The estrogen receptor (ER) is the principal driver of growth and differentiation in breast cells and de-regulated receptor function is a key feature of almost 75% of breast cancers. Here, we investigated the role of de-ubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), which act to remove ubiquitin moieties from proteins, in regulating the transcriptional activity of ER in breast cancer. To identify DUBs involved in the regulation of ER transcriptional activity, we performed an RNAi loss-of-function screen using a library of shRNA vectors targeting all known human DUB genes (108 genes/432 shRNAs in total). We found that suppression of a number of DUBs markedly repressed or enhanced the activity of an estrogen-response-element (ERE) luciferase reporter to estradiol (E2). In particular, suppression of the BRCA2-associated DUB, USP11, was found to down-regulate ERα transcriptional activity (both in the presence and absence of E2), as demonstrated by a pronounced decrease in estrogen-response element (ERE) luciferase reporter activity. Subsequent validation of the screen using multiple individual hairpins and ZR-75-1 stable USP11 knockdown cells confirmed the suppression of ERE-reporter activity and further revealed a notable reduction in expression of the endogenous ER target genes TFF1 and PgR following USP11 knockdown. In vitro phenotypic analysis also revealed a global decrease in cell survival, decreased ERK and AKT phosphorylation and increased sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents in USP11 knockdown cell lines compared to non-targeting controls. In silico analysis of publically available breast cancer gene expression datasets revealed a highly significant association between high USP11 mRNA levels and poor prognosis. We observed a highly significant correlation between high expression of USP11 mRNA in ER positive patients and poor overall survival (OS)(HR 1.51, CI 1.07-2.14, p=0.018) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS)(HR 1.35, CI 1.04-1.73, p=0.023). This correlation was also significant in ER positive patients who had received endocrine therapy (OS, HR 3.4, CI 1.2-9.81, p=0.014), DMFS, HR 2.16, CI 1.23-3.8, p=0.0083). These results suggest a role for USP11 in driving cellular growth and identify USP11 as a rationale and novel therapeutic target in breast cancer. Citation Format: Darran P O9Connor, Lisa Dwane, Aisling E O9Connor, Annette M Dirac, Rene Bernards, William M Gallagher. Functional genomic screening identifies USP11 as a novel therapeutic target in breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-03-02.


Writing to Secretary of State John Thurloe from Copenhagen in April 1658, England's diplomatic representative Philip Meadowe noted thatmost of the intelligence from these parts which Mr Nedham puts into his Politicus is made by Mons. Van Bunning's secretary, purposely to cloud his highness in his ministers; Mr Nedham presently swallows the gudgeon and what he finds in the publick corranto transplants immediately into his Politicus, not considering that in so doing he serves the design and interest of another.1Such evidence regarding a leading journalist such as Marchamont Nedham raises profound issues for those concerned with analysing one of the most important pamphlet genres of the early modern period. The 'news revolution' has become a prominent strand in recent scholarship relating to early modern print culture, as historians have identified growing contemporary interest in political affairs, and stressed the importance of the emerging news culture for transforming the political life of the period, and even for helping to create a 'public sphere'.2 Recent historiography has drawn particular attention to the literary qualities and scandalous content of seventeenth century journals, and leading journalists are now well known. This is particularly true of those who proved innovative (Sir John Berkenhead), those who were particularly radical (Gilbert Mabbott), and those whose racy and humorous prose was matched by sophisticated political understanding and conceptual importance (Nedham).3 Where scholarship arguably remains underdeveloped, however, is in relation to 'authorship'. Although there is a growing appreciation of the need to contextualise early modern authors in terms of their personal, financial, and political motivation, the circumstances under which they operated, their relationship with the print industry, and the pressures to which they were subjected, such analysis is rarely undertaken with respect to journalism, despite the fact that scrutiny of early modern newspapers places issues relating to the status and role of authors into far sharper focus.4The aim of this paper is to establish a conceptual framework for scrutinising the nature of early modern news culture, and an outline of areas which require greater research. Perhaps the most obvious is the relationship between journalism and 'truth', in terms of editorial attitudes towards, and achievement of, factual accuracy. This is clearly an area which has received little scholarly attention, but it is obviously beset by serious historiographical pitfalls, and a more general assessment of journalistic authorship might have greater benefit.5 This piece, therefore, stresses the need to acknowledge the unsure foundations upon which accepted attributions rest, and upon which assumptions that papers reflected the ideas and attitudes of a single editor depend. It also demonstrates the need to devote greater attention to the processes by which newspapers were produced, and to contextualise them in relation to political circumstances, censorship, and governmental manipulation. Stripping away accepted wisdom, and applying detailed knowledge of both contemporary politics and the early modern publishing industry, permits a more sophisticated understanding of the identity of civil war newspapers, the role of their editors, journalists, and authors, and the power of managerial control, and an enhanced appreciation of the extent to which such texts represented the minds of those whom we regard as their authors. It also highlights the degree to which authorial integrity and independence could be undermined, and the extent to which a journalist could combine the characteristics of a 'publisher's hack', a 'politician's pawn', and a 'noble family's retainer', not to mention a principled political commentator.6 It is only by recognising that journalists could be all four things, at different times and to different degrees, that it is possible to achieve an accurate appreciation of authorship, entrepreneurship, and editorial control in the realm of early modern newspapers. …


Glycosylation of hair was studied in 30 diabetic (15 IDDM and 15 NIDDM) patients and in 30 age and sex matched healthy non-diabetic subjects. A positive correlation occurs between glycosylation of proximal portion of hair and the simultaneously measured glycosylated haemoglobin. The hair glycosylation remains stable along the length of hair from scalp to tip in normal subjects and suggests that a sufficiently long hair sample may offer a long term record of degree of hyperglycaemia. This may be useful in the investigation of hyperglycaemia and microvascular complications of diabetes mellitus. The level of glycosylation of hair is independent of duration of the disease, age, sex and race of the patient and colour of the hair, thus providing a universal index of hyperglycaemia in the control of diabetic state. Glycosylation of hair is perhaps the most non-invasive technique readily acceptable to the patients and yet provides a fairly accurate and reliable information regarding hyperglycaemia in the preceding duration in which the hair has been grown.


Magnetic and electrostatic fluctuations are measured in the CASTOR tokamak with a reasonable spatial and temporal resolution to better understand the nature of turbulent processes in tokamaks. We have found that the broadband magnetic fluctuations in the plasma core are nearly independent of the safety factor q(a). However, their level is dramatically reduced (by a factor of three) when the aspect ratio increases from 5.4 to 6.6. The character of electrostatic structures in the edge plasma was found to be quite similar to that observed in large tokamak experiments. Furthermore, the fluctuations of the longitudinal current have been identified in the scrape-off layer. These fluctuations might represent a link between the magnetic and electrostatic components of plasma turbulence in this region.


The paper presents an analytical, numerical and experimental analysis of the special designed system for energy harvesting. The harvester system consists of two identical magnets rigidly mounted to the tube's end. Between them, a third magnet is free to magnetically levitate (pseudo-levitate) due to the proper magnet polarity. The behaviour of the harvester is significantly complicated by a electromechanical coupling. It causes resonance curves to have a distorted shape and a new solution from which the recovered energy is higher is observed. The Harmonic Balance Method (HBM) is used to approximately describe the response and stability of the mechanical and electrical systems. The analytical results are verified by a numerical path following (continuation) method and experiment test with use of a shaker. The influence of harvester parameters on the system response and energy recovery near a main resonance is studied in detail.


The second half of the twentieth century has seen the emergence in France of an increasing number of private societies for the protection of the French language. Since the 1990s, such societies have increasingly been established online, with older societies also creating an online presence. France is a country, which has long been associated with linguistic purism. Can these language societies be seen to represent a modern-day form of purism? To attempt to answer this question, this article takes as its basis George Thomas's Linguistic Purism, which outlines a framework, which can be used to identify and measure elements typical of all purist movements. An examination of several language societies highlighted two major preoccupations shown by all of them: the protection of the French language from the perceived 'dangerous' influx of anglicisms in recent years, and the promotion of the use of French both in France and further afield. Two societies were then chosen which each reflect one of these preoccupations quite strongly, and these societies were examined in the light of Thomas's framework in order to investigate whether or not they can be seen to be purist. The investigation shows that although both societies do show some purist traits, they also show features that do not tie in with Thomas's framework. Further research is needed to explore whether these language societies are not, in fact, truly purist or whether Thomas's framework needs to be expanded to reflect a new situation.


Political party vigilantism in Ghana has consistently been on the ascendency since the return to Constitutional rule in 1993. Their activities have usually been during and after elections across the country. By-elections in Atiwa, Akwatia, Chereponi, Talensi, Amenfi West and more recently Ayawaso West Wuogon, have all been marred by acts of violence. Ghana in 2017 recorded for the first time political party vigilante groups storming a courtroom in Kumasi and freeing some of their members standing trial after assaulting a regional security coordinator in the second largest region in the country – Ashanti region. The paper seeks to highlight the dangers inherent in this rather negative development which could reverse the gains Ghana has made in consolidating its democracy. The author relied on secondary data including relevant media publications and statements from civil society organizations, political parties and religious bodies on vigilantism in Ghana. Findings show that the seed of vigilantism has been sowed and allowed to be nurtured to the extent that the parties have taken uncompromising positions in ending the cancer because it borders on political power. A law has been passed but indications are that nothing much is changing. The National Peace Council has intervened yet there is no sign of lasting solution to the problem. The paper concludes that all stakeholders especially the civil society organizations and Original Research Article Asekere; ARJASS, 10(3): 24-39, 2020; Article no.ARJASS.55535 25 the religious bodies ought to be objective and bold to openly name and shame political parties whose members engage in negative acts of vigilantism and urge the masses to vote against such parties or else the phenomenon will persist and its ramifications will be disastrous.


OBJECTIVE To study the structure of deficit disorders identified in the initial phase (first 5 years) of youth-onset endogenous psychosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS Author examined 232 patients with the first episode of juvenile endogenous psychosis during the period from 2005 to 2015 using integrated phenomenological and clinical/psychopathological approaches. The follow-up was administered to 151 patients. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION The working hypothesis on the formation of deficit symptom variants based on the mutual competition of its components was formulated. Identified typological species allowed to hypothesize the existence of continual series of variations of deficit disorders manifested as phenomena with multilateral dependencies, characterized by dynamism and a wide range of modifications and verifiable in remission at the initial stages of attack-like endogenous psychosis.


This paper presents the brushless DC (BLDC) motor drive with direct torque control (DTC) for a washing machine over variable speed range. The system hardware and software programming are analyzed and designed. The flux controller and torque controller are derived and realized accordingly. A prototype of BLDC motor drive based on the DSP controller with DTC control is implemented and validated by the exhibition of waveforms measurement for currents, torque, flux linkage, and speed. The performance of the BLDC motor drive employing DTC is compared with that of BLDC utilizing the PI current control. The simulations are carried out prior to realization of the system implementation. The experimental results not only verify the feasibility of designed system but also demonstrate that BLDC with DTC control has superior characteristics than that with PI current control.


We propose and implement a method that provides quantitative estimates of the extent to which higher-than-expected inflation can lower the real value of outstanding government debt. Looking forward, we derive a formula for the debt burden that relies on detailed information about debt maturity and claimholders, and that uses option prices to construct risk-adjusted probability distributions for inflation at different horizons. The estimates suggest that it is unlikely that inflation will lower the US fiscal burden significantly, and that the effect of higher inflation is modest for plausible counterfactuals. If instead inflation is combined with financial repression that ex post extends the maturity of the debt, then the reduction in value can be significant.


Combining game studies and folklore studies, this article examines the origin of Herobrine, a fan-created legend in the popular video game Minecraft. By linking the creation and dissemination of the legend to both fan-production in game studies and the semiotic concept of ostension as utilised in folklore studies the article will give an overview of the different methods of remediation that are being employed in the spread and retelling of the legend. Addressing the nature of virtual game space, the article will discuss the relationship of space and legend creation and thereby comment on the productive potential of the act of play. Minecraft's Herobrine is of special significance in this regard because, in a rare occurrence, this legend was conceived not by the developers of the game but emerged from the player community itself. As such it is ample evidence of player production and gives insight into the player-driven creation of meaning in video games and how their creations renegotiate the concept of the real within the liminoid space of the game.


Purpose In middle-aged and older adults, arterial stiffness is a significant predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) is a frequently used direct measure of arterial stiffness. Little is known about the determinants of PWV in youth and young adults. We sought to investigate PWV in a large cohort of white and black youth and young adults. Methods As part of a larger twin study, radial-carotid (r-c) and carotid-dorsalis pedis (c-d) PWV was measured using applanation tonometry with the SphygmoCor system in 702 subjects (41% black, 49% male) aged 12-30 years (mean: 17.7 ± 3.3). Ethnicity and gender differences were tested and associations investigated with age, body mass index (BMI), systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and pulse pressure (PP) in each ethnicity by gender group. Multiple regression was used to determine the independent predictors of r-c and c-d PWV. Results r-c and c-d PWV were moderately correlated (range: 0.31-0.51). Both were significantly increased in blacks compared to their white counterparts, but there was no significant gender difference. In both blacks and whites, age for c-d PWV and DBP for both r-c and c-d PWV showed the strongest positive correlations (range: 0.31-0.62). SBP was correlated to c-d PWV to a lesser degree (range: 0.16-0.37). BMI was correlated to c-d PWV in whites only (range: 0.17-0.24). There was no positive correlation with pulse pressure. Using multiple regression analysis, age, ethnicity, BMI, DBP, and SBP were shown to explain 18.8% and 34.4% of the variance in r-c and c-d PWV, respectively. Age, ethnicity, and DBP were the most important predictors with the greatest effect in these final models. Conclusions Arterial stiffness increases with age even in a population of youth and young adults. Ethnic differences in arterial stiffness seem to be established by adolescence. DBP as opposed to PP is the strongest predictor of PWV in young individuals.


This work presents a portable wireless urine detection system which consists of an electrochemical readout application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and a biosensor composed of 2, 2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) and carbon nanotube (ABTS-CNT) for the detection of urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR). The ASIC includes a potentiostat, a digital circuitry and a power management circuit which can perform electrochemistry techniques with a dual-channel screen-printing carbon electrode (SPCE). Electrochemical experiments on the proposed biosensor (SPCE|ABTS-CNT|Nafion) have revealed promising sensing characteristics for creatinine and human serum albumin detection. Practical urine tests has demonstrated the capability of the proposed urine detection system for UACR detection with both the power-efficient readout ASIC and the ABTS-CNT biosensor. A user-friendly prototype has also been designed which can be useful for either personal health administrationor homecare.


The use of aluminum alloy parts in the automotive industry has been increasing recently due to its low weight compared with steel to improve fuel efficiency. Companies in the auto parts manufacturing sector are expected to meet the government`s strict environmental regulations. In this study, manufacturing process of aluminum alloy bolt has been designed from forming to heat treatment. Bolt forming process is composed of cold forging for body and rolling for thread. In this study only cold forging process is considered by employing the finite element method. In the cold forging process, preform shape was designed and damage value was considered for die design. Two steps of forging process has been developed by the simulation and a prototype was manugactured accordingly. As a final process, solution heat treatment and aging process was employed. A final prototype was found to meet the required specifications of tensile strength and dimension.


The population in India is expected to stabilize around 1640 million by the year 2050, as a result, gross per capita water availability will decline from 1820 m3/year in 2001 to as low as ~ 1140 m3/year in 2050. Thus, the growing concern about water scarcity challenges us to think of alternative solutions to avoid the current problem of water scarcity. The micro-watershed development, which ensures availability of water for agriculture and domestic purpose and the roof-top rain water harvesting measures, which provide water for domestic consumption are often suggested as solutions for overcoming water shortage in drought prone areas of India. This article presents the success story of rooftop rain water harvesting program in Renavi village in Sangli District of Maharashtra, India. The potential assessment of the village revealed that, approximately 20 lakh liters of water collected from rooftops, will satisfy the demand of a population of 1300 for at least 78 days. This estimation is as per the United Nations standard, which prescribes the requirement of 20 liters of water (cooking and domestic uses) per person per day in India.

 Key words: Roof top, rain water harvesting, water scarcity.


Whether blogs possess relationship marketing outcomes is a subject that has not been analyzed empirically. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between blog function characteristics and relationship marketing outcomes as well as to clarify the role of tour leaders' charisma. Online survey data from 415 customers indicate that blog function characteristics have a positive effect on relationship marketing outcomes. Tour leaders' charisma also has a significant moderating effect on the relationship between blog function characteristics and relationship marketing outcomes. Implications of these findings as well as future research are subsequently discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A combination of computational and experimental studies was performed on a 1.1m wide side discharge double-spindle lawn mower deck. For the experimental portion of the study air velocities were measured by using a forward-scatter LDV system. Velocity measurements were collected at several different tangential and axial sections inside the deck. In order to simulate the flow in real operating conditions, a grass feeding system was constructed in the laboratory. LDV test data were also validated by the conducting high-speed video taping of the experiments in several different running conditions.
 In the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) work, 2-D blade shapes at several arbitrary radial sections have been selected for flow computations around the blade model. The 2-D computational results were compared with the experimental results obtained in this study.


The continuous development of soybean cultivars aiming at higher yields can result in a demand of N supply higher than the standard inoculation with Bradyrhizobium species. In this context, Azospirillum species, a nitrogen-fixing microorganism found in the rhizosphere of various plant species, may be studied as a way of providing soybean crop with the part of the N it needs. Employing a completely randomized design with four replicates, this study aimed to evaluate the agronomic performance of two different methods of standard inoculation of Bradyrhizobium spp. associated with the co-inoculation with Azospirillum spp. The tested treatments consisted of the absence of N fertilizer and inoculant, full N recommendation, two single inoculations with Bradyrhizobium spp. (in-furrow and seed-applied) combined with an in-furrow application of Azospirillum spp. At R2 growth stage, the nodule number, nodule dry weight, shoot dry biomass and shoot N content were the variables evaluated, whereas at R8 the grain yield, thousand seed weight and grain N content were assessed. The results demonstrated that the co-inoculation of Bradyrhizobium spp. with Azospirillum brasilense is beneficial to soybean yield, mainly using the in-furrow method of application for Bradyrhizobium spp., associated to the in-furrow co-inoculation with Azospirillum spp.

 Key words: Glycine max, inoculation, nitrogen content, yield.


The aim of this study was to elucidate a branch of the infraorbital artery (IOA) crossing the arcus marginalis into the orbit that might be vulnerable during a procedure of midface lift or fat sliding or a transposition in lower blepharoplasty.Eleven orbits of 6 Korean cadavers were dissected after injecting red latex into the external carotid artery. The IOA and nerve were identified. A branch of the IOA running upward was traced. In 28 cases of blow-out fracture, a branch of the IOA crossing the arcus marginalis into the orbit was identified, and the location was measured from each medial and lateral canthus.The palpebral branch of the IOA (PIOA) emerged from the infraorbital foramen and ran superior and lateral to the orbital septum. After passing through the orbital septum near the arcus marginalis, PIOA was distributed to the orbital fat. The palpebral branch of the IOA was identified in 21 (75.0%) of 28 fractured orbits. Twenty orbits had 1 PIOA, and 1 orbit had 2 PIOAs. The location of PIOA from the medial canthus (49.0%) was approximately half of the eye width in average. Most of the PIOAs (91%, 20 of 22 arteries found) were included in the range of 40% to 80% of the eye width from the medial canthus.Knowledge of the anatomic course of the PIOA crossing the arcus marginalis is conducive to cauterizing the vessels, as needed, in the subciliary or transconjunctival approach for lower blepharoplasty.


The frequently asymptomatic sexually transmitted infections (STIs) caused by Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), and Mycoplasma genitalium (MG) are poorly diagnosed in Brazil and can lead to severe complications/sequelae without timely detection and treatment. We investigated prevalence of CT, NG, and MG infections and associated demographic, behavioral, and clinical factors in consecutive women attending a gynecology and obstetrics outpatient clinic in Pelotas, Southern Brazil. Vaginal swab samples were prospectively obtained from asymptomatic and symptomatic women (n = 498) from August 2015 to December 2016 and tested with Aptima Combo2 and Aptima M. genitalium assays (Hologic). The prevalence of CT, NG, and MG was 6.8% (34/498), 1.0% (5/498), and 4.2% (21/498), respectively. Three (0.6%) cases of CT and NG co-infection and one (0.2%) case of CT and MG co-infection were identified. The risk factors associated with these bacterial STIs were youth (<30 years), no steady sexual partner, infection with additional STI, and lack of income. Bacterial STIs, particularly CT and MG, were prevalent among women, including pregnant women (60% of positive cases), in Pelotas, Brazil. Sensitive and specific diagnostic testing and early treatment are essential to control STIs, limit transmission chains, avoid future complications/sequelae, and reduce health and cost burdens on the population.


With advancing age, an increase in bone resorption relative to bone formation results in bone loss. Bone marrow stromal cells and their products support osteoclastogenesis from hematopoietic progenitors. Another of their products, osteoprotegerin (OPG), blocks the osteoclast-stimulatory effects of OPG ligand. We tested the hypothesis that with advancing age there is a decrease in OPG expression by human bone marrow cells. Bone marrow cells were obtained from 18 subjects (age range 38-84 years). Expression of mRNA transcripts of OPG was assessed by quantitative competitive RT-PCR. Median number of OPG transcripts in the younger group was 0. 3 zetptomoles (range 0.01 to 1.30) and was higher than in the older group's median of 0.06 (range 0 to 0.5; p < 0.05). The decline in the expression of OPG with age may increase the capacity of stromal/osteoblast cells to support osteoclastogenesis.


Abnormal uterine bleeding occurs across the entire age spectrum. Pregnancy, infection, birth-control methods, psychogenic causes, organic pathology, endocrine disorders, blood dyscrasias, systemic diseases and dysfunctional uterine bleeding are considered in the differential diagnosis. While the historical questions are similar regardless of age, the diagnostic methods, differential diagnosis and the management plan vary within each age bracket. Pregnancy-related disorders, infection, birth-control methods and psychogenic factors are the most common etiologies in younger women, but endocrine, systemic and hematologic disorders must be considered. In the middle years, irregular bleeding frequently occurs due to perimenopausal ovarian failure. With postmenopausal bleeding, endometrial carcinoma must always be ruled out. Treatment consists of correcting the underlying disorder. If no organic cause is identified, hormonal therapy or more invasive procedures are used.


I. Introduction Few economic events of the past fifty years were more dramatic than the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98. Economic and political circumstances in Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines produced severe currency depreciation and recession previously unknown to the region. While the causes and consequences of the crisis are thoroughly addressed elsewhere (for example, Woo, Carleton, and Rosario 2000; Pesenti and Tille 2000; Kamin 1999), a largely unexplored issue is the impact on food security. On the one hand, depreciation and recession make it difficult for low-income households to obtain adequate food supplies (Rosegrant and Ringler 1998; Barichello 1998; Booth 1998; Mya Than 2001). Depreciation also increases the relative price of traded goods, including most agricultural commodities, so that the crisis countries should experience increases in rural income, food production, and long-term food security (Barichello 1998; Booth 1998). A third potential issue is unique to food-importing countries. During a financial crisis, capital flight and financial contagion cause the capital account to become negative and require an offsetting surplus in the current account, assuming foreign exchange reserves are negligible. In principle, this adjustment occurs via increased export revenues or decreased import expenditures, though Higgins and Klitgaard (2000) confirm that import expenditures and import volume decreased substantially during the Asian financial crisis. If staple food imports also decrease, available food supplies would fall and harm short-run food security. A similar scenario occurs when price or production shocks increase the cost of food imports compared with available foreign exchange supplies. This article explores the connection between foreign exchange supplies, food security, and the financial crisis of 1997-98 in Indonesia and the Philippines. Of all the Asian crisis countries, Indonesia and the Philippines are examined separately because of their low per capita incomes and vulnerability to short- and long-term food insecurity. Both countries are also highly dependent on cereal consumption and are net cereal importers, with food grains comprising the bulk of cereal imports. Section II of the article reviews prior studies regarding balance of payments shocks and food security. Section III constructs a working definition of food security and examines the specific conditions in Indonesia and the Philippines. The methodology, data, and regression model are described in Section IV, followed by estimation results in Section V. The article concludes with implications for food security and balance of payments policies. II. Background Previous studies of foreign exchange supplies and food security primarily address compensatory financing issues. Compensatory financing allows countries experiencing short-term food shortages to obtain foreign exchange for food imports at favourable terms from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or other institutions. Valdes and Konandreas (1981) show that countries not normally dependent on food imports must occasionally use a significant share of their export revenues for food imports during price or production shocks. Goreux (1981) explains how the IMF's compensatory scheme for stabilizing export revenues from the 1970s could be modified to accommodate cereal imports during consumption shortfalls. (1) Huddleston et al. (1984) examine the IMF's Compensatory and Contingency Financing Facility (CCFF) and find potential for offsetting temporary and sudden food import shocks. Others are less supportive of the CCFF (Green 1983; Green and Kirkpatrick 1982; Kumar 1989; Diakosavvas and Green 1998), arguing that it gives too much attention to stabilizing export revenue and insufficient attention to food consumption. An implicit question in the above studies is whether foreign exchange supplies actually constrain food imports. …


The theory of purchasing power parity implies that real exchange rate series should be stationary. However, conventional unit root tests on the Southern African Development community (SADC) real exchange rates confirm the existence of a unit root. Such deficiencies in the investigation of the dynamics of real exchange rates in the region calls for nonlinear methods like the method used in this study to be pursued, which may better explain the dynamics of real exchange rates in SADC. In this paper two nonlinearity tests are employed: the nonparametric test developed by Brock, Dechert, and Scheinkman - known as the BDS test and the Fourier stationarity test. The BDS test detects the independent and identically distribute (iid) assumption of the time series used in the analysis while the Fourier approximation mimics a wide variety of breaks and other types of nonlinearities. Both tests confirm the non-linear nature of real exchange series in SADC. The result from the Fourier stationarity test further provides strong evidence of an OCA among the 11 SADC countries included in the study.


We construct measures for the non-Markovianity of quantum evolution with a physically meaningful interpretation. We first provide a general setting in the framework of channel capacities and propose two families of meaningful quantitative measures, based on the largest revival of a channel capacity, avoiding some drawbacks of other non-Markovianity measures. We relate the proposed measures to the task of information screening. This shows that the non-Markovianity of a quantum process may be used as a resource. Under these considerations, we analyze two paradigmatic examples, a qubit in a quantum environment with classically mixed dynamics and the Jaynes-Cummings model.


Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between leisure time exercise and whether workers ever had modified duty or lost time (MD/LT) due to low back pain (LBP) in an occupational cohort. Methods: Workers (N = 827) completed a structured interview assessing characteristics of their LBP, whether or not the pain caused modified or lost work time, and their participation in leisure time exercise. Odds ratio of modified/lost time and minutes of exercise participation were assessed. Results: Workers who participated in over 316 min/wk of leisure time exercise incurred significantly less modified/lost time, adjusted odds ratio = 0.46 (95% confidence interval, 0.23 to 0.98). There also lies a significant trend between increases in leisure time exercise and reductions in modified/lost time (P = 0.0016). Conclusion: These results suggest exercise reduces risk of MD/LT from LBP.


The World Health Organization initiated a global surveillance system for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in 2015, and the pilot surveillance is ongoing. The real-time RT-PCR RSV assays (Pan-RSV and duplex assays) developed by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are applied as the standard assays. To introduce these as standard assays in Japan, their practicality was evaluated using 2261 specimens obtained from pediatric inpatients in Japan, which were collected from 2018 to 2021. Although the Pan-RSV and duplex assays had similar analytical sensitivities, they yielded 630 (27.9%) and 786 (34.8%) RSV-positive specimens, respectively (p < 0.001). Although sequencing analysis showed mismatches in the reverse primer used in the Pan-RSV assay, these mismatches did not affect its analytical sensitivity. The analysis of read numbers of RSV isolates from air–liquid interface culture of human bronchial/tracheal epithelial cells showed that the duplex assay had a greater number of reads than did the Pan-RSV assay. Therefore, the duplex assay has superior detection performance compared with the Pan-RSV assay, but the two assays have similar analytical sensitivities.


Militarization by refugees can have problematic outcomes. It can undermine the sovereignty and stability of the host state, perpetuate a transnational conflict and obstruct international efforts to resolve it, and present difficulties in the provision of humanitarian assistance to needy populations. Existing literature privileges structural explanations for militarization while neglecting the agency, interests and internal politics of refugee groups. In this paper, I offer a comprehensive theory of refugee militarization that emphasizes the importance of endogenous factors, including political and economic motivations, in the context of broader structural factors, including political opportunities and resource mobilization, mediated by the presence of militancy entrepreneurs. This theory helps integrate the motivation of refugees, and the discursive framing used by militancy entrepreneurs to mobilize them, with capacity for militant activity. The need for case studies and specific policy recommendations for host states, non-governmental organizations and international stakeholders are discussed.


This study analyzed hospital-based and community-based home health care agencies by means of a small purposive comparative case analysis. The results revealed that hospital-based agencies were different from community-based agencies in terms of agency organization, management, personnel, revenues and expenditures. The voluntary community-based agencies examined were free-standing, single purpose agencies providing the lion's share of direct services to the home health care population. The hospital-based agencies (and public community-based agencies) examined were components of larger organizational structures. Hospital-based agencies concentrate their activities on case finding, case management, and the coordination of patient services, as well as the direct provision of medical therapy and social services. The type of home health agency, community-based or hospital-based, or those examined has been found to define this agency's primary function. This also determined its personnel/staffing pattern and consequently, to a large extent, its expenditure pattern. Additionally, most revenues for certified home health agencies are derived from cost-based reimbursement methodologies of public funding sources. Therefore, agency surpluses or shortages are primarily associated with personnel expenditures and therefore with agency mission and agency type. This study concludes with a discussion of some trends and events that are likely to affect the home health care agencies of the future.


Background Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is currently used for online target monitoring and plan adaptation in modern image-guided radiotherapy. However, storing a large amount of data accumulated during patient treatment becomes an issue. In this study, the feasibility to compress MRI images accumulated in MR-guided radiotherapy using video encoders was investigated. Methods Two sorting algorithms were employed to reorder the slices in multiple MRI sets for the input sequence of video encoder. Three cropping algorithms were used to auto-segment regions of interest for separate data storage. Four video encoders, motion-JPEG (M-JPEG), MPEG-4 (MP4), Advanced Video Coding (AVC or H.264) and High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC or H.265) were investigated. The compression performance of video encoders was evaluated by compression ratio and time, while the restoration accuracy of video encoders was evaluated by mean square error (MSE), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and video quality matrix (VQM). The performances of all combinations of video encoders, sorting methods, and cropping algorithms were investigated and their effects were statistically analyzed. Results The compression ratios of MP4, H.264 and H.265 with both sorting methods were improved by 26% and 5%, 42% and 27%, 72% and 43%, respectively, comparing to those of M-JPEG. The slice-prioritized sorting method showed a higher compression ratio than that of the location-prioritized sorting method for MP4 (P=0.00000), H.264 (P=0.00012) and H.265 (P=0.00000), respectively. The compression ratios of H.265 were improved significantly with the applications of morphology algorithm (P=0.01890 and P=0.00530), flood-fill algorithm (P=0.00510 and P=0.00020) and level-set algorithm (P=0.02800 and P=0.00830) for both sorting methods. Among the four video encoders, H.265 showed the best compression ratio and restoration accuracy. Conclusions The compression ratio and restoration accuracy of video encoders using inter-frame coding (MP4, H.264 and H.265) were higher than that of video encoders using intra-frame coding (M-JPEG). It is feasible to implement video encoders using inter-frame coding for high-performance MRI data storage in MR-guided radiotherapy.


For the purpose of finding the reasons for the slow changes in the mortality trend among cervical cancer patients, the awareness, survival and therapy were studied. After 26 years of observation, Polish women's knowledge of secondary prevention in cervical cancer has improved in a significant way. The behaviour of women has also slightly improved. Above finding and the low 5-year survivals, large proportion of unfavourable clinical stages on the first diagnosis, the small number of cancer cases eligible for radical treatment and the delays in radiotherapy found in epidemiological and clinical studies, offers some explanation for the observed slow change in the mortality trend.


The development of peptic ulcer (PU) and gastric cancer (GC) is the result of the interaction of various internal and external factors. Moreover, if the role ofHelicobacter pylori(H. pylori) in the development of diseases of the stomach is fully established, the significance of many other factors continues to be discussed. Serious controversy is caused by the participation of various strains ofH. pyloriin the development of PU and GC. First of all, these are Vac- and Cag-positive strains ofH. pylori. The role of genetic human polymorphism in the development of this pathology is debatable. Especially the interleukin genes and necrotizing tumor factor alpha. The role of environmental factors in the formation of PU and GC is not fully understood. So, the role of alcohol, occupational hazards and drugs in the development of these diseases continues to be discussed. Further study of risk factors for various diseases of the stomach will optimize their prevention and treatment. The review presents a modern view of individual issues in the pathogenesis of PU and GC.


BACKGROUND/AIM
Combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHC-CC) is found unexpectedly in explanted or resected liver specimens. The current study evaluated the longterm outcomes of living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT) between patients with cHC-CC and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS
We performed 178 LDLT including 8 patients of pathologically and immunohistochemically diagnosed cHC-CC who all underwent LDLT with a preoperative diagnosis of HCC by imaging study.

RESULTS
Out of the 8 patients, 6 were within the Milan criteria and all were within the Kyushu University criteria. The 1-, 5- and 10-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates after LDLT for patients with cHC-CC were 87.5, 72.9 and 48.6% and 85.7, 85.7 and 85.7%, respectively. The OS and DFS between patients with cHC-CC and HCC were not statistically different.

CONCLUSION
LDLT for patients with cHC-CC using the Milan criteria or the Kyushu University criteria, as well as HCC, could have an acceptable long-term outcome.


The expensive cost of testing and characterizing parametric variations is one of the most critical issues for today's nanoscale manufacturing process. In this paper, we propose a new technique, referred to as Bayesian Virtual Probe (BVP), to efficiently measure, characterize and monitor spatial variations posed by manufacturing uncertainties. In particular, the proposed BVP method borrows the idea of Bayesian inference and information theory from statistics to determine an optimal set of sampling locations where test structures should be deployed and measured to monitor spatial variations with maximum accuracy. Our industrial examples with silicon measurement data demonstrate that the proposed BVP method offers superior accuracy (1.5× error reduction) over the VP approach that was recently developed in [12].


Rubella virions demonstrated by negative-contrast electron microscopy have recently been reported to range from 500 to 750 A in diameter and to have amorphous pleomorphic envelopes (J. M. Best et al., Lancet 2:237, 1967). Consonant with these observations, sedimentation studies have indicated a diameter of 850 A and ultrafiltration experiments, 900 A (B. Russell et al., J. Gen. Virol. 1:305, 1967). In equilibrium centrifugation in CsCl gradients with an initial density of 1.23 g/cm3, the infectious moiety has been reported to have a buoyant density of 1.23 g/cm3 (N. J. Schmidt et al., J. Immunol. 99:399, 1967). In gel filtration experiments, infectious virus has been eluted from Sephadex G-200 together with the large complement-fixing (CF) antigen shortly after displacement of the column void volume (N. J. Schmidt et al., Proc. Soc. Exptl. Biol. Med. 123:758, 1966). In the present study, density gradient centrifugation in CsCl, gel filtration in Sephadex G-200, and electron microscopy were employed in attempts to characterize the rubella virus hemagglutinin. Rubella hemagglutinating antigen (HA) was prepared from strain RA/27/3 (13) rubella virus grown in suspension cultures of BHK-21 cells maintained in an inhibitor-free medium [P. E. Halonen et al., Ann. Med. Exptl. Biol. Fenniae (Helsinki) 45:182, 1967]. Infected cultures were harvested after 5 days of incubation and were clarified by centrifugation at 1,800 rev/min for 10 min. HA antigen was concentrated from the resulting supernatant fluid by centrifugation at 30,000 rev/min for 4 hr in a no. 30 Spinco rotor. The pelleted antigen was resuspended in distilled water to 4% of the original volume. HA tests were performed at 4 C with the use of 0.25% chick erythrocytes at a final pH of 6.0, according to a standardized procedure adapted to the microtiter system [P. E. Halonen et al., Ann. Med. Exptl. Biol. Fenniae (Helsinki) 45:182, 1967]. For CsCl density gradient centrifugation, concentrated HA antigen was mixed with a stock solution of CsCl of density 1.80 g/cm3 to yield starting densities of approximately 1.25 g/cm3. The HA antigen-CsCl mixtures were subjected to centrifugation for 36 hr at 39,000 rev/min in a SW-39 rotor. Fractions were collected from the bottom of the tubes with a fraction collector, and fraction densities were determined immediately by weighing 100 uliter samples. Results of equilibrium centrifugation of the HA antigen are presented in Fig. 1. As shown, a sharp peak of HA activity was recovered in fraction no. 3 which had a


ABSTRACT This paper shows the results of a numerical analysis carried out using the equivalent frame method, which aimed to investigate the three-dimensional behaviour of masonry buildings with shallow foundations subjected to different settlement troughs on a set of soil types. The obtained results are first expressed in terms of deterministic relationships between the adopted intensity measure (the maximum differential settlement) and a newly defined engineering demand parameter (the vertical drift ratio). Then, following a probabilistic approach, fragility curves pertaining to the modelled masonry buildings are generated, and their usefulness in preventing the occurrence of a serviceability limit state is discussed.


With exponentially increasing population and rapid industrialization the available freshwater is becoming more polluted and scarce day by day. The effect of consuming this polluted water can be seen more severely in rural areas as most of the rural households do not have access to clean and purified water as compared to their urban counterparts.A major part of population living in rural areas of developing countries don't have privilege to useelectric water purifiers and alternatives of RO purifiers are expensive and requireskilledlabor to maintain and operate these units. A solar still is system that uses the energy of the sun to purify water.it is able to supply pure water for drinking and cooking, even in areas where there are no other sources of energy, while still being friendly to the environment.Peoples living near open cast mining sites such as in Jharkhand and other parts of India are facing huge problems related to polluted water. A person needs pure water for at least drinking purposes. Ouraim is to fulfill this mere necessity of individuals and make their lives a little better then now. Solution of these problems lies in use of renewable and non-conventional energy sources [1]. this study shows the basic principles of distillation by solar energy, types of solar still systems, and the developments in solar still systems.


Background The large treatment gap for mental disorders in India underlines the need for integration of mental health in primary care. Aims To operationalise the delivery of the World Health Organization Mental Health Gap Action Plan interventions for priority mental disorders and to design an integrated mental healthcare plan (MHCP) comprising packages of care for primary healthcare in one district. Method Mixed methods were used including theory of change workshops, qualitative research to develop the MHCP and piloting of specific packages of care in a single facility. Results The MHCP comprises three enabling packages: programme management, capacity building and community mobilisation; and four service delivery packages: awareness for mental disorders, identification, treatment and recovery. Challenges were encountered in training primary care workers to improve identification and treatment. Conclusions There are a number of challenges to integrating mental health into primary care, which can be addressed through the injection of new resources and collaborative care models.


The objective of a research training process, from the learning perspective, is to
acquire a set of basic competences that translate into a high level of professional and technical maturity. The use of a portfolio as a practical tool can help in this process that spans from the collection of information to the shaping of ideas. In this paper we present a practical materialization of the portfolio, a research-oriented example, together with the perception the student gets out of this practice. In conclusion, being successful in such practices is not straightforward. However, the right combination of persistence, rigorousness and feedback, help speeding up the process.


A cross sectional study was conducted between April and July 2012 in the North of Portugal, to evaluates cattle ownersknowledge regarding bovine tuberculosis. A questionnaire was provided to 154 cattle owners. According to the survey, 14.3 % of respondents had its herd already infected by tuberculosis. Result showed that farmers have a good knowledge on the disease despite age and/or lack of training. However, 27.9 % not recognized bovine tuberculosis as one of the most important diseases of cattle due to the economical losses and trade restrictions, 25 % not recognized the airborne transmission and 46.7 % unknown wildlife as a reservoir of bovine tuberculosis. Farmer knowledge about bovine tuberculosis can be considered as an important tool to improve official erradication plans. The present results could be useful for policy makers when planning mitigation measures to consider knowledge levels by cattle owners for effective implementation.


The APA Style Guide provides a quick reference for Sheridan students learning the APA Style of citation. Created and maintained by Sheridan library staff.


Atrial fibrillation is an epidemic in Asia that is increasingly prevalent. Apart from stroke risk stratification and management of anticoagulation, physicians managing this group of patients also need to determine an optimal strategy in terms of rate or rhythm control. With new techniques of catheter ablation to maintain patients in sinus rhythm, patients with atrial fibrillation now have more options for treatment, on top of pharmacological methods. This paper aims to review the current evidence for rate and rhythm control in both general patients and subgroups of interest commonly encountered in clinical practices such as obesity, heart failure and thyroid disease.


Fasciolosis is a chronic parasitic disease caused by two species of liver trematodes, Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica, which infest ruminants and rarely humans. The disease is spread all over the world, but more common in Asia in areas with extensive livestock farming and can be imported cases in Europe and America. In this case, we describe imported infection with F. hepatica in Bulgaria from 11-year-old Syrian immigrant boy.


This paper studies optimal time‑consistent monetary policy in a simple New Keynesian model with long‑term nominal government debt. Fiscal policy is 'active', so that stabilisation of the government debt stock is a binding constraint on monetary policy. Away from the lower bound on the monetary policy rate, optimal monetary policy cannot fully offset the effects of shocks to the natural rate of interest, reducing welfare. At the lower bound, recessionary shocks increase the real value of government debt, generating the anticipation of higher future inflation to stabilise real debt. Higher inflation expectations reduce real interest rates, mitigating the effects of recessionary shocks. If debt duration is long enough, improved performance at the lower bound may outweigh higher welfare losses in normal times, compared with the case in which fiscal policy is 'passive'.<br>


We present a real-time, data-driven algorithm to enhance the social-invisibility of autonomous vehicles within crowds. Our approach is based on prior psychological research, which reveals that people notice and–importantly–react negatively to groups of social actors when they have high entitativity, moving in a tight group with similar appearances and trajectories. In order to evaluate that behavior, we performed a user study to develop navigational algorithms that minimize entitativity. This study establishes mapping between emotional reactions and multi-robot trajectories and appearances, and further generalizes the finding across various environmental conditions. We demonstrate the applicability of our entitativity modeling for trajectory computation for active surveillance and dynamic intervention in simulated robot-human interaction scenarios. Our approach empirically shows that various levels of entitative robots can be used to both avoid and influence pedestrians while not eliciting strong emotional reactions, giving multi-robot systems socially-invisibility.


Abstract Purpose To study the effect of intraoperative internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling on the macular vascular structure in patients with diabetic epiretinal membrane (ERM). Methods Patients with diabetic ERM were divided into an ERM + ILM peeling group (18 eyes) and an ERM peeling group (19 eyes), all of whom underwent standard vitrectomy and were followed up until 6 months postoperatively. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), Central macular thickness (CMT), Vessel density (VD) and vessel length density (VLD) of the superficial as well as deep retinal capillary plexus were compared between the two groups. Results There was no significant difference in BCVA (p = .188, .410, .901, .916) and CMT (p = .164, .128, .110, .105) between the two groups at the week 1, month 1, month 3 and month 6 after operation. In the superficial capillary plexus (SCP), the change in VD (p = .106) and VLD (p = .438) was not affected by ILM peeling, and there was no significant difference in VD (p = .154, .063, .100, .162) and VLD (p = .386, .263, .431, .391) between the two groups during the four follow-up after operation. For the deep capillary plexus (DCP), there was an effect of ILM peeling on the changes in VD (p = .024) and VLD (p = .012), ILM peeling delayed the recovery time of the VD and VLD; The VD (p = .026, .000, .003) and VLD (p = .005, .000, .000) of ERM + ILM peeling group were lower than those of ERM peeling group from the month 1 to the month 6 after operation. Conclusion Intraoperative peeling of the ILM in patients with diabetic ERM delayed the improvement of blood flow signal in the DCP but did not affect the recovery of postoperative BCVA and CMT.


The literary works written and published during the New Order era were used as the data in this article. During this era there were many literary works which contained social criticisms towards the New Order government. The study focuses on the literary work in the form of poems, and employed the qualitative research method. The theory of literary sociology was used as the main theory while the structural theory and semiotic theory were used as the supporting theories. The social criticisms and meaning which were transmitted by the poets through their poems could be optimally revealed using these theories. The result of the study shows that the poems written by the poets during the New Order era, especially those written by Taufiq Ismail contained a lot of social criticisms; he criticized the law, human rights, politics, education and economy implemented by the New Order government. Such social criticisms were shown through different poetic elements such as the diction, language style, and rhetoric. The social criticisms expressed by Taufic Ismail reflected that Indonesia (the readers) should refer back to the nation's identity and character as stated in the Five Principles 'Pancasila' and the 1945 Constitution.


The goal of post-transplant immunosuppressive drug therapy is to prevent organ rejection while minimizing drug toxicities. In clinical practice, a multidrug approach is commonly used and involves drugs with different mechanisms of action, including calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) (tacrolimus or cyclosporine), antimetabolite (antimet) (mycophenolate or azathioprine), inhibitors of mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) (sirolimus or everolimus), and/or steroids. Although evidence based on several randomized clinical trials is available, the optimal immunosuppressive therapy has not been established and may vary among organ transplant settings. To improve the knowledge on this topic, a multiregional research network to Compare the Effectiveness and Safety of Immunosuppressive drugs in Transplant patients (CESIT) has been created with the financial support of the Italian Medicines Agency. In this article, we describe the development of this network, the framework that was designed to perform observational studies, and we also give an overview of the preliminary results that we have obtained. A multi-database transplant cohort was enrolled using a common data model based on healthcare claims data of four Italian regions (Lombardy, Veneto, Lazio, and Sardinia). Analytical datasets were created using an open-source tool for distributed analysis. To link the National Transplant Information System to the regional transplant cohorts, a semi-deterministic record linkage procedure was performed. Overall, 6,914 transplant patients from 2009–19 were identified: 4,029 (58.3%) for kidney, 2,219 (32.1%) for liver, 434 (6.3%) for heart, and 215 (3.1%) for lung. As expected, demographic and clinical characteristics showed considerable variability among organ settings. Although the triple therapy in terms of CNI + antimet/mTOR + steroids was widely dispensed for all settings (63.7% for kidney, 33.5% for liver, 53.3% for heart, and 63.7% for lung), differences in the active agents involved were detected. The CESIT network represents a great opportunity to study several aspects related to the use, safety, and effectiveness of post-transplant maintenance immunosuppressive therapy in real practice.


The aim of this study was to investigate on characteristics of sociological and demographic population, marital conflicts and expectations to family counselors" cultural competence surrounding factors of cultural adaptation among immigrated women. This study conducted a survey of 236 immigrated women in Kyonggi province, Seoul metropolitan cities, Cholla and Chunchung provinces and Incheon. The results of this study are as follows: First, a relatively few marital conflicts were found, as a whole, while they had the high levels of expectation to family counselors" cultural competence. Second, immigrated women can be clustered as three different types: "multiplicity type", "undifferentiated type" and "adaptation type". Third, sociological and demographic population characteristics which were subdivided and clustered according to cultural adaptation made the significant difference between each population. Population with multiplicity type out of the above-stated three types accounted for the highest conflict rates, while population with "adaptation" type accounted for the lowest conflict rates. Lastly, expectations to family counselors" cultural competence made the significant difference among each population. Population with multiplicity type showed the highest expectation levels on expectations to family counselors" cultural competence, while population with undifferentiated type showed the lowest levels.


Fisheries management has historically focused on the population elasticity of target fish based primarily on demographic modeling, with the key assumptions of stability in environmental conditions and static trophic relationships. The predictive capacity of this fisheries framework is poor, especially in closed systems where the benthic diversity and boundary effects are important and the stock levels are low. Here, we present a probabilistic model that couples key fish populations with a complex suite of trophic, environmental, and geomorphological factors. Using 41 years of observations we model the changes in eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua), herring (Clupea harengus), and Baltic sprat (Sprattus sprattus balticus) for the Baltic Sea within a Bayesian network. The model predictions are spatially explicit and show the changes of the central Baltic Sea from cod- to sprat-dominated ecology over the 41 years. This also highlights how the years 2004 to 2014 deviate in terms of the typical cod–environment relationship, with environmental factors such as salinity being less influential on cod population abundance than in previous periods. The role of macrozoobenthos abundance, biotopic rugosity, and flatfish biomass showed an increased influence in predicting cod biomass in the last decade of the study. Fisheries management that is able to accommodate shifting ecological and environmental conditions relevant to biotopic information will be more effective and realistic. Non-stationary modelling for all of the homogeneous biotope regions, while acknowledging that each has a specific ecology relevant to understanding the fish population dynamics, is essential for fisheries science and sustainable management of fish stocks.


Collaborative learning is an established technique for teaching and learning in which the students have their own learning responsibilities for each other and for themselves. This is a social process in which the learners learn from peers by participating interactively with learning materials, observing the solution approach adopted by every peers, ensure each peer is focused towards the task and motivated in highlighting issues and decisions. The potential benefits that can be obtained by the learners learning through collaborative learning are enormous. In spite of various studies on collaborative learning in asynchronous learning environment, not much focus has been given on the effect of learners characteristics on the critical thinking when collaborating online in the small groups of diversified learners to solve a given problem. Critical thinking is an important component in the students online discussion in small groups which has diversified learners. This paper attempts to answer the following question: Are there any differences in learners' actual critical thinking ratio during the online collaboration attributable to their characteristics? This study is conducted in premise of that the learners learning is not so much a matter of building up correct responses or eliminating incorrect responses. The most important thing is for students to have the opportunity in a group to test the adequacy of their ideas. It is how critical thinking skills are developed in the online group discussion. (Authors' abstract)


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new viewpoint series, Monitoring the Media: Spotlight on Social Media Research, by providing an overview of the key challenges in social media research and some current initiatives in addressing them. Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers publication output from disciplines dealing with social media studies and summarises the key challenges as discussed in the broader research community. Findings – The paper suggests that challenges originate both from the interdisciplinary nature of social media research and from the ever-changing research landscape. It concludes that, whilst the community is addressing some challenges, others require more attention. Originality/value – The paper summarises key challenges of social media and will be of interest to researchers in different disciplines, as well as a general audience, wanting to learn about how social media data are used for research.


The physician should take a logical, systematic approach when choosing antimicrobial therapy. The recent proliferation of antimicrobial agents and changing susceptibility patterns amongst bacterial pathogens have made this a more arduous task. Classifying antibiotics according to their spectrum of activity, tissue penetration and potential side effects will aid in choosing empiric therapy for serious head and neck infections.


Background: Compared to European American women, African American (AA) women have a higher incidence of breast cancer (BrCa) under age 45, and are more likely to develop estrogen receptor-negative (ER-) tumors, a more aggressive BrCa subtype. Experimental studies drew attention to the potential antitumorigenic properties of calcium and vitamin D. Darker skin color reduces the cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D upon sun exposure. This, together with the tendency of AAs to consume less vitamin D and calcium from food and supplement sources, places AAs at risk for vitamin D and calcium deficiency. However, data are limited regarding the impact of calcium and vitamin D on risk of BrCa and specific subtypes among AA women. Objective: To evaluate calcium intake and vitamin D exposure (through food, supplements and sunlight) with the risk of BrCa and its subtypes among AA women. Methods: We evaluated these associations among 1033 BrCa cases and 391 controls of AA descent recruited since March 2012 in the Women9s Circle of Health Study. Cases were identified by rapid case ascertainment in 10 counties in New Jersey. Controls were identified by random-digit-dialing and community-based recruitment, and were frequency matched by age group and county of residence. Dietary information over the year prior to diagnosis (for cases) or the reference date (for controls) was assessed via a validated food frequency questionnaire through in-person interviews. Supplemental intakes including multivitamin sources and daily hours spent outdoors in daylight were also collected. Hormone receptor status was obtained from pathology reports. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusting for relevant sociodemographic, reproductive, and lifestyle risk factors. Results: Vitamin D intake from food was not associated with BrCa risk. However, for supplemental vitamin D intake, we observed a significant decreased overall BrCa risk for users of ≤800 IU/day vs. nonusers (OR=0.73, 95% CI: 0.54, 0.98), which was limited to estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) BrCa (OR=0.69, 95% CI: 0.50, 0.94), but not for ER- or triple-negative BrCa. More daylight hours spent outdoors in a year predicted a lower risk of pre- and postmenopausal BrCa [comparing the highest quartile (Q4) vs. lowest (Q1): OR=0.37, 95% CI: 0.20-0.68, p-trend: 0.002; OR=0.46, 95% CI: 0.30-0.71, p-trend: 0.001, respectively]. The significant inverse associations were observed for both ER+ and ER- BrCa, but not for triple-negative BrCa. Calcium intake was not associated with BrCa risk. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that moderate intake of supplemental vitamin D may decrease the risk of ER+ BrCa. Sun exposure may decrease the risk of BrCa among AA women, which does not appear to differ by menopausal status and ER status. Citation Format: Bo Qin, Baichen Xu, Nan Ji, Karen Pawlish, Song Yao, Christine Ambrosone, Kitaw Demissie, Chi-Chen Hong, Elisa V. Bandera. Dietary calcium and vitamin D and sun exposure with the risk of breast cancer among African American women [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr C046.


Coatings, typically painted films, one of the most important and widely-used surface treatment materials, were selected as the subject of this research project. In this dissertation, detailed three-dimensional (3D) spatial structures of three types of coating specimens: silver epoxy adhesive, iron oxide alkyd paint and aluminium epoxy marine coating were obtained by using different 3D X-ray imaging methods and comparative 3D electron imaging means. The shapes and spatial distributions of particles of the main functional ingredients of all these coating specimens were demonstrated. Specifically, for the aluminium epoxy marine coating, the quantitative analysis of the sizes, volumes, orientations and spatial distributions and correlations of the aluminium flakes in the matrix materials of the coating were carried out. Furthermore, the 3D structures of the aluminium epoxy marine coating samples were used for the finite element simulations of the (ion) percolation properties of the coating film. This potentially provides us with a practical method to engineer the efficacy of coatings by modelling their performances based on the actual structures instead of using assumed model structures. This is a new way to evaluate the performance of materials, and also can be an approach for validating their mechanistic assumptions. It could help to shorten the product research and development lifetime, complementing endurance studies of original specimens. The work presented in the dissertation is the first systematic research of 3D spatial structures of coatings and it could help guide coating researchers how to choose the most suitable 3D investigation method for a specific coating specimen. Through comparative experiments, transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM), ptychographic Xray computed tomography (PXCT), X-ray holo-tomography and serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBFSEM) have been verified as effective ways to reveal 3D spatial structures of complex industrial specimens. A comparison among these 3D imaging approaches and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. The wave-front modulation coherent X-ray diffraction imaging was also implemented. It proved to be a capable method of measuring structures of coating samples and reaches similar resolution as TXM. Developing it into a 3D coherent X-ray imaging methodology with capabilities of obtaining a unique image solution from a single diffraction pattern is left as future work.


The present study concerns the Lagrangian dynamics of three-dimensional (3D) buoyancy-driven cavity flows under steady and laminar conditions due to a global temperature gradient imposed via an opposite hot and cold sidewall. This serves as the archetypal configuration for natural-convection flows in which (contrary to the well-known Rayleigh–Bénard flow) gravity is perpendicular (instead of parallel) to the global temperature gradient. Limited insight into the Lagrangian properties of this class of flows, despite its relevance to observed flow phenomena as well as scalar transport, motivates this study. The 3D Lagrangian dynamics are investigated in terms of the generic structure and associated transport properties of the global streamline pattern ('Lagrangian flow topology') by both theoretical and computational analyses. The Grashof number $Gr$ is the principal control parameter for the flow topology: limit $Gr=0$ yields a trivial state of closed streamlines; $Gr>0$ induces symmetry breaking by fluid inertia and buoyancy and thus causes formation of toroidal coherent structures ('primary tori') embedded in chaotic streamlines governed by Hamiltonian mechanisms. Fluid inertia prevails for 'smaller' $Gr$ and gives behaviour that is dynamically entirely analogous to 3D lid-driven cavity flows. Buoyancy-induced bifurcation of the flow topology occurs for 'larger' $Gr$ and underlies the emergence of 'secondary rolls' observed in the literature and to date unreported secondary tori for 'larger' Prandtl numbers $Pr$ . Key to these dynamics are stagnation points and corresponding heteroclinic manifold interactions.


During the last few years the treatment of the average case of goiter has been quite satisfactorily standardized as the result of the management of many thousands of cases, mostly in the hands of relatively few surgeons. However, every one interested in these cases, no matter how experienced he may be, occasionally faces conditions involving the thyroid alone, or complicated with other pathologic conditions, which are of sufficient gravity to tax his judgment to the utmost. A too high mortality, even in desperate risk cases, brings discredit on surgery and influences many, who might safely obtain relief, not to have a timely operation. On the other hand, careful study and elimination of some cases, with greater experience and improvement in methods of dealing with these cases, has made it possible each year to extend the range of operability to other cases which at first sight were apparently regarded as hopeless.


now underway&dquo; (p. xi). In this well documented collection those interested in Mt 5:3-7:27 will find a very readable yet tantalizing approach. In B.'s view the SM is a pre-Matthean source that does not go back to Jesus of Nazareth directly but to Jewish Christians living in Jerusalem around A.D. 50. Moreover, it is a source that was transmitted intact and then integrated by the evangelist into his gospel. By drawing material from the tradition of Jesus' sayings and by carefully selecting, formulating, arranging, and composing, the original author or authors created a synthesis of the teaching of Jesus. This Jewish-Christian community suffered both internal and external pressures. As Mt 7:21-23 shows, the enemies of the community were Gentile Christian missionaries who like Paul proclaimed a gospel apart from the law (p. 156). As Mt 6:1-18 indicates, the audience of the SM displayed no interest in the temple cult and were probably anti-Pharisaic in tendency. In the pluralistic Jewish society of the mid-first century A.D. this group, while only one group among many, considered Jesus the authoritative teacher and interpreter of the Torah. In terms of genre the SM finds literary analogues in Epictetus's Enchiridion and Epicurus's Kyriai Doxai. It is &dquo;an epitome presenting the theology of Jesus in a systematic fashion ... to provide the disciple of Jesus with the necessary tool for becoming a Jesus theologian&dquo; (p. 15). B. further notes that the SM shares


The issue of whether an international judicial forum may entertain the claim of a dual national against a state to which he owes allegiance, is an old one. What is new, however, is the challenge by the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal of the traditionally held view that, in the absence of a clear mandate and where customary international law is exclusively invoked, the forum may not do so. Such a claim is admissible, says the Tribunal, provided the claimant is able to demonstrate: (a) that at all relevant times his "dominant and effective" nationality was the one on which he now relies; and (b) that the rights in question, those for the asserted breach of which he seeks redress, were not secured because of his other, non-dominant, nationality. Leaving for another day the questionability of the challenge, the present article offers to examine some of the more important aspects of the second test, as expounded and applied by the Tribunal.


Specific PCR and inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) marker systems were used to study genetic diversity in barley pathogen Pyrenophora teres isolates collected in 5 districts of Lithuania during 2006–2009. Specific PCR was used to determine the net/spot form and mating type occurrence in net blotch field populations. The occurrence of mating types and net/spot were investigated in all years/ locations, however only Pyrenophora teres f. teres was detected in all investigated populations. Both mating types were found and their ratio was 1:1 in all populations except for Klaipėda distr. 2008. Both mating types were found in Klaipėda population as well, but the observed ratio did not meet the expected. A total of 24 isolates from Kėdainiai and Marijampolė distr. 2007–2008 were selected for ISSR analysis. Primers UBC807 and G11 were most suitable. The selected primers amplified 31 bands in total within the range of 500 bp to 2500 bp and all isolates had unique ISSR haplotypes. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) detected most of the variation within populations – 88.78%, while the variation between populations from the same location in different years accounted for 6.37%, and the variation between different locations in the same year was the smallest – 4.85% of the total variation. No clear grouping according to location or year of sampling was detected in cluster analysis.


In order to build hippocampal prostheses for restoring memory functions, we build sparse multi-input, multi-output (MIMO) nonlinear dynamical models of the human hippocampus. Spike trains are recorded from hippocampal CA3 and CA1 regions of epileptic patients performing a variety of memory-dependent delayed match-to-sample (DMS) tasks. Using CA3 and CA1 spike trains as inputs and outputs respectively, sparse generalized Laguerre-Volterra models are estimated with group lasso and local coordinate descent methods to capture the nonlinear dynamics underlying the CA3-CA1 spike train transformations. These models can accurately predict the CA1 spike trains based on the ongoing CA3 spike trains during multiple memory events, e.g., sample presentation, sample response, match presentation and match response, of the DMS task, and thus will serve as the computational basis of human hippocampal memory prostheses.


Disaster Management, Climate Change and Variability and Social Resilience Abstract Accelerated climate change and increasing climate variability caused by increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions is the single largest threat to the international goals of sustainable development, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and disaster risk reduction. Global discourses recognise the need for effective and sustainable responses to produced climate risks. The risk types likely to occur are known, but only in broad terms. That they are produced by human action is accepted; but their scale, severity, longevity and frequency are not known. The challenge for policymakers is developing an effective framework within which sustainable responses can be formulated. Addressing the problems of produced risks requires a comprehensive approach to risk management to be effective. The mechanisms within the climate change, sustainable development and disaster risk reduction discourses are not sufficiently effective or integrated to respond to this challenge. Fundamental reform to current modes of risk reduction is needed, but this can only be achieved by a shift in the dominant perspective on formulating sustainable responses. This requires a shift to an enabling policy framework that encourages bottom-up resilient responses. Resilience is argued as a tool for policy development that can enhance adaptive capacity to current climate risks and shape energy policy to respond to mitigate future climate risks. Keywords Climate Change and Variability; Disaster Management; Resilience; Vulnerability; Sustainable Development; Risk


Similar to luteectomy (CLX) alone, systemic replacement of progesterone (P) to maintain circulating midluteal phase levels after CLX, and P withdrawal 10-11 days later were not accompanied by changes in serum FSH or LH levels. The next preovulatory gonadotropin surges, however, were delayed by about 10 days, relative to CLX alone. In contrast, a marked rise in serum FSH was observed after unilateral introvarian P replacement at CLX, even though accompanying patterns of serum estradiol (E2) and P (and the interval to the next LH surge) were not different from those after CLX alone. Our findings indicate that a) P is the principal luteal factor inhibiting new follicle growth, b) P inhibition may be exerted, at least in part, on the ovaries directly, and c) an ovarian factor other than P or E2 may contribute to the regulation of FSH, and perhaps LH, secretion in this primate.


Summary Increasing evidence suggests to vascular damage as an early contributor to the development of two leading causes of age-associated dementia, namely Alzheimer disease (AD) and AD-like pathology such as stroke. This review focuses on the role of G protein-coupled receptor kinases, particularly GRK2 as they relate to dementia and how the vascular abnormalities is involved in cerebrovascular pathogenesis. Any possible involvement of GRKs in AD pathogenesis is an interesting notion, whose exploration may help bridge the gap in our understanding of the heart-brain connection in relation to neurovisceral damage and vascular complications in AD. The a priori basis for this inquiry stems from the fact that kinases of this family regulate numerous receptor functions in the brain, the myocardium and elsewhere. The aim of this review is to discuss the finding of GRK2 overexpression in the context of the early AD pathogenesis, since increased levels of GRK2 immunoreactivity were found in vulnerable neurons from AD patients and from a two-vessel occlusion (2-VO) mammalian model of cerebral ischemia. Also, we consider the consequences for this overexpression as a loss of G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) regulation, as well as suggest a potential role for GPCRs and GRKs in a unifying theartykul poglądowy opinion article


Gait is a learned, complex and almost automatic task with limited involvement of cognitive control in healthy individuals until the onset of old age (Holtzer et al., 2006). These automatic and rhythmic motor activity patterns are generated by spinal networks of motor neurons and interneurons, also called the "central pattern generators" (Dietz, 2003). The activity of these spinal networks is modulated and initiated by the basal ganglia and the brainstem nuclei (Pahapill & Lozano, 2000). The basal ganglia and their two-way connections with cortical regions and cerebellum (Fig. 1) play a central role in both movement initiation and cognitive aspects, such as executive functioning (Yogev-Seligman et al., 2008). Pathological oscillatory activity in these networks, for example in Parkinson's disease (PD), is associated with gait disorders (Bartolic et al., 2010; Timmermann & Fink 2009). Recent studies have established the importance of cognitive control on gait in older adults; gait slowing is more prevalent in people with cognitive impairment and slow gait in healthy older adults is associated with a higher risk of cognitive impairment, including dementia (Holtzer et al., 2006). Also a slow gait velocity has been associated with an increased risk of falls, hospitalization and mortality (Verghese et al., 2010). Therefore, with the progression of age related changes or neurodegenerative changes in the brain (e.g. in PD), previously automatic actions like gait become a "controlled" processes placing additional demands on the available shrinking cognitive resources. Under these circumstances, the performance of the cognitive task may only be preserved by diverting cognitive resources from the motor task. In adults, the contribution of cognitive control to gait is evaluated by measuring the effect that a cognitive load (e.g. simultaneous talking or counting while walking) has on gait − i.e. the dual task (DT) paradigm (Srygley et al., 2009). The effect of DT on gait velocity (DT decrement) is related to impairments in executive function and attention. The extent of DT decrement varies from non-existent to detectable in healthy older adults, but can be significant in patients with PD (PPD). Therefore, the presence and extent of DT decrement in PPD depends on the patient's cognitive reserve and the complexity of gait pattern. Postural instability and gait disorders in PD are associated with a faster rate of cognitive decline and should be considered as risk factors for developing Parkinson's disease with dementia


To reduce respiratory blur and ghosts in 3D coronary imaging, a data acquisition scheme using consistent multiple breath‐holds was implemented. A navigator echo was acquired and processed in real time to dynamically measure diaphragm position. This information was provided as a visual prompt to the patient to maintain consistency in breath‐hold levels such that the variation range of diastolic heart position was less than 2 mm. Preliminary results indicate that this multiple breath‐hold acquisition scheme, compared with acquisition under respiration, can significantly reduce blur and ghost artifacts in 3D coronary imaging.


Abstract Objective: To report our endoscopic outcomes and explore the effects of duration of impaction and anesthetic methods on the endoscopic removal of foreign bodies in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Methods: All consecutive patients with suspected foreign body (FB) ingestion between January 2013 and June 2016 were enrolled. Demographic, clinical and endoscopic data were collected and analyzed. Results: A total of 1294 patients aged seven months to 94 years were enrolled. Odynophagia (415 cases, 32.1%), FB sensation (340 cases, 26.3%) and sore throat (267 cases, 20.1%) were the most frequent complaints. The duration of FB impaction ranged from 4 h to over two years. Anatomically, foreign bodies were most commonly located in the esophagus (n = 1025, 86.9%). Bony foreign bodies comprised the majority of identified foreign bodies. The most common underlying pathology was esophageal stricture (38 cases, 53.5%). Nearly half of the patients (49.9%) developed complications. As the duration of impaction increased, the success rate by endoscopy decreased (p < .001), and the complication rate increased (p < .001). Endoscopic management under general anesthesia didn't improve the success rate or lower the complication rate compared with topical pharyngeal anesthesia (p = .793 and p = .085). Age ≥60, duration of impaction longer than one day, impaction in the esophagus, and sharp foreign bodies were identified as risk factors for complications. Conclusions: Delayed flexible endoscopy in patients, especially elderly patients, with sharp FB impactions in the esophagus results in worse endoscopic outcomes. Endoscopic management under general anesthesia did not improve the therapeutic results compared with topical pharyngeal anesthesia.


A phenomenological ductile damage model is developed to take into account the growth and the changes of orientation of defects in a undamaged material matrix under large plastic straining. This constitutive model is based on a skew-symmetric tensor-valued function, originally presented by Wang C C (1970 New theorem for isotropic function part 1 and part 2 Arch. Rational Mech. Anal. 36 166–223) and modified for anisotropic functions by Boehler J P (1978 Lois de comportement anisotrope des milieux continus J. Mécanique 17 153–90). A finite element model of a three-dimensional unit cell containing a tilted ellipsoidal void is used to identify the constitutive parameters of the proposed model. Then, this law of orientation change is compared with the two-dimensional model of Bilby B A and Kolbuszewski M L (1977 The finite deformation of an inhomogeneity in two-dimensionnal slow viscous incompressible flow Proc. R. Soc. A 355 335–53) deduced from the original work of Eshelby J D (1957 The determination of the elastic field of an ellipsoidal innclusion and related problem Proc. R. Soc. A 241 376–96). In the proposed ductile damage model, the radius changes of the void are based on the modified version of the Rice and Tracey void growth law presented by Thomason and adapted for the transformation of an ellipsoidal void of any orientation in the sound matrix. The new proposals are checked with different non-linear finite element analyses.


OBJECTIVE—Peripheral neuropathy associated with type 2 diabetes (DPN) is not widely modeled. We describe unique features of DPN in type 2 diabetic Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We evaluated the structural, electrophysiological, behavioral, and molecular features of DPN in ZDF rats and littermates over 4 months of hyperglycemia. The status of insulin signaling transduction molecules that might be interrupted in type 2 diabetes and selected survival-, stress-, and pain-related molecules was emphasized in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) sensory neurons. RESULTS—ZDF rats developed slowing of motor sciatic-tibial and sensory sciatic digital conduction velocity and selective mechanical allodynia with preserved thermal algesia. Diabetic sural axons, preserved in number, developed atrophy, but there was loss of large-calibre dermal and small-calibre epidermal axons. In diabetic rats, insulin signal transduction pathways in lumbar DRGs were preserved or had trends toward upregulation: mRNA levels of insulin receptor β-subunit (IRβ), insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1, and IRS-2. The numbers of neurons expressing IRβ protein were also preserved. There were trends toward early rises of mRNA levels of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), the α2δ1 calcium channel subunit, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in diabetes. Others were unchanged, including nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB; p50/p105) and receptor for advanced glycosylation endproducts (RAGE) as was the proportion of neurons expressing HSP27, NF-κB, and RAGE protein. CONCLUSIONS—ZDF type 2 diabetic rats develop a distal degenerative sensory neuropathy accompanied by a selective long-term pain syndrome. Neuronal insulin signal transduction molecules are preserved.


. Spherical roller bearings are important parts of high-frequency crushers.Using the finite element analysis software to carry on the transient dynamics analysis to the bearing obtains the bearing deformation, the pressure and so on characteristis. Then, by contrasting and analysising, it is found that under pure radial load, radial load and axial load mixed force, influence of cage thickness on bearing performance. The results show that the thickness of the cage has little effect on the deformation of the bearing under pure radial load.Under the combined action of the radial load and the axial load, the radial deformation of the bearing decreases compared with the pure radial load.The deformation of the cage under the mixed load is increased than that under the radial load.


In this paper, the degradation of reconstructed image quality, due to the errors of MPEG-2 video stream, is analyzed in detail. There are many fixed-length codewords (FLC) in MPEG-2 video stream except for those variable-length codewords (VLC). Although the errors in FLCs can not lead to desynchronisation, they can propagate errors. Therefore, it is necessary to find error position and process promptly in real-time operation. The error-detection approaches which are directed against damaged macroblocks or slices usually appearing in MPEG-2 image, are proposed by using the smooth principle.


We have used depth-resolved cathodoluminescence and Auger electron spectroscopies, DRCLS and AES, respectively, to probe the electronic structure and the composition of Ti/Al ohmic contacts to p-type SiC on a nanometer scale. A continuous Ti-Si-C compound layer was observed using the Auger depth profile. No interfacial Al segregation was found. The secondary electron threshold technique showed a continuous decrease in work function from the p-type SiC to the Ti-Si-C compound layer. Our results support an ohmic contact mechanism by an intermediate semiconductor layer which reduces the otherwise large interfacial Schottky barrier height. DRCLS revealed a ~2.78 eV sub-band gap transition enhanced by interfacial reaction in the near-interface SiC, suggesting the formation of additional C or Si vacancies.


Despite widespread agreement about the need to develop interculturally competent graduates, there is a lack of agreement about how this goal may be achieved in practice. This is significant as universities around the world, particularly in English-speaking countries, have espoused an interculturally-aware vision for their future graduates and turned to language education, as an inherently intercultural activity, to expose students to a world which is linguistically and culturally different from their own. This book focuses on narrowing the gap between the often conflicting theoretical and practical imperatives faced by language teachers in an internationalised higher education context. It does so by providing comprehensive conceptual discussions of emerging critical intercultural language pedagogies as well as empirical accounts and case studies from the frontline.


A biologically active food additive--Fibromed--has been tested experimentally and clinically. The additive made from wheat bran by the Reacon Company contains no less than 40% of dietary fibre (cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin). Its effect on multi-organ carcinogenesis induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) and lipid metabolism was tested in rats. Tumors were induced by combined intramammary injections and intrarectal infusions of the agent. Fibromed was fed (20% by weight) during post-initiation period. It effectively inhibited the development of mammary and colonic tumors and reduced serum-blood cholesterol, triglycerides and beta-lipoproteids. The influence of Fibromed treatment on stool during early post-operative period was studied in surgical cases of colorectal cancer. When administered in a dose of 60 g, daily, starting from days 4-5, Fibromed restored intestinal function 36 hr earlier than in controls. Fibromed should be recommended for prevention of breast and colonic tumors, lipid metabolism disorders and rehabilitation of patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer.