The clinical impact of continuing or stopping 5-aminosalicylate (5-ASA) after escalating to treatment with an anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) agent in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is currently unclear. We aimed to compare the outcomes of IBD patients who stopped or continued 5-ASA after starting anti-TNF therapy.

 We analysed data obtained from the Korean National Health Insurance claims database between 2007 and 2020. Our analysis included IBD patients already on 5-ASA treatment who started anti-TNF treatment. We compared the prognosis of patients who stopped 5-ASA within 90 days of anti-TNF initiation with those who continued 5-ASA. The primary outcome was any adverse clinical event defined as a composite of intestinal surgery, IBD-related hospitalization, or new corticosteroid use. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models at landmark time were used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

 Among 62,262 patients diagnosed with IBD during the study period, 7,442 patients were included for analysis. A total of 1,037 (13.9%) patients discontinued 5-ASA within 90 days of starting anti-TNF therapy (Figure 1). Among the included patients, 4,479 (60.2%) had Crohn's disease, while 2,963 (39.8%) had ulcerative colitis (Table 1). Discontinuation of 5-ASA was not associated with an increased risk of any adverse clinical events, as well as its component outcomes of intestinal surgery, IBD-related hospitalization, and corticosteroid use, with aHRs of 1.011 (95% CI, 0.934 to 1.095), 0.954 (95% CI 0.760 to 1.198), 0.995 (95% CI 0.894 to 1.107), and 0.969 (95% CI, 0.890 to 1.056), respectively (Table 2). In addition, the cumulative incidence of each adverse clinical event, as well as the composite outcome, were not significantly different between the two groups (all, p > 0.05) (Figure 2). Subgroup analysis by sex, IBD type, the timeframe of anti-TNF use, pre-anti-TNF 5-ASA use duration, pre-anti-TNF corticosteroid use, pre-anti-TNF hospitalizations, pre-anti-TNF emergency department visits, and anti-TNF agent type also showed no significant difference in the development of adverse clinical events between the two groups.

 In this nationwide population-based study, we observed that discontinuing 5-ASA after starting anti-TNF therapy was not associated with an increased risk of adverse clinical events.


A review is made of novel attempts to date at measuring the optical Kerr effect in liquids and liquid crystals. In the conventional Kerr effect, an applied electric field induces molecular orientation which is accompanied by birefringence in a fluid composed of anisotropic molecules. In the optical Kerr effect (OKE) the high-frequency electric field of a laser beam is the inducing mechanism. The phenomenon is thus an optically induced optical effect (an optico-optical phenomenon). It has potential as a means of measuring the optical polarizability of molecules which itself is useful for determining molecular bonding structures. In addition, the phenomenon can become the basis of optically activated switching mechanisms currently of interest in optoelectronics and optical computing. This review is a survey of the arrangements used hitherto for the measurement of this novel phenomenon using nanosecond laser pulses. The purpose of the review is to provide a basis for others who wish to measure and ultimately utilize the effect.


As biologists, we are constantly searching to find the meaning of cellular and organismal life. As we study different organisms to find the answers to the questions "how" and "why" do we exist, we uncover more related questions: How do we grow? How do we age? What tells our bodies that it is time to die? Biogerontology is a relatively new field of science that strives to find answers to the scientific mysteries of aging. It is a complicated integration of mathematics, neurobiology, molecular biology, biophysics, physical chemistry, and genetics, and this textbook covers them all. In doing so, it is the first textbook that covers the topics of aging from a biological perspective and not the traditional biomedical one.

The first few chapters discuss the basics of aging: definitions, how longevity is measured and evolutionary theories of longevity that have changed over time. These chapters provide a great historical perspective of the topic, and the author includes many interesting examples of studies about how various lifestyles have influenced aging in several species. Following these chapters, the textbook narrows in on cellular and genetic processes that influence longevity, and mechanisms are discussed in depth for each model organism from S. cerevisiae to mice to plants and, finally, to humans. The book stresses the differences between human studies of longevity and those performed in other model species, especially the difficulties that arise when working with human populations. I especially found fascinating the discussion regarding how human intelligence has influenced mortality rates in Chapter 7. The textbook delves even further into human aging in Chapter 8, which details the many internal physiological effects of aging on the function of human systems. The final two chapters of this 10-chapter text highlight age-related disease in humans and future directions of aging-related science, which were some of the most interesting sections of the book.

While this book is well written and easy to understand, at times I was confused as to the intended audience. Biogerontology is certainly not an introductory science course; however, many of the subjects covered in the book could have been taken from an introductory biology textbook. Such topics include cell cycle regulation, mitochondrial function, and the structure of DNA. While these topics may serve as a refresher for an undergraduate student, the amount of time and detail that was put into them was probably too extensive for this text. In addition, some of the techniques described in detail seemed irrelevant to the topic of aging in particular the description of PCR and the creation of knockout genetic models in Chapter 5. These topics would lead me to think of the intended audience as undergraduate students; however, some of the later topics in the book would be more of interest to a higher-level researcher or graduate student.

Overall, the textbook does an excellent job at combining genetics and biology with chemistry and mathematics to approach the cellular and systemic aspects of aging from all possible angles. The examples that it provides are straightforward and interesting and serve to highlight the amazing science that has been performed or is currently contributing to the field. It is clear that modulating aging and longevity in the upcoming years will be an important area of scientific research, and this textbook offers a sufficient framework that would be a significant resource for anyone interested in these new directions for the future.


Coronavirus disease 2019, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, primarily affects the respiratory system. While coronaviruses are not a common cause of neurological disease, they have been reported to cause direct central nervous system infection, as well as presumed para-infectious disorders. Here we report a very rare case of SARS-CoV-2 infection presenting as Miller Fisher syndrome with positive anti-GQ1b antibodies in a patient with a history of Guillain-Barré syndrome, which was treated with IV immunoglobulin resulting in marked improvement in her symptoms. Thus, a high index of suspicion and meticulous observation are the cornerstones to identifying possible uncommon presentations of COVID-19.


In this article, the improved (G'/G)-expansion method has been implemented to generate travelling wave solutions, where G(ξ) satisfies the second order linear ordinary differential equation. To show the advantages of the method, the (3+1)-dimensional Kadomstev-Petviashvili (KP) equation has been investigated. Higher-dimensional nonlinear partial differential equations have many potential applications in mathematical physics and engineering sciences. Some of our solutions are in good agreement with already published results for a special case and others are new. The solutions in this work may express a variety of new features of waves. Furthermore, these solutions can be valuable in the theoretical and numerical studies of the considered equation. Also, in order to understand the behaviour of solutions, the graphical representations of some obtained solutions have been presented.


This poster examines a preliminary approach to space design developed and implemented in Eastern Kentucky University's Noel Studio for Academic Creativity. The approach discussed here is entitled "Hot Spots," which has allowed the research team to observe trends in space usage and composing activities among students. The Hot Spots approach has yielded valuable insights into the design of flexible learning spaces that provide a point of reflection for the future.


Enliven: Pharmacovigilance and Drug Safety is an Open access, peer reviewed international journal and it aims to publish different types of articles on emerging developments and supports current and upcoming research in the field of nephrology. This journal also allows articles on pharmacology, pharmacovigilance and drug delivery systems. This journal will support the budding scientists, scholars, academicians, researchers, and students by providing Open access platform for publishing their work. This journal will follow the peer review policies and will bode Open access in having quality research output. This journal combines the innovative scientific ideas and ways in pharmacology, pharmacovigilance, drug delivery systems, and all other related disciplines to have an innovative output. This journal accepts articles from different disciplines as below but not constrained to only these Pharmacovigilance signal Pharmacovigilance data management Design and development of drug Principles of pharmacology Quality system and pharmacovigilance Pharmacovigilance softwares Drug regulatory activities Drug reactions and diagnosis Reporting systems Clinical trials and pharmacovigilance Marketing surveillance Pharmacovigilance ethics and regulations Biomarkers and pharmacology Concepts and trends in pharmacovigilance Pharmaceutical medicines Drug delivery systems Statistics and data management Enliven: Pharmacovigilance and Drug Safety invites articles from authors and we assure authors that articles received will be processed with the best policies and will disseminate the articles to the right field.


Coding rules for Chinese medicines and their codes (GB/T 31774-2015) was issued by General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (AQSIQ) and Standardization Administration of the People's Republic of China (SAC) in 2015. Coding system for Chinese medicines (ISO 18668-1, 2, 3 and 4) series were issued one after another by International Organization for Standardization in 2016 and 2017. In this paper, the comparative study on the GB/T 31774 and ISO 18668-1, 2, 3 to 4 would be conducted to expound the similarities and differences among them. This essay aims at promoting the application of national and international standards of coding system in production and operation enterprises and the medical institutions of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), reducing their repetitive investment to meet the Chinese medicine import and export trade requirement in future. Moreover, it provides the cornerstone and support for TCM standardization, and makes Chinese medicines standard gain dominance in field of international TCM standards, occupying the high ground of international market in the traditional medicine field of the world. It may promote the "Internet + TCM service" in our country, and let the Chinese medicine industry go out of the country and into the world to contribute to human health.


In general, failure to detect or correctly characterize breast cancer can be attributed to one of four main factors: inherent limitations of screen-film mammography, inadequate radiographic technique, subtle or unusual lesion characteristics, and interpretation error. The restricted latitude and display contrast of screen-film mammography are among the significant factors that result in decreased visualization of breast tumors and microcalcifications in patients with dense fibroglandular tissue. Unlike the inherent limitations of screen-film mammography, a poor radiographic technique can be improved on and should be eliminated. Crucial components of a well-performed mammographic examination are correct positioning, adequate compression, and proper image exposure. Lesion characteristics that may lead to a false-negative mammogram include small size, a site where visualization is difficult, visualization on only one view, a benign or probably benign appearance, lack of a desmoplastic reaction, and slow or no apparent growth. Causes of interpretation error include suboptimal viewing conditions, outside distractions, lack of a systematic approach, oversight of a subtle lesion because of an obvious finding, lack of knowledge of clinical findings, imprecise correlation with results of other studies, and nonbelief. Recognition of these various factors should help decrease the rate of false-negative mammograms.


This paper considers the most important aspects for an effective and efficient implementation of an Information Technology (IT) project. In the search for a good implementation of a project, it is necessary to perform multidisciplinary tasks as well as to consider non-technological issues such as management skills and human aspects. This paper presents a list of simple recommendations which summarize the main abilities and skills to put into practice in IT implementations. These considerations are divided into five groups but by size reasons in this paper are summarized in two: people & project psychology and organization & planning. Both of them are used to calculate adjustment factors in the Function Point counting method using dynamic models.


In a line or a hybrid breeding program superior lines are selected from a breeding pool as parental lines for the next breeding cycle. From a cross of two parental lines, new lines are derived by single-seed descent (SSD) or doubled haploid (DH) technology. However, not all possible crosses between the parental lines can be carried out due to limited resources. Our objectives were to present formulas to characterize a cross by the mean and variance of the genotypic values of the lines derived from the cross, and to apply the formulas to predict means and variances of flowering time traits in recombinant inbred line families of a publicly available data set in maize. We derived formulas which are based on the expected linkage disequilibrium (LD) between two loci and which can be used for arbitrary mating systems. Results were worked out for SSD and DH lines derived from a cross after an arbitrary number of intermating generations. The means and variances were highly correlated with results obtained by the simulation software PopVar. Compared with these simulations, computation time for our closed formulas was about ten times faster. The means and variances for flowering time traits observed in the recombinant inbred line families of the investigated data set showed correlations of around 0.9 for the means and of 0.46 and 0.65 for the standard deviations with the estimated values. We conclude that our results provide a framework that can be exploited to increase the efficiency of hybrid and line breeding programs by extending genomic selection approaches to the selection of crossing partners.


Toxoplasma gondii is a worldwide parasite recognized as one of the main zoonosis in human beings. The present study aimed to evaluate serology of T. gondii from dairy cows slaughtered in an abattoir for human consume. Serum samples from 120 dairy cows (60 pregnant and 60 nonpregnant) were collected, and indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) was performed to detect anti-T. gondii antibodies by considering positive animals with titers 50. Serologic results from cows showed 29.1% (35/120), which 29 (48.3%) e 6 (10,0%) were from pregnant and non-pregnant cows, respectively. This revealed a risk 8.4 times-higher of positively in pregnant than non-pregnant cows (OR=8.4, 2.91<OR<25.6, P<0.0001). There was a statistical difference in the anti-T. gondii antibody frequency between Jersey and Holstein breed cows, 38.3% (23/60) and 20% (12/60) of prevalence, respectively (OR=2.49, 1.02<OR<6.13, P=0.04). Titers for cows were 50 (n=23), 100 (n=10), 200 (n=1) and 400 (n=1). There was no difference among age of gestation and anti-T. gondii antibody occurrence (P=0.74) in pregnant cows. The potential role of beef in epidemiology of T. gondii for human beings is yet enigmatic, and more studies are necessary to elucidate the real risk of this food for consumers.


Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films seeded with barium strontium titanate (BST) nano-crystalline particles were fabricated on a Si wafer with a spin-coating technique. The BST particles synthesized with a sol-gel method were dispersed in an acetylacetone (chelating reagent) modified PZT precursor solution of complex alkoxides for the fabrication. The micro-patterns of the PZT film containing 50 mol% BST particles could be obtained by the direct photo-irradiation to the fabricated films for 40 min without any pre-heating treatments, while the PZT films in the absence of the BST particles required pre-heating treatment at 200°C for 10 s before the photo-irradiation. This suggested that the BST crystallines accelerated decomposition of the chelate compounds and subsequent polycondensation of PZT alkoxides.


As a first step in exploring the feasibility of passive antibody prophylaxis and therapy of serious infections caused by common encapsulated bacteria, we have immunized healthy adults with Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine, 14-valent pneumococcal vaccine, and meningococcal group A and C vaccine; collected plasma by repeated pheresis; and purified a hyperimmune globulin termed bacterial polysaccharide immune globulin by the cold-ethanol fractionation method of Cohn and Oncley. Specific antibacterial antibody concentrations were measured in individual donors before and after immunization. In addition, antibody concentrations were measured in plasma pools prepared from immunized donors and from unimmunized controls and in the immunoglobulin-containing Cohn-Oncley fractions II and III derived from the respective plasma pools. A comparison of Cohn-Oncley fractions II, which contain primarily immunoglobulin G and which are used therapeutically as immune globulin, revealed that antibody to H. influenzae type b was enriched 15.3-fold and that antibody to meningococcal serogroups and pneumococcal types was enriched a mean of 4.4-fold (range, 1.2- to 9.9-fold). Enrichment of antibacterial antibody in Cohn fraction III, which contains substantial amounts of immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin A in addition to immunoglobulin G, closely paralleled that in fraction II. Only antibodies to pneumococcal types 1 and 7 were increased disproportionately in fraction III. Based on the clinical experience that conventional immune serum globulin at a dose of 100 mg/kg protects agammaglobulinemic patients for ca. 1 month, we estimate that bacterial polysaccharide immune globulin, in similar dosage, will provide protection from systemic H. influenzae type b infection for 4 to 6 months and from pneumococcal and meningococcal infections for 3 to 4 months.


This book explores the relationship between Conservative Party politics and British colonial policy in tropical Africa during the unbroken period of Conservative government from 1951 to 1964. Based particularly on recently released documentary evidence, much of it never before published, Philip Murphy's study traces the development of Conservative attitudes towards Britain's role as a colonial power and describes reactions within the party to the rapid British withdrawal from Africa following the 1959 General Election. Making a clear distinction between the Conservative Party and the machinery of government over which conservative ministers presided, Dr Murphy examines how the party itself exercised a direct influence over the struggle for power between competing interest groups within the African colonies. He assesses the links between the conservatives and the so-called 'multi-racial' parties intended by Britain to play an important feature in political development in Africa and the ties between Conservative politicians and British businessmen active in the continent. Dr Murphy's analysis makes an important contribution to the debate on the process of decolonization, highlighting the variety of ways in which metropolitan party politics could influence the transfer of power.


Observations of the series due to simultaneous excitation of two valence electrons to 4p ns,nd in Ca i and 5p ns,nd in Sr I are reported. The importance of the angular momentum barrier for the doubly excited nd series and, by comparison, for the nd series of singly excited even parity states is inferred with the help of single configuration Hartree-Fock calculations. This contrasts with the situation in Mg Ι, where wavefunction collapse does not occur in the doubly excited 3p nd series.


To prepare the Dutch regional and national strategic transport models (LMS/NRM) for policy questions of the future, Rijkswaterstaat – WVL wants to improve the correspondence between link speeds and route travel times estimated by these models in the base year and observed link flows and route travel times. This paper describes a project in which the heavily congested model of NRM-West (the regional model of the Randstad containing Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht) is used as a testcase for modelling improvements to the LMS/NRM to better fit with observed (big) data mentioned before. In this project commissioned by Rijkswaterstaat – WVL, the traffic assignment model of LMS/NRM is replaced by the quasi dynamic traffic assignment model STAQ (first described in Brederode et al., 2010), and the OD matrices are recalibrated taking into account the flow metering effects of active bottlenecks as observed, together with the traditional calibration on observed flows from loop detector data. Because implementation of a different assignment model in the LMS/NRM methodology implies a lot of (potential) side effects to the model system, we restrict ourselves in this project to not make any changes to the software (solve) used for the matrix estimation itself. Instead congestion effects are taken into account while generating assignment matrices (a.k.a. screenline matrices) based on STAQ output. This means that the methods tested within this project can easily be transferred to models using other matrix estimation methods intended to be used with static traffic assignment models. Incorporation of congestion effects into the assignment matrices also allows for direct comparison of flows from the assignment model with observed flows, instead of comparing unconstrained modelled demand with a 'link demand' (referred to as 'wensvraag' in dutch) estimated from the observed flow, as is currently the case for LMS/NRM. The paper primarily presents (preliminary) results of the project in the form of comparisons of observed congestion patterns, speeds and travel times with assignment results. Furthermore, the paper describes what needed to be done to be able to use STAQ in NRM/LMS, how the flow metering effects on active bottlenecks as calculated by STAQ are used to construct assignment matrices that take flow metering into account, along with pitfalls, limitations and opportunities of the method in practice. Furthermore, the paper provides a perspective on applicability of a matrix estimation method that can include observed travel times (from e.g. floating car data) and distribution patterns (from e.g. GSM data) in its objective function on top of the methodology described above. Depending on progress on this method, which is being undertaken as part of ongoing PhD research of the lead author of this paper, preliminary results on the NRM-West will be included.


Mediators of nonadrenergic, noncholinergic (NANC) relaxation in longitudinal muscle of several regions of ICR mouse intestine were studied. An inhibitor of synthesis of nitric oxide, N(G)-nitro-L-arginine (L-NOARG) at 10 microM significantly inhibited NANC relaxations induced by electrical field stimulation (EFS) in the jejunum, ileum, and the proximal and distal colon. Especially in the ileum extent of the inhibition was more than 80%. An antagonist of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) receptors, VIP(10-28) at 3 microM partially inhibited the EFS induced relaxations in the jejunum and proximal colon, but very slightly in the distal colon and had no effect in the ileum. An antagonist of pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP) receptor, PACAP(6-38) at 3 microM partially inhibited the EFS-induced relaxations in the proximal and distal colon, but not in the jejunum and ileum. Totals of the percentages of relaxant components mediated by nitric oxide, VIP and PACAP in every region are roughly equal to a hundred percent. In another series of experiments, EFS-induced relaxations were almost completely inhibited by the treatment of the segments with L-NOARG and VIP(10-28) in the jejunum, with L-NOARG, VIP(10-28) and PACAP(6-38) in the proximal colon, and with L NOARG and PACAP(6-38) in the distal colon. The present results suggest that nitric oxide solely mediates the relaxation of longitudinal muscle of the ileum of ICR mice, whereas nitric oxide and VIP co-mediate it in the jejunum, nitric oxide, VIP and PACAP in the proximal colon, and nitric oxide and PACAP in the distal colon.


Drought has been and certainly will be. On this topic is based conversation with the Minister of the Environment, which includes questions on the continuing heat wave and drought.


The incorporation of phase change materials (PCM) in construction components has become an alternative to reduce the effect of thermal loads in buildings with low thermal inertia. This study put together the effective heat storage capacity of an organic phase change material (O-PCM, octadecane) with the construction and production potential of Pinus radiata in Chile. The wood is impregnated with octadecane by using the Bethell method, showing that it has good retention of the impregnator, and that its size was not modified. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis (DSC) showed that the composite material could achieve fusion enthalpy values from 36 (20.8 MJ/m3) to 122 J/g (108.9 MJ/m3). The transient line heat source method used, indicated that impregnation of Pinus radiata with octadecane increases its specific heat at temperatures from 15 to 20 °C, while its thermal conductivity decreases in the radial and the tangent directions, and increases in the longitudinal direction, showing a decrease in the orthotropic behavior of the wood. The ability of Pinus radiata wood to store latent heat positioned it as a candidate material to be considered in the building industry as a heat storage system.


Variable renewable energy sources introduce significant amounts of short-term uncertainty that should be considered when making investment decisions. In this work, we present a method for representing stochastic power system operation in day-ahead and real-time electricity markets within a capacity expansion model. We use Benders' cuts and a stochastic rolling-horizon dispatch to represent operational costs in the capacity expansion problem (CEP) and investigate different formulations for the cuts. We test the model on a two-bus case study with wind power, energy storage, and a constrained transmission line. .e case study shows that cuts created from the day-ahead problem gives the lowest expected total cost for the stochastic CEP. .e stochastic CEP results in 3% lower expected total cost compared to the deterministic CEP capacities evaluated under uncertain operation. .e number of required stochastic iterations is efficiently reduced by introducing a deterministic lower bound, while extending the horizon of the operational problem by persistence forecasting leads to reduced operational costs.


During its evolution Chinese moral education has developed pronounced ideological aspects. This stems from traditions of first equating politics with morality, phrasing them both in the same language, and then of encouraging correct moral and political relations and behaviours through education. This trend dates back three thousand years to Zhou Gong and continued through Confucius and his followers. From 1949, through the Cultural Revolution and the present transition to a market economy, a similarly unified approach to political, ideological and moral education has been effected through the organizational medium of deyu. As well as providing a historical overview, this paper examines the ideological function and political structure of deyu and the changes that are occurring within it. In the light of current changes in China, deyu is now starting to shift its focus away from ideological education and towards citizenship education. This reflects important changes in core values, to include individualism, economic initiative and consumerism, all of which confront Chinese society and education with distinct challenges and opportunities, and suggest even further reform of deyu during the 21st century.


In this paper we describe an integrated collector storage solar water heater for the North Western region of India for use as domestic water heater during the winter season and present the experimental results of temperature stratification. The system consists of a steel water storage tank with azimuthal orientation such that its walls face south east, south west, north east and North West directions. The sunlit walls (south east and south west) and the top cover surface of the storage tank are covered with transparent insulation material (TIM) and the off-sunlit sides with opaque insulation. Experimental results show that the top layer is at the highest temperature. The top layer is drained using a new design of the outlet. The system can be used in rural areas or as a pre heater in more affluent households. The system can return the cost of conversion of the storage tank into a Solar Water Heater in one winter season by saving the cost of electrical energy required for heating water during winter months.


Indian Muslims is the second largest religious minority community in the country. Instead their large share, they are the most backward community in the country as compare to other religious groups. Socio-economic conditions and political representation is an important indicator to measure the development level of any community. This book is based on the secondary data. The main objective of the study is to explore the socio-economic condition and political representation of Muslims of India in general and of West Bengal in particular. Though there is paucity of literature and data about this backward community, it is an attempt to gather the data from various sources and put together in a systematic fashion and analyzed. Hence, one can easily understand the plight of the community who are the victims of a process of invidious discrimination in Indian society. This volume is likely to be very useful source book for anyone interested in Indian Muslims.


The effects of diphosphine flexibility and bite angle on the structures and luminescence properties of Au(I) complexes have been investigated. A range of diphosphines based on heteroaromatic backbones [bis(2-diphenylphosphino)phenylether (dpephos), 9,9-dimethyl-4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)xanthene (xantphos), and 4,6-bis(diphenylphosphino)dibenzofuran (dbfphos)] has been used to prepare mono- and digold derivatives. A clear relationship between the presence of aurophilic contacts and the emission properties of dinuclear complexes has been observed, with one of the complexes studied, [Au(2)Cl(2)(micro-xantphos)], exhibiting luminescence thermochromism.


Wikis can be considered as public domain knowledge sharing system. They provide opportunity for those who may not have the privilege to publish their thoughts through the traditional methods. They are one of the fastest growing systems of online encyclopaedia. In this study, we consider the importance of wikis as a way of creating, sharing and improving public knowledge. We identify some of the problems associated with wikis to include, (a) identification of the identities of information and its creator (b) accuracy of information (c) justification of the credibility of authors (d) vandalism of quality of information (e) weak control over the contents. A solution to some of these problems is sought through the use of an annotation model. The model assumes that contributions in wikis can be seen as annotation to the initial document. It proposed a systematic control of contributors and contributions to the initiative and the keeping of records of what existed and what was done to initial documents. We believe that with this model, analysis can be done on the progress of wiki initiatives. We assumed that using this model, wikis can be better used for creation and sharing of knowledge for public use.


Objective – To examine first-year college students' information seeking behaviours and determine whether their mental models of the search process influence their ability to effectively search for and find scholarly materials.

Design – Mixed methods including contextual inquiry, concept mapping, observation, and interviews.

Setting – University of Baltimore, a public institution in Maryland, United States of America, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees.

Subjects – A total of 21 first-year undergraduate students, ages 16 to 19 years, undertaking research assignments for which they chose to use online resources.

Methods – First-year students were recruited in the fall of 2008 and met with the researcher in a university usability lab for about one hour over a three week period. The researcher observed and videotaped the students as they conducted research in their chosen search engines or article databases. The searches were captured using software, and students were encouraged to think aloud about their research process, search strategies, and anticipated search results. Observation sessions concluded with a 10-question interview incorporating a review of the keywords the student used, the student's reflection on the success of his or her searches, and possible alternate keywords. The interview also offered prompts to help the researcher learn about students' conceptualizations of search tools' utilization of keywords to generate results. The researcher then asked the students to provide a visual diagram of the relationship between their search terms and the items retrieved in the search tool.

Data were analyzed by identifying the 21 different search tools used by the students and categorizing all 210 searches and student diagrams for further analysis. A scheme similar to Guinee, Eagleton, and Hall's (2003) characterized the student searches into four categories: simple single-term searches, topic plus focus searches, phrase searches, and advanced searches employing multiple Boolean operators. Students' diagrams were put into three different groups: process view, hierarchical view, and network view. The researcher then analyzed the relationships between the students' search behaviours and their mental models to develop further conclusions.

Main Results – Analysis revealed that this population of students had a limited mental model of the search process and used narrow sets of fairly simple search strategies for retrieving information online.

Search engines were used for the majority (61.9%) of total searches and 72.3% of those conducted in search engines were in Google. The majority of students (76%) began their search process with a search engine while other students began searching in online encyclopedias (10%) or online databases (14%). Academic Search Premiere was used for 73.8% of the database searches. Some students (5%) also performed searches in individual websites (6.3%), for an overall total of 224 searches conducted.

Students performed four varieties of searches: simple searches using short phrases conveying a single concept (34% of total searches); topic plus focus searches using a single Boolean AND (30%); phrase searches consisting of multiple-word descriptive phrases or sentence fragments (17.4%); and advanced Boolean searches combining two or more distinct concepts (13.8%). Generally, students used the same search terms and structure whether they were in a search engine or database, particularly with phrase searches. Nearly 71% of the advanced Boolean searches were inappropriately formed, particularly when used in the databases. Of the few students employing Boolean logic beyond a single AND, only two used it correctly, and only one with successful results.

Students were unable to recognize or explain why a search failed or why they got the results they did. They made frequent incorrect use of punctuation, spelling, and syntax, leading to limited or no search results. Students assumed that obtaining few results indicated a problem of keyword choices rather than search query structure. When faced with no results in the databases, they assumed there were no articles on their topics and did not re-evaluate their search queries. Those with unsuccessful Boolean searches did not recognize that their errors were due to logic, and instead changed their keywords or began a new search altogether.

Several students understood keywords as concepts versus literal strings of letters, yet thought the search tools determined search results based solely on what was typed into the search box. Of those employing phrase searches, some believed that each word was queried, while others thought only the "primary terms" were queried. Most students (61%) offered analogies to print resources to explain how search engines process queries, and all the students' descriptions included their ideas about what a search tool contained, rather than how the search tools organized information.

Attempts to expand or narrow searches were haphazard. While most students (57%) employed the strategy of adding keywords to narrow searches, only a few (11%) recognized the function of this technique and used it regularly, while others tended to return to their original broad searches in a different tool. Some had a limited understanding that adding terms narrows and reducing terms broadens the search, but their Boolean errors negated the use of synonyms or alternative terms for those purposes. Other strategies included using the search tool's "advanced search" features or quotes, although all who used the latter did so incorrectly and some mistakenly thought parentheses served the same purpose.

All subjects drew representations of their views of the relationship between keywords used and search results retrieved, though few were able to clearly visualize how a search engine processes a query, or address ideas such as expanding or narrowing searches or synonym use. Three categories of diagrams emerged: the process view, hierarchical view, and network view. The process view displayed a task flow diagram. These students demonstrated the least formed mental models and experienced the search tool as a "black box" that gives results, showing little understanding of how they are generated. They performed the fewest overall searches (11.6%), the majority (79%) of which were simple or phrase searches with no use of Boolean operators. The hierarchical view displayed a broad subject with subtopics, or results highlighting specific aspects of the subject. These students performed nearly 30% of the total searches, 17% of which included the use of Boolean logic. The network view displayed models of interconnected terms. These students performed the majority of the searches (58.7%), and also constructed the most sophisticated queries. Many of their searches employed Boolean logic (83%), and 65% were either Boolean or topic plus focus searches. Students with this mental model tended to focus more on the queries themselves than the results received.

Students indicated feelings of success in their searching and were comfortable relying on simple searches retrieving large results sets. While not central to the research design or driving questions, students' evaluation of search results was observed and found to be weak. Students displayed rapid searching, scanning, and evaluation processes which may have played a role in many of their mistakes when repeating or attempting to correct faulty searches.

Conclusion – The results show students did not have strong conceptual models of the search process or how search queries impacted results, and were often unable to recognize or troubleshoot problems with searches in order to improve results. Students displaying stronger mental models used more complex search strategies, but still performed unsuccessful searches and demonstrated challenges in remedying defective searches. Students skimmed search results quickly, rarely looking beyond the first two pages, and did not take time to evaluate them for topic relevance. The findings suggest that librarians should rethink how Millennial students are taught search strategies and evaluation, to focus more on problem solving or critical thinking. They also suggest that database developers should continue developing search algorithms and tools, considering this population's conceptualizations of search. Further research on Millennials' information processing, critical thinking, and evaluation skills in the context of academic work is needed.


ASR confidence is a metric that reflects, to a large extent, the conditions under which a recognition task is being carried out as well as the reliability of the result. Because of this, ASR confidence constitutes a potentially useful feature in frameworks that attempt to asses the state of a dialog. In this paper we evaluate the predictability of ASR confidence based on knowledge of previously observed context-dependent confidences. We find out that the contextual confidence can be predicted with a standard prediction deviation less than 10% of the dynamic range of the confidence score, which represents a almost 40% relative reduction in standard deviation measure to a static confidence assumption baseline. Because our prediction is based on context, this predictability can be leveraged to produce an estimate of the expected average confidence until the end of a call based on the context path expected to be traversed.


The species richness and composition of macro- and microfungi on vine species in the parks of Ekaterinburg City (the Ural macroregion, Russia) located in the southern boreal vegetation subzone in a continental climate was studied. The average annual air temperature has increased by 3.1 °C since the beginning of the 20th century; therefore, the conditions for the growth of vines have improved. These conditions include warmer winters and, consequently, less frost damage to perennial plants. Due to the warmer climate, the area of vines grown in the city has increased five times over half a century, and the yield of grapes has grown 3.7 times. The alien East Asian vines are the most dominate vine species cultivated, while European, North American, and native plant species, including archaeophytes, together only represent a handful of the species cultivated. At the same time, 65% of the area of woody vines in the city is covered by a North American species, namely Parthenocissus quinquefolia. An increase in the number of vine species, their biomass, and covered areas contributes to an increase in the number of fungal species growing on these vine species. In total, 81 species of phytopathogenic and 87 species of saprobic macro- and microfungi have been recorded during the century-long history of mycological research in Ekaterinburg City. Mycobiota of vines in Ekaterinburg City is biogeographically heterogeneous and 1.1‒3.2 times richer in comparison with ones of the regions located on the northern limit of natural ranges of the vines. Recorded macrofungi (Basidiomycota) are predominantly present on native boreal species; however, some exotic tropical and subtropical East Asian fungal species (that have not ever been recorded on other substrates in the natural forests of the Urals and Siberia) are found here too. Recorded microfungi are highly specialized vine-associated species (mainly Ascomycota) that are widespread within the natural ranges of the vines and absent in the boreal zone of Eurasia: there are 63 vine-associated species (15 macro- and 48 microfungi) in Ekaterinburg that are not found in the Urals on other substrates. Many of these species have been recorded for the first time in this study, so we consider that they invaded Ekaterinburg City in the last 20 years, likely due to the warming climate observed over the last decades in the region. There are 19 and 32 species of phytopathogenic fungi collected in the families Cucurbitaceae and Vitaceae, respectively. During the past 40 years, the recorded fungal species richness has increased by 16% on Cucurbitaceae, as well as 37% on grapes. In this study, the distribution of vine-associated fungi, including phytopathogenic fungal species, from the nearest regions of ancient vine culture (Southern European Russia and the Caucasus, Central Asia, the south of Russian Far East) to the boreal regions of the Urals were investigated. The increase in the range of these phytopathogenic fungal species can lead to significant economic losses to the regional agricultural sector.


BACKGROUND
Several signal transduction pathways involved in rapidly proliferating cells of the intestine are currently not well understood. In the jejunum, crypt enterocytes are constantly replicating, lower villi are maturing, and upper villi are constantly shed. Type I diabetes is associated with jejunal mucosal hyperplasia, and administration of diflouromethylornithine (DFMO), an irreversible inhibitor of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), causes hypoplasia. Phosphorylation of proteins controls cellular proliferation and/or exfoliation. Cell division cycle kinase (p34cdc2) and cyclin B-associated p34cdc2 kinase regulate the cell cycle during the transition from G2-M phase. Our aims were to: 1) investigate the activities of tyrosine kinase, ODC, total p34cdc2 kinase, and cyclin B-associated p34cdc2 kinase and 2) phosphorylate proteins at tyrosine residues in jejunal upper villi, lower villi, and crypt enterocytes of DFMO-treated control and diabetic rats.

METHODS
Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin. DFMO was administered in drinking water in both control and diabetic groups for 10 days after the induction of diabetes. Jejunal enterocytes were isolated and kept frozen at -70 degrees C until ready to process.

RESULTS
Diabetic rats showed jejunal mucosal hyperplasia as indicated by increases in the jejunal mucosal weight/cm and DNA content compared to control rats. Diabetic crypt enterocytes showed significant increases in activities of tyrosine kinase, ODC, total p34cdc2 kinase, and cyclin B-associated cdc2 as well as increased phosphorylation of proteins at tyrosine residues compared to control rats. DFMO prevented diabetes-induced jejunal hyperplasia, and decreased the activities of these enzymes and phosphorylation of proteins at tyrosine residues in both diabetic and control rats. Phosphorylation of a 14 kd protein became prominent in crypt, upper villi, and lower villi enterocytes of DFMO-treated diabetic and control groups.

CONCLUSION
Diabetic jejunal mucosal hyperplasia appears to involve activation of complex signal transduction pathways such as tyrosine kinase, ODC, p34cdc2 kinase, and cyclin B. These enzymes are involved in proliferation and/or exfoliation of jejunal enterocytes. Our results also suggest that tyrosine phosphorylation of a 14 kd protein may be involved in cell exfoliation and that jejunal mucosal hypoplasia may be a synergistic effect caused by down regulation of the above enzymes.


BACKGROUND
Follicular unit excision (FUE) is used to harvest follicular units for hair transplantation using trephine punches. The characteristics of FUE punches can impact the success of this technique; thus, many innovative punch designs and devices have been developed. With many options available, it can be difficult for the hair restoration surgeon to know which punch best suits the needs of their patients.

OBJECTIVE
To provide a comprehensive review of punch shapes and devices available.

METHODS
Search of PubMed, reference mining of relevant publications, and hand searching trade publications.

RESULTS
We examined FUE punches and devices and consolidated descriptive information for each to create textual and visual guides. No single punch shape or device may suit all cases; thus, it is important to know the best uses and limitations of each.

CONCLUSION
The surgeon should have a comprehensive knowledge base of available punch shapes and devices and understand the advantages and disadvantages of each. It is also beneficial to have an in-depth knowledge of skin properties and follicular unit structure. Ultimately, understanding the dynamics behind punch excision will enhance the FUE technique.


TO THE EDITOR: Famotidine, a histamine Hj-receptor antagonist, is marketed in the U. S. for treatment of peptic ulcer disease and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. Most patients tolerate Hj-aneagonists well, but some serious cardiovascular adverse effects have now been publicized involving cimetidine and ranitidine .':2 In the package labeling for famotidine, the occurrence of palpitations is mentioned and the manufacturer is aware of arrhythmias, but there are no published reports. This communication focuses attention on this potentially serious adverse drug reaction. A 40-year-oldwhite man wasseen in the officewith the chief complaintsof chestpainsand dyspepsia. An electrocardiogram (ECG) revealednormalsinus rhythm, with a rate of 89 beats/minand no conduction disturbance. Clinical impression of a duodenal ulcer was confirmed by upper gastrointestinal barium studies. Hence, treatmentwith famotidine40 mgld wasstarted in January 1990, with good clinical improvement. After three weeks of famotidine therapy, he complained of dizziness and malaise. An ECG revealed sinus bradycardia(rate 38 beats/min) and seconddegreeatrioventricularblock. Famotidinewasdiscontinued. He wasadvisedto be hospitalizedfor observation, but he refused. Therefore, he was hooked up for 24 hours to ambulatory ECG Holter monitoring, which revealed bradytachyarrhythmia. Two days after the withdrawal of famotidine, there was full recovery in the dizziness and malaise, and a follow-upECG revealed normal sinus rhythm, with normal conduction. In June, his ulcer symptoms recurred; therefore, famotidine 40 mg/d was reinstituted with excellent control of his dyspepsia. In July, he developed dizziness and again the ECG revealed sinus bradycardia (rate 32 beats/min). The drug wasstopped immediatelyand over the ensuing 48 hours, he reverted back to normal sinus rhythm. Challenge, dechallenge, and rechallenge fulfill the criteria of determining this as an adverse drug reaction. The temporal association between famotidine therapy and cardiac dysrrhythmia suggests a direct causal relationship. There is evidence that Hs-receptors are present in the heart. Black et al. have shown that the chronotropic effect of histamine on isolated guinea pig atrium could be selectively blocked by Hj-receptor antagonists.' I hope that this communication will heighten the clinical awareness of this adverse effect, although it is rare, considering the many patients being treated. When adverse drug reactions do appear, as inevitably they do in some patients, healthcare professionals should be able to recognize and understand more readily what has occurred and to plan treatment more rationally. S


In the 9th and 11th Philippic Cicero strives to give a heroic character to the death of Ser. Sulpicius Rufus (who died as an envoy sent by the Senate to Antony at Mutina) and that of C. Trebonius (murdered by Dolabella in Syria). The heroization of Sulpicius Rufus' death relies first on a conception of cause similar to the one attributed to Chrysippus in the De fato: Antony is the primary cause of the heroic death of Sulpicius Rufus and in that sense killed him. It also relies on a parallel with the qualities of Octavianus, the new Republican hero. In the case of Trebonius, Dolabella had meant his death as an infamous punishment for betraying Caesar. Cicero turns it into an example of moral heroism, whereas Dolabella embodies monstrosity, and thus foreshadows the fate that the Romans would face in case Antony wins the war. The heroization of both deaths is part of Cicero's strategy that demanded that the Senate declare Antony 'hostis'.


Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is an economically very important plantation crop in Malaysia. However, it is susceptible to various diseases including bunch rot causing severe losses and damage to oil palm fruit bunches. The causal agent previously identified to be Marasmiellus palmivorus has not been published well in literature. There is no description of the morphology and information on reproduction and pathogenicity of the species found in local oil palm plantations in Malaysia. Knowledge on the reproduction and pathogenicity is essential to facilitate further detailed study of this fungus. Rhizomorphs and basidiocarps found on dead fruits, fronds or trunks of oil palm were randomly sampled from plantations located in the states of Perak and Selangor. The fungus was isolated and repeatedly subcultured on Malt Extract Agar (MEA) to obtain pure culture. Hyphae were septate and found to produce clamp connections under light and scanning electron microscopy. Diameter of pileus was in the range of 0.5-2cm, stipe length ranged from 1-3.2cm. Each pileus was slightly depressed at the center, smooth, convex, with involute margin, orange-white fading to white and possess a central, solid, tough, cylindrical, overall whitish stipe. The gills were adnate, distant and have a non-distinctive odour. All isolates grew optimumly at the range of 25-30°C and pH range of 5.0-6.0 on MEA indicating that Marasmiellus palmivorus was a mesophile. Mycelial interaction test showed that isolates found were from three different mating types: Teluk Intan (Perak), Bangi (Selangor) and Serdang (Selangor). Induction of basidiocarps using wheat spawn was carried out in a moist growth chamber in a complete randomized design (CRD), with treatments of 12 hours of alternate white light and darkness contributed to fructifications on oil palm empty fruit bunch fibres substrates. Empty fruit bunch fibres substrates yielded better quality of basidiocarps with mean of 22 basidiocarps, mean diameter of pileus 2.7cm and mean length of stipe 0.6cm. Morphology of induced basidiocarps was similar to naturally produced fruit bodies. White spore prints were obtained. Average discharge of ellipsoid basidiospores per basidiocarp was 3.29 x 104 spores per milliliter (ml). Spores were viable with size of 6.2-8.7μm, 80-85% germination and germ tubes ranging from 64.3-82.5μm after 24 hours incubation at ambient temperature on water agar. Pathogenicity test of six representative isolates showed that M. palmivorus was able to cause necrotic lesions on wounded leaves of oil palm seedlings with disease incidence reaching up to 33-55%.


The book under review is based on the author's Ph.D. thesis, an abridged form of which was first published in French in 1993. The English version has been updated with the.addition of a new fifth part. Comprising fourteen chapters, besides an Introduction, a Conclusion, an Epilogue, Appendices, and a Select Bibliography, it is one of the most thoroughly researched and well-documented studies of the Hindu nationalist politics covering the penod 1925-1990s. The bulk of the book is based on library research including party documents, etc., which has been well supplemented with interviews of party leaders and a case-study of the BJP and allied organizations in Madhya Pradesh.


Background: Non-protein plasma expanders carry a risk of potentially severe allergic reactions. As prime for cardiopulmonary bypass, we routinely use a gelatin plasma expander. Plasma expanding during anesthesia is achieved with high molecular starch (200/0.5 kDalton) in combination with Ringer Lactate solution (RL) and in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) with a low molecular starch (130/0.4 kDalton). We evaluated the feasibility of low molecular starch in combination with RL (group LMSRL) versus gelatin plasma expanding (group GPE) for priming CPB circuits in patients undergoing cardiac surgery in a randomized prospective trial. Methods: One hundred and eighty adults who underwent primary valve or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery were equally stratified into 3 series of 60 patients with the routinely used oxygenators; Capiox RX-25, CML Duo and Quadrox-D. Then they were randomised by drawing lots and allocated into the LMSRL or GPE groups. We compared hematocrit, hemoglobin, platelet count, activated clotting time (ACT), lactate and colloid osmotic pressure (COP), blood loss, transfusion need, urine production and ICU stay. In addition, we monitored the average trans-oxygenator fluid resistance (AFR) for each type of oxygenator. Results: The COP is significantly lower in the LMSRL group (20 mmHg ± 0.2 versus 18 mmHg ± 0.2, p < 0.0001); as was the total use of plasma expanders (3846ml ± 98 versus 3059ml ± 77, p < 0.001). All other parameters were not significantly different. When comparing the observed AFR for the three types of oxygenators, a lower AFR in the LMSRL group (p < 0.02) was noted for the Capiox RX-25®. Conclusions: This study shows a lower need for plasma expanders in patients who receive only starch plasma expanders. Further, we noted a lower COP in the LMSRL group, but since the mean COP was >17 ± 0.2 mmHg, this cannot be considered of clinical importance. In conclusion, our study result supports the use of low molecular starch as a good alternative choice for priming CPB. Perfusion (2007) 22, 333—337.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Recently, there has been a growing interest in using opium tincture (OT) for treating opioid dependence in certain regions. We aimed to assess the evidence on its safety and efficacy for this indication.

METHODS
We searched several databases (CENTRAL, Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, PsychINFO, ProQuest Dissertation and Theses Database, Iran Medex, clinicaltrials.gov and who.int/trialsearch) with no language or publication date limitations. Two reviewers selected randomized controlled trials (RCT), cohort/case-control/cross-sectional studies and case-series on safety or efficacy of OT for treating opioid dependence and then extracted reported measures of mentioned outcomes from selected studies. We used the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) Quality Assessment tool for appraisal.

RESULTS
From nine selected studies; in three RCTs and one cohort analytical analysis on detoxification, 110 patients were treated with 15-140 morphine equivalents/day (mEq/d) of OT; in four prospective and one retrospective uncontrolled case-series on long-term/maintenance treatment, 570 patients were treated with 100-400 mEq/d of OT. Only two studies on detoxification included a comparison: one concluded equal efficacy of OT and methadone in suppressing withdrawal symptoms (P = 0.32) and the other concluded OT to be less efficacious than buprenorphine/naloxone in suppressing withdrawal [OT = 12.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 11.00, 13.40]; control: 5.20 (95% CI = 4.69, 5.71) and craving (OT = 303.0, 95% CI = -144.664, 750.664; control: 0.0) but not significantly different (P = 0.26) in retaining participants in treatment. No major adverse events were reported.

CONCLUSIONS
Conclusive recommendations about the safety and efficacy of opium tincture for treating opioid dependence are not possible at this time.


In this work we provide a computational comparison between the fluid-dynamics before and after carotid endartectomy (CEA) to assess to influence of this surgical operation on some hemodynamic indices related to the plaque rupture. We perform the numerical simulations in real geometries of the same patients before and after CEA, and with patient-specific boundary data obtained by Echo-color Doppler measurements. The results show a reduction at the systole of the maximum wall shear stress by at least 83% of the peak velocity by at least 56% of the vorticity at the internal carotid by at least 57% and of the pressure gradient across the plaque by at least 83%. Finally, we performed a comparison among measures acquired in internal points and related computed values, highlighting a satisfactory agreement (in any case less than 10%).


The clinical and biochemical improvement observed in kidney transplant (RT) recipients is remarkable. The correct functioning of the allograft depends on various factors such as the donor's age, the alloimmune response, the ischemia-reperfusion injury, arterial hypertension, and the interstitial fibrosis of the allograft, among others. Antihypertensive drugs are necessary for arterial hypertension patients to avoid or reduce the probability of affecting graft function in RT recipients. Oxidative stress (OS) is another complex pathophysiological process with the ability to alter posttransplant kidney function. The study's objective was to determine the effect of the administration of Enalapril, Losartan, or not antihypertensive medication on the oxidative state in RT recipients at the beginning of the study and one year of follow-up. All patients included in the study found significant overexpression of the oxidative damage marker to DNA and the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). In contrast, it was found that the determination of the total antioxidant capacity decreased significantly in the final determination at one year of follow-up in all the patients who ingested Enalapril and Losartan. We found dysregulation of the oxidative state characterized mainly by oxidative damage to DNA and a significant increase in antioxidant enzymes, which could suggest a compensatory effect against the imbalance of the oxidative state.


A.S. Byatt's novel Possession: A Romance attracted international acclaim in 1990, winning both the Booker Prize and the Irish Times/Aer Lingus International Fiction Prize. In her long and eminent career, Byatt has steadily published both fiction and non-fiction, the latest of which has not, until now, been given full critical consideration. Enter Jane Campbell's new book, A.S. Byatt and the Heliotropic Imagination, a comprehensive critical reading of Byatt's fiction from The Shadow of the Sun and The Game, published in the 1960s, to A Whistling Woman (2002). The book begins with an overview of Byatt's writing and, drawing on her interviews and essays, sets forth the critical principles that inform the novelist's work. Following this introduction, a chronologically structured account of the novels and short stories traces Byatt's literary development. As well as exploring the ways in which Byatt has successfully negotiated a path between twentieth-century realism and postmodern experiment, Campbell employs a critical perspective appropriate to the author's individualistic feminist stance, stressing the breadth of Byatt's intellectual concerns and her insistence on placing her female characters in a living, changing context of ideas and experience, especially in their search for creative voice.


This superbly illustrated work provides short accounts of the lives and scientific contributions of all of the major pioneers of Tropical Medicine. Largely biographical, the stories discussed enlighten a new generation of scientists to the advances made by their predecessors. Written by Gordon Cook, contributor to the hugely popular "Manson's Tropical Diseases", this report discusses the pioneers themselves and offers a global accounting of their experiences at the onset of the discipline.


Ministry is at the heart of churches but since the 1950s it has been a field of vigorous debate. Gateway to Renewal is John N. Collins' fifth book on the leading issues and builds from his groundbreaking research into ancient Greek terminology for ministry. Strangely, this area remains widely misunderstood at administrative and even scholarly levels of church life. Collins exposes the dynamics at play in this damaging scenario where the impact falls not only upon those commissioned to traditional ministries but also upon those who are disbarred from commission "" principally women. Collins takes up basic and timeless questions: What is the specific nature of ordained ministry today? What should it be? Have the "~ordained' more than once misunderstood and misused their "~power and authority'? In the case of attempts to establish a modern diaconate, Collins provides a disturbing critique of how a key motivator for this development rests on a misunderstanding of the very first Christian pastoral initiative. He is also critical of the priority currently given in pre-Reformation churches to a sacerdotal character in priestly ministry. This occurs at the expense of its presbyteral character as projected by the Second Vatican Council, and obscures the centrality of the Ministry of the Word. With their critical edge and pressing claims, these studies offer community leaders and pew-sitters alike incentives to reassess their priorities and to step out together towards renewal.


A method was developed for the determination of emamectin benzoate residue in cabbage and mushroom using solid-phase extraction (SPE) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection. The sample was extracted with ethyl acetate. Further cleanup was performed on a propylsulfonic acid solid phase extraction cartridge, followed by the derivatization with trifluoroacetic anhydride in the presence of N-methylimidazole. The amount of derivatized emamectin benzoate was determined by fluorescence detector after separation by HPLC. The detection limit was 0.10 microg/kg for cabbage and mushroom samples. The recoveries of emamectin benzoate in cabbage and mushroom samples were 78.6%-84.9%. The inter-day relative standard deviation (RSD) and intra-day RSD were 2.7%-6.0% and 3.1%-8.9%, respectively, at the fortified levels of 1.0-20.0 microg/kg. The calibration curve of emamectin benzoate in vegetables at the concentration range of 0.002 mg/L to 0.10 mg/L was linear (r = 0.9999).


We use over 250 years of conflict and market integration data to provide the first evidence that Atlantic trade contributed to Europe's pacification between 1640 and 1896. While the decline in conflict in Europe during this period has been well documented, the role of Atlantic trade has not been previously explored due to a lack of historical trade data. We overcome this constraint by using wheat prices to calculate time-varying measures of market integration between Europe and the New World, which we use as a proxy for Atlantic trade. To identify the causal effects of Atlantic trade, we exploit exogenous changes in wind patterns and tropical cyclone activity over the Atlantic Ocean to instrument trade. Our results suggest that the growth in Atlantic trade between the mid-17th to the early 19th century lowered the probability of intra-European conflict onset by 14.90 percent. We find empirical support for two channels driving our results: first, Atlantic trade led to an increase in real wages and a reduction in both army and navy sizes in Europe. Second, we show that the possibility of forgone Atlantic trade acted as a deterrent to conflict.


Process capability indices are appropriate tools in order to measure the inherent capability of process, but most of these indices cannot take into account the losses of a process such as rejects, while in today's competitive business environment, it is becoming more and more important for companies to evaluate and minimize their losses. Since most of process capability indices do not consider the losses, the process capability indices based on losses can help manufacturers to understand the real capability of their processes in order to improve them. Literature review showed two main gaps in loss-based process capability indices. The first gap is that there is not a loss-based process capability index, which has more features such as reject based, asymmetric, bounded, and target based. In order to overcome this problem, an appropriate loss function (asymmetric inverted normal loss function) was employed to propose a new loss-based process capability index. The methodology is to compare the standard loss for a capable process with other cases. The proposed process capability index is bounded, asymmetric and it is able to provide a more realistic metric to evaluate and predict the performance of processes.
 The second gap in literature review is that among all loss-based process capability indices, just Cpm has been fuzzificated, while literature review showed that the index Cpm is not an appropriate process capability index. Then fuzzy logic and operation research model were employed to fuzzificate the new proposed loss-based process capability index. The α-cuts of the fuzzy observation was the method employed to find the fuzzy membership function of the new loss-based process capability indices. The result of this study is a new loss-based index with more specifications such as mean-based, target- based, variation-based, bounded, and loss-based compared with other process capability indices. The new process capability index was fuzzificated using α-cut method. Therefore a fuzzy loss-based process capability index was developed that is useful for vague data. In order to validate the new loss-based method, the sensitivity of this index to process specifications was studied. Sensitivity analysis showed that this index is sensitive to the mean, variation, and target of data. The new index has 99.6% relationship with the loss especially asymmetric inverted normal loss function. This relationship with loss is the highest relationship compared with other process capability indices. Moreover a regression analysis showed that the new index has the most relationship with the value of loss compared with other process capability indices.


Performance of a parallel symbol transmission scheme is analyzed in time-varying Nakagami fading channels. We show that instantaneous signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the parallel symbol transmission scheme at the matched-filter output is higher than that of a conventional system. Furthermore, the performance gain of the parallel symbol transmission scheme over the conventional system increases as the number of inde- pendent fades within the frame increases and/or the Nakagami parameter decreases.


A change in cropping and feeding practices can affect the performance, economics and environmental impacts of a dairy farm. A whole farm assessment of all major effects can only be done through process level simulation of the production system. The Integrated Farm System Model provides a research and educational tool for this type of evaluation. A farm production system can be simulated through many years of weather to quantify the performance, economics and environmental effects under the assumed management. Then various changes in cropping and feeding practices can be simulated to determine their effects. Performance measures include crop yield and nutritive value, animal intake and production, machinery use and timeliness of operations, and the use of resources such as fertilizer, fuel, and labor. Production costs, income and net return are then calculated from the simulated performance. Predicted environmental impacts include emissions of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide and greenhouse gases, edge of farm losses of sediment and phosphorus, and leaching of nitrogen and phosphorus to groundwater. From the predicted performance and losses, carbon, energy, water and reactive nitrogen footprints are determined for each production practice. A life cycle assessment is used to determine these footprints, which includes both direct farm sources as well as those occurring in the production of resources used on the farm. This Windows-based software tool is available for research and educational use at https://www.ars.usda.gov/ Main/docs.htm?docid = 8519. Information obtained through the simulation of various management practices will lead to the selection of more sustainable production systems for dairy production in the Northeast in response to changing climate and economic conditions.


Abstract The question of the beginning and end of time raises philosophical problems which lead into the core of J.T. Fraser's thinking. In reference to some features of his work one can show the relevance of metaphysical ideas like the concept of an ontological plurality of times and especially the idea of an absolute past. This idea has been developed in systematic form by the German idealist thinker Schelling. Schelling speaks of a reality which is in itself neither temporal nor eternal but has limitations which only in relation to the time of our universe are turned into a temporal structure. In this view, which is also important for the understanding of current phenomenological positions (Levinas, Marion), there is a second time, a "temps perdu," which is equidistant from any new event in our universe including its possible beginning and end.


Abstract Tracking broad-scale behavioral patterns using both lithics and faunal remains offers one line of evidence for investigating both prehistoric subsistence activities and the consequences of aggregation and increases in population size. Accumulation research, which examines the ratio of projectile points to cooking pottery sherds from the same context, shows a higher ratio of projectile points in areas with lower population densities. This pattern holds true when examining faunal assemblages and large-game procurement practices from A.D. 900 to 1300 in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah. This research demonstrates that social processes such as aggregation and increases in population density influence human hunting strategies as much as changes in natural environment, which lead to changes in a group's dietary regime.


Corporations are exploring innovations by changing from a product push towards a service or experience model. To enable this transformation, programs to construct design thinking are being deployed across many organisations to drive innovation practices and ultimately sustainable growth. Yet, there is limited understanding on how individual employees view design, how it is being employed and the relationship of design thinking to innovation. This paper aims to investigate how employees (non-designers) within a large financial services corporation recognise the possibilities of design and its link to drive innovative practices and how design is being adopted. The paper builds on an audit undertaken of Design Thinking programmes rolled out across the large financial services organisation in Australia, in addition to thirty-one (31) semi-structured interviews conducted with employees across various levels of hierarchy. The results suggest that deploying design and innovation programmes across an organisation does not automatically result in significant innovative outcomes. Instead, design is linked to incremental innovation and internal process improvement at best, with limited effect on the strategic issues. The findings provide insights into employees' experiences with applying design-led approaches and the barriers required to be overcome in order to achieve a different outcome in the business.


VEJAYAN, J., IBRAHIM, H. & OTHMAN, I. 2007. The potential of Mimosa pudica (Mimosaceae) against snake envenomation. In this study, neutralization of the lethal effects of Naja naja kaouthia venom was investigated by co-incubating the venom with water extracts of various plants. The mixture of venom-extract was then injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) into mice. From the 17 plants screened, only Mimosa pudica (Mimosaceae) showed 100% ability in neutralizing the 2LD50 lethality of this venom. This plant was also found to show 50% or more ability in neutralizing the 2LD50 toxicity of other venoms, namely, Ophiophagus hannah, Bungarus candidus, B. fasciatus and Calloselasma rhodostoma. Its active fraction (MP188ECT3) also showed interaction towards N. n. kaouthia venom. This was based on results of the 2-D electrophoresis (2DE) established by using immobilized pH gradient 3–10 on this venom. Some spots representing proteins were found missing upon combining the venom with 0.7 mg of the fraction prior to 2-DE. Among these are isomers of a lethal protein identified by MALDI-TOF MS as phospholipase A2 which have been significantly found to disappear in the treated gel compared with the 2-DE gel of the venom only. Results of the double immunodiffusion study showed binding capabilities between MP188ECT3 fraction and venom preparations with the formation of a venom-antivenom precipitin line. These results demonstrated the potential use of M. pudica as an antivenom agent of plant origin against five poisonous snake venoms found in Malaysia.


A dispensing device (1) having a storage device (4) and an air pump (18) for dispensing a medical formulation is proposed. The storage device (4) comprises multiple inserts (6), each insert (6) containing a single dose of the formulation (2). Each insert (6) is located in a separate and sealed cavity (7). The cavities (7) can be individually opened for dispensing the respective dose from the respective insert (6).


This study demonstrates the first reported photocatalytic decomposition of an indoor air pollutant, acetaldehyde, using low-energy, sub-bandgap photons harnessed through sensitized triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) upconversion (UC). To utilize low-intensity noncoherent indoor light and maximize photocatalytic activity, we designed a plasmon-enhanced sub-bandgap photocatalyst device consisting of two main components: (1) TTA-UC rubbery polymer films containing broad-band plasmonic particles (Ag-SiO2) to upconvert sub-bandgap photons, and (2) nanodiamond (ND)-loaded WO3 as a visible-light photocatalyst composite. Effective decomposition of acetaldehyde was achieved using ND/WO3 (Eg = 2.8 eV) coupled with TTA-UC polymer films that emit blue photons (λEm = 425 nm, 2.92 eV) upconverted from green photons (λEx = 532 nm, 2.33 eV), which are wasted in most environmental photocatalysis. The overall photocatalytic efficiency was amplified by the broad-band surface plasmon resonance of AgNP-SiO2 particles incorporated into the TTA-UC films.


Migration is not readily seen. A vast infrastructure supports its visualization, making migration visible and actionable. Recent scholarship on the visuality of migration has clearly shown how visualizing migration is an integral part of governing it. Concepts and research approaches from Science and Technology Studies (STS) are particularly appropriate when studying these connections between knowing and doing. In this paper, the performativity of visual methods and their data practices are analysed with respect to the monitoring infrastructure of European border management. Three such methods – patrolling, recording and publicizing – are reconstructed through analysis of their histories and their present. Patrolling involves the tactical domination of terrains. Recording involves the production of documentary objectivity. Publicizing involves the pictorial capture of fleeting realities. These methods are irreducibly political. Their political significance is explored through the concept of demonstrative effects that helps to show how methods of visualising migration at once involve specific demonstrations of the European association that is operative in them. These demonstrations make visible what Europe can and cannot do. The so-called 'migration crisis' of Europe turns out to be more than political discourse but entangled with the very methods that render migration apparent and governable.


Author Posting. © The Authors, 2018. This article is posted here by permission of Sears Foundation for Marine Research for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Marine Research 76 (2018): 47-62, doi:10.1357/002224018824845910.


Tinnitus is estimated to be present in 10%-15% of the general population. The severity of tinnitus is judged based on the handicap, caused by it. Several tools have been developed for assessing the handicap level. One such tool is the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI). This self-reporting questionnaire has 25 questions, in the English language. The questions describe common situations, covering three domains viz. functional, emotional and catastrophic. The patient has to answer 'Yes, No or Sometimes'. Globally, THI is accepted to have great utility, both in establishing the baseline and monitoring the efficacy of treatment. THI has been translated into several other languages. This article describes our endeavor to translate the same, into the Telugu language. We obtained due permission from the original author. In translation, a standard methodology was employed. The THI English version was translated into Telugu by two linguistic experts. The translated version was verified by experienced audiologists, for faithful reproduction to the original and for lucidity. Wherever required, the translation was suitably amended. All the professionals, above mentioned were native Telugu speakers, who were also proficient in English. Each question was checked with nontechnical lay persons, for easy comprehension and lucidity. Then, all the questions were back-translated into English, and checked for faithfulness. This Telugu version was christened as THI-T. This THI-T version was field tested and validated in 60 subjects with tinnitus, and in another 60 subjects, without tinnitus. Both the groups were provided with the Telugu version questionnaire and were asked to answer the questions. Statistical analysis were done using the Cronbach's Alpha test for internal consistency and test retest reliability was confirmed using the Pearson's 2 tailed correlation to determine statistical significance respectively. Results showed significant efficacy and reliability, of the translated THI-T tool.


Abstract : The distinguishing feature of a metasystem is middleware that facilitates viewing a collection of large, distributed, heterogeneous resources as a single virtual machine, where each user of the metasystem is identified by a unique metasystem-level identity. The physical resources of the metasystem can exist in multiple administrative domains, each with different local security requirements and authentication mechanisms (e.g., Kerberos, public-key). The problem this paper addresses is how to map the metasystems-level identity to an appropriate account on each local physical machine for the purposes of process creation, such that the access control and authentication policies of each local machine are not violated. This mapping must ensure the integrity of the local machines, must ensure the integrity of the metasystem user's data, and must not unnecessarily burden either the metasystem users, the metasystem system administrator, or the local machine system administrators. Specific examples are drawn from experiences gained during the deployment of the Legion metasystem. For example, Legion configurations for local sites with different access control mechanisms such as standard UNIX mechanisms and Kerberos are compared. Through analysis of these configurations, the inherent security trade-offs in each design are derived. These results have practical importance to current and future metasystem users and to sites considering any future inclusion of local resources in a global virtual computer.


ABSTRACT The linear, positive-stranded RNA genome of flaviviruses is thought to adopt a circularized conformation via interactions of short complementary sequence elements located within its terminal regions. This process of RNA cyclization is a crucial precondition for RNA replication. In the case of mosquito-borne flaviviruses, highly conserved cyclization sequences (CS) have been identified, and their functionality has been experimentally confirmed. Here, we provide an experimental identification of CS elements of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). These elements, termed 5′-CS-A and 3′-CS-A, are conserved among various tick-borne flaviviruses, but they are unrelated to the mosquito-borne CS elements and are located at different genomic positions. The 5′-CS-A element is situated upstream rather than downstream of the AUG start codon and, in contrast to mosquito-borne flaviviruses, it was found that the entire protein C coding region is not essential for TBEV replication. The complementary 3′-CS-A element is located within the bottom stem rather than upstream of the characteristic 3′-terminal stem-loop structure, implying that this part of the proposed structure cannot be formed when the genome is in its circularized conformation. Finally, we demonstrate that the CS-A elements can also mediate their function when the 5′-CS-A element is moved from its natural position to one corresponding to the mosquito-borne CS. The recognition of essential RNA elements and their differences between mosquito-borne and tick-borne flaviviruses has practical implications for the design of replicons in vaccine and vector development.


The potential risk of rhesus alloimmunization and the ensuing risk of fetal death with increasing parity were investigated in two groups of parturients; primiparous and grand multiparous (para > or = 5) women with liveborns. It was hypothesized that significantly fewer women of the latter than of the former group would be rhesus negative, since grand multiparity would be expected to be associated with an increased risk of late fetal death in rhesus-negative parturients. Primiparous (n = 390) and grand multiparous (n = 755) parturients with liveborns were studied in order to identify D- and Du-negative individuals. Sixteen out of 390 primiparas (4.10%) and 28/755 (3.71%) grand multiparas were D and Du negative. The difference did not reach statistical significance. It appears that being a D- and Du-negative grand multiparous parturient, in the absence of anti-D prophylaxis, is not a significant reproductive disadvantage to being primipara in terms of an increased risk of having stillborn babies.


Trauma is the number one cause of death among Americans between 1 and 44 years old, and exsanguination due to internal bleeding resulting from arterial injuries is a major factor in trauma deaths. We have evaluated the feasibility of using tissue vibration pulsatility in arterial bleeding detection. Eight femoral arteries from four juvenile pigs were punctured transcutaneously with a 6 or 9-French catheter. Also, 11 silicone vessels wrapped with turkey breast were placed in a pulsatile flow phantom and penetrated with an 18-gauge needle. The tissue vibration pulsatility was derived as a ratio of the maximum spectral energy from 200 to 2500 Hz of tissue vibration in systole over a baseline value in diastole. Then, the tissue vibration pulsatility index (TVPI) was defined as the maximum tissue vibration pulsatility value for each experimental condition. Both in vitro and in vivo results showed that the TVPI from injured vessels is significantly higher (p<0.005) than that of intact vessels. In addition, we constructed the 2D map of tissue vibration pulsatility during in vitro studies and found that it could be used for spatial localization of the puncture site. Our preliminary results indicate that the tissue vibration pulsatility may be useful for detecting arterial bleeding and localizing the bleeding site.


Abstract. The most important soils of Scandinavia are compared with those of Germany. In Scandinavia the formation of soil can be traced back from the presence (at the Svartisen) until some 10 000 years ago, and this may be based as well on wet as on dry soils. A special feature in Skandinavia is a very soft Brown Earth. Very much the same soil can be found in Germany, but only on lateglacial sediments of the late Dryas-age. Both are of almost the same age. They are alike in their character of sediment and content of carbonate. Therefore this type may probably be considered as the first important formation of soils under wood on sandy grounds in Germany.


Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues as the most important cause of mortality. Better risk screening and prediction are needed to reduce the cardiovascular disease burden. The aim of the study was to assess the role of serum biomarkers in the prediction of CVD among asymptomatic middle-aged adults with no prior CVD history. A systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out using literature from PubMed and following PRISMA reporting guidelines. Twenty-five studies met our inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. The most commonly studied biomarker was high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) (10 studies), which showed that higher hs-CRP levels are associated with an increased risk of subsequent CVD events and mortality. In addition, several less-studied biomarkers (N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), fibrinogen, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and others) also showed significant associations with greater future risk of CVD. A meta-analysis was possible to perform for hs-CRP and NT-proBNP, which showed statistically significant results for the ability of hs-CRP (hazard ratio (HR) 1.19, (95% CI: 1.09–1.30), p < 0.05) and NT-proBNP (HR 1.22, (1.13–1.32), p < 0.05) to predict incident CVD among middle-aged adults without a prior CVD history or symptoms. Several serum biomarkers, particularly hs-CRP and NT-proBNP, have the potential to improve primary CVD risk prevention among asymptomatic middle-aged adults.


This study examines interviews with men who have experienced strokes.'Control interviews' with persons who had experienced health problems not related to stroke were also conducted, and they are considered here as well. Unlike most studies of stroke patients' linguistic competence, which examine subjects in isolation and in clinical settings, these interviews were conducted in the patients' homes, with the patients' spouses present in all of the interviews. The analysis concerns the ways in which the spouses participate in the telling of narratives that describe the unfolding of the stroke event as such. At the beginning of every interview with stroke patients the interviewers asked what happened during the stroke proper. The spouses' participation in these stories is significant and sustained, whereas the patients' own mastery of such narratives is meagre although the narratives comprise details from their personal somatic experience. We specify several discreet interactional patterns that make up the stroke patients' dearth of agency in these tellings, compare the interactional dynamics in the interviews with 'control' patients, and discuss the significance of these interactional minutiae for the patients' well-being and also for sociological investigations of 'the brain' and related issues.


&NA; Recent advances in understanding the mechanisms of disease have produced many new targets for gene therapy. However, it has been difficult to convert these new insights into clinically useful applications. In the field of cardiovascular medicine, most clinical studies of gene therapy have focused on angiogenesis as a treatment for ischemia. Initial enthusiasm was supported by small, uncontrolled, phase 1 trials. However, several large efficacy studies have recently been published that have not shown clinically significant improvement, and a few well‐publicized complications of gene therapy have cast a pall over the entire field. In this review, we will summarize specific technical aspects of cardiovascular gene therapy, examine the recent series of clinical studies, and explore the direction of future work for the principal cardiovascular diseases.


This is a case report of a 44-year-old obese female who developed subclinical hepatic injury 4 weeks after starting metformin for type 2 diabetes. She had a rise in her alanine aminotransferase which peaked at 5 months (738 U/l) and rapidly declined within days of discontinuing her metformin. No other positive evidence of alternative causes for the hepatic injury was found. The likelihood of metformin-induced injury was 7 on the Naranjo scale of adverse drug reactions. A brief review of the 11 previously reported cases in the English medical literature is also made.


The year 2003 marked the completion of the Human Genome Project. In the ∼9 years since then, genomics has become a vital tool for biomedical research and a driver for improved human health. An often ignored component of human health is plant-derived human nutrition. Plant and agricultural genomics have benefited from many of the same drivers leading technical advances in the development and application in human genomics. The most disruptive technological advance has been a doubling of sequencing data output on an average of every 5 months and has resulted in a freefall in cost per DNA base sequenced [1]. One recalls when it was acceptable to submit, review and publish RNA-sequencing manuscripts in prestigious scientific journals with zero biological or technical replicates because the cost was prohibitive. We soon arrive at the point where it requires less resource to re-sequence the genome or repeat the sequence


Upon receipt of the extended control information transmitted from a first communication network (K1) in the transfer network node (NK) connected to another communication network (K2), the completion of the following steps: transmission of information by using a call control of the calling party add functionality number control data allocation control data, which is valid for the other communication network (K2) and corresponding to a first communication network (K1) of the function control data in the function allocated to the call number of the calling party information to the control in which the function is assigned to the calling party with call number information transmission control data to the other communication network (K2).


Proceeding from modern Spanish anecdote "chiste" the article treats semiotic means to create comic effect which are revealed in the changes of one of the aspects of a linguistic sign: semantics, syntactics or pragmatics.


Traditional testing techniques often overlook object-oriented faults that are either caused by inheritance and/or polymorphism features or are introduced in object management. We present an object-flow based testing strategy that utilizes two object-flow coverage criteria (all-bindings and all-du-pairs) in testing object-oriented programs. The all-bindings criterion takes inheritance and polymorphism features into account to ensure that every binding of every object is exercised under some test. The all-du-pairs criterion is applied to monitor the behavior of every object during its lifetime by keeping track of where the object is defined (d) and where such a definition is referenced or used (u). These object-flow coverage criteria can be used to develop test cases that are able to trigger object-oriented faults. Furthermore, an integrated approach that incorporates the object-flow based testing strategy with traditional testing techniques as well as state-based testing technique is introduced. The results of our empirical study conducted on three industrial systems show that, with this approach, the reliability of the systems can be improved significantly and at least 80% of the maintenance cost can be reduced.


SUMMARY There is considerable interest in understanding how the energy budget of an endotherm is modulated from a physiological and ecological point of view. In this paper, we used daily (24 h) heart rate (fH24), as a proxy of daily energy expenditure (DEE) across seasons, to test the effect of locomotion activity and water temperature on the energy budget of a large diving bird. fH24 was monitored continuously in common eiders (Somateria mollissima) during 7 months together with measures of time spent flying and time spent feeding. fH24 varied substantially during the recording period, with numerous increases and decreases that occurred across seasons, although we did not find any relationship between fH24 and the time spent active (feeding and flying). However, inactive heart rate (fH,inactive) decreased as locomotion activity increased, suggesting that common eiders were using some form of compensation when under a high work load. We were also unable to detect a negative relationship between water temperature and resting heart rate, a proxy of resting metabolic rate. This was unexpected, based on the assumption that high thermoregulation costs would be associated with cold waters. We showed instead that a high level of energy expenditure coincided with feather moult and warm waters, which suggests that the observed variable pattern of seasonal DEE was driven by these two factors. Nevertheless, our results indicate that compensation and possibly the timing of moult may be used as mechanisms to reduce seasonal variation in energy expenditure.