This research examines impoliteness aspects presented in Paranorman movie using pragmatic approach. The objectives of this research are to describe the types of impoliteness strategies addressed to the main character, to explain the realizations of the impoliteness strategies addressed to the main character, and to describe the main character's responses to the impoliteness strategies addressed to him in Paranorman movie.
This research used mixed method, a combination of qualitative and quantitative method. The data were in the form of utterances spoken by the characters in Paranorman movie, while the contexts of the data were dialogues. The sources of this research were the script of the dialogues spoken by the characters in Paranorman movie and the video of the movie. The primary instrument of this research was the researcher herself, while the secondary instrument was the data sheet. The researcher used analysis of documents by note-taking to collect the data. Referential analysis was used to analyze the data. Finally, the data were triangulated by experts and those interested in the same field of the study to gain the reliability of the research.
The results of this research are described as follows. First, four types of impoliteness strategy occur in other characters' utterances in Paranorman movie. They are bald on record impoliteness, positive impoliteness, negative impoliteness, and sarcasm. Bald on record impoliteness becomes the most dominant type used by other characters. Meanwhile, withhold politeness does not exist in the other characters' utterances. Second, each type of impoliteness strategy has its particular realization. Bald on record impoliteness is realized in the form of using direct, clear, and unambiguous statement. Positive impoliteness is expressed in the form of disassociating from the other, calling the other names, and utilizing taboo words. Negative impoliteness can be realized in the form of condescending, scorning, or ridiculing, and associating the other with a negative aspect explicitly. Meanwhile, sarcasm or mock politeness is only realized in the form of employing insincere politeness. Using direct, clear, and unambiguous statement becomes the highest realization. However, using inappropriate identity markers, invading the other's space, being silent and failing to thank are not used by the other characters. Third, there are three responses which occur in the movie, they are no response, accepting, and countering the face attack. Countering the face attack is divided into two subcategories: offensive and defensive countering. Offensive countering becomes the most frequent choice of responses of impoliteness strategy used by the main character. To sum up, the responses of impolite acts are influenced by the way the face attacks are conveyed and the relationship between the persons doing the face attacks and the addressees.


We discuss the recently discovered system SrCu 2 (BO 3) 2 , a realization of an exactly solvable model proposed two decades earlier. We propose its interpretation as a Mott Hubbard insulator. The possible superconducting phase arising from doping is explored, and its nature as well as its importance for testing the RVB theory of superconductivity are discussed.


We study general equilibrium with nonconvexities. In these economies there exist sunspot equilibria without the usual assumptions needed in convex economies, and they have good welfare properties. Moreover, in these equilibria, agents act as if they have quasi-linear utility. Hence wealth effects vanish. We use this to construct a new model of monetary exchange. As in Lagos-Wright, trade occurs in both centralized and decentralized markets, but while that model requires quasilinearity, we have general preferences. Given our specification looks much like the textbook Arrow-Debreu model, we think this constitutes progress on the classic problem of integrating money and general equilibrium theory. We also use the model to discuss another classic issue: the relation between inflation and unemployment.


A series of copper(II) complexes with 3- and 4-picolinehydroxamic acids has been synthesized and characterized by a variety of spectroscopic methods, X-ray structure analysis and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The ligands show the tendency to form 1D- and 2D-polymeric structures with copper(II) ions due to the chelating-and-bridging binding mode involving the (O,O′)-hydroxamate chelate formation combined with N-coordination of the pyridine moiety. In some cases the (O, μ2-O′) chelating-and-bridging modes are realized, in which either amide or hydroxamic oxygen atoms play a μ2-bridging role. Molecular and crystal structures of two discrete complexes: mononuclear [Cu(3-HPicHA)2(ClO4)2] (1) and binuclear [{Cu(4-HPicHA)(bpy)(ClO4)}2](ClO4)2 (4a), and five coordination polymers catena-[Cu(3-PicHA)(phen)]n(ClO4)n (7), catena-[Cu(4-PicHA)(bpy)]n(OH)n·3.25nH2O (8), catena-[Cu(4-PicHA)(DMSO)2]2n(ClO4)2n (9), [Cu(3-PicHA)(DMSO)(ClO4)]nm·nmDMSO (10), and [{Cu(4-PicHA)(phen)}2]n(ClO4)2n (11) were determined by single crystal X-ray analysis. In structures 1 and 4a the hydroxamate ligands exist in a zwitterionic form with the O-deprotonated hydroxamate groups and protonated pyridine rings. The following types of coordination polymers have been structurally characterized: (i) single-stranded zigzag-shaped 1D polymers (7 and 8); (ii) double-stranded 1D polymer comprising binuclear subunits formed on account of μ2(O)-carbonyl oxygen bridging coordination to the axial position of the copper(II) ion (9); (iii) 2D netted coordination polymers of two different types comprising μ2(O)-bridged binuclear subunits (10 and 11). Magnetic susceptibility measurements (2–300 K) of powdered samples revealed the presence of moderate antiferromagnetic interaction in the binuclear complex 4a (2J = −7.164(6) cm−1), while the coordination polymers exhibit weak antiferromagnetic interaction with a cryomagnetic behaviour obeying the Curie–Weiss law.


The key in Modern dance technique is constant shifting gravity center in body,by which the whole body may move in inertia to form a moving inertial flow.And the key to forming mobile body inertia flow is that body weight transfer can be achieved by feet movement which drove by skeleton movement resulting from muscle tissue contraction under the control of the central nervous system in body trunk.In these processes,weight transfer can be conducted by body trunk,with mobile pivot formed by firming waist and hip,as well as balanced shift of gravity center by foot corresponding motion.


The micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology requires a robust non-contact quantitative measurement system for the characterisation of their performance, reliability and integrity. A TV holographic system with long working distance microscope is developed for the static, dynamic and 3-D surface profile characterisation of microsystems. The system can be operated either in continuous or stroboscopic illumination mode of operation. The usefulness of the system for measurement of deflection, discontinuities, resonance mode shapes and vibration amplitudes on both smooth and rough micro samples is discussed and demonstrated.


Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is caused by a virus with a type of DNA genetic material from the Papillomaviridae family, about 90% of HPV infections have no definite symptoms. HPV infection is spread through sexual intercourse, multiple sexual partners, anal sex, and from mother to child during pregnancy. HPV has oncoproteins E6 & E7 which affect the ability to trigger cancer cases. The role of E6 is very crucial and is able to cause cells to lose homeostasis in the cell cycle and transform into cancer, this shows that E6 has the potential to be a binding target for HPV drug candidate compounds. Kaempferia galanga L. is used as a cooking spice in Indonesia and known as kencur, this plant is often used by Javanese and Balinese people to make jamoe. The potential of Kaempferia galanga L. as an antiviral only has little scientific evidence as previously done, the plant has high protease inhibitory activity of HIV-1 and HCV viruses. This study aims to identify chemical compounds from Kaempferia galanga L. which have potential as HPV antivirals through inhibition of E6 activity. Chemical compounds from Kaempferia galanga L. are predicted to be antiviral candidates through the activity of Ethyl cinnamate and γ -Cadinene with an E6 inhibition mechanism in the Val69 & Leu57 domains, the results of this study must be further analyzed through a wetlab approach to strengthen scientific evidence.


"My "science heroes" are Otto Hahn and Hans Hellmann. My favorite authors are Walter Kempowski and John Updike …" This and more about Richard Dronskowski can be found on page 8872.


In recent years, severe obesity in adolescents has been rising worldwide, and Chile is no exception to this phenomenon. This condition exponentially increases health risks and it is associated with prema ture mortality. Since 2008, several guidelines on pediatric obesity treatment have included bariatric surgery as a treatment strategy for certain severely obese adolescents. These procedures have proven to be safe and efficient in adults. Recent evidence shows that, when done in specialized centers, the re sults would be similar in adolescents in the short and medium term. Nonetheless, in this group of pa tients, bariatric surgery has risks related to their stage of development, and data on long-term results and complications are still lacking. Therefore, to achieve the expected results, the patient selection, surgery, and follow-up must be carried out by qualified multidisciplinary teams, in hospitals centers that have the appropriate infrastructure, It is essential for the patients a life-long adherence to medi cal and nutritional monitoring. The objective of this document is to present the position statement of the Nutrition Branch of the Chilean Society of Pediatrics on the different issues to be considered for the adequate indication of these procedures in severely obese adolescents.


Surgical telementoring represents an advanced form of telemedicine, whereby an experienced surgeon can guide and teach practicing surgeons new operative techniques utilizing current enabling video, robotics, and telecommunications technology. In the Pacific Northwest, concentration of subspecialty expertise in the only major medical school servicing the WWAMI(named after 5 states: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho) region offers a compelling opportunity for developing a surgical telemedicine program. This paper reports on a surgical telementoring initiation of a regional telemedicine network as the surgical telemedicine program aiming at eventual projection of surgical expertise in the WWAMI region based on the SOCRATESTM, a FDA approved robotic telecollaborative system. A collaborative research project with University of Washington (UW) Office of Telemedicine, UW Surgery and Electrical Engineering, UW Medical Center(Seattle, WA, USA), and Grays Harbor Community Hospital (Aberdeen, WA, USA), is introduced in this paper.


The challenge of managing sovereign debt comes with a lot of complex and real strategic approaches to retain the interest of lenders while the borrower nation is helped to retain the capacity to avoid defaults. The issues at play during negotiations and documentations critical of which are the terms upon which the loan is granted. The clarity as to the implication of each provision which may prove to be of an adverse interest to the borrower must be well understood. It is known that bilateral loans and those from Paris Club as distinct from the commercial loans of the London private lenders come with different dynamics. Events of default and compulsion to reschedule create difficulties as expectations of repayment fails. Sovereign borrowers are usually better tolerated despite the stress on the financial market portfolio such huge debts causes this is because of the social and developmental obligations of government. The growing trend of debt transfer, swap and securitisation has helped in converting debt to some kind of tradable product or 'asset' as it were. The knowledge and science of sovereign debt management remains a continuously evolving interconnection of policy, economics, politics and law.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the results of botulinus toxin in dysphagia arising in the upper sphincter of the oesophagus.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Since June 1995, 64 patients have had botulinus toxin injected into the upper sphincter of the oesophagus for major swallowing disorders. All cases were treated in the dysphagia service, and underwent clinical assessment, video-swallow screening, and swallowing therapy. The patient cohort included various pathological groups--neurological (vascular accident, head injury, cranial nerve disorders, degenerative diseases), postoperative (surgery for carcinoma of the laryngo-pharynx), and functional, whether purely idiopathic or attributable.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Global analysis of the results shows that botulinus toxin has good efficacy in relaxing the upper sphincter of the oesophagus; this does not always lead to recovery of normal swallowing, but can bring about improvement by assisting in the therapeutic management of the swallowing problem, and in improving the dietary intake.


Acute myocardial infarction (MI) and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) are conditions caused by thrombus formation with activation of the coagulation system. The plasma concentration of the complex between activated protein C (APC) and protein C inhibitor (PCI), APC–PCI complex is increased in such states. We have devised an immunofluorometric assay employing a catcher antibody (M36) that recognizes a neoepitope in APC–PCI complexes and cleaved PCI. The M36 Mab has a particularly strong binding affinity ( KD = 5 x 10-11M) for the complexed/cleaved PCI, which in combination with the neoepitoe specificity are the major differences compared to previous methods for APC–PCI measurements. The analytical detection limit of the method (0.06 µg/L, +3SD) is sufficient to allow accurate measurements of normal and low plasma concentrations of the APC–PCI complex. The mean in healthy individuals was 0.30 µg/L (0.17–0.54, ±2SD). In patients undergoing hip-arthroplasty, the APC–PCI level was maximal four hours postoperatively and returned to normal within 24 hours postoperatively. Two case-control studies were conducted. In the first, patients presenting at the Emergency Department with suspicion of DVT were included. Based on phlebography results, 123 patients were included. The APC–PCI levels were significantly higher in the 40 DVT patients than in the 83 controls, who had negative phlebography. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were calculated and demonstrated a discriminatory capacity most comparable to D-dimer, measured in the same patients. Compared to D-dimer, the APC–PCI complex is a more well-defined analyte. In the second study, plasma samples were collected from 74 patients admitted to the Coronary Care Unit for chest pain in combination with ECG changes. MI is preceded by activation of the coagulation system and thrombus formation initiated by a rupture in an atherosclerotic plaque. APC–PCI levels correlated closely with maximal CKMB levels, reflecting MI size, whereas there was no correlation between APC–PCI and CKMB or troponin I on arrival to hospital. Our studies indicate that the APC–PCI complex measured with the new method could be used to indicate patients at risk of developing venous thrombosis, and, the APC–PCI level is an early marker of activation of the coagulation system preceding MI.


In many types of seismological and engineering problems, it is necessary to perform a surface integral involving a Green's function having either a source or receiver point on the surface. For far-field terms of the Green's function, it is well known that the surface integral can be reduced to a line integral, yielding a considerable computational advantage. In this work we show that a similar transformation to a line integral can be made for the near-field terms when the Green's function is for a uniform whole space. The necessary condition is that the various terms in the Green's function can be transformed into sums of nondispersive pulses. We accomplish this for near-field terms in a whole space by repeatedly time-differentiating the terms.


When small numbers of colloidal microspheres are attached to the surfaces of liquid emulsion droplets, removing fluid from the droplets leads to packings of spheres that minimize the second moment of the mass distribution. The structures of the packings range from sphere doublets, triangles, and tetrahedra to exotic polyhedra not found in infinite lattice packings, molecules, or minimum–potential energy clusters. The emulsion system presents a route to produce newcolloidal structures and a means to study howdifferent physical constraints affect symmetry in small parcels of matter.


This tool is one in a series written for use by people who want to research issues in the economics of tobacco control in a specific country. The tools aim to provide clear step-by-step guidance on what analysis to do, how to do it, and how to report and present the results. Tool 6 discusses how to investigate the likely impact of tobacco control on poor people. Currently there are approximately 4 million tobacco related deaths annually. If present trends continue, by the year 2030 the number of deaths will soar to about 10 million annual deaths, with 7 million in low-income countries. However, government action to establish various tobacco control initiatives can prevent this from happening and save a significant number of lives. Tobacco control measures include: i) raising tobacco prices by imposing higher excise taxes; ii) advertising and marketing bans and restrictions; and iii) clean indoor air provisions. A popular and valid concern holds that raising tobacco excise taxes for the purposes of tobacco control imposes an untenable and unfair burden on the poor. In short, it is argued that higher tobacco excise taxes increase inequality in the post-tax distribution of income and reduces the real incomes of a particularly vulnerable group, the poor. This tool discusses a number of approaches in which to examine the validity of this argument. Techniques to analyze the impact of tobacco consumption and tobacco taxes on the poor are explained. And analytical methods using country-specific data are examined so that policy analysts can effectively address concerns about the poor, tobacco consumption, and tobacco control policies.


This paper presents the trajectory tracking problem of a unicycle-type mobile robots. A robust output tracking controller for nonlinear systems in the presence of disturbances is proposed, the approach is based on the combination of integral action and Backstepping technique to compensate for the dynamic disturbances. For desired trajectory, the values of the linear and angular velocities of the robot are assured by the kinematic controller. The control law guarantees stability of the robot by using the lyapunov theorem. The simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the designed trajectory tracking control.


We present a case of a 41-year-old woman with severe abdominal pain caused by two jejuno-jejunal intussusceptions. Further investigation showed coeliac disease as the underlying cause. The patient recovered rapidly on a gluten-free diet. So coeliac disease could be the underlying cause of idiopathic intussusception more often than previously thought and intussusception should be suspected in patients with known coeliac disease presenting with abdominal pain. (Acta gastro-enterol. belg., 2016, 79, 000-000).


Butyl radicals (n-, s-, i-, and tert-butyl) are formed from the pyrolysis of stable precursors (1-pentyl nitrite, 2-methyl-1-butyl nitrite, isopentyl nitrite, and azo-tert-butane, respectively). The radicals are doped into a beam of liquid helium droplets and probed with infrared action spectroscopy from 2700 to 3125 cm-1, allowing for a low temperature measurement of the CH stretching region. The presence of anharmonic resonance polyads in the 2800-3000 cm-1 region complicates its interpretation. To facilitate spectral assignment, the anharmonic resonances are modeled with two model Hamiltonian approaches that explicitly couple CH stretch fundamentals to HCH bend overtones and combinations: a VPT2+K normal mode model based on coupled-cluster with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations [CCSD(T)] quartic force fields and a semi-empirical local mode model. Both of these computational methods provide generally good agreement with the experimental spectra.


We have attempted to update a previous review of the hazards and problems confronting the mother, fetus and anaesthetist at caesarean section. A recent survey of obstetric anaesthesia within the Republic and South West Africa indicates that a significant proportion of anaesthetic services for midwifery are provided by non-specialist practitioners in hospitals outside major population centres. We believe that both mothers and their infants will gain from the careful perusal by their doctors of this review.


We investigate the statistical nature of the dark matter particles produced in bouncing cosmology, especially, the evolution of its thermal fluctuations. By explicitly deriving and solving the equation of motion of super-horizon mode, we fully determine the evolution of thermal perturbation of dark matter in a generic bouncing background. And we also show that the evolution of super-horizon modes is stable and will not ruin the background evolution of a generic bouncing universe till the Planck scale. Given no super-horizon thermal perturbation of dark matter appears in standard inflation scenario such as WIMP(-less) miracles, such super-horizon thermal perturbation of dark matter generated during the generic bouncing universe scenario may be significant for testing and distinguishing these two scenario in near future.


Concurrent constraint programming is classically based on asynchronous communication via a shared store. This paper presents new versions of the ask and tell primitives which features synchronicity. Our approach is based on the idea of telling new information just in the case that a concurrently running process is asking for it. The new primitives are shown to be simple yet expressive enough to code signiicant problems. Two semantics for them are proposed. The rst one is of an operational nature and formalises computations by means of a transition system. It is not compositional. This problem is addressed in another semantics which beneets from hypotheses made both on concurrent processes and the state of the store rather than on its successive updates.


The ability to quantify a dissimilarity of different phylogenetic trees is required in various types of phylogenetic studies, for example, such metrics are used to assess the quality of phylogeny construction methods and to define optimization criteria in supertree building algorithms. In this article, starting from the already described concept of matching metrics, we define three new metrics for rooted phylogenetic trees. One of them, Matching Pair Jaccard (MPJ) distance, is still purely topological, but we now utilize the Jaccard index set dissimilarity measure in its construction. This modification substantially changes the structural features of the metric space. In particular, we investigate the properties of the previously known Matching Cluster Jaccard (MCJ) and the new MPJ metrics, such as the asymptotic behavior of their expected distance between two random trees, the space diameter, and the change of a distance after a single leaf relocation. The other two metrics, Matching Cluster Weight-aware (MCW) and Matching Cluster Jaccard Weight-aware (MCJW) distances, are the first propositions of generalization of matching metrics designed for rooted phylogenies with branch lengths. The experimental tests of the practical utility of the phylogenetic metrics show the superiority of MCJ, MPJ over the previous best tree comparison method. To define the MCW and MCJW metrics, we introduce a general method for constructing matching metrics for weighted rooted phylogenetic trees.


Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as key players of intercellular communication and mediate crosstalk between tissues. Metastatic tumors release tumorigenic EVs, capable of pre-conditioning distal sites for organotropic metastasis. Growing evidence identifies muscle cell-derived EVs and myokines as potent mediators of cellular differentiation, proliferation, and metabolism. Muscle-derived EVs cargo myokines and other biological modulators like microRNAs, cytokines, chemokines, and prostaglandins hence, are likely to modulate the remodeling of niches in vital sites, such as liver and adipose tissues. Despite the scarcity of evidence to support a direct relationship between muscle-EVs and cancer metastasis, their indirect attribution to the regulation of niche remodeling and the establishment of pre-metastatic homing niches can be put forward. This hypothesis is supported by the role of muscle-derived EVs in findings gathered from other pathologies like inflammation and metabolic disorders. In this review, we present and discuss studies that evidently support the potential roles of muscle-derived EVs in the events of niche pre-conditioning and remodeling of metastatic tumor microenvironment. We highlight the potential contributions of the integrin-mediated interactions with an emerging myokine, irisin, to the regulation of EV-driven microenvironment remodeling in tumor metastasis. Further research into muscle-derived EVs and myokines in cancer progression is imperative and may hold promising contributions to advance our knowledge in the pathophysiology, progression and therapeutic management of metastatic cancers.


High-molecular-weight, anionic, linear polyacrylamide (PAM) is being evaluated as a means of sealing unlined water delivery canals to reduce seepage losses. In this study, we investigated water seepage loss reduction by using a two-layer one-dimensional steady-state conceptual model. The objectives of this study were twofold: (i) to examine the effectiveness and implications of a PAM-treated thin layer at the bottom of the water delivery canal in reducing water seepage loss, and (ii) to investigate the sensitivity of seepage reduction to the hydraulic parameters of both the untreated and PAM-treated thin layer. We incorporated laboratory-measured saturated soil hydraulic conductivity results into the model to examine the seepage ratio of PAM-treated vs. untreated soils and the sensitivity of the seepage ratio. In cases where PAM applications and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) treatment were effective, the uncertainty in the soil hydraulic parameter (sorptive number) α ratio of the PAM-treated soil layer over the original soil had a signifi cant impact on the uncertainty in the seepage ratio. For cases where the seepage ratio was insensitive to PAM and SSC treatment, the α ratio of the treated soil layer over the original soil layer was not signifi cant. For a canal underlain by coarse-textured material, uncertainty in the α ratio is propagated to the uncertainty in the seepage ratio and augmented more signifi cantly, while for relatively fi netextured sand (refl ected in the small α values used in this study) the uncertainty propagation and augmentation are relatively gradual. For coarse-textured sand, small uncertainty in the α ratio can lead to large uncertainty in the prediction of the seepage ratio.


We studied 54 patients with multiple (more than 5 nodules) hepatic metastases from colorectal carcinoma retrospectively. Twelve cases in the non-chemotherapy group had a 0% one-year survival rate and 3.0 months of 50% survival period; 15 patients in the general chemotherapy group had 23.4% and 5.1 months respectively. In contrast, 27 subjects in the arterial chemotherapy group showed 48.3% and 11.5 months respectively (p < 0.05). Five cases that received hepatectomy were all alive but the prognosis remains unclear. It is suggested that long survivors with multiple metastases from colorectal cancer need radical resection of primary lesion and intrahepatic arterial chemotherapy.


Bishop, Paul, and R.H. Stephenson. Friedrich Nietzsche and Weimar Classicism. Rochester, NY: Camden House, 2005. 281 pp. $80.00 hardcover. The aim of Bishop's and Stephenson's study is to detail the influence on Nietzsche of Goethe's and Schiller's classicist aesthetic, an appreciation of which is deemed key to an adequate understanding of Nietzsche's thought. The two authors present their argument in separate chapters on Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy, on the period between 1881 and 1884 in which he conceived Zarathustra and wrote The Gay Science, and on Zarathustra itself. A fourth chapter widens the perspective by outlining the continuing influence of Weimar aesthetics on other authors ranging from Keats and Melville through Kafka and TS. Eliot to Adorno and Habermas. A lengthy appendix describes the genesis of Zarathustra independently of Goethe's and Schiller's influence. The book's introduction lays out what the authors mean by the aesthetics of Weimar Classicism. Its salient characteristic is the movement "away from the general and toward the particular" (13) of a sensual, this-worldly beauty. Its effect is to challenge any form of subordination to the abstract, be it instrumental reason or Romantic and religious mysticism. This challenge forms the bedrock of Goethe's and Schiller's doctrine-an "aesthetic gospel" (97) inherited, the authors argue, by Nietzsche. Drawing knowledgeably on the works of Goethe and Schiller and on a wide range of sources from Nietzsche's oeuvre, including letters and fragments from throughout the Nachlass, this assiduously researched study gives a new resonance to numerous passages and to key terms in Nietzsche's writings. The authors compare the function of words such as "Schein," "veil," and "play" in The Birth of Tragedy to their use in Schiller's aesthetics in a variety of interesting ways (33ff.). They go on to read The Birth of Tragedy in view of Goethe's Faust, concentrating on the critique of science-like Faust, Nietzsche's Socrates confronts the limits of knowledge (37)-the triumph of life over pessimism, and the aesthetic heightening of anAugenblick that can carry the weight of eternity (42). They discern the Goethean notion otAugenhlick in Nietzsche's idea of the eternal recurrence as expounded in The Gay Science and in Zarathustra. Exploring how Nietzsche's "Augenblick" resonates with Goethe's use of the term, the authors conclude that the eternal recurrence functions not just as a moral imperative, as has been previously argued, but as an "aesthetic imperative" as well (82). …


Grain is the primary commodity transported on the upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, comprising about half of the tonnage on the upper Mississippi and 40 percent of the Illinois River traffic. It is estimated these rivers annually originate about 36 million metric tons of corn and soybeans that are primarily destined for export at lower Mississippi River ports. Spatial models representing the international grain economy are developed to estimate the annual contribution of the upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers to Midwest grain producer revenues and evaluate alternate grain routing necessitated by a catastrophic event at Lock and Dam 27 near St. Louis, a facility grain must pass on its route to lower Mississippi River ports. The analysis suggests the annual value of the upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers for grain transport ranges from $233 to $799 million but based on the most likely scenario to range from $312 to $549 million. The catastrophic analyses examined the value of alternate routings and corridors given a violent event at Lock and Dam 27 and results show the segment of the Mississippi River immediately below St. Louis to be an attractive routing for grain from Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota given closure of these rivers. Also of great importance as alternate routings was rail transportation on the Corn Belt to Gulf corridor, and grain shipments via the Ohio River and Great Lakes. The upper Mississippi and Illinois Rivers are important transport arteries for the Midwest grain economy and their value and the value of alternate grain transport corridors and routings is greatly dependent on pricing decisions by competing railroads.


Recently, the land area for many people has been limited because of industrialization and modernization in Korea. The large-scale constructions like the reclamation development projects have been progressed to resolve this problem mentioned above. Therefore, as many of the useful construction materials as possible are needed to perform the largescale construction projects. Many studies for the utilization of pond ash which has a similar characteristic of sand have been conducted and there has been often occurred many structural problems on roadbed in winter. Therefore, the characteristics of the freezing and thawing for Controlled Low-Strength Material(CLSM) using pond ash were analyzed and evaluated by unconfined compressive strength test and mass loss test in this study. As a result of this study, it was confirmed that new CLSM using pond ash with cement(8.2% by weight) was able to stand for the freezing and thawing behavior and was satisfied with the standard of Portland Cement Association.


Two patients were referred because of an innocent-appearing solitary subcutaneous nodule; excision revealed metastasis of malignant melanoma, but comprehensive investigation failed to disclose the primary tumor. In neither patient was there subsequent evidence of local recurrence but both died of disseminated disease--the first 2 years and the second 10 months after the excision.


The rapid pace of development and technology enhancements revolutionize the way people communicate and subsequently exert a considerable influence on a student's involvement and motivation. Mobile phones are considered among the most important devices to have made a breakthrough in every aspect of human life. Students' persistence in using mobile phones during classroom hours has become a significant concern because of distractions, disruptions, cheating, and inappropriate use. The objective of this paper is to identify the reasons why students use mobile phones during lecture hours by quantitative computer-based analysis. The participants were 520 undergraduate students who completed a questionnaire that is significantly based on the comparison of three principal perceptions of age, gender, and grades. To investigate the reliability of the proposed factors, Cronbach's alpha parameter was adequately utilized in this study to check the consistency adaptation of these factors and to provide questions on the questionnaire. To validate the measurement scales, qualitative content validity was taken into consideration. The analysis of the correlation matrix that is based on the six administered variables in this study has been conducted in the statistic correlation level of 0.01, which is ranged from 0.043 to 0.601. Although no statistically significant differences were found in the students' perception regarding their gender and age, the differences were significant regarding their grades as far as the addiction reason was concerned. Consequently, the overwhelming majority of the students tended to use mobile phones during the lecture hours for class-related purposes.


The processes of implanting tools in semiconductor production involve a variety of setup parameters, suggesting utilization of a scheduler for planning lot allocation in a reasonable manner. However, a scheduler is complex by design, making evaluation difficult without appropriate aids. We describe an approach using discrete event simulation software for assessing the performance and supporting the parameterization of an implant scheduler. Furthermore, rolling-horizon approaches are discussed and the scheduler performance is compared to two dispatch rules.


The purpose of this study is to find the recognition of Korean image fashion design by U.K fashion specialists. U.K is one of the important countries in design field including fashion design since 1960. For this purpose, literature research and focus individual interview research were carried. First, through the researches precedent, it was found that a national image is related with it's design industry and what is Korean image fashion design, were studied. Second, for individual interviews to 13 U.K fashion specialists, who are teaching and researching in University that has postgraduate course over M.A and had industrial experiences from 7years to 22years, were progressed using open questions and visual image stimulus. The open questions were consisted with four parts : personal educational and industrial background, recognitions about oriental fashion, recognitions about Korean image and Korean fashion design before seeing the visual stimulus, recognition about Korean image fashion design and the characteristics of Korean after seeing the visual stimulus. The results are as follows; First, the 12 U.K specialists have recognized 'oriental fashion' is one of important fashion trends now a days. Japan and Japanese designers are recognized as a represented nation and designer in oriental fashion by them. Two of the specialists referred to need changing the term 'oriental' because the term has been used in the sights of western from colonial age and Japanese is not included the oriental any more. Secondly, 11 interviews have recognized nothing about the Korean national image some of them has negative image due to political situation in Korean Peninsula. However 2 interviews who had been Korea before has positive image. In the questions about Korean fashion and Korean fashion designers, 10 of 13 interviews have nothing and negative recognitions. So it was founded that Korean fashion design was recognized as a lower level by U. K. fashion specialists. Thirdly, in the questions about Korean fashion image and the design characteristics of Korean fashion after seeing the visual stimulus, the response was represented two directions. One is about over decorative image through ethnic design and the other is about simple image differ from Japanese. The 13 interviews felt the Korean Image fashion design such like traditional, decorative, opulent, flat cutting, fresh proportion, loose, layering, natural, simplicity, complicate, adventure, easy, stylish, soft, feminine, young image, adult sexy image. The images were analyzed five image groups : adult sexy image, adult ethnic image, natural image, young avant-garde image, young simple casual image. No one preferred the adult sexy image, adult ethnic image and natural image. However 10 interviews preferred young avant-garde group and 13 interviews preferred the young simple casual image. So this group can be understanded and useful informed as one of competitive power in global fashion industry.


In this technical report, we describe the use of a machine learning approach for detecting the realistic black and white ball currently in use in the RoboCup Standard Platform League. Our aim is to provide a ready-to-use software module that can be useful for the RoboCup SPL community. To this end, the approach is integrated within the official B-Human code release 2016. The complete code for the approach presented in this work can be downloaded from the SPQR Team homepage at this http URL and from the SPQR Team GitHub repository at this https URL. The approach has been tested in multiple environments, both indoor and outdoor. Furthermore, the ball detector described in this technical report has been used by the SPQR Robot Soccer Team during the competitions of the Robocup German Open 2017. To facilitate the use of our code by other teams, we have prepared a step-by-step installation guide.


In the linked paper, Professor Taylor and his colleagues describe an interesting trend over the last 20 years of increasing research publications from other countries but a reduction from the UK.1 There is much to celebrate in the results, including a global increase in multicentre studies, international collaboration and improved methodological rigour in emergency research. Emergency medicine is growing as a specialty internationally, and research in this field is growing in parallel—and therefore the proportion of papers from the UK will naturally fall as other countries contribute more.

However, there were both proportionate and absolute decreases in publication numbers from the UK in the sample of emergency medicine journals used in the study, suggesting that this could be a canary in a very worrying mine. Overcrowding, as well as being bad for patients and staff, makes conducting research more difficult and may have had a negative impact over the last few years. However, although the findings may at face value be alarming, there may be explanations other than the obvious conclusion that emergency medicine research in the UK is …


An intraspecific chromosomic divergence in Batrachyla antartandica from eight localities of south- ern Chile indicated polymorphic patterns in C-heterochromatin (C-bands), secondary constrictions (SC) and ar- gyrophilic nucleolus organizer region (Ag-NOR). Four cytotypes based in C-bands patterns in all range of B. antartandica were detected. In addition, the eight localities analyzed showed different patterns in SCs and Ag- NORs distribution. With one exception, there was always correspondence between SCs and Ag-NOR locations. Hypotheses explaining these intraspecific variations are proposed. The value of C-heterochromatin and SCs/Ag- NOR in microevolutionary processes at chromosome level as well as specific markers in frogs is discussed. Addi- tionally, the karyotype of this species is re-described.


The pitahaya (Cereus sp.) is an exotic tropical fruit, widely distributed in America and even present in the Asian continent. In Ecuador is located in the provinces of Pichincha, Morona Santiago and Loja. It is a climbing shrub whose fruit is a berry with a taste appeal. It is known that this plant has been used as a living fence or ornamental form by their morphological characteristics, however the nutritional characteristics have taken more prominence in the last decade because has been found that the fruit shows the property of being a complete nutritional food. The most important characteristic is its high content in bioflavonoids and concentration of fatty acid plus fiber, minerals and vitamins showing adjuvant effects on cardiac and gastrointestinal problems. Unfortunately few studies about the benefits of this fruit have been carried out in the country. In fact, the lack of research study by national researchers is due to the commercial competition with other fruits apparently more interesting such as banana, tree tomato and cacao.


Large-area tungsten oxide nanorod arrays were synthesized by the catalyst-free tungsten hot-filament thermal vapor method. The diameter, height, interval and alignment of the nanorods were all found to be sensitive to the distance between hot filament and substrates. And the field emission property of the nanorod arrays prepared at various distances was shown to be significantly different. This demonstrates that optimal conditions can be found for preparing W18O49 nanorod arrays of better field emission property.


Aerosols are suspensions of solid and/or liquid particles in the atmosphere and modify atmospheric radiative fluxes and chemistry. Aerosols move mass from one part of the earth system to other parts of the earth system, thereby modifying biogeochemistry and the snow surface albedo. This paper reviews our understanding of the impacts of aerosols on climate through direct radiative changes, aerosol-cloud interactions (indirect effects), atmospheric chemistry, snow albedo, and land and ocean biogeochemistry. Aerosols play an important role in the preindustrial (natural) climate system and have been perturbed substantially over the anthropocene, often directly by human activity. The most important impacts of aerosols, in terms of climate forcing, are from the direct and indirect effects, with large uncertainties. Similarly large impacts of aerosols on land and ocean biogeochemistry have been estimated, but these have larger uncertainties.


The geoPebble system is a network of wirelessly interconnected seismic and GPS sensor nodes with geophysical sensing capabilities for the study of ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland, as well as mountain glaciers. We describe our design methodology, which has enabled us to develop these state-of-the art units using commercial-off-the-shelf hardware combined with custom-designed hardware and software. Each geoPebble node is a self-contained, wirelessly connected sensor for collecting seismic activity and position information. Each node is built around a three-component seismic recorder, which includes an amplifier, filter, and 24-bit analog-to-digital converter that can sample incoming seismic signals up to 10 kHz. The timing for each node is available from GPS measurements and a local precision oscillator that is conditioned by the GPS timing pulses. In addition, we record the carrier-phase measurement of the L1 GPS signal in order to determine location at sub-decimeter accuracy (relative to other geoPebble nodes within a radius of a few kilometers). Each geoPebble includes 32 GB of solid-state storage, wireless communications capability to a central supervisory unit, and auxiliary measurements capability (including tilt from accelerometers, absolute orientation from magnetometers, and temperature). The geoPebble system has been successfully validated in the field in Antarctica and Greenland.


Abstract. Recently stochastic models such as mixture models, graphical models, Markov random fields and hidden Markov models have key role in probabilistic data analysis. Also image segmentation means to divide one picture into different types of classes or regions, for example a picture of geometric shapes has some classes with different colors such as 'circle', 'rectangle', 'triangle' and so on. Therefore we can suppose that each class has normal distribution with specify mean and variance. Thus in general a picture can be Gaussian mixture model. In this paper, we have learned Gaussian mixture model to the pixel of an image as training data and the parameter of the model are learned by EM-algorithm. Meanwhile pixel labeling corresponded to each pixel of true image is done by Bayes rule. This hidden or labeled image is constructed during of running EM-algorithm. In fact, we introduce a new numerically method of finding maximum a posterior estimation by using of EM-algorithm and Gaussians mixture model which we called EM-MAP algorithm. In this algorithm, we have made a sequence of the priors, posteriors and they then convergent to a posterior probability that is called the reference posterior probability. So Maximum a posterior estimation can be determined by this reference posterior probability which will make labeled image. This labeled image shows our segmented image with reduced noises. This method will show in several experiments.


Despite the striking performance achieved by modern detectors when training and test data are sampled from the same or similar distribution, the generalization ability of detectors under unknown distribution shifts remains hardly studied. Recently several works discussed the detectors' adaptation ability to a specific target domain which are not readily applicable in real-world applications since detectors may encounter various environments or situations while pre-collecting all of them before training is inconceivable. In this paper, we study the critical problem, domain generalization in object detection (DGOD), where detectors are trained with source domains and evaluated on unknown target domains. To thoroughly evaluate detectors under unknown distribution shifts, we formulate the DGOD problem and propose a comprehensive evaluation benchmark to fill the vacancy. Moreover, we propose a novel method named Region Aware Proposal reweighTing (RAPT) to eliminate dependence within RoI features. Extensive experiments demonstrate that current DG methods fail to address the DGOD problem and our method outperforms other state-of-the-art counterparts.


. Apparently sound limbs occasionally break out of mature trees during calm summer weather. Species of at least 19 genera are susceptible. This is particularly puzzling since normally limbs would be lighter in weight during times of high transpiration. High xylem pressure and/or weakening of the cell wall bonding in the xylem accompanied by increased limb weight may be responsible.


This research investigated the connection between science textbook contents in Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and those in Republic of Korea (ROK). Both text books in the field of earth science were analyzed and classified into 70 categories based on the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Comparison was specifically made between the elementary and middle school text books of both countries; the result are as follows: First, the scope and the level of the textbooks' contents are quite different between DPRK and ROK. Text books in the South are much limited in concepts and terms than those in the North. In contrast, textbooks in DPRK are written mainly to explain concepts. Second, there are many common contents of the textbooks in DPRK and Republic of Korea. The level and scope of the contents in Republic of Korea are more inquisitive, quantitative and detailed than those in DPRK. Third, we found content connections in science textbooks between primary and secondary schools in both countries: 27 items (38.5%) are related in ROK and 19 items (27.1%) in DPRK.


Background— Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a chronic myeloproliferative disorder with increased frequency of thrombotic events, including transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) and stroke. Moyamoya syndrome is a rare cerebrovascular disease characterized by progressive occlusion of intracerebral arteries with a typical "puff of smoke" angiographic pattern. We report the development of moyamoya syndrome in a patient with ET. Case Description— The patient is an 18-year-old female who presented at age 13 with recurrent TIAs. Persistent thrombocytosis was found, a diagnosis of ET was made, and treatment with anagrelide was started. Despite normal platelet counts, she experienced recurrent TIAs and stroke. Severe stenosis of the supraclinoid segment of the left internal carotid artery (LICA) and abnormal collateral vessels were found, and moyamoya syndrome was diagnosed on the basis of the characteristic angiographic appearance. An intracranial stent was placed in the LICA, and since then, she has had an uneventful outcome after a 46-month follow-up. Conclusion— To our knowledge, the development of moyamoya phenomenon has not been reported in ET, and the relationship between these 2 disorders remains unclear. Besides, this is the first intracranial carotid stent implanted successfully in a patient with moyamoya.


Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) are short-latency electromyograms evoked by high-level acoustic stimuli recorded from surface electrodes over the tonically contracted sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle. These responses are presumed to originate in the saccule. The purpose of this preliminary report is to provide an overview of our initial experience with the VEMP by describing the responses obtained in five subjects. Click-evoked VEMPs were present at short latencies in two normal-hearing subjects, one patient with profound congenital sensorineural hearing loss, and one patient with a severe sensorineural hearing loss due to Meniere's disease. Additionally, VEMPs were absent in a patient with profound sensorineural hearing loss following removal of a cerebellopontine angle tumor. The amplitude of the VEMP was influenced by the amount of background activity of the SCM muscle, stimulus level, and stimulus frequency. Tone-burst evoked responses showed an inverse relationship between stimulus frequency and response latency. VEMPs may prove to be a reliable technique in the clinical assessment of vestibular function.


An inherent difficulty in enumerative search algorithms for optimisation is the combinatorial explosion that occurs when increasing the size of the input. Among incomplete algorithms that address this issue, ant colony optimization(ACO) uses a combination of random and heuristic methods plus reinforcement learning, which proved efficient on a wide range of CSPs problems. This paper presents results in applying an ACO-based algorithm to configuration, which to the best of our knowledge was never investigated before. We describe how the nature of unbounded configuration problems impacts the ACO approach due to the presence of set-variables with open domains. We propose an ACO framework able to deal with those issues through an original pheromone model and algorithm. We also present the use of particle swarm optimization (PSO) to converge towards good parameter sets. Finally, we provide early experimental results, both for random problem instances andthe "racks" optimisation problem.


187 Anesthesia for Cesarean Delivery in Very Preterm Infants Abstract Type: Original Research Robin Russell, M.D., FRCA; Sam Soltanifar, M.A., FRCA John Radcliffe HospitalType: Original Research Robin Russell, M.D., FRCA; Sam Soltanifar, M.A., FRCA John Radcliffe Hospital Introduction: Spinal anesthesia (SA) for cesarean delivery (CD) has been associated with potentially harmful neonatal effects when compared to epidural and general anesthesia (GA).(1) Most data are from studies of elective CD in term infants. Little is known of the effect on outcome in premature infants; a recent retrospective study suggested an association between increased neonatal mortality and SA when compared to GA.(2) Method: Case notes of women who underwent CD at <33 weeks of gestation from 2004-08 in our unit were reviewed. Data on maternal and fetal morbidity, anesthetic technique and neonatal outcome were collected. SA and GA were compared using a multivariate regression model to control for maternal and fetal factors that could influence outcome. Results: 238 CD were identified of which 186 case notes were available. There were 37 twin deliveries giving a total of 223 infants. SA was used in 146 cases, GA in 40 and epidural in 4. Epidurals were excluded from further analysis. There were no significant differences in maternal age, gestational age or birthweight between GA and SA. Use of GA was more likely where maternal complications (e.g. APH, eclampsia, chorioamnionitis) were present. results of univariate analysis are shown in the table. Following regression analysis of outcome variables controlling for maternal and fetal factors, 1-min Apgar score was less in the GA group compared to the SA group (0.992; P=0.018); 5-min Apgar score was 0.85 less in the GA group (P=0.004). Venous pH was lower in the GA group by 0.045 (P=0.03). Length of stay in SCBU was increased in the GA group by 9.3 days compared to the SA group (P=0.032). Discussion: GA was predictably associated with lower Apgar scores. Unlike previous work, we did not observe a harmful association between SA and neonatal outcome. We found length of stay in SCBU to be increased by >7 days where GA was used and that GA was used more often where maternal complications were present. Further investigation is required to determine the nature of this association between GA and fetal morbidity. References: 1 Reynolds F, Seed PT. Anaesthesia for Caesarean section and neonatal acid-base status: a meta-analysis. Anaesthesia 2005; 60: 636 -53. 2 Laudenbach V, Mercier FJ, Roze J-C et al. Anaesthesia mode for caesarean section and mortality in very preterm infants: An epidemiologic study in the EPIPAGE cohort. Int J Obstet Anesth 2009; 18: 142-9. Table: Univariate analysis of outcome by anesthetic technique Spinal GA P value Birthweight (g) 1455 (413) 1500 (420) 0.512 Apgar 1 min 8 [2-10] 7 [1-10] 0.029 Apgar 5 min 10 [2-10] 9 [4-10] 0.020 Umbilical vein pH 7.30 (0.08) 7.30 (0.14) 0.135 Umbilical vein base excess -4.0 (3.6) -5.0 (5.3) 0.174 Umbilical artery pH 7.30 (0.1) 7.20 (0.1) 0.250 Umbilical artery base excess -4.4 (4.1) -5.0 (5.6) 0.489 Length of stay on SCBU (days) 39.2 (39.0) 43.2 (29.0) 0.518 Data are mean (SD) or median [range].


This technical report presents the age-adjusted total, and race and sex specific geographic patterns of cancer mortality for South Carolina (SC) counties utilizing the 1953--1987 average annual age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs). The mortality information was obtained from the State Cancer Control Map and Data Program produced by the National Cancer Institute , Centers for Disease Control and the American Cancer Society. The AAMRs for selected primary sites are classified as significantly different or not significantly different from the corresponding United States and SC mortality rates. Categories for classification of the rates are determined using 95% confidence intervals. Geographic patterns of significantly high county AAMRs are identified and discussed. Individual county rates are not emphasized. The terminology, mortality rates used throughout this report pertains to the 1953--1987 AAMRS.


Pesticides are used in agricultural production worldwide, resulting in widespread environmental pollution. Many diseases are closely related to exposure to pesticide residues. In this study, the association between exposure to the pesticide flupyradifurone (FPF), a substitute for neonicotinoids, and sex-dependent thyroid dysfunction was explored for the first time. Exposure using rat models revealed that the FPF metabolism is sex-dependent, with males preferring N-dealkylation and hydrolytic metabolism and females preferring hydroxylation. In particular, novel chloropyridine-site hydroxylation I and II metabolic pathways of FPF were discovered. More importantly, differential metabolic pathways of FPF induced sex-based dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis, in which females exhibited subclinical hyperthyroidism, while males displayed abnormal hypothyroidism. This may be attributed to the potential agonistic or antagonistic effect of FPF sex-dependent metabolites on liver thyroid hormone receptors. Furthermore, FPF exposure further mediated sex-specific dysregulation of cellular lipid homeostasis, with abnormal fatty acid β-oxidation and excessive energy expenditure in females and the risk of excessive accumulation of triglycerides in males. These results illustrate the potential risk of sex-related thyroid metabolic diseases caused by FPF and provide an important basis and support for further studies of FPF on human health and as an environmental pollutant.


We study at the microscopic level the dynamics of a one-dimensional gravitationally interacting sticky gas. Initially, N identical particles of mass m with uncorrelated, randomly distributed velocities fill homogeneously a finite region of space. It is proved that at a characteristic time a single macroscopic mass is formed with certainty, surrounded by a dust of non extensive fragments. In the continuum limit this corresponds to a single shock creating a singular mass density. The statistics of the remaining fragments obeys the Poisson law at all times following the shock. Numerical simulations indicate that up to the moment of macroscopic aggregation the system remains internally homogeneous. At the short time scale a rapid decrease in the kinetic energy is observed, accompanied by the formation of a number sqrt(N) of aggregates with masses sqrt(N).


Let Γ be a connected finite graph. Fix an integer k, and let v1, . . . , vk be k (not necessarily distinct) vertices of Γ. For any k-tuple k = (r1, . . . , rk) of non-negative integers, we define a (k)spider graph Γk on Γ to be the graph obtained by adjoining a 2-valent tree of length ri to Γ at vi. We say a graph Γ is abelian if Q(λ2) is an abelian extension, where λ is the Perron–Frobenius eigenvalue of Γ (the unique largest real eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix MΓ of Γ). If Γ is one of the affine Dynkin diagrams, then Γ is abelian, and λ2 = 4 cos2(2π/N) for some integer N . Conversely, if λ ≤ 2, then Γ is an affine Dynkin diagram.


Sumoylation is an important post-translational modification in which SUMO (small ubiquitin-related modifier) proteins are bonded covalently to their substrates. Studies on the roles of sumoylation in cell cycle regulation have been emerging in both mitosis from yeast to mammals and meiosis in budding yeast, but the functions of sumoylation in mammalian meiosis, especially in oocyte meiotic maturation are not well known. Here, we examined the localization and expression of SUMO-1 and SUMO-2/3, the two basic proteins in the sumoylation pathway and investigated their roles through over-expression of Senp2 during mouse oocyte maturation. Immunofluorescent staining revealed differential patterns of SUMO-1 and SUMO-2/3 localization: SUMO-1 was localized to the spindle poles in prometaphase I, MI and MII stages, around the separating homologues in anaphase I and telophase I stages of first meiosis, while SUMO-2/3 was mainly concentrated near centromeres during mouse oocyte maturation. Immunoblot analysis uncovered the different expression profiles of SUMO-1 and SUMO-2/3 modified proteins during mouse oocyte maturation. Over-expression of Senp2, a SUMO-specific isopeptidase, caused changes of SUMO-modified proteins and led to defects in MII spindle organization in mature eggs. These results suggest that the SUMO pathway may play an indispensable role during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation.


In this paper, a simple conical-shaped dielectric resonator antenna operating in HEM11δ mode is presented for X-band wireless applications. A rectangular slot with a running microstrip line is used for excitation purpose. By placing a FR-4 based superstrate at 7 mm height from the ground FR-4 substrate and incorporating a set of modified ground plane on either side of the feed line, gain is improved by 42.85% and bandwidth by 68.92%, simultaneously. A prototype of designed antenna is fabricated and characterized. The measured results are found to be good in matching with the simulated ones.


A detailed nonstationary kinetic model of a gas-discharge He-Ar-N{sub 2} laser on transitions of the second positive C({sup 3{Pi}}{sub u})-B({sup 3{Pi}}{sub g}) system of nitrogen is constructed. The main parameters of the laser are optimised for the three UV laser lines at 358, 381, and 406 nm. (lasers)


The purpose of this study was to determine the competitiveness of the agricultural sector of Turkey in the international arena. For this analysis, food and agriculture trade data belong to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in for the years 2000 to 2011 were used. The Revealed Comparative Advantage Index (RCA) was calculated for the 601 agricultural items for Turkey. If RCA greater 1, 1 th goods to the j th country shows that it has a comparative advantage. On the condition that only selected 78 agricultural items were founded over one value for RCA. According to these RCA index values, agricultural items were divided into two groups. Although the first group's RCA values had range between 0 and smaller than 1, the second group's RCA values had greater and equal to 1. It means that the higher RCA values correspond to the more stronger competitiveness. Namely, the strength of the second group's competitiveness was better than the first group.


Thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) were determined in healthy individuals ranging in age from newborn to 95 years. T4: 10.25 +/- 1.62 microng/100 ml, T3: 1.62 +/- 0.35 ng/ml and TBG: 1.34 +/- 0.15 mg/100 ml, were found elevated until puberty compared to a middle age group with T4: 7.27 +/- 2.26 microng/100 ml, T3: 1.15 +/- 0.24 ng/ml and TBG: 0.98 +/- 14 mg/100 ml. T4 and T3 followed almost TBG concentration. In old age is dissociation between T4: 5.79 +/- 1.56 microng/100 ml, T3: 0.79 +/- 0.21 ng/ml and TBG: 1.28 +/- 0.15 mg/100 ml was found. Except for old age the ratio T4/TBG and T3/TBG minimized the age dependent variation of T4 and T3 and reduced the coefficient of variance from 26% to 17.7% for T4 and from 26.5 to 25% for T3. Age reduction of T4/TBG is 15% and of T3/TBG 13% respectively more pronounced than for T4 and T3 alone. These data indicate: 1) age related variations of T4 and T3 due to age dependency of TBG, 2) deviation of T4 and T3 values in old age from that expected by their TBG levels and 3) the importance of the routine use of hormone/TBG ratio.


BACKGROUND
Despite substantial improvements in trauma care, severe injuries often result in significant long-term consequences for otherwise young, healthy individuals. Providing patient-centered care and extensive psychosocial support services is difficult for trauma centers.

METHODS
In collaboration with researchers and clinicians, the American Trauma Society has developed the Trauma Survivors Network, a program incorporating self-management, peer support, timely access to information, and online social networking.

RESULTS
Individually, these components have been proven effective in improving outcomes and quality of life and are widely used in nontrauma settings. To date, 70 representatives from 30 trauma centers have participated in training sessions conducted by the American Trauma Society.

CONCLUSION
The Trauma Survivors Network provides a critical component of trauma care that can be adapted for local needs throughout the country. Implementation of these services is a necessary step in the development of comprehensive trauma systems that not only save lives but also reduce long-term disability among survivors.


We have examined the tempo of T cell activation and proliferation in the draining lymph nodes in response to type A influenza virus infections with TCR transgenic CD8+ T cells. The CD8+ T cell activation/proliferation revealed by CFSE intensity correlated with the tempo of accelerated respiratory dendritic cells (RDC) migration from the infected lungs to the draining lymph nodes in response to influenza virus infection. In vivo administration of blocking anti-CD62L antibody at various time points before and after infection revealed that the virus specific CD8+ T cells entered the lymph nodes and activated in a sequential 'conveyor belt' like fashion. In conclusion, the onset of CD8+ T cell activation/proliferation after viral infection is controlled by the availability of DC harboring influenza antigens and the migration of these DC from the lungs to the draining lymph nodes.
 This work is supported by USPHS grants AIO15608, HL03391, and HL071875.


We have identified immunologically the protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms present in rat mesenteric small arteries, defined their distribution between particulate and soluble fractions, and studied their involvement in phorbol ester-induced contraction. Our analysis revealed the presence of the CA(2+)-dependent PKCs (alpha and gamma), Ca(2+)-independent PKCs (delta and epsilon), and the atypical isoform (zeta). PKCbeta could not be detected, whereas PKCgamma is likely to be of neural origin. All isoforms exhibited different distributions. PKCalpha, PKCepsilon, and PKCzeta were found in both particulate and soluble fractions. In contrast, PKCdelta was mainly in the particulate fraction, and PKCgamma was in the soluble fraction. Phorbol esters, which activate PKC and cause smooth muscle contraction, downregulated only the alpha and delta isoforms. This was associated with a parallel loss of contractile response to phorbol ester. The force developed to submaximal concentrations of noradrenaline was decreased after phorbol dibutyrate pretreatment, although the sensitivity and maximal response were unchanged. Phorbol ester pretreatment did not affect the contractile response to vasopressin. The sensitivity to non-receptor-mediated contraction, caused by k+ in the presence of prazosin, was slightly reduced by 4 alpha- and 4 beta-phorbol ester pretreatment. Maximal tension in response to this agonist was not affected. We conclude that PKCalpha and/or PKCdelta is necessary for phorbol ester-mediated contraction but is not essential for noradrenaline-, vasopressin-, or k(+)-induced contraction, demonstrating differences in the mechanisms involved in the contractile response between these agents.


We describe the base-line design and implementation of the Data Flow and High Level Trigger (HLT) part of the ATLAS Trigger and Data Acquisition (TDAQ) system. We then discuss improvements and generalization of the system design to allow the handling of events in parallel data streams and we present the possibility for event duplication, partial Event Building and data stripping. We then present tests on the deployment and integration of the TDAQ infrastructure and algorithms at the TDAQ "pre-series" cluster (~10% of full ATLAS TDAQ). Finally, we tackle two HLT performance issues.


Charge transport at organic/inorganic hybrid contacts significantly affects the performance of organic optoelectronic devices because the unfavorable energy level offsets at these interfaces can hinder charge injection or extraction due to large barrier heights. Herein, we report a technologically relevant method to functionalize a traditional hole-transport layer of solution-processed nickel oxide (NiOx) with various interlayers. The photoemission spectroscopy measurements reveal the continuous tuning of the NiOx substrate work function ranging from 2.5 to 6.6 eV, enabling the alignment transition of energy levels between the Schottky-Mott limit and Fermi level pinning at the organic/composite NiOx interface. As a result, switching hole and electron transport for the active organic material on the composite NiOx layer is achieved due to the controlled carrier injection/extraction barriers. The experimental findings indicate that tuning the work function of metal oxides with optimum energy level offsets can facilitate the charge transport at organic/electrode contacts.


To investigate the effect of increased glutamate-semialdehyde aminotransferase (GSA) on photosynthetic capacity and growth, tobacco (Nicoliana tabacum L. Xanti) plants with increased levels of glutamate-semialdehyde aminotransferase protein were produced. This was achieved using a cassette composed of a full-length Medicago sative cDNA under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. The results revealed distinct impacts of GSA activity on photosynthesis rate and growth in GSA over expression tobacco plants. In transgenic plants with increased GSA activity, an increase in soluble and insoluble sugars accumulation was evident. Total biomass, leaf area, plant height and internode 3-4 were increased in GSA sense plants, compared with equivalent wild-type tobacco plants. Moreover, transgenic tobacco plants with increased GSA activity exhibit higher levels of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) accumulation and increased in content of chlorophyll and carotenoids pigments. Collectively, our data suggest that higher level of GSA activity gives an advantage to photosynthesis, growth in tobacco plants. This work also provides a case study that an individual enzyme in the biosynthesis of chlorophyll pathway may serve as a useful target for genetic engineering to improve photosynthesis and growth in plants. Highlight Overexpression of glutamate-semialdehyde aminotransferase (GSA) increase photosynthetic capacity, growth in tobacco.


This paper predicts that, by 2061, (non-normative) 'technological management' will co-exist with legal, moral and social norms as a significant regulatory instrument. Sometimes, technological management will be adopted for reasons of crime control; at other times, it will be employed (in the design of products and places) for reasons of health and safety, and environmental protection and the like. In order to monitor the use of technological management, it is suggested that an expansive concept of the 'regulatory environment' – a concept allowing for both normative and non-normative dimensions – should be adopted; and that a focal point for inquiry should be the 'complexion' of the regulatory environment, putting the spotlight on the shift from normative prescription of what ought or ought not to be done to non-normative specification of what can and cannot be done. The cornerstone ideas of, first, the 'regulatory environment' and, then, the 'complexion' of the regulatory environment are elaborated before an indication is given of the questions (such as questions about the application of the Rule of Law and the continuing relevance of traditional bodies of law) that invite further juristic attention once technological management takes hold.


Primary mucosal melanoma of the paranasal sinuses is a rare tumor of the head and neck which can be a devastating disease. Cancers arising in the sinonasal cavity are extremely rare, with a poor survival rate. There is inherent difficulty in diagnosing these lesions due to their complex anatomic locations and symptoms which are often confused with more common benign processes. The primary treatment of this rare disease process is resection, except in advanced stages where surgical resection is not an option. Diagnostic accuracy in consideration of size, location, and presence of metastatic disease of these malignant tumors tailors individual patients to different management in order to achieve the longest possible survival.


BACKGROUND
Although immunoprecipitable DNA has been found in a subgroup of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) exhibiting systemic vasculitis and/or central nervous system involvement, the mechanism for elevated plasma DNA in these patients is poorly understood.

METHODS
The plasma DNA concentrations and reactivity of serum and lymphocytes to six species of double-stranded DNA from calf thymus, human placenta, Escherichia coli, Micrococcus lysodeikticus, Clostridium perfringens and poly (dG.dC). poly (dG.dC) were measured in twenty-seven patients with active SLE. To understand the mechanism of increased plasma DNA in SLE, the DNA binding and release of the mononuclear cells were examined.

RESULTS
Compared with the controls, the incidence of the presence of plasma DNA was markedly increased in SLE (59.3% in SLE vs. 7.4% in controls) as detected by counterimmunoelectrophoresis. Except for DNA from Clostridium perfringens, the reactivity of lupus sera to various DNA samples was significantly higher than that of the controls. The reactivity of lymphocytes to 6 species of DNA (as defined by 3H-thymidine incorporation of the cells) was also higher in SLE patients. In DNA binding and releasing experiments, patients with SLE were found to have decreased 3H-DNA binding activity (0.169 +/- 0.018 micrograms/2 x 10(6) cells in SLE vs. 0.283 +/- 0.02 micrograms/2 x 10(6) cells in controls, p = 0.001) but to have increased spontaneous release of DNA (1,465 +/- 412 cpm in SLE vs. 630 +/- 179 cpm in controls, p = 0.0173) in mononuclear cells.

CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that some subsets of lymphocytes can be sensitized by different DNA samples in vivo to increase endogenous DNA release from mononuclear cells, which in addition to decreased DNA clearance as has been previously reported, may be responsible for the elevation of plasma DNA in patients with SLE.


The subject of this presentation is to show how molecular cluster calculations can lead to a deeper understanding of laser induced processes at surfaces of ionic crystals. Molecular cluster calculations were performed for bulk BaF2 and for different clusters modelling the (111) surface of BaF2. The effect of the surrounding crystal ions have been included by an embedding crystal potential. Calculations for a stoichiometric surface give an electronic structure similar to the bulk, while calculations for a local non-stoichiometric surface show the existence of occupied surface states in the upper half of the bandgap, followed by unoccupied states extending above the ionization limit. These calculations give a qualitative understanding of the experimentally observed resonantly enhanced multiphoton processes of electron and ion emission from the (111) surface of BaF2.


We present a case of pigmented adrenal paraganglioma in a 39-year-old female patient with associated neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Histology showed features typical for phaeochromocytomas except for varying amounts of brown pigment within the cytoplasm of tumour cells, which proved to be melanin by histochemical and ultrastructural analysis. The occurrence of melanin is believed to reflect the origin of this neoplasm from multipotent cells of the neural crest. Pigmented phaeochromocytoma has to be taken in consideration in the differential diagnosis of pigmented neoplasms, especially in the adrenal gland, where it has to be discriminated from pigmented cortical adenoma (so-called black adenoma) and primary malignant melanoma.


The focus of this essay is to provide a longer-term and more contextual perspective on the far right. It looks at the way in which the far right has been defined by and responded to the politics of liberal democracy and the social regime of capital. And it emphasizes the role of the international – in its institutional, geopolitical and material forms – as a key mediating factor in accounting for the historically distinct possibilities and opportunities for far-right forms of politics. The point is to offer a sober assessment of the political challenge and threat that the far right poses as a basis for thinking about effective political responses to it.


Bact. lactis aerogenes first subcultured into D-arabinose has a long lag phase, in one strain about 30 hr. This is shown by cultures freshly grown from a single colony, and is not significantly changed by repeated subculture in a variety of media free from D-arabinose. According, therefore, to the theory that mutations and reverse mutations lead to an equilibrium and that the lag is the time required for the small proportion of mutants to multiply in the D-arabinose, this proportion must be very small, and the equilibrium rapidly established. Differential equations can be set up to express the rate of establishment of equilibrium starting either with normal cells (not utilizing D-arabinose) or with mutant cells. From the experimental observations an estimate can be made of the minimum rate of establishment of equilibrium in the forward direction, and the equations then can be applied to calculate the rate at which reverse mutation should occur. The calculations can be compared with the experimental results on the stability of D-arabinose adaptation during subsequent culture of the mutant cells in glucose. Reversion does not occur in the predicted manner. The theory would also fail to account for the generally observed influence of the length of training of bacteria on the ease of reversion. Theories of direct adaptation do not present these difficulties (though they do not themselves make any general prediction about the rate of reversion).


Aiming at the traditional methods of research equipment support capability to the lack of scientific quantitative description of the overall support capability, It builds the multi-dimensional space description Model of equipment support capability based on SEA Initially, introduces the basic idea of the modeling, analysis the equipment support ability of model generating method, focuses on the study of building the basic process and form, and puts forwards the calculation model of the whole description of equipment support ability. Keywords-equipment support capability; description model; multi-dimensional space; mapping


Abstract : This report describes several multimedia exposure assessment models and discusses their applicability for use in evaluating ecological risk of exposure to military-related compounds (MRCs). The risk of exposure to MRCs by ecological units is of vital importance because of the unique characteristics of certain military specific compounds. This assessment of risk is valuable for permitting and planning activities as well as for possible cleanup operations of contaminated sites should the risk to an ecological unit become too great. The requirement that the model be a screening-level model was made to allow for the use of simplified, quantitative, predictive methods that minimize time and effort for implementation in order to quickly obtain the necessary information needed to make a judgment of risk to an ecological unit. The MRCs of primary concern addressed in this report are 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), and octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX). Briefly discussed is the risk of exposure to radioactive compounds. This report presents a discussion of the selection of an existing screening-level model and the modifications made to allow for the evaluation of ecological risk of exposure to the primary MRCs of concern at military sites (i.e., TNT, RDX, and HMX).


Introduction and objective: In 2012 actual concentrations of benzene in the villages (9,000 people) near one of the largest in the world oil and gas condensate fields (Kazakhstan, Central Asia) were several times higher than expected model-based concentrations. Therefore a human health risk assessment from benzene was made with a focus on carcinogenic incidence determination. Additional cancer cases were derived from the benzene concentrations and turned into an economic damage to the state. Materials and methods: Annual population cancerogenic risk was derived with the use of Human health risk assessment methodology as described in the Guidance by Rahmanin et al. Economic damage from additional cancer cases was defined with a newly developed method with socio-economic characteristics of Kazakhstan taken into account. Results: In 2012, additional carcinogenic morbidity from benzene emissions totaled 0.1 case per 9,000 people. Human health economic damage from benzene caused by the activity of the abovementioned facility was estimated at $4,530. As seen from this exact study, the results of modeling and monitoring of one and the same facility may greatly differ. Therefore holding the cancerogenic risk assessment on an annual basis is a necessity and it must be made mandatorily, on a legal basis, not only in this exact region, but whenever an industrial facility runs its operations associated with the air pollution.


A hand-held global positioning system receiver displays the operator's latitude, longitude and velocity. Knowledge of GCSE-level physics will allow the basic principles of the system to be understood; knowledge of A-level physics will allow many important aspects of their implementation to be comprehended. A discussion of the system provides many simple numerical calculations relevant to school and first-year undergraduate syllabuses.


Six children with Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM) were seen at the Penang Hospital over a two year period (July 1999-June 2001). Diagnosis was based upon typical clinical features and characteristic findings on neuroimaging. Cerebrospinal fluid examination and other investigations were done, where appropriate, to rule out other causes of central nervous system disease. Three children had a prodromal illness. The most common presenting symptoms were fever, seizures, ataxia, focal neurological deficits and labile mood. Two children presented with status epilepticus. All children had an abnormal neurological examination. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed hyperintense signals on T2-weighted and FLAIR sequences in the subcortical and deep white matter regions of the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes, as well as in the thalami, cerebellum and brainstem. One child had multiphasic disseminated encephalomyelitis (three episodes). The child with multiphasic disease had only one treated episode, and has suffered mild disability. Three children were treated with either methylprednisolone or immunoglobulins, and remain well. One child received both treatments but expired as a result of severe gastrointestinal bleeding from the use of methylprednisolone. The child who was not treated has severe disability.


: In the issue of expanding noise levels the world over, road traffic noise is main contributor. The investiga-tion of street traffic noise in urban communities is a significant issue. Ample opportunity has already passed to understand the significance of noise appraisal through prediction models with the goal that assurance against street traffic noise can be actualized. Noise predictions models are utilized in an increasing range of decision-making applica-tions. This study's main objective is to assess ambient noise levels at major arterial roads of Surat city, compare these with prescribed standards, and develop a noise prediction model for arterial roads using an Artificial Neural Network. The feed-forward back propagation method has been used to train the model. Models have been developed using the data of three roads separately, and one final model has also been developed using the data of all three roads. Among the prediction in three arterial roads, the predicted output result from the model of Adajan-Rander showed a better correlation with a mean squared error (MSE) of 0.789 and R 2 value of 0.707. But with the combined model, there is a slight deterioration in mean squared value (MSE) 1.550, with R 2 not getting changed much significantly, i.e. , 0.755. However, the combined model's prediction can be adopted due to the variety of data used in its training.


Verification of a diffuse pollution model involves comparing results actually observed with those predicted by precise model inputs. Acquisition of precise model inputs is, however, problematic. In particular, when the target catchment is large and substantial estimation uncertainty exists, not only model verification but also prediction is difficult. Therefore, in this study, rice-farming data were collected for all paddy fields from all farmers in a catchment and pesticide adsorption and degradation rates in paddy field soil samples were measured to obtain precise model inputs. The model inputs successfully verified the model's capability to predict pesticide concentrations in river water. Sensitivity analyses of the model inputs elucidated the processes significantly affecting pesticide runoff from rice farms. Pesticide adsorption and degradation rates of the soil did not significantly affect pesticide concentrations, although pesticide discharge to river water accounted for less than 50% of the total quantity of pesticide applied to fields, possibly owing to pesticide adsorption and degradation. The timing of increases in pesticide concentrations in river water was affected mostly by the farming schedule, including the time of pesticide application and irrigation, and secondarily by rainfall events.


Reformulated principle of fault estimation design for one class of first order continuous-time nonlinear system is treated in this paper, where a neural network is regarded as model-free fault approximator. The problem addressed is presented as approach based on sliding mode methodology with combination of radial basis function neural network to design robust nonlinear fault estimation. The method utilizes Lyapunov function and the steepest descent rule to guarantee the convergence of the estimation error asymptotically. Simulation results show the feasibility of the proposed approach.


A novel active region design based on a type-II InGaAs/GaAsSbBi quantum wells on GaAs substrate is proposed and studied in this work. The band structures of the InGaAs/GaAsSbBi type-II quantum wells are studied based on a self-consistent 14-band k·p model. The electronic and optical properties of dilute-bismide InGaAs/GaAsSbBi type-II quantum well structures are investigated theoretically. Moreover, the room temperature gain characteristics of the laser active region are studied with different Bi composition. The theoretical results indicate that adding Bi into InGaAs/GaAsSb type-II active regions on GaAs substrate extends the laser emission wavelength beyond 1550nm without sacrificing the peak gain value. It is shown that these type-II quantum well structures are suitable for 1550nm wavelength region operation at room temperature.


Macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC/CCL22) and thymus-and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC/CCL17) are ligands for CC chemokine receptor 4. Recently, TARC has been reported to play a role in the pathogenesis of idiopathic eosinophilic pneumonia (IEP). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of MDC in IEP and other interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). MDC and TARC in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in patients with ILDs and healthy volunteers (HV). We also examined the expression of MDC mRNA in alveolar macrophages (AM) by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Both MDC and TARC were detected only in BALF obtained from IEP patients. The concentration of MDC was higher than that of TARC in all cases. The level of MDC in IEP correlated with that of TARC. AM from IEP patients expressed a significantly higher amount of MDC than that from HV at the levels of protein and mRNA. MDC in BALF from IEP dramatically decreased when patients achieved remission. These findings suggest that MDC, in addition to TARC, might be involved in the pathogenesis of IEP, and AM play a role in the elevation of MDC in IEP.


Heterologous expression of integral membrane proteins from Helicobacter pylori 26695 in Escherichia coli enabled the identification of 17 candidates for purification and subsequent crystallization. 45% of the purified proteins were contaminated with what was later identified as the multidrug efflux pump (AcrB) of E. coli , and 17% with the succinate dehydrogenase. While additional purification steps ensured succinate dehydrogenase, they failed to remove AcrB completely, leaving picogram amounts present in fractions intended for 3D-crystallization. Two of these targets, the Na + dependent D-glucose/D-galactose transporter (GluP-HP1174) and the carbon starvation protein A (CstA-HP1168), produced small crystals (<40 µ m). Crystals from the GluP preparation diffracted to 4.2 Å resolution and belonged to the rhombohedral space group H 32. Subsequent molecular replacement proved that these crystals were derived from a contaminant, the efflux transporter AcrB. This unexpected crystallization of AcrB from picogram amounts was observed in six new conditions. The systematic occurrence of AcrB in membrane preparations stems from the upregulation of its transcription in response to the stress induced by the expression of a selected target. This, along with its tendency to crystallize in the picogram scale, poses a serious concern in membrane protein expression using heterologous hosts harbouring AcrB.


Measurements of reversible magnetization have been performed on high quality MgB2 single crystals using torque magnetometry combined with the 'vortex shaking' technique. At high temperatures above 26 K, a step like decrease in the magnetization curve is observed at Hm with and without shaking. This anomaly can be ascribed to the first order vortex lattice melting transition. At low temperature below 25 K, where the irreversible magnetization curve reveals the peak effect, we succeed in suppressing the hysteresis completely by shaking and observing the clear step in the reversible magnetization curve at the field H* for the peak effect. The entropy change, estimated from the step of the reversible magnetization at Hm is 2–3 times larger than that at H*.


Abstract. Exchange of dissolved substances at the sediment–water interface provides an important link between the short–term and long–term geochemical cycles in the ocean. A second, as yet poorly understood sediment–water exchange is supported by low–temperature circulation of seawater through the oceanic basement underneath the sediments. From the basement, upwards diffusing oxygen and other dissolved species modify the sediment whereas reaction products diffuse from the sediment down into the basement, where they are transported by the basement fluid and released to the ocean. Here, we investigate the impact of this "second" route with respect to transport, release and consumption of oxygen, nitrate, manganese, nickel, and cobalt on the basis of sediment cores retrieved from the Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. We show that in this abyssal ocean region characterised by low organic–carbon burial and sedimentation rates vast areas exist where the downward and upward directed diffusive fluxes of oxygen meet so that the sediments are oxic throughout. This is especially the case where sediments are thin or in the proximity of faults. Oxygen diffusing upward from the basaltic crust into the sediment contributes to the degradation of sedimentary organic matter. Where the oxygen profiles do not meet, they are separated by a suboxic sediment interval characterised by Mn2+ in the pore–water. Where the sediments are entirely oxic, nitrate produced in the upper sediment by nitrification is lost both by upward diffusion into the bottom water and by downward diffusion into the fluids circulating within the basement. Where pore–water manganese in the suboxic zones remains low, nitrate consumption is low and the sediment continues to deliver nitrate to the ocean bottom waters and basement fluid. We observe that at elevated pore–water manganese concentrations, nitrate consumption exceeds production and the basement becomes a nitrate source. Within the suboxic zone, not only manganese but also cobalt and nickel are released into the pore–water by reduction of oxides, diffuse towards the oxic/suboxic fronts above and below where they precipitate, effectively removing these metals from the suboxic zone and concentrating them at the oxic/suboxic redox boundaries. We show that not only diffusive fluxes in the top part of deep–sea sediments modify the geochemical composition over time, but also diffusive fluxes of dissolved constituents from the basement into the bottom layers of the sediment. Hence, paleoceanographic interpretation of sedimentary layers should carefully consider such deep secondary modifications in order to prevent misinterpretation as primary signatures.


Aperiodic stochastic resonance ~ASR! is a phenomenon in which the response of a nonlinear system to a subthreshold information-bearing signal is optimized by the presence of noise. We have previously characterized this effect by the use of cross-correlation-based measures. Here we apply a measure ~transinformation! that directly quantifies the rate of information transfer from stimulus to response and show that the presence of noise optimizes the information-transfer rate. By considering a nonlinear system ~the FitzHugh-Nagumo model! that captures the functional dynamics of neuronal firing, we demonstrate that sensory neurons could, in principle, harness ASR to optimize the detection and transmission of weak stimuli. @S1063-651X~96!51309-7#


The healing process of the Best Self Visualization Method (BSM) is described within the framework of meditation, neuroscience, and psychodynamic theory. Cases are drawn from the treatment of high-risk youth, who have histories of poverty, survival of sexual and physical abuse, and/or current risk for perpetrating abuse. Clinical use of BSM is demonstrated in two case illustrations, one of group psychotherapy and another of individual therapy.


In e-learning environments, tutors perform the main function of tutoring. They follow up learners and answer their assistance requests which require different skills. These requests may not belong to the tutors' skills and competencies, so collaboration among other tutors is expected. In fact, this collaboration can improve tutors' skills and provide learners with effective monitoring. It can be permanent and adaptive, according to learners' needs and requests. Grouping tutors with different skills is the aim of this research. In this paper, a new technique for grouping tutors is presented. The proposed technique is called K-complementarity. It is based on the complementarity of roles that are assigned to tutors. K-complementarity is based on tutor model and aims at obtaining K groups of tutors who have the most of the roles and skills. The proposed technique has been used by a Computer-Supported Collaborative Tutoring (CSCTT) system. This system had been tested in an Algerian University. The obtained results showed that the groups' members are heterogeneous and the groups are homogeneous. Furthermore, each group had more than 80% of the roles by combining those of its members. So, these results can be considered as acceptable and very encouraging.


Objectives: To investigate, using a Mendelian randomisation approach, whether heavier smoking is associated with a range of regional adiposity phenotypes, in particular those related to abdominal adiposity. Design: Mendelian randomisation meta-analyses using a genetic variant (rs16969968/rs1051730 in the CHRNA5-CHRNA3-CHRNB4 gene region) as a proxy for smoking heaviness, of the associations of smoking heaviness with a range of adiposity phenotypes. Participants: 148 731 current, former and never-smokers of European ancestry aged ≥ 16 years from 29 studies in the consortium for Causal Analysis Research in Tobacco and Alcohol (CARTA). Primary outcome measures: Waist and hip circumferences, and waist-hip ratio. Results: The data included up to 66 809 never-smokers, 43 009 former smokers and 38 913 current daily cigarette smokers. Among current smokers, for each extra minor allele, the geometric mean was lower for waist circumference by − 0.40% (95% CI − 0.57% to − 0.22%), with effects on hip circumference, waist-hip


This paper discusses the concepts and practice of museum conservation, and the role of conservation in preserving both material and significance of objects. It explores the conservation of science and industry collections and the fact that the significance of many of these objects lies in their operation. It considers alternatives to operating original objects but emphasises the value of experiencing the real thing, and argues that visitors should be given greater physical access to museum objects, including being enabled to handle and work functioning objects. It finishes by calling for research into the effects of operation on the objects themselves, and into what constitutes a satisfying experience of working objects. Compone nt DOI: http://dx.doi .org/10.15180/160608/001