This paper analyzes several linguistic traits that are evidences for ancient and continuous contacts between Arawakan, Tukanoan and neighboring languages from the Northwest Amazon. It is shown that Arawakan-Tukanoan contacts have a long-term duration and sinceancient times have been shaping the languages from both families in terms of direct and indirect diusion processes, with an overall tendency for Arawakan dominance in the exchange of linguistic traits. Broader patterns of areal relationships are also explored, showing evidence for large-scale multilingual regional systems in pre-history, as well as suggesting that Arawakan and Tukanoan had the most intense and prolonged contact situation in the region. These results contribute to our overall understanding of the cultural history and the complex regional systems in Amazonia.


Now a day multi-core microcontrollers are being used in various fields. Due to resource limitation of microcontrollers, programming them is difficult. This work presents a simple parallel compiler that can exploit multicore to speed up parallel tasks on a multi-core microcontroller. The parallel constructors are introduced. A scheme to use compiler directives to hint the compiler is discussed. Experiments on the real processors are performed to validate the scheme. The results show that the compiler can exploit multi-core to speed up the computation tasks on the target microcontroller.


Abstract This paper is a position statement on reproducible research in linguistics, including data citation and attribution, that represents the collective views of some 41 colleagues. Reproducibility can play a key role in increasing verification and accountability in linguistic research, and is a hallmark of social science research that is currently under-represented in our field. We believe that we need to take time as a discipline to clearly articulate our expectations for how linguistic data are managed, cited, and maintained for long-term access.


A new wood based shear wall system built with nonstandard large dimension oriented strand board panels has been developed. The project described in this thesis consists of studies to 1) experimentally investigate and quantify the structural performance of the new shear wall system under monotonic and cyclic lateral loading conditions, considering different types and spacings of panel-frame nail connectors, and 2) analytically predict and model the performance of the new shear wall system. A test facility has been built for full scale shear walls of up to 2.4 x 7.3 m in dimension where both lateral and vertical loads can be applied simultaneously onto the wall assembly. The experimental program has been divided into a static and a cyclic test phase. Thirteen shear wall systems with standard 1.2 x 2.4 m and with oversize panels have been tested to investigate the influence of 1) panel size, 2) panel-frame nail connector type, 3) panel-frame nail connector spacing, and 4) cyclic loading protocol on the overall shear wall behaviour. A database on the structural performance of wood based shear walls sheathed with oversize oriented strand board panels has been generated. The database includes information on strength, stiffness and ductility properties, energy dissipation and failure modes of shear walls under different testing conditions. A substantial increase in both stiffness and lateral load carrying capacity was achieved by shear walls built with oversize panels as compared to standard panels. A further reduction in nail spacing around the perimeter of the full size panel increased the lateral load resistance to more than double that of regular walls. The failure modes in the shear walls were shown to be substantially different under monotonic and currently used cyclic test conditions. The former was mainly nail withdrawal while the latter was dominated by low cycle nail fatigue failures. A new cyclic loading protocol was proposed and tested, which resulted in failure modes similar to those observed in dynamic earthquake tests. In examining the dissipated energy as the area under the


It is well known that troglitazone and voluntary running have the capacity to improve insulin resistance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the combination effect of troglitazone and voluntary running on insulin action. Female rats aged 7 weeks were divided into high-fat diet (HF), high-fat diet + troglitazone (0.3% in diet; Tg), high-fat diet + voluntary running (for 3 wks; Tr), high-fat diet + troglitazone + voluntary running (Tg-Tr), and control (C) groups. A sequential euglycemic clamp experiment with two different insulin infusion rates of 3.0 (L-clamp) and 30.0 mU/kg BW/min (H-clamp) was performed on these rats after an overnight fast. Blood glucose concentrations were kept at fasting levels by periodic adjustment of the intravenous glucose infusion rate during the clamp experiment. Glucose infusion rates (GIRs) calculated from 60 to 90, 150 to 180 min were regarded as an index of whole body insulin action. After the clamp experiment, we determined the amount of glycogen content in the gastrocnemius muscle. Fat feeding markedly reduced GIRs in both L- and H- clamp experiments compared with C. Troglitazone treatment did not improve high-fat induced insulin resistance. In both L- and H-clamp experiments, GIRs were increased by voluntary running compared with HF, and reached the same levels as in C. GIRs of Tg-Tr were not greater than those of Tr. Glycogen content in gastrocnemius muscle showed the same trend as the results for GIRs. Therefore, the combination effect of troglitazone and voluntary running on insulin action was not found, but the effect of voluntary running was shown in fat-induced insulin resistance.


Equine dysautonomia, or grass sickness, is a frequently fatal disease of unknown etiology, manifested as poor gastrointestinal motility and colic as a result of degenerative changes in the autonomic nervous system. Examination of ileal biopsies collected at laparotomy is currently the best antemortem diagnostic method to distinguish equine dysautonomia from colic cases, which can present with similar signs, but their value has not been previously critically evaluated. Using simulated biopsies collected postmortem from 23 cases of equine dysautonomia and 11 of colic, the sensitivity and specificity of 1-cm long, formalin-fixed ileal biopsies was 100% for the diagnosis of equine dysautonomia. There was therefore no advantage to using larger biopsies or examining jejunum either in addition to or instead of ileal biopsies. Furthermore, although cryostat sections of ileum, 1-cm long, had a sensitivity of 100%, the specificity was only 73%, meaning that 27% of cases would have been misclassified, resulting in unnecessary euthanasia. Increasing the size of the cryostat or examining jejunum in addition to ileum cryostat sections did not significantly improve the specificity. Results of the current study indicate that in diagnostic practice, 1-cm long, formalin-fixed biopsies are likely to be the most suitable for accurate diagnosis, despite the slower turnaround time compared with cryostat sections.


A new real estate forecast mode is proposed to predict the right price, which is based on gray theory and multiple linear regression prediction models. Firstly, GM (1,1) model is used to predict the residential land price, average wage, per capita disposable income of urban residents. Then classical multiple linear regression model is used to predict the housing price. It can be seen from the empirical analysis, commercial housing sales price can be predicted more accurately and can provide strong evidence for real estate developers in order to make the right decision analysis.


Laminar flow separation from lifting surfaces at low Reynolds number conditions can result in significant performance losses for aircraft with small geometric dimensions and is therefore a limiting factor in research areas involving unmanned flight technology and aircraft design. We investigated separation and transition of the flow on the suction side of a NACA 643 i 618 airfoil at a chord Reynolds number Rec = 64, 200 and two angles of attack, fi = 8.64 ‐ and fi = 13.85 ‐ , respectively. For a simplified model geometry we conducted highly-resolved direct numerical simulations (DNS) using a high-order accurate numerical code that solves the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations for general orthogonal grids. Results for the uncontrolled, "natural" flow are presented and compared to available experimental data and numerical simulations of the entire airfoil. For the larger angle of attack, fi = 13.85 ‐ , a shallow leading-edge separation bubble develops that exhibits clear dierences to the more typically observed separation starting from the aft section of the airfoil at lower angles of attack. In a side-by-side comparison we will elaborate on these dierences in an eort to understand the relevant physical mechanisms that govern the flow field in both scenarios. This understanding is necessary in order to design and improve flow control strategies aimed at preventing or delaying flow separation. We also present DNS results of separation control using high-amplitude, two-dimensional blowing and suction through a narrow spanwise slot. It is demonstrated that flow control can lead to a significant performance increase but can also cause performance degradation when the control parameters are chosen inappropriately.


Identifying Bullying The first step to mitigating classroom violence is to recognize specific characteristics of bullies. (The term "bullies" is used in this article to denote children who exhibit "bullying" behaviors. The authors believe such behaviors can be minimized or eliminated.) Identifying bullying behaviors, however, is a complex task, since research has not yet provided a consistent profile for identifying bullies. Some researchers (e.g., Baumeister, 2001; Bushman & Baumeister, 1998) suggest that bullies can be identified by their exaggerated air of self-confidence and feelings of power. Bullies often report feeling powerful and justified in their actions (Bullock, 2002). Others (e.g., Crick & Grotpeter, 1995; Field, 1996) suggest that bullies can be recognized by their emotional immaturity. Researchers have found that bullying results when emotionally immature individuals are consumed with feelings of depression, inferiority, inadequacy, insecurity, loneliness, fear, jealousy, and rejection. Finally, Rodkin and Hodges (2003) suggest that bullies might be popular students who perversely use their social skills to promote violence. Such children often act as leaders of groups that bully. Despite the lack of a consistent bullying profile, however, operational definitions are beginning to emerge. Such definitions generally describe bullying as a specific type of aggressive behavior that causes distress or harm, demonstrates an imbalance of power, and is repeated over time. Such aggression brings intense satisfaction to the bully, which perpetuates the bullying cycle still further (Field, 1996; Leff, Power, Costigan, & Manz, 2003). Yet another challenge to teachers who want to understand potential bullying behaviors in classrooms is the fluid nature of the bully-victim relationship. Espelage and Swearer (2003) and Long and Pellegrini (2003), for example, describe bullying as a continuum of complex behaviors, with What Teachers Should Know and Do


The zebrafish has a number of distinct advantages as an experimental model in developmental biology. For example, large numbers of embryos can be generated in each lay, development proceeds rapidly through a very precise temporal staging which exhibits minimal batch-to-batch variability, embryos are transparent and imaging of wholemounts negates the need for tedious histological preparation while preserving three-dimensional spatial relationships. The zebrafish nervous system is proving a convenient model for studies of axon guidance because of its small size and highly stereotypical trajectory of axons. Moreover, a simple scaffold of axon tracts and nerves is established early and provides a template for subsequent development. The ease with which this template can be visualized as well as the ability to spatially resolve individual pioneer axons enables the role of specific cell-cell and molecular interactions to be clearly deciphered. We describe here the morphology and development of the earliest axon pathways in the embryonic zebrafish central nervous system and highlight the major questions that remain to be addressed with regard to axon guidance.


Far from being a continous flow from its discovery down to its explanation, the actual history of superconductivity has been affected by numerous socio-political turbulences all along the XXth century, through hot and Cold wars. From the 30's to the 2003 Nobel prize for physics most of these turbulences are overviewed. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


Abstract The presented paper considers a comparison of the traditional methods for the state maximal probability determination to the proposed hybrid probabilistic and variational concept. It is shown the advantages of the described multi-optional hybrid-effectiveness functions uncertainty measure conditional optimization doctrine in the sense of avoiding the traditional ways analytical complicatedness concerning the maximal probability of the possible state determination. The results of the numerical example are presented.


This paper describes a new machine vision based method for detecting field crop-rows in corn. The method can be applied to guidance system in agricultural robots or autonomous vehicles. Instead of using the classical Hough transform, a method based on curve fitting and iteration was developed. This method was proved to be more robust with respect to noise caused by the large leaves and can provide better accuracy. In addition, it features reduced computational complexity of the image-processing algorithm. The algorithm operates on binary images, which were segmented from RGB images based on color information. The segmentation was adapted to various lighting conditions. The interference caused by weeds and crop residuals was decreased by using a spatial filter. It is also robust with respect to special conditions, for example, the occurrence of the end of the rows or weed presence. A fifth order low pass filter was used to increase the efficiency and accuracy of the detecting algorithm. The algorithm was tested on 100 images, among which 98 percent received acceptable results. A traditional Hough Transform based row detection method was chosen as a reference, the method of this paper was proven to have a better result in both accuracy and time costs. The processing time was 0.13 second per image on average.


A prison gang is a durable group that shares a collective identity, maintains a locus of custodial influence, exhibits collective behavior, and engages in a pattern of illegal activity. Prison gangs proliferated in recent decades for reasons that remain unclear. The classic view of prison gangs—conspiratorial, hierarchical, monolithic, predatory, and rule bound—is outdated; contemporary research reveals far greater heterogeneity in forms and functions. There is a nascent micro-macro paradox about gangs and (dis)order. Misconduct, especially violence, is concentrated disproportionately among gang populations, attributable to group processes rather than to individual propensities. Countervailing claims that gangs bring order and disorder remain at best speculative and await more rigorous research. About 15 percent of US prisoners are affiliated with gangs; a much larger proportion maintain associations by virtue of homophily and institutional constraints. Emerging evidence suggests that prisoners enter and exit gangs while incarcerated. Prison officials have constructed intelligence apparatuses to document and manage gang populations. There is no consensus whether concentration or dispersion strategies produce safer prisons, although gang affiliates are overrepresented in solitary confinement. Evidence is too sparse to reach any conclusions about the effectiveness of promising liabilities- and obligations-based rehabilitative programs.


Although Alpine peridotites are relatively common in collisional orogenic zones, garnet-bearing peridotites are rare and only associated with high pressure/ultra-high pressure or temperature (HP/UHP or T) terranes [Brueckner and Medaris, 2000; Medaris, 1999]. Until recently all reported occurrences of Alpine-type garnet peridotites and HP/UHP terranes were in Eurasia and Africa, with one occurrence in the Seward Peninsula, Alaska [Till, 1981;Lieberman and Till, 1987]. Now a new Alpine-type garnet peridotite locality has been discovered in the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. This discovery is the second of its kind in the Americas.


This paper presents a method of nuclear magnetic spectroscopy in weak magnetic fields, as well as the peculiarities that arise when experimental studies conducting of biological fluids and liquid medium. The proposed method allows to measure of the condensed matter relaxation constants in weak magnetic fields by the method of nuclear magnetic resonance for express control of their condition at the place of study. The accuracy smaller than 1%. The results of experimental studies of various fluids and their mixtures are presented.


INTRODUCTION
Asthma is a serious health and social problem, also in Poland. The epidemiological data indicate that the problem of asthma concerns approximately 4 million people in Poland, whereas almost approximately 70% of them have no diagnosis and are not aware of their illness, and on the other hand in 39% of persons who declared the diagnosis of asthma in a survey the diagnosis was negatively verified (overdiagnosis of asthma). So far, no detailed comparative studies for asthma incidence rate in urban and rural areas were conducted in Poland. The aim of the study was to analyze patients with asthma in Poland in the years 2008-2012, with regard to province and type of commune (rural/urban).

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The study used data from National Health Fund (NFZ) - reported by health care providers regarding the patients diagnosed with asthma. Using structured query language (SQL) a set of patients was selected and created, for whom at the same time ICD-10 code: J45.X-bronchial asthma was reported. In order to estimate the number of patients with asthma we used the PESEL social security number as a unique identifier of the patient. Code of the patient's commune of residence in conjunction with the Central Statistical Office data formed the basis for the division of municipalities into urban and rural areas. The analysis of asthma incidence trends in Poland was performed on the basis of health services provided to patients. The analysis was performed by using the Statistica 10 software using a negative binomial regression model.

RESULTS
In 2009 a significant increase in the number of patients with asthma was observed compared with the previous year, whereas after 2009 the number of patients diagnosed with asthma remained relatively constant. A significant increase of predominance of women among asthma patients in recent years can be noticed: from 107% in 2008 to almost 115% in 2012 (F:M ratio). Regardless of the analyzed year and the diagnosis the incidence rate remained constant: approximately 55-57% for urban areas and about 43-45% in rural areas.

CONCLUSIONS
The average prevalence rate for rural areas is significantly lower than for urban areas. The use of adjusted incidence rate leads to the conclusion that the number of sufferers in urban areas is higher (about 10%) of the number of sufferers in the rural areas. The results of the analysis are consistent with information from previous studies in Poland and in the world.


IT Systems in companies nowadays are confronted with constantly changing market conditions, new competitive threats and an increasing number of legal regulations. The service-oriented architecture (SOA) paradigm provides a promising way to address these challenges at the level of the company's IT infrastructure. These challenges and the management of the introduced complexity and heterogeneity are targeted by SOA Governance approaches. Hereby, the basic structure of IT Governance frameworks is applicable to SOA; however, they lack applicability concerning some SOA-specific challenges. In this paper, we discuss deficiencies and provide insights of what regulation challenges a SOA Governance approach is actually required to be capable of, in particular in the area of service lifecycles and service marketplaces.


The Animal Research War. By P. Michael Conn and James V. Parker. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2008. 219 pp. $34.95, £22.99. ISBN 9780230600140. This exposé of tactics used by animal rights extremists spotlights the efforts of those who wish to abolish all experimental work with animals.


Bacteria which are sulfonamide-sensitive have been reported to be incapable of the rapid utilization of folic acid for inhibition reversal (Alimchandani and Sreenivasan, J. Bacteriol. 73:538, 1957; Krieg and Pelczar, J. Bacteriol. 80:242, 1960; Davis and Feingold, p. 343. In I. C. Gunsalus and R. Y. Stanier [ed.], The Bacteria, vol. 4, Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1962), presumably because of impermeability or lack of a folic reductase. In this report, we describe an organism sensitive to sulfathiazole in the absence of folic acid but not in its presence. Growth inhibition reversal experiments employed Clostridium sporogenes ATCC 11437, and


Abstract. Atmospheric composition plays a crucial role in determining the evolution of the atmosphere, but the high computational cost has been the major barrier to include atmospheric chemistry into Earth system models. Here we present an adaptive and efficient algorithm that can remove this barrier. Our approach is inspired by unsupervised machine learning clustering techniques and traditional asymptotic analysis ideas. We first partition species into 13 blocks, using a novel machine learning approach that analyzes the species network structures and their production and loss rates. Building on these blocks, we pre-select 20 submechanisms, as defined by unique assemblages of the species blocks, and then pick locally on the fly which submechanism to use based on local chemical conditions. In each submechanism, we isolate slow species and unimportant reactions from the coupled system. Application to a global 3-D model shows that we can cut the computational costs of the chemical integration by 50 % with accuracy losses smaller than 1 % that do not propagate in time. Tests show that this algorithm is highly chemically coherent making it easily portable to new models without compromising its performance. Our algorithm will significantly ease the computational bottleneck and will facilitate the development of next generation of earth system models.


This popular book, endorsed by Cambridge, provides summary and note-taking practice for the revised syllabus of the Cambridge IGCSE examination in English as a Second Language. The exercises are also helpful for studies across the curriculum, and as preparation for the demands of academic writing. The Revised Edition includes linked summary exercises based on the preceding note-taking activities, and a Writing Tasks section containing topic-related writing tasks.


In this paper the explicit form of composite transformation of n successive Lorentz transformation was obtained, from which the transformation from accelerating system to inertial one was deduced, and the application range of Mller transformation was extended.


Hypochondriasis (HC) has presented physicians and researchers with nosological challenges since Freud's era. Part of the difficulty lays in the significant overlap between the constructs of mental illness and personality disorders that already exists when it comes to understanding almost any psychological phenomena (i.e., state versus trait debate). Indeed, many of the symptoms of HC are similar to those of other mental illnesses such as anxiety, yet HC has also been associated with particular personality traits, cognitive styles, attitudes, and personality disorders. Likewise, there has been debate as to whether HC should be considered secondary to some other disorder or as a primary diagnosis in its own right. Finally, the etiology of HC is not well understood. Empirical literature suggests possible genetic components to HC, in addition to several potential environmental factors. In this article we review key theoretical works and empirical studies on the intersection of personality dysfunction and HC. In addition, we consider the role that trauma may play in the development of HC in certain individuals. Traumatic experiences are already widely linked to somatoform disorders. However, the characteristic features of hypochondriacal presentation (e.g., illness conviction, illness phobia, and failure to respond to reassurance from physicians) may be related to particular types of traumatic experiences which, when they occur in infancy and/or childhood, interfere with secure attachment and identity formation.


[1] This study analyzes δ13C of subdivisions of the 1988 and 1989 growth rings from three conifer species (Pinus resinosa, Pinus strobus, and Picea glauca) across a network of nine sites over four states in the upper U.S. Midwest to infer seasonal and interannual environmental moisture conditions. Both years were characterized by different spatial patterns of drought (expressed through rainfall and Palmer Drought Indices), with the area of 1989 drought being smaller and shifting westward relative to 1988. Rings were subdivided into four equal segments from which holocellulose was separated. The range of δ13C variation within each ring was typically 1–2‰ for both years, and the single site where all three species co-occurred revealed coherent seasonal δ13C patterns for the pines but no correlation of the spruce δ13C patterns with those of the pines. Various averaged combinations of monthly Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and precipitation assigned to each subdivision versus both δ13C and discrimination (Δ ≈ δ13Cair − δ13Cplant) yielded significant correlations (generally higher with PDSI) and even stronger correlations when the spruce data were removed. The fraction of average monthly cumulative precipitation (relative to 1900–2001 means) for these 2 years was more strongly related to δ13C than either monthly precipitation or monthly fraction of average precipitation, but was not as strongly related to δ13C as was PDSI. Furthermore, the pattern of increasing δ13C in 1988 observed at several sites is an indicator of the increasing moisture stress of that year, and the difference between the 1988 and 1989 average isotopic compositions of the third and fourth subdivisions matched the regional moisture shift well.


In this paper I wanted to highlight the impact of extreme risk events on the economy. The issue that I will approach in this paper is one of great importance, taking into account that extreme risk events that occur are  different  and are becoming more frequent  and harder to  control.  The quickly  development  of  these eventsrequires the implementation of a suitable risk management system. The complexity of this issue involves different approaches that can be interrelated in: computer science, mathematics, risk management, crisis management, andmodeling and simulation of extreme risk events. Natural disasters are rare events, but when they occur are causing a huge damage and an adequate management is necessary to return to a state of normality in a short time. To achieve our goal, in the first part of the paper, we presented the problems that an extreme risk event causes in a country when they occur. In the last part of the paper I presented analytical, statistical and econometric methods used in analysis of the impact on the economy of extreme risk events. Natural  disasters,  which  are  extreme  risk  events,  rarely  produce,  but  when  they  occur  causing  hugedamage and an adequate management is necessary to return to a state of normality in a short time.


Most bacteria are found either in marine or fresh waters and transitions between the two habitats are rare, even though freshwater and marine bacteria co-occur in brackish habitats. Estuaries in brackish, tideless seas could be habitats where the transition of freshwater phylotypes to marine conditions occurs. We tested this hypothesis in the Gulf of Gdańsk (Baltic Sea) by comparing bacterial communities from different zones of the estuary, via pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA amplicons. We predicted the existence of a core microbiome (CM, a set of abundant OTUs present in all samples) comprising OTUs consisting of populations specific for particular zones of the estuary. The CMs for the entire studied period consisted of only eight OTUs, and this number was even lower for specific seasons: five in spring, two in summer, and one in autumn and winter. Six of the CM OTUs, and another 21 of the 50 most abundant OTUs consisted of zone-specific populations, plausibly representing micro-evolutionary forces. The presence of up to 15% of freshwater phylotypes from the Vistula River in the brackish Gulf of Gdańsk supported our hypothesis, but high dissimilarity between the bacterial communities suggested that freshwater-marine transitions are rare even in tideless estuaries in brackish seas.


After reviewing past work into the geometry of the symmetrical idealised plain knit loop, an account is given of the present knowledge of loop distortion, which represents one of the major problem areas of the knitting industry. The shortcomings of this knowledge are shown to be that, although a large number of processing variables have been demonstrated to be associated with loop
distortion, there have been no systematic studies of the defect and there have been virtually no attempts to explain it in terms of fundamental physical characteristics of the yarn.

Eleven yarn production and processing variables are examined within the framework of factorially designed experiments. The influence of these independent variables is statistically related both to ranked levels of loop distortion and to values of yarn physical characteristics. The two latter groups of data are also inter-related
by rank correlation.

It is shown that loop distortion is dependent upon at least three yarn characteristics which, in turn, are dependent upon particular production and processing variables. These three are yarn bending hysteresis, bending rigidity, and count regularity. The greater propensity for wool to distort in comparison to acrylic is explained in relation to these characteristics, and to their different changes during processes such as steam setting and package dyeing.

The work is finally reviewed both from the point of view of the manufacturer, who wishes to be able to predict the likelihood that a particular yarn will cause distortion, and the textile technologist who is not only interested in choosing the optimum yarn production conditions for minimum distortion, but would like to improve the fabric appearance by changes or additions to established production routes.


Over a 23-year period, 17 patients with hematologic diseases developed Aeromonas bacteremia while in our hematology ward. Male predominance (14 patients, 82%) was seen, with a predilection for the elderly. Hematologic malignancies, especially acute leukemia, accounted for 15 (88%) of all patients. Cancer chemotherapy and neutropenia (15 patients each) were the most common preceding host conditions. Aeromonas bacteremia generally occurred in the second half of the year (July-December), with no exposure to water or fish. Seven recent isolates comprised Aeromonas sobria (five isolates) and Aeromonas hydrophila (two isolates). Twelve patients (71%) showed a clinical picture ranging from mild gastroenteritis to severe enterocolitis. Anorectal and hepatobiliary infections were also noted in a few patients. The overall mortality rate was 35%. Ten (77%) of the 13 patients who were treated with aminoglycoside plus cephalosporin or carbapenem survived in association with marrow recovery.


Under most circumstances, some type of storage, from ephemeral to long-term, is an asset in the marketing of horticultural products. However, attempts to transfer developed country (DC) storage technology to the lessdeveloped countries (LDCs) can be futile unless two conditions are met: 1) There must be a prior extension program to introduce the concept of what produce storage involves and what benefits can be expected from its proper use; and 2) the storage techniques introduced must be appropriate for the area. In many circumstances it may be necessary to start with very simple "old-fashioned" methods. Stages of development in LDCs are described, together with suggestions as to appropriate storage methods for each stage and how to prepare for them.


Motivated by the recent discovery of the spin tube [(CuCl$_2$tachH)$_3$Cl]Cl$_2$, we investigate the properties of a frustrated three-leg spin tube with antiferromagnetic intra-ring and inter-ring couplings. We pay special attention to the evolution of the properties from weak to strong inter-ring coupling and show on the basis of extensive density matrix renormalization group and exact diagonalization calculations that the system undergoes a first-order phase transition between a dimerized gapped phase at weak coupling that can be described by the usual spin-chirality model and a gapless critical phase at strong coupling that can be described by an effective spin-3/2 model. We also show that there is a magnetization plateau at 1/3 in the gapped phase and slightly beyond. The implications for [(CuCl$_2$tachH)$_3$Cl]Cl$_2$ are discussed, with the conclusion that this system behaves essentially as a spin-3/2 chain.


The moderating effects of ethnicity and gender on factors associated with physical health consequences in adults manifesting alcohol dependence were examined using data from the 2001–2002 US National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC). Black and white respondents with a lifetime diagnosis of DSM-IV alcohol dependence were selected for the study (n = 3,852). A multiple-group structural equation model tested ethnicity, gender, and intervening variables as predictors of physical health status in alcohol-dependent men and women. Study findings offer implications for clinical practice with alcohol-dependent individuals by identifying likely target groups and problems for intervention.


An intense and broad visible photoluminescence (PL) band was observed at room temperature in short-range disordered BaWO4 crystals. The scheelite crystalline BaWO4 powders prepared by the polymeric precursor method and annealed at different temperatures were structurally characterized by means of X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform (FT) Raman spectroscopy measurements. Quantum-mechanical calculations indicated that the disorder at short range only of Ba atoms in the BaWO4 lattice has a very important role in the charge transfer involved in the intense green PL emission. This indication was detected and confirmed by means of FT Raman spectroscopy measurements. The experimental and theoretical results are in good agreement, both showing the specific type of structural disorder that is the most favorable condition for generating the most intense green PL emission in the scheelite BaWO4 lattice.


In this Special Issue on "Musculoskeletal Pain Care and Management in Rare Disease", it is essential to make it clear that, while specialists in rare diseases (RDs) are often very knowledgeable about the management of the specific diseases in which they are experts, primary care physicians and other physicians who are not experts in a given disease often have very little contact with the patients who experience it [...].


The authors use time-dependent quantities HN= Sigma i Sigma (n)=N integral (Dnui)2dx, to obtain ladder inequalities for both the 2D and 3D Navier-Stokes equations on periodic boundary conditions after the manner of Bartuccelli et al. (1990) who found a ladder structure for the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation.


In this paper, we present a query translation algorithm which allows object-oriented queries to be automatically translated into a relational query language. Our goal is to provide a unique and powerful query interface supporting the cooperation of information systems, particularly under the aspect of migrating existing systems without changes into the cooperation. Translation algorithms, like the one proposed in this paper are essential parts of CISs to mediate between the common global query language and the query languages of participating components. Our query translation algorithm ensures a fully automatic translation of object-oriented queries into equivalent SQL queries for the original relational schema in all cases where a direct translation is possible. In all other cases, it generates SQL queries providing a superset of the desired data and a sequence of 'formatting' functions that transform the data into the desired result.


Although gastric adenocarcinoma is common in middle- and old-aged population, it is rare in young people. Development of cutaneous metastasis during presentation is even rarer in any age group. We report the case of a 19-year young man with gastric adenocarcinoma who had multiple skin nodules over the trunk during presentation. Fine-needle aspiration cytology of the nodule revealed it to be metastasis from gastric adenocarcinoma. Cutaneous metastasis may be the first presentation of internal malignancies even with a short history of disease in young patients. Atypical presentation of a malignancy in atypical age group must be evaluated with prompt assessment, active intervention, and close follow-up.


Results of electron density measurements in the Electric Arc Shock Tube at NASA Ames Research Center are reported here. Measurements are made at conditions relevant for lunar return of the Orion Command Module. Normal shocks are produced in the Electric Arc Shock Tubewith freestreampressures of 0.1–1.0 Torr and velocities from 8–12 km=s. Nonintrusive electron densitymeasurements aremade by observing optical emission from various lines at high resolution and employing analysis of Stark broadening effects. Themeasurements show electron density in the shock to be up to several times larger than equilibrium density up to a few centimeters behind the shock front. The disagreement with equilibrium improves at higher velocities.


In many real-world applications collecting large, high-quality datasets may be too costly or impractical. Offline reinforcement learning (RL) aims to infer an optimal decision-making policy from a fixed set of data. Getting the most information from this dataset is then vital for good performance. We pro- pose a model-based data augmentation strategy, Trajectory Stitching (TS), to improve the quality of sub-optimal trajec- tories. TS introduces unseen actions joining previously disconnected states: using a probabilistic notion of state reach- ability, it effectively 'stitches' together parts of the historical demonstrations to generate new, higher quality ones. A stitch- ing event consists of a transition between a pair of observed states through a synthetic and highly probable action. New ac- tions are introduced only when they are expected to be benefi-cial, according to an estimated state-value function. We show that using supervised learning, behavioural cloning (BC), to extract a decision-making policy from the new TS dataset, leads to improvements over the behaviour-cloned policy from the original dataset. Improving over the BC policy could then be used as a launchpad for online RL through planning and demonstration-guided RL.


Due to their unique properties, p-type copper oxide nanostructures have demonstrated promising potential for various applications, especially for the detection of ethanol vapour and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this work a simple and cost-effective synthesis from chemical solutions (SCS) at low temperatures (≤80 °C) and rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process were used to grow zinc-doped copper oxide (ZnxCu1−xOy) nanostructures. The structural, morphological, vibrational, chemical, electronic and sensorial characteristics of ZnxCu1−xOy nanocrystallite layers obtained by using such an efficient approach based on both, the SCS and RTA processes, have been studied. The investigations demonstrated the possibility to tune sensitivity from VOC to H2, as well as an improved response and high selectivity with respect to hydrogen gas for ZnxCu1−xOy nano-crystalline thin films with x = 0.03. Density functional theory calculations showed that the charge transfer together with changes in the Fermi level facilitate H2 gas sensing, which is further enhanced by Zn doping. Hydrogen gas sensing with a high response and selectivity using p-type hybrid semiconductor nanostructures has been reported. An improved stability in humid air was observed by exposure of doped samples to rapid thermal annealing process for the first time. The experimental and calculation results provide an alternative to sensitive and selective detection of ethanol and hydrogen gases, which would be of particular benefit in the area of public security, industrial and environmental applications.


The purpose was to measure and analyse the vertical force and torque developed in the wider and narrower root canals during hand ProTaper instrumentation. Twenty human incisors were divided in two groups. Upper incisors were experimental model for the wide, while the lower incisors for the narrow root canals. Measurements of the force and torque were done by a device constructed for this purpose. Differences between the groups were statistically analysed by Mann-Whitney U-test with the significance level set to P<0.05. Vertical force in the upper incisors ranged 0.25-2.58 N, while in the lower incisors 0.38-6.94 N. Measured torque in the upper incisors ranged 0.53-12.03 Nmm, while in the lower incisor ranged 0.94-10.0 Nmm. Vertical force and torque were higher in the root canals of smaller diameter. The increase in the contact surface results in increase of the vertical force and torque as well in both narrower and wider root canals.


Hardbound. People spend most of their time indoors, and indoor air pollutants can cause both long and short term health effects. Awareness of indoor air pollution as an environmental issue, however, is relatively new. This book has been prepared to offer an up-to-date, comprehensive reference manual on indoor air quality to scientists and professionals active in this area. The intention of the book is to bring together a collection of contributions from specialists in the specific disciplines of indoor air quality, covering all points of view from various angles, from building design and building sciences, to health effects and medical diagnosis, toxicology of indoor air pollutants, and air sampling and analysis. One of the characteristics of this book is the multidisciplinary approach that integrates the expertise of medical doctors, architects, engineers, chemists, biologists, physicists and toxicologists. The resulting product is of great educational v


This paper reports on the work that is being undertaken at the University of Min- ho concerning the development of directionally oriented fibrous structures (DOFS) to be used as a concrete reinforcement material. Several glass fibre wovenlike DOFS were produced vary- ing two parameters: roving linear density (tex) and reinforcement structural density (rov- ings/cm). Self-compacting concrete slabs were reinforced by DOFS structures and their bending behaviour was evaluated. The results were compared with those of steel reinforced slabs and plain (non reinforced) concrete slabs. They show that DOFS improve the mechanical behaviour of self-compacting concrete, however, their mechanical behaviour is different from steel.


The dependence of the phonon frequencies of the quaternary Cu(In1−xGax)5Se8 films with tetragonal structure on the Ga content have been systematically investigated by means of Raman scattering. The dominant A1 mode shifts from 151 cm−1 for CuIn5Se8 to 160 cm−1 for CuGa5Se8 in an approximately polynomial but not linear curve, because different types of local tetrahedral cationic clusters around Se distribute in the defect crystal structures. The vibrational modes in the low-frequency region below 125 cm−1 clearly show one-mode behaviour, whereas significant changes in the frequency range from 160 to 235 cm−1 indicate defect-induced structural disorder and show two-mode behaviour due to Ga addition. Additionally, the quenching of the Raman band at 174 cm−1 for the Ga-rich films reveals that this mode should most probably originate from other similar localized structure phases in chalcopyrite-related CuIn5Se8 but not CuGa5Se8, due to the Ga inhibition effect. Such results should be ascribed to asymmetric distribution of Ga and In on a microscopic scale, resulting in the different properties of bonds between local clusters.


Cardiac iron overload causes most deaths in (cid:1) -thalassemia major. The efficacy of deferasirox in reducing or preventing cardiac iron overload was assessed in 192patientswith (cid:1) -thalassemiaina1-year prospective, multicenter study. The cardiac iron reduction arm (n (cid:2) 114) included patients with magnetic resonance myocardial T2* from 5 to 20 ms (indicat-ingcardiacsiderosis),leftventricularejec- tion fraction (LVEF) of 56% or more, serum ferritin more than 2500 ng/mL, liver iron concentration more than 10 mg Fe/g dry weight, and more than 50 transfused blood units. The prevention arm (n (cid:2) 78) included otherwise eligible patients whose myocardial T2* was 20 ms or more. The primary end point was the change in myocardial T2* at 1 year. In the cardiac iron reduction arm, the mean deferasirox was 32.6 mg/kg per day. Myocardial T2* (geometric mean (cid:3) coefficient of improved from a baseline of to LVEF was In the baseline myocardial was from baseline of to P and LVEF increased from baseline ( (cid:3) 4.7%) to This prospective study shows that deferasirox is effective in removing and preventing myocardial iron accumulation.


BACKGROUND
Many digestive tract tumors spread inside the lumen and are not amenable to curative surgical treatment. An intraluminal method of tumor destruction would be useful for palliative or even curative purposes. High-intensity ultrasound (US) is suitable for such purposes. Our objective was to perform experiments with animal models that would lead to development of a high-intensity US probe for intraductal tumor destruction suitable for insertion through a large-channel endoscope.

METHODS
The active part of the high-intensity US applicator consisted of a water-cooled piezoceramic plane transducer (3 x 10 mm) operating at 5 MHz for deep or 10 MHz for shallow tissue penetration. A cylinder of tissue was destroyed by means of rotating the transducer on its axis through a flexible shaft. Experiments were conducted in vitro on livers of butchered pigs (10 lesions), in vivo on exteriorized pig livers (15 lesions), and on metastatic Dunning tumors (AT(2 ) subline) implanted subcutaneously in 28 rats (treated n = 16, controls n = 12).

RESULTS
In experiments on pig livers, high-intensity US induced highly reproducible cylinders of coagulation necrosis (diameter 20 +/- 1 mm, height 8 +/- 1 mm) with sharply demarcated and serrated boundaries. The exposure duration to achieve such lesions was 5 minutes. Regions of coagulation necrosis obtained in vivo were similar in size and shape. All 12 control rats died or were killed because of diffuse cancer by day 15 after implantation; 64% of the treated rats were tumor free 30 days after treatment, and 36% had local recurrences.

CONCLUSION
This high-intensity US probe induces highly reproducible cylinders of coagulation necrosis and is effective against tumors in animals.


Abstract
 This essay is a commentary on and critique of the conception of human activity that Robert Pippin attributes to Hegel in his recent book, Hegel's Practical Philosophy. Two principal features of this conception are that it treats human activity as indeterminate and that it construes what someone does and why on a given occasion as depending on social contexts. Pippin suggests that these two features will sound strange to contemporary philosophers. The essay claims, by contrast, that these features will not sound strange to philosophers who advocate one of a small family of other accounts that espouse these two ideas. The essay argues, further, that certain such accounts, namely, ones inspired by Heidegger and Wittgenstein, are more promising accounts of human activity than is Hegel's. The bulk of the essay explores the indeterminacy of activity and the dependency of activity on social context as these are analyzed in Pippin's book and in Heidegger and Wittgenstein.


The determination of the parameters (activation energies and pre-exponential factors) characterizing the kinetics of adsorption or desorption of a gas on a surface by means of classical isothermal or temperature-programmed desorption methods is generally difficult in the case of heterogeneous adsorption states. It is shown that experimental techniques at quasi-constant surface coverages allow us to overcome the problem and to determine the dependence of the kinetic parameters on coverage. Application to the tin–antimony oxide catalyst (Sb/Sn = 4) showed that adsorbed oxygen occupies a continuous distribution of states. The amount of oxygen adsorbed represents 23% of an O2– compact monolayer. Mean adsorption and desorption energies of activation are ca. 40 and 330 kJ mol–1, respectively. A desorption frequency factor of the order of 1013–1014s–1 and adsorption condensation coefficients of the order of 10–7 have been found.


Somatoatatin levels in the basal ganglia are elevated in Huntington's disease. A controlled therapeutic trial of the somatostatin-depleting agent, cysteamine, was therefore conducted in five patients, including one with the rigid-akinetic form. Maximum tolerated dosage for 2 weeks produced no consistent change in extrapyramidal or dementia scores. Somatostatin concentrations were not significantly altered in plasma or CSF. Growth hormone levels, on the other hand, more than doubled, suggesting a functionally significant decrease in central somatostatin levels.


OBJECTIVES
We describe a case of community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) skin infection leading to bilateral cavernous sinus thrombosis (CST) and subsequent left eye blindness in a previously healthy, immunocompetent woman. A secondary objective is to document all published cases of MRSA induced CST.

DATA SOURCE AND STUDY SELECTION
To identify all relevant publications on MRSA-induced CST in adults.

RESULTS
Seven publications were included in this review describing patients age 19 or older. Together, with the case included in this publication, a total of 8 cases of MRSA induced CST have been documented since 2003. Of interest, to our knowledge this is the first reported case of CA-MRSA CST temporally associated with nasal H1N1 vaccination.

CONCLUSION
In selecting empiric antibiotic coverage for septic CST, the practitioner should use antibiotics that are active against CA-MRSA to help prevent morbidity and mortality.


Nonverbal learning disability (NVLD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in visuospatial processing but spared verbal competencies. Neurocognitive markers may provide confirmatory evidence for characterizing NVLD as a separate neurodevelopmental disorder. Visuospatial performance and high-density electroencephalography (EEG) were measured in 16 NLVD and in 16 typically developing (TD) children. Cortical source modeling was applied to assess resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) in spatial attention networks (dorsal (DAN) and ventral attention networks (VAN)) implicated in visuospatial abilities. A machine-learning approach was applied to investigate whether group membership could be predicted from rs-FC maps and if these connectivity patterns were predictive of visuospatial performance. Graph theoretical measures were applied to nodes inside each network. EEG rs-FC maps in the gamma and beta band differentiated children with and without NVLD, with increased but more diffuse and less efficient functional connections bilaterally in the NVLD group. While rs-FC of the left DAN in the gamma range predicted visuospatial scores for TD children, in the NVLD group rs-FC of the right DAN in the delta range predicted impaired visuospatial performance, confirming that NVLD is a disorder with a predominant dysfunction in right hemisphere connectivity patterns.


Dopamine D2‐like receptor antagonists have been suggested as being potential anticancer therapeutics with specific utility for central nervous system cancers due to their ability to cross the blood‐brain barrier. Despite a plethora of data reporting anticancer effects for D2R antagonists in cell or animal studies, the ligand concentrations or doses required to achieve such effects greatly exceed the levels known to cause high degrees of occupancy of the D2 receptor. To resolve this conundrum, we interrogated a panel of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cell lines using D2 antagonists of varying chemotype. We studied the cytotoxic effects of these compounds, and also ascertained the expression of D2 receptors (D2R) on these cells. Although several chemotypes of D2R antagonists, including phenothiazines and phenylbutylpiperidines, were effective against GBM cell line cultures, the highly selective antagonist remoxipride had no anticancer activity at biologically relevant concentrations. Moreover the D2R antagonist‐induced cytotoxicity in monolayer cultures was independent of whether the cells expressed D2R. Instead, cytotoxicity was associated with a rapid, high‐magnitude calcium flux into the cytoplasm and mitochondria, which then induced depolarization and apoptosis. Blocking this flux protected the GBM cell lines U87MG, U251MG, and A172. Together, these data suggest that the cytotoxicity of these D2R antagonists involves calcium signaling mechanisms, not D2R antagonism. Repurposing of existing drugs should focus on the former, not latter, mechanism.


We continue the study of the properties of graphs in which the ball of radius $r$ around each vertex induces a graph isomorphic to the ball of radius $r$ in some fixed vertex-transitive graph $F$, for various choices of $F$ and $r$. This is a natural extension of the study of regular graphs. More precisely, if $F$ is a vertex-transitive graph and $r \in \mathbb{N}$, we say a graph $G$ is {\em $r$-locally $F$} if the ball of radius $r$ around each vertex of $G$ induces a graph isomorphic to the graph induced by the ball of radius $r$ around any vertex of $F$. We consider the following random graph model: for each $n \in \mathbb{N}$, we let $G_n = G_n(F,r)$ be a graph chosen uniformly at random from the set of all unlabelled, $n$-vertex graphs that are $r$-locally $F$. We investigate the properties possessed by the random graph $G_n$ with high probability, for various natural choices of $F$ and $r$.
We prove that if $F$ is a Cayley graph of a torsion-free group of polynomial growth, and $r$ is sufficiently large depending on $F$, then the random graph $G_n = G_n(F,r)$ has largest component of order at most $n^{5/6}$ with high probability, and has at least $\exp(n^{\delta})$ automorphisms with high probability, where $\delta>0$ depends upon $F$ alone. Both properties are in stark contrast to random $d$-regular graphs, which correspond to the case where $F$ is the infinite $d$-regular tree. We also show that, under the same hypotheses, the number of unlabelled, $n$-vertex graphs that are $r$-locally $F$ grows like a stretched exponential in $n$, again in contrast with $d$-regular graphs. In the case where $F$ is the standard Cayley graph of $\mathbb{Z}^d$, we obtain a much more precise enumeration result, and more precise results on the properties of the random graph $G_n(F,r)$. Our proofs use a mixture of results and techniques from geometry, group theory and combinatorics.


The recognized need for on-orbit calibration of remote sensing imaging instruments drives the ROLO project effort to characterize the Moon for use as an absolute radiance source. For over 5 years the ground-based ROLO telescopes have acquired spatially-resolved lunar images in 23 VNIR (Moon diameter ≈500 pixels) and 9 SWIR (≈250 pixels) passbands at phase angles within ±90 degrees. A numerical model for lunar irradiance has been developed which fits hundreds of ROLO images in each band, corrected for atmospheric extinction and calibrated to absolute radiance, then integrated to irradiance. The band-coupled extinction algorithm uses absorption spectra of several gases and aerosols derived from MODTRAN to fit time-dependent component abundances to nightly observations of standard stars. The absolute radiance scale is based upon independent telescopic measurements of the star Vega. The fitting process yields uncertainties in lunar relative irradiance over small ranges of phase angle and the full range of lunar libration well under 0.5%. A larger source of uncertainty enters in the absolute solar spectral irradiance, especially in the SWIR, where solar models disagree by up to 6%. Results of ROLO model direct comparisons to spacecraft observations demonstrate the ability of the technique to track sensor responsivity drifts to sub-percent precision. Intercomparisons among instruments provide key insights into both calibration issues and the absolute scale for lunar irradiance.


When applied to processing long text, Large Language Models (LLMs) are limited by their context window. Existing efforts to address this limitation involve training specialized architectures, and cannot be easily applied to off- the-shelf LLMs. We present Parallel Context Windows (PCW), a method that alleviates the context window restriction for any off-the-shelf LLM without further training. The key to the approach is to carve a long context into chunks ("windows"), restrict the attention mechanism to apply only within each window, and re-use the positional embeddings across the windows. Our main results test the PCW approach on in-context learning with models that range in size between 750 million and 178 billion parameters, and show substantial improvements for tasks with diverse input and output spaces. We show additional benefits in other settings where long context windows may be beneficial: multi-hop questions and retrieval-augmented question answering with multiple retrieved documents. Our results highlight Parallel Context Windows as a promising method for applying off-the-shelf LLMs in a range of settings that require long text sequences. We make our code publicly available at https://github.com/ ai21labs/parallel-context-windows.


Abstract The effect of a UV-deficient environment on the attraction and dispersal behavior of whiteflies, Bemisia argentifolii (Bellows & Perring), and on the transmission efficiency of the whitefly-borne tomato yellow leaf curl geminivirus, was tested under field conditions and through controlled experiments. We found that the rate of tomato yellow leaf curl virus-disease spread to tomato plants grown under walk-in tunnels covered with regular greenhouse plastic sheets increases sharply with time, whereas the virus infection-rate under UV-absorbing sheets proceeds at a very slow pace. Average number of whiteflies trapped under regular plastic sheet tunnels was significantly higher than numbers trapped in UV-absorbing plastic sheet tunnels. Similarly, the average number of whiteflies trapped on yellow-sticky traps placed on the outside walls of tunnels covered with regular plastic was higher than the number trapped on the outside walls of tunnels covered with UV-absorbing plastic sheets. No differences were found in the whitefly's ability to transmit tomato yellow leaf curl virus under the two types of plastic covers. Whitefly dispersal pattern under the two types of plastic covers was examined using a release-recapture experiment. In each type of walk-in tunnel we established a grid of yellow-sticky traps forming two concentric circles: an inner and an external. Under UV-absorbing tunnels, significantly higher numbers of whiteflies were captured on the internal circle of traps than the external circle. The fraction of whiteflies that were captured on the external circle was much higher under regular covers, when compared with UV-absorbing covers, suggesting that filtration of UV light hindered the ability of whiteflies to disperse inside these plastic tunnels. Our results indicate that the mechanisms by which UV-deficiency protects covered crops from insect infestation and spread of viruses are that the lack of UV interferes with insect flight orientation; and that the lack of UV radiation alters the normal behavior of the invading insects, resulting in reduced dispersal activity.


Due to its clean combustion and high heating value, hydrogen fuel has attracted much interest from 1990s. It is crucial to develop safe and efficient hydrogen storage material for practical applications. In recent years, porousmetal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been identified as promising adsorbents for H2 storage. They provide unique systems with large surface areas and precise molecular structures. This review will focus on the development of highly efficient MOFs for H2 storage.


This report describes a case of a two-year-old boy who had a tumor of the right fifth metatarsal. Biopsy revealed an undifferentiated, "small, round cell tumor" initially diagnosed as Ewing's sarcoma. He was treated with intensive chemotherapy, followed by amputation of the right foot when no response was observed. The histology of the amputated specimen was typical of melanocytic neuroectodermal tumor, a diagnosis confirmed by electron microscopy. Apart from documenting origin in a heretofore unrecorded site, this case illustrates the difficulties that arise in making a diagnosis and estimating prognosis of melanocytic neuroectodermal tumor, and provides evidence in favor of the multicentric origin of this uncommon disease.


A liquid metal ion source (LMIS) of the type used for ion beam lithography can also be used to produce large pulses of electrons via field emission. These sources typically consist of a small capillary through which a liquid metal is forced. The application of a voltage between this capillary and an extraction anode causes the liquid metal to form a sharp cone. Vrhen the intense field at the tip exceeds the threshold for field emission, a large electron current flows from the tip to the anode. The production of this electron pulse results in the rapid heating of the liquid metal tip, leadin, to an explosive pressure increase and collapse of the tip. As the field is restored, the tip re-forms, with a resultant self-pulsing mode of operation. The pulse repetition rate, the average current, and the current per pulse are all functions of the metal composition, emitter geometry, and applied diode voltage. These characteristics are reported for a variety of conditions and show that a single emitter tip can produce current pulses in excess of 50 amperes, with a rise time of a few nanoseconds and a width of 5-50 ns. Repetition rates vary between 10 Hz and 20 kHz. In addition to the observed electron emission, optical radiation is also produced. The dispersed visible spectrum shows predominantly emission from neutral atomic species, presumably excited Iby electron impact in the gas phase. 41 %I a.a! ~ 5~j 5.~~-


California is the destination for over one-quarter of immigrants to the United States, and immigrants now make up over one-quarter of the state's population. To ensure that transportation systems and services adequately meet the needs of recent immigrants, planners need a firm understanding of the travel behavior of immigrant groups. This paper reports on key findings from a three-phased study:(1)analysisofdataoncommutetravelofCaliforniaimmigrants from the 1980, 1990, and 2000 Censuses; (2) focus groups with recent Mexican immigrants on their transportation experiences and needs in six California regions; and (3) interviews with community-based organizations in nine California regions on the transportation needs and wants of Mexican immigrants. These findings point to a long list of potential strategies for agencies and organizations to consider in efforts to more effectively meet the transportation needs of Mexican and other immigrants in California.


While the experimental progress on three dimensional topological insulators is rapid, the development of their 2D counterparts has been comparatively slow, despite their technological promise. The main reason is materials challenges of the to date only realizations of 2D topological insulators, in semiconductor quantum wells. Here we identify a 2D topological insulator in a material which does not face similar challenges and which is by now most widely available and well charaterized: graphene. For certain commensurate interlayer twists, graphene multilayers are insulators with sizable band gaps. We show that they are moreover in a topological phase protected by crystal symmetry. As its fundamental signature, this topological state supports one-dimensional boundary modes. They form low-dissipation quantum wires that can be defined purely electrostatically.


Three hundred patients were studied: 150 had NIDDM and the other 150 were non diabetics. Serum glucose and total and fractionated bilirrubin were measured in samples taken after night fasting. The mean glucose in the NIDDM group was 180.4 +/- 17.9 mg/dL (+/- SD) and 82.7 +/- 4.4 mg/dL in the non diabetic (p < 0.001). The levels of total bilirrubin were similar in both groups (0.84 +/- 0.04 vs 0.81 +/- 0.02 mg/dL, p > 0.40) but there were group differences in direct bilirrubin (NIDDM 0.52 +/- 0.03 vs 0.20 +/- 0.01 mg/dL, p < 0.001) and in indirect bilirrubin (NIDDM 0.32 +/- 0.03 vs 0.61 +/- 0.02 mg/dL, p < 0.001). Thus, 62% of the circulating bilirrubin was conjugated in the diabetics and only 25% in the non diabetics. We believe that at least part of the UDP-glucose pathway is altered in NIDDM and leads to an increase in the levels of glucouronic acid and, in turn, may cause a rise in direct bilirrubin at the expense of indirect bilirrubin.


Local government is one of the fundamental parts of public administration of a democratic state. Municipality is a basic territorial unit and a basic unit of local government in the Czech Republic, which is entitled to a degree of independence from the state and to manage own affairs in own interest. There are almost 6250 municipalities in the Czech Republic and every municipality has its own elected mayor and councilors and must provide basic public services. The high degree of territorial fragmentation is connected with the most serious problems of small municipalities. For this reasons, the politicians and experts talk about the need to amalgamations of at least the smallest municipalities. The aim of this paper is to provide literature overview and to assess current knowledge in the area of territorial structure of municipalities and optimal size of municipalities. The most essential arguments for territorial fragmentation are primarily based on democracy-related arguments and the most important arguments for territorial consolidation are connected with economic theories such as economies of scale. However, it should be that deciding on the size structure of municipalities cannot be only based on the assumption that small local governments are dysfunctional in comparison with the larger ones.


The causes and consequences of police stress has received considerable research interest. Reversal theory postulates some individuals may inherently require higher (Le. paratelic) arousal levels, compared with those seeking lower (Le. telic) arousal levels. This present study investigated: (i) psychological problems experienced between British police officers, special (voluntary) police and civilian support staff; (ii) telic and paratelic dominance; (iii) use of humour; (iv) dimensions of police humour; and (v) predictors of police psychological problems, telic dominance and humour use. A mixed, cross-sectional survey design was employed. Questionnaires were sent to all police officers, support staff and specials (N = 373) within one division of a provincial police service. Participants completed the following measures: (i) Coping Humour Scale (CHS); (ii) Multi-dimensional Sense of Humour Scale (MSHS); (iii) Telic Dominance Scale (TDS); and (v) Employee Assistance Program Inventory (EAPI). Questionnaires were returned from 191 participants (51% response rate). For overall CHS and MSHS scores, no significant differences between groups were found; although police gender differences were significant. MSHS police dimensions deviated from previous samples. Overall TDS scores were significantly higher for specials. For all three groups, EAPI subscale scores were normative, but with significantly higher substance use reported by police. Police EAPI scores were generally significantly higher, indicative of greater psychological difficulties. Predictors of police psychological problems, TDS, CHS and MSHS scores are reported. These results suggest that police may have a paratelic dominance, in which humour provides a valuable and adaptive mechanism for pOlice stress. Clinical implications are discussed in light of these results.


Building reliable machine learning systems requires that we correctly understand their level of confidence. Calibration focuses on measuring the degree of accuracy in a model's confidence and most research in calibration focuses on techniques to improve an empirical estimate of calibration error, ECE_bin. Using simulation, we show that ECE_bin can systematically underestimate or overestimate the true calibration error depending on the nature of model miscalibration, the size of the evaluation data set, and the number of bins. Critically, ECE_bin is more strongly biased for perfectly calibrated models. We propose a simple alternative calibration error metric, ECE_sweep, in which the number of bins is chosen to be as large as possible while preserving monotonicity in the calibration function. Evaluating our measure on distributions fit to neural network confidence scores on CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100, and ImageNet, we show that ECE_sweep produces a less biased estimator of calibration error and therefore should be used by any researcher wishing to evaluate the calibration of models trained on similar datasets.


The evolution and the statistical properties of an infinite gravitating system represent an interesting and widely investigated subject of research. In cosmology, the standard approach is based on equations of hydrodynamics. In this paper, we analyse the problem from a different perspective, which is usually neglected. We focus our attention on the fact that at small scale the distribution is point-like, or granular, and not fluid-like. The basic result is that the discrete nature of the system is a fundamental ingredient in understanding its evolution. The initial configuration is a Poisson distribution in which the distribution of forces is governed by the Holtsmark function. Computer simulations show that the structure formation corresponds to the shift of the granularity from small to large scales. We also present a simple cellular automaton model that reproduces this phenomenon.


Purpose of Study: A descriptive study was carried out to determine that results of screening for diabetes and diabetic retinopathy amongst the paying and free hospital patients. Setting: Tertiary eye care hospital Methodology: A total of 25,510 people over 40 years were screened for diabetes in an eye hospital setting. Initial screening was carried out by urine dipstick followed by random blood sugar examination. A value  140 mg/dl of blood sugar was considered positive for diabetes. All the diabetics were then examined for any evidence of diabetic retinopathy through indirect ophthalmoscopy in a dilated pupil by a midlevel ophthalmologist. Health education campaign at public, patient and professional level was also conducted. Main Outcome Measures: Prevalence of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy amongst paying and non-paying hospital patients. Results: The results of screening were analyzed for two distinct groups: hospital based free patients (poor urban population) and hospital based paying patients (affluent urban population). The prevalence of diabetes was found to be 10.34% and 18.57% in poor urban and affluent urban groups respectively. The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in the total screened population in these two subgroups was 2.52% and 4.42% respectively, while this prevalence in the diabetic population was 24.39% and 23.80% respectively. Conclusion: It was observed that the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy was two times more in the affluent urban population as compared to poor urban population. For each known diabetic, there were three previously undiscovered diabetics in urban/hospital based population.


The main purpose of a High-intensity cultivation system is to maximize the yield crop per area unit through planting more trees, exploiting efficient use of different resources. There are different factors that affect high-intensity cultivation that include Land-cost, planting spaces, tree size, Rootstock, and Practice management. Meanwhile, the adoption of High-intensity cultivation to control canopy size, by using modern management practices is very crucial to get more yields in the early stages of the orchard besides simplicity in its management and increase the farmers' net profit. In addition, High-density cultivation use in different fruit crops like olive, mango, orange, mandarin, Apple, and cherry. Numerous benefits of intensive fruit cultivation include increase fruit yield per unit area, improving use efficiency of natural resources e.g. soil, light, water, and nutrients, enhancing fruit quality, improving soil properties and rising levels of organic carbon and nutrients in plant tissues …etc. In addition, it is very effective in acid lime soil and achieves high income for the farmers.


B cell activating factor (BAFF), a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family, plays a critical role in the pathogenesis and progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a phenolic compound and exerts antiarthritic activities in arthritis. However, it is not clear whether the anti-inflammatory property of CGA is associated with the regulation of BAFF expression. In this study, we found that treatment of the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice with CGA significantly attenuated arthritis progression and markedly inhibited BAFF production in serum as well as the production of serum TNF-α. Furthermore, CGA inhibits TNF-α-induced BAFF expression in a dose-dependent manner and apoptosis in MH7A cells. Mechanistically, we found the DNA-binding site for the transcription factor NF-κB in the BAFF promoter region is required for this regulation. Moreover, CGA reduces the DNA-binding activity of NF-κB to the BAFF promoter region and suppresses BAFF expression through the NF-κB pathway in TNF-α-stimulated MH7A cells. These results suggest that CGA may serve as a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of RA by targeting BAFF.


Aim: Heavy menstrual bleeding is one of the common health problems in women. The first-line therapy of heavy menstrual bleeding is the medical therapy, but this is not successful. Currently, global ablation procedures were introduced for treating of heavy menstrual bleeding. The aim of this study was to the analysis of the patient with menorrhagia performed operations of Cavaterm in our university affiliated hospital, and explores its effectiveness and acceptability. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 30 patients with menorrhagia who were unresponsive to hormone therapy or not candidates for hysterectomy underwent endometrial ablation using Cavaterm. Preoperative and postoperative PBAC Scoring System was used to assess menorrhagia. Outcome measures were amenorrhea rates, reduction of menstrual flow rates, heavy bleeding, menstrual and patients' satisfaction rates at 3, 6 and 12 months postoperative. Results: After a follow-up at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperative, 36.7%, 43.3%, and 36.7% of women had a reduction in vaginal bleeding, respectively. Amenorrhea rates were 56.7%, 50.0%, and 56.7% in the Cavaterm at 3, 6, and 12 months. The rate of women's reported good or excellent satisfaction was 93.3% in 12 months. During the follow-up period, no woman received a subsequent hysterectomy. Conclusion: The findings of this research indicated that outcome with the Cavaterm was as good for women with menorrhagia. Therefore, it is necessary to emphasize on lower operative and post-operative procedural risk and a deleterious effect on patients who were unresponsive to hormone therapy.


This paper provides a new perspective on Chinese international competitiveness in manufacturing using relative unit labour costs. We find that Chinese unit labour costs are about 25-40 per cent of US labour costs. They are also low relative to costs in the EU, Japan, Mexico, Korea and most other newly industrialising countries. However, China's relative unit labour costs indicate a substantially smaller cost advantage than that implied by a comparison of wages alone. China's cost advantage derives from large currency devaluations that preceded the establishment of a de facto peg around 1995, and rapid productivity growth in the period since 1995. Copyright 2007 The Authors Journal compilation 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd .


Landed elites in the United States in the early decades of the twentieth century played a significant role in restricting the development of finance. States that had higher land concentration passed more restrictive banking legislation. At the county level, counties with very concentrated land holdings tended to have disproportionately fewer banks per capita. Banks were especially scarce both when landed elites' incentive to suppress finance, as well as their ability to exercise local influence, was higher. Finally, the resulting financial underdevelopment was negatively correlated with subsequent manufacturing growth. We draw lessons from this episode for understanding economic development.


We study the convergence of the gradient descent method for solving ill-posed problems where the solution is characterized as a global minimum of a differentiable functional in a Hilbert space. The classical least-squares functional for nonlinear operator equations is a special instance of this framework and the gradient method then reduces to Landweber iteration. The main result of this article is a proof of weak and strong convergence under new nonlinearity conditions that generalize the classical tangential cone conditions.


We have proposed "attentive workbench (AWB)," an assembly cell that supports the production activities of human workers. Attentive workbench is composed of an augmented desk interface and self-moving trays with the Sawyer planar motors. In this paper, 2nd generation prototype of AWB is realized. Practical assembly support by self-moving trays are carried out for the evaluation of the present system


Abstract The flat mite genus Raoiella Hirst (Tenuipalpidae) has attracted considerable research interest due to the rapid spread of Raoiella indica Hirst which feeds most commonly on species of palms (Arecaceae). Raoiella are frequently observed with their stylets inserted into the leaf stomatal openings, suggesting they feed on this site. Herein, we use transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), low temperature scanning electron microscopy (LTSEM) and light microscopy (LM) to describe the mouthpart organization and the feeding behavior found in R. indica and R. bauchani Beard & Ochoa. The feeding mechanism is also discussed based on their distinctive morphological aspects. The structure of the gnathosoma of Raoiella generally agrees with the organization previously observed in Brevipalpus and Cenopalpus. As in other tetranychoid mites, there is no anatomical connection between the inter-stylet tube and the food channel, corroborating the theory that the stylets are used to pierce plant tissue (and assumedly inject saliva) but play no role in sucking up fluid from damaged host cells. As in Brevipalpus, the adoral setae are mechanoreceptors that may help guide the mite to the site for feeding. The ultrastructure of supracoxal setae e remains enigmatic. We also present observations of possible epidermal feeding on Phoenix roebelenii O'Brien (Arecaceae) for R. indica. Raoiella indica were shown to penetrate both the guard cells of the stomata and the epidermis of P. roebelenii, suggesting that feeding via the epidermis could be possible on this host plant.


ABSTRACT Through histological analyses, this investigation reveals an unusual high incidence of hermaphroditism in Megapitaria squalida, a gonochoric species. A total of 684 specimens were sampled at monthly intervals from February 2007 to January 2008 at Bahia de La Paz and Bahia Magdalena, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Microscopic examination showed that 21.8% of specimens from Bahia de La Paz and 23.5% from Bahia Magdalena were hermaphroditic; in both areas, hermaphroditism was found throughout the year, although in variable proportions. In general, a significantly higher number of females relative to males (chi-square, P < 0.05) were observed in both areas. Our findings indicate that this unusual incidence of hermaphroditism was likely caused by the low population density resulting from overfishing.


The global climate underwent tremendous changes during the transition from the Last Glacial Period to the Holocene. At almost the same time, human society transitioned from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic. Therefore, the relationship between climate change and human activity during this period has become a research hotspot.Yunnan Province is a region with a great abundance of Paleolithic archaeological sites in China; however, Neolithic sites are relatively few. There has also been relatively little research on paleoclimatic conditions during the Paleolithic-Neolithic transition in Yunnan. Phytoliths, as a highly durable and long-lasting form of plant microfossils, can be an important means for reconstructing paleoclimates. In this study, we examined the Naminan site in Jinghong, which was occupied during the transitional period from the Paleolithic to Neolithic. Based on our analysis of the phytolith record at Naminan, we reconstructed the climatic conditions for each of the archaeological strata and discussed possible human activities. The results show that Naminan experienced a sequence of warming followed by cooling and warming, which is consistent with previous paleoclimate research in other areas of Yunnan Province.


Microwave tomography is a microwave imaging method in which the resolution is not limited by wavelength, but rather by measurement noise and modelling errors. Inversion algorithm is used for obtaining an image from the measured scattered waves. Performance improvement of the inversion algorithm is introduced by approximately modelled antennas as a point, line or plane source. Such modelling of antennas introduces modelling errors. Antenna array in the unshielded measurement chamber will pick up external interference, as well as backscattering of array's own radiation. Multipath occurring in measurement chamber has a large impact on the measurement performance. The wave propagated through the air and reflected from the chamber walls could mask a weaker wave scattered by the object under imaging. Also, a larger number of the antennas improves inversion and gives a more accurate image. This paper proposes a novel design of enclosed measurement antenna array for microwave tomography. To obtain an accurate and efficient antenna model in 3D FDTD, a square spiral wire antenna is used in this design. A metal shield protects the process of measurement from external interference and backscattering. Between the antenna array and the metal shield an absorption wall is introduced, which decreases multipath and partially prevents signal masking. Square spiral wire antennas are overlapped and packed, giving a larger number of antennas in the same space. Enclosed antenna array is modelled in 3D FDTD. Proposed antenna array is compared with solutions found in literature. Comparison is done using metrics relevant for antenna array measurement in microwave tomography. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.eie.23.2.17999


Understanding molecular self-association in solution is vital for uncovering polymorph- selective crystal nucleation pathways. In this paper, we combine solution NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations to shed light on the structural and dynamical features of para-aminobenzoic acid (pABA) in solution, and on their role in pABA crystals nucleation. pABA is known to yield different crystal forms (α, and β) depending on solvent choice and su- persaturation conditions. NMR reveals that dominant interactions stabilising pABA oligomers are markedly solvent-dependent: in organic solvents, hydrogen bonds dominate, while water promotes π - π stacking. Despite this clear preference, both types of interactions contribute to the variety of self-associated species in all solvents considered. MD simulations support this observation and show that pABA oligomers are short-lived and display a fluxional character, therefore indicating that the growth unit involved in pABA crystallisation is likely to be a single molecule. Nevertheless, we note that the interactions dominating in pABA oligomers are indicative of the polymorph obtained from precipitation. In water, at low pABA concen- trations - conditions that are known to yield crystals of the β form - carboxylic-carboxylic hydrogen bonds are exclusively asymmetric. At higher pABA concentration conditions in which the crystallisation is known to yield the α form - a small but statistically significant fraction of symmetric carboxylic-carboxylic hydrogen-bonded dimers is present. We interpret the presence of these interactions in solvated pABA oligomers as indicative of the fact that a simultaneous and complete desolvation of two carboxylic groups, necessary to form the sym- metric hydrogen-bonded dimer typical of the α crystal form, is accessible, therefore directing the nucleation pathway towards the nucleation of α-pABA.


The negative energy balance (NEB) is characterized by typical biochemical changes such as high non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), high beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and low glucose concentrations. The concentrations of these metabolites were extensively analyzed in the follicular fluid of high yielding dairy cows during NEB and were imitated in in vitro maturation models to investigate their effects on oocyte quality. The studies reviewed in this paper showed that the typical metabolic changes that occur during NEB are well reflected in the follicular fluid (FF) of the dominant follicle. However, the oocyte seems to be relatively isolated from excessively high NEFA or excessively low glucose concentrations in the blood. Nevertheless, the in vitro maturation models revealed that such metabolic changes in the FF associated with a NEB (high NEFA and low glucose concentrations) are indeed toxic for the oocyte, resulting in hampered oocyte maturation, increased apoptosis and necrosis in the cumulus cells, and jeopardized developmental competence of the resulting embryos. Only in moderately hypoglycemic maturation conditions did BHB have an additive toxic effect. These in vitro maturation models, based on in vivo observations and reviewed in this paper, suggest that a period of NEB may hamper the fertility of high yielding dairy cows through increased NEFA and decreased glucose concentrations in the FF, directly affecting oocyte quality. Finally, it was also demonstrated in our lab that the embryo quality of lactating high producing dairy cows is inferior compared to that of non-lactating dairy heifers or beef cows.


Knowledge of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] primary, secondary, and tertiary root tip locations in the soil vs. seasonal time would enhance modeling of soybean development. The seasonal progression of root tip development and shoot phenology was evaluated in situ using an imaging device inserted into minirhizotron tubes installed in the soil at an in-row 30° angle. Primary root tip extension was linear (i.e., 1.5 and 1.2 cm d⁻¹ each year) until the full-seed stage. Emergent 5-mm secondary roots were routinely detected about 10-cm above the primary root tip, and thus present in a soil layer 11 d after the primary root tip had passed through that layer. Secondary roots followed a similar temporal pattern. Primary root tip location in the soil paralleled a 17°C soil temperature isoline. The 3.7-d phyllochron of main-stem node accrual between first node and seed fill may be a calibratable proxy for inferring correspondent root tip depths.


An analytical drain current model is presented for amorphous In-Ga-Zn-oxide thin-film transistors in the above-threshold regime, assuming an exponential trap states density within the bandgap. Using a charge sheet approximation, the trapped and free charge expressions are calculated, then the surface potential based drain current expression is developed. Moreover, threshold voltage based drain current expressions are presented using the Taylor expansion to the surface potential based drain current expression. The calculated results of the surface potential based and threshold voltage based drain current expressions are compared with experimental data and good agreements are achieved.


In the framework of KMT multiple scattering theory, an optical potential for the intermediate energy proton-16O elastic scattering is presented based on the α particle model of 16O. The differential cross sections, the analyzing powers, and the total cross sections of the intermediate energy proton-16O scattering have been calculated by using the obtained optical potential. The main features of the measured angular distributions of the cross section and the analyzing power can be well described. The calculated total cross sections are in good agreement with the experimental data at energies below 0.7 GeV and underestimate the data about 8% at higher energies.


Crosstalk is a complex function of signal activity, coupling parasitics, and signal timing. In this work, in the context of high-level synthesis, we propose simulated annealing (SA) based exploration of bus binding, bus-line re-ordering, and data transfer invert encoding schemes that targets the minimization of crosstalk producing signal activity in on-chip buses. Given a data flow graph, we perform execution profiling, operation scheduling, resource allocation, and operation binding. Then, we submit the partially synthesized design to the SA engine which simultaneously explores the binding, re-ordering, and encoding subspace. Experimental results on three benchmarks yielded activity savings in the range of 17-43% with an average of 25% at little (maximum 1%) or no expense of area.


The crystal structure of zirconium chloromethylphosphonate, Zr(O3PCH2Cl)2, has been solved and refined using powder diffraction data. The crystals belong to the space group P21/c with a= 9.3402(7)A, b= 5.3926(3)A, c= 21.374(2)A and β= 107.892 (5)°. The reliability factors are Rwp= 0.155, Rp= 0.115, RF= 0.04 and expected Rwp= 0.035. The layer arrangement in the structure resembles very closely that in α-zirconium phosphate. The chlorine atoms on both the methyl groups are disordered, in such a way that the disordered positions are displaced along the b axis of the crystal.


should be made with caution. B. Hocking, FACOM Telecom Australia 199 William Street. Melbourne. VIC 3000 l. Hocking B. Epidemiological aspects of "repetition strain injury" in Telecom Australia. Med J Aust1987; 147: 218-222. 2. The Royal Australasian College of Physicians. Repetition strain injury/occupational overuse syndrome. A statement. Sydney: RACP.1988. 3. Rossignol A, Morse E. Summers V. Pagnotto L. Video display terminal use and reported health symptoms among Massachusetts clerical workers. J Occup Med 1987; 29: 122-118. 4. Tanaka S, Seligman P, Halperin W, et aI. Use of workers compensation claims data for surveillance of cumulative trauma disorders. J Occup Med 1988; 30: 488-492.


Hysterectomy, which is one of the most common surgeries performed on women, dates back to ancient times. The history of hysterectomy comprises biographies of many humble men and the significant individual efforts that they made to fight the skepticism of the medical communities of their times. Many of the pioneers were ignored. Although there are a number of alternatives to hysterectomy available, it remains one of the most frequently performed gynaecological operations. The introduction of antisepsis, anaesthesia, antibiotics and blood transfusion made hysterectomy a safe procedure. Nowadays, we distinguish three different surgical approaches to hysterectomy: vaginal, abdominal and laparoscopic. The limitations of conventional laparoscopy have led to the development of robotic surgery, which has evolved over the past decade from simple adjustable arms to support cameras in laparoscopic surgery to more sophisticated four-armed machines now being in use worldwide.


ABSTRACT Food and nutrient limitation can have negative effects on survival, fecundity, and lifetime fitness of individuals, which can ultimately limit populations. Changes in trophic dynamics and diet patterns, affected by anthropogenic environmental and landscape change, are poorly understood yet may play an important role in population regulation. We determined diets of Wood Thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina), a Neotropical migratory songbird species sensitive to urbanization, and explored how brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) may be related to Wood Thrush nestling diets. Effects of brood parasitism on host nestling diets is an understudied stressor that may help explain observed population declines. We measured carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotopes of 7 invertebrate food sources (snails, spiders, isopods, earthworms, myriapods, insects, and caterpillars), blood plasma from adult male and female Wood Thrushes and from Wood Thrush nestlings in nests with and without Brown-headed Cowbird nestlings. Wood Thrush diet compositions were largely composed of high calcium (Ca) foods (51–62%, 95% highest density intervals [HDI]), including snails, isopods, and myriapods, as well as spiders (23–33%, 95% HDI). Caterpillars were the least common food item in Wood Thrush diets (0.01–3 %, 95% HDI). Wood Thrush nestling diets in nests without Brown-headed Cowbirds contained greater proportions of Ca-rich foods and spiders compared to the diet of nestlings in parasitized nests. Our data demonstrate that Wood Thrushes preferred Ca- and protein-rich foods, which may have important implications for adult survival and fecundity as well as nestling nutrition and development. Our results suggest that brood parasitism is related to host nestling diet, which could have potentially negative effects on developing nestlings through nutritional stress that may in turn affect survival, fecundity, and ultimately limit population growth.


Recently, strong wind storms have caused large-scale damages in Alpine mountain forests, leaving the underlying infrastructure exposed. These forests often provide protection against gravitational natural hazard processes such as avalanches, rockfall and soil slides. To manage these disturbed forests efficiently and effectively, it is important to know 1) which forest areas serve a protective function to the underlying infrastructure, 2) what is the actual protective effect of these forests on the hazard process, and 3) how one could improve this effect.

To define protective functions and to quantify the protective effects of forests, we created the Flow-Py model that identifies process areas of gravitational hazards, including avalanches, rockfall and debris slides. The model is written in Python to keep it easy adjustable. The run out routine of Flow-Py is based on the principles of energy conservation including frictional dissipation assuming simple coulomb friction, leading to constant travel-angle. Potential release areas and the corresponding travel angle have to be adapted for each type of gravitational mass movements. A important improvement, compared to similar models, is that it can handle mass movement in flat and uphill terrain. One major advantage of this model is its simplicity, resulting in a computationally inexpensive implementation, which allows for an application on a regional scale, covering large simulation areas. The adaptivity of the model further allows to consider existing infrastructure and to detect starting zones endangering the corresponding areas in a back-calculation step. Additionally, by adding forest cover to the simulations we can identify which forest area has a protective function and, based on information about forest structure, calculate the protective effect this forest provides to down slope infrastructure.

Flow-Py is a useful tool to identify forest areas that are important for hazard protection (protective function) and to quantify their protective effect. The model can be applied in protection forest management to prioritize measures in wind throw areas. Furthermore, it is possible to use this tool for analyzing the protective functions and effects of different forest extents and structural conditions, for example, caused by climate change or forest disturbances. In this work we elaborate the potential of Flow-Py by presenting an avalanche case study in the central alpine region of Austria (Gries/Vals, Tyrol, AT). For this case the simulation results indicate a process area affected by avalanches of ~65% with respect to the total area of ~ 195 km².


The question, "Do you and your husband intend to have a (another) child?" has become standard on fertility surveys. It is almost always asked of the wife, but is treated as the couple's joint intention. How reasonable is such an assumption? Do husbands' and wives' reports of couple intent correspond closely? Do spouses know the fertility wishes of their partners? Do they take these wishes into account when reporting couple intent? Analysis of a sample of fecund, white, urban U.S. couples shows each question answered affirmatively. Reports from either spouse appear to be good, although admittedly imperfect, indicators of couple intent.