genetic programming of aMSCs to a chondrocytic phenotype is effective under hypoxic conditions, as evidenced by increased expression of cartilage-related biomarkers and biosynthesis of a glycosaminoglycan positive matrix. Chapter four and five draw major attention to the molecular mechanisms by which miRNAs could direct chondrogenesis during the hypoxic response of MSCs and explores the potential of microRNA-210 (miR- 210) to enhance in vitro chondrogenic differentiation of stem cells. Hypoxic regulated miR-210 was found to be essential in the regulation of genes in charge of several functions crucial for cartilage development, chondrogenic differentiation and the oxidative stress response. Exogenous miR-210 expression can potentially be utilized instead of inducing chondrogenic differentiation using TGFβ1 in a three dimensional culture under low oxygen, to promote chondrogenesis of MSCs while inhibiting their hypertrophic differentiation. Chondrogenesis improvement was evidenced by increased expression of cartilaginous markers, proteoglycan deposition and collagen II protein content. Chapter six will reveal the effects of synovial fluid on in vitro models of primary chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem cells. Metabolic activity assays on primary chondrocytes and aMSCs showed both cell types survived and proliferated during culture with synovial fluid (SF). Moreover, synovial fluid seems to be permissive for chondrogenic differentiation of aMSCs in the presence of chondrogenic cocktail, which was confirmed by positive type II collagen immunohistochemistry. Our results serve as an initial screening of the possibilities of SF to replace fetal bovine serum as a culture supplement for in vitro expansion of human primary chondrocytes and aMSCs. Chapter seven explores the role of ZNF648, a cartilage specific transcription factor, expressed in immature cartilage and growth plate, to understand its role during cartilage development and to provide a molecular mechanism to create a competent tissue for cartilage repair. In the growth plate, this ZNF648 protein seems to maintain a chondrocytic phenotype of immature cells, whereas in later stages of cartilage maturation its expression is reduced. An enhanced expression of zinc finger 648 (ZNF648) increased collagen type II (COL2A1) expression in growth plate derived chondrocytes while reducing its expression in articular chondrocytes, which suggested an important regulatory mechanism during early development of the chondrocytes in the growth plate but not in terminally differentiated chondrocytes such as the ones in articular cartilage. Thus, development of novel approaches using ZNF648 to improve and maintain cartilage homeostasis is thought to play an essential role in future clinical therapies. Ultimately, chapter eight will provide a general discussion of the results presented in this thesis and presents future perspectives for the use of stem cells in cartilage regeneration therapies.


Field-based observation has long been a central part of pre-service teacher education in many countries and is crucial for implementing effective practicum of student teachers. T his paper focused on the perspectives of graduating pre-service teachers regarding their difficulties related to administrative support, cooperating teachers, student supervisors, students, peers, assigned tasks and learning environment during their 17-hour field observation in selected private and public secondary schools. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design was adopted utilizing survey questionnaire, Focus Group Interviews, and Key Informant Interview. Quantitative data were obtained from 136 sample respondents through stratified random sampling using proportionate allocation while qualitative data were gathered from 10 pre-service teachers, 10 cooperating teachers, six student supervisors and three school principals who were chosen purposively. Results of descriptive statistical analysis served as basis  for  the  design  of  qualitative interview and focus group schedules which helped the researcher to  "explain, or elaborate on the quantitative results" [1]. Findings of the study showed that pre-service teachers had over-all moderate difficulties during the field observation particularly on students, assigned tasks and learning environment. Findings of the study were substantiated through in-depth discussions of qualitative data. Implications were determined for continued enhancements of the practicum component that can help bridge the theory – practice nexus in pre-service teacher education, and contribute to the development of teachers' professional competencies. Full Text: PDF DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v5i2.4528


Geomagnetic activity is thought to affect ozone and, possibly, climate in polar regions via energetic particle precipitation (EPP) but observational evidence of its importance in the seasonal stratospheric ozone variation on long time scales is still lacking. Here we fill this gap by showing that at high southern latitudes, late winter ozone series, covering the 1979–2014 period, exhibit an average stratospheric depletion of about 10–15% on a monthly basis caused by EPP. Daily observations indicate that every austral winter EPP‐induced low ozone concentrations appear at about 45 km in late June and descend later to 30 km, before disappearing by September. Such stratospheric variations are coupled with mesospheric ozone changes also driven by EPP. No significant correlation between these ozone variations and solar ultraviolet irradiance has been found. This suggests the need of including the EPP forcing in both ozone model simulations and trend analysis.


We investigate the evolution of probabilistic reasoning with age and some related biases, such as the negative/positive recency effects. Primary school children and college students were presented with probability tasks in which they were asked to estimate the likelihood of the next occurring event after a sequence of independent outcomes. Results indicate that older children perform better than younger children and college students. Concerning biases, the positive recency effect decreases with age whereas no age-related differences are found for the negative recency effect. Theoretical and educational implications of results are discussed.


Introduction: Rehabilitation of hermatypic coral species that have declined in the Caribbean in recent decades is a priority. Production of sexual recruits is considered the best restoration method to aid affected populations. Objective: To gain knowledge of early life stages of Orbicella faveolata and to enhance production of new sexual recruits. Methods: Gamete bundles from the coral species O. faveolata were collected over two years (2018 and 2019) from Los Corales del Rosario y de San Bernardo Natural National Park, Cartagena, Colombia. Assisted fertilization, larval rearing, settlement (onto crustose coralline algae, CCA) and post settlement survival in laboratory conditions were monitored. Results: Embryonic and larval development were documented over 55 hours after the first cleavage, when larvae were fully developed and started pre-settlement behavior. Settlement began 7 days after first cleavage and after 37 days polyps had acquired zooxanthellae. Larval settlement was higher on Lythophyllum congestum and Titanoderma prototypum than in response to Porolithon pachydermum, Neogoniolithon sp., Hydrolithon sp., and Lythophyllum sp. Larvae did not settle on dead coral or on the negative control (sterilized seawater). After the first week post settlement survival was 59 % amongst O. faveolata recruits. During the second week, survival dropped to 42 %, and was further reduced to 0 % at the end of the third week. Conclusions: O. faveolata larvae require cues from certain CCA species to settle, they do not settle in absence of CCA. Increased larvae availability is possible through assisted fertilization in the laboratory, however, due to the high mortality in early post-settlement phases, additional research needs to be conducted in order to scale up larvae production and improve understanding of the cues that enhance settlement and the factors which cause post-settlement mortality.


While humans need water to survive, water can also efficiently transmit microbial diseases and heavy metals to consumers. Over 50,000 water violations occurred in 2020 and such burdens were not borne equally amongst consumers. Yet, the factors that drive such variation remain unclear. We examined the interactions between water quality and inherited equity gaps in one of the most diverse urban areas in the United States. We used publicly available drinking water datasets to determine which contaminant was most prevalent between 2010–2020 and who was significantly more likely to be affected by this contamination. We found that a lack of legal rights to control the water quality in one's home (i.e., renting) was the number one predictor of heavy metal violations in a municipality. Individuals who spoke a language other than English were significantly more likely to rent homes with unsafe drinking water. To ensure equity in public health outcomes, current mandates must expand to include the design of actionable plans which include linguistically and culturally diverse residents, landlords, and tenants, as stakeholders in public water and housing decision making and remediation processes.


The aim of this paper is to quantify the willingness to pay for improved air-quality in a typical low-income settlement in South Africa by making use of the contingent valuation method (CVM). Direct valuation methods or stated preferences methods such as CVM are used to value goods that do not have a market value i.e. price-quantity data does not exist for such goods. The mean WTP to reduce air pollution in Bophelong is approximately R132 per annum. The econometric analysis found that most parameters had their expected sign. WTP was found to be positively correlated with employment status and income. Males were however, found to be less likely to have a positive WTP than their female counterparts. Household size was also found to be negatively correlated with WTP.


In this paper, a large scale modern Tibetan text corpus is built, which includes about 190 thousands documents, 67.21 million words, 93.66 million syllables in total. Based on the corpus, statistics are made in several language units in different granularities. Statistical data show that : a syllable has 3.26 letters or 2.20 super characters in average, while a sentence has 75.40 letters or 63.14 super characters. The top 10 super characters, syllables, words take up 66.3156%, 16.5556%, 24.6415% of the corpus respectively. Curves for the n-gram frequency-rank list of super chars, syllables and words are plotted. It shows that when all the n-gram phrases for n = 1, 2, . . . , 5 are put together and sorted by frequency in descending order, the frequency-rank curves in log-log axes can be fitted well by a straight line for the unit of syllable and word respectively. But for the unit of super character, we didn't find a curve that can be fitted well enough by a straight line even if we combine all the n-grams for n = 1, 2, . . . , 10.


In order to satisfy the increased concern on SSD performance, this paper studied GC performance in the view of performance cliff and tail latency. At first, our preliminary experiments figure out that increased page migrations is the root cause of performance cliff. Then, combined with the existing works aiming at GC performance in 2D SSDs, including the partial GC and aggressive GC, a novel GC-assisting method PreGC is proposed to relieve GC-induced performance cliff. The key idea of PreGC is that a part of pages within victim blocks can be pre-migrated ahead of the time nearby GC invoking and when system is idle. Thus, normal page migrations induced by GC can be reduced and response time peaks would be lowered down. Experimental results show that PreGC can efficiently relieve the performance cliff by reducing migrated page numbers in normal GC as well as the tail latency while inducing negligible write amplification.


Abstract The specialized literature offers relevant support for the idea that the entrepreneurship and the private initiative represent the foundation of the economic growth. Despite this evidence, there are a lot of debates regarding the influence of the different religious orientations on the intention to become an entrepreneur. The purpose of the present paper is to analyze the impact that religion has on the entrepreneurial intentions of the Romanian students. To achieve this objective, the research methods consisted in an extensive investigation of the specialized literature and in empirical research, conducted on a sample of 682 Romanian students. Our results underline that the young Orthodox individuals are more optimistic regarding their future ability to develop businesses than the Roman-Catholics. Yet, this optimism has not been proven by the assessment of their personality traits, which may be very important for the business success.


Across Japan, the rapidly aging population is becoming more visible, especially in "aging new towns". Since mobility levels usually decline with age, having a self-contained neighborhood could be more important than before. This paper therefore explores the self-containment status of a new town for discretionary activities (shopping, volunteering, recreation, and so on), by using multiperiod (two waves) and multiday (two weeks) panel survey data collected in Koyo New Town located in Hiroshima, Japan. For this purpose, the authors develop a panel mixed logit model of destination choice with a focus on the impacts of social networks. They also examine whether or not the self-containment contributes to the improvement of residents' subjective well-being. The result reveals that social networks have a positive impact, not only on self-containment of discretionary activities, but also on residents' subjective well-being.


Due to its perishable nature, papaya has a high post-harvest loss and limited shelf life. Assessment of papaya postharvest loss was conducted in Jimma town at wholesalers and retailers' levels using semi-structured questioners followed by an interview and personal observation in 2017. Eighty-one respondents were participated in this survey. The majority of the people participated in papaya selling activities at the retailer were women whereas, men dominated in papaya wholesalers' market. The major source of papaya for Jimma town market was from Dedo woreda (34.57%). All of the wholesalers (100%) transported papaya fruits by truck and also, some retailers (35.29) use trucks to transport the fruits from nearby Woredas. The main cause of papaya fruit losses at Jimma town was fruit softening, rotting, wounding, and compact due to inappropriate transporting, storage condition, and lack of appropriate marketing place. The papaya post-harvest losses at wholesalers' level were 21.75% which was 12.5% and 9.25% during transporting and storage respectively. There were about 15.6% of losses at retailers' level. In general, about 37.35% of papaya fruit was lost in Jimma town only at the two marketing channels. To fulfill the demand and to minimize the loss of papaya fruit, training, and marketing facilities should be facilitated.


This paper presents the work of investigating the used of Quantum Tunneling Composites (QTC) Pills as a tactile sensor material. The QTC Pills was tested for their resistivity characteristics to determine the sensor sensitivity, time of response and its allowable working range. The experiments were conducted base on the two parameters; the voltage, and the separation gap against the force/ load that exerted onto the QTC Pills. The results show that with a 5 V supply voltage and 0.5 mm separation gap of a side-by-side sensor construction, the usage of the QTC Pills as a tactile sensor can be optimized. Besides that the resistivity values established from the repeated experiment using QTC Pills produce the similar value and result. This makes the material suitable to be used as a tactile sensor material for the robotic hand.


Wireless power transfer, known as witricity, has become a topical issue for academicians and engineers alike since the pioneering work of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) research group based on the well-known principle that the electromagnetic coupling of two systems with the same resonant frequency is strongest. This paper presents a model and method to calculate the resonant frequency of planar spirals for wireless power transfers based on equivalent circuit model and three-dimensional finite element analysis. The numerical results on a prototype resonator as reported validate the feasibility and advantages of the proposed approach.


A previously developed model for the Rayleigh-Taylor instability at an interface between an elastoplastic solid and a viscous fluid [Piriz, Sun, and Tahir, Phys. Rev. E 88, 023026 (2013)] has been used for calculating the time evolution of the perturbations in terms of the mechanical properties of the solid and the liquid, as well as of the initial amplitude ξ_{0} and the wavelength λ of the perturbation. Four kinds of possible evolution are found: two stable and two unstable, depending on their positions in the space of parameters (ξ_{0},λ). All of them present some features that are independent of the solid properties and that are determined only by the liquid viscosity.


The issues of changes in the tax legislation of the Russian Federation, the system of regulation of tax control in the application of liability for tax offenses have been raised. The problems of tax administration in the sphere of taxation have been considered, as well as the prospects and directions of further development and expansion of the applied methods of management of tax relations in the Russian Federation have been determined. The ways of improving tax regulation and improving the efficiency of taxation and tax control in the transformation of the regulation of liability for tax offenses have been offered.


Quality control is a company-wide activity from the stage of product design through, all the steps of manufacturing to marketing and post-sales-service. Information feed-back for quality control is an integral part of management information system. Steps in the design and the diverse kinds of reports and charts of a quality control information system are outlined.


Magnetic Guidance Technology can meet the precise measurement requirements when drilling steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) oil wells. Magnetic generator is a key part in the Magnetic Guidance Technology. When magnetic generator is tripped into horizontal well, pump pressure and passing capacity of the magnetic source generator in the curved section need to be analyzed. So, a mathematical model of tripping in the magnetic generator is established. If curvature radius, deviation angle, and friction factor are known, the forces acting on the magnetic generator in different positions could be calculated. The finite element (FE) results show that: (1) with depth increasing in the curved section, the equivalent stress on the magnetic generator increases in a fluctuating manner, the contact area, friction drag, and energy loss increase. (2) The greater the hole curvature, the greater tripping in force and the higher pump pressure are needed. The lower friction coefficient is favorable to tripping in the magnetic generator. (3) The friction between the magnetic generator and tubing wall in the horizontal section is much less than that in the curved section. Field applications have shown that the maximum downforce is close to the result of finite element analysis. The research results provide a reasonable reference basis for smooth running of magnetic source generators with different trajectory conditions.


Two field trials FieldExp1 and FieldExp2 and a pot experiment PotExp were c0onducted over a period of 3 years to assess olive tree response to nitrogen N applications and to estimate apparent N recovery. FieldExp1 was installed in a 3-year-old olive grove. FieldExp2 consisted of a plantation of young rooted plants. Two treatments were applied in both experiments: N application and a nonfertilized control. In PotExp, 4 N rates were used. In FieldExp1, olive yield significantly increased with applied N in only 1 of the 3 growing seasons. In FieldExp2, aboveground dry matter yield significantly increased with N application. In PotExp, total dry matter yield displayed a typical saturation curve in response to N rates. The poor response of olive yield to N application might be due to the reduced amount of N removed in the crop, and also to the negative interaction found between N application and water deficit. Apparent N recovery reached values varying from 13.1% in FieldExp2 to ~100% in PotExp. The results indicate that the olive response to N and N use efficiency seem to be influenced more by the agroecological conditions defining target yield and N loss, rather than by plant species.


After serving two terms for a total of 6 years, my time writing this column is coming to an end. This issue of JPT marks my last opportunity to share my thoughts, recap my observations, and make note of some final touch-ups to the research conducted over this 6-year period with regard to recent heavy oil practices. Here are some highlights to keep in our minds over the coming years. Despite all the recent negative and serious changes affecting the whole world and our industry, life goes on and we will increasingly be needing energy. One should recall that statistics predict oil will continue to be the main source of energy for the next 2 decades, with heavy oil constituting a great portion of that. That means that, while the oil industry is going through unprecedented and even unpredictable economic downturns, the status of heavy oil is still unquestionable. However, we have to face the fact that this energy should be tapped in a cheap, clean, and sustainable way. The best aspect of this effort is that heavy oil technologies have been established and tested over a long period of time, unlike other unconventional resources.
 Lowered steam consumption, down to zero if possible, has been under consideration to minimize the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) while simultaneously producing heavy oil. This green effort leads us to nonsteam techniques such as the use of water with chemicals (mainly polymer) and noncondensable gases and certain unconventional methods such as solvent injection and electromagnetic heating, the latter being unavoidable especially for extraheavy oil and bitumen. These areas have been critically considered by researchers and practitioners with a considerable number of applications existing at the field scale.
 At the same time, the oil industry must deal with mature steam projects in the near future. We have accumulated so much heat energy over the decades, yet a substantial amount of oil remains in these reservoirs. What can be done to reuse this energy? Can we recover different forms of energies using methods with no GHG emission? The current practices encountered in field-scale operations to improve the heavy oil recovery in mature steam applications use noncondensable gases; mainly, these techniques serve to pressurize steam-assisted gravity drainage wells, improve sweep and microscopic displacement by adding chemical additives to the steam (or hot water), and re-engineer well designs (flow control for efficient heating and sweep). My final example highlighting new practices is the increasing trend of offshore heavy oil practices. Of particular interest is polymer injection through vertical and horizontal wells and pilot steam applications, methods that are effective even if they occur at the pilot stage of the process.
 Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org.
 SPE 199947 - Enhanced Oil Recovery in Post-Cold Heavy Oil Production With Sand Heavy Oil Reservoirs of Alberta and Saskatchewan Part 2: Field Piloting of Cycling Solvent Injection by Gokhan Coskuner, Consultant, et al.
 SPE 199925 - Scalable Steam Additives for Enhancing In-Situ Bitumen Recovery in SAGD Process by Armin Hassanzadeh, Dow, et al.
 SPE 199927 - The Myth of Residual Oil Saturation in SAGD - Simulations Against Reality by Subodh Gupta, Cenovus Energy, et al.


Polymer coatings provide an excellent corrosion barrier for Al-skinned military aircraft. However, the degradation and damage of the coatings in their service life over time leads to the initiation of corrosion damage at the substrate level. Early detection and negation of such activity can provide extensive cost savings. Several Electrochemical techniques and Non Destructive Evaluation (NDE) show promise in detecting the onset of corrosion under such coatings. Current accelerated testing of aircraft coating systems for corrosion protection relies heavily on salt spray methods. Electrochemical techniques such as Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Electrochemical Noise Methods (ENM) provide insight into the global properties of a coating system, and both techniques are being used on a limited basis. However, there is a need to investigate corrosion events with greater spatial resolution under coatings at the metal/coating interface. Such corrosion activity may be related to coating defects and variations in the surface chemistry of the underlying metal. The Scanning Vibrating Electrode Technique (SVET) has been developed to allow the investigation of localized corrosion activity with high spatial resolution. Such activity may be associated with coating defects or galvanic coupled regions of the metal surface.
 Electrochemical and NDE techniques were used to investigate the early stage of corrosion activity under protective coatings. Coatings in this investigation ranged from a simple epoxy amine to commercially used military aircraft polyurethane coatings. SVET testing of panels with intact high-resistance barrier coatings could not reveal corrosion damage under normal testing conditions because of little or no corrosion activity within the limited exposure time. Chemical, mechanical, and electrochemical means of accelerating the corrosion damage were utilized to obtain results in a reasonable time frame. Corrosion initiation and its progress under the coating were studied in detail and the results are discussed here. Complimentary high-resolution NDE techniques, such as Scanning Acoustic Microscopy (SAM) and Fan Thermography measurements were used to identify the corrosion sites. The overall objective of this investigation is to establish a correlation between the electrochemical and NDE techniques.


Regression testing is an important part of software maintenance, but it can also be very expensive. To reduce this expense, software testers may prioritize their test cases so that those that are more important are run earlier in the regression testing process. Previous work has shown that prioritization can improve a test suite's rate of fault detection, but the assessment of prioritization techniques has been limited to hand-seeded faults, primarily due to the belief that such faults are more realistic than automatically generated (mutation) faults. A recent empirical study, however, suggests that mutation faults can be representative of real faults. We have therefore designed and performed a controlled experiment to assess the ability of prioritization techniques to improve the rate of fault detection techniques, measured relative to mutation faults. Our results show that prioritization can be effective relative to the faults considered, and they expose ways in which that effectiveness can vary with characteristics of faults and test suites. We also compare our results to those collected earlier with respect to the relationship between hand-seeded faults and mutation faults, and the implications this has for researchers performing empirical studies of prioritization.


The melting of frozen packed beds by a microwave with a rectangular waveguide has been investigated numerically and experimentally. It was performed for the two different layers, which consist of frozen and unfrozen layers. This paper focuses on the prediction of the temperature field, as well as the microwave energy absorbed, and the melting front within the layered packed beds. Based on the combined model of the Maxwell and heat transport equations, the results show that the direction of melting against the incident microwave strongly depends on the structural layered packed beds because of the difference in the dielectric properties between water and ice.


The potential of political science to contribute to debates over public issues has long been hindered by tensions in the discipline's goals of achieving scientific rigor while also serving America's democracy. Those tensions have been exacerbated by recent trends in American higher education working to separate research and teaching activities and to rely more on external donors to finance both. Collectively these trends suggest that political science faces growing pressures to steer away from unpopular topics in both research and teaching, and to abandon the traditional teacher/scholar model of academic careers. It is advisable for the discipline both to seek more actively to promote engagement between different forms of political science scholarship in order to achieve cumulative knowledge that is pertinent to important political issues, and to preserve and strengthen its commitments to effective teaching about politics.


In vitro lymphocyte stimulation and virus-neutralization techniques were employed to study the relationship between the cellular and humoral immune responses to herpes simplex virus (HSV) in rabbits. Lymphocytes specifically sensitized to HSV were detected as early as 3 days after infection, generally before the appearance of neutralizing antibody. Neutralizing antibody levels continued to rise over the next several weeks, whereas the ability of sensitized lymphocytes to respond to viral antigens markedly decreased. Reinfection 60 days after the primary infection resulted in a sharp increase in the responsiveness of the lymphocytes to viral antigens.
 The induction of cell-mediated immunity and the responsiveness of sensitized lymphocytes to viral antigens appears to be intimately related to the physical state of the virus. Animals inoculated with infectious HSV developed both cellular and humoral immunity; animals inoculated with UV-inactivated HSV developed a cellular immune response, but little if any neutralizing antibody; animals inoculated with HSV complexed with anti-HSV antibody developed neither a cellular nor a humoral immune response. In vitro, specifically sensitized lymphocytes could be stimulated by virus and by virus bound to cells, but not by cell-bound virus that had been incubated with antiviral antibody. These observations suggest that antiviral antibody can affect both the induction of cell-mediated immunity and the responsiveness of specifically sensitized lymphocytes to viral antigens bound to cells.


Aims The aim of this three month retrospective study was to evaluate the incidental prevalence and burden of coronary artery calcification on CT Pulmonary Angiography (CTPAs) used for the assessment of patients presenting with chest pain suspicious for PE and whether this finding was reported upon by Radiologists. Methods The National Integrated Medical Imaging System (NIMIS) was manually searched to ascertain all CTPA examinations performed in our institution from 01/07/2014 to 30/09/2014. The Radiologist issued reports were analysed and the images of selected studies were reviewed as described below. Results 261 CTPAs were performed over this three month period on 257 patients and 104 of these scans were performed on patients between the ages of 40 and 70 which were selected for this review. Of these, 53 were male and 51 were female with a mean age of 57.09 years. Only 25/104 (24%) of these scans commented on the presence of coronary artery calcification and none commented on the absence of calcification. Of the 25 (24%) positive reports, 10 (40%) commented on presence only without localising it or grading its severity, while 10 (40%) reported LAD disease and only 4 (16%) reported three vessel calcification. A total of 7 (28%) reports graded the calcification as severe. The images of the 79/104 (76%) remaining CTPAs whose reports did not comment on coronary calcification were reviewed. 8 (10.1%) were uninterpretable due to either artefact from motion/pacing leads or due to the presence of contrast in the coronary system and these were excluded from the analysis. 25/79 (31.6%) of these CTPAs had calcification of varying degrees present. 5 (20%) had left main deposits while 9 (36%) had three vessel calcification (LAD, LCx and RCA). The LAD was the most commonly involved vessel, with lesions detected in 20/25 scans. 2 patients had evidence of previous stent placement in the LAD. Calcification in the RCA was difficult to visualise well in most cases due to close proximity to contrast filling both the right atrium and ventricle. In summary only 24% of Radiologist reported CTPAs commented upon the presence of coronary artery calcification, while a further 24% of CTPAs were found to have significant calcific coronary disease with 20% of these having left main disease and 36% having three vessel disease. Conclusions This initial study demonstrates significant variance in reporting of incidental coronary artery calcification in non-cardiac CT in patients between 40–70 years being assessed for chest pain for suspected PE. A longer prospective study is planned to evaluate if such findings have incremental clinical benefit in identifying a cardiac aetiology for chest pain syndromes in these patients and to correlate such findings with clinical outcomes.


The multiple collision technique as applied to the monoenergetic time-dependent neutron transport equation for pulsed plane source emission in an infinite medium is used to obtain the flux due to a pulsed point source in the same medium. This result is then integrated to determine the flux due to the corresponding pulsed line source problem. The semi-infinite albedo problem is also shown to be solvable using the multiple collision approach. A generalization to include delayed neutrons follows directly from the multiple collision treatment, as does an equivalence between a monoenergetic time-dependent problem and a particular stationary slowing down problem in infinite geometry. Results are tabulated and comparisons are made to provide benchmark solutions to the fundamental time-dependent transport problems considered and thus bridge the gap between theory and practice.


Current web site development is still dominated by technical issues. In order to enable efficient communicationbetween developers and to provide a stable foundation for adopting new technologies, web sites should be derivedfrom conceptual models. Based on the state-of-the-art of conceptual modeling as implemented in currentCASE environments as well as web site development tools, the essence of a web site is identified, and an adequateconceptual meta model is proposed. Appropriate web site models are intended to capture not only hierarchicaldocument structure and hypertext semantics, but also dynamical page generation from databases as wellas explicit and implicit navigation. It becomes evident that web sites can be regarded as supersets of traditionalinformation systems, thereby requiring conceptual modeling to include various additional features. The proposedmeta model comprises several classes of information objects, various types of associations, design rules,and quality checks. For illustration purposes, the model is applied to an existing web site. Commercial web sitedevelopment tools are analyzed with regard to the extent to which they support conceptual web site modeling.