The decathlon is a unique track and field event with a storied history in the annals of track and field. Yet, little has been written in the sport psychology literature about the decathlon and the experiences of its participants. The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of elite decathlon participants during their "most memorable performance." Participants were seven decathletes who have competed at the national and international level. Each athlete had previously scored 8,000 points or more (the standard for excellence in the decathlon) in at least one competition. Because of its emphasis on the participant as the expert, phenomenological interviews were conducted with each participant and transcripts were content analyzed. Two major themes emerged from the interviews: (a) distractions and (b) coping strategies. These themes along with their corresponding subthemes are discussed in relation to other coping research in the sport psychology literature.


The study followed a group of online lecturers from different disciplines who were engaged in different levels of online teaching. The researchers' experiences with e-learning have indicated there are a variety of ways by which teaching staff approach e-learning. As new technologies provide a challenge to make learning an interactive and collaborative experience that is guided by a social constructivist approach to teaching and learning, some academic staff embrace the technology to enhance their pedagogy and others are reluctant to use the technology, although in the pedagogy they promote is a social constructivist learning approach.

We conducted a qualitative research project in an attempt to answer the research questions of what pedagogies are used by teaching staff to facilitate e-learning, and how do teachers change their use and understanding of e-learning techniques. The study suggests that there is a continuum in the way the constructivist pedagogy had been implemented by the different university teachers and also a continuum in the way the technology had been embraced by them.

From our observations, we categorised the university teachers in relation to their pedagogies (level of social constructivist approach) and to the level at which they used the technology, in order to explore how the relationship between these two elements changed. The study helps us understand how the technology enabled some of the teachers to develop their pedagogies and change their perspectives on social learning online. In addition, for others who used social features of the technology to an optimal level, the technology helped them accommodate and reinforce the notion of a social constructivist approach to teaching and learning. Finally, the interchange between the ability to use the technology and the adoption of social constructivist approach to teaching raised new questions in relation to implementation of online learning.


Problem statement: Genetic line differences in resistance of layer hens and young chicks to Salmonella entritidis have been identified through a lot of studies. That is why the agricultural industry was prepared for the potential phasing out of antibiotics for use in controlling bacterial pathogens. Early infection may result in long term colonization of layers with Salmonella entritidis, resulting in shedding into table or hatching eggs. Approach: This study was carried to evaluate the genetic factors underlying early response to Salmonella entritidis, genetic line differences in mortality and pathogen load at two sites (cecal lumen and spleen) were investigated. At day of hatch, chicks of four genetic lines were intra-esophageally inoculated with one of three doses of Salmonella entritidis phage type 13 A. Results: There was a significant effect (p≤0.001) of genetic line on chick 6 days survival. The effect of genetic line was significant (p≤0.05) on survivors' Salmonella entritidis burden in cecal content but not on Salmonella entritidis load per gram of spleen. Salmonella entritidis pathogen load of the spleen and the cecal content were not significantly correlated, indicating that independent host mechanisms are partly responsible for these two traits. Conclusion: Future Salmonella entritidis control mechanism in poultry may be the same as it is used these days but it has to be for longer term sustainability, genetic resistance should be pursued. Sufficient genetic line variation should exists to suggest that it is feasible to effectively choose among pure breeder lines for those exhibits reduced Salmonella entritidis induced mortality and cecal content Salmonella entritidis pathogen load in young layer chicks.


Objective: To examine the potential and contribution of culture, gender, education, family background and self-perception as factors of success in entrepreneurial ventures in Punjab the largest (64%) population province of Pakistan. In the context of developing countries economic growth is attributed to small enterprises as they generate employment.  Mortality rate of small enterprises is exceedingly high; and a study by Khawaja (2006) on Pakistan SME has reported that only 19% start-ups survived before they reach the 5 th year. Prior Work: However in another study by Vesper (1990), in non-Pakistani environment found that only 10% of ventures survive after three years of existence. Therefore it is important to study success as perceived by entrepreneurs and various contributing influences. About the definition of entrepreneurial success there is no consensus among researchers. Stefanovic et al 2010 enumerated previous experience, hard work, access to capital, personal capabilities, and leadership skills as factors affecting success experience and knowledge. Focus on role of education is not meant to deny the importance of other factors that contribute to entrepreneurial success, such as, the nature of the entrepreneur; his/her character traits.    McClelland (1961) had attributed achievement motivation as an entrepreneurial success factor. Cox and Jennings (1995) had identified innovativeness in decision making.  Hodgets and Kuratko (1992) have identified opportunity recognition as an important characteristic of entrepreneurs; Dafna (2008) has focused on leadership qualities as factors affecting success. Approach: However this study is an attempt to understand the role of selected influences that have been mentioned as having some contribution toward success of entrepreneurs; and these were:  1) education, 2) gender, 3) culture, 4) family, and 5) subjectively self - perceived reason of success. Therefore this study is more exploratory than theoretical. Two research questions were explored in this study. Result: Male and female entrepreneurs differed significantly with respect to years of formal education completed as well as with respect to the medium of instructions during formal schooling.   Male and female entrepreneurs differed about their reasons for success, especially about God-gifted qualities and hard work being main reasons for success. Successful entrepreneurs were found more likely to have taken college level SME/ entrepreneurship courses.  Other successful entrepreneurs were found educated informally and gained knowledge through own reading as well.   Other successful entrepreneurs reported that their family background of being in business, their father being in business, and maternal uncle being in business were the likely influences of family and friends. Less successful entrepreneurs were found blaming government failure in providing support to entrepreneurial activity. The successful did not blame the government. Successful entrepreneurs were found likely to be college educated Punjabis. Implication: the Punjabi factor is crucial in this study as Pakistan has a population of 180 million and the Punjabi community comprises of nearly 64% of the population. A knowledge into entrepreneurial success and motivation would help in policymaking oriented toward entrepreneurial development leading to economic development. The other implication would be less reliance to prepare job seekers who are professionals – hence working towards a paradigm shift in education policy. Value: The paper is one of the first to focus on detailed research related activity on the subject of entrepreneurial success factors. Therefore adds to mote comprehensive understanding of creating an Enterprising Entrepreneurship Ecosystem. Keywords: Entrepreneurial Success factors; education, gender, family, self-perception, culture


Metabolic syndrome refers to a clustering of established and emerging cardiovascular disease risk factors within a single individual. The established risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, dyslipidaemia and hypertension, and other emerging risk factors are closely related to central obesity (especially intra-abdominal adiposity) and insulin resistance. However, debate continues about the very existence of the metabolic syndrome. Despite the controversies, many existing and new therapies are targeting the metabolic syndrome and component risk factors. To date, no therapies have been approved specifically for treating the metabolic syndrome. In this article some of the challenges and opportunities in developing therapies for the metabolic syndrome are discussed.


The Mass Storage System IV Enterprise (MaSSIVE), a fourth-generation mass-storage system being designed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), is described. A bitfile managed by MaSSIVE can be a complete, self-contained UNIX file system, specific to a particular MaSSIVE client. MaSSIVE will stage whole file systems from archival storage onto on-line storage devices and then provide its clients with raw block access to the staged file system. It will consist of cooperating processes distributed across a network of supermicrocomputers. The client interface to a file system will be implemented through a device driver that will permit access to MaSSIVE on-line storage devices. The device interface through a high-bandwidth data fabric to the storage device will use common device controller-specific protocols. As file systems are unmounted by clients or clients disconnect from the data fabric, the file systems may be migrated back to archive storage and removed from on-line storage.<<ETX>>


The hypothesis that Peruvian stratocumulus play an important role on both the annual mean and annual variations of sea surface temperature (SST) in the eastern equatorial Pacific is examined. The problem is addressed by performing sensitivity experiments using the University of California, Los Angeles, coupled atmosphere– ocean GCM with different idealized temporal variations of stratocumulus in a region along the coast of Peru. The results obtained are consistent with the notion that Peruvian stratocumulus are a key component of the interhemispherically asymmetric features that characterize the annual mean climate of the eastern equatorial Pacific, including the cold SSTs off Peru and the absence of a southern ITCZ. The principal new finding of this study is that the annual variations (i.e., deviations from the annual mean) of Peruvian stratocumulus are linked to the differences between the amplitude, duration, and westward propagation of the warm and cold phases of the equatorial cold tongue. In the model's context, only if the prescribed annual variations of Peruvian stratocumulus have the same phase as the observed variations are those differences successfully captured. The impact of Peruvian stratocumulus on equatorial SST involves ''dynamical'' and ''thermal'' effects. The former develop through an enhancement of the northerly component of the surface wind from the Peruvian coast to the equator. The thermal effects develop through the special relationships between SST and surface evaporation over the equatorial cold tongue, which contributes to extend the cold phase until the end of the year. A successful portrayal of this behavior requires a realistic simulation of the annual variations of surface wind over the equatorial cold tongue.


Canada's diverse freshwaters support a rich biodiversity of more than 200 species. Canada has strong legislation capable of conserving and protecting freshwaters habitats. Fish are a key driver and indicator for restoration and conservation efforts. Many of Canada's freshwater species in Canada are thought to be at risk. Apart species such as brook trout, lake trout, walleye, and yellow perch, the ecology and habitat requirements of most freshwater species are poorly known. Studies have mainly been descriptive and comparative but experimental, ecosystem-scale integration, and modelling activities are increasing. While science related to fish and their habitats is growing, little is focused on the links between the production and dynamics of fish populations and communities, and the supply and distribution of habitats at various scales. Habitat management is still mainly reactive, assessing development at the site-level with considerable uncertainty about the mitigation and compensation actions approved to offset habitat losses and modifications. Communication between science and management is improving. Canada has invested much energy on cumulative impact assessment but effective methods for tracking cumulative change and the interaction of multiple stresses have not emerged. Nonetheless there is a broad consensus on the need to take an ecosystem-based approach to sustainable use of Canada's natural renewable resources, including freshwaters and their fish. Management needs to shift to a more proactive approach supported by better deployment of available science and scientific methods. Science should emphasize quantitative whole ecosystem studies of fish and habitat especially the development of models and experimental manipulations. If current trends of fish habitat loss are maintained in Canada, further declines in the quality and diversity of freshwater fish resources are certain despite our apparent natural wealth. Modest investments in securing the future of its freshwater fishery resources based on scientific advice may yet begin movement toward an ecologically sustainable future.


Tinnitus is a common but poorly understood disorder characterized by ringing or buzzing in the ear. Central mechanisms must play a crucial role in generating this auditory phantom sensation as it persists in most cases after severing the auditory nerve. One hypothesis states that tinnitus is caused by a reorganization of tonotopic maps in the auditory cortex, which leads to an overrepresentation of tinnitus frequencies. Moreover, the participation of the limbic system in generating tinnitus has been postulated. Here we aimed at identifying brain areas that display structural change in tinnitus. We compared tinnitus sufferers with healthy controls by using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and voxel-based morphometry. Within the auditory pathways, we found gray-matter increases only at the thalamic level. Outside the auditory system, gray-matter decrease was found in the subcallosal region including the nucleus accumbens. Our results suggest that reciprocal involvement of both sensory and emotional areas are essential in the generation of tinnitus.


A systematic investigation on fluorescence spectroscopy of trivalent thulium doped in oxyfluoride glass ceramics containing LaF3 nanocrystals has been carried out in a spectral range from 400 to 900 nm under the direct excitation of 1D2 level at a low temperature. Specific optical transitions related to the fluorescence emissions are studied based on experimental measurements in frequency and time domain. Fluorescence emissions from the ions in crystal phase are distinguished from what in glass phase and their spectroscopic properties are explored. The dynamical process shows that the temporal decay of fluorescence emission consists of two parts: a rapid decay from the ions in glass phase and a slower decay from the ions in crystal phase.


We firstly report a high pulse repetition rate (101.4 MHz) nonlinear post-compression based on the normal dispersion fiber (NDF) operating in 2-µm wavelength region. With only one-stage NDF-based nonlinear pulse compressor, the 2-µm ultrafast laser pulses are compressed from ∼460 fs down to 70 fs, corresponding to ∼10.4 optical oscillation cycle. With two-stage nonlinear pulse compressor, the input ultrafast laser pulses are further compressed to 28.3 fs (∼4.3 optical oscillation cycle). In each case, the average power of the compressed 2-µm laser pulses exceeds 1 W, which is believed to be the highest average power never achieved at ∼100-MHz pulse repetition rate. The efficiencies of the one-stage and two-stage nonlinear pulse compressors are 64% and 47% respectively.


In mobile environment, mobile host can initiate transactions and that transactions may be executed at mobile host or fixed host. Most of the transactions use in mobile environment is flat transactions. In modern world, most of the applications are complex and long-running. Flat transactions could not work properly in complex and long-running applications. Moreover, flat transactions can be performed only commit or rollback and cannot save intermediate results. If transactions rollback, the whole transaction will be re-started. To solve this problem, we proposed a method that based on closed nested transactions because nested transactions are suited for complex application and can save intermediate result. Proposed system is based on existing Two-Shadow Speculative Concurrency Control (SCC-2S) mechanism that solves concurrency control problem (read-write conflict) for nested transactions and complex application. Proposed system solves the facts that could not solve (write-write conflict) in existing SCC-2S algorithm and also adds Priority Control mechanism to improve the performance of the system and to reduce miss deadlines. This method is intended for Mobile Real-Time Database System (MRTDBS). Concurrency Control will perform at the Fixed Host and the results are returned back to the corresponding Mobile Hosts.


BACKGROUND
This study aims to evaluate the results of studies investigating neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and to identify the prognostic and diagnostic value of NLR in occlusive vascular diseases.

METHODS
With the aim of identifying the studies related to NLR, a search was performed on http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed by using the key words "neutrophil lymphocyte ratio" between January 2005 and December 2014. All of the original articles were evaluated according to date of publications, countries, clinics and topics. Studies about occlusive vascular diseases were evaluated according to their qualifications, review methods and results. SPSS for Windows 16.0 was used in data analysis and data were expressed as mean, standard deviation and percentage.

RESULTS
A total of 735 original research articles were investigated. The number of publications have shown a regular logarithmic increase over the years. Thirty-two percent of all publications were performed by clinics in Turkey and 56.4% were performed by general-oncological surgery and cardiology clinics. A total of 107 publications were identified to be about occlusive vascular diseases, 80.3% of these publications were found to be prognostic and 19.6% to be diagnostic, 82.2% of them were found to be planned as retrospective and 17.7% as prospective. In 95.3% of prognostic publications, there was a positive correlation between high NLR values at admission and poor prognosis. In 95.3% of diagnostic publications high NLR values at admission were identified to be significant diagnostically.

CONCLUSION
Elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio at admission, could be used as a diagnostic and/or prognostic parameter in occlusive vascular diseases.


Secondary hyperparathyroidism may develop in the presence of hypovitaminosis D in order to maintain calcium homeostasis. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis in a cohort of 371 patients, identifying secondary hyperparathyroidism in 65 patients. This high prevalence (17.5%) was in part justified by the high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D (77.4%) in the whole sample, but we also identified an independent association with the use of tenofovir.


Antennas, i.e., elements transforming localized or waveguide modes into freely propagating fields and vice versa, are vital components for wireless technologies across the entire spectrum of electromagnetic waves, including microwaves and optics. Although optical antennas are usually fed by either a single source or many sources incoherently, recent studies demonstrate an ability of resonant nanostructures to cause the synchronization of quantum source spontaneous emission, i.e., Dicke superradiance effect. What remains poorly explored is how the coherent excitation can affect antenna performance: its multipole composition, directivity, efficiency, and Purcell effect. In this paper, we investigate an antenna excited by two coherent sources and demonstrate that this approach can boost antenna performance. To make the discussion independent of the frequency range, we restrict the consideration by all-dielectric antennas, which attract significant interest in both microwaves and optics. We explore that coherent excitation of a dielectric antenna by two dipole sources makes it feasible to control the multipoles resulting in boosted superradiance and enhanced directivity. Interestingly, it makes possible excitation of nonradiative field configuration, anapole state, and turning it on and off on demand. Remarkably, this approach also allows reducing the quenching effect and enhancing the radiation efficiency without changing the antenna geometry. We design a dielectric subwavelength coherently driven antenna operating in both superdirective and superradiative regimes simultaneously with the total enhancement factor over 2000.


In the present study, the effect of using reinforced concrete column capital on the punching shear strength of flat slab was investigated. The study was divided into two lines, the first line was the experimental study involves the molding four reinforced concrete flat slab models with dimensions (1600×1600×100 mm) with three different dimensions of column capital (400×400 mm, 600×600 mm, and 800×800 mm) in addition to reference model without columns capital (column dimension 200×200 mm). The second line that numerical modeling through the ABAQUS finite element program was introduced. Effect of column's capital size and shape of column's capital (rectangular and circular) were studied experimentally and numerically. A good agreement was obtained between the experimental and theoretical study. The main conclusion that the punching shear strength of reinforced concrete flat slab was affected on the size and shape of a column capital.


Introduction Only a minority of people living with mental health problems are getting professional help. As digitalisation moves on, the possibility of providing internet/mobile-based interventions (IMIs) arises. One type of IMIs are fully automated conversational software agents (chatbots). Software agents are computer programs that can hold conversations with a human by mimicking a human conversational style. Software agents could deliver low-threshold and cost-effective interventions aiming at promoting psychological well-being in a large number of individuals. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and acceptance of the brief software agent-based IMI SISU in comparison with a waitlist control group. Methods and analysis Within a two-group randomised controlled trial, a total of 120 adult participants living with low well-being (Well-being Scale/WHO-5) will be recruited in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. SISU is based on therapeutic writing and acceptance and commitment therapy-based principles. The brief intervention consists of three modules. Participants work through the intervention on 3 consecutive days. Assessment takes place before (t1), during (t2) and after (t3) the interaction with SISU, as well as 4 weeks after randomisation (t4). Primary outcome is psychological well-being (WHO-5). Secondary outcomes are emotional well-being (Flourishing Scale), psychological flexibility (Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II), quality of life (Assessment of Quality of Life -8D), satisfaction with the intervention (Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8) and side effects (Inventory for the assessment of negative effectsof psychotherapy). Examined mediators and moderators are sociodemographic variables, personality (Big Five Inventory-10), emotion regulation (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire), alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20), centrality of events (Centrality of Events Scale), treatment expectancies (Credibility Expectancy Questionnaire) and technology alliance (Inventory of Technology Alliance–Online Therapy). Data analysis will be based on intention-to-treat principles. SISU guides participants through a 3-day intervention. Ethics and dissemination This trial has been approved by the ethics committee of the Ulm University (No. 448/18, 18.02.2019). Results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal and presented at conferences. Trial registration The trial is registered at the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform via the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS): DRKS00016799 (date of registration: 25 April 2019). In case of important protocol modifications, trial registration will be updated. This is protocol version number 1.


The effect of altering the expression level of the F5H gene was investigated in three wood tissues (normal, opposite and tension wood) in 1-year-old hybrid poplar clone 717 (Populus tremula × Populus alba L.), containing the F5H gene under the control of the C4H promoter. Elevated expression of the F5H gene in poplar has been previously reported to increase the percent syringyl content of lignin. The wild-type and three transgenic lines were inclined 45° for 3 months to induce tension wood formation. Tension and opposite wood from inclined trees, along with normal wood from control trees, were analyzed separately for carbohydrates, lignin, cellulose crystallinity and microfibril angle (MFA). In the wild-type poplar, the lignin in tension wood contained a significantly higher percentage of syringyl than normal wood or opposite wood. However, there was no significant difference in the percent syringyl content of the three wood types within each of the transgenic lines. Increasing the F5H gene expression caused an increase in the percent syringyl content and a slight decrease in the total lignin in normal wood. In tension wood, the addition of a gelatinous layer in the fiber walls resulted in a consistently lower percentage of total lignin in the tissue. Acid-soluble lignin was observed to increase by up to 2.3-fold in the transgenic lines. Compared with normal wood and opposite wood, cell wall crystallinity in tension wood was higher and the MFA was smaller, as expected, with no evidence of an effect from modifying the syringyl monomer ratio. Tension wood in all the lines contained consistently higher total sugar and glucose percentages when compared with normal wood within the respective lines. However, both sugar and glucose percentages were lower in the tension wood of transgenic lines when compared with the tension wood of wild-type trees. Evaluating the response of trees with altered syringyl content to gravity will improve our understanding of the changes in cell wall chemistry and ultrastructural properties of normal, opposite and tension wood in plants.


This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of Endoscopic Mucosal Resection (EMR) and Argon Plasma Coagulation (APC) as therapeutic approaches for intestinal polyps in patients, and to examine the factors associated with postoperative bleeding. This study included 132 patients diagnosed with colorectal polyps (188 polyps) who underwent endoscopic surgery at our hospital between January 2022 and December 2022. Based on the surgical method employed, the patients were divided into 2 groups: EMR (68 cases, 97 polyps) and APC (64 cases, 91 polyps). Comparative analyses were conducted to assess the clinical efficacy, surgery-related indicators, and quality of life the 2 groups. Furthermore, an investigation was carried out to identify the factors associated with postoperative bleeding. The analysis revealed no statistically significant difference in the cure rate of flat and superficial raised polyps between the EMR group and the APC (P > .05). However, it was found that the EMR group exhibited a significantly higher cure rate for subpedunculated and raised-pedunculated polyps compared to the APC group (P < .05). The results of logistics analysis showed that patients with hypertension (OR = 2.876, 95% CI: 1.119–7.393), patients with diabetes (OR = 5.278, 95% CI: 1.388–20.064), patients with hyperlipidemia (OR = 2.594, 95% CI: 1.054–6.380), the polyps of right hemicolon (OR = 2.743, 95% CI: 1.003–7.504), rectal polyps (OR = 5.143, 95% CI: 1.728–7.504), pedunculated polyps (OR = 4.758, 95% CI: 1.322–17.129), adenomatous polyps (OR = 3.152, 95% CI: 1.018–9.757) were independent risk factors for postoperative bleeding in patients with colorectal polyps (P < .05). The findings suggest that for subpedunculated and pedunculated-raised polyps, EMR can be a suitable treatment approach. On the other hand, flat and superficial-raised polyps can be effectively managed with either EMR or APC. The presence of hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, polyps of the right hemicolon, rectal polyps, pedunculated polyps, and adenomatous polyps has been established as independent risk factors for postoperative bleeding in patients with colorectal polyps.


This article describes the efforts of the St. Louis Personality and Aging Network (SPAN) team to increase participation by African American men in our study. Initially, African American men were participating at a rate far lower than both European American men and women and African American women. Two years into the study, the SPAN team constructed a letter targeted toward African American men that specifically requested their participation in the study. This letter was mailed to households in various areas of the city that were heavily populated by African Americans. As a result of this letter and other enhancement strategies, the proportion of men in our African American sample increased from 31% to 43% (71 African American men were recruited in the first two years of the study, compared to 147 recruited in the year-and-a-half after the letter was distributed). The article also highlights other strategies to recruit and retain African American men in mental health studies.


Simple and efficient computational algorithms for nonparametric wavelet-based identification of nonlinearities in Hammerstein systems driven by random signals are proposed. They exploit binary grid interpolations of compactly supported wavelet functions. The main contribution consists in showing how to use the wavelet values from the binary grid together with the fast wavelet algorithms to obtain the practical counterparts of the wavelet-based estimates for irregularly and randomly spaced data, without any loss of the asymptotic accuracy. The convergence and the rates of convergence are examined for the new algorithms and, in particular, conditions for the optimal convergence speed are presented. Efficiency of the algorithms for a finite number of data is also illustrated by means of the computer simulations.


The CJEU has become a gatekeeper. Ever since Opinion 1/91, the CJEU has been imposing barriers to the recognition of decisions by foreign jurisdictions. Its recent Achmea decision is the natural consequence of case law so far. This attitude would not be problematic by itself since, through this attitude, the European Union would still be liable at the international plane, even if it did not implement its international obligations (liabilityover property rules). This is not the end of the story. The CJEU accepts the, in principle, relevance of decisions by some international jurisdictions. However, the CJEU has repeatedly failed to establish clear criteria to identify ex ante the circumstances under which this will be the case. As things stand, recognition of foreign judgments is more of a line in the sand, than a dictum set in stone. This attitude is hardly reconcilable with the quintessential elements of a Rechtsstaat.


From an initial cruise, 6 sites were selected from the 41 sampled to be representative of
the major types of sediment in the southern North Sea. The 6 sites in the mixed, frontal and stratified
areas of the southern half of the North Sea exhibited a wide range of environmental conditions, particularly
sediment type, water depth and organic matter content. Benthic microbial activity, and its seasonal
variability, were determined at bimonthly intervals from September 1988 to September 1989. The
significance of aerobic and anaerobic respiration in the degradation of organic carbon was investigated
by measuring the rate of oxygen uptake and sulphate reduction for each sediment. All sites showed significant
rates of oxygen uptake (range 5.3 to 27.8 mm01 O2 m-2 d-l) and sulphate reduction (range
0.05 to 11.8 mm01 SO, m-2 d-l), and hence of organic matter mineralization. Aerobic respiration
accounted for between 47 and 89% of annual organic matter degradation depending on the site, the
balance being due to anaerobic sulphate reduction. Benthic mineralisation rates were greatest at a station
near the Dogger Bank and one near the Dutch/Belgian coast. However, benthic mineralisation as
a proportion of the net annual primary production in the water column was higher at stratified stations
in the central North Sea (average 47 %) than in the more southerly stations with mixed water columns
(average 26%). Estimates of benthic organic minerahsation were used to calculate the magnitude of
total benthic mineralisation in the southern half of the North Sea and compared to estimates of net primary
production for the same area. On the average, for the whole of the southern North Sea, benthic
mineralisation was equivalent to l?-45% of the total net primary production. These results demonstrate
that the bottom sediments are important sites of organic degradation in the North Sea system.


In recent years, the debate concerning changes taking place in distribution structures has been intense in both academia and in practice. One main standpoint is that distribution is subject to considerable reorganisation. Furthermore, some observers point to an increasing degree of variety in the distribution 'reality', both in how production and distribution structures are organised and in end-user needs. In this thesis, the overarching phenomenon dealt with is variety in distribution . The theoretical framework is based on two main sources of inspiration. First, the Industrial Network Approach (e.g. Hakansson, 1987), highlighting the interdependencies between actors, activities, and resources in industrial systems, is applied. Second, as a means to deal with interdependence in distribution networks, the transvection concept (Alderson, 1965), based on two main types of activities, transformations and sortings, is used to describe and analyse the 'entire process' from raw material to the delivery of the end-product to a specific end-user. Combined, they provide a framework for analysing variety in distribution, where distribution networks are conceptualised as 'sets of crossing transvections'. To explore variety in distribution networks, the framework is applied on distribution of PCs. Variety is analysed by identifying and analysing a number of transvections, and how they are interconnected. The analysis focuses on how objects, starting as raw material and ending up as an end-product, are changing in different dimensions as they are sorted and transformed. The thesis concludes that the key to understanding variety in distribution networks is sorting. Sorting directs objects to different resources and actors and is therefore essential for how variety in the objects' features is created. Sorting by a mix of postponement and speculation strategies allows efficient resource utilisation to be obtained at the same time as end-user needs can be taken into consideration. The study indicates that the focus in mainstream distribution literature on 'channels' only captures a limited part of the inherent complexity, owing to interdependence, in distribution structures. The transvection is brought forward as an analytical concept, taking into consideration both the producer and the user side in distribution networks, and their different kinds of logic. Furthermore, the thesis suggests that a network perspective brings about a more profound understanding of variety in distribution compared to a 'channel' perspective.


Looks, in depth, at the UK Co‐operative (Co‐op) Bank and how it has now gone back to its roots to make a difference. Espouses competitive strategy and how the Co‐op is about being different, making deliberate choices and helping the customer to genuinely value what is offered. Focuses on the mission statement of the Co‐operative Bank Group (included in a highlighted panel), which is a rearticulation of principles. Gives background as to how the Co‐op began in 1844 in Rochdale, and how other towns, countrywide, followed this successful formula. Chronicles the bank's ethical policy statement (also included in a highlighted panel), which makes it difficult for its high street rivals and others to follow, and showing that ethics and successful business do mix. Includes a question and answer panel with Terry Thomas, the managing director of the Co‐operative Bank.


This paper designs and discusses an enterprise input-output (EIO) model of international supply chain. Different from its previous counterparts, the EIO system of this paper is grounded on the analysis of plants dispersed in different locations, while taking into account the consumption caused due to the dispersed feature of the supply chain, i.e., the transportation costs. After that, a mixed-integer linear programming model is applied to find the optimal solutions of the production and distribution decisions.


Abstract We have developed a novel ice-penetrating radar system that can be carried on a backpack. Including batteries for a 3 hour continuous measurement, the total weight is 13 kg. In addition, it operates reliably down to –25°C, has a low power consumption of 24 W, and is semi-waterproof. The system has a built-in-one controller with a high-brightness display for reading data quickly, a receiver with 12-bit digitizing, and a 1 kV pulse transmitter in which the pulse amplitude varies by <0.2%. Optical communications between components provides low-noise data acquisition and allows synchronizing of the pulse transmission with sampling. Measurements with the system revealed the 300 m deep bed topography of a temperate valley glacier in the late ablation season.


The article deals with the field called Human Machine Interface. It is targeted on the characteristics of the bio signals and their evaluation. Based on the results of cerebral and cephalic bio signals analysis, it is possible to evaluate the immediate physical and psychical condition of the operator of the controlling process. Timely analysis of the bio signals allows avoiding the negative consequences of the incorrect decisions resulting from the attention fatigue.


The aim of this study was to compare and improve standard methods to determine nitrite (NO2-), nitrate (NO3-) and S-nitrosothiol (RSNO) levels in cell culture supernatants, sera, and urine. We modified the conventional Griess reaction by replacing sulfanilamide with dapsone (4,4'-diamino-diphenylsulfone) and compared the NO2- levels in our study samples with a commercially available NO2- assay kit. Our modification, along with ultrafiltration of the samples, resulted in an enhanced sensitivity to measure NO2- down to 0.2 microM. The detection limit was further improved to 0.02 microM when NO2- was identified by the fluorochrome 2,3-diaminonaphthalene (DAN). To measure the stable end product NO3- by the Griess reaction or the DAN method, this anion must be reduced to NO2-. We compared the capacity of bacterial nitrate reductase with the reducing metal cadmium to convert NO3- to NO2-. After reduction, NO2- levels were determined either by the DAN method or by our modified Griess reaction. We found that there was a high correlation (r2 = 0.998) in total NO2- concentrations in the study samples using both methods for reducing NO3- to NO2-. The simultaneous determination of NO2- and NO3- was achieved by using anion-exchange chromatography (HPLC; Polyspher IC AN-1 column). The detection limit of this assay for each anion is 0.5 microM, and it can be applied equally well to sera, urine, and culture media. We also adapted the DAN method to determine RSNO levels in our study samples. Using this approach, we were able to measure RSNO levels down to 0.15 microM. As result we discovered that RSNO levels were markedly increased in urine from septic patients and in supernatants from cytokine-stimulated human tumor cell lines. L-Citrulline, a coproduct of NO biosynthesis, was measured using a colorimetric assay with a sensitivity limit of 3.0 microM. Increased L-citrulline levels in media from cultured cells, but not in sera or urine, correlated with increased NO production. Although all methods studied were suitable for quantifying end products of NO in biological fluids and media, the use of bacterial reductase and the modified Griess reaction proved successful to provide the greatest sensitivity and linear range for routine measurements of NO2- and NO3-.


Simulation results are presented from a finite element calculation of transport in the edge and divertor of TdeV. In addition to the usual transport processes, this model also includes a calculation of the electrostatic potential and the associated E*B drifts. The inclusion of E*B drifts is shown to be essential in the calculation of the parallel and toroidal flow velocities. With the inclusion of drifts, the effect of toroidal magnetic field reversal is studied, particularly with regard to in-out asymmetries in the Halpha radiation and power deposited on the plates. Relatively weak asymmetries are calculated on the basis of these drifts alone, and it is concluded that the much stronger asymmetries observed experimentally must be associated with other physical processes not yet included in the model. The transport equations are based on fluid conservation equations for particles, parallel (to the magnetic field) momentum, electron and ion energy. For simplicity, a single ion species is considered and, when modelling recycling, neutral transport is treated in the diffusion approximation. All transport equations are discretized with finite elements on a triangular unstructured mesh that is locally aligned with the flux surfaces. The use of such a mesh allows an accurate representation of the simulation geometry, with boundaries of arbitrary shapes and complexity. In particular, it is possible to account for divertor plates that are not orthogonal to the flux surfaces without any penalty for the validity of the transport equations. The analysis presented here concerns a low density attached ohmic TdeV discharge in a single null geometry, with the X point above the midplane


OBJECTIVE
To study the clinical value and safety of the head-up tilt table test (HUTT) in children under 6 years old.

METHODS
The HUTT results between September 2000 and August 2011 of 144 2 to 6-year-old children (81 boys and 63 girls) with syncope and dizziness of unknown causes were retrospectively studied.

RESULTS
Eight children completed the based tilt table test and 136 cases completed the sublingual nitroglycerin tilt table test. No serious side effects were found in these children. Thirty-two (22.2%) of the 144 children had a positive result of HUTT, including 18 boys and 14 girls (P>0.05). When HUTT-induced syncope met positive standards, ECG record and blood pressure recovered to normal levels within 5 minutes by changing the position of the test bed, keeping the airway open, nasal oxygen inhalation and oral milk.

CONCLUSIONS
The HUTT is valuable, safe and compliant in children under 6 years old.


The nonhydrostatic surface and terrain-following coastal model NHWAVE is utilized to simulate a continually forced stratified shear flow in a straight channel, which is a generic problem to test the existing nonhydrostatic coastal models' capability in resolving shear instabilities in the field scale. The resolved shear instabilities in the shear layer has a Reynolds number of about 1.4 × 106, which is comparable to field observed value. Using the standard Smagorinsky closure with a grid size close to the Ozmidov length scale, simulation results show that the resolved energy cascade exceeds 1 order of magnitude and the evolution and turbulent mixing characteristics are predicted well. Two different approaches are used to estimate the turbulent dissipation rate, namely using the resolved turbulent energy spectrum and the parameterized subgrid turbulent dissipation rate, and the predicted results provide the upper and lower bounds that encompass the measured values. Model results show significantly higher turbulence in braids of shear instabilities, which is similar to field observations while both the subgrid turbulent dissipation rate and resolved vorticity field can be used as surrogates for measured high acoustic backscatter signals. Simulation results also reveal that the surface velocity divergence/convergence is an effective identifier for the front of the density current and the shear instabilities. To guide future numerical studies in more realistic domains, an evaluation on the effects of different grid resolutions and subgrid viscosity on the resolved flow field and subgrid dissipation rate are discussed.


Reducing the risk of IT governance often get a lot of attention. Journal and newspaper articles abound, and professional books have been written on the subject. this article presents a Conditional Random Fields (CRF) based risk assessment model .We first analyzed and evaluated the existing information security risk assessment methodology, and described control processes of information systems and risk levels summarily. After that, CRF model was introduced into information system security assessment, which can improve model-based information security risk assessment method (CORAS). this article taking web-based electronic banking system for an example, we quantify the risk indicators of a given task sequence, by formal description and modeling of system flow and risk levels. The experiments demonstrate the feasibility of CRF model, which laid the foundation for information system risk assessment and IT governance security.


\s=b\Fibrous hamartoma of infancy is a benign but persistent soft-tissue tumor that appears during the first two years of life. Although the lesion is not distinctive clinically, histopathologic examination of affected tissue reveals the three characteristic elements: fibrous, adipose, and myxoid mesenchymal tissue. Sixty-seven patients with fibrous hamartoma of infancy have been described previously, few in the dermatologic literature. In this report, we describe eight additional patients and present a compilation of the clinical statistics of all 75 cases. (Arch Dermatol 1989;125:88-91)


With brief psychiatric hospitalizations, the extent to which symptoms change is rarely characterized. We sought to understand symptomatic changes across Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) dimensions, and the extent to which such improvement might be associated with risk for readmission. We identified 3,634 individuals with 4,713 hospital admissions to the psychiatric inpatient unit of a large academic medical center between 2010 and 2015. We applied a natural language processing tool to extract estimates of the five RDoC domains to the admission note and discharge summary and calculated the change in each domain. We examined the extent to which symptom domains changed during admission, and their relationship to baseline clinical and sociodemographic features, using linear regression. Symptomatic worsening was rare in the negative valence (0.4%) and positive valence (5.1%) domains, but more common in cognition (25.8%). Most diagnoses exhibited improvement in negative valence, which was associated with significant reduction in readmission risk. Despite generally brief hospital stays, we detected reduction across multiple symptom domains, with greatest improvement in negative symptoms, and greatest probability of worsening in cognitive symptoms. This approach should facilitate investigations of other features or interventions which may influence pace of clinical improvement.


Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) are the largest group of compounds currently monitored in Europe by the EU Early Warning System on new psychoactive substances. Emerging recreational use of these products has led to multiple cases of adverse health effects and even death. In contrast to marijuana, where Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9THC) is metabolized to only one major active metabolite, it has been reported that several major phase I metabolites of SCs remain biologically active, exerting cannabinoid (CB) receptor affinity, potency, and efficacy greater than those of Δ9THC. It is therefore reasonable that more SCs can also be biotransformed into molecules with various levels of CB activity. Here, we developed and applied a new G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) activation assay based on NanoLuc binary technology (Promega). More specifically, by demonstrating CB1 and CB2 receptor activation by JWH-018 and a selection of its metabolites, we are the first to show the suitability of the newly developed bioassay for monitoring GPCR-mediated activity. We also successfully applied this reporter system to evaluate the in vitro activity of JWH-122, JWH-210, and PB-22, their 5-fluoro analogues (MAM-2201, EAM-2201, and 5F-PB-22, respectively), and their main phase I metabolites. By doing so, we demonstrate that several major metabolites of these SCs retain their activity at cannabinoid receptors. All of these active metabolites may prolong the parent compound's psychotropic and physiological effects and may contribute to its toxicity profile. We also demonstrate a proof of concept of the applicability of the newly developed bioassay for screening urine for CB receptor activity exerted by SCs.


Provided are a hot-dip galvanized steel sheet and a hot-dip galvannealed steel sheet with excellent shelf life and bake hardenability, and a method for manufacturing the same. The present invention relates to a hot-dip galvanized steel sheet with excellent shelf life and bake hardenability, the hot-dip galvanized steel sheet having a molten zinc plated layer on the surface of a base steel sheet, wherein the base steel sheet comprises: 0.002-0.012 wt% of carbon (C); 1.6-2.7 wt% of manganese (MN); 0.03 wt% or less (excluding 0 wt%) of phosphorus (P); 0.01 wt% or less (excluding 0 wt%) of sulfur (S); 0.01 wt% or less (excluding 0 wt%) of nitrogen (N); 0.02-0.06 wt% of aluminum (sol.Al); 1.0 wt% or less (excluding 0 wt%) of chromium (Cr), with the remainder being iron and inevitable impurities; the base steel sheet satisfies the relation of 1.3≤Mn(wt%)/(1.15×Cr(wt%))≤20.5; Mneq defined by relational expression 1 satisfies 1.9≤Mneq≤3.9; the microstructure of the steel comprises an area ratio of 95% or more of ferrite, with the remainder being a hard second phase; an occupation ratio of martensite existing in a ferrite grain boundary defined by relational expression 2 is 90% or more; and the difference between the average Mn concentration wt% (a) in a martensite phase at a 1/4t point of the base steel sheet and the average Mn concentration wt% (b) in a ferrite phase within 1 ㎛ from the martensite phase, defined by relational expression 3, is 0.3 wt% or more.


While the use of social networking sites continues to rise, security continues to be an important issue. This issue often results when many users do not change their social networking security settings. Such behavior leaves vast amounts of data vulnerable to criminal activities. This study utilized the Theory of Planned Behavior to examine factors that impact users' behaviors regarding changing their social networking security settings. This research found support for six of the eight hypotheses. Results showed that Attitude (H1), Subjective Norm (H2), and Perceived Behavioral Control (H3) predicted Behavioral Intention. Behavioral Intention (H4) positively influenced Behavior. Apathy (H6) negatively predicted Attitude while Perceived Behavioral Control (H7) positively influenced Social Trust. Finally, Perceived Behavioral Control did not predict Behavior (H5) and Social Trust did not impact Behavioral Intention (H8). These findings have future implications for research and practice.


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

Exosomes are the newest family number of 'bioactive vesicles' that play important roles in antigen presentation. Recent clinical trials about exosomes have shown minor clinical benefit. However, exosomes derived from leukemia cell lines were less studied, In this study, we investigated the biological properties and anti-leukemia immunity of leukemia cell-derived exosomes (LEX). The results showed that like other tumor cells, similarly, leukemia cells can release exosomes too. Transmission electron microscopy showed that exosomes derived from NB4 cell, a promyloblastic leukemia cell line and K562 cell, a chronic myeloid leukemia cell line were membrane vesicles with diameter about 50-100μm, and loading their specific moleculars such as RAR-α and ABL and adherent moleculars such as ICAM-1. Similarly, our data also demonstrated the presence of Hsp70 in these two leukemia cell-derived exosomes. The data from two-dimensional electrophoresis of K562 cell-derived exosomes showed that most of molecules expressing on leukemia cells were detected on their exosomes, indicating that LEX load most of proteins expressed on their original leukemia cells. Out data also demonstrated that LEX can induce anti-leukemia CTL response and LEX-targeted DC can induce more efficient anti-leukemia immunity compared with LEX alone. In conclusion, exosome-based therapies could be considered as a promising strategy to prolong disease-free survival in patients with leukemia after consolidation or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Note: This research work was supported by research grants from Shanghai Pujiang Project of Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality. Keywords: Exosome, leukemia cell, anti-leukemia immunity

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1561. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1561


The wealth of youth is the wording used by John Paul II in the Letter to the young Parati semper to show that the time of youth is a special period of life which is the wealth of the person who experi- ences it. Also, Francis and the final document of the 2018 Youth Synod show the time of youth as a special period in human life.
In the article, based on the teachings of John Paul II, addressed to young people, as well as a post-synodal document for the Young, faith and discernment of vocation, the period of youth is shown as a special time of discovering, getting to know oneself and surrounding reality, designing life. Important elements of the wealth of youth are love, which demands, freedom in truth and friendship with Christ, who helps us discover and realize these values.
The article also shows the dangers of the modern world that can interfere with the use of the wealth of youth. They are: culture of temporality, lack of dreams and anxiety, digital environment, excessive and falsified focus on human sexuality, or external living conditions such as armed conflicts, poverty, and various forms of violence. In the face of these threats, ways of preventing and opposing them were also indicated. These are: the choice of Christ as Lord and Friend and openness to His teachings, openness to other people and entering into dialogue with him, it is the pursuit of dreams, shaping and development of spirituality, solidarity and joy of life.


Marigold gained popularity amongst farmer and flower dealers on account of its easy culture, wide adaptability, attractive colour, shape, size and good keeping quality. Lack of technical know-how of scientific flower cultivation among the growers and high level of post-harvest losses, lack of awareness on market opportunities, lack of timely and precise price information were the major missing links in the marigold value chain in India. To address all those missing links in the marigold value chain Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU), proposed a project entitled 'Value chain on flowers for domestic and export markets' to the NAIP, with the aim of contributing to the promotion of the nation's floriculture industry. The project period is September 2008 to June 2012 and it is operated in the Department of Floriculture and Landscaping.Mr.R.Rangasamy one of the farmer in the project area, marigold is the major source of income for his family and his livelihood depends mainly on the marigold farming. Since he is having ten years of experience in marigold farming he says that over the year the yield marigold was reduced to 4-5 tonnes per acre due to indiscriminate use of pesticide, fungicides and fertilizer. Before NAIP intervention he received very low price (Rs 2-3 per kg) due to exploiting nature of market channel. After NAIP intervention the farmer undergone different training programs related to production, post-harvest and marketing aspects and adopted most of the technologies recommended by the NAIP scientist. Because of the adoption of advanced technologies he got the yield of 10-13 tonnes per acre. The farmer received daily price information through the cell phone that was disseminated by the NAIP scientists based on which he is able to get correct price from the buyer in the market. The farmer was entered into the contract farming with AVT natural Pvt Ltd who buys the marigold for xanthophylls extraction. Under this arrangement the farmer gets assured price of Rs. 6 per kg of marigold, timely inputs and consultancy services from the company. Now the farmer was reaping the benefit of Rs 2-3 per kg as net profit from the Marigold farming due to intervention of NAIP. Keywords: NAIP, Value chain, Technology adoption and Contract farming.


This paper describes a project started for implementing DJ scratching techniques on the reactable. By interacting withobjects representing scratch patterns commonly performedon the turntable and the crossfader, the musician can playwith DJ techniques and manipulate how they are executedin a performance. This is a novel approach to the digital DJapplications and hardware. Two expert musicians practisedand performed on the reactable in order to both evaluate the playability and improve the design of the DJ techniques.


Abstract The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is widely used for airway management in the emergency and elective treatment of patients in both the in-hospital and prehospital setting. The rate of prehospital use is increasing. The LMA is a vital link in the vortex approach to managing a difficult airway. Clinicians will be increasingly faced with the dilemma of managing the patient who has an LMA in place, but still requires the airway secured by an endotracheal tube (ETT). Flexible endoscopic intubation through an LMA is a simpler procedure than awake flexible endoscopic intubation. Furthermore, intubating flexible endoscopes are increasingly available and affordable (now single use) making its use out of the domains of the operating theater and intensive care unit feasible. The authors aim to inform clinicians about the indications, physical characteristics, and insertion/removal techniques related to a new device, the Rescue™ ETT (Genesis Airway Innovations®, Sunshine Coast, Australia), designed specifically for intubation through an LMA over a flexible endoscope and compare them to current devices used for this purpose.


Uroporphyrinogen decarboxylase (UROD) catalyzes decarboxylation of the four acetate side chains of urophyrinogen to form coproporphyrinogen. Activity of UROD can be measured using an enzymatically prepared substrate or a chemically prepared one. For the former, bacterial porphobilinogen deaminase is prepared and used to prepare the porphyrinogen substrate for the enzymatic assay. Erythrocyte lysates can be used to measure hemoglobin content as an indicator of UROD activity.


Physiological responses are generally involuntary; however, real-time feedback enables, at least to a certain extent, to voluntary control automatic processes. Recently, it was demonstrated that even pupil dilation is subject to controlled interference. To address effects of training on the ability to exercise control on pupil dilation, the current study examines repeated exercise over seven successive days. Participants utilize self-induced changes in arousal to increase pupil diameter, real-time feedback was applied to evaluate and improve individual performance. We observe inter-individual differences with regard to responsiveness of the pupillary response: six of eight participants considerably increase pupil diameter already during the first session, two exhibit only slight changes, and all showed rather stable performance throughout training. There was a trend towards stronger peak amplitudes that tend to occur increasingly early across time. Hence, higher cognitive control on pupil dilations can be practiced by most users and may therefore provide an appropriate input mechanism in human-computer interaction.


The aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive research and analysis about fundraising through equity crowdfunding or crowdinvesting compared to venture capital and other forms of equity financing in the Eurasian Economic Union member countries. The relevance of the research is conditioned with the fact that equity crowdfunding is one of the fastest growing capital raising platforms and has become a popular financing option for start-ups and early-stage companies. Analyzing generally accepted methods for evaluating early-stage companies, the authors propose to use the venture capital method combined with scenario analysis for determining the value of companies in order to raise funds on equity crowdfunding platforms. The statistical data of the EAEU countries were researched on macroeconomic development, stock markets, fintech, etc. This market is expected to grow year by year, but results show that for now it is still underdeveloped in the Eurasian Economic Union member states. The conclusion is that several regulatory and institutional reforms can enable the growth of equity crowdfunding, thereby diversifying potential sources of equity financing for start-ups and early-stage companies. The suggested approach can be applied by regulators.


In the past two decades, seismic ambient-noise cross correlation (CC) has been one of the most important technologies in seismology. Usually, only the fundamental-mode surface-wave dispersion was extracted from the ambient noise. Recently, with the frequency–Bessel transform (F-J) method, overtone dispersion can also be extracted from the ambient noise and it adds significant value in inversion. This method has also been verified to be effective for array seismic records of earthquake events. In this article, we describe our algorithm and a Python package called CC-FJpy. For the F-J method, we use the Nvidia's graphics processing unit to accelerate the computation, which can achieve a 100-fold computational efficiency. We have encapsulated our experiences and technologies into CC-FJpy and tested the CC-FJpy by ambient-noise and earthquake data to ensure its speed and ease of use. Our open-source package CC-FJpy can benefit the development of surface-wave studies using ambient noise and make it easier to start with high-mode surface waves.


Abstract Results are presented from a detailed case study of an Arctic stratus cloud over the Fram Strait that is based on aircraft measurements and model calculations. The measurements have been performed during MIZEX 1984 (Marginal Ice Zone Experiment) and include high frequency data of meteorological parameters and low frequency measurements of radiation fluxes and cloud microphysical data. The vertical mean structure of the Arctic cloud-topped-planetary boundary layer and the turbulence structure are analyzed and discussed. The main processes that contribute to the turbulent kinetic energy are identified by comparison of the measurements with the results of a one dimensional turbulence model with second-order closure. The radiative cooling at cloud top is identified to be the dominant process controlling the whole turbulence structure for the case of a quasi steady state boundary layer. In this fully developed regime the energy consuming entrainment is sustained by the shear-produced horizontal veloci...


A lipogram is a span of text in which a particular letter or group of letters is avoided. Composition of very long Ii po grams is a popular pastime among logologistsindeed, some particularly dedicated constraint writers have produced entire novels which do not use the letter E [2, 3, 5]. However, lipograms can also occur entirely accidentally in running text. In this article, I present the results of my search for the longest unigraphic (single-letter) lipogrammatic windows in English literature.


Abstract Background: We conducted this research to investigate the relationship between long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 673 (linc00673) expression and prognosis and clinicopathological parameters in human malignancies. Methods: The PubMed, Embase, WOS, and CNKI databases were used to collect eligible research data before 4 January 2021. Meta-analysis was performed using Stata 12.0 software. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) or hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence interval (CIs) were calculated to evaluate the association of linc00673 expression with survival outcomes and clinical parameters. Results: We finally included 17 articles and a total of 1539 cases for the meta-analysis. The results indicated that linc00673 was significantly correlated with T stage (P=0.006), tumor stage (P<0.001), lymph node metastasis (P<0.001), and distant metastasis (P<0.001). In addition, the results suggested that elevated linc00673 expression predicted a poor overall survival (OS) time (P=0.013) and acted as an independent prognostic factor (P<0.001) for OS in patients with malignancy. Although potential evidence of publication bias was found in the studies on OS in relation to tumor stage in the multivariate analysis, the trim-and-fill analysis confirmed that the results remained stable. Conclusions: Overexpression of linc00673 was significantly correlated with shorter OS time in patients with malignant tumors. Moreover, the increased expression level of linc00673 was significantly correlated with T stage, tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis. The results presented in this article revealed that linc00673 might be involved in the progression and invasion of malignancy and serve as a novel prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for malignancy.


A style guide for APA Find out all the rules needed to correctly format your paper in APA style. Download an example formatted paper to use every time you need to create an APA research paper.


The deposition of copper onto acrylic resin powder in its self-convective motion by magnetron DC sputtering was examined in order to prepare granular polymeric spacers coated with the metal, aiming at enhancing the cell wall structure of sintered highly porous aluminum materials. The fabrication of sintered highly porous aluminum materials was carried out in an ordinary powder metallurgy processing combined with a space-holder method with the polymer-copper binary spacer granules prepared by powder-coating using the sputter-deposition technique. The effects of the sputter-deposition of copper onto the spherical polymeric spacers on cell structures of the sintered porous compacts were investigated. According to optical observations, it was found that the sputtered copper could be uniformly and adherently deposited onto the surface of the acrylic granules. According to EPMA analysis on the cross-section on a sintered porous compact, it was found that Cu atoms were distributed at the vicinity of its cell walls, concluding that cell wall structures could be enhanced by this processing. Therefore it was expected that the compressive properties of the sintered highly porous aluminum materials were also improved by this powder coating process.


Microbial biomass C and N content and analysis of soil bacteria with different fertilization systems were carried out based on a 15-year long term fertilizer experiment in Drab Fluvo-aquic soil in Beijing. At this site, 13 different treatments were established in 1990. Six treatments were chosen for this work: Four were in a wheat-maize rotation receiving either no fertilizer (CK), mineral fertilizers (NPK), mineral fertilizers plus farmyard manure (NPKM) or mineral fertilizers with maize straw incorporated (NPKSt). One was in a wheat-maize/wheat-soybean rotation receiving NPK (NPKF). The other was abandoned arable land (CK0) growing weeds. The amount of chemical fertilizer per year was N 150 kg hm-2, P2O5 75 kg hm-2, K2O 45 kg hm-2, manure 22.5 t hm-2 and maize straw 2.25 t hm-2. The results showed that microbial biomass C and N in the abandoned arable soil were higher than that in arable soils. Soil microbial biomass C and N in treatments with fertilizer input NPK, NPKM, NPKSt and NPKF were higher than that in CK (without fertilization). The rotation of wheat-maize/wheat-soybean had higher microbial biomass C and N than continuous wheat-maize cropping. The ratio of microbial C to soil organic C (SMB-C/SOC) and microbial N to soil total N (SMB-N/TN) had similar trends to SMB-C and SMB-N. The community structure of bacteria microorganisms was assessed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and Unweighted Pair Group Method Clustering (UPGMC) analysis of the DGGE banding patterns showing that the bacterial community structure was affected by the treatments. The results indicated a significant increase in microbial diversity by fertilization treatments compared to that without fertilizer (CK). However the composition of the bacterial community in NPKM treatment was more complex than that in others. Cluster analysis of the DGGE profiles pointed out that bacteria in the six soils belonged to three clusters. Bacterial communities in CK and NPK soils belonged to one cluster, those in NPKF and CK0 soils to another cluster, and that in NPKSt and NPKM soil to a single cluster. The similarity of bacterial community in soils with six treatments was 53%. This study demonstrated that mineral fertilizer with farmyard manure increased both biomass and diversity of bacterial community in the soil.


Perineal tears are one of the
most common complications of vaginal births and may cause discomfort and pain
long time after childbirth. Visual and digital examination of perineal tears
is the most common way to assess and classify a perineal tear. Recent research
indicates that many tears diagnosed are misclassified. The aim of this
systematic literature review was to outline research that investigates
healthcare professionals' clinical knowledge in assessment and classification
of perineal tears in connection with childbirth. Searches were performed in
PubMed and CINAHL. Six studies on the topic were identified and used to collect data for questionnaires. An integrative review was used in the analysis.
Poor knowledge in perineal anatomy and lack of training in clinical assessment and classification of perineal trauma
was evident among both physicians and
midwives. These findings indicate that
healthcare providers lack adequate knowledge and that they
make incorrect assessments and errors in classification of perineal tears. The
training in assessment and classification is crucial. Midwives are in a unique
position to improve the standard of care in this field since they are often the
first and many times the only to assess the injury.


Abstract
 After providing a brief historical survey of the use of rare earth elements (REE) as feed additives, the authors of this review attempt to analyse the implications of REE in animal nutrition; they demonstrate the results of a variety of efficacy studies in food producing animals and consider REE-residues in organs and tissues of such animals. The results of those studies are as inconsistent as their approaches and as REE or compounds of various REE applied in the presented investigations. Current research data do not yet reveal if REE are essential to animal metabolism. Furthermore, we don't know so far the exact functions of individual elements and mixtures of REE concerning animal metabolism and yield. As results are inconsistent, no general economic implications can be predicted either. It is proposed that future research should focus on individual REE before investigating the effects of defined REE-mixtures. Apart from determining possible mechanisms and potential effects of REE in more detail, further studies might explore long-term effects and should also be conducted with regard to food safety and environmental aspects.


Cloud computing is becoming more and more popular. It is increasing in popularity with companies as it enables them to share various resources in a cost effective way. Cloud computing has lots of advantages, however some issues need to be handled before organizations and individuals have the confidence to rely on it. Security and privacy are at the forefront of these important issues. In this paper, the evolution of cloud computing along with its deployment and delivery models are highlighted. Also, the difference between cloud computing and other deployment models are discussed. We present different security threats and propose some countermeasures. In addition, we discuss cloud computing security trends.


Our contention, is that reality is actually analog, but that at a critical limit, as when the Octonian gravity condition kicks in, that for a time it appears discrete. This due to al phase transition at the start of the big bang. Our second consideration is, that symmetry breaking models, i.e. the Higgs boson are not necessary for the formation of particles with mass just before Octonionic gravity, arise in pre Planckian physics models without a potential. Finally, the necessity of potentials for pre Octonionic gravity physics can be circumvented via Sherrer k essence physics.


A new method of feedback control of sound fields that minimizes the total acoustic energy in a sound field of any shape excited by an unknown disturbance is presented. The proposed method is based on the finite element method and H∞ control theory, and achieves both robust performance and high stability. The structure of the acoustic plant is formulated such that the H∞ norm of the system transfer function expresses the total acoustic energy in the sound field. Computer simulations verify that the damping of a sound field can be increased without leading to instabilities of the closed loop system. It is also verified that the resonant peaks in the frequency spectrum of the total acoustic energy can be attenuated in the low-frequency range involved in the nominal model of the plant without exciting the residual mode dynamics in the high-frequency range. The control performance can be tuned by adjusting the weighting factor. Using this method, it is possible to dynamically alter the characteristics of a sound field.


Giant congenital melanocytic nevi (GCMN) are a rare type of melanocytic nevus that covers a large body surface, often with satellite nevi scattered on the rest of the skin. There are several complications associated with GCMN, including malignant melanoma and neurocutaneous melanosis. The management of GCMN is very complex because of the cosmetic appearance and the associated psychological distress, the risk of severe complications, and the need for long-term follow-up. We report a case of a 43-year-old active-duty female with a GCMN reporting new and symptomatic satellite lesions with atypical features on dermoscopy.


Environmental Pollution from anthropogenic activities has contributed greatly towards the loss of biodiversity, and some organisms are at the verge of extinction and total extermination. Used oil as one of the wastes from automobile engines have contribute immensely towards the degradation of the environment and the problem of this has been traced to the poor handling of used oil and the ignorance of the major disposers of this used-oil. Out of 20 automobile mechanics interviewed in this study, 60% admitted that they dispose of used-oil on the land, 30% said that they sell it and only 10% acknowledge that they reuse it. On the issue of awareness about recycling, 50% admitted that they are aware, 30% claimed ignorance while 20% do not see the need for recycling. While considering storage method, 55% said that they do not store used oil, 25% store it in a metal drum, and 20% store in plastic drum. The mechanics estimated that about 418 cars are serviced weekly and a total of 1628.50 litres of used-oil are produced. For this result it is worth knowing that indiscriminate disposal of used oil as is commonly observed in our society can be of great environmental concern.


Objectives The present study investigated whether high concentrations of D-glucose can trigger pro-inflammatory mechanisms in human aortic smooth muscle cells. Methods The expression and/or the activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and nuclear factor (NF)-κB were studied in cultured human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMC) in response to increasing concentrations of D-glucose and/or the inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1β. Results Increasing D-glucose in the medium from 5.5 to 22 mmol/l had no effect on any of these parameters. However, the high concentration of D-glucose did increase iNOS expression in response to low concentrations of IL-1β (2.5 and 5 ng/ml), as well as the IL-1β-induced activation of both ERK 1/2 and NF-κB. D-glucose also enhanced, concentration-dependently, the expression and activity of iNOS induced by co-incubation with IL-1β (10 ng/ml). Pretreatment with IL-1β sensitized the cells to the subsequent effects of high D-glucose. Conclusions The results indicate that high concentrations of D-glucose exacerbate the pro-inflammatory effects of IL-1β. We suggest that the observed association between inflammation and diabetes is the result of elevated D-glucose enhancing a pre-existing inflammatory condition, rather than a direct effect of D-glucose on the production of inflammatory mediators.


Introduction: The most common cause of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) in children is the adenotonsillar hypertrophy. The prevalence of OSAS in obese children is unknown. Methods Aim: To determine the prevalence of OSAS in pediatric obese population. Methods: Cross-sectional, prospective, multicenter study. The children included in the study came from general population of Spain, randomly selected, of both sexes between 3 and 14 years and body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to percentile 95 for age and sex. Medical history, snoring and Chervin questionnaires were performed in all children included, as well as, physical examination, nasopharyngoscopy, polysomnography (PSG) with Co2 recording and blood tests. For the assessment of the sleep stages and respiratory events, the criteria of the AASM (2007), were used. The diagnosis of OSAS was made if the apnea hypopnea index per hour of sleep (AHI) was ≥ 3. Results 247 children were included: 135 males (54.7%), age from 4 to 14 with an mea age of 10.82 years (SD: 2.71). The mean BMI and the mean BMI Percentile were 28.01 ± 4.72 and 96.82 ± 0.59 respectively. Of the 247 children studied, 122 of them (50.4%), reported the presence of snoring. The mean AHI was 5.60 ± 9.91. 99 children were diagnosed with OSAS, so the prevalence of OSAS was 40.1% (95% CI 33.8% -46.4%). The prevalence showed no statistically significant differences based on age or sex. The correlation between AHI and BMI was directly and significantly (r = 0.150, p = 0.018). Conclusions The prevalence of OSAS in obese children from general population is high 40.1%. Obesity in children suggests a possible risk factor for developing OSAS. Funded: SEPAR and Mutua Madrilena.


Nowadays, all consumers are more preference for the natural herbal textile dye garment products. These herbal dye cloths are more eco friendly products. It is give non-toxic, chemical free product and this does not harmful environment nature. Herbal textile is dyed entirely with herbal extraction, without using any sort of chemical. The herbs used different from vegetable dyes as they are not only natural but also have medicinal value. These herbs are applied directly to the fabric with the help of natural ingredients, So that the medicinal value of the herbs can be kept intact, because synthetic dyes large amount of waste and unfixed colorants poses serious health hazard and are disturbing the eco balance of nature. Environmental issues in the production and application of synthetic dyes once again revived consumer interest in natural dyes. In this research work we have applied natural herbal dyes on cotton fabrics surface. This work has used natural herbal dyes like turmeric, aloe vera, neem, beetroot, pomegranate and onion. Edible gum and cow urine has used to improve in colour fastness and dye absorbency performance. This research main aims to give a new approach natural herbal dyes products will more used in textile sector. It will more help to reduce diseases problem skin allergies and skin infection.


A UK survey for the occurrence of aflatoxin M1 in bulked dried milks (totalling 277 samples) obtained at monthly intervals from a number of commercial creameries in the UK over a two-year period (1981-1983), showed 98% of the samples to have levels below 0.03 micrograms/kg. For liquid milks sampled from individual farms over the same period (totalling 409 samples), 94% of the samples had aflatoxin M1 levels below 0.01 micrograms/kg. All samples were initially screened by a two-dimensional thin layer chromatographic method and quantification of positive results was by reverse phase h.p.l.c. with fluorescence detection. The results of this survey show that UK milk is largely free of aflatoxin M1 contamination, the incidence and levels, where observed, being significantly lower than for other European countries, which demonstrates the effectiveness of UK legislative action controlling feedstuff contamination.


BACKGROUND
Hyperglycemia during cardiac surgery in nondiabetic patients is a common finding associated with increased morbidity and mortality, but its predictors have not been studied to date.

METHODS
To identify clinical and laboratory correlates of excessive and persistent blood glucose (BG) elevation during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in nondiabetic patients, the authors reviewed 195 medical records. After exclusion of patients with preoperative BG >120 mg/dL and with missing preoperative BG data, 163 cases were included in the final analysis. Patients with BG > or =200 mg/dL during CPB and remaining > or =200 mg/dL either during or after CPB or at the first postoperative measurement formed the study group (n = 35). One case had insufficient data to determine group assignment and was not used in comparison. The remaining patients formed the control group (n = 127).

RESULTS
BG was > or =200 mg/dL at least once perioperatively in 114 of 163 (70%) patients. It occurred during CPB in 100 of 163 (61%) cases and persisted beyond CPB in 35 of 162 (22%) cases. Univariate analysis revealed a significant difference between groups in preoperative use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (51% v 29%, p = 0.02), total dose of phenylephrine during CPB (14.1 mg +/- 10.6 mg v 10.3 +/- 9.6 mg, p = 0.003) and pre-CPB BG (123 +/- 22 mg/dL v 113 +/- 18 mg/dL, p = 0.02). In multivariate analysis, ACE inhibitors and pre-CPB BG remained statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS
Nondiabetic patients with excessive and persistent BG elevation during cardiac surgery are more likely to take ACE inhibitors preoperatively, show relatively high pre-CPB BG, and possibly require higher doses of vasoconstrictors during CPB.


We read with interest the recent article by Lennard on the role of thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT) enzyme in predicting azathioprine related toxicity in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (Gut 2002;51:143–6). He concludes that measurement of TPMT activity has no specific role in identifying the risk of significant bone marrow toxicity in long term users of azathioprine. This conclusion is in agreement with other published work and emphasises the importance of ongoing haematological monitoring in IBD patients receiving this drug. The importance of haematological monitoring in the early detection and prevention of azathioprine related toxicity is well recognised. However, the duration of early monitoring is a matter of controversy. The current British National Formulary guidelines recommend that patients undergo blood tests on at least a weekly basis for the initial four weeks of therapy. The drug's manufacturers recommend a more stringent monitoring policy and in their view, initial monitoring should continue for the first eight weeks of treatment. The American College of Gastroenterology guidelines recommend a slightly different approach, with fortnightly blood counts for the initial three months of therapy. The key issue in determining the value of these different approaches to monitoring is the time of onset of potentially life threatening bone marrow suppression following initiation of azathioprine treatment. These data are not available for patients with IBD. In a retrospective study, we analysed the time of onset of all drug related toxicity in IBD patients post initiation of azathioprine therapy. A total of 110 consecutive IBD patients with a history of azathioprine use were identified (table 1). Patients were identified from the hospital inpatient enquiry system, IBD clinic, and pharmacy records. Mean azathioprine dose was 2 mg/kg/day (range 1–3). Mean age of the patients on azathioprine was 38.11 years (18–76). Seventeen of 110 patients (15%) suffered from azathioprine related early toxicity (table 1). Mean azathioprine dose in those showing drug toxicity was 100 mg/day (50–150). Most (77%) drug related toxic events manifested within the first 12 weeks of therapy (fig 1). However, the mean time of onset of drug related toxicity depended on the side effect observed. For example, most drug related nausea was observed within two weeks of commencing treatment while all cases of deranged liver function tests were detected within eight weeks of treatment onset. Significantly, this was not true for bone marrow suppression. The mean duration of treatment in the two patients who experienced this side effect was 11 weeks (range 10–12). Both cases occurred outside the "stringent" eight week monitoring period recommended by the drug's manufacturer. Hence identification of bone marrow suppression would have been delayed using the current British and manufacturer's guidelines. Three further episodes of neutropenia were identified during long term (>3 months) treatment in three patients who continued on maintenance azathioprine (mean duration 101 weeks/patient, range 2 weeks to 5 years). In our practice, we feel that significant toxicity during the early (<3 months) period of therapy could have been missed by strictly following existing guidelines. Early detection of abnormalities in asymptomatic patients helped in dose adjustment with resolution of side effects. In addition, early detection of azathioprine related bone marrow suppression is likely to save lives. We recommend that gastroenterologists employ an extended (three month) period of intensive haematological monitoring after initiation of azathioprine therapy in IBD. Although neutropenia is occasionally observed beyond this point, intensive monitoring for the duration of treatment, which may continue for years, is clearly not practical from a patient or service perspective. However, this serves to emphasise the importance of continuous patient education concerning "alarm symptoms" throughout the duration of azathioprine therapy.


Background and purpose Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injuries usually occur in combination with other ligamentous knee injuries. The outcome varies and may be poor due to suboptimal treatment. We investigated claims following PCL injury treatment on a nationwide scale. Patients and methods All patient PCL injury claims filed in Finland from 1997 to 2015 were collected from the Patient Insurance Centre (PIC) register. We reviewed and analyzed all records to determine the causes of claims. General background data were obtained from the National Care Register for Social Welfare and Health Care (HILMO). Results We found out from HILMO background data that, during the 19-year study period, 1,891 PCL and 1,380 multiligament reconstructions were performed in 99 different hospitals. The number of PCL injuries treated conservatively is unknown. During this same period, 49 claims arrived at the PIC, and 39/49 of these patients were operated on. 12/49 claims were compensated. Of these 12 claims, 6 were compensated for technical errors and 4 were compensated for diagnostic delays. Conclusion The number of patient injury claims was few, and compensated claims were even fewer. Technical errors and diagnostic delays were the most common reasons for reimbursement.


An innovative mobile sensing system has been developed to non-intrusively monitor the manual pipe gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process. The system consists of a projective torch held by a welder, and a sensory helmet on the welder's head. The three-dimensional (3D) weld pool surface is effectively measured in real-time as the welder performs the weld despite the movements of the torch and the helmet. In this study, the sensing system is first analyzed by numerical simulations in which the adjustment boundaries of the torch and helmet, i.e. their translation and orientation ranges, for effective sensing have been determined. Then, the sensing system is further evaluated using a simulation platform in which the movements of the helmet/welder's head is mimicked by a tripod head with 6 degree-of-freedom (DOF), and a convex spherical mirror with a comparable size of a typical weld pool in a GTAW process is applied as a weld pool substitute. The effectiveness of the proposed system is validated by successfully capturing laser reflections from the mirror without great constraints on the welder's movements of the torch and the helmet. Based on the analysis of the spatial relations among the torch, the helmet and the weld pool, an innovative real-time algorithm is proposed to reconstruct the 3D weld pool surface. The effectiveness and robustness of the algorithm have been verified by accurately reconstructing the convex spherical mirror surface despite the movements of the torch and the helmet in the simulation platform.


The development of the concept of the quantum engine, that uses the energy of physical vacuum, makes it possible to create a new class of vehicles, namely, the quantomobile, designed as a quantum - powered vehicle. The type of quantum vehicles can be versatile, starting from the simplest version (with the ground vehicle driving modes) to the multi-environment multi-modal quantomobile that can function on land, in the air and in water. To work out a hypothetical model of the multi-environment multi-modal quantomobile, it is necessary to use all the heritage of research and development in the sphere of transport engineering. For 10 variants of the multi-environment multi-modal quantomobile movement - from the air quantum helicopter (quantocraft) to a quantum submarine (quantomarine) - there has been made an analysis of the numerical modeling specifics, the use of coordinate systems, the implementation of the traffic of existing transport vehicles that can be reflected in the concept of multi-environment quantomobile. Two extreme methods of modeling are distinguished: 1) the one based on a single family of coordinate systems and a common (end-to-end for all types of environment) motion model; 2) the one based on models by type of motion with possible switching of coordinate systems.


In this paper, energy, exergy and thermoeconomic analyses of three different integrated systems consisting of an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) are presented. Each system has different energy technology providing the heat transfer. For this purpose, biomass burner, parabolic trough solar collector (PTSC), and combination of those are used. Numerous control volumes surrounding the system components are formed. Then, energy, exergy and thermoeconomic balance equations around these control volumes are applied. The effects of biomass type and solar irradiation on the performance and cost are assessed by comparing them with each other for the baseline conditions and different number of PTSCs. The results show that biomass-based ORC system has the highest electrical and exergetic efficiencies (10.61% and 9.18%) and the lowest cost (30.37 $/GJ). The system having PTSC and biomass burner is thermoeconomically advantageous when this system has four or less collectors compared to the solar based ORC system having 12 collectors.


laborates in the preparation of these sections. The value of these abstracts is enhanced by rather longer comments than formerly, in which Dr. Crowe gives apposite details of procedure followed at Johns Hopkins. There are, however, a few abstracts in which some essential has been omitted, so that the meaning is not clear without reference to the original paper. As before, this part contains a special subsection on allergy. There is also in addition a Part IV by Dr. James Sonnett Greene of New York City on speech and voice, in which there are eleven full abstracts of papers on speech disorders. Rather more than the first half of the volume is devoted to the eye, and the whole will be found to be no less valuable than previous issues. The high standard of illustration and general production is well maintained.


This book marries Stafford Cliff's unerring eye with the remarkable photography of Gilles de Chabaneix to present a marvellous portrayal of the delights of living alfresco around the world. A catalogue of opportunities for getting the best out of outdoor lifestyles, the book is organized in the following sections: Outside the Home is all about reclaiming nature: how we impose ourselves on the areas around our homes, from terraces in Corsica to gardens in Provence, or villas in Tuscany. Transitional Spaces looks at the more elaborate structures we create for enjoying the outdoors, while still remaining close to the comforts of our homes: verandas, terraces, patios and backyards. Rooms Outside surveys the many types of building specifically created away from the main home for the enjoyment of an outdoor lifestyle - from garden pavilions in Bali to a summerhouse in Stockholm. Bringing the Outside In illustrates the many type of found objects in the alfresco world - stones, bones, wood, dried leaves and seed pods - fascinating and original additions to any domestic environment. Living Outside is a celebration of the ultimate goal of an alfresco lifestyle - the ability to carry out all the activities associated with normal domestic life outside the home. Eating, cooking, sleeping, bathing all seem more exotic and exciting in the open air, as do visits to markets and restaurants, also included in this section. Every opportunity is taken to make cross-cultural comparisons and connections within the book, so that the whole is effectively a dynamic compilation of solutions for the wonderful alfresco lifestyle.


The function relating phenotypic sex ratio to incubation temperature in reptiles can vary in a number of ways in addition to simple differences in the temperatures giving 50% of each sex. This paper offers terminology and definitions for describing these relationships. These definitions accomodate interactions between genetic and environmental effects on sexual differentiation, and variability within populations. The paper also discusses the concept of a sensitive stage/period within incubation during which temperature can affect the direction of sexual differentiation. Thermosensitive period has previously been assessed in a variety of ways. A suggestion for a more general way of defining thermosensitive stage/period is made.