The enantiomeric separation of fenpropathrin enantiomers on Lux Cellulose-1, Lux Cellulose-3 and Chiralpak IC chiral columns as well as enantioselective degradation of fenpropathrin in soil were investigated by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The effects of the chiral stationary phase, mobile phase component, mobile phase ratio, temperature and thermodynamic parameters on resolution were carefully evaluated. Fenpropathrin enantiomers achieve a baseline separation (Rs = 2.30) on the Lux Cellulose-3 column with a mobile phase of methanol/water at a ratio of 85/15. Partial separations were achieved on Lux Cellulose-1 and Chiralpak IC columns with maximum Rs = 1.01 and Rs = 0.64, respectively. Enantioselective degradation of fenpropathrin enantiomers in soil was investigated based on the proposed separation method. The half-life (t1/2) of S-fenpropathrin and R-fenpropathrin was 17.8 days and 12.6 days, respectively, indicating that the degradation of fenpropathrin in soil was enantioselective, with R-fenpropathrin preferentially degraded. Furthermore, the formation and degradation of 3-PBA, the main metabolite of fenpropathrin, were also investigated in three soils. Soil microorganisms were confirmed as the main factor that is responsible for enantioselective degradation of fenpropathrin enantiomers in soil. Such results provide a new approach for fenpropathrin enantiomer separation and contribute to a comprehensive risk assessment of fenpropathrin at the enantiomer level.


Abstract Lava tubes are often coated with spectacular lava stalactites that are thought to form by a process of lava remelting. Here, we present results from lava stalactites collected inside a master lava tube that fed the 1792−1793 Etna flank eruption, which show features rather different from their Hawaiian or Icelandic counterparts. We analyzed three types of stalactites recognized at Mt. Etna on the basis of their morphology, and compared their features with those of the lava flow hosting the tube. Three-dimensional morphologic analyses by SEM, petrographic observations, and mineral and glass composition measured by SEM-EDS, allowed us to infer processes and conditions of stalactite formation. Our results indicate that in all the analyzed stalactites, the nature, abundance and composition of phenocrysts is similar to that of the host lava flow. This finding suggests a common mechanical origin for different types of stalactites, caused by drainage of the tube and dripping of fluid lava from the roof. However, the composition of interstitial glass is significantly different from that of the glassy groundmass measured in historical volcanic rocks of Mt. Etna and suggests that, once stalactites solidi field, they were affected by a process of partial melting. Partial melting involved between 12 and 25% of the bulk rock, causing the wide compositional variation and enrichment in K2O measured in our samples


Double-stranded polymeric ladderphanes are obtained by ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of bisnorbornene derivatives by the first generation of Grubbs catalyst (G-I). A range of two- and three-dimensional organic and organometallic linkers are used to connect two norbornene units. The structures of these double-stranded polymers are proved by spectroscopic means and scanning tunneling microscopic (STM) images. Hydrolytic cleavages of these ladderphanes give the corresponding single-stranded polymers with the same degree of polymerization and polydispersity as those of the double-stranded counterparts. Helical polymeric ladderphanes are also synthesized similarly when chiral linkers are used. Strong intereactions between adjacent linkers have been revealed by their physical properties in these polymers. Chemical modification of ladderphanes is achieved by bis-dihydroxylation, diimide reduction of double bonds, and electrochemical oxidation of linkers. Unsymmetrical ladderphanes with well-defined lengths and narrow dispersity are also obtained by replication and by sequential polymerization.


Background/Study Context: Investigations of empathy across adulthood have yielded mixed findings, yet its contribution to successful social interactions is clear. Methods: Here, the authors investigate the relationship between empathy and self-reported conversation enjoyment in 144 young adults (M age = 19.50) and 120 older adults (M age = 68.75). Participants completed three empathy-related measures (Interpersonal Reactivity Index [IRI], Toronto Empathy Questionnaire [TEQ], and Affect Intensity Measure [AIM]), and rated their enjoyment of recalled conversations with diverse targets. Results: On the IRI, older adults had higher scores than younger adults on Empathic Concern, but lower scores on the Personal Distress and Fantasy subscales. For younger adults, conversations with same-age acquaintances were most enjoyable and conversations with children and older adults were least enjoyable. Older adults reported similar enjoyment across all groups. However, the links between conversation enjoyment and empathy were stronger for older adults. Conclusion: These results highlight the importance of a multidimensional view of empathy, and the possibility that empathy influences conversational interactions differentially across the life span.


With recent development and progress achieved in the diagnosis and treatment of leukemia, relapse of disease still remains as the major problem in clinical management and the minimal residual disease (MRD) has been confirmed to be associated with leukemia relapse in the past decades. Due to the low sensitivity, morphology-based assays have limitation in the MRD monitoring. With the development of molecular assays, especially the real-time RT-PCR method have been a sensitive, precise and reliable tool to MRD detection. Numerous clinical studies demonstrated that the existence of MRD reflects the clinical and molecular response, and remain as a major prognostic factor for leukemia. Another important application of MRD detection is to evaluate the efficacy of different therapy at molecular level. In this paper, the different methods and their clinical application for MRD detection were systemically reviewed and it is confident that the establishment of standardized MRD detection system will be important in the clinical prevention for relapse of leukemia.


ABSTRACT Here, we describe a cell-based in vivo assay that probes the specific interaction between nucleocapsid (NC) protein and Psi (Ψ) RNA, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) packaging signal. The results demonstrate for the first time a specific NC-Ψ interaction within living cells. The specificity and applicability of the assay were confirmed by mutational studies of NC and deletion-mapping analyses of Ψ-RNA as well as by testing the in vivo NC-binding effects of NC-aptamer RNAs identified previously in vitro. This assay system would facilitate further detailed studies of the NC-Ψ interaction in vivo and the screening of various anti-HIV molecules targeting NC and the specific interaction.


Objective The current study investigated the effect of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) expression on the growth of transplanted breast cancer tumors in mice. Methods A breast cancer transplantation model was established in BALB/c mice, which were then treated with SP600125 (30 mg/kg) for 24 days. After sacrificing the mice, the inhibitory effects of SP600125 on breast cancer growth were calculated by weighing tumors. Moreover, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and the tumor microvascular density (MVD) were evaluated via immunohistochemistry. Cell apoptosis was also examined using a TUNEL kit. Results Compared with the findings in the control group, SP600125 treatment (30 mg/kg) obviously suppressed tumor growth during the 15-day observation period. SP600125 treatment markedly inhibited JNK mRNA expression. Furthermore, VEGF protein expression (50% vs. 100%) and MVD (18.27 ± 1.70 vs. 23.17 ± 4.02) were also significantly decreased by SP600125 treatment, whereas the apoptosis index was significantly higher in the treatment group (10.23 ± 1.97% vs. 4.53 ± 1.40%). Conclusion Inhibition of JNK signaling can significantly suppress the growth of transplanted breast tumors in mice.


Background: Type I Diabetes Mellitus (TIDM) is a disease known to occur in any age group, but most of the people affected are diagnosed in their mid-teenage. It is marked by hyperglycemia due to autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. Herbal treatment of DM has attracted attention in the last few decades because of its ability to improve diabetic complications such as nephrotic deterioration and oxidative stress. The present research is sought to determine the anti-diabetic potential of Carica Papaya leaf extract in Alloxan-induced diabetic rats.
Methodology: For this study, eighteen healthy male Wistar rats weighing 150-200 g were made into three groups (n=6), two of which (Group II and Group III) were induced DM through Alloxan, whereas control (Group I) remained untreated. Group III diabetic rats were treated with 250 mg/kg body weight of papaya leaf extract after confirming hyperglycemia. Animals were sacrificed on the 22nd day for biochemical analysis.
Results: This study showed that papaya leaf extract administration caused a significant reduction in the levels of plasma glucose, AST, ALP, ALT, serum urea, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine in the papaya-treated group as compared to the Alloxan-treated group. It also increased plasma insulin levels compared to the diabetic-control (Alloxan-treated) group. Activity and concentration of major antioxidant enzymes such as CAT, SOD, and GSH in treated animals were also significantly increased compared to the diabetic (Alloxan-treated) group.
Conclusion: Based on the findings, it is concluded that the C. Papaya leaf extract exhibits antidiabetic and antioxidative potential against alloxan-induced TIDM.


Abstract The author discusses certain cataloging consequences of orthographic changes currently taking place in several non-Slavic languages of the former Soviet Union, especially Moldovan and the Turkic and Iranian languages of Central Asia. This article is somewhat forward-looking, for in many cases the former Soviet republics have not been able to implement the new scripts as quickly as initially planned, and changes affecting cataloging, although anticipated, have so far not been widespread.


International migration is a multifaceted process with distinct stages and decision points. An initial decision to leave one's country of birth may be made by the individual or the family unit, and this decision may reflect a desire to reconnect with friends and family who have already moved abroad, a need to diversify the family's access to financial capital, a demand to increase wages, or a belief that conditions abroad will provide social and/or political benefits not available in the homeland. Once the individual has decided to move abroad, the next decision is the choice of destination. Standard explanations of destination choice have focused on the physical costs associated with moving—moving shorter distances is often less expensive than moving to a destination farther away; these explanations have recently been modified to include other social, political, familial, and cultural dimensions as part of the transaction cost associated with migrating. Arrival in a host country does not mean that an émigré's relationship with their homeland is over. Migrant networks are an engine of global economic integration—expatriates help expand trade and investment flows, they transmit skills and knowledge back to their homelands, and they remit financial and human capital. Aware of the value of their external populations, home countries have developed a range of policies that enable them to "harness" their diasporas.


We have recently treated two cases of anastomotic obstruction after side-to-side stapled enteroanastomosis. Complete obstruction of a stapled small-bowel anastomosis has not been reported to our knowledge. The mechanism of the obstruction appears to be the healing together of the cut edges of viable bowel beyond the inverted stapled lines. An alternative method of constructing the functional end-to-end enteroanastomosis that is offered is intended to prevent the occurrence of postoperative anastomotic obstruction.


Abstract: The dynamic interactions between solid solution hydrogen atoms and dislocations in face centred cubic (fcc) crystals are considered. Using strain ageing experiments, the strength of the elastic binding between dislocations and solutes atmospheres is measured. These results support the linearised hydrogen elasticity framework for modelling hydrogen–dislocation interactions. It is used to derive quantitative estimates of hydrogen effects on dislocation properties. Consequences are predicted on the Franck–Read mechanism and the cross-slip probability of screw dislocations. They are compared to the tensile response of nickel single crystals. Cross-slip is the mechanism whose alteration by hydrogen has the most important consequences on deformation. Effects on hydrogen-induced damage are discussed and possible extensions to other classes of metals and alloys are outlined.


Background The preoperative prediction of lateral pelvic lymph node (LPLN) metastasis is crucial in determining further treatment strategies for advanced lower rectal cancer patients. In this study, we established a nomogram model to preoperatively predict LPLN metastasis and then externally validated the accuracy of this model. Methods A total of 287 rectal cancer patients who underwent LPLN dissection were included in this study. Among them, 200 patients from the Peking University First Hospital were included in the development set, and 87 patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University were included in the independent external validation set. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to develop the nomogram. The performance of the nomogram was assessed based on its calibration, discrimination, and clinical utility. Results Five factors (differentiation grade, extramural vascular invasion, distance of the tumor from the anal verge, perirectal lymph node status, and largest short-axis diameter of LPLN) were identified and included in the nomogram. The nomogram developed based on the analysis showed robust discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.878 (95% CI, 0.824–0.932). The validation set showed good discrimination with an AUC of 0.863 (95% CI, 0.779–0.948). Decision curve analysis showed that the nomogram was clinically useful. Conclusions The present study proposed a clinical-imaging nomogram with a combination of clinicopathological risk factors and imaging features. After external verification, the predictive power of the nomogram model was satisfactory, and it is expected to be a convenient, visual, and personalized clinical tool for assessing the risk of LPLN metastasis in advanced lower rectal cancer patients.


The purpose of this study is to investigate the
utilisation and evaluation of Educational Media
Technology (EMT) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). It
is a critical study, with proposals for a programme of
training for secondary school teachers across the
curriculum in KSA.
The impetus for this study came from the failure of
KSA's Administration of Education and Equipment to meet
its own objectives in EMT provision, which has led to a
shortage of teachers qualified in the use and evaluation
of EMT. The reasons for this failure lie within the
history of the development of education in KSA, which
started from a low level. The review of relevant
literature provides background evidence of a low level of
EMT awareness, use and evaluation in KSA. This evidence
is substantiated by fieldwork which examines present
conditions and provision throughout KSA.
Fieldwork was conducted through questionnaires,
interviews and school-based observation in five districts
of KSA. The enquiry gathered evidence for male and female
teachers, with and without EMT training; schools-based EMT specialists; EMT experts in Higher Education and
Government; and CCTV technicians. Statistical procedures
were used in the analysis of questionnaires, including
frequency percentage, one-way analysis of variance, and
Tukey's multiple range test.
Among the findings of the enquiry are: continuing
weaknesses in existing provision; the need for improved
and more flexible initial training and in-service EMT
programmes; the need for more EMT specialists, and for
better co-ordination between schools and district
officers in EMT planning and provision.
The extent of these findings have led to the
necessity of a comprehensive consideration of the KSA
educational system as a whole, and thus the overhaul of
teacher training.


Polygonatum verticillatum, a highly valued medicinal herb of temperate Himalaya is extensively used to cure various health troubles as cardiotonic, antiperiodic, demulcent, diuretic, energizer, aphrodisiac, sedative, hypoglycemic, antitumor, pain reliever, general tonic, nervine tonic etc. The present investigation deals with the establishment of callus culture from leaf and hypocotyls segments of in vitro raised seedlings of P. verticillatum. Hypocotyls showed better callogenic response as compared to leaf explants. Callus induction was achieved in 22.4±0.51 to 30.8±1.59 days and 27.8±1.28 to 37.4±0.81 days after inoculation using hypocotyls and leaf explants respectively. Among all tested treatments, MS+TDZ (1.0mg/L)+2,4-D(1.0mg/L) caused maximum per cent callus induction in both hypocotyl (70±5.00 %) and leaf explant (45±5.00%). Maximum 1.70±0.26 g fresh weight of callus was achieved from hypocotyls inoculated in TDZ (1.0mg/L)+2,4-D(1.0mg/L) fortified MS media. Thus, obtained callus can be used for further biochemical and biotechnological investigation with aim to enhance pharmaceutical potential of this highly valued Ayurvedic medicinal herb.


The proposed photovoltaic Micro Inverter is based on three port flyback with one port dedicated to power decoupling function so the decoupling capacitance is reduced and hence the long lifetime film capacitor is used. One of the two transformers and one capacitor is used for decoupling function. The decoupling capacitor functions as energy storage as well as snubber capacitor to recycle the transformers leakage energy. A diode is involved to prevent the reverse current from power decoupling capacitor to PV panel.


Why some herbaceous plant species refrain from sprouting in some years is a longstanding puzzle in plant ecology. When vegetatively 'dormant', the plant lives as a rootstock, but does not produce or maintain photosynthetic tissue. During this time, energy may be remobilized from resource reserves or acquired from mycorrhizal fungi, although the mechanisms are still poorly understood. If vegetative dormancy is adaptive, it may be in response to a harsh environment, to life‐history costs, or as a bet‐hedge against unpredictable environmental variability. We tested whether vegetative dormancy is adaptive via game theoretical analysis of deterministic and stochastic ahistorical and historical life‐history models parameterized with long‐term census data for two long‐lived plants, Anemone americana and Cypripedium parviflorum. The ahistorical deterministic model provided a test of the hypothesis that dormancy is adaptive in response to a generally harsh environment and/or short‐term life‐history costs, while the historical model tested whether long‐term costs drove the evolution of dormancy. The stochastic ahistorical model provided a test of whether dormancy is a bet‐hedging trait. We found that vegetative dormancy is an adaptive consequence of life‐history costs of growth to survival and that these costs may be operating under a variable but generally harsh environment. Such costs led to sprouting and survival probabilities that generally increased with size in adults but never reached unity and decreased with size in juveniles. Historical deterministic models particularly predicted observed sprouting frequencies, while deterministic ahistorical and stochastic models did not, suggesting although the environment is likely stressful and fluctuates between harsh and mild states, short‐term costs and temporal stochasticity alone do not explain observed sprouting frequencies. Synthesis. Life‐history costs can drive the evolution of seemingly paradoxical traits. In particular, growth can lead to survival costs that may become significant in future years. These costs may be incurred via the use of stored reserves that, once used, cannot be used in the next several years. Such costs are the currency favouring the evolutionary maintenance of vegetative dormancy in two distantly related perennial plant species and may account for dormancy throughout the plant kingdom.


This research paper intends to examine 335 articles that were reached within the year 2015 to May 2021. Taking into consideration that 2021 has not yet come to an end, it was necessary to be included in the research analysis and seen as a year for the sake of current information. Subsequently, this research study will be centralizing only on open access research articles which consists of 89 articles that will be used for the data analysis. The perusal of the research was based on the year they were published, the subject area of the research, the document types of the research, the source titles of the research, countries/regions, languages, data collection method, number of keywords and also indexes. The keywords that will be used for this research are; learning, school, educational technology and content analysis. The content analysis method was used in this research study. Moreover, it was observed that; most articles were published in the year 2019, consist of 23 articles, while there are 89 research articles in education educational research which has the highest number in the article type category. The quantitative research method was commonly used compared to the other research study methods.

Keywords: Learning, School, Educational Technology, Content analysis


Diffuse reflectance Fourier transform mid infrared (FTMIR) and near-infrared spectroscopy (FTNIR) were compared to scanning monochromator-grating-based near-infrared spectroscopy (SMNIR), for their ability to quantify fatty acids (FA) in forages. A total of 182 samples from thirteen different forage cultivars and three different harvest times were analyzed. Three calibration analyses were conducted for lauric (C12:0), myristic (C14:0), palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0), palmitoleic (C16:1), oleic (C18:1), linoleic (C18:2), and alpha-linolenic (C18:3) acids. When all samples were used in a one-out partial least squares (PLS) calibration, the average R (2) were FTNIR (0.95) > SMNIR (0.94) > FTMIR (0.91). Constituents C18:2 and C16:0 had among the highest R (2) regardless of the spectroscopic method used. The FTNIR did better for C12:0, C14:0, and C18:3. The SMNIR did better for C16:0, C16:1, C18:0, C18:1, and C18:2. A second set of calibrations developed with half of the samples as the calibration set and the rest as the validation set showed that all the methods produce acceptable calibrations, with calibration R (2) above 0.9 for most constituents. However, the SMNIR had a better average calibration relative error than the FTNIR, which was slightly better than the FTMIR. A third set of calibration equations developed using 100 random PLS runs with the 182 samples split randomly also shows that the three spectral methods are satisfactory for predicting FA. It is not clear whether any of the spectral methods is distinctly better than another. Calibration R (2) and validation R (2) were higher for most FA with the SMNIR than the FTMIR and FTNIR.


Background: As most low and middle-income countries seek to achieve universal health coverage targets, there is an ever-increasing need to train human resources with the required core skills and competencies. This study reports on the needs assessment conducted to understand postgraduate training needs for three selected public health disciplines – Health Policy and Systems, Health Economics, and Healthcare Management and Planning – at the University of Zambia. Methods: The study adopted a cross sectional survey design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews administered to 32 participants, identified through a comprehensive stakeholder mapping process, holding selected management positions in public and private health service organisations across Zambia. The organisations included regulatory authorities, research institutions, government ministries, insurance firms, multilateral and health services organisations. Results: Overall, more than 68% of the stakeholders reported that they had no employees that were formally trained in the three disciplines. More than 90% of the stakeholders opined that training in these disciplines would be beneficial in providing competencies to strengthen service provision. The horizontal skills mismatch for health economics, and health services management and planning were found to be 93% and 100%, respectively. Among the key public health training needs were: policy development and analysis, economic evaluation, and strategic management. Conclusions: This study confirms that introducing post graduate training in the proposed public health disciplines will not only benefit Zambian health services organisations, but also help strengthen the health systems in general. For other empirical contexts, the findings imply the need for the introduction of academic programmes which respond to ever-changing public health skills demanded; and should be matched with local priorities and service delivery. Key words: Health policy & systems, health services management & planning, health economics.


This is a Spotlight on Research story. Research in recent years has suggested that inflammation plays a role in OA, a disease in which joint cartilage breaks down, leaving bone rubbing against bone.


It is shown that cells interact with glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) to regulate their own growth, adhesion and motility. Fibroblast seeding on immobilized hyaluronic acid derivatives upon amino and vinyl terminated surfaces reveal such mechanisms. Additionally, in vitro cell dynamics depend on surface chemistry and topography which also influence biocompatibility. The purpose of this work is to develop a microcontact printing approach to immobilize patterns of thiolated hyaluronic acid (t-HA) and thiolated chondroitin sulphate (t-CS) upon vinyl terminated glass by means of a functionalized elastomeric stamp (PDMS; polydimethylsiloxane); printing of native hyaluronic (HA) on amino terminated glass is also included.


Summary

Polythiophene (PT) is an important conjugated polymer that finds applications in electronic and molecular electronic devices. Considering its application area, its electrical conductivity is of major concern. In the present work electrical conductivity (σ) measurements of chemically synthesized and FeCl3 doped PT samples were carried out using a two probe method by applying voltages from 0 V to 100 V in the temperature range from 313 K to 373 K. There was an increase in electrical conductivity by two orders of magnitude after doping. I–V characteristic curves of undoped and doped samples show negative resistance behavior. From log σ versus 1/T graphs it was found that all doped samples showed a metallic nature, where as undoped polythiophene showed a semiconducting nature. Magnetic susceptibility measurements of all samples were carried out using Guoy's method in the temperature range from 300 K to 500 K to characterize the predominant charge carriers. They revealed that the undoped sample was completely diamagnetic in nature where as for the doped samples a number of transitions from diamagnetic to paramagnetic and vice versa were observed with increase in temperature.


Interrelation of single hypothalamic (supraoptic--SO and suprachiasmatic--SCH nuclei) and light stimuli at the level of superior colliculus (SC) were studied during chronic experiments in waking rabbits. Short-term inhibitory and the subsequent facilitatory effects of the hypothalamic stimuli on SC responses induced by light flashes were established. The foregoing light stimulus caused inhibitory effect on formation of hypothalamo-collicular responses induced by SO and SCH nuclei stimulation. The final result of the anterior hypothalamic effect on SC function is the vector value of the mechanism of interrelation between the hypothalamic inputs in this structure.


Mass housing played an important role in changing the face of the cities. The Municipality Law No.5393 which gave the right to municipalities to build mass housing were factors that have accelerated the mass housing production. The main goal of local administrations is to build houses in the most rapid and economic way for group of people with low income. However, such production has posed problems in terms of quantity and quality. This research has been conducted to measure the satisfaction levels of users from mass housing projects which are implemented under the leadership of the municipality in Konya. The existing residences in the area selected for the project were demolished swiftly and then mass housing was again built swiftly. Determining how the users in the region are affected by this change and their satisfaction with this matter is one of the main goals of this study. A scale was created by scanning the housing satisfaction parameters in the literature for the purpose of this study. In order to find out the satisfaction with the physical space, 5 mass housing areas, which share similarity in terms of settlement texture density and housing typology, were selected as sample study area from the 22 projects built by the district municipality. In the satisfaction and space analysis, user satisfaction in the mass housing projects produced by the municipality was examined together with the demographic findings. This research will serve as a baseline for future research since it will provide ready and comparable data. Received: 07/07/2020 Accepted:26/12/2020


We propose a new framework for studying the cosmology of f(R) gravity which completely avoids using the reconstruction programme. This allows us to easily obtain a qualitative feel of how much the ΛCDM model differs from other f(R) theories of gravity at the level of linear perturbation theory for theories that share the same background dynamics. This is achieved by using the standard model independent cosmographic parameters to develop a new dynamical system formulation of f(R) gravity which is free from the limitation of having to first specify the functional form of f(R). By considering a set of representative trajectories, which are indistinguishable from ΛCDM, we use purely qualitative arguments to determine the extent to which these models deviate from the standard model by including an analysis of the linear growth rate of density fluctuations and also whether or not they suffer from the Dolgov-Kawasaki instability. We find that if one demands that a late time f(R) cosmology is observationally close to the ΛCDM model, there is a higher risk that it suffers from a Dolgov-Kawasaki instability. Conversely, the more one tries to construct a physically viable late time f(R) cosmology, the more likely it is observationally different from the ΛCDM model.


Background Type 2 diabetes is rapidly becoming a significant challenge in Uganda and other low and middle-income countries. A large proportion of the population remains undiagnosed. To understand diagnostic delay, we explored the diagnostic pathways for diabetes among patients receiving care at a semi-urban district hospital in eastern Uganda. Methods Eligible participants were patients aged 35–70 years receiving care at the diabetes clinic of Iganga district hospital between April and May 2019 and their healthcare providers. Patients were interviewed using an interview guide to collect information on patients' symptoms and their diagnostic experience. A separate interview guide was used to understand the organisation of the diabetes services and the diabetes diagnostic process at the hospital. Using maximum variation purposive sampling, we selected 17 diabetes patients aged 35–68 years, diagnosed within the previous three years, and the three health workers managing the diabetes clinic at Iganga hospital. The data was analysed using ATLAS.ti version 8 to code, organise and track the data segments. We conducted template analysis using a priori themes derived from the intervals of Walter's model of Pathways to Treatment to identify the factors influencing diagnostic delay. Results We identified four typologies: a short diagnostic pathway, protracted appraisal pathway, protracted appraisal and diagnostic interval pathway, and delayed treatment pathway. The pathways of patients with protracted appraisal or diagnostic intervals demonstrated strong socio-cultural influences. There was a firm reliance on traditional healers both before and after diagnosis which deferred enrolment into care. Other health system barriers implicated in delayed diagnosis included stock-out of diagnostic supplies, misdiagnosis, and missed diagnosis. Denial of diagnosis was also found to lead to delayed initiation of care. Conclusion Reducing diagnostic delay requires addressing both negative socio-cultural influences and the adoption of system-wide interventions to address barriers to timely diagnosis.


In this paper, a wireless controller area network (CAN) was developed using low cost microcontroller. The system is low cost and low power consumption for CAN application in order to receive data such as velocity, temperature and batteries power from Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT). A programming was written for the microcontroller to receive data from MPPT and sent it out through wireless transceiver for a chase car to determine whether the solar car is in the optimum condition. However the microcontroller receives data at a baud rate of 1Mbps need to down rates to 9600bps due the maximum limitation of the wireless transceiver. This may cause losses of data during transmission and as such an interval is introduced between CAN messages by using interrupt function.


We examined the latent structure underlying the criteria for DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000, Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text revision). Washington, DC: Author.) personality disorders in a large nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Personality disorder symptom data were collected using a structured diagnostic interview from approximately 35,000 adults assessed over two waves of data collection in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Our analyses suggested that a seven-factor solution provided the best fit for the data, and these factors were marked primarily by one or at most two personality disorder criteria sets. A series of regression analyses that used external validators tapping Axis I psychopathology, treatment for mental health problems, functioning scores, interpersonal conflict, and suicidal ideation and behavior provided support for the seven-factor solution. We discuss these findings in the context of previous studies that have examined the structure underlying the personality disorder criteria as well as the current proposals for DSM-5 personality disorders.


A novel low‐cost nanoporous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)/silica composite separator has been prepared and evaluated for its use in an all‐vanadium redox flow battery (VRB). The separator consists of silica particles enmeshed in a PTFE fibril matrix. It possesses unique nanoporous structures with an average pore size of 38 nm and a porosity of 48%. These pores function as the ion transport channels during redox flow battery operation. This separator provides excellent electrochemical performance in the mixed‐acid VRB system. The VRB using this separator delivers impressive energy efficiency, rate capability, and temperature tolerance. In additon, the flow cell using the novel separator also demonstrates an exceptional capacity retention capability over extended cycling, thus offering excellent stability for long‐term operation. The characteristics of low cost, excellent electrochemical performance and proven chemical stability afford the PTFE/silica nanoporous separator great potential as a substitute for the Nafion membrane used in VRB applications.


The report summarises trials of new nearside-aspect Toucan crossing equipment at four sites, carried out by TRL for the Driver Information and Traffic Management Division of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. The equipment, call cancel facilities and on-crossing detection, was the same as that used for Puffin crossing trials. A nearside signal aspect has been developed for Toucan crossings. Although of different design, nearside aspects had also been used with the Puffin crossing. The methods used to assess the equipment include fault logs kept by local authorities responsible for the crossings, analysis of video film taken at the sites, and interviews with Toucan crossing users. Users at the sites possessed a reasonable understanding of the crossing operation, although there were a number of operational problems with the equipment on trial. Recommendations are given for the design of detection equipment and the site layout of Toucan crossings, to be incorporated into further trials. (A)


Previous studies of perforin expression and cytokine production in subsets of peripheral human CD45RA−CD8+ T cells with different CD28/CD27 phenotypes showed that CD28+CD45RA−CD8+ and CD27+CD45RA−CD8+ T cells have characteristics of memory T cells, whereas CD28−CD45RA−CD8+ and CD27−CD45RA−CD8+ T cells have characteristics of both memory and effector T cells. However, the differentiation pathway from memory CD8+ T cells into memory/effector CD8+ T cells has not been completely clarified. We investigated this differentiation pathway using EBV- and human CMV (HCMV)-specific CD8+ T cells. Three subsets of CD45RA−CD8+ T cells were observed in both total CD8+ T cells and EBV- or HCMV-specific CD8+ T cells: CD27+CD28+, CD27+CD28−, and CD27−CD28−. A significant number of the CD27−CD28+ subset was observed in total CD8 T cells. However, this subset was barely detectable in EBV- or HCMV-specific CD8+ T cells. Analysis of perforin expression and cytotoxic activity in the first three subsets suggested the following differentiation pathway: CD27+CD28+CD45RA−→CD27+CD28−CD45RA−→CD27−CD28−CD45RA−. This was supported by the observation that the frequency of CCR5+ cells and CCR7+ cells decreased during this sequence. Analysis of CCR5 and CCR7 expression in the CD27+CD28+ memory cell subset demonstrated the presence of three CCR5/CCR7 populations: CCR5−CCR7+, CCR5+CCR7+, and CCR5+CCR7−. These findings suggested the following differentiation pathway: CD27+CD28+CD45RA− (CCR5−CCR7+→CCR5+CCR7+→CCR5+CCR7−)→CD27+CD28−CD45RA−→CD27−CD28−CD45RA−. The presence of a CD27−CD28+ subset with a CCR5+CCR7− phenotype implies a specialized role for this subset in the differentiation of CD8+ T cells.


ABSTRACT The use of adsorption and electrochemical treatment technologies for wastewater treatment has significantly increased in recent years. In the present study, carbon prepared from biomass waste can be used as electrode material in the electrochemical process is shown. Given that the electrode material is quite expensive, low-cost manufacturing is gaining more and more importance. Electroadsorption of textile dye (Burdem Orange II) by using activated carbon prepared from waste material, which is cherry stones, was investigated with the variation in the parameters of pH, initial dye concentration, solution flow rate, applied potential, and supporting electrolyte. The removal efficiency of textile dye up to 98% were achieved by electrochemical method.


Background—Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is expressed by leukocytes and smooth muscle cells in atherosclerotic lesions. To test whether NO produced by iNOS deficiency affects atherosclerosis, we studied apoE/iNOS–double knockout (dKO) and apoE-knockout (KO) control animals fed a "Western-type" diet. Methods and Results—After 16 weeks of Western-type diet, the aortic lesion area in apoE/iNOS-dKO males and females was significantly reduced, by 22% and 21%, respectively, compared with apoE-KO males and females. This effect was more pronounced after 24 weeks of Western-type diet, after which lesion formation in male and female dKO mice was reduced by 38% and 40%, respectively. Plasma levels of lipoperoxides in apoE/iNOS-dKO mice (2.0±0.23 &mgr;mol/L) were significantly lower than in apoE-KO control animals (3.2±0.44 &mgr;mol/L;P =0.02). To test whether substrate deficiency plays a role in the proatherogenic actions of iNOS, we administered l-arginine to apoE-KO animals for 16 and 24 weeks. l-Arginine treatment did not affect lesion formation in apoE-KO animals fed a Western-type diet. Conclusions—Genetic deficiency of iNOS decreases diet-induced atherosclerosis and lowers plasma levels of lipoperoxides, a marker for oxidative stress, in apoE-KO animals. Reduction in iNOS-mediated oxidative stress could partly explain protection from lesion formation in dKO animals. l-Arginine supplementation did not change lesion area in apoE-KO mice, indicating that substrate deficiency is not a likely cause for iNOS-mediated injury in this model of atherosclerosis.


An efficient combination between the Passerini three-component reaction and aldol condensation has been developed for the synthesis of bicyclic isocoumarins with different substituted patterns via solvent-dependent domino pathways. These two operationally friendly methods simultaneously install C–O and C–C bonds in a one-pot manner, allowing the utilization of low-cost and readily accessible 2-formylbenzoic acid, isocyanides, and arylglyoxals. Mechanisms of formation of different substituted isocoumarin derivatives are also proposed.


This book reasserts the importance of the Black Death in its capacity to transform socie-ties; in the process creating 'structural change' in late-medieval England—that is modifi-cation of institutional arrangements with the potential for lasting and persistent economic effects. More specifically, the book's main contributions are twofold. First, it shows the importance of factor markets (in land, labour and capital) and commodity markets in England after the Black Death—which were less influenced by manorial control or interference than previously assumed. Indeed, manorial lordship is presented as less of a constraining force on English economic development compared to a previous view in the historiography. Secondly, it reconsiders the temporal dynamics of the economic impact of the Black Death in England, arguing instead for the formative importance of the third quarter of the fourteenth century (i.e. the aftermath of the Black Death itself), rather than a period after the 1370s. More generally and ambitiously, the book suggests that the structural change provoked by the Black Death was significant enough to set in motion certain processes that led to England becoming an eventual economic forerunner—thereby contributing to the Little Divergence debate (a debate on when and how the economies of Northwest Europe forged ahead of other parts of Europe).Perhaps unexpected, Bailey succeeds much more with the specific contextualised contributions for medieval England than with the general broader one. The book is erudite and nuanced—unsurprising to anyone acquainted with classics of English medieval economic history such as A Marginal Economy , Modelling the Middle Ages and The English Manor . 1 The subject material is complex, but Bailey does a laudable job in unpacking complicated ideas, and emphasising to the reader why they are relevant or have signifi-cance. The book employs original archival material, and this is well integrated within a vast knowledge of the masses of secondary literature produced on economy and society in the period before and after the Black Death . The book convinces the reader


Many mature, non-pregnant, non-lactating equids are often kept in circumstances where they are expected to perform only light physical work or activity eg: a childs pony. Consequently their maintenance energy and protein needs can often be met at very restricted feed intake levels. Conversely, when they are housed during the winter months it is believed desirable to manage such animals on unrestricted ad libitum feeding regimes in order to allow the animals to exhibit their natural feed intake pattern and consume forage on a little and often basis throughout the daily feeding period. However, ad libitum access to the diet may lead to such animals becoming excessively fat. These conflicting needs of low energy and protein requirement coupled with the desirability of unrestricted access to the diet could both be met, at least in part, if a low quality forage is available ad libitum. This study examines the voluntary feed intake and apparent digestibility in vivo of a mature threshed grass hay offered ad libitum and determines its ability to meet the predicted energy and protein needs of mature ponies.


1 1 5 (68.4%) responded to a self-administered questionnaire designed to determine their use of health care professionals for maternity care and future interest in midwifery services. Although many women (63.9%) saw their family physician at the beginning of their pregnancy, most (81.8%) were attended by an obstetrician at the birth. Many women (59.9%) were interested in some midwifery care; 11% would have liked complete primary midwifery care for this baby with physician support as necessary.


Farmers' markets and agri-tourism operations play significant roles in many rural economies; however, they tend to be underused which threatens their viability. Results from factor, cluster and regression analyses show that bundling of farmers' markets activities will spur diverse and steady patronage beyond what the growers earn from their traditional fresh produce and value added products. Additionally, farmers' markets and agri-tourism operators can use customer profiling to improve their marketing efforts in a competitive environment. The regression results show that a number of socio-economic variables are associated with the patronage experience. (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)


The queueing system considered is essentially a M/M/N/N queue where two types of users compete for the resources. The users may have different arrival and service rates and are denoted as primary or secondary users. The primary users have priority access to the resources, and three levels of priority are considered: perfect priority, partial priority, and no priority. This system models the recently developed cognitive radio concept, a methodology that has been proposed for future mobile radio systems. In this context, the primary users have certain rights to use the resources, whereas the secondary users must make opportunistic use of the resources without impacting too much on the performance of the primary users. For all priority settings, the mean number of primary and secondary users is derived as are the blocking probabilities for both users. When no priority is given to the primary user, the system collapses to a truncated form of two independent M/M/∞ queues. The product form solution for this special case is known, and, here, these results are given in a novel, compact form. In the case of nonzero priority, the dropping probability for the secondary users is also derived.


Surfactant solutions are being proposed for in situ flushing of organic contaminants from soils and aquifers. The feasibility of surfactant additives in remediation may depend in large part on how these chemicals affect the hydraulic conductivity of the porous media. While there is evidence in the literature of conductivity loss during surfactant flushing (Miller et al. 1975; Nash et al. 1987), there has been little research on quantifying the process for unconsolidated sediments. Surfactant-affected hydraulic conductivity reductions were measured in two soils (Teller loam and Daugherty sand). Testing was done with eight surfactants at a variety of concentrations (10-5 to 10-l mole/kg), surfactant mixtures, and added solution electrolytes. The Teller was also tested with its organic matter removed. Maximum hydraulic conductivity decreases were 47 percent for the sand and more than two orders of magnitude for the loam. Surfactant concentrations, surfactant mixtures, soil organic content, and added solution electrolytes all affected the degree of conductivity reduction. Results indicate that surfactant-affected hydraulic conductivity losses should be considered prior to in situ remediation and may preclude surfactant use in some fine grain soils.


Ostpolitik negotiations of the early 1970s. IJsing documents from Communist Party archives, Sarotte shows how the interests of the "small powers" sometimes collided with those of their patrons, the two superpower nations; the two had their own more obvious collisions as well. Dealing with the Devil is a work of traditional diplomatic history, conccrned with the actions and words of a small group of national leaders. However, the process of Ostpolitik negotiations was different from others because the two sides fundamentally disputed each other's very existence, and that disagreement was woven into the fabric of the negotiations. Sarotte examines the roles of national "myths" in the negotiations-the GDR myth that the two Germanys were two separate nations, the FRG myth that there was one Germany with leadership in Bonn. She also shows that the United States and the Soviet Union had parallel concerns about control of their allies-both worried that German leaders would exercise an unacceptable level of initiative. Sarottc finishes with the suggestion of a complex relationship between local and global politics. "Local" is too much; her work shows national issues influencing superpower politics and vice versa, not the impact of truly local concerns. The conclusion is not quite as novel as she claims, but her scholarship is so lucid and thorough that it will stand as a benchmark for future researchers. Moreover, Sarotte is careful to place her conclusions within the existing scholarship of postwar Europe, including that of John Lewis Gaddis, Peter Merkl, Tony Judt, and Charles Maier among others, which strengthens her arguments. In her introduction, she addresses a queslion of many prospective readers: Why bother to study the diplomatic maneuverings of a small state that no longer exists and that was directed by another failed state'! In her response, Sarotte argues for the importance of understanding the nature of detente, for examining the independence of the GDR and its limits, and for the significance of the period 1969-73. Her answer is not entirely convincing, and one is left with the impression of having read an unusually high quality doctoral disscrtation. Nevertheless, Dealing with the Ueid should find a place in the collections of rhose with a serious interest in postwar diplomacy and politics.


An influential theme in recent legal scholarship is that law is not as important as it appears. Social control, many scholars have noted, is often achieved through social norms - informal, decentralized systems of consensus and cooperation - rather than through law. This literature also displays a guarded optimism that social evolutionary processes will tend to favor the adoption of efficient norms. Using concepts from evolutionary game theory, we demonstrate that efficient norms will prevail only in certain settings and not in others: survival of the fittest does not imply survival of the efficient. In particular, we show that in many games of interest to legal scholars - games describing fundamental interactions in property, tort, and contract - evolutionary forces lead away from efficiency. We also describe how law rights the trend.


Carbonic anhydrase is abundantly distributed in renal tissue and functions, as in other epithelia, to catalyze the hydration-dehydration reaction of CO2. The proximal tubule is responsible for at least 80% of whole kidney bicarbonate transport and is mediated by proton secretion. Membrane-bound carbonic anhydrase appears to function primarily to prevent the rapid development of limiting pH gradients in this segment, and contributes importantly to the ability of this "leaky" epithelium to transport bicarbonate at high rates. Bicarbonate transport beyond the proximal tubule occurs in the loop of Henle and the medullary collecting tubule. After complete inhibition of the enzyme, bicarbonate appears to be transported passively as a result of favorable outwardly directed bicarbonate concentration gradients that are generated in the tubule lumen of more distal segments by water abstraction. This finding explains the widely appreciated, but seemingly paradoxical, view that complete inhibition of the renal enzyme results in excretion of only 30% of the filtered bicarbonate load. Although an additional role of carbonic anhydrase in mediating NaCl transport in the cortical thick ascending limb of Henle has been proposed, further investigation regarding the significance of this process is in order.


1. Experiments have been carried out on the in vitro culture of silkworm embryos with silkworm egg extracts. 2. Non-diapausing embryos can be cultured well beyond the stage of appendage formation with the extract from non-diapausing eggs, while fully diapausing embryos at about the 30th day are, for the most part, unable to grow in the same extract. 3. 1-2-day-old diapausing embryos still retain the ability to develop in vitro as well as non-diapausing ones. 4. The extract from 1-2-day-old diapausing eggs has nearly the same nutritive effect on the in vitro culture of embryos as that from non-diapausing eggs, though the extract becomes less nutritive with age of eggs. 5. Diapause of both embryo and yolk can almost be prevented by cold-storage at 5° C. 6. The yolk of diapausing eggs kept continuously at 25° C. possibly recovers, after about 150 days, its nutritive effect, which falls with the onset of diapause. This change is independent of activation of the embryo, and is accompanied by little morphological change in the yolk cells.


The paper presents the main results of the monitoring on the effectiveness of the cross compliance Standard 4.6 'Minimum livestock stocking rates and/or appropriate regimes' carried out in two case studies within the project MO.NA.CO: sheep grazing in medium-rich pastures in southern Apennines and in the plain of Sardinia, Italy. The monitoring involved aspects related to soil, flora, livestock and economics (competitiveness differential). The study showed, although in the short term, that the minimum stocking rate 0.2 LU/ha/year was not effective and, conversely, the effectiveness of the maximum level of stocking rate (4 LU/ha) for the maintenance of the habitat. The generalization in applying minimum and maximum rate, not taking into account the climatic conditions, forage resources or farming system (including the species of grazing animal) may lead to a serious nullification of the conditions of the Standard. The authors recommend to identify homogeneous areas and eligible specific stocking rates from all Italian regions, also considering the animal species.


Advances in high-throughput mapping of 3D genome organization have enabled genome-wide characterization of chromatin interactions. However, proximity ligation based mapping approaches for pairwise chromatin interaction such as Hi-C cannot capture multi-way interactions, which are informative to delineate higher-order genome organization and gene regulation mechanisms at single-nucleus resolution. The very recent development of ligation-free chromatin interaction mapping methods such as SPRITE and ChIA-Drop has offered new opportunities to uncover simultaneous interactions involving multiple genomic loci within the same nuclei. Unfortunately, methods for analyzing multi-way chromatin interaction data are significantly underexplored. Here we develop a new computational method, called MATCHA, based on hypergraph representation learning where multi-way chromatin interactions are represented as hyperedges. Applications to SPRITE and ChIA-Drop data suggest that MATCHA is effective to denoise the data and make de novo predictions of multi-way chromatin interactions, reducing the potential false positives and false negatives from the original data. We also show that MATCHA is able to distinguish between multi-way interaction in a single nucleus and combination of pairwise interactions in a cell population. In addition, the embeddings from MATCHA reflect 3D genome spatial localization and function. MATCHA provides a promising framework to significantly improve the analysis of multi-way chromatin interaction data and has the potential to offer unique insights into higher-order chromosome organization and function.


The objective of this study was to analyze the protective effects of iodixanol on dog spermatozoa during cryopreservation. The optimal concentration of iodixanol, 1.5%, was determined using fresh spermatozoa and was applied in the following experiments. The 1.5% iodixanol group showed significantly increased sperm motility from that in the control (p < 0.05). Lower mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) modulator (ROMO1) and pro-apoptotic gene (BAX) expressions, together with higher expressions of protamine-2 (PRM2), protamine-3 (PRM3), anti-apoptotic B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL2), and sperm acrosome associated-3 (SPACA3) genes were detected in the iodixanol-treated group. In addition, decreased protamine deficiency and cryocapacitation were observed in the treatment group. Our results show that supplementation with 1.5% iodixanol is ideal for reducing production of ROS and preventing detrimental effects during the canine sperm cryopreservation process, effects manifested as increased motility and reduced cryocapacitation in frozen-thawed spermatozoa.


Currently the 6MV EN-Tandem van der Graaff accelerator at the Schonland Research Centre for Nuclear Sciences is being upgraded for computer control. A distributed, network based control architecture has been implemented and successfully installed to control two sections of the accelerator. A graphical user interface (GUI) is being designed which is both didactic and easy to use. The entire control system software has been written to use OS/2 and exploits the multi-threaded and real-time nature of the operating system. Source code has been written in C and C++. A client-server type architecture is used to control electronic components to provide dynamic prioritisation of control instructions and monitoring events. A relational database is used to store all system and control variables to facilitate upgrading needs. The modular nature of the control system allows minimal down time when installing new sections for computer control. We present here the design concepts, a status report and first results of the accelerator control system.


This article proposes a comprehensive analysis of light propagation in an anisotropic and spatially homogeneous Bianchi I universe. After recalling that null geodesics are easily determined in such a spacetime, we derive the expressions of the redshift and direction drifts of light sources; by solving analytically the Sachs equation, we then obtain an explicit expression of the Jacobi matrix describing the propagation of narrow light beams. As a byproduct, we recover the old formula by Saunders for the angular diameter distance in a Bianchi I spacetime, but our derivation goes further since it also provides the optical shear and rotation. These results pave the way to the analysis of both supernovae data and weak lensing by the large-scale structure in Bianchi universes.


Mineral chabazite has shown the unusual ability to surface template nanometal particles, especially Ag. A chabazite analog was synthesized from delaminated metakaolin. The chabazite formed retained the platy morphology of the base clay. This morphology is ideal for displaying surface-supported nanometal particles. The synthetic chabazite analog demonstrated the ability to form and support large concentrations of Ag nanoparticles, as observed in the related natural mineral. Due to greater Al content, the synthetic chabazite manifests significantly improved capacity for the formation of such Ag nanoparticles. As in the case of the mineral chabazite, surface Ag nanoparticles of high uniformity were observed in the range of 5–6 nm.


In Mexico, tourism is an activity that generates income, jobs, and the development of infrastructure. However, its importance lies in being a commercial activity prone to be planned in a production system to avoid undesirable impacts on the fields of interest for tourism, comprising the natural, social, and cultural systems. The composition of the participants in decision making is essential because it allows us to know how the resources must be combined to set up tourism activities within the principles of sustainability. In the definition of the players, the government keeps an important role in formulating public policies that affect the design, planning and operation of tourism activities and establishes a communication channel that expands or restricts the scope for action of the other players. Therefore, in this study we propose to define the community tourism system in the tourist practice of politics in the state of Hidalgo from the perspective of systemic with the intention of highlighting the aspects involved in planning this activity. The study identified three orientations and the communal system and its subsystems are presented in the tourism policy.


Asperger's disorder (ASP), like other autism spectrum disorders, is associated with altered responsiveness to social stimuli. This study investigated learning and responsiveness to nonsocial, but motivational, stimuli in ASP. We examined choice behavior and galvanic skin conductance responses (SCRs) during the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT; Bechara et al., 1994) in 15 adolescents and young adults with ASP and 14 comparison subjects. We examined aspects of learning, attention to wins and losses, and response style with a formal cognitive model, the Expectancy–Valence Learning model (Busemeyer & Stout, 2002). The ASP group did not differ from the comparison group in proportions of selections from advantageous decks. However, ASP participants showed a distinct pattern of selection characterized by frequent shifts between the four IGT decks, whereas comparison participants developed clear deck preferences. SCR results showed some evidence of reduced responsiveness in the ASP group during the IGT. Results from the cognitive model indicated that, in contrast to the comparison group, the ASP group's selections were less consistent with the motivational significance they assigned to decks. Findings are discussed in the context of the neurobiological substrates associated with IGT performance (JINS, 2006, 12, 668–676.)


This article presents research on qualitative parameters conducted in order to develop a model for the improvement of occupational health and safety (OHS) in micro and small construction enterprises (MSEs). Identification of factors and defining their significance enables improvements of OHS in the observed enterprises. The aim of the model is to assist MSEs in evaluating their qualities, pinpointing their deficiencies and ways to maximize the improvement of OHS performances. A panel of 20 experts defined the factors through an iterative process using the Delphi method. The research resulted in a model consisting of 42 OHS factors grouped into 10 categories. Model validation was carried out in the Republic of Serbia. The validation confirmed the applicability of the model as well as the relevance of factors that were determined by the panel of experts.


Aligning the business operations with the appropriate IT infrastructure is a challenging and critical activity. Without efficient business/IT alignment, the companies face the risk not to be able to deliver their business services satisfactorily and that their image is seriously altered and jeopardized. Among the many challenges of business/IT alignment is the access rights management which should be conducted considering the rising governance needs, such as taking into account the business actors' responsibility. Unfortunately, in this domain, we have observed that no solution, model and method, fully considers and integrates the new needs yet. Therefore, the paper proposes firstly to define an expressive Responsibility metamodel, named ReMMo, which allows representing the existing responsibilities at the business layer and, thereby, allows engineering the access rights required to perform these responsibilities, at the application layer. Secondly, the Responsibility metamodel has been integrated with ArchiMate® to enhance its usability and benefits from the enterprise architecture formalism. Finally, a method has been proposed to define the access rights more accurately, considering the alignment of ReMMo and RBAC. The research was realized following a design science and action design based research method and the results have been evaluated through an extended proof of concept at the Hospital Center in Luxembourg.


Dysfunction of histone acetyltransferases (HATs) leads to several diseases including cancer, diabetes, and asthma. Therefore, small molecule inhibitors and activators of HATs are being considered as new generation therapeutics. Here, we report the molecular mechanisms of p300 HAT inhibition by specific and nonspecific HAT inhibitors: garcinol, isogarcinol, and 1 (LTK14). The p300 specific HAT inhibitor 1 behaves as a noncompetitive inhibitor for both acetyl-CoA and histone, unlike nonspecific HAT inhibitors garcinol and isogarcinol. The isothermal calorimetric data suggest that there is a high affinity enthalpy driven single binding site for 1 on p300HAT domain in contrast to two binding sites for garcinol and isogarcinol. Furthermore, the precise nature of molecular interactions was determined by using fluorescence, docking, and mutational studies. On the basis of these observations, we have proposed the mechanisms of specific versus nonspecific HAT inhibition by these small molecule compounds, which may be useful to design therapeutically favorable HAT inhibitors.


Using the previously developed cell model of a charged membrane and the principles of linear thermodynamics of irreversible processes (the Onsager approach), exact and approximate (in the case of an ideally selective membrane) analytical formulae for calculating the osmotic and electroosmotic permeability of the membrane in aqueous solutions of 1:1 electrolyte at constant electric current density and concentration gradient were suggested. The formulae have been successfully verified by our own experimental data for the extrusion cation-exchange membrane MF−4SC p.29 in NaCl solution up to concentrations of 3 M. The contribution of electroosmotic and osmotic water fluxes to the total water transport through the mentioned individual perfluorinated ion-exchange membrane under conditions close to the process of electrodialysis concentrating was experimentally estimated. The cases of co- and counter-directed osmotic and electroosmotic water fluxes are studied. A good correspondence between theoretical and experimental results was obtained, which made it possible to determine the physicochemical parameters of the electromembrane system (the diffusion coefficients of individual ions and the coefficient of equilibrium distribution of electrolyte molecules in the membrane matrix, the characteristic exchange capacity of the cell model). The achieved results make it possible to fully characterize existing and promising types of ion-exchange membranes based on the developed cell model of a charged membrane.


We report on X-ray diffraction, the electrical resistivity (ρ(T)), the magnetic susceptibility (χ(T)), the magnetization (σ(μ0H)) and the heat capacity (Cρ(T)) of the alloy system RE8Pd24Sn (RE = Pr, Nd, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er and Tm) which has the cubic AuCu3-type structure. Compounds with RE = Gd and Tb order magnetically: Gd8Pd24Sn exhibits two magnetic transitions observed in its χ(T) and ρ(T) whereas Tb8Pd24Sn exhibits only one magnetic transition observed in its χ(T). Measurements of ρ(T) of the Gd and Tb compounds indicate a minimum above TN. χ(T) of all compounds follows the Curie-Weiss behaviour with high-temperature effective moment values close to that expected for the free RE3+ -ion. σ(μ0H) measurements taken at 1.7 K are presented for all members of the RE8Pd24Sn system. Metamagnetic behaviour is observed for Tb8Pd24Sn. Cρ results for the Gd and Tb compounds confirm the magnetic ordering indicated by the χ(T) and ρ(T) studies. In the paramagnetic region Cρ/T = γ + βT2 for both the Gd and Tb comprounds.


For over 40 years, four therapeutic modalities, namely surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy have formed the core of anticancer treatments. Their mode of action is thought to involve a direct cytotoxic action on tumor cells. Recently, the discovery of tumor-associated immunosuppression and tumor immunosurveillance has led to cancer being reconsidered not only as an organ disease but also as a host disease. This new concept is supported by the recent discovery of the immunogenic effects of tumor cell death induced by a variety of cytotoxic drugs. This work describes a new pathway of tumor-derived antigen presentation mediated by the alarmin HMGB1 (released by dying tumor cells in response to chemo/radiotherapy) and by TLR4 on dendritic cells. In this model, TLR4 recognizes? tumor-derived antigens, leading to T cell activation and to the induction of an antitumor immune response. Accordingly, we show that breast cancer patients bearing a loss-of-function mutation of the TLR4 receptor have shorter disease-free survival, confirming the major role of the immune system in the response to cytotoxic treatments. The response to chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy may thus combine both direct cytotoxic effects and the development of long-term antitumor immunity. We anticipate that these new results will have major impact on cancer management.


Daratumumab (DARA) is an FDA-approved high-affinity monoclonal antibody targeting CD38 that has shown promising therapeutic efficacy in double refractory multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Despite the well-established clinical efficacy of DARA, not all heavily pretreated patients respond to single-agent DARA, and the majority of patients who initially respond eventually progress. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) combine the highly targeted tumor antigen recognition of antibodies with the cell killing properties of chemotherapy for effective internalization and processing of the drug. In this study, we evaluated the anti-tumor efficacy of DARA conjugated to the maytansine derivative, mertansine (DM1), linked via a non-cleavable bifunctional linker. The ADC was labelled with the near-infrared (NIR) fluorophore IRDye800 (DARA-DM1-IR) to evaluate its stability, biodistribution and pharmacokinetics in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrated the conjugation of: 1) DM1 enhanced tumor-killing efficacy of the native DARA and 2) IRDye800 allowed for visualization of uptake and tumor targeting ability of the ADC. With the advent of other classes of immunoconjugates for use in MM, we reasoned that such imaging techniques can be utilized to evaluate other promising conjugates in preclinical MM models on a whole-body and cellular level.


T HE ARGENTINE REVOLLTION of June 4, 1943-once thought to be a conspiracy hatched in Axis embassies -is now recognized largely as the product of local forces set in motion under the impact of depression and war. The decline of the ancien regime and the coming of the Peronista dispensation has been widely and thoughtfully reinterpreted in terms of the political and economic aspects of the "crisis of 1930-the collapse of Argentina's position in world trade and the drying-up of the flow of foreign capital; the overthrow of the middle-class govemment of Radical President Hip6lito Yrigoyen and the return to power of the great landowning class; and finally, the socially disequilibrating effects of Argentina's rapid industrial growth during the late 'thirties and the Second World War.'


Due to the tremendous growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), sensing technologies, and wearables, the quality of medical services has been enhanced, and it has shifted from standard medical-based health services to real time. Commonly, the sensors can be combined as numerous clinical devices to store the biosignals generated by the physiological actions of the human body. Meanwhile, a familiar method with a noninvasive and rapid biomedical electrocardiogram (ECG) signal can be used to diagnose and examine cardiovascular disease (CVD). As the growing number of patients is destroying the classification outcome because of major changes in the ECG signal patterns among numerous patients, computer-assisted automatic diagnostic tools are needed for ECG signal classification. Therefore, this study presents a mud ring optimization technique with a deep learning-based ECG signal classification (MROA-DLECGSC) technique. The presented MROA-DLECGSC approach recognizes the presence of heart disease using ECG signals. To accomplish this, the MROA-DLECGSC technique initially preprocessed the ECG signals to transform them into a uniform format. In addition, the Stacked Autoencoder Topographic Map (SAETM) approach was utilized for the classification of ECG signals to identify the presence of CVDs. Finally, the MROA was applied as a hyperparameter optimizer, which assisted in accomplishing enhanced performance. The experimental outcomes of the MROA-DLECGSC algorithm were tested on the benchmark database, and the results show the better performance of the MROA-DLECGSC methodology compared to other recent algorithms.


School based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers are required to have expertise in pedagogy and a complex array of agricultural content areas. This study integrated an experience with agricultural technical skills and pedagogical experimentation for preservice teachers in a teaching methods course. An integrated skills acquisition (ISA) treatment based on an experiential learning cycle and specific to each skill was developed to provide guided instruction for technical skills demonstrated in a microteaching. Treatment and control groups were compared and measured on their self-efficacy to teach an agricultural technical skill and their ability to teach an agricultural technical skill. The treatment group received guided instruction for skills and the teaching method while the comparison group were only guided through the teaching method. The treatment group participants increased their self-efficacy to teach and ability to teach agricultural technical skills. The comparison group had no statistically significant changes in self-efficacy or ability to teach agricultural technical skills.


The structure of a multiquantum barrier (MQB) is discussed, and possible choices of well and barrier thickness and pair number for a visible AlGaInP laser in the 630 nm wavelength range are examined. Is it confirmed that an effective potential barrier can be two times as high as a classical potential barrier. The potential barrier height under biased conditions is shown to be larger than 50 meV, considering the variation of Fermi level changes in the MQB region. This may contribute to higher temperature CW operation when introduced into visible AlGaInP lasers. By photoluminescence (PL) measurement, the effect of electron-wave confinement of a GaAs/AlGaAs MQB is experimentally verified. A weak saturation in PL excitation power dependence and less sensitive temperature dependence were observed. These effects could be due to the increase in potential barrier height, and show a superior carrier confinement of MQB. >


The objective of this experiment was to determine the effects of feeding rabbits with Maxigrain® (M) enzyme supplemented Gliricidia sepium leaf meal (GLM) on their physiology, performance characteristics, and nutrients digestibility. Twenty weaned rabbits of mixed sexes, 5-6 weeks old, were randomly allotted to five dietary treatments including 0 g M which was soybean without M (control) and GLM supplemented with M at 50, 100, 150 and 200 g M per kilogramme of GLM. There were four rabbits per treatment and one rabbit as replicate in a completely randomized design. There were no significant (p > 0.05) treatment effects in all physiological and performance indices as well as those of crude fat, fibre and NFE digestibilities. There were variations (p < 0.05) due to the treatment effects on dry matter, crude protein and ash digestiblities. This implies that the feeding of soft faeces directly from the caecum called coprophagy mechanism in rabbits has its concomitant nutritional benefits. This advantageous benefit can enable rabbit to effectively and efficiently utilize forage or forage-based diet with or without enzyme supplementation.


Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) is one of the important serine/threonine protein kinases and has two isoforms, namely, GSK3α and GSK3β. GSK3 inhibits glycogen synthase activity through phosphorylation. It plays a key role in various pathophysiological processes, such as differentiation, immunity, metabolism, cell death, and cell survival. Therefore, GSK3 has evolved as an important therapeutic target for treating neurological diseases, inflammatory diseases, and cancer. In addition, GSK3 regulates inflammatory processes through NF-κB-induced expression of various cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6. Moreover, GSK3 is reported to participate in many signaling pathways related to disease pathology, including PI3K/Akt, Wnt, Hedgehog, cyclic adenosine monophosphate, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β). GSK3 has become a therapeutic target against some inflammatory diseases, including the inclusion body myositis, sepsis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Hence, several GSK3 inhibitors have been under evaluation as new therapeutic strategies in recent years. Two drugs targeting GSK3 have already entered clinical studies, including tideglusib and lithium carbonate. In this study, we analyzed nearly 30 different small-molecule GSK3 inhibitors reported in the past 4 years and classified them into four categories (thiazole, pyridine, F-substituted benzene, and others) according to their structure to conduct further literature research. Moreover, we summarized the optimal compounds and described the process of transformation from the lead compound to the optimal compound. In addition, we aimed to summarize the role of GSK3 in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, with insights into the recent progress in the discovery of GSK3 inhibitors.


This paper deals with the extruded radially oriented magnets made from rapidly solidified Nd-Fe-B material. The effect of chemical composition on the magnetic properties and hot workability was studied for various compositions in Nd-Fe-Co-Ga-B system. The composition ranges of Nd and B which shows maximum energy product and hot workability were determined.


We consider a single cell downlink (DL) massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) set up with user clustering based on statistical information. The problem is to design a fully digital two stage beamforming consisting of slow varying channel statistics based outer beamformer (OBF) and an inner beamformer (IBF) accounting for fast channel variations aiming to reduce the complexity involved in the conventional MIMO processing. Two different methods are considered to design the OBF matrix, so as to reduce the size of the effective channel used for IBF design. A group specific two-stage optimization problem with weighted sum rate maximization (WSRM) objective is formulated to find the IBF for fixed OBF. We begin by proposing centralized IBF design were the optimization is carried out for all sub group jointly with user specific inter-group interference constraints. In order to further reduce the complexity, we propose an iterative solution for group-specific beamformer design via the Karush-Kuhn-Tucker (KKT) conditions for fixed inter group interference (IGI) values with per group transmit power constraint. A low complexity heuristic iterative method is also proposed for managing the inter-group interference. In spite of incurring a small loss in performance, the computational complexity can be saved to a large extent with the group specific processing. The sum rate behavior of various proposed schemes are illustrated using numerical simulations.


Software testing consumes one half of the total developmental resources. Many testers understand that IT management tries to save testing time, by giving them unreasonable deadlines. If a scheduled information date has been established, and dynamic testing can occur only after the code is complete, testers feel pressure of that deadline. This problem faced by many developers and testers till who are all working in the old waterfall model. To overcome the problem of time management of projects, many software industries prefer agile methodology, in agile methodology all works are divided into number of modules. Each module contains decision making, planning, coding, testing, implementation, and so on. Each module follows this process and integrates with the previously completed module. Finally the entire work will be integrated and the time duration of work is shorter than other software development models. But testing occupies the major part of the software developmentthe maximum time of the allotted time is utilized in testing in agile also. The major objective of this work is prioritization of test cases in Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) based model. For this purpose introduced a new method named Prioritized Deciding Factor(PDF). It is a value, this value is calculated from other two processes such as Dependency value calculation and Kshingles jaccard similarity and distance value calculation. This paper describes about the prioritization of test cases based on Prioritized Deciding Factor(PDF) value, reduce the execution time of test cases, and increase the fault detection using Average Percentage Fault Detection(APFD) method. Keyword: Agile Methodology, Prioritized Deciding factor(PDF), K-Shingles Jaccard Similarity, Dependency value, Agile Testing , Time Management, Directed Acyclic Graph(DAG), Average Percentage Fault Detection(APFD)


The present study investigates the use of lexical bundles in Korean EFL teacher talk. In particular, it examines the quantitative and qualitative features of lexical bundles in a native and non-native teachers' classroom talk corpus. The corpus of the study consists of a total of 247,398 words complied through 62 hours of recording of EFL classes. The key lexical bundles of the study were extracted using WordSmith 6.0 to conduct frequency, functional and structural analyses. The results of the frequency analysis showed the non-native English teachers' repeated use of a limited number of lexical bundles which inflated the total number of usages. The functional analysis of the lexical bundles showed that the non-native English teachers relied heavily on a narrow range of functional categories, e.g., stance expressions and referential expressions. Further, the results of the functional analysis clearly indicate that the EFL teacher corpus possesses certain repetitive tendencies in both conversational and academic discourse. The examination of the over-, exclusive, and under-use of lexical bundles demonstrates that not only quantitative but also qualitative differences exist in lexical bundle preferences between the native and the nonnative teachers.


Based on the educational hierarchical reproduction theory and the MMI and EMI hypotheses, this paper discusses the impact of the tracking of general and vocational education at the secondary level on higher education opportunity equity among social classes. The study finds that increasing gross enrollment rates of both general high schools and secondary vocational schools can help improve the equity in admission opportunities of colleges and universities among social strata; expanding the share of general high school places by adjusting the structure of general and vocational tracks (that is, the general-vocational ratio) can effectively reduce the class disparities in college and university admission opportunities; neither the change in the scale nor in the structure of general and vocational tracks will contribute to alleviating class inequality in top university enrollment opportunities.


We present electronic surface states as obtained by a comprehensive and systematic study of a monolayer of Sb on a relaxed GaAs(110) zinc-blende surface using the first-principles full-potential self-consistent linear muffin tin orbital (LMTO) method. By considering the well accepted epitaxial continued layer structure (ECLS) model we investigate the surface states in the fundamental band gap along high-symmetry directions of the surface Brillouin zone. For the ordered overlayer Sb/GaAs(110), intrinsic surface states appear in the energy gap region which shift towards the bulk valence and the conduction band region when the relaxations of the surface atoms are considered. A detailed analysis of the surface and resonance states reveals that they are in excellent agreement with the available experimental data and the existing pseudopotential calculations.


Limbus base lamellar scleral flap and fornix base conjunctival flap have been combined for repair of perforation secondary to Terrien's marginal furrow degeneration of the cornea. Postoperative thinning of the flaps, pseudopterygium extension, and other complications have not occurred.


The response of JERS-1 and ERS-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to the forest stem volume (biomass) was investigated by employing a digital stem volume map and weather information. The stem volume map was produced from the National Forest Inventory sample plot data together with a LANDSAT thematic mapper (TM) image. A new indirect inversion method was developed and tested to estimate the forest blockwise stem volume from JERS-1 and/or ERS-1 SAR images. The method is based on using a semiempirical backscatter model for inversion. The model presumes that backscatter from a forest canopy is determined by the stem volume, soil moisture, and vegetation moisture. The area of interest is divided into a training and test area. In this study, the training area was 10% of the test site, while the remaining 90% was used for testing the method. The inversion algorithm is carried out in the following three steps. 1) For the training area, the soil and vegetation moisture parameters are estimated from the backscattering coefficients and stem volume (must be known for training areas) with the semiempirical backscatter model. 2) For the area of interest, the stem volume is estimated from the moisture parameters and backscattering coefficients with the semiempirical backscattering model. 3) If several SAR images are used, the stem volume estimates are combined with a multiple linear regression. The regression equation is defined using the stem volume estimates for the training area. The results for the stem volume estimation using L-band and/or C-band SAR data showed promising accuracies: the relative retrieval rms error varied from 30 to 5% as the size of the forest area varied from 5 to 30000 ha.


Citizen science has been shown to be an effective tool for increasing data collection, as well as a great benefit to those who participate in the research project. The rising costs and limited funding for conducting large-scale research projects make citizen science projects valuable assets for researchers. Understanding the impact of citizen science projects on volunteers must be done to better engage with and retain the volunteers. The Growing Together project, a partnership between the ISU Extension and Outreach Master Gardener program and Human Sciences Extension, was created to increase food security in Iowa. The two major components of the partnership were the pantry donation gardens located at the ISU Home Demonstration Gardens and mini-grants. These components allowed Iowa residents and master gardeners opportunities to increase food security in their communities through either participating in a mini-grant or a Home Demonstration Garden in 2016 and 2017. Using both paper and electronic survey software, field day attendees and volunteers in Iowa were asked to respond to a series of questions investigating: 1) the perceptions of field day attendees about food security after participation in a Home Demonstration Garden, and 2) the effectiveness of citizen science training in increasing knowledge of data collection techniques of master gardener volunteers compared to untrained volunteers participating in the Growing Together projects. The information gained from these two studies will guide future coordinators of both the field days and citizen science trainings, while also providing a baseline for continued study of these volunteer and attendee groups.


Introduction: Since diabetes is a complex network of psychological and healthcare factors, this paper aims to investigate the relation between type 2 diabetes and mental health
Method: This study was analytical cross-sectional research on 60 diabetic patients referring to Kazerun health care centers, southwest of Iran, in 2018. The samples were selected by convenience sampling method. The data were collected using the Demographic Profile Questionnaire, General Self-Efficacy Scale  (GSES), Health Literacy Questionnaire  (HELA), and Mental Health Continuum (MHC-SF). Data analysis was performed in APSS v21 and from descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation and using the statistical tests of Spearman correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis (P <0.01).
Results:   Mental health has a significant positive relationship with health literacy (p <0.001). Thus, individuals with better mental health evaluate their level of health literacy better. However, no relationship was found between self-efficacy and health literacy(r= -0/19, p >0.001). Besides, regression results indicated that mental health can predict a 54% variance of health literacy (R2= 0.54, p <0.001).
Conclusion: The findings of this study shows that boosting an individual's mental health leads to an increase in health awareness in patients afflicted with diabetes which after all, can cause a better coping capability in these people.


The local detection of magnetic domains of isolated 10 nm Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) has been achieved by field-variable magnetic force microscopy (MFM) with high spatial resolution. The domain configuration of an individual MNP shows a typical dipolar response. The magnetization reversal of MNP domains is governed by a coherent rotation mechanism, which is consistent with the theoretical results given by micromagnetic calculations. Present results suggest that the field-variable MFM has great potential in providing nanoscale magnetic information on magnetic nanostructures, such as nanoparticles, nanodots, skyrmions, and vortices, with high spatial resolution. This is crucial for the development and application of magnetic nanostructures and devices.


ABSTRACT Experimental philosophy of aesthetics has explored to what extent ordinary people are committed to aesthetic realism. Extant work has focused on attitudes to normativism – a key commitment of realist positions in aesthetics – the claim that aesthetic judgments/statements have correctness conditions, invariant between subjects, such that there is a fact of the matter in cases of aesthetic disagreement. The emerging picture is that ordinary people strongly and almost universally reject normativism and thus there is no strong realist tendency in ordinary people's thinking about the aesthetic. This has been taken to dissolve the traditional puzzle in aesthetics of how to best account for the fact that (a) aesthetic judgments seem intersubjectively valid, while (b) aesthetic experience seems subjective. This paper presents studies which further enrich our understanding of ordinary thinking about the aesthetic: ordinary thinking about the aesthetic may not be so vehement in its rejection of normativism; and where previous results suggested that, in many cultures, the dominant trend is to reject correctness conditions for aesthetic judgments, the current results suggest participants think aesthetic judgments have correctness conditions (albeit perhaps very finely relativized to specific circumstances of judgment).


Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are layered ion exchangers, with a large surface-charge density, which react easily with organic anions. Various types of organics are rapidly substituted in the interlayer space of inorganic precursor LDHs. ZnAl-LDHs were intercalated with 1- to 19-carbon monocarboxylic acid anions by anion exchange of NO3-saturated LDH precursor phases in order to study the dependence of exchange reactions on synthesis parameters (temperature, pH, and interlayer anion). The carboxylic acid anion-LDHs synthesized were characterized using X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy, chemical analysis, and N2 adsorption. Carboxylic anion quantities in excess of the LDH anion exchange capacity easily replaced exchangeable nitrate anions at moderate pH. The intercalated LDH interlayer space depended on the alkyl chain length and orientation (inclination angle) of thecarboxylic-acid anion. Thelatticeparameter c0 ranged from 3.4 to 13.5 nm, but the a0 lattice parameter remained constant at 0.31 nm. Crystallographic analyses indicated a monomolecular arrangement of intercalated short-chain fatty-acid anions. At pH < 7, intercalated long-chain carboxylates showed a preferred bimolecular interlayer orientation. Carboxylic-acid anion exchange with LDHs at pH 7 resulted in the formation of two different sets of basal spacings, which indicated the coexistence of LDHs intercalated with monomolecular and bimolecular arrangements of interlayer carboxylic compounds.Thermal treatment of the carboxylic acid anion-intercalated LDHs indicated stability up to ~140ºC. The release of interlayer water led to distortion of the crystallographic units and resulted in smaller basal spacings without collapse of the layered structure. Heat treatment re-oriented alkyl-chain carbon carboxylates (with >10 carbons) to a more upright interlayer position.


It is widely agreed that unionization affects the rules and procedures governing the employment relation in organized establishments. The effect of these changes on establishment productivity, however, is unclear. Existing evidence is based on a comparison of union/non-union differences in value added per hour worked. Although positive union effects have been estimated, possible differences in prices and technology in the union and non-union sectors render the results inconclusive. The effect of unions on productivity is examined in the present paper using establishment level data from the U.S. cement industry. The cement industry provides a useful empirical framework. Output is easily measured in physical terms, and data on both union and non-union establishments permit estimation of the union effect controlling for differences in technology. The results suggest that unionized establishments are 6-8 percent more productive than their non-union counterparts. This conclusion is supported in time series data, where a comparison of productivity before and after unionization reveals a positive union effect of similar magnitude. Since the statistical analysis controls for capital-labor substitution, scale effects and technological change, the evidence suggests that unionization leads to productive changes in the operation of the enterprise. The results are relatively robust. Specification changes and adjustments for omitted variables leave the basic findings intact.


In 1978, Lagoven, S.A., an affiliate of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., started an exploration program aimed at deeper targets on the northern flank of the Eastern Venezuelan basin, where the shallow upper Tertiary section had been explored for more than eight decades. The quality of the seismic data collected was sufficient to give indications of thrust faults with associated structures. From 1978 to 1985, geologic surveying, structural modeling, and interpretation of seismic data were combined to define the first prospect: El Furrial. The discovery well, FUL-1, penetrated 276 m (905 ft) of net oil sand and produced up to 7331 bbl of 26° API oil per day. This is the largest single discovery of medium-gravity oil in the last 25 years in South America. Folding and thrust ng of the northern flank of the Eastern Venezuelan basin occurred during the collision of the Caribbean and South American plates. The evolution began at least by the early Paleocene. Cylindrical folds associated with thrusts are aligned in series for a distance of up to 70 km. They constitute a typical foreland overthrusted basin. The reservoir rock is a shallow marine sandstone deposited during the late Oligocene. Gross thickness ranges from 457 to 518 m (1500 to 1700 ft), and porosities range from 11 to 16%. The El Furrial discovery represents an excellent example of the prospectivity of a foreland overthrusted area and also an example of continued successful exploration to pursue deeper objectives in an area already considered mature. End_Page 155------------------------