AIM
To assess the fecal immunochemical test (FIT) accuracy for colorectal cancer (CRC) and advanced neoplasia (AN) detection in CRC screening.

METHODS
We performed a multicentric, prospective, double blind study of diagnostic tests on asymptomatic average-risk individuals submitted to screening colonoscopy. Two stool samples were collected and the fecal hemoglobin concentration was determined in the first sample (FIT1) and the highest level of both samples (FITmax) using the OC-sensor™. Areas under the curve (AUC) for CRC and AN were calculated. The best FIT1 and FITmax cut-off values for CRC were determined. At this threshold, number needed to scope (NNS) to detect a CRC and an AN and the cost per lesion detected were calculated.

RESULTS
About 779 individuals were included. An AN was found in 97 (12.5%) individuals: a CRC in 5 (0.6%) and an advanced adenoma (≥ 10 mm, villous histology or high grade dysplasia) in 92 (11.9%) subjects. For CRC diagnosis, FIT1 AUC was 0.96 (95%CI: 0.95-0.98) and FITmax AUC was 0.95 (95%CI: 0.93-0.97). For AN, FIT1 and FITmax AUC were similar (0.72, 95%CI: 0.66-0.78 vs 0.73, 95%CI: 0.68-0.79, respectively, P = 0.34). Depending on the number of determinations and the positivity threshold cut-off used sensitivity for AN detection ranged between 28% and 42% and specificity between 91% and 97%. At the best cut-off point for CRC detection (115 ng/mL), the NNS to detect a CRC were 10.2 and 15.8; and the cost per CRC was 1814€ and 2985€ on FIT1 and FITmax strategies respectively. At this threshold the sensitivity, NNS and cost per AN detected were 30%, 1.76, and 306€, in FIT1 strategy, and 36%, 2.26€ and 426€, in FITmax strategy, respectively.

CONCLUSION
Performing two tests does not improve diagnostic accuracy, but increases cost and NNS to detect a lesion.


Many of the cross-cultural intermediaries who figure in the New Zealand historiography operated in 'middle ground' situations. However, in New Zealand as elsewhere in the Pacific, intermediaries also had roles to play in settings where the authority of the colonial state was more or less assured. Working from government records and the 1920 diary of the Pakeha interpreter Ben Keys, this article examines the sorts of cross-cultural expertise involved in negotiating sales and leases of Maori land and probes the relationship between such instrumental uses of knowledge of Maori culture and the ethnographic interests that this work nurtured. For some settlers, Keys included, amateur ethnographic inquiry constituted the active intellectual work of being a New Zealander. By examining the work of an intermediary and amateur ethnographer in an age of automobiles and cinemas, I seek to demonstrate — in a modest, textured way — how the colonization of New Zealand was an ongoing, twentieth-century process in the sphere of economics and law as well as culture and identity.


Two methods currently are available for the delivery of antibiotics: intravenous injection with a long-term indwelling catheter and local implant of antibiotic-containing polymethylmethacrylate beads. Both of these methods have significant disadvantages. A fibrin sealant implant, impregnated with tobramycin, was evaluated in a rabbit model of osteomyelitis to determine whether it has the potential of supplying a basis for bone reconstruction and providing an improved treatment method for the delivery of antibiotics to orthopaedic infections. Localized tibial osteomyelitis, with methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, was developed surgically in female New Zealand White rabbits. After 2 weeks, rabbits with evidence of osteomyelitis were treated with debridement alone, debridement plus systemic tobramycin, debridement plus fibrin sealant, debridement plus fibrin sealant loaded with tobramycin, polymethylmethacrylate beads loaded with tobramycin, or not treated at all (control). After 4 weeks of therapy, the rabbits were sacrificed and the involved bones were cultured for concentrations of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus per gram of bone and marrow. Preliminary data (N = 14) indicate fibrin sealant plus tobramycin may be as effective as polymethylmethacrylate beads plus tobramycin against methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis in a rabbit model.


The Caledonian Society and Burns Club of Ipswich formed a uniformed pipe and drums band in 1909 that eventually became known as the Ipswich Thistle Pipe Band. As the second-oldest pipe band in Queensland, the members of the Ipswich Thistle Pipe Band have remarkable stories to tell about their hundred year history. I received a commission from Arts Queensland and the Ipswich City Council to help the band research and write a music history book for their centennial celebrations in 2009. This article is about my critical reflection on the participatory action research processes that we used to help band members and supporters to engage with their music heritage and culture. In discussing how I facilitated this practice-led research project, I also describe some of the inter-cultural relationships between the band and the First Australians in order to place the significance of this research within the broader socio-ecological context.


BACKGROUND
To apply spiral CT angiography( SCTA) as imaging method of pulmonary angiography and study the imaging findings of cancerous invasion of central pulmonary artery (CICPA) in lung cancer patients by means of spiral CT pulmonary angiography (SCTPA) .

METHODS
Thirty patients with central type of lung cancer proved by bronchoscopy biopsy or surgery underwent SCTPA, and 30 cases who had negative results on conventional CT as control. Technic parameters of SCTPA applied for both groups were as follows: contrast medium injection rate of 3-4ml/ s, collimation of 3mm, pitch of 1. 5, reconstruction interval of 1. 2 mm. The CT manifestations of vessel course and lumen of central pulmonary artery(CPA) were observed and the enhancement intensity of CICPA segment wasmeasured by 3-D imaging of CTA.

RESULTS
The changes of vessel course were found in 18 cases( 60%) . The direction of displacement of CPA was different depending on predominant site of the mass and the pathway of CICPA. Centripetal or eccentric stenosis of CPA lumen in various degree with rigid and smooth contour was visualized in 26 cases( 86. 7%) . Decreased enhancement intensity of CPA was significantly shown in cases whose CPA lumen severely narrowed ( P < 0. 05) , and not distinct while stenosis of CPA lumen wasmild tomoderate degree ( P > 0. 05) .

CONCLUSIONS
The direct CT signs of CICPA in lung cancer by SCTPA in this study include displacement of vessel course, stenosis of lumen and decreased intensity of contrast enhancement of CPA. SCTPA is a significant complement to conventional CT in diagnosis of CICPA in lung cancer.


The use of industrial wastes in soil stabilization not only provides for the re-use of waste materials, which may cause environmental pollution, but also leads to cost benefits. In this context, the use of industrial wastes in the stabilization of fine-grained soils has become a research topic in recent years. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential use of granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS) in clayey soil stabilization. In this study, the GBFS obtained from the Iskenderun iron-steel plant as an industrial waste was ground into two different fineness levels, and the effects of their incorporation into lowplasticity Kolsuz clay and high-plasticity bentonite clay in various rates (5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 50%) on the particle weight of unit volume, the consistency limits, and the compaction parameters are investigated. Based on the experimental results, it is clear that the GBFS has a positive effect on the stabilization of both clayey soils. It was also concluded that the improvement in bentonite clay is greater than that in Kolsuz clay. Thus, GBFS seems to be a promising material for the stabilization of clayey soils.


Left ventricular Na, K, Cl and H 2 O and plasma Na, K and Cl have been measured in normothermic dogs, animals cooled to a rectal temperature of 25°C for 2 hours, and dogs maintained at a rectal temperature of 41.5°C for 1 hour. These three main groups are subdivided into a control group killed with pentobarbital sodium prior to obtaining cardiac tissue, and dogs that received an intravenous injection of 11.2% KCl at a rate of 0.5 ml/kg/min. until ventricular fibrillation or cardiac arrest occurred. The method employed to measure cardiac sensitivity to K is criticized. Despite the criticisms, the data suggest a reduced sensitivity of hypothermic hearts and an increased sensitivity of hyperthermic hearts to injected KCl. The rapid rate of injection of KCl employed in these experiments resulted in a high incidence of ventricular fibrillation except in one group of hypothermic dogs in which cardiac arrest was predominant. It is concluded that this predominance was the result of a slowed rate of supply of the injected KCl to cardiac tissue probably resulting from reduced coronary blood flow.


Deepfakes are synthetically generated images, videos or audios, which fraudsters use to manipulate legitimate information. Current deepfake detection systems struggle against unseen data. To address this, we employ three different deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) models, (1) VGG16, (2) InceptionV3, and (3) XceptionNet to classify fake and real images extracted from videos. We also constructed a fusion of the deep CNN models to improve the robustness and generalisation capability. The proposed technique outperforms state-of-the-art models with 96.5% accuracy, when tested on publicly available DeepFake Detection Challenge (DFDC) test data, comprising of 400 videos. The fusion model achieves 99% accuracy on lower quality DeepFake-TIMIT dataset videos and 91.88% on higher quality DeepFake-TIMIT videos. In addition to this, we prove that prediction fusion is more robust against adversarial attacks. If one model is compromised by an adversarial attack, the prediction fusion does not let it affect the overall classification.


This paper investigates the Willingness To Pay (WTP) for ecosystem benefits derivable from Agroforestry (AF) driven green growth practice in Ogun state, Nigeria. The environmental service functions of AF were valued. Multi-stage sampling procedure involving purposive and simple random sampling was adopted in deriving a sample size of 160 households from a sampling proportion of 65 % of the study area. The methodology involved descriptive statistics, contingent valuation method and the binary choice logit model. The mean WTP for AF ecosystem benefits is N 84.67/month. With a population of 1,295,648 people in the two zones considered, the total WTP/year is N1,316,430,193.92 and for the whole study area, it is N3,811,308,285.60. The log of bid offered had a negative and significant effect (p< 0.05) while income and contact with extension agents had positive and significant effects (p<0.10) on the likelihood of the bid acceptance in the WTP for the ecosystem benefits of AF. That the international community should share from the cost for the promotion of green growth through AF was highly accepted by 70 % of the respondents as they believed environmental benefits have no international boundary. There is therefore a need to put ecosystem services payment policy in place to sustain benefits derivable from AF systems. Dialogues that emphasize 70 % cost appropriation to the developed economies for green growth infrastructures that act as "sinks" in the developing countries to their industrial carbon emissions need to be fostered and protocols endorsed for green growth promotion. These will enhance the derivable ecosystem benefits of AF that transcends beyond international borders.


: The psychosocial care of trauma patients is a serious responsibility and a gratifying aspect of trauma nursing. Intervention with patients facing the threat of their own death is a challenging one. Many studies and theories guide us in meeting the challenge and suggest that there is more to the emotional impact of trauma than most realize, and that interventions should be more than just automatic responses based on popular wisdom.


OBJECTIVE
to verify the occurrence of intraoperative and postoperative complications in patients undergoing urgent and emergency surgical procedures between January and December 2012, with fasting time of less than 8 hours.

METHOD
a quantitative study was conducted, of the retrospective cohort type, through the analysis of medical records.

RESULTS
we included 181 records of patients undergoing surgical procedures with average duration of 59.4 minutes. Fractures correction surgeries stood out, totalling 32% of cases. We observed complications in 36 patients (19.9%), vomiting being the most prevalent (47.2%); followed by nausea (16.7%); need for blood transfusion (13.9%); surgical site infection (11.1%); and death (11.1%). The average fasting time was 133.5 minutes. The fasting time showed no statistically significant correlation with the complications investigated.

CONCLUSION
intraoperative and postoperative complications were associated with the clinical conditions of the patients and not with the fasting time.


The decision variables at the Human Resources Management (HRM) level of corporate organizations are many and the task of evaluating their possible combinations is enormous. In addition to this, there is an increasing growth in size and complexity of (HRM) activities. In this work, a computer model is formulated, which allows for a stepwise application of both quantitative and qualitative parameters in the process of taking decisions on the Human Resource (HR) element of corporate organization. The model is composed of a knowledge base, inference engine, decision support engine and user interface. The system is implemented in a Microsoft Visual Basic and Microsoft Access Database System. It tested in a LAN environment utilizing Windows 98 as the Operating System. A case study of Human Resources Management in a university environment is carried out and some results are presented.


Fifty cerebellar hemispheres from 25 adult cadavers were examined. The posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA), by definition, arose from the vertebral artery. The vertebral artery was present in 49 and the PICA was present in 42 of the 50 hemispheres. Forty-one of the 42 PICAs arose as a single trunk and 1 arose as a duplicate trunk. The PICA was divided into five segments: the anterior medullary segment lay on the front of the medulla; the lateral medullary segment coursed beside the medulla and extended to the origin of the glossopharyngeal, vagal, and accessory nerves; the tonsillomedullary segment coursed around the caudal half of the cerebellar tonsil; the telovelotonsillar segment coursed in the cleft between the tela choroidea and the inferior medullary velum rostrally and the superior pole of the cerebellar tonsil caudally; and the cortical segment was distributed to the cerebellar surface. Thirty-seven of the 42 PICAs bifurcated into a medial and a lateral trunk. The medial trunk supplied the vermis and the adjacent part of the hemisphere, and the lateral trunk supplied the cortical surface of the tonsil and the hemisphere. The PICA gave off perforating, choroidal, and cortical arteries. The cortical arteries were divided into vermian, tonsillar, and hemispheric groups. Sixteen of the 42 PICAs passed between the rootlets of the accessory nerve, 10 passed between the rootlets of the vagus nerve, 13 passed between the vagus and the accessory nerves, 2 coursed rostral to the glossopharyngeal nerve, and 1 passed between the glossopharyngeal and the vagus nerves.


Laser-driven magnetized liner inertial fusion (MagLIF) on OMEGA involves cylindrical implosions, a preheat beam, and an applied magnetic field. Initial experiments excluded the preheat beam and magnetic field to better characterize the implosion. X-ray self-emission as measured by framing cameras was used to determine the shell trajectory. The 1D code LILAC was used to model the central region of the implosion, and results were compared to 2D simulations from the HYDRA code. Post-processing of simulation output with SPECT3D and Yorick produced synthetic x-ray images that were used to compare the simulation results with the x-ray framing camera data. Quantitative analysis shows that higher measured neutron yields correlate with higher implosion velocities. The future goal is to further analyze the x-ray images to characterize the uniformity of the implosions and apply these analysis techniques to integrated laser-driven MagLIF shots to better understand the effects of preheat and the magnetic field.


The literature on pancreatic lithiasis reveals that investigators disagree on the exact number of cases reported. However, all are in unanimous agreement with the statement that this finding is rare. Various writers have attempted to establish the infrequency of pancreatic calculi. The figures obtained in our review of the literature are given in the accompanying table. A study of these figures presents the possibility that reduplication occurs in some instances. It must also be conceded that many other cases are excluded which have not been reported. Haggard and Kirtley1reviewed the literature on pancreatic calculi in 1939. Their report covers a period of two hundred and seventy-one years. They could find authentic records of 204 cases. Only 65 of these were observed at operation. To this number should be added 3 reported by Townsend2and 18 seen at the Mayo Clinic.3This would bring the total number


Obesity poses a serious health hazard and its treatment is often disappointing. Surgical approaches have been proposed for treating severe obesity (body mass index or BMI > or = 35 kg/m2) with comorbidities or extreme obesity (BMI > or = 40 kg/m2). Before accepting bariatric surgery as alternative treatment, the four following prerequisites should be met: 1. the medical condition is serious enough; 2. it can not be treated satisfactorily with classical means; 3. the surgical treatment is effective in improving the clinical situation; and 4. bariatric surgery is safe enough, so that the benefits clearly outweigh the risks. On the basis of the literature and our own experience, it appears that gastric reduction surgery may be considered as a valuable alternative for treating severe/extreme obesity, despite the possible occurrence of perioperative and, more frequently, late complications, provided that it is performed by an experienced and multidisciplinary team in well-selected patients.


Nanocompositematerials based on graphene and ionic liquids (ILs) with unique and highly attractive properties have received considerable interest in various research fields, including biosensors, electrochemical sensors, and so on. Given the excellent mechanical properties and frictional properties of graphene nanosheets, nanocomposite ultrathin films composed of graphene nanosheets and ionic liquids (ILs) with excellent lubricating property are expected to possess improved compre- hensive tribological performance. In the current paper, various functionalized graphene IL nanocomposite ultrathin lubrica- tion films on Si substrates, on the basis of the good dispersion of graphene nanosheets that were noncovalently functionalized by imidazolium-based ILs in acetone, were successfully prepared by an electrostatic adsorption method and were confirmed by several characterization techniques. Appropriate amounts of functionalized graphene nanosheets uniformly distributed on the substrate surface without overlapping greatly enhanced the load-carrying capacity of the ultrathin lubrication films, and the new nanocomposite films gave excellent micro/nanotribological properties. The novel nanocomposite films are hoped to find promising applications in the lubrication ofmicro/nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/ NEMS).


The impact of the security state is not only seen in the political and spatial restrictions on public space and the public sphere or inscribed in militarized national borders and cities, but also in the increasing penetration of the domestic and private realm of home. These securitization practices and how they work can be exposed through an ethnographic analysis of formal institutional structures as well as the affective, discursive and bodily practices that make up and regulate everyday life. Examining securitization as a scalar set of spatial practices and social processes that interlock through a desire for 'security' reveals how securitization is able to keep a political stranglehold not only on poor, homeless and marginalized people who are traditionally perceived to be at risk and the target of these controls, but also on middle-class social preferences, political actions, shared feelings, and daily movements. This paper explores five of these sociospatial securitization practices including spatial enclosure, surveillance, private governance, rules and regulations, and financialization of everyday life that constrict and then redirect middle-class home life in private housing regimes in New York City.


A class III flextensional transducer also called gourd transducer because of its particular shape mainly consists of a driving element, two end plates and a specially designed shell coupling one end plate to the other. Using multiple-mode-coupling design technique, the transducer could achieve better broadband working performance with fine qualities such as low frequency, high power, high efficiency and low cost than traditional flextensional transducer within limited size and weight conditions. The driving element of a gourd transducer is commonly made up of piezoelectric ceramic. In recent years, rare-earth giant magnetostrictive materials such as Terfenol-D is becoming more and more attractive because of its high strain and energy density, low Young's modulus and sound velocity. All of these attributes make it suitable for low frequency, high power and broadband transducer applications. The performance of a gourd transducer under different driving mode is studied in this paper. The driving element is made up of single piezoelectric material, single magnetostrictive material and the union of them respectively. Using finite element analysis, the transmitting current/voltage response of transducer for each mode are simulated and compared in detail. The transducer with piezoelectric driver has the largest maximum source level. The transducer with magnetostrictive driver has higher sound power in low frequency range compared with the projector with piezoelectric driver. Also the transducer with hybrid magnetostrictive-piezoelectric drivers could achieve the best balance between high sound power and broad working bandwidth.


Regardless of multiple studies performed, aetiology and pathogenesis of seborrheic keratosis (SK) remain unknown. Insulin resistance may play the leading role. For instance, hyperinsulinemia is responsible for development of fibroepithelial polyps and acanthosis nigricans, diseases frequently associated with seborrheic keratosis. The purpose of the investigation is to study clinical factors and carbohydrate metabolism of patients with SK. Material and methods. The results of examination of 130 patients divided in two groups, were presented: 1st group with a single instance of SK (n = 60) and 2nd group with multiple SK (n = 70). All patients underwent histologic examination, analysis of carbohydrate metabolism: blood glucose, plasma insulin, level of glycated hemoglobin, glucose tolerance test; based on the results, advice from an endocrinologist was provided. Results and conclusions. Link between multiple SK and carbohydrate dysbolism was revealed: insulin resistance was found in 85.7% of patients from the 2nd group (16.6% in the 1st group). In our study, the association of multiple SK with fibroepithelial polyps and adiposity has evidenced that the patient suffered from type 2 diabetes mellitus.


Protecting the ideas that form the foundation of a novel business model represents a challenge for any business model innovator. Drawing from the case of 'Pay-As-You-Drive' motor insurance in different institutional settings, we elaborate a generic strategy framework which examines the strategies available to incumbents and newcomers for profiting from business model innovation. These strategies are contingent on the degree of effectiveness of legal forms of IP protection and whether the new business model enhances or threatens incumbents' existing business model. The implications of the framework for the timing, sequencing, organization and commercialization strategy for business model innovation are explored.


Effusion is the abnormal accumulation of fluid within a body cavity that can result from a variety of disease processes. This article reviews the normal production and resorption of body cavity fluid and the pathophysiology of abnormal fluid accumulation. In addition, classification schemes, differential diagnoses, and currently available diagnostic tests for evaluation of effusions are reviewed.


The central focus of this thesis is the role of narratives in the construction, mobilisation and validation of scientific knowledge claims. With an epistemological commitment to constructivism, which conceptualises scientific knowledge as the product of a process (and not something revealed), the regulatory domain of impact assessment in respect of Basslink, a 350 kilometre power cable that will link Tasmania to the Australian mainland across Bass Strait, has been used as a case study to undertake the task of tracing the translations that intervened between assessment process inputs and outputs - contributions deemed 'scientific' and 'independent' by the project's proponents and supporters. Specifically, the knowledge claims tendered by Hydro Tasmania, Tasmania's hydro-electricity generator, in respect of predicted environmental impacts on the Gordon River arising from changes to river flows required to generate and export hydro-electricity across Basslink, have been examined. The central epistemological question has been how, given the extent of the contingencies and indeterminacies in predictive economic and environmental modelling inputs and outputs used to substantiate the impacts and benefits of Basslink (which have been detailed in the thesis), was Hydro Tasmania's case in support of the development made durable and, thereby, legitimated by the decision-making body charged with the task of assessing the project. This study follows Hydro Tasmania's knowledge claims in respect of the Gordon River impacts through the process and demonstrates the pivotal role of narratives and the extent to which they can bridge empirical gaps, explain and obscure inconsistencies, erase unexpected model outputs, contextualise findings and mobilise ontological claims. The tension between the fulfilment of disclosure requirements upon proponents by means of 'scientific facts'and the extent to which issues such as trust, accountability and past track record, bear upon people's uptake of these 'facts' is also examined in this work.


The control of neuropathic pain is a leading challenge in modern medicine. Traditional medicine has, for a long time, used natural compounds such as nutraceuticals for this purpose, and extensive evidence has supported their role in controlling oxidative stress and persistent pain-related inflammation. Nutraceuticals are natural products belonging to the food sector whose consumption could be related to physiological benefits. Indeed, they are used to improve health, prevent chronic diseases, and delay the aging process. Here, we report a systematic review and meta-analysis to provide a more comprehensive report on the use of nutraceuticals in neuropathic pain, including evaluating confounding factors. A search of the literature has been conducted on principal databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science) following the PRISMA statement, and we retrieved 484 articles, 12 of which were selected for the meta-analysis. The results showed that administration of natural drugs in animals with neuropathic pain led to a significant reduction in thermal hyperalgesia, measured in both the injured paw (SMD: 1.79; 95% CI: 1.41 to 2.17; p < 0.0001) and in the two paws (SMD: −1.74; 95% CI: −3.36 to −0.11; p = 0.036), as well as a reduction in mechanical allodynia and hyperalgesia (SMD: 1.95, 95% CI: 1.08 to 2.82; p < 0.001) when compared to controls. The results of the review indicate that nutraceutical compounds could be clinically relevant for managing persistent neuropathic pain.


The task of delay management in public transport is to decide whether a vehicle should wait for a delayed vehicle in order to maintain the connection for transferring passengers. So far, the vehicle circulations are often ignored in the optimization process, although they have an influence on the propagation of the delay through the network. In this paper we consider different ways from literature to incorporate vehicle circulations in the delay management stage of public transport planning. Since the IP formulation for the integrated problem is hard to solve, we investigate bounds and develop several heuristics for the integrated problem. Our experiments on close-to real-world instances show that integrating delay management and decisions on vehicle circulations may reduce the overall delay by up to 39 percent. We also compare the runtimes and objective function values of the different heuristics. We conclude that we can find competitive solutions in a reasonable amount of time.


Nowadays sensors are increasingly deployed in many kinds of applications and deliver streams of data that they continuously collect. This data is significant as it provides important information in real time. However, without a fast processing of this information the sensors only provide a pointless stream of data. Hence, there is a need for automatic processing to extract meaningful information within an acceptable amount of time. This thesis describes techniques that allow a fast analysis of streaming data. Real-time Locating Systems (RTLSs) or Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems provide several thousand position events per second. Eventbased systems (EBSs) meet the high performance requirements and are a powerful technique for a reactive analysis of such data streams. Detection algorithms are divided up into several comparatively small event detectors (EDs), become inherently scalable through distribution, and are easy to maintain because of their reduced software complexity. Such event detectors communicate by messages, i.e., events, over an event processing middleware and are hierarchically linked to detect the final events of interest. Since partial results, i.e., events, are generated at different points in the system they are no longer timely synchronized. However, the algorithms implemented in the event detectors assume a timely ordered event stream as they try to detect interaction patterns. It is never a viable solution to process events out of order. This puts a significant workload to the underlying middleware. A-priori estimations of reordering parameters cannot include runtime information about object and system behavior, and thus the event loads, and must hence be set too conservatively in order to avoid system failures caused by ordering mistakes. But this often results in high detection latencies. This thesis describes how to optimally adapt to variations in the observed environment to minimize detection delays at runtime. We show how outof-order events are transparently reordered with low latency at each node so that event detectors may process them in a correct order. A speculative processing exploits unused system resources and reduces detection latency to a


SUMMARY
Depression of water potential. δW (d.p.d.), in the leaves, transpiration and stomatal aperture were measured on Ricinus communis plants subjected to controlled levels of atmospheric evaporation in a climatological wind tunnel.

It was found that the leaf δW of transpiring plants rooted in water took up a value of about 5 atm and remained unaffected by large changes in transpirational flux. When water was replaced by an osmoticum round the roots, leaf δW merely rose to approach the δW of the medium. These results indicate that root resistance plays little part in determining levels of leaf δW above 5 atm.

However, an increase of transpiration rate led to a rise in the δW of the leaves in plants rooted in soil, and when the transpiration rate was lowered again leaf δW fell to near its original level. These results are interpreted on the hypothesis that the source of water deficits in plants lies primarily in the soil and not in the resistance to water flux offered by the roots. During a period of high transpiration, soil adjacent to the roots dries out due to the low water conductivity of the soil and this is reflected in a rise in δW in the leaves. Recovery of leaf δW occurs only when transpiration becomes low enough for the rate of water supply to the root zone to exceed the rate of absorption by the plant.

This hypothesis is supported by preliminary measurements of soil δW. During a period of rapid transpiration the soil δW in the root zone rose above that in the surrounding root-free soil. On a return to low transpiration conditions the soil δW in the root zone fell to the level of the surrounding soil again.


BACKGROUND:The alpha2-receptor agonist, dexmedetomidine, provides sedation with facilitated arousal and analgesia with no respiratory depression. These properties render it potentially useful for anesthesia premedication, although parenteral administration is not practical in this setting. We designed this study to evaluate the sedative, anxiolytic, analgesic, and hemodynamic effects of dexmedetomidine administered intranasally in healthy volunteers. METHODS:Koch's design for crossover trials (three-treatment and two-period design) was adopted. The study was double-blind and there were three treatment groups: A (placebo), B (intranasal dexmedetomidine 1 &mgr;g/kg) and C (intranasal dexmedetomidine 1.5 &mgr;g/kg). Each of the 18 subjects participated in two study periods. The study drug was administered intranasally after baseline observations of modified Observer Assessment of Alertness/Sedation Scale, visual analog scale of sedation, bispectral index, visual analog scale of anxiety, pain pressure threshold measured by an electronic algometer, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation. These were repeated during the course of the study. RESULTS:Intranasal dexmedetomidine was well tolerated. Both 1 and 1.5 &mgr;g/kg doses equally produced significant sedation and decreases in bispectral index, SBP, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate when compared with placebo (P < 0.05). The onset of sedation occurred at 45 min with a peak effect at 90–150 min. The maximum reduction in SBP was 6%, 23%, and 21% for Groups A, B, and C respectively. There was no effect on pain pressure threshold, oxygen saturation or respiratory rate. Anxiolysis could not be evaluated as no subjects were anxious at baseline. CONCLUSION:The intranasal route is effective, well tolerated, and convenient for the administration of dexmedetomidine. Future studies are required to evaluate the possible role of the noninvasive route of administration of dexmedetomidine in various clinical settings, including its role as premedication prior to induction of anesthesia.


In this paper, we introduce a new class of interconnection networks for multiprocessor systems which we refer to as stretched-hypercubes, or shortly the stretched-cube networks. These networks are obtained by replacing an edge of the well-known hypercube network with an array of processors. Two interesting features of the proposed topology are its area-efficient VLSI layout and superior scalability over the traditional hypercube network. Some topological properties of the proposed network are studied. In addition, an area-efficient VLSI layout for the stretched-cube is suggested and some comparisons between the proposed network and previously studied networks such as the star and hypercube are conducted.


The BRS1 (BRI1 Suppressor 1) gene encodes a serine carboxypeptidase that plays a critical role in the brassinosteroid signaling pathway. However, its specific biological function remains unclear. In this study, the developmental role of BRS1 was investigated in Arabidopsis thaliana. We found that overexpressing BRS1 resulted in significantly more lateral roots in different Arabidopsis ecotypes (WS2 and Col-0) and in brassinosteroid mutants (bri1-5 and det2-28). Further research showed that BRS1 facilitates the process whereby lateral root primordia break through the endodermis, cortex, and epidermis. Consistent with this, BRS1 was found to be highly expressed in the root endodermis and accumulated in the extracellular space around the dome of the lateral root primordia. Taken together, these results highlight the role of BRS1 in the process of lateral root emergence and provide new insight into the role of serine carboxypeptidases in plant root development.


Female rats were fed from weaning on diets with sucrose, starch, glucose or fructose as the carbohydrate source. Animals were killed at various stages throughout pregnancy and early lactation. Maternal plasma triglycerides (TG), cholesterol, free fatty acids, glucose, insulin and corticosteroids were measured. Lipogenic activity was assayed in the livers, adipose tissue and mammary tissue, and the results compared with those from non-pregnant rats. Insulin, corticosteroids and hepatic lipogenesis were also assayed in the embryos and in newborn pups. Dietary sucrose and fructose produced a significantly higher concentration of plasma TG in the non-pregnant, pregnant and lactating rats than did starch and glucose. All the diets led to an increase in TG concentration at the 20th day of pregnancy, which returned to the original concentration 2 days post-partum. The hypertriglyceridaemia of late pregnancy was accentuated by the feeding of sucrose and fructose. Maternal concentrations of plasma glucose were significantly reduced towards the end of pregnancy in all dietary groups. The replacement of starch by sucrose, or of glucose by fructose, enhanced hepatic lipogenesis. Fructose but not sucrose depressed fat synthesis in the adipose tissue. Hepatic fatty acid synthetase activity was increased in late pregnancy on all diets except that with starch. Late pregnancy intensified hepatic lipogenesis in rats fed sucrose or fructose. The results are discussed in relation to the metabolic changes during pregnancy and to sucrose feeding.


Treatment of AR4-2J cells with dexamethasone at 10 nM for 96 h inhibited cell replication by 75% and increased cell size (30%), protein content (1.6-fold) and protein synthesis (2-fold). The increase in protein synthesis was largely due to a 5 to 10-fold increase in the synthesis of secretory proteins. Amylase activity increased 20 to 30-fold in cellular homogenates and 10 to 20-fold in culture medium. Both in the presence and absence of dexamethasone AR4-2J cells release their secretory proteins by constitutive secretion. The proportion of newly synthesized amylase retained by the cells over the 14 h labeling period increased from 15 to 30% with hormone treatment. As judged by comigration on polyacrylamide gels and Western blots analyzed by immunospecific sera, AR4-2J cells synthesize and secrete the majority of known pancreatic secretory proteins. Dexamethasone increased the synthesis of trypsinogen 12 to 16-fold, chymotrypsinogen 4.5 to 6-fold, the group of procarboxypeptidases 6-fold, and amylase 7 to 10-fold. Messenger RNA levels for trypsinogen, amylase and lipase were each increased 4 to 5-fold. At the ultrastructural level dexamethasone led to significant increases in rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) (30-fold) and Golgi elements (1.5-fold) and to the de novo appearance of electron-opaque granules (0.1-0.5 microns) which were shown to contain amylase by immunolocalization techniques employing protein A-gold. Dexamethasone also led to the formation of gap junctions between AR4-2J cells. These findings indicate that AR4-2J cells provide a model for differentiation of pancreatic acinar cells which should also be studied for the differentiation markers for the regulated secretory pathway.


Juvenile chronic arthritis is a severe disease leading in substantial percent of cases to disability more often caused by deformities of knee,hip or hand joints. Rehabilitation of such pts is usually performed in orthopedic departments after supression of inflammation. Results of complex functional treatment application in pediatric rheumatological department are presented. Improvement of functional status in significant percent of cases is described.


Nevi are common skin tumors caused by abnormal overgrowth of cells from the epidermal and dermal layers of the skin. Most nevi are benign, but some pre-cancerous nevi must be monitored or removed. The giant congenital nevus is greater than 10 cm in size, pigmented and often hairy. Between 4% and 6% of these lesions will develop into a malignant melanoma. Since approximately 50% of the melanoma develop by the age of two, and 80% by the age of seven, early removal is recommended. The objective of this paper is to present a unique case of giant nevi and their surgical management.


In this study, biodiesel from the stem of Pinus roxburghii was prepared by steam distillation process. Consequently, the physical and thermal properties of pine biodiesel (P100), and 20 % pine-biodiesel and 80 % diesel (P20) were tested on American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. The test results confirmed that the thermophysical properties of pine biodiesel and its blend were suitable for the fuel in diesel engine without any modification in the test engine. Eventually, the engine performance and combustion parameters were evaluated for pine-biodiesel blend for 5 % biodiesel and 95 % diesel (P5), 10 % biodiesel and 90 % diesel (P10), 15 % biodiesel and 85 % diesel (P15) and P20, and compared with diesel on Kirloskar Single Cylinder Compression Ignition Engine for a compression ratio of 15:1. In the midst of those in different blends evaluated, P15 showed the better brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) i.e 18.75 % lower than diesel fuel particularly up to 50 % of the engine load. However, at higher load, decrease rate in BSFC of P15 fuel is lower than engine load up to 50 %. Similarly, brake thermal efficiency (BTE) of P15 increases to 13.5% mainly on 50 % loading condition of the engine. At above, increment rate of BTE of pine oil biodiesel compared to diesel decreases. The brake power (BP) and brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) of P15 also found nearer to diesel. However, the BP of P15 found higher compared to diesel in all loading conditions. Thus, from the experimental investigations, P15 blend of pine oil biodiesel was found to be amenable for its use in compression ignition (CI) engine without any modification, as the BTE and SFC were found to better and, BP, indicated power (IP) and BMEP were also found nearer to diesel fuel.


ABSTRACT Despite having numerous Chinese language varieties and non-Chinese ethnic minority languages, China is often considered a monolingual nation (Liang, Sihua. 2015. Language Attitudes and Identities in Multilingual China: A Linguistic Ethnography. London: Springer, 154). The country's strong monolingual language policy heavily promotes a single standard language – Putonghua. Recently, scholars have begun to investigate 'regional Putonghua' varieties, contact varieties that have emerged from standard language promotion and community second language acquisition (e.g. Xiao, Jinsong. 2007. "Putonghua Zhongjieyu Yanjiu Shuping." Journal of Yunyang Normal College 27 (2): 119–122). This paper analyses data collected from Weibo, China's online microblogging site, to investigate the language ideologies surrounding these 'non-standard' regional varieties. Two cities (Ningbo and Shanghai) and their local Putonghua varieties are examined: the cities share a similar linguistic background but Shanghai is more economically advanced than its neighbouring city Ningbo, and the language varieties in Shanghai are also believed to have more prestige (Zhou, Minglang. 2001. "The Spread of Putonghua and Language Attitude Changes in Shanghai and Guangzhou, China." Journal of Asian Pacific Communication 11 (2): 231–253). Discourse analysis on Weibo posts allows us to show how regional Putonghua varieties are portrayed and perceived by laypeople and how they exist as 'non-standard' varieties in the shadow of the strong standard language ideology. These 'non-standard' varieties are associated with rich language ideologies and social meanings and their links to both negative cultural stereotypes and positive local identities often associated with vernacular varieties are also discussed.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the interactions of the analgesic action of sufentanil with the hypnotic action of thiopental and propofol, in 60 male rats distributed in two groups of 30 and submitted to different doses of sufentanil and propofol, to determine the analgesic (AMD) and hypnotic medium doses (HMD). The AMD of sufentanil was the analgesic dose and HMD of thiopental and propofol was the dose to obtain hypnosis, this is, the lost of righting reflex. There was a prolonged hypnotic action when thiopental with sufentanil and propofol with sufentanil were used together. The analgesic action of sufentanil-thiopental association has a significant increase, and sufentanil-propofol association showed no significant difference when compared to sufentanil alone. The sufentanil-thiopental association had more analgesic and hypnotic action when compared to sufentanil-propofol association. When was compared the concomitant presence of analgesy and hypnosis, the sufentanil-thiopental association had a longer lasting.


In vitro studies have established that cytochrome P450 (P450) is deactivated by the electrophilic sulfur atom released during the enzymic oxidation of parathion to paraoxon. However, in vivo studies in rats have been unable to demonstrate significant P450 loss. This study evaluated the possibility that there may be alternate pathways of parathion biotransformation in liver, other than those mediated by P450 and supported by NADPH. Initial experiments confirmed that parathion administration did not decrease microsomal P450 or testosterone hydroxylation activities. Subsequent in vitro experiments identified an NADH-dependent pathway of parathion biotransformation, and MS was used to confirm that paraoxon and 4-nitrophenol were the products of both the NADH- and NADPH-dependent reactions. The Michaelis constants of the NADH-dependent formation of paraoxon and 4-nitrophenol (26 +/- 6 microM and 53 +/- 10 microM, respectively) were approximately 3-fold greater than those for the NADPH-supported reactions (9 +/- 1 microM and 18 +/- 3 microM, respectively). Induction of male rats with phenobarbital and dexamethasone, but not beta-naphthoflavone, produced similar increases in the rates of NADH- and NADPH-mediated parathion metabolism. Rates of NADH- and NADPH-dependent metabolism were highly correlated in linear relationships. An anti-NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (NADPH-P450 reductase) antibody partially inhibited microsomal parathion oxidation mediated by either cofactor, and the P450 inhibitor clotrimazole was similarly effective against the NADH- and NADPH-supported oxidation of parathion. Finally, a reconstituted system containing P450 2B1, NADPH-P450 reductase, and phospholipid supported parathion oxidation mediated by NADH.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The effects of various ergot alkalids and related substances on the neuronal excitability were examined using a spontaneously firing neuron (PON, periodically oscillating neuron) identified in the suboesophageal ganglia of the African giant snail (Achatina fulica Férussac). Of the substances examined, ergometrine and methylergometrine had a marked excitatory effect on the neuron (their critical concentration by bath application: 5 x 10(-6) kg/l). D-lysergic acid (the critical concentration: 3 x 10(-5) kg/l), D-lysergic acid amide (3 x 10(-5), D-lysergic acid 3-hydroxypiperidinamide (3 x 10(-5) and D-lysergic acid 4-hydroxypiperidinamide (10(-4) had also an excitatory effect which was weaker than that of the two alkaloids mentioned above. Agroclavine and elymoclavine had a very slight excitatory effect in some cases. The other substances examined, for example, lysergine, 9, 10-dihydro-D-lysergic acid, 9, 10-dihydro-D-lysergic acid amide, nicergoline, metergoline, methysergide, ergotamine, bromocriptine, lergotrile etc., had no effect on the neuron at a high concentration (10(-4) kg/l). When local (microdrop) application of ergometrine and methylergometrine in the physiological state was performed, the depolarizing shift of the PON membrane and exaggeration of the membrane potential oscillations were observed. In the Na+-free (replaced with Li+) state, local application of the two effective alkaloids produced a marked frequency increase of tonic spike discharges with depolarization of the neuronal membrane.


The clinical and radiological manifestations of suboccipital tuberculosis have been analyzed in 7 patients aged 7 to 35 years. A case of this condition accompanied by extensive vertebral destruction, abscesses, and basilar impression is described in a 7.5-year-old child. A radical stabilizing operation was successfully performed using the currently available technologies.


In this note we study the reduction of 4d Seiberg duality to 3d for SP(2N) SQCD with an adjoint field. We follow a general prescription that consists in compactifying the dual 4d theories on the circle. This generates an effective 3d duality. The pure 3d duality is obtained by combining the zero radius limit with a real mass flow. Here we perform this limit by a double scaling procedure: we turn on real masses proportional to the radius before shrinking the circle. We apply this mechanism to the reduction of the 4d superconformal index to the three sphere partition function. While the reduction of the 4d index on the circle is straightforward, the 3d limit necessitates the double scaling. We describe this limit on the index, finding the integral identity for the partition functions of the 3d dual theories.


A rapid and simple radioimmunoassay method for serum T3 was developed using home made potent rabbit anti-T3 serum: 1) The incubation mixture which contained 0.1 ml of 1:2,000 diluted anti-T3 serum (finally 1:20,000), 250 mug of 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulphonic acid and 0.1 ml of serum was run at 37 degrees C for 1 hour. Dextran-coated charcoal was added for separation of free and bound T3. No significant undersirable effects due to high incubation temperature and short incubation time was observed. The lowest detectable amount of T3 was 20 pg per assay though this antiserum showed a 0.24% cross reaction with T4 the purity of which was 99%. The dilution curve of serum from Graves' patients was parallel to the standard. The recovery of added T4 over the range 39-625 pg was 98.1%. Inter and intra-assay variations of the estimated T3 values at the euthyroid level were 14.3% and 16.9%, respectively. 2) Serum T3 concentrations in 21 normal subjects, 23 patients with Graves' disease, 9 primary hypothyroidism, 19 Hashimoto's thyroiditis were estimated as 131 +/- 29 ng/100 ml (mean +/- s.d.), 546 +/- 274 ng/100 ml, 77 +/- 27ng/100 ml and 154 +/- 30 ng/100 ml respectively. Calculated T3/T4% in 10 normal subjects was 1.48 +/- 0.44, in 21 Graves' patients 2.84 +/- 1.59, in 9 primary hypothyroidism 3.88 +/- 1.36 and 19 Hashimoto's thyroiditis 2.41 +/- 0.86. 3) T3 levels in 131I treated Graves' patients corresponded well with their thyroid functional status. On the other hand their T3/T4% was distributed over a wide range and had no significant relationship with the clinical status. A hyperbolic inverse correlation between serum T3 and TSH levels (r= --0.21) was found in 88 cases with various thyroid disease, 25 cases of which showed high TSH with normal T3 levels. A significant increase in serum T3 at 90 and 120 minutes after intravenous administration of 500 mug TRH was observed, and the average of the absolute maximum increment was 42 +/- 24 ng/100 ml in 9 normal subjects. It is considered feasible to evaluate both thyroid and pituitary reserve quantitatively by simultaneous estimation of serum T3 and TSH levels after TRH administration.


ies, two educational symposia, eight mini-symposia and six newly organised academic symposia – all very well attended by more than 3,000 registered clinicians and basic scientists with interest in stroke research from all around the globe – we selected two for this Conference Report, nicely demonstrating the broad scope of topics addressed as well as the success made through recent research. The editor and publisher of Cerebrovascular Diseases are grateful for the kind and timely cooperation of the authors to prepare manuscripts of their presentations. Michael G. Hennerici Chairman Programme Committee ESC Editor Cerebrovascular Diseases The 20th meeting of the European Stroke Conference (ESC) was held in Hamburg, Germany, May 24–27, 2011. Weather conditions were excellent and the programme of the two-decade anniversary of the ESC has increased to top levels never before reached: while the first meeting was organised in Düsseldorf, Germany (May 10–12, 1990) and included 190 abstracts presented from 28 countries (55 oral and 135 poster presentations), in 2011 abstract submission had increased to 1,342 from 64 countries, which resulted in 312 oral and 830 scientific poster presentations covering over 20 subjects of stroke research. Among the series of eleven satellite symposia, ten teaching courses, three joint symposia of stroke-related societPublished online: December 1, 2011


Violence against women and girls (VAWG) has negative impacts on physical and mental health. Health care settings provide a unique opportunity to identify VAWG survivors, provide critical support services, and prevent future harm. VAWG has intergenerational effects: boys who witness intimate partner violence (IPV) at home are more likely to grow up to perpetrate violence themselves. And girls with childhood exposure to IPV are more likely to experience violence in later relationships. The health sector can play a role in educating clients and the broader community about VAWG as a human rights violation and major public health issue.


Stimulation of the bilateral subthalamic nucleus can have adverse consequences

The paper by Houeto et al 1 in this issue (pp 701–707) offers new evidence to suggest that bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) stimulation can have adverse and potentially serious consequences for patients and their families, despite the benefits obtained in motor function. The study has important implications for those running surgical programmes in terms of patient selection, preoperative counselling, and postoperative care.

The management of the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease has been greatly enhanced in recent years by new approaches to functional neurosurgery, both stereotactic lesions to the globus pallidus or subthalamic …


We describe a reusable software component library which encapsulates the functionality of the Matlab Neural Networks Toolbox (MNNT). Our library allows the integration of the neural networks toolbox in the software applications development, independently of the platform and development tools used to build it. This library offers two different sets of classes: 1) an API (application program interface) similar to the Matlab toolbox; and 2) a fully object-oriented designed AP. The benefits of using this software component are: 1) to build reusable applications; and 2) to take advantage of the MNNT functionality, power, and robustness


The shape from focus method presented here uses different focus levels to obtain a sequence of object images. The sum-modified-Laplacian (SML) operator is developed to provide local measures of the quality of image focus. The operator is applied to the image sequence to determine a set of focus measures at each image point. A depth estimation algorithm interpolates a small number of focus measure values to obtain accurate depth estimates. A fully automated shape from focus system has been implemented using an optical microscope and tested on a variety of industrial samples. Experimental results are presented that demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of the proposed method. These results suggest shape from focus to be an effective approach for a variety of challenging visual inspection tasks. >


Future mobile communication systems will require new medium access control protocols to attain an efficient multiplexing of different traffic sources while guaranteeing their requirements on quality of service. This paper investigates the performance of a modified packet reservation multiple access (PRMA) protocol, called PRMA with hindering states (PRMA-HS), for supporting voice and data transmissions in mobile cellular systems with high propagation delays. A scenario based on low Earth orbit mobile satellite systems (LEO-MSSs) has been considered, but the analytical approach is general. We have obtained that PRMA-HS achieves a high capacity of voice sources in LEO-MSSs also in the presence of data traffic. A performance analysis has been carried out showing good agreement with simulation results. Finally, the PRMA-HS performance has been evaluated in the presence of different data traffic sources.


Worldwide, non-communicable diseases (NCD) represent 43% of the burden of disease and are expected to be responsible for 60% of the disease burden and 73% of all deaths by 2020.Obesity in children and adolescents is gradually becoming a major public health problem in many developing countries, including India. The present study was undertaken to identify the prevalence of childhood overweight /obesity and to find the relationship between BMI and waist circumference of the children. Eleven schools were selected randomly from Udupi district of Karnataka state, India. A school based survey was carried out among 2938 school children in the age group of 10 – 16 years. On the day of survey, the purpose of the study was explained. The demographic proforma was administered and standard procedures were followed to assess the anthropometric measurements. Result showed that 7% of children were overweight and 5% were obese. The Pearson Correlation computed between BMI and waist circumference showed a positive ( r = 0.763, p =<0.0001) relationship between BMI and waist circumference. The study concluded that childhood obesity prevalence is increasing among children. Higher BMI was found among children in the age of 10 – 12 years and among girls than the boys. The gender difference in BMI could be due to sedentary lifestyles of girls. As the BMI of children increases the waist circumference also increases.


The author presents a review of seven cases with isolated vertebral block of the cervical spine, studied in 1980 in order to verify if the etiology was congenital or acquired. This kind of bony alteration of the spine confused in the literature with Klippel-Feil's syndrome, which is a congenital constellation of bone alterations. The author concludes that, even in two cases with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, the vertebral block probably was not related to the inflammatory pathology. For one case of severe rheumatoid arthritis, it is proposed that the congenital block may have been present before the onset of the inflammatory disease. The cervical vertebral block can be considered to be an asymptomatic radiological finding.


A group of 27 families consisting of 176 individuals had been investigated for the lepromin sensitivity (with Dharmendra antigen). The families were arranged under group A (9 families) in whom either of the parents or both were suffering from Lepromatous type of leprosy, group B numbering 4 families, of whom either of the parents or both were suffering from non-lepromatous type of leprosy and group C comprising 14 families where none of the parents was suffering from leprosy but some of the each family had the disease in their siblings. The present study points towards the possible genetic influence on lepromin sensitivity but at times may be influenced by the environmental factors. However the study does not permit to reach any valid conclusions; further elaborate investigations alone could prove the useful role of genetic influence in the propagation of lepromin sensitivity to the subsequent sibs.


The so-called fly tool method of cutting hourglass shaped worm wheels offers an economical production of large-size worm gears. This method however, gives us only an approximate tooth surface of the wheel. The previous reports introduced the numerical control (NC) technique to the fly tool method for making a tool which is able to trace the wheel surface. The fly tool method demands high responsibility of the NC servo to obtain a high cutting speed. To prevent the speed problem, this report discusses two methods of end milling : (1) the end mill tool is driven as the tool of the fly tool method, and (2) the tool is fed in the orthogonal three directions. The tooth profile errors of wheels cut with these two methods are investigated. Compared to the latter method, the first method gives a higher precision of profile, but it is difficult to realize the motion of the tool. A bronze wheel is cut for a trial with the latter method, and the tooth bearing pattern is checked. A method of tooth surface modification is proposed.


Modern industry has many requirements like cost efficiency, durability, lightness of manufactured parts and eco-friendliness to name a few. With these requirements in mind it's crucial to have deep understanding of the manufacturing process and how it affects the finished part. Residual stress is one physical property that is becoming more crucial as the requirements and quality of manufacturing process grow. STRESSTECH BULLETIN 15


Competitive equilibrium provides a natural steady state for iterative combinatorial auctions that maximize social welfare, and therefore the first step in auction design is to establish its existence. Recent work by Baldwin and Klemperer (2012) has proved that the "demand type" of valuations being "unimodular" is a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a competitive equilibrium, but under the general setting where both buyers and sellers as well as multiple copies of items may exist, and the supply could be any combination of items available. In this work, we investigate the same condition under the more restrictive but standard setting for combinatorial auctions, where only buyers and a single copy of each distinct item are allowed and the supply is fixed to be the set of all available items. First, we provide an alternative proof of the sufficiency result for unimodular "complements" demand type, which defines a subclass of valuations for which a competitive equilibrium exists according to Baldwin and Klemperer (2012). While their original proof and analysis use tools from tropical geometry, our approach is based on linear programming. Relying on a result from Bikhchandani and Mamer (1999) that a competitive equilibrium exists if and only if a related linear program has an integral optimal solution, we provide a direct proof that the linear program has an integral optimal solution. Our analysis provides a fundamental understanding of the structure of the linear program and leads to various properties which may be helpful in auction design. Second, we provide an algorithm to determine the demand types of sign-consistent tree graphical valuations, for which competitive equilibria are known to exist due to Candogan et al. (2013). We then analyze the relationship between the set of the demand types of sign-consistent tree graphical valuations and the set of unimodular demand types. Our analysis implies that the unimodularity of demand type is not necessary for the existence of a competitive equilibrium in combinatorial auctions. Thesis Supervisor: Asu Ozdaglar Title: Professor, Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems Thesis Supervisor: Pablo Parrilo Title: Professor, Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems


ABSTRACT
Nanotechnology encompasses the understanding of the fundamental physics of nanometer-scale objects, and in this mater Image processing plays an important role. In particular, quantitative analysis of nanostructures is based on analysis of images obtained from electron microscopes. Nowadays, in spite of having sophisticated devices for image capture, some limitations (blur, lens aberrations, lens aperture, diffraction, brightness, etc.) during the acquisition process can affect the final resolution of the images, where resolution is defined as the degree of detail and quality of an image, and not only the number of pixels of it.
In order to overcome these limitations, we focus on the study and development of advanced computational tools for enhancing the resolution and analysis of electron microscopy images to enable quantitative characterization and dynamic visualization.
The drift effect inherent in the images obtained from STEM microscopes (HAADF images), is one of the main distortions dealt in the literature. Different methods have been studied and an alternative that improves the computational time has been proposed in this PHD thesis. Our proposal is based on the analysis of the second harmonics angle of the Fourier transform in order to calculate the drift effect. Successful validations with simulated and experimental images have been carried out.
Given that Fourier transform allows improving the computational efficiency of certain calculations, and also facilitates the observation and analysis of different properties of the images that are not possible to realize from the real space, a new approach for strain mapping, using the inter-dumbbell distance is introduced. Although not validated experimentally, its potentiality has been highlighted, and this novelty opens a new way for strain mapping calculations, where images with higher resolution will be needed.
In this context the application of Super-Resolution techniques to the Electron Microscopy field has been addressed. A customized Super-Resolution methodology to enhance HAADF-images has been proposed. This methodology includes, in the alignment stage, a new method to align the images and an algorithm for selecting the reference image. The application of this algorithm guarantees a minimization of the drift effect in the final image. The complete methodology has been evaluated experimentally with different materials, showing the improvement in the images quality using different qualitative and quantitative measures. In addition, different modifications to optimize the computational time have been adopted as well as new proposals have been introduced to adapt the restoration algorithms to images from materials with crystalline structures. A correspondence between the material lattice and the algorithms parameters has been found.
The present research work allows the improvement of the quality of electron microscopes images, providing higher accuracy in the analysis of materials.


During the past 15 years, shrimp farming, mainly based on local species such as tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon, kuruma shrimp Marsupenaeus japonicas and the exotic species white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei, have been particularly badly hit by epidemics associated with viruses and Vibrio bacteria like Vibrio alginolyticus and V. parahaemolyticus due to deteriorated environment. Shrimp lack an adaptive immune system and rely on innate immune responses against microbial invasion. Therefore, the health of shrimp and enhancement of its immunity are of primary concern. Immunostimulants are agents/factors that trigger the non-specific immune response and result in enhanced disease resistance. Several compounds have been reported to have immunostimulation properties. Many of these are derivatives or cellular components of bacterial, fungal or animal origin. Laminarin, barley, glucan, lactoferrin, levamisole, lipopolysaccharides, curdlan, scleroglucan, zymosan, inulin, chitosan, β-glucans, dextran, lentinan, krestin, saponins, herbal extracts, peptidoglycans and so forth, are some of the examples of immunostimulants used in shrimp/fish aquaculture. This present study was attempted to study the immunomostimulatory effects of plant extract from herbal plants on shrimp through fed diet. The plant extract was mixed with fed diet with different concentration and non-specific immune response and THC, Phenoloxidase, NBT and lysozyme activity were measured. After feed diet experiment shrimp were challenge with isolated Vibrio spp. pathogen and cumulative survival rate were calculated.


MicroRNA dysregulation has been shown to be nearly universal in cancer biology, driving oncogenic signaling networks. However, microRNA mediated global regulatory mechanisms underlying malignant phenotypes of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remain unclear. In this study, we have performed genome-wide small RNA sequencing on a panel of nine HNSCC cell lines and three normal primary oral keratinocyte cell lines, as well as matched primary tumor and normal tissues using the SOLiD parallel sequencing platform. A panel of microRNAs with altered expression was identified, including several novel oncogenic microRNAs which are upregulated in parallel with altered activation of NF-KB c-REL, TP53 family members ΔNp63α and TAp73, and potentially involved in the down-modulation of p53 and Notch1, two genes most often mutated or inactivated in HNSCC. To examine the hypothesis that these microRNAs could potentially be regulated by NF-KB and p53 pathways, NF-KB inducer TNF-α was used to treat an HNSCC cell line with high expression of mtTP53, ΔNp63α and TAp73. Genome-wide small RNA sequencing revealed significant changes in microRNA expression modulated by TNF-α that overlaps with the panel of constitutively dysregulated microRNAs in HNSCC. Furthermore, genome-wide ChIP-sequencing revealed that TNF-α modulated DNA binding activities of c-REL, ΔNp63α and TAp73 aligned within the regulatory regions of several differentially expressed microRNAs. Modulation of these microRNAs with anti-miR repression altered cell cycle and reduced proliferation in HNSCC cell lines, which confirmed the oncogenic activity of the microRNAs and their potential for therapeutic targeting. Citation Format: Anthony D. Saleh, Han Si, Xingping Yang, Jamie Coupar, Zhong Chen, Carter Van Waes. Transcriptome sequencing identifies oncogenic microRNA signatures related to NF-kB, TP53 and Notch family members in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3050. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-3050 Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 because the presenter was unable to attend.


Leadership is a concept that has been used for decades and despite what we know about it there are many things left to the unknown. We must keep moving forward to search for answers as we seek to explain the many failures that exist today. For centuries, reports of lackluster and even abusive leadership in organizations have continued to be a negative force in organizations, adversely impacting culture and overall performance. Amid the challenges facing leaders as well as the necessity for rapid and continuous change in the organization, we see the development of many problems and consequent ails that need to be addressed.  We are often left with supervisors that abuse without regard for the breakdown of loyalty, job satisfaction and the development of a solid and rich culture that can support thriving and positive organizational outcomes. This has been captured in the voices and experiences of individuals interviewed for this qualitative case study analysis, demonstrating the continued impact of leadership in modern day organizations and well as addressing the perplexing question of how to distinguish who would or would not be a best fit for leadership positions in today's organizations.  Despite years of research, theory and analysis, perhaps the greatest insight is gained through the lens of the employee.


Aims of study : To conduct the first full-scale crown fire experiment carried out in a Mediterranean conifer stand in Spain; to use different data sources to assess crown fire initiation and spread models, and to evaluate the role of convection in crown fire initiation. Area of study : The Sierra Morena mountains (Coordinates ETRS89 30N: X: 284793-285038; Y: 4218650-4218766), southern Spain, and the outdoor facilities of the Lourizan Forest Research Centre, northwestern Spain. Material and methods : The full-scale crown fire experiment was conducted in a young Pinus pinea stand. Field data were compared with data predicted using the most used crown fire spread models. A small-scale experiment was developed with Pinus pinaster trees to evaluate the role of convection in crown fire initiation. Mass loss calorimeter tests were conducted with P. pinea needles to estimate residence time of the flame, which was used to validate the crown fire spread model. Main results : The commonly used crown fire models underestimated the crown fire spread rate observed in the full-scale experiment, but the proposed new integrated approach yielded better fits. Without wind-forced convection, tree crowns did not ignite until flames from an intense surface fire contacted tree foliage. Bench-scale tests based on radiation heat flux therefore offer a limited insight to full-scale phenomena. Research highlights : Existing crown fire behaviour models may underestimate the rate of spread of crown fires in many Mediterranean ecosystems. New bench-scale methods based on flame buoyancy and more crown field experiments allowing detailed measurements of fire behaviour are needed. p> ERRATUM PDF


Let $\Lambda $ be a finite dimensional algebra and $T$ a $\tau$-tilting $\Lambda$-module. Then $T$ is a tilting module if and only if ${\rm Ext}_{\Lambda}^{i}(T,\Fac T)=0$ for any $i\geq 1$, where $\Fac T$ is the full subcategory consisting of modules generated by $T$. As a result, a $\tau$-tilting module $T$ of finite projective dimension is a tilting module if and only if ${\rm Ext}_{\Lambda}^{i}(T, T)=0$ for $i\geq 1$.


Obesity is a major health problem all over the world because it can lead to various other diseases. Exercise can be one of the best counteracted ways to obesity. The objective of this study was to study the effect of exercising by dancing in accordance with a Nintendo Wii game on body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular system of obese women (aged 18 - 23 years old). Thirty-two volunteers were divided into 2 groups; exercise group (n=15) and non-exercise group (n=17). All participants underwent a test by the use of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to measure the fat mass and BMI, and astrand rhyming cycle ergometry to measure the maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) before and after the 4-weeks exercise program. The exercise group received an exercise program by Nintendo Wii game, which lasted for 30 minutes per session, 3 days a week, for 4 weeks at a moderate intensity level (60 - 75% of maximum heart- rate). The non-exercise group was advised to follow their normal lifestyle for a period of 4-weeks. The study revealed that the exercise group had a significantly higher VO2 max than the non-exercise group ( p <0.05). The BMI was significantly decreased in exercise group after complete exercise program ( p <0.05). Therefore, this study indicated that exercising by dancing with a Nintendo Wii game can reduce BMI and enhance the cardiovascular function in obese women. Bull Chiang Mai Assoc Med Sci 2013; 46(2): 122-130


Pretreatment with monophosphoryl lipid A (MLA) can pharmacologically mimic the second window of ischemic preconditioning (SWOP) to protect the heart from prolonged ischemia and reperfusion injury. Based on the delayed time course for development of MLA associated cardioprotection, this study was designed to test if MLA's cardioprotective effect is mediated by signalling through production of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), a proposed effector of SWOP. Rabbits were assigned to one of four groups: (1) vehicle control; (2) MLA: (3) vehicle+aminoguanidine (AMG) control; or (4) MLA+AMG. Monophosphoryl lipid A (35 micrograms/kg) or vehicle was given intravenously 24 h before ischemia. The selective iNOS inhibitor AMG (300 mg/ kg) was injected subcutaneously 1 h before ischemia. All rabbits experienced 30 min coronary artery occlusion followed by 3 h of reperfusion. Infarct size was measured by triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. followed by 3 h of reperfusion. Infarct size was measured by triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Myeloperoxidase activity, an index of neutrophil infiltration, was also quantified in heart tissue collected from the post-ischemic viable border zone surrounding the infarct area. MLA pretreatment significantly reduced infarct size and neutrophil infiltration in rabbit hearts compared to control (P < 0.05). Inhibition of iNOS activity by AMG abolished the infarct size reductive effect of MLA. Aminoguanidine also blocked the ability of MLA to significantly reduce neutrophil infiltration. Although measurement of iNOS activity did not show induction of the enzyme in normal myocardial tissue 24 h after MLA pretreatment, an increase in iNOS activity in ischemic tissue relative to non-ischemic tissue was found after either 15 or 30 min of coronary occlusion in MLA treated rabbits. These results suggest that MLA pretreatment may enhance iNOS enzyme activity by MLA during ischemia which may be responsible for the observed cardioprotection.


: This paper presents our perspective on the reparability of screen-based mobile electronic devices, with a first focus on smartphones. Repair is an effective way to increase the lifetime of electronics, saving material resources and contributing to a lower environmental burden. Transparency regarding the reparability of products can drive the market towards more sustainable designs. Based on previous work and new evaluation tests, and together with recent advances in the state-of-the-art literature, we have further refined our method for assessing the repair potential of smartphones for informal repairers with no-to-low experience. The method consists of a heuristic assessment and a disassembly protocol tracking the disassembly process. The method is used to provide a numerical score for eight criteria, selected by their relevance to capture important information for lay people repairing their own device when replacing only a malfunctioning part. The criteria are: (1) Path of entry; (2) Accessibility of critical components; (3) Availability of spare parts; (4) Availability of information; (5) Type of tools needed; (6) Endorsed repair options; (7) Visual cues; and (8) Health and safety risk. To reduce the complexity of the assessment while preserving comparability, we only take the disassembly of those components into account which are critical to functionality and have an increased chance of malfunctioning, the so-called 'critical components'. For smartphones, the critical components are the display assembly and the battery. Rather than performing a full disassembly, in this approach only the disassembly paths down to the critical components are tracked. To calibrate the method, a set of known outlier devices are assessed and placed at each end of the spectrum. Two flagship smartphone devices are evaluated to show the methods' scoring of representative products in the current smartphone market. This paper will discuss the results of the assessment, observe reparability trends in the current smartphone market, and suggest options for further research.


The rise of armed conflict around the world begs for renewed reflection on what constitutes just war. Modern just war discourse is characterised by a very formal approach to war ethics. Issues of character, internal disposition and virtue are rarely addressed, while the Augustinian tradition's ad bellum criterion of right intention is no longer accepted as a necessary requirement for going to war. It is argued that notions that belong to the assessment of character are not necessarily relevant to the assessment of actions. Instead, current discourse is characterised by an effort to formulate clear rules that can be easily applied in conflict situations. This article argues that issues of character, virtue and right intent are important for a war ethic, because actions that are based on wrong intentions will inevitably distort a cause. If a just cause is not grounded in sound intentions the underlying reasons for characterising a cause as just disappear. In response to the lack of virtue-ethical reflection in current just war discourse, the article attempts to retrieve some of the earlier moral roots of just war discourse by discussing the contributions of Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. Their works are remarkably relevant in addressing the current weakness in just war discourse, because they enable us to expand the scope of ethical deliberation on just war to include virtue. The first section discusses the contribution of Augustine, the second analyses Aquinas's perspectives on just war, while the third evaluates the importance of these exponents for modern just war discourse. The last section concludes by indicating how virtue-ethical criteria might inform norms for warfare. The so-called 'war on terror' is used as a point of reference to illustrate the value of applying virtue-ethical criteria to the discourse on just war.


From the Publisher:
DocBook: The Definitive Guide is the complete and official documentation of the DocBook Document Type Definition (DTD) and many of its associated tools.
DocBook is a system for writing structured documents using SGML and XML. DocBook, provides all the elements you'll need for technical documents of all kinds. A number of computer companies use DocBook for their documentation, as do several Open Source documentation groups, including the Linux Documentation Project (LDP). With the consistent use of DocBook, these groups can readily share and exchange information. With an XML-enabled browser, DocBook documents are as accessible on the Web as in print.
DocBook: The Definitive Guide was written by Norman Walsh, the author of the XML implementation of the DocBook DTD; and Leonard Muellner, the manager of O'Reilly & Associates' Production Tools Group.
In this book, you'll find:

A brief introduction to SGML and XML A guide to creating documents with the DocBook DTD and associated stylesheets Information about using SGML and XML tools like Jade and DSSSL An guide to customizing DocBook A complete SGML and XML reference, including examples, for every DocBook element

In addition, the CDROM contains:

The complete source text of this book, in both SGML and HTML All the examples from the book DSSSL Stylesheets that let you convert DocBook documents to RTF, LaTeX, or HTML The DocBook DTD for SGML, version 3.1 The DocBk DTD for XML, version 3.1.5

Oasis, the organization that is the official maintainer of the DocBook DTD, has identified DocBook: the Definitive Guide as the official documentation for the DocBook DTD.


Background: The effects of exercise and physical activity on dual-task performance have attracted many researchers' attention in the last decade due to the vulnerable nature of the industrialized life style. The aim of this work was to study the effect of physical exercise on dual-task performance of young healthy individuals in which the dual-task scenario is defined as balance control and reaction to external stimulation.
Methods: To do this, experimental tests were performed on one hundred people using a simultaneous measurement of the equilibrium and reaction time. Participants in this study were men with an average age of 24 ± 5 years and an average weight of 73 ± 5 kg. The performed tests included a single-task balance control test, a single-task response test, and a dual-task balance and reaction time test before and after five minutes of jogging.
Results: In this research, indicators were introduced for assessing the function of the nervous system in the single- and dual-task conditions. Comparison of the performance of motor control of the brain in single and dual activity showed that the performance of motor control in dual task balance was reduced by an average of 19%. On the other hand, the reaction time of the nervous system in dual-task mode increased by about 15% relative to the single mode.
Conclusion: By comparing the results before and after exercise, we conclude that for most of the test subjects, the impact of an action changes the performance of dual activity to the extent that exercise can improve balance and at the same time increase reaction time. But despite this improvement, the accuracy of people is often reduced.


Hydraulic quadruped robots can adapt to very complex ground conditions, as they have good maneuverability and high load capacity and, therefore, have received great attention in military research fields all over the world. However, there is no mature theory on how to ensure stable, efficient, and fast walking of robots. In this paper, from the point of view of the natural frequency of the hydraulic system, we first calculate the natural frequency of the robot's legs during the whole motion period of the robot and verify the accuracy of calculation through system identification. Then, through the analysis of the state equation and transfer function matrix of the multiple-input multiple-output system, it is found that the zero and pole of the system are very close, this is why the natural frequency is low but the system response is acceptable and then we prove that no parameter for the simultaneous zero-pole cancelation of two hydraulic cylinders exists. With the goal of increasing the natural frequency, we optimized the leg structure of the robot to find the best structural parameters. Finally, a single-leg test bench was built. The experimental results show that the optimization of the structure can actually increase the natural frequency of the system and significantly improve the response characteristics of the robot.


OBJECTIVE
Increased antioxidant defence and altered G protein mediated receptor signalling systems could be expected in myocardial preconditioning. The myocardial antioxidant defence and the integrity of the G protein mediated receptor signalling systems were therefore examined in normal and preconditioned myocardium.

METHODS
Preconditioning in the porcine heart was induced by two occlusions of the mid left anterior descending coronary artery for 10 min, with a 30 min reperfusion interval. Left ventricular biopsies were obtained from control and preconditioned regions 30 min after the last occlusion.

RESULTS
In biopsies from the preconditioning region, neither the activities of superoxide dismutase of glutathione peroxidase, nor the content of malondialdehyde were changed. There were no alterations in either the number of receptors (beta adrenergic, muscarinic and endothelin receptors) or the amount of G proteins. Furthermore, the activity of adenylyl cyclase remained unchanged.

CONCLUSIONS
No change in the antioxidant defence was demonstrated in preconditioned myocardium. This finding does not support the hypothesis that increased antioxidant defence could contribute to the cardioprotection of preconditioning. Additionally, an intact G protein mediated receptor signalling system was found in preconditioned myocardium with regard to beta adrenergic, muscarinic, and endothelin receptors.


The monodromy method—featuring braid group action—first appeared as a moduli space approach for finding solutions of arithmetic problems that produce reducible variables separated curves. Examples in this paper illustrate its most interesting aspect: investigating the moduli space of exceptions to a specific diophantine outcome. Explicit versions of Hilbert's irreducibility theorem and Davenport's problem fostered this technique and motivated the genus 0 problem started by J. Thompson and taken up by many group theorists. We review progress on the genus 0 problem in 0 characteristic, and its quite different contributions in positive characteristic. Example: Let f and h be polynomials with coefficients in a number field K. The classification of finite simple groups shows there is a bound on exceptional degrees for f to the following result. If f is indecomposable and h is not a composition with f , then f(x) − h(y) is irreducible. This answered challenge problems on factorization of variables separated polynomials posed by A. Schinzel in the early 60's. This limitation result holds, however, only in characteristic 0, one difference between the Genus 0 Problem here and in positive characteristic. Finite field example—Davenport's Problem: For each finite field Fq there are infinitely many surprising polynomial pairs (f, h) (of degree prime to the characteristic) whose value sets are equal over Fqt , t = 1, 2, . . . . Though we include unpublished results from 30 years ago, a new set of problems stretch the methods. Example of a general theme: Let Md be the elements of Q of degree no more than d over Q. The degree d reducibility set of f , Rf (d) is Rf (d) = {z0 ∈ Md | f(y) − z0 is reducible over Q(z0)}. Similarly, there is a value set Vf (d) (degree 1 fiber). Following a reduction due to G. Frey, for any integer d, there are polynomials f of unbounded degree satisfying Rf (d) \ Vf (d) is finite. The full monodromy method finds precise arithmetic information by extending observations from modular curves. A semi-classical observation: Divisors with support in cusp points on modular curves generate a torsion group on the Jacobian of the curve. Illustrations here (from alternating group covers) show generalizations of this issue are ubiquitous with the monodromy method. Date: October 25, 2001. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 12F05; Secondary 14H40, 14D20, 14E20.


Vibration data from an induction machine is employed to investigate higher order properties associated with electrical machine faults. Three fault conditions are investigated together with all possible permutations. By considering combinations of faults, interesting higher order properties are identified and presented, ultimately resulting in improved ANN diagnoses of faults.


Background: According to new estimates, the health care sector will suffer a shortage of physicians in primary and specialty care. In this context, work engagement and burnout are two constructs that have gained attention recently. The aim of this study was to investigate how these constructs are related to job size preference.Method: The present study is based on the baseline survey of the long-term study of physicians with different specialties, in which 1,001 physicians took part (response rate: 33.4%). Workload was measured using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory adapted for health care professionals; work engagement was assessed using the Utrecht Work Engagement scale. Data analyses includes regression and mediation models.Results: Overall, 297 out of 725 physicians plan to reduce their job size. Several reasons - such as workload - are discussed. Multiple regression analyses show that job size reduction is significantly linked to all three dimensions of workload (p<0.001) as well as work engagement (p=0.001). In addition, work engagement significantly mediates the relationship between workload on job size reduction (patient-related: b= −0.135, p<0.001; work-related: b= −0.190, p<0.001; personal: b= −0.133, p<0.001 ).Discussion: Physicians that tend to reduce working hours exhibit different levels of work engagement as well as workload (personal, patient- and work-related). Moreover, work engagement is acting as a mediator, influencing the relationship between workload and job size reduction. Therefore, interventions that increase work engagement may buffer negative effects of workload on job size changes.


Recessive mutations in the desmosomal plaque protein plakophilin 1 (PkP1) underlie ectodermal dysplasia/skin fragility syndrome (MIM 604536). We undertook an immunohistochemical and quantitative electron microscopic examination of suprabasal desmosomes from 4 skin samples from 3 PkP1 deficient patients, an unaffected carrier with a PKP1 heterozygous acceptor splice site mutation and 5 healthy control subjects. Desmosomal plaque size (>50 desmosomes per individual) and frequency (>20 high power fields, HPF) were assessed. Compared with controls, desmosomes were reduced dramatically both in size (49%) and frequency (61%) in the lower suprabasal layers (LSB) in PkP1 null patients (P<0.01). In the LSB compartment of the heterozygous carrier, corresponding reductions were 37% and 20%, respectively (P<0.01). Surprisingly, the PkP1 null patient's upper suprabasal layer, (USB), desmosome size was larger (59%, P<0.01) than the control value, and showed increased desmoglein 1 and PkP2 USB staining. The USB desmosome frequency in PKP1 null patients was similar to the LSB compartment (but reduced by 43% compared to USB controls). The carrier showed no difference in the USB desmosome size and frequency compared with the controls (P>0.05). The PKP1 null patients showed poorly developed inner and outer desmosomal plaques. Thus, both the patients and unaffected carrier showed reductions in the LSB desmosome size and number; despite only PkP1 null patients exhibiting any phenotype. These findings attest to the molecular recruiting and stabilizing roles of PkP1 in desmosome formation, particularly in the LSB compartment.


The scope, concepts, methodology, and details of a load application system and instrumentation for the successful operation of a series of cyclic pile load tests are described. The purposes of the pile tests on an instrumented H-pile were to evaluate the dynamic behavior of piles under cyclic loading conditions for seismic analyses and design of a structure supported on piles. The scope of the pile load tests included a static vertical, cyclic vertical, and cyclic lateral loading, with a sustained constant vertical load. A major requirement of the cycle testing was to apply a controlled varying load intensity to the pile in a specific wave shape at a specific frequency. To fulfill this requirement, an automated closed loop loading system, which consisted of an electronic-electromechanical control system interfaced with hydraulic loading components, was developed. An instrumentation program was implemented to measure the static and cyclic response of the test pile to include (a) bending moments and axial compression of the pile during driving; (b) loads, moments, angular rotation, and deflections of the pile during testing; and (c) the configuration of pile after driving and after each increment of load application.


New technology and product-based innovation are an important catalyst for new markets. However, as nascent markets mature, imitation becomes rampant, products become more commoditized, and firms must shore-up their value proposition to avoid strictly cost-based (scorched earth) competition. The term used in Marketing to describe this is "differentiation". The essence of differentiation is turning the dials of the marketing mix (product, people, price, place, promotion) to create an offering that is the most attractive to current or potential customers. In order to differentiate, the mix must be "different" in a very good way - that means in a way that is both important and valuable. Creating this type of game-changing differentiation requires innovation - creating unique offerings with an unmatched and previously unseen value proposition. This process is called market-based innovation. When market-based innovation is based on the core competencies of an organization then it can also lead to sustainable competitive advantage. Of course, sustainable competitive advantage is the key to market domination over the long haul. In this paper we will discuss several examples of successful market-based innovations and explore techniques for putting these principle to work in any organization.


GEOCHEMISTRY
Recent studies of interplanetary dust particles and primitive meteorites have identified hydrocarbons in the samples; sometimes these phases were associated with iron and nickel metal. These organic materials must have formed in the solar nebula, but how they did has been unclear. The solar nebula (the flattened disk of debris left over from the formation of the sun) contained abundant gases—carbon monoxide and hydrogen—and dust grains—iron metal and refractory oxide phases—which swirled around the sun and either aggregated into planetesimals or were removed from the disk.

Fischer-Tropsch catalysis is the conversion of CO and H2 into simple hydrocarbons by an iron or nickel metal catalyst, and Kress and Tielens have modeled this known surface chemical reaction to try to determine the origin of simple hydrocarbons in the solar nebula. They found that Fischer-Tropsch catalysis could have served to convert CO into CH4 at the time of planetesimal formation. At earlier times, the temperatures would have been too high, and at later times the temperatures too low, for catalysis to be efficient. Thus, their kinetic model offers a plausible route for hydrocarbon formation in the solar nebula and may help provide clues to organic material origins in other astrophysical environments. — LR

Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 36 , 75 (2001).