BACKGROUND
Good coronary care begins from the patient's home, including early transportation. As such, it is recommended that the patients activate ambulances, rather than to use their own transportations to reach the hospitals. It is not known whether Malaysian patients prefer to use private transportations or ambulances when they develop chest pain.

OBJECTIVES
This study is conducted to explore the question of the choice of transportation modes among patients with acute coronary syndrome and the reasons behind their choices.

METHODS
This is a structured interview survey on patients diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in emergency department of Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia from April 2012 to September 2012.

RESULTS
Out of the 110 patients surveyed, 105 (95.5%) patients chose to use own transportation when they developed symptoms suggestive of ACS. Only 3 patients (2.7%) came to the emergency department within 1 hour of onset, and all these 3 patients chose to use ambulances as their modes of transportation. None of the patients who chose own transportation came within the first hour of symptoms onset. This is shown to be statistically significant (p<0.001). The level of education as well as past history of ischemic heart disease did not significantly influence the patients' choice of transportation.

CONCLUSION
The admonishment by various international resuscitation councils that patients with chest pain should be transported via ambulances may not be as straightforward as it seems. Numerous local and regional socio-cultural and logistic factors may need to be addressed.


Introduction: Hirayama's disease is a rare benign disorder, also referred to as monomelic amyotrophy (MMA), Juvenile non progressive amyotrophy, Sobue disease. It is a focal, lower motor neuron type of disease. Mainly young males in their second and third decades of age are most commonly affected. It is seen most commonly in Asian countries like India and Japan. In majority of people cause of this disease is unknown. MRI of cervical spine in flexion will reveal the cardinal features of Hirayama disease. Case Report: A 22 year gentleman came with a history of insidious onset of weakness in both the hands begenning with left side followed by right of 4 years duration. On examination he had clawing of both hands with wasting of forearm muscles. Lower limbs had no abnormality with normal deep tendon reflexes. MRI showed thinning of cord from C4 to C7 level suggestive of cord atrophy. Based on these features a diagnosis of focal amyotrophy was made. A cervical collar was prescribed and patient is under regular follow up. Conclusion: Hirayama disease is a rare self-limiting disease. Early diagnosis is necessary as the use of a simple cervical collar which will prevent neck flexion, has been shown to stop the progression


Rates of crustal deformation in the southern Basin and Range (SBR) and Colorado Plateau (CP) provinces are relatively low in the context of the Pacific‐North America plate boundary (PA–NA); however, the accumulation of small amounts of strain over long periods of time can lead to large earthquakes such as the Mw 7.5 1887 Sonoran earthquake in northern Mexico. SBR and CP rates of deformation are difficult to quantify due to a dearth of young faulting and seismicity. Moreover, strain accumulation and release related to the adjacent, more active San Andreas and Gulf of California fault systems to the west and southwest can mask the background strain rates associated with SBR and CP tectonics. With data from an enhanced continuous GPS network, we estimate crustal surface velocities of the SBR and CP, after removing coseismic and postseismic displacements, and elastic loading effects arising from major fault zones to the (south)west. We use cluster analysis and geologic data to separate the GPS velocity field into regions and calculate distinct block rotation and uniform strain rates for each region. We find the highest strain rate region includes southwestern Arizona; an area with sparse Quaternary faults, relatively low seismicity, and a relatively large discrepancy between geodetic and geologic rates of deformation. This anomalous strain rate may reflect residual, unmodeled PA‐NA strain seeping into the Arizona study area from the west. Alternatively, it may represent the potential for one or more rare, future, large‐magnitude earthquakes or indicate strain is being released through other process(es).


In this paper, we described a new category of solution-processible small molecule organic light emitting materials—the pyrene-functioned diarylfluorenes: 2PPPF and DPPPF. In solution, both of the materials show deep blue emission. In film, their emission largely red-shifted due to strong π−π stacking of pyrene groups. 2PPPF, which is quite rigid in molecular structure, bearing only one alkoxyl group, could form smooth film by spin-coating. From the photoluminescence and morphology study, we believe the strong π−π stacking enhanced the film forming ability. 2PPPF is an amorphous blue light emitter, with a Tg over 100 °C and Td over 430 °C. The good thermal stability is comparable to polymeric light emitting materials. The material shows strong aggregated emission with a broad structureless peak at about 460 nm in film. Electroluminescent devices by spin-coating were successfully fabricated. A single-layered device using 2PPPF as the active material shows a turn on voltage of 4.3 V, brightness over 3600 cd/...


This paper presents a comparison of performance between a passive and an active anti-roll bar. Off-road vehicles are subject to large input road motion and appreciable lateral forces, making anti-roll bars desirable. A four DOF linear model is used to represent an independent suspension and to design the controller. For every case the performance is evaluated for severe road input perturbation and lateral acceleration. A method is presented to illustrate the compromise between stability and comfort inherent in passive anti-roll bar selection. This method was used to select a realistic anti-roll bar stiffness. The active anti-roll bar was designed using full state feedback optimal controller. A simplification of the active system is proposed to reduce the number of measurements and eliminate the need for an optimal observer. The results show a superior performance in ride and handling for the active controller in the frequency range of interest. The addition of filters is proposed to maximize controller efficiency and to reduce associated problems.


This research monograph examines familiar letters in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century English to provide a pragmatic reading of the meanings that writers make and readers infer. The first part of the book presents a method of analyzing historical texts. The second part seeks to validate this method through case studies that illuminate how modern pragmatic theory may be applied to distant speech communities in both history and culture in order to reveal how speakers understand one another and how they exploit intended and unintended meanings for their own communicative ends. The analysis demonstrates the application of pragmatic theory (including speech act theory, deixis, politeness, implicature, and relevance theory) to the study of historical, literary and fictional letters from extended correspondences, producing an historically informed, richly situated account of the meanings and interpretations of those letters that a close reading affords. This book will be of interest to scholars of the history of the English language, historical pragmatics, discourse analysis, as well as to social and cultural historians, and literary critics.


Muscle, liver, and kidney tissue from 456 ringed seals ( Phoca hispida ) from eight areas in Greenland were analysed for cadmium, mercury, zinc and selenium. In general, cadmium concentrations were high in liver and kidney tissue, with geometric means of 7.79 and 33.5 μg/g (all data on wet weight basis), respectively. Muscle levels were considerably lower, at 0.067 μg/g. The concentration of mercury was relatively high in liver tissue with a geometric mean of 2.59 μg/g. Muscle and kidney mercury levels were somewhat lower, with geometric means of 0.210 and 0.956 μg/g, respectively. Cadmium and mercury levels were strongly dependent upon age and sampling area, as well as the interaction combinations, indicating that the accumulation of cadmium and mercury varies with age and area. Mercury accumulated in all three tissues throughout life, whereas cadmium in liver and kidneys peaked in the age group 5-10 years old where after it dropped significantly. Cadmium levels showed a tendency towards higher concentrations in the northern municipalities, which may be due to the higher cadmium levels in certain prey items in the northern areas. Mercury levels were higher in seals from East Greenland compared to West Greenland. Variations in feeding habits probably explain some of the differences in levels of cadmium and mercury in ringed seals from different geographical areas. Cadmium concentrations were correlated (both pairwise and partial) in the three organs. This was true for mercury as well, whereas only half of the combinations were significant for zinc and selenium. Cadmium was strongly correlated to mercury in all three tissues and zinc only in liver and kidneys. Mercury was only correlated to selenium in liver and not to zinc. High concentrations of cadmium were found in the bile from 58 ringed seals, and were about 10-fold higher than in muscle. The concentration of mercury in bile was relatively low, being only one third of the muscle level. The bile levels reflect that substantial amounts of especially cadmium are circulated through the bile. However, it is uncertain whether these amounts are actually excreted or reabsorbed in the intestine (enterohepatic circulation).


OBJECTIVE To examine the hypothesis that vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is associated with an increased prevalence of microvascular complications in young people with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In a cross-sectional study of 517 patients, 25-hydroxyvitamin D was measured. Retinopathy was assessed by 7-field stereoscopic retinal photography, peripheral neuropathy by thermal and vibration threshold testing, and microalbuminuria by albumin excretion rate or albumin-to-creatinine ratio. RESULTS Retinopathy prevalence was higher in cases with VDD versus sufficiency (18 vs. 9%, P = 0.02); deficiency was not associated with microalbuminuria or neuropathy. In logistic regression, retinopathy was associated with VDD (odds ratio 2.12 [95% CI 1.03–4.33]), diabetes duration (1.13, 1.05–1.23), and HbA1c (1.24, 1.02–1.50). CONCLUSIONS VDD is associated with an increased prevalence of retinopathy in young people with type 1 diabetes. The inflammatory and angiogenic effects of VDD may contribute to early retinal vascular damage; however, further investigations are warranted.


Small supernumerary marker chromosomes (sSMCs) are chromosomal fragments or markers whose origins often requires both conventional cytogenetic methods and molecular approaches for a characterization. Chromosomal Microarray Analysis (MCA) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) provide accurate characterization of sSMCs in terms of chromosomal origin, gene content and other additional imbalances elsewhere in the genome. sSMCs have been reported to be present in ~0.043% of live births and ~0.075% prenatal cases, are seven times more prevalent in intellectually disabled patients, with a frequency of 0.125% in individuals presenting infertility. Approximately 70% of SMCs are de novo and 30% are inherited, either from the mother (20%) or the father (10%). The implication of sSMC could be due to partial trisomy or tetrasomy of some genes and the effects on the phenotype is difficult to define. It depends on factors such as level of the mosaicism, size and gene content. There are genomic regions which can be present in three or more copies withouth causing harm, whereas other regions are dose-sensitive. If no genetically relevant material can be detected, in several cases this means that the sSMC will have no direct clinical impact on the phenotype of its carrier. Most critical are the prenatal sSMC cases. The risk depends on a number of factors, including ultrasound findings, whether the SMC is familial and if it is associated with a known syndrome. For some cases, the chromosomal abnormality led to an even more imbalanced, and subsequently unviable, situation in the potential offspring than that present in the sSMC carriers themselves. Thus, the correct identification and characterization of sSMCs has a major impact on the families.


Over the last 50 years technical and other advances have resulted in more than 90% of children born with congenital heart disease (CHD) surviving and reaching adulthood. This new patient population has been largely overlooked in recent policy and practice developments in health and social care. Evidence available at the start of the study confirmed increased survival and suggested the need for life long follow up. There was found to be limited research exploring the view of what was required by adults with CHD or into psychosocial aspects of living with a heart condition. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover the adults' experience of living with CHD. Twenty-eight people, over the age of 20 years, who had undergone surgery for their heart condition, participated in semi-structured interviews during which they recounted their experience of growing up and living with CHD. Five people, who epitomised being well, contributed to second interviews during which they told stories that demonstrated what being well meant for them. Thematic analysis revealed participants had a positive view of themselves and were highly motivated to maintain their health. Their heart condition was an integral part of who they were, but did not dominate their life. Three main areas influenced the positive view held by participants. These were: first the perceptions of wider society, second when the CHD impacted on available choices, and third when hospital attendance occurred. Second interviews revealed ̀ being well' developed through participants' ability to make their own decisions, which was done in a responsible manner, resulting in informants being able to get on with life, engaging in activities of their choosing. The study findings inform proposals for services to develop in ways that can enhance opportunities for adults with CHD to achieve their full potential. Developing skills relevant to `non-patient' activities and managing the misconceptions of wider society are key factors in adults with CHD being able to participate in meaningful activities of their choice. It is essential for health and social care to be delivered in ways that promote patient autonomy and self-management. Areas for further research emerge from the findings. Hearing the way living with CHD is experienced during childhood and adolescence can contribute to transition processes. Hearing the experience of other groups including parents, partners and health professionals, as well as people surviving with other chronic childhood conditions, can add to the findings presented here.


Background: Multiple anterior cervical diskectomy/fusion (ACDF) techniques now use a variety of Polyehteretherketone (PEEK) cages; stand-alone (SA) and zero-profile (ZP) with/without screws, cages filled with demineralized bone matrix/autograft, and cages coated with hydroxyapatite or titanium. We compared the safety/ efficacy between different PEEK ACDF cage constructs in 17 studies, and in some cases, additionally contrasted results with "routine" ACDF (i.e. series/historical data performed with combinations of iliac autograft/allograft and plates). Methods: We focused on the clinical outcomes, fusion rates, postoperative radiographic changes/lordosis/ subsidence, and/or reoperation rates for various PEEK ACDF constructs vs. "routine" ACDF. Results: One to 3 and 4-level PEEK ACDF cages demonstrated high fusion rates, few cage failures, and low reoperation rates. Subsidence for PEEK ACDF cages did not reduce fusion rates or diminish the quality of postoperative outcomes. Further, titanium-coated (T-C) PEEK cages lowered fusion rates in one study (i.e. 44.1% fusions vs. 88.2% for routine PEEK ACDF) while ACDF PEEK cages coated with hydroxyapatite (HA) showed only a "trend" toward enhanced arthrodesis. Conclusion: One to 3-4 multilevel ACDF PEEK cage constructs demonstrated comparable safety/efficacy when compared with each other, or in select cases, with "routine" ACDF (i.e. using autograft/allograft and plates).


Objective: A high prevalence of chronic diseases, severe symptoms, a high mortality-rate of people with chronic diseases and high costs for the health care providers give reasons to improve the health care of the affected people. As patients with chronic diseases need to actively take part within their health care, an increase in patient activation through enhancing self-management could improve the patients' situation. This study evaluated the effect of an eHealth selfmanagement intervention (MijnGezondheidsPlatform) within one year follow-up. Moreover the effect of personality on self-management was assessed. Finally, the association between personality and the commitment to the intervention was examined as well as the development of the commitment within one year and its effect on the change of self-management within this year. Method: The study included questionnaires about the self-management (PAM-13), personality (TIPI) and commitment to the intervention and was given to people with chronic diseases (asthma/COPD, diabetes mellitus type 2, and cardiovascular diseases) who were exposed to the intervention over one year as well as to a control group who got the care 'as usual'. Results: No significant effect of the intervention and no association between personality and the change of self-management were found in this study. A positive association between the commitment to the intervention and the personality traits conscientiousness (p = .008) and extraversion (p = .043) was found, but between the commitment to the intervention and its effect, no association was found. The commitment did not change within the one year follow-up. Conclusion: The study revealed that the intervention did not have the desired effect, but further research is needed to examine if there are other effects on the health status of the patients. Furthermore, changes should be implemented to improve MGP, as for example the use of more design principles for persuasive systems. Tailoring for personality could actually affect selfmanagement through its effect on the commitment. Although this was not reflected in the results of this study, this connection should be evaluated within further research.


Attempts by researchers to quantify organizational culture and culture change have been severely hindered by a lack of theoretical models to aid empirical investigation. This paper has two aims. First, a socio-cognitive model of organizational culture is discussed which dee nes ' culture' as the product of a dynamic and collective process of ' sense-making' undertaken by members of a group or organization. Second, an empirical case study is presented which uses attributional analysis to quantify the beliefs held by key stakeholder groups involved in a culture change programme within a multi-national manufacturing organization. A total of 1230 attributional statements were coded using a modie ed version of the Leeds Attributional Coding System (LACS), which included four main dimensions: stable‐ unstable, global‐ specie c, internal‐ external, controllable‐ uncontrollable. Results indicated considerable inter-group di Verences between managers, trainers and trainees in their cognitive maps as sense-making heuristics of this planned change process. The implications of this model and the usefulness of attributional analysis as a method for evaluating dynamic aspects of organizational culture and culture change are discussed.


Detection, characterization and classification of patterns within time series from electrophysiological signals have been a challenge for neuroscientists due to their complexity and variability. Here, we aimed to use graph theory to characterize and classify waveforms within biological signals using maxcliques as a feature for a deep learning method. We implemented a compact and easy to visualize algorithm and interface in Python. This software uses time series as input. We applied the maxclique graph operator in order to obtain further graph parameters. We extracted features of the time series by processing all graph parameters through K-means, one of the simplest unsupervised machine learning algorithms. As proof of principle, we analyzed integrated electrical activity of XII nerve to identify waveforms. Our results show that the use of maxcliques allows identification of two distinct types of waveforms that match expert classification. We propose that our method can be a useful tool to characterize and classify other electrophysiological signals in a short time and objectively. Reducing the classification time improves efficiency for further analysis in order to compare between treatments or conditions, e.g., pharmacological trials, injuries, or neurodegenerative diseases.


Christopher Cherry's article in the January 1973 issue of this journal has on its first page the sentence 'And when a philosopher writes that "no clear idea is available to us of what moral scepticism amounts to", that moral scepticism would, if it were possible at all, have to be a "specially cooked-up affair" by contrast with other varieties of scepticism, it is hard not to accuse him of just such a vice.' He means the vice of disingenuousness and the person to whom he attributes it is me. I did not write what he says I wrote and neither of his quotations is accurate. On the next page Cherry claims again to be summarizing a view of mine when he says that 'An "intellectual moral scepticism" would, if it were anything, have to be a peculiarly cooked-up affair, and so by implication different from other forms of intellectual philosophical scepticism. It is not a species of the same genus.'


The nature and the practice of local political leadership are undergoing rapid change. In the UK, policy initiatives have included the adoption of executive leadership systems in the form of the directly elected mayor or the increasing selection of council leaders for four-year terms rather than through annual nomination. The drive toward elected mayors and other reforms of local management continues under the current coalition government. This article draws from extensive research in the UK, other European countries and the USA, in order to propose and develop a matrix for the analysis of both local and national political leadership. Illustrations are offered of how the matrix might be used in such analysis, alongside a consideration of prospects for further research in this area.


"If there existed a superior being who possessed the supernatural qualities of omniscience, omnipotence, immortality, and incomprehensibility, how would he/she act differently from us, and would these differences be knowable?" (p. vii). This is the central question posed by Steven J. Brams in this book. Brams is best known as one of the leading scholars in the application of game theoretic concepts to the study of political science and international relations. Superior Beings is a departure from that line of work and is closer in spirit (no pun intended) to his Biblical Games: A Strategic Analysis of Stories in the Old Testament (MIT Press, 1980). Brams endows his Superior Being (SB) with rationality and at least partially conflicting interests with a Person (P). SB is involved in various kinds of "games" with P. For example, in the Revelation Game, SB has two strategies (which are possible courses of action from which he chooses): (1) reveal himself (establish his existence), or (2) don't reveal himself (don't establish his existence). P also has two strategies: (1) believe in SB's existence; or, (2) don't believe in SB's existence. The intersection of these strategies define the four outcomes in this game. A preference rank order is assigned to each outcome for each player, with " 4 " representing the best outcome for each player, " 3 " the next best, " 2 " the next worst, and " 1 " the worst. These rank orders are based upon assumptions about the goals of the players. In the Revelation Game these assumptions are that SB's primary goal is wanting P to believe in his existence while secondarily preferring not to reveal himself, and P's primary goal is wanting his belief (or nonbelief) in SB's existence confirmed by evidence (or lack thereof) while secondarily preferring to believe in SB's existence. Besides the Revelation Game, Brams also explores the Knowability Game, the Paradox of Omniscience, Moving and Staying Power as it relates to Omnipotence, Threats and Immortality, the Truth Game and the Problem of Evil, Newcomb's Problem, and solutions to the Prisoner's Dilemma and Chicken. All of this is with the aim of inquiring into the meaning of superiority in games and the effects that different superior abilities have on the outcomes of such games (p. vii). A major point of this inquiry is the problem of "decidability," the ability of a human being in a game-playing relationship with a superior being to decide whether that being is indeed superior. As it turns out, such a determination cannot be made because the superior being cannot improve upon the (inferior) outcome that an ordinary player in his position could also achieve. This conclusion suggests to Brams "a new and strange kind of logic and may underlie agnosticism" (p. ix). Furthermore, the problem of undecidability also suggests to Brams that it may be rational in certain games for the superior being to obfuscate his choices by acting arbitrarily. This in turn raises a theological issue of whether such behavior is consistent with a benevolent and righteous God, that is, the "problem of evil."


Television viewing plays an important role in the lives of many young children and has received a great deal of attention in the public as well as in research. This review examined research on television and literacy development in early childhood, including studies of messages about literacy in children's programs as well as the impact of specific programs on young viewers' literacy development. Results indicate: (1) moderate amounts of television viewing were found to be beneficial for reading; (2) the content of programs viewed by children matters; (3) programs that aim to promote literacy in young children have been found to positively impact specific early literacy skills; and finally, (4) there are limitations to the existing literature. Suggestions for addressing these limitations were included, and future studies should focus on methodological, theoretical, and measurement issues in this area, in addition to exploring a wider variety of programs watched by young viewers.


Clinical research in ophthalmology has increasingly shifted from isolated case reports and retrospective analyses of case series to randomized prospective trials and cross-sectional population-based studies of eye disease, enabling investigators to draw broadly applicable inferences about treatment, disease prevalence, and risk factors. Because clinical trials and population-based studies consume considerable scarce research resources in terms of research funds, personnel, and space, they are appropriately employed only to answer questions of major interest that cannot be answered through other means. In proper circumstances, the implementation of recommendations resulting from multicenter trials can generate positive economic and clinical outcomes. 1,2 See also p 1085. Study of the outcomes and effectiveness of medical care (so-called outcomes research) based on insurance databases and similar secondary sources shows promise for studying issues not practically addressed by clinical trials and population-based studies. At comparatively lower cost and research resource consumption, outcomes research can provide an overview


Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious disease of cloven-hoofed animals which can have devastating economic consequences. Maintaining an FMD-free status is a priority for non-endemic countries, which restrict importation of animals and animal products from countries in which the disease is present or sporadic, thus presenting a considerable barrier to international trade. This review examines the concentration of FMD virus in animal tissues during the viraemic stage of disease and in animal products derived from infected animals.


Aim of this research was to establish effects and influence of personality traits on sexual functioning of schizophrenic and depressive patients, compared to healthy individuals. 300 participants were included in this research. For patients suffering from schizophrenia it was established that the more they are open to experience and the less they are neurotic their sexual drive is stronger. For patients suffering from depression it was established that the more they are open to experience and conscientious and the less they are agreeable their sexual drive is stronger. Furthermore, higher openness is a significant predictor for easier sexual arousal and the more those patients are conscientious and the less they are agreeable easier is for them to achieve orgasms. Personality traits proved to be significant predictors of sexual functioning in schizophrenic and depressive patients, but not in healthy individuals.


Bovine liver glutamate dehydrogenase reacts covalently with the new adenosine analogue 6-[(4-bromo-2,3-dioxobutyl)thio]-6-deaminoadenosine 5'-diphosphate with incorporation of about 1 mol of reagent/mol of enzyme subunit. Modified enzyme completely loses its normal ability to be inhibited by high concentrations of reduced diphosphopyridine nucleotide (DPNH) (greater than 100 microM), which binds at a regulatory site distinct from the catalytic site; however, the modified enzyme retains its full activity when assayed at 100 microM DPNH in the absence of allosteric compounds. The enzyme is still activated by ADP, is inhibited by GTP (albeit at higher concentrations), and binds 1.5-2 mol of [14C]GTP/subunit. A plot of initial velocity vs. DPNH concentration for the modified enzyme, in contrast to the native enzyme, followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The rate constant (k) for loss of DPNH inhibition (as measured at 0.6 mM DPNH) exhibits a nonlinear dependence on reagent concentration, suggesting a reversible binding of reagent (Kd = 0.19 mM) prior to irreversible modification. At 0.1 mM 6-[(4-bromo-2,3-dioxobutyl)thio]-6-deaminoadenosine 5'-diphosphate, k = 0.036 min-1 and is not affected by alpha-ketoglutarate, 100 microM DPNH, or GTP alone but is decreased to 0.0094 min-1 by 5 mM DPNH and essentially to zero by 5 mM DPNH plus 100 microM GTP. Incorporation after incubation with 0.25 mM 6-[(4-bromo-2,3-dioxobutyl)thio]-6-deaminoadenosine 5'-diphosphate for 2 h at pH 7.1 is 1.14 mol/mol of subunit in the absence but only 0.24 mol/mol of subunit in the presence of DPNH plus GTP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Lago Fagnano, an E-W elongated basin located in the central part of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, occupies a structural depression originated along a segment of the Magallanes-Fagnano fault system. Its evolution was mostly conditioned by tectonic processes, and later was affected by glacial and glacio-lacustrine depositional events. New high-resolution single-channel seismic data, integrated with previous seismic profiles, and geological information acquired in the surroundings of the Lago Fagnano, allows us reconstructing the basement surface of the lake, and the geometry, distribution, and thickness of the glacial and glacio-lacustrine sequences. We recognized three main sub-basins within the Lago Fagnano: 1. a medium-size (ca. 21x5 km), deep (373 m), and asymmetric basin to the east; 2. an E-W trending (44x3 km), shallower (150 m) central sub-basin; and 3. a smaller (3.5x1.3 km), shallow (128 m) sub-basin to the west. The isopach sediment map shows that the most pronounced deposition occurred along the E-W axis of the lake, with a gradual increase in thickness towards east (from 100 to 150 m). The glacial deposits are widespread along the basin. The lacustrine sediments are preferentially localized along the E-W axis of the lake filling topographic lows. The shape of the sub-basins and their location in relation with the Magallanes-Fagnano fault system, along with the distribution, geometry, and thickness of the sedimentary units, show that the general morphology of the Lago Fagnano was mostly controlled by pre-existing and syntectonic features. Based on the structural data observed in the outcrops around the Lago Fagnano and the geophysical data, we proposed that the lake is composed by 4 amalgamated pull-apart sub-basins.


Background Work-related stress is of growing concern to employers because of its significant implications for employee dissatisfaction, reduced productivity, and lowered emotional and physical health. Job-related stress is particularly acute among staff members in higher education, negatively impacting the professional work and personal welfare of staff. During the COVID-19 pandemic, stress levels increased, due to work- and non-work-related factors. Work expectations and environments shifted, as did new non-work responsibilities, such as care of dependents. As a result, many people were forced to spend much more time at home. Given the anticipated levels of stress (higher) and the change in time spent at home (increased), we sought to explore if adults were spending more time outdoors, as compared to pre-pandemic times, and if so, for what purposes. We hypothesized that people would be spending more time outdoors in nature during the pandemic, and that they would be doing so to achieve some of the well-documented benefits including managing stress, and bolstering mental health and wellbeing. We further hypothesized that some staff would experience barriers to spending time outdoors in natural outdoor environments (NOEs), potentially limiting their ability to experience these beneficial effects. Materials and Methods This study surveyed 507 staff from a large United States university to examine the degree to which staff were spending time in natural outdoor environments (NOEs) during the pandemic (two time-points, compared to pre-pandemic), and whether and how nature-based routines changed as a result of its emergence. The study also examined whether staff were motivated to spend time in nature to improve their mental health and/or wellbeing. Results The majority of respondents reported spending more time in NOEs since COVID-19 emerged, particularly early in the pandemic. Respondents reported doing so for restorative purposes, including stress relief, improved mental health, and improved physical health. Relative accessibility of NOEs, both in terms of proximity and number of barriers to access, significantly impacted both time outdoors and the number of NOEs used. Access to safe, high-quality NOEs was not experienced equally across staff respondents; barriers to access tended to be higher among staff living with dependents or others in their household, and for staff who identify as non-White. Conclusion Spending time outdoors may have served as a protective factor for many university staff against some of the potentially detrimental effects of the pandemic, particularly reduced mental health and well-being. Universities can contribute to the ongoing well-being of their staff by supporting access to safe, high-quality NOEs on or adjacent to campus. This may also serve to reduce disparities in access to nature and experience of its benefits. Universities may also consider alternative work arrangements for staff to allow for more time for health and wellness self-care during the work day, including spending time outdoors in nature.


This study presents a comprehensive investigation of the aggregation behavior of a malonamide extractant molecule (N,N'-dimethyl,N,N'-dioctylhexylethoxymalonamide (DMDOHEMA)) in three different solvents, including two piperidinium- and (trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide-based ionic liquids (1-ethyl-1-butylpiperidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EBPip+][NTf2-]) and 1-ethyl-1-octylpiperidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([EOPip+][NTf2-])) and n-dodecane. By combining polarizable molecular dynamics simulations and small-angle X-ray scattering experiments, we extensively investigated the arrangement of supramolecular assemblies of the extractant molecules. Our results showed that the insertion of the alkyl chains of the extractant molecules into the apolar domain of [EOPip+][NTf2-] has a significant impact on the aggregation behavior of the extractant molecules, leading to the formation of smaller aggregates having a higher dispersion compared to other solvents. These findings provide new insights into the physicochemical properties of this type of system and are crucial in designing more effective solvents for rare earth metal extraction.


Recent years have witnessed intensive research activity in exploring novel metal-free organocatalysts for catalyzing the coupling reactions of CO2 and epoxides to afford cyclic or polymeric carbonates. In this direction, herein we report a series of boron–phosphonium organocatalysts for catalyzing the coupling reactions of CO2 and epoxides. These organophosphonium catalysts were synthesized in high yields by following a two step protocol involving Menschutkin and hydroboration reactions in succession. The purity of these organocatalysts was confirmed by spectroscopic techniques like 1H, 13C and 31P NMR, and molecular structures were confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. We have also demonstrated that these bifunctional organoboron–phosphonium catalysts are comparatively much less hygroscopic compared to the analogus ammonium catalysts. These phosphonium organocatalysts were shown to catalyze the copolymerization of CO2 and cyclohexene oxide or vinyl cyclohexene oxide to provide polycarbonates with >99% polymer selectivity and carbonate linkages. The coupling reactions of aliphatic epoxides such as PO, having lower energy barrier to cycloaddition formation compared to alicyclic epoxides, preferentially provided cyclic carbonates in good yields. It was demonstrated that these organoboron–phosphonium catalysts are sensitive to chain transfer agents like water, and hence are deactivated in its presence. This is opposite to what is observed for metal based catalysts for these transformations, where water serves as a precursor to the chain-transfer agent diols.


Purpose
This paper aims to demonstrate how public procurement can be strategic.

Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted following the protocol from Pagani, Kovaleski and Resende (2015), called Methodi Ordinatio, to select the relevant literature on this topic. The analysis of papers selected was carried out following the procedures of categorical content analysis (Bardin, 1977).

Findings
In all, 68 full papers were analyzed from Science Direct and Web of Science. The results present the main characteristics of publications analyzed and the authors propose some categories of strategic practices related to public procurement that are in turn related to: sustainability, partnerships and supplier management, information systems and technology and other issues.

Research limitations/implications
The main limitations of this paper are: the publication period considered of the articles selected is from January 2012 to March 2017; the databases Science Direct and Web of Science are selected as the sources of articles; the Methodi Ordinatio is used as the basic protocol of the SLR and, consequently, the inclusion and exclusion criteria described in the steps of the protocol are used.

Practical implications
Showing how the public procurement can be strategic, this paper highlights the benefits of best procurement practices; similarly, it highlights those practices adopted by the private sector, which can highly contribute to the creation of value in public services that are aligned with the concept of obtaining "the best value for money".

Social implications
The incorporation of strategic practices in public procurement can result in the best expenditure of public resources and the reduction of corruption in the process of procurement.

Originality/value
This paper contributes to synthesize the knowledge on strategic procurement, a topic exploited by few people in the public organizations. It differentiates from other literature reviews already published, considering that these studies do not deal, specifically, with public procurement and, also, do not use protocols of SLR. Moreover, this paper indicates a future agenda of research, which can aid researchers and practitioners acting in this field of knowledge.


Conversion between digital video (DV) for digital video cassette recorder (DVCR) and MPEG-2 intra coding is performed in the DCT domain to reduce conversion steps. Multiplying the matrix by transformed data is used for 4:1:1-to-4:2:2 chroma format conversion and 2-4-8 DCT mode to 8-8 DCT mode conversion for parallel processing. M-quant of MPEG-2 rate control is computed in the DCT domain.


The utilisation of synthetic fibres has been reported in the past showing enhancement of fatigue and thermal cracking resistance in asphaltic materials. However, the limited evidences about the benefits of these fibres in asphaltic materials at low material scales have been noticed. Also, the exact reinforcing mechanism of binding system in the asphalt pavement mixes is still unclear. Therefore, this research examined experimentally the fracture performance of the synthetic reinforced asphalt mixes at the mortar level by using specially designed tools. Samples of three different fibre contents and two fibre lengths were evaluated. Pull-out tests, whose objective was to explore the potential interaction of fibre-matrix, demonstrated a matrix-type of fracture. Moreover, direct tension tests were carried out with both monotonic and cyclic loading to assess the effect of the synthetic fibres on tensile strength, fracture energy and ductility; and fatigue life of reinforced mixes. Improvements on mechanical characteristics of asphalt mortars have been observed when fibres were added. Also, the longer fibres of low dosages generated equivalent performance to the mix with the high dosages of shorter fibre. Hence, a potential initial cost reduction could be reached by means of utilising the longer synthetic fibres. Overall, the current results elucidated that implementing dedicated studies at various material levels can assist on understanding the material performance and on tailoring systems beyond sometimes the supplier-recommended additive dosages.


How humans robustly interact with external dynamics is not yet fully understood. This work presents a hierarchical architecture of semi-autonomous controllers that can control the redundant kinematics of the limbs during dynamic interaction, even with delays comparable to the nervous system. The postural optimisation is performed via a non-linear mapping of the system kineto-static properties, and it allows independent control of the end-effector trajectories and the arms stiffness. The proposed architecture is tested in a physical simulator in the absence of gravity, presence of gravity, and with gravity plus a viscous force field. The data indicate that the architecture can generalise motor strategies to different environmental conditions. The experiments also verify the existence of a deterministic solution to the task-separation principle. The architecture is also compatible with Optimal Feedback Control and the Passive Motion Paradigm. The existence of a deterministic mapping implies that this task could be encoded in neural networks capable of generalisation of motion strategies to affine tasks.


Many genomic assays that assess recurrence risk in early breast cancer (EBC) are prognostic, but they differ in risk group stratification, which can affect clinical utility. Prospective outcomes of >60 K patients treated based on the 21‐gene assay results have shown that chemotherapy may be safely omitted in EBC patents with low Recurrence Score (RS) results (RS < 18). Because of its extensive validation and wide clinical use, the RS assay is a common comparator in head‐to‐head studies with other assays. Published/presented studies of the RS assay performed on the same tumor samples with Breast Cancer Index (BCI), EndoPredict (EP) or EP+ clinical features (EPclin), MammaPrint (MMP) and/or Prosigna (ROR) assays were reviewed. Study findings were summarized descriptively.


Seasonal and annual intensity of foraging pestiferous yellowjackets in California (USA) was determined with wet capture traps using heptyl butyrate (HB) lure. Although 3 species were sympatric at every test site, the most abundant at > 85 to 90% of total was V. pensylvanica (Saussure). There was a nearly 40-fold annual variation in the total number captured at some sites, the ultimate number of foragers apparently related to spring weather episodes. Independent of total number caught, traps indicated typical summer-fall seasonality, with the peak occurring in the warmest months. Queens and workers were attracted to HB. Early-season queen trapping and season-long trapping of foragers did not reduce the number of daily foragers nor reduce the number of reported sting episodes. In the short-term a ring of strategically placed interceptive traps reduced the number of yellowjackets foraging at a picnic food pavilion. Longer-term control was achieved one year with proprietary baits. Longer-term control one year was achieved with bait. Using minced chicken or one specific commercial fish-flavored pet food as the matrix, 0.05% chlorfenapyr or indoxacarb provided >90% non-resurgent control within 7 days. Results with bifenthrin, imidacloprid, and others were less spectacular, probably because of being repellent or having too rapid KD effects. Confirmation trials indicated that bait efficacy depends upon a minimum number of foragers/day. Trap catch is a good indicator of that minimum, there generally needing to be about 25 wasps/trap/day for baiting to be effective. Control may be achieved with toxicants such as fipronil or indoxacarb as they are transferred from the cuticle of foragers to other wasps in the colony. This transfer was substantiated by placing a wire-mesh cage soaked with 0.05% fipronil over a nest entrance for 15 min. The few caged exiting wasps were released and allowed to return to the colony, whereupon the colony was eliminated within 1 day.


Esterase isozymic variations were documented in the haemolymph of developed multivoltine and bivoltine silkworm breeds during unfavorable seed crop seasons of May - September using á- and â- napthylacetate separately to identify specific and nonspecific esterase having thermotolerant potentiality. Variations existed in the isozyme pattern with three bands (Est-2, 3 and 4) in pure Nistari race and other developed multivoltine and bivoltine breeds. Est-2 and Est-3 were non-specific esterases as they were observed when both á- and â-napthylacetate was used as substrates separately. Est-4 band was observed only with á-napthylacetate as substrate and was therefore confirmed to be specific á-esterase band in the haemolymph of silkworm, Bombyx mori L. Zymograms showed that the non-specific esterase band (Est-3) with R1 of 0.43 and specific á-esterase band (Est-4) with R(f) of 0.32 predominately withstood a temperature of 70 +/- 2 degrees C for a duration of 10 min and were confirmed as thermostable esterases in haemolymph of silkworm, Bombyx mori L. This also categorized the presence of thermostable esterases in developed multivoltine and bivoltine breeds of silkworm, even though the qualitative activity was more in the former than the latter. The qualitative presence of thermostable esterases and their activity could be adopted as an indicative biochemical marker in relation to thermotolerance in silkworm.


Two forms of Ca2+-dependent cysteine proteinase (calpain, EC 18.104.22.168) and their specific endogenous inhibitor (calpastatin) were partially purified from porcine retina: calpain I (low-Ca2+-requiring form) was half-maximally activated at 8 microM-Ca2+, and calpain II (high-Ca2+-requiring form) at 250 microM-Ca2+. Both calpain I and calpain II were inhibited by calpastatin. Calpain I from porcine retina was shown to be composed of 83 000- and 29 000-Mr subunits, and calpain II of 80 000- and 29 000-Mr subunits, by the use of monospecific antibodies. Calpains I and II were both found to hydrolyse microtubule-associated proteins 1 and 2 rapidly.


PT. Taspen Branch Surakarta is a company which is works in the field of
civil public servant insurance service and has important role in increases
prosperity of civil public servant life either in pension period or will enter pension
period. Main activity of PT. Taspen Branch Surakarta is receive cash from Head
Office of Taspen and gives the cash to the member of taspen. Considering that
cash is the easiest asset to be misused hence the company must manage the cash
carefully. For the reason, sub-division of cash revenue and expenditure in the
company must function can as well as possible to prevent the happening of
deviation of the cash. So company requires adequate internal control of cash
revenue and expenditure.
The objective of this research is to know whether internal control at PT.
Taspen (Persero) Branch Surakarta has adequate? Internal control will be able to
be executed with existence of system and accounting procedure which in it covers
complete document and print sequence number, document authorization by
functionary official and capable employee supported by segregate function and
good note of accounting and procedure chain forming system.
From result of research concluded that internal control system applied by
PT. Taspen (persero) branch Surakarta have been good. There are still found three
weakness that is: (1) Has not existence of sinking fund or small cash fund at PT.
Taspen (Persero) branch Surakarta for payment of THT and pension. (2) Has not
existence of tight observation to document related to submission of claim. (3) At
making of forecasting design and also forecasting in procedure of cash expending
based on at expending of cash in the past two year, so if happen less or more
difference it is need to be done revision again which could probably cause
insincerity and cause un-efficiency and un-effectiveness of company operation.
Based on weakness found, writer gives suggestion which can be made
consideration of company to increase internal control system effectiveness which
exist before. The suggestions are: (1) Better be formed sinking fund or small cash
fund at PT. Taspen (Persero) Branch Surakarta for payment of THT and pension.
So not necessarily be performed a correction if the payment is outside forecasting.
(2) It's need to of held a tight observation to document related to submission
claims to avoid abuse by irresponsible party (3) Better at making of forecasting
design and forecasting in procedure of cash expending really calculated carefully
by service section, so if happen less or more difference, it is not necessarily be
performed a revision that possibly can cause insincerity, so that efficiency and
effectiveness of company operation can be reached.
Keywords : internal control system, revenue expenditure of cash


The flexoelectric effect, which manifests itself as a strain-gradient-induced electrical polarization, has triggered great interest due to its ubiquitous existence in crystalline materials without the limitation of lattice symmetry. Here, we propose a flexoelectric photodetector based on a thin-film heterostructure. This prototypical device is demonstrated by epitaxial LaFeO3 thin films grown on LaAlO3 substrates. A giant strain gradient of the order of 106/m is achieved in LaFeO3 thin films, giving rise to an obvious flexoelectric polarization and generating a significant photovoltaic effect in the LaFeO3-based heterostructures with nanosecond response under light illumination. This work not only demonstrates a novel self-powered photodetector different from the traditional interface-type structures, such as the p-n and Schottky junctions but also opens an avenue to design practical flexoelectric devices for nanoelectronics applications.


A thin-film electrode array with integrated position sensors has been developed for a cochlear prosthesis. The array is designed to minimize tissue damage during array insertion and achieve deep implants that hug the modiolus inside the cochlea. The array is fabricated using bulk micromachining technology and contains embedded polysilicon piezoresistive sensors for wall-contact detection and array-shape recognition. Nine strain gauges are distributed at the tip and along the array, covering the 8-mm-long shank. Each sensor is arranged in a half Wheatstone bridge whose output signal is time multiplexed, amplified (10 or 30 times), and band limited. The equivalent gauge factors are typically about 15, permitting array-tip position to be determined within a 50-mum resolution while providing wall-contact output signals of more than 50 mV at the tip. The arrays use a parylene-silicon-dielectric-electrode structure, improving flexibility while maintaining enough robustness to facilitate a modiolus-hugging shape defined by a polymeric backing device. Integrated with an articulated position-control device, such arrays are the first step toward providing closed-loop control of array insertion and improved perception of speech and music.


This paper presents a method for the establishment of mapping between low-level visual features and high-level semantic features based on Gaussian mixture model (GMM). We combine color features and texture features based on Gabor filter, an image annotation algorithm based on GMM clustering is put forward through the research in image processing. In an image database that contains 1000 images, the experimental results show that the proposed method has better performance.


Milk has long been under suspicion as an important factor in coronary heart disease because of its relatively high content of saturated fat and numerous people and expert groups have spoken and written in condemnation of milk and have recommended that only skimmed or semiskimmed milk is drunk—even by children.

Many mechanisms have however been appealed to in attempts to explain the supposed harm of milk. Thus it has been argued that its high calcium content, together with an enhancement of the uptake of calcium from other foods by the lactose in milk, could increase arterial calcification, leading to myocardial ischaemia.1 On the other hand, animal proteins contribute to homocysteine and milk, unlike meat, contains little of the B vitamins needed for the metabolism of homocysteine.2 Milk is also low in copper, an essential element in many enzymes, and the lactose in milk interferes with the absorption of copper from other food sources.3 Chronic infections from milk borne bacteria, or algae, have been suggested as a contributory cause of atherosclerosis.4 Both phytoestrogens5 and xanthine oxidase6 are present in …


A better understanding of micro deformation and damage processes that the microstructure of particle reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCp) undergoes at microscale before macroscopical failure gives the right direction for the microstructural design of these materials. To this end, a μCT-based analysis was performed that combines μCT-experiments and FE simulations: The gauge length of tiny tensile specimens (cross-section A = 2 x 1 mm2) consisting of the MMCp systems Cobalt/Diamond and Al/B4C was imaged by tomography at different stages of deformation. 3D strain tensor fields and displacement vector fields were determined by digital image correlation of the reconstructed tomograms. Based on tomograms of the analyzed volume at the undeformed state, FE meshes were generated that model the microstructure close to reality. Using these meshes and the displacement vector fields measured at the volume boundaries, FE simulations of the deformation and damage behavior were carried out. In both composites volume strains below 1% have been found experimentally. The spatial resolution of deformation fields is limited by the characteristic microstructural length which depends on the particle diameter and the particle spacing. The results of the experiments and the simulations are compared on the basis of 3D-strain fields sampled within the analyzed microstructural region. Additionally, the impact of microstructural features on the localization of strain, the initiation of localized damage and the successive failure of the composite materials is discussed.


Pamela Ballinger. History In Exile: Memory and Identity at the Borders of the Balkans. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2003. When the Yugoslav wars of the early 1990s prevented her from conducting fieldwork on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia Pamela Ballinger made productive use of her displacement, moving north to a study the Julian March, the region spanning contemporary Croatia, Italy and Slovenia. In her painstakingly researched History in Exile: Memory and Identity at the Borders of the Balkans she exposes a terrain fraught with a staggering number of competing narratives of ownership and belonging. Each chapter engages a successive layer or dimension of 20th Century history, from World War I to contemporary regional politics, and Ballinger makes her way delicately through the thicket of claims and counterclaims. The claimants in these struggles-to name just a few-include Habsburgs vs. Italians, Italians vs. Royalist Yugoslavs, Antifascists vs. Fascists, Socialist Yugoslavs vs. Americans, Slovenes vs. Italians, Croatian Nationalists vs. Yugoslavs, Croatian Centralists vs. Istrian Regionalists, and, most recently, Croatians vs. Slovenes. History in Exile, however, takes as its primary axis the cleavage created when, at the close of WW II, the Istrian Peninsula, comprising the bulk of the territory of the Julian March fell under Yugoslav control and some 200-350,000 ethnic Italians fled. The departure left the Italian community of the region sharply divided between those who stayed (rimasti) and those who left into exile (esuli). The broad range of historical episodes and themes engaged in Exile are by in large viewed through the recent interpretive struggles of these two constituencies. The partitioning of the Julian March cut through not only communities but also families, as individuals were forced to choose sides between competing political and state systems. And it was Ballinger's discovery of self-described Italians living on each side of the border, with starkly different accounts of what it means to belong in Istria, that led her to the central concerns of her project. There is Eleonora who left Istria with her family in 1948 when local communists nationalized the family home for then Anglo-American Military Government controlled Trieste. Her vision of Istria is of an Italian ethnic and cultural domain; she stresses Istria's legacy as a one-time Roman colony and the centuries of Venetian rule that preceded Habsburg rule in 1797. She goes so far as to say that the "genuine Istrians" are only to be found outside of Istria today, among those who fled. Her cousin, Gino, still lives in the Istrian town of Rovinj/Rovigno, which, alongside Trieste, is the principle base for Ballinger's research on the wider region. Gino joined the Yugoslav Partisans at the close of the war, at age seventeen, and was an active member of the Italian minority organization favored by Tito in the postwar years. Whereas for Eleonora "Istrian" signifies Italianess, Gino stresses the hybrid Italian and Slavic languages, cultures and populations of Istria, a view much more in harmony with the principle slogan of socialist Yugoslavia's rhetoric to ethnic relations: "Brotherhood and Unity" (Bratsvo I jedinstvo) and contemporary Istrian regionalism. Illicit and Licit Discourses Ballinger gives a meticulous accounting of the variable ways in which both rimasti and esuli have situated themselves vis a vis the shifting state borders of the Julian March, constantly pulled between the competing irredentisms that have laid claim to it, including various incarnations of Yugoslavia, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia. She gives us a detailed, textured rendering of the ways in which social actors not only refract changing state borders and geopolitical conditions but recast or accommodate with the dominant state projects. Rather than romantic readings of resistance to state power the reader gets fine-grained accounts of how the narratives of both esuli and rimasti were at various times at odds with or in harmony, licit or illicit, in their relationship to official narratives of state building, including those of totalitarian regimes. …


The chicken c-myc gene is the target for proviral insertion mutations in bursal lymphomas and has been transduced to generate several viral oncogenes, but the boundaries of its exons have not been securely established. To define the landmarks of the chicken c-myc gene necessary to produce its mRNA, we used an RNase protection assay and a cDNA clone to analyze the c-myc mRNAs from normal chicken embryos and from two bursal lymphomas: LL6, which contains an avian leukosis virus provirus downstream of the c-myc coding region, and LL7, which contains an avian leukosis virus provirus upstream of the c-myc coding region. Two initiation sites for normal c-myc mRNA are less than 7 bases apart, downstream of a GC-rich region lacking canonical TATA and CAAT sequences. The first exon has two open reading frames for the entire length but no initiator methionine codons. The splice donor and acceptor sites at the boundary of the first intron were assigned by comparing a sequence of an LL6 c-myc cDNA clone with a genomic DNA sequence and confirmed by RNase protection of labeled RNA probes by normal and LL6-derived mRNAs. Two potential polyadenylation signals are located approximately 250 and 400 bases downstream of the c-myc coding region in the third exon, but only the more distal signal is utilized in both normal cells and the LL7 tumor. The proviral integration in the LL6 tumor occurred upstream of the authentic c-myc polyadenylation signal accounting for polyadenylation of this transcript in the proviral long terminal repeat.


Background. As software took control over hardware in many domains, the question of the energy footprint induced by the software is becoming critical for our society, as the resources powering the underlying infrastructure are finite. Yet, beyond this growing interest, energy consumption remains a difficult concept to master for a developer. Aims. The purpose of this study is to better understand the root causes that prevent the issue of software energy consumption to be more widely considered by developers and companies. Method. To investigate this issue, this paper reports on a qualitative study we conducted in an industrial context. We applied an in-depth analysis of the interviews of 10 experienced developers and summarized a set of implications. Results. We argue that our study delivers i) insightful feedback on how green software design is considered among the interviewed developers and ii) a set of findings to build helpful tools, motivate further research, and establish better development strategies to promote green software design. Conclusion. This paper covers an industrial case study of developers' awareness of green software design and how to promote it within the company. While it might not be generalizable for any company, we believe our results deliver a common body of knowledge with implications to be considered for similar cases and further researches.


We study the time complexity of the parsing problem for input strings that contain gaps. For context-free languages the time requirement is cubic. For restricted classes of languages given by LL(1), bidirectional LL(1), and a specific kind of XML grammars, the time requirement is bounded linearly or quadratically depending on the number of separate gaps.


ABSTRACT Chun, I., Min, Y., Ha, D. and Park, K., 2013. A General Purpose Numerical Tool for Determining Wave Control Capability of Perforated Coastal Structures Perforated breakwaters or seawalls have been installed as structures to maintain water surface tranquility inside or outside harbors by suppressing wave reflection or overtopping. In addition, they can also reduce the impact of wave-breaking forces acting on the structure, ultimately increasing its structural stability. Recently, they have been often employed as transmissive structures that facilitate sea water exchange between the inside and outside harbors. Here, analytical and experimental studies were performed to establish a numerical tool for predicting the wave control characteristics of general perforated coastal structures under regular wave conditions. The numerical analysis, which is based on a boundary element method, was established to calculate wave reflection and transmission coefficients as well as wave pressures and forces acting on various perforated wall structures. This analysis could also accommodate any length of curtain and sill above and below the perforated walls, depth variations among wave chambers, porous materials filling the wave chambers, etc. The friction factor on the perforated walls was revealed in the analysis by an experimental formula extracted from a separate hydraulic experiment. In addition, the nonlinear frictional loss through the perforated wall was determined through an iterative calculation procedure. Hydraulic experiments were also carried out for several types of perforated wall structures, and their results were in good agreement with the numerical values. In addition, the numerical tool was also applied to experimental conditions identical to those of existing studies on perforated wall structures. These results also showed good agreement between experimental and numerical values. Finally, a user-friendly computer program was developed to facilitate the design practice of perforated structures.


Cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) has been the standard therapeutic agent for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients for decades. Considerable progress has been made in development of new treatments for MDS/AML patients, but drug resistance remains a major clinical problem. Apoptotic bodies (ABs), produced by late apoptotic cells, can enclose bioactive components that affect cell-cell interactions and disease progression. We isolated and identified drug-induced ABs from Ara-C-tolerance cells. Treatment of sensitive cells with Ara-C-induced ABs resulted in Ara-C-resistant phenotype. We further investigated components and functions of Ara-C-induced ABs. Proteomics analysis in combination with mass spectrometry revealed that Ara-C-induced ABs carried numerous RNA-binding proteins, notably including insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3). Delivery of AB-encapsulated IGF2BP3 promoted survival of recipient cells by activating PI3K-AKT and p42-44 MAPK pathways. High IGF2BP3 level in ABs from MDS/AML patient plasma was correlated with poor overall survival. Our findings demonstrate that AB-derived IGF2BP3 plays an essential role in acquired Ara-C resistance in MDS/AML patients, and is a potential therapeutic target for suppression of Ara-C resistance.


BACKGROUND
Periodontal disease has been considered a systemic exposure implicated in a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. The aim of the present study was to determine whether maternal periodontitis is associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia.

METHODS
A case-control study was conducted in a public hospital in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. During the study period, 588 women, aged 14 to 46 years, were deemed eligible and had data available for analysis. Maternal demographic and medical data were collected from medical records. Preeclampsia was defined as blood pressure >140/90 mm Hg and > or =1+ proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation. A periodontal examination was performed postpartum. Maternal periodontitis was defined as the presence of four or more teeth with one or more sites with a probing depth > or =4 mm and clinical attachment loss > or =3 mm at the same site. The effects of maternal age, chronic hypertension, primiparity, smoking, alcohol use, and number of prenatal visits were analyzed. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for preeclampsia were calculated using multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS
The prevalence of periodontitis was 63.9% and preeclampsia was 18.5%. Variables associated with preeclampsia were chronic hypertension (OR = 4.10; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.0 to 8.4; P = 0.001), primiparity (OR = 2.40; 95% CI = 1.5 to 3.9; P = 0.004), maternal age (OR = 1.07; 95% CI = 1.0 to 1.1; P = 0.001), and maternal periodontitis (OR = 1.88; 95% CI = 1.1 to 3.0; P = 0.001).

CONCLUSION
Maternal periodontitis was determined to be associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia.


We study the problem of identifying Web communities around some seed vertex. In this work, we propose a fast graph algorithm to expand Web communities in a scalable style. Given a seed vertex, our algorithm computes approximate personalized PageRank vectors with better and better approximations, and finds the smallest conductance sets on these vectors as candidate communities in nearly-linear time. At the end, it returns the candidate community with the smallest conductance as the result community. We also define local community profile (LCP) to investigate structural and statistical properties of Web communities in a local range. Theoretical analysis and primary experiments both show the efficiency of the proposed algorithm and the quality of the results.


In the decades of the seventeenth and 20th century, the predominant phrase was Computer Science, with ideas and trends that targeted an informational society. Gradually the concept of Information Society has gained ground and has become a reality since the explosion of the Internet, the main vector of this society. This has happened in the last decade of the 20th century. Starting with the 21st century, the concept of the Knowledge Society has moved.
New concepts that benefit from the suffix e are discovered and launched every year. From the timely attempts of the 95s to 96s to introduce the concept of e-commerce, 1998-2005 came to the promotion of e-business concepts, e-learning, e-procurement, e-voting, e-democracy, e-referendum, e-library and e-government. Practically starting with 2006 we can talk about the concept of e-everything. That is why the true information society must ensure the legal and social guarantees of every citizen who, anywhere and anytime, can access (receive) all the information necessary for his activity and solve the problems of each individual. If such safeguards do not exist, then society can not be considered informational.
It is possible to imagine a society in which industry, public administration and other specialized structures of power will be fully computerized and included in the system of current communication networks, yet information in such a society proves to be a good asset of the administrative and political elite. Whole masses of people, after which their potential creator and social activity can be isolated from the knowledge that is circulating and those created in these networks.


The use of organic thin films as lubricants on solid surfaces is important in many modern technologies including magnetic storage and micromachines. Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films and self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are attractive candidates for lubricant layers and for model studies of lubrication because of their strong adsorption to the surface. The recent interest on the properties of LB films and SAMs has been also motivated by their potential applications in sensors, non-linear optical devices, lithography and microelectronics. Using the micro-contact printing method the authors prepared patterned SAMs consisting of methyl-terminated alkanethiols of different chain lengths. The samples were characterized using lateral force microscopy (LFM) and the force modulation technique (FMT). In general, higher friction is observed over the short chain regions than over the long chain regions when a low or moderate load is applied to the SFM tip. For such cases the high friction (short chain) regions are also ``softer`` as measured by FMT. A high loads, a reversal of the image contrast is observed and the short chain regions show a lower friction than the long chain regions. This image contrast is reversible upon reduction of the applied load.


The accurate evaluation of fracture mechanics properties is key to the safety of operation of high responsibility structures such as nuclear reactor components. This paper evaluates the impact of mounting orientation on the test machine of clamped SE(T) (SE(T)c) specimens on its compliance. The elastic unloading compliance is a commonly used technique to measure the crack depth of specimens within fracture mechanics tests. Inaccurate measurements affect reliability of resulting measured properties. Two mounting orientations are evaluated in this paper together with two SE(T)c specimens with different width-to-thickness ratios (W/B=2 and W/B=4). Conclusions show that machine stiffness is significantly different in both orientations, and such value has the potential to affect crack depth prediction. On the other hand, the analysis scope of this work was unable to detect significant differences between both orientations, probably because loading was limited to maintain specimen integrity. Further investigation is necessary to precisely adress the impact of this effect.


The evaluation of wind power systems under real field conditions is essential to predict their actual capacity to convert the energy available in the wind into electrical power contributing to develop more robust applications. Detailed studies of the wind resources play a crucial role to estimate whether electricity can be generated from the wind at a reasonable cost for a specific region, Wind data collected from meteorological stations at the standard height (usually 10m above the ground level) can give a general idea about the energy availability but to obtain more precise estimates systematic data acquisition, analysis and presentation of wind data should be carried out for heights comparable to those of modern wind turbines (typically between 30 and 120m height). This paper presents the results obtained from a wind measurement station installed to monitor the wind speed and direction at 10m and 30m heights over three years at the Yucatan Peninsula in the eastern of Mexico. This study will allow establishing the basics conditions for futures studies about the wind conditions at higher heights.Copyright © 2010 by ASME


Objective: To determine the magnitude and pattern of signifi cant refractive errors (visualacuity less than 6/18) among primary school children. Design: A cross sectional school based study Setting: Eight primary schools in Kilungu division, Makueni District, Kenya Subjects: 1439 primary school pupils aged between 12 and 15 years Results: Prevalence of signifi cant refractive error was 5.2% (75/1439); being responsible for 92.6 % of all causes of poor eyesight. Hypermetropia accounted for 3.2%, myopia 1.7% and astigmatism 0.3% of refractive errors. Myopia was more likely to be present in the pupils aged 14 to 15 years than those aged 12 to 13 years with OR 0.3 which was statistically signifi cant (p = 0.022). Conclusion: The overall prevalence of signifi cant refractive errors in pupils aged 12 to 15 years in Makueni's Kilungu division at 5.2% was high enough to justify a regular school eye screening in primary schools in Kenya.


Stationary solitary signals with eigenfrequencies in the gap of the linear spectrum are considered for a bi-inductance electrical transmission line. The evolution of these localized waves is studied in the phase plane and analytical expressions are obtained. Moreover, theoretical and numerical examinations of the stability of these nonlinear waves which appear as kink or antikink solitons, show that they are long-lived nonlinear excitations of the bi-inductance line.


Testing concurrent software is notoriously difficult due to problems with non-determinism and synchronisation. While tools and techniques for the testing of sequential components are well-understood and widely used, similar tools and techniques for concurrent components are not commonly available. This tutorial will look at the problems associated with testing concurrent components and propose techniques for dealing with these problems. The ConAn (Concurrency Analyser) testing tool supports these techniques for the testing of concurrent Java components and will be discussed and demonstrated in the tutorial. The limitations of the techniques and ConAn, as well as additional V&V tools and techniques to address these limitations will be presented.


Existing secure protocols and code signing mechanisms for vehicle systems to download and install software over the air certify only the origin and the integrity of software; thus, they do not address errors that might not be detected in the development process and cannot ensure that the downloaded software do not contain malicious code. In this paper, we identify such possible threats by developing a threat model for the vehicle software architecture. We propose countermeasures against the threats by preventing or modifying inappropriate behaviour caused by, e.g., malicious or poorly designed applications. We propose a model to deploy the approach which is based on modifying the application at the wireless gateway in the vehicle before being installed. As a result, security policies are embedded into the application and intercepts security relevant execution events. Thus, the execution of downloaded vehicle applications is monitored to ensure the safety and security for the vehicle system and to detect potential cyber attacks.


In a class of new physics models, the new physics sector is completely or partly hidden, namely, a singlet under the standard model (SM) gauge group. Hidden fields included in such new physics models communicate with the standard model sector through higher-dimensional operators. If a cutoff lies in the TeV range, such hidden fields can be produced at future colliders. We consider a scalar field as an example of the hidden fields. Collider phenomenology on this hidden scalar is similar to that of the SM Higgs boson, but there are several features quite different from those of the Higgs boson. We investigate productions of the hidden scalar at the International Linear Collider (ILC) and study the feasibility of its measurements, in particular, how well the ILC distinguishes the scalar from the Higgs boson, through realistic Monte Carlo simulations.


Preeclampsia is a major cause in both maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. The pathophysiology of preeclampsia remain unclear but early placental dysfunction followed by oxidative stress, increased lipid peroxidation, and reduced antioxidants play an important role. Malondialdehyde is the final product of lipid peroxidation, commonly used as the oxidative stress marker. Prevention and treatment of oxidative stress in preeclampsia using antioxidant including melatonon, beta-caroten, vitamin C or E has been developed but none is yet recommended. Thus the efforts are continuing to find an effective antioxidant in preeclampsia. Melatonin seems to be promising since it has great capacity to scavenge radicals and reduce oxidative damage. Phaleria macrocarpa a medicinal plant has long been used traditionally and known has high antioxidant capacity by in vitro and in vivo studies. HUVEC culture is an in vitro model widely used to study the preeclampsia pathogenesis. This study aims to determine the effects of Phaleria macrocarpa extract on MDA level in preeclampsiainduced HUVEC culture. Our results showed the Phaleria macrocarpa's extract reduce MDA level significantly at concentration of 0.977μg/mL in preeclampsia-induced HUVEC culture and at 15.625μg/mL reduce MDA level to control normal level. Thus, Phaleria macrocarpa's extract might be used as agent to overcome oxidative stress in preeclampsia, further clinical studies are encouraged.


Aim We report the results of a novel 5-week treatment programme, delivered by a multi-disciplinary team, with individualised sessions to treat functional neurological symptoms in a neuropsychiatric outpatient setting. The primary aims of this MDT programme were to (a) reduce symptoms (b) improve health and social functioning (c) improve functional performance (d) improve health status. Method Treatment involved individual sessions of neuropsychiatry, cognitive behavioural therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, education and family meetings. Outcome measures were collected at the beginning and end of treatment and at a 6 month face to face follow-up. These were both patient and clinician reported. The aims were assessed by the following measures: symptom reduction (PHQ15, PHQ9, GAD7, SPIN, Rosenberg, CGI); health and social functioning (HONOS, WSAS); functional performance (COPM); and improvements in health status (EQ5DL). Results: Analyses were conducted on 78 patients who started and completed the programme and attended a 6 month face to face review. There were high baseline levels of disability compared to EQ5DL population norms and high rates of disability and psychopathology as indicated by the WSAS and mental health indices (PHQ9, GAD7, SPIN, Rosenberg's self-esteem). At baseline, 92.3% met the IAPT caseness threshold for depression (PHQ9 >10) and 71% met the IAPT caseness threshold for anxiety (GAD7 >8). A repeated measures Freidman's ANOVA over 3 timepoints (admission, discharge and 6 month follow-up) followed by Dunn-Bonferroni post hoc tests indicated statistically significant improvements from admission to discharge and admission to 6 months follow up. These improvements were seen in in somatic symptoms (PHQ15), depression (PHQ9) and anxiety (GAD7) symptoms, health and social functioning (HONOS), functional performance (COPM), health status (EQ5D-5L and EQ5D-EL VAS) and patient ratings of clinical global improvement (CGI). There was a high acceptance of this neuropsychiatry led MDT programme indicated by the patient reported visual analogue scale for benefit of programme averaging at 90%. Conclusion An MDT can effectively deliver an outpatient programme for FNS which can serve as an alternative to an inpatient programme for patients with fewer or no nursing needs, for those whose preference is an outpatient setting or for those seeking to minimise disruption to work or family life. There may be potential cost reductions for institutions compared to inpatient treatment depending on local calculations. In the future, earlier identification and treatment of co-morbidities may modify some predisposing and perpetuating factors.


STUDY OBJECTIVES
To determine the usefulness of serial measurements of the rapid-shallow-breathing index (f/VT) as a predictor for successfully weaning elderly medical patients from mechanical ventilator support using a threshold value (< or =130) derived specifically for this population.

DESIGN
Prospective observational study using parameters suggested from retrospective analysis.

SETTING
Medical ICUs of a university-affiliated private teaching hospital.

PATIENTS
Using data obtained from a retrospective analysis of 10 medical patients > or =70 years old who had failed weaning, 49 additional medical patients older than 70 years were studied prospectively.

INTERVENTIONS
Standard weaning parameters were determined using a hand-held spirometer. Respiratory rate (f, breaths/min) and tidal volume (VT, liters) were measured at the beginning of a spontaneous breathing trial and hourly thereafter for up to 5 h using the same hand-held spirometer.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS
Retrospective analysis showed that the published threshold value for f/VT (< or =105) had poor predictability for weaning success when measured at the beginning of the weaning trial. In the 9 of 10 patients who failed to wean in the retrospective review, the f/VT increased to > 130 as the trial progressed over 2 to 3 h. Using an f/VT < or =130 as the threshold value for prospectively predicting successful weaning, the diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value increased from 84%, 92%, 57%, 87%, and 67%, respectively, when measured at the beginning of the weaning trial to 92%, 93%, 89%, 97%, and 80%, respectively, when measured 3 h later. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for f/VT also improved from 0.81 to 0.93.

CONCLUSIONS
Serial measurements of the rapid-shallow-breathing index in medical elderly patients during a period of spontaneous breathing can accurately predict the ability to be successfully weaned from mechanical ventilator support.


Background: Breast cancer is the most frequent malignant tumor in women, and its metastatic state represents the second cause of mortality. To treat cancer, we must prevent tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis. The usage of herbal medication for treatment of some diseases as diabetes is increased nowadays for their wide safety margin.

Aims and Objectives: Therefore, the current study was designed to examine the protective effect of ginger extract (GE) and cinnamon extract (CE) in controlling the mammary gland incidence in female Wistar rats.

Materials and Methods: A total of 75 female virgin Wistar rats were allocated into 5 groups. Control group without any treatment; mammary gland group administered 7, 12-dimethyl-benz[a]anthracene at a dose of 20 mg/kg orally in corn oil. Rats in 3-5 served as tumor groups and received GE for group 3 (0.125% in water), CE for group 4 (100 mg/kg), and a mixture of GE plus CE for group 5. GE and CE were administered 2 weeks before cancer induction and continued for 4 months. Serum levels of breast cancer biomarker (CA125) and oxidative stress biomarkers were measured. Tissues of tumors were examined at molecular and histopathological levels.

Results: There was a significant increase in the serum levels of CA125 in untreated mammary gland tumor group when compared with untreated healthy rats. There was a significant decrease in the serum levels of glutathione (GSH) peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and GSH reductase in the untreated mammary gland tumor groups compared to control healthy rats. Administration of ginger and CE normalized the decrease in antioxidants levels. Induction of mammary gland tumor upregulated the genes associated with tumor incidences such as GST-P, CYP1A1, CYP1B1, and vascular endothelial growth factor-receptor 1 and administration of both herbal plants normalized these changes. Coadministration of GE and CE-induced additive inhibitory effect on genes upregulated due to tumor incidence. Bax expression was downregulated in tumor group and increased after GE and CE expression either alone or in combination. At histopathological levels, breast cancer group showed adenocarcinoma that is decreased with plants extracts administration when compared with breast cancer and control group.

Conclusion: Results suggest that extracts of ginger and cinnamon have anticarcinogenic protective activities and support the hypothesis that these plants help in the prevention of mammary cancer by controlling the expression of carcinogenesis-associated genes.


Using a composite right- and left-handed transmission lines, a dual-band microstrip-to-coplanar stripline balun is proposed that presents the benefits of bandwidth enlargement, excellent isolation and equal power split between output ports in the two passbands. Also, the dual-band nature of the balun, close space between output ports and ease of integration with a printed antenna in a compact size make it well suited for feeding dual-band planar two-wire antennas. As an example of an application, the proposed balun is designed and fabricated to work at two arbitrary frequency bands, 0.9 and 1.8 GHz. There is a good agreement between the measured and predicted results, which verifies the proposed design methodology. The fabricated balun shows a measured differential output phase bandwidth (180° ± 10°) of 22.95% and 18.76% for the first and second frequency bands, respectively. Moreover, this device is shown to have enhanced bandwidth performance in both isolation and 3-dB magnitude balance. To validate the performance of the proposed balun, the balun is employed to feed a dual-band metamaterial-loaded bow-tie antenna. The experimental results show that the return losses for both the operating bands remain below 10 dB. Likewise, the dual-band bow-tie antenna provides quasi-omnidirectional radiation over the frequency bands.


When a photonic integrated circuit (PIC), incorporating active devices, producing a small and noncircular spot-size is directly butt-coupled to single mode fiber (SMF) with a larger and circular spot-size, use of this arrangement can cause typically a 10 dB (or 90% power) loss. In this presentation, an approach of using two non-identical but phased matched uniform coupled waveguides is considered, to achieve the necessary spot-size conversion where such a system can be easily fabricated by using standard techniques.


BACKGROUND
Large esophageal varices (LOV) were diagnosed by endoscopy in patients with cirrhosis. Noninvasive method would be valuable.

AIMS
To evaluate the diagnostic performance of Fibroscan for LOV prediction and to investigate the prognostic value of liver stiffness (LS) in cirrhosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
One hundred and eighty-three patients with cirrhosis (103 alcohol, 58 viral, and 22 others) underwent an endoscopy and a Fibroscan. Of those patients, 41 (22.4%) had LOV.

RESULTS
Median LS was 33.66 kPa (range: 12-75), higher in patients with LOV than those without (51.24 +/- 1.61 vs. 29.81 +/- 1.82 kPa, p < 0.0001), and in alcoholic than nonalcoholic (40.39 +/- 1.75 vs. 25.73 +/- 1.82, p < 0.0001). In whole population, a LS > or =48 kPa predicted LOV with sensitivity, specificity, positive, negative predictive values (PPV, NPV) of 73.2, 73.2, 44.1, and 90.4%, respectively, and an area under ROC curve (AUROC) of 0.75 (CI 95%: 0.69-0.82). For alcoholic cirrhosis, LS was > or =47.2 kPa with sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV of 84.6, 63.6, 44, and 92.5%, respectively, AUROC 0.77 (0.68-0.85). For viral cirrhosis, a LS > or =19.8 kPa generated diagnostic values of 88.9, 55.1, 26.7, and 96.4% and 0.73 (0.60-0.84). Sixteen (8.75%) patients died at 1 year. In multivariate analysis, LS was not predictive of mortality.

CONCLUSIONS
Etiology of cirrhosis has strong impact on LS cutoff for diagnosis of LOV. Studies should be performed with homogenous cirrhosis etiology.


The structural reassignment, absolute configuration, and conformational behavior of the highly flexible natural product hypurticin (pectinolide E), 6S-[3'S,5'R,6'S-triacetoxy-1Z-heptenyl]-5S-acetoxy-5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-one (1), were ascertained by a molecular modeling protocol, which includes extensive conformational searching, geometry optimization by DFT B3LYP/DGDZVP calculations, and comparison between the theoretical (DFT) and experimental (1)H-(1)H NMR coupling constants. Hyptolide (2), a related cytotoxic 5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-one that increased the S phase of the HeLa cell cycle, was employed as a reference substance to validate the theoretical protocol designed to characterize the 3D properties of compound 1. The related synthetic derivative, tri-O-acetyl-3,6-dideoxy-d-glucose diphenyldithioacetal (14), was prepared by a six-step reaction sequence starting from d-glucose and served as an enantiopure building block to reinforce the structural and configurational assignment of 1. This protocol proved to be an important tool for the structural characterization of highly flexible bioactive polyoxygenated natural products.


This article offers a reflection on the testing strategies deployed in the generation of epidemiological data in the European Union (EU). I will argue that, while in the early days of the pandemic, Member States proceeded to testing in a rather scattered way, the shortage of resources seems to have acted as a driver of coordination, which is now increasingly being discussed at EU level. I will examine the legal and institutional framework supporting such embryonic coordination efforts and offer a preliminary assessment of their implications for a European approach to epidemiological knowledge-making.


As a generic example for crystals where the crystal-fluid interface tension depends on the orientation of the interface relative to the crystal lattice axes, the nearest-neighbor Ising model on the simple cubic lattice is studied over a wide temperature range, both above and below the roughening transition temperature. Using a thin-film geometry L(x)×L(y)×L(z) with periodic boundary conditions along the z axis and two free L(x)×L(y) surfaces at which opposing surface fields ±H(1) act, under conditions of partial wetting, a single planar interface inclined under a contact angle θ<π/2 relative to the yz plane is stabilized. In the y direction, a generalization of the antiperiodic boundary condition is used that maintains the translational invariance in the y direction despite the inhomogeneity of the magnetization distribution in this system. This geometry allows a simultaneous study of the angle-dependent interface tension, the contact angle, and the line tension (which depends on the contact angle, and on temperature). All these quantities are extracted from suitable thermodynamic integration procedures. In order to keep finite-size effects as well as statistical errors small enough, rather large lattice sizes (of the order of 46 million sites) were found to be necessary, and the availability of very efficient code implementation of graphics processing units was crucial for the feasibility of this study.


A global thermodynamic analysis, normally used for pure cultures, has been performed for steady‐state data sets from acidogenic mixed cultures. This analysis is a combination of two different thermodynamic approaches, based on tabulated standard Gibbs energy of formation, global stoichiometry and medium compositions. It takes into account the energy transfer efficiency, ϵ, together with the Gibbs free energy dissipation, ΔGo, analysis of the different data. The objective is to describe these systems thermodynamically without any heat measurement. The results show that ϵ is influenced by environmental conditions, where increasing hydraulic retention time increases its value all cases. The pH effect on ϵ is related to metabolic shifts and osmoregulation. Within the environmental conditions analyzed, ϵ ranges from 0.23 for a hydraulic retention time of 20 h and pH 4, to 0.42 for a hydraulic retention time of 8 h and a pH ranging from 7–8.5. The estimated values of ΔGo are comparable to standard Gibbs energy of dissipation reported in the literature. For the data sets analyzed, ΔGo ranges from –1210 kJ/molx, corresponding to a stirring velocity of 300 rpm, pH 6 and a hydraulic retention time of 6 h, to –20744 kJ/molx for pH 4 and a hydraulic retention time of 20 h. For average conclusions, the combined approach based on standard Gibbs energy of formation and global stoichiometry, used in this thermodynamic analysis, allows for the estimation of Gibbs energy dissipation values from the extracellular medium compositions in acidogenic mixed cultures. Such estimated values are comparable to the standard Gibbs energy dissipation values reported in the literature. It is demonstrated that ϵ is affected by the environmental conditions, i.e., stirring velocity, hydraulic retention time and pH. However, a relationship that relates this parameter to environmental conditions was not found and will be the focus of further research.


Abstract : Through this DURIP project we have successfully purchased an advanced GPR imaging system. A variety of test data sets illustrating the multi-channel capabilities of the radar as described in our proposal have been collected (e.g., 3D, multi-offset, multi-frequency, and multi-component imaging). The results of these initial trials were presented in a poster at the NovCARE conference in Cape Cod last spring (Mangel et al., 2011). Over the 2011 summer we also began a collaboration with the University of Wisconsin-Madison to evaluate applications of the new GPR system to hydroecology. In addition to advancing basic research, this collaboration has been funded by CUAHSI (Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Sciences, Inc.) to promote the use of geophysics within the hydrologic community and therefore advances our goals to demonstrate the GPR system as a flexible and powerful tool for academic research. We are currently analyzing the data obtained from two field visits conducted over the summer and expect a paper to be submitted from the work late this fall. We are also beginning to integrate the system into a variety of other projects and teaching activities, including a research project currently funded by the ARO Terrestrial Sciences Program.