Abstract : The Army uses of powder metallurgy (P/M) extend from the conventional press and sinter to the more exotic processes of liquid phase sintering of tungsten heavy alloys (WHA) and powder injection molding (PIM). Many of the more advanced high performance applications require extensive research and development (R and D) prior to fielding of the application. Examples arc the intense research into WHA in the last ten years. This research has led to great understanding of these heavy alloys and application into some kinetic energy systems. The Navy has taken great advantage of WHA by employing them iii the phalanx close-in weapon system (CIWS). The Army intends that research will lead to an alloy or composite of tungsten that, when used as a long rod penetrator, will perform as well as, or better than, current depleted uranium (DU) penetrators. This will allow possible replacement of the controversial DU. Powder injection molding of WHA is an area receiving attention because of the potential for producing small and medium caliber projectiles. The drawbacks at this time include the need to develop an alloy that does not require post sinter cold working to develop the strength required for these demanding applications. Other possible problems include producing slender long rod projectiles with desired product straightness. In addition to the work on tungsten alloys, a discussion is underway of other powder metallurgy R and D and is under active investigation within the Army. These topics include aluminum and titanium alloys, intermetallics, and ultrahigh strength steels for structural and propulsion applications, as well as nonequilibrium P/M produced structures.... Powder metallurgy, Tungsten alloys, Aluminum alloys, Titanium alloys, Intermetallic compounds


Two ground-based experiments have recently independently detected TeV γ-rays from the direction of the Galactic center. The observations made by the VERITAS and CANGAROO collaborations are unexpected, although not impossible to interpret in terms of astrophysical sources. Here we examine in detail whether the observed γ-rays may arise from the more exotic alternative of annihilations of dark matter particles clustered in the center of the Galaxy.


Background Skin biopsies are performed to support the clinical diagnosis of inflammatory skin diseases. Clinical information is conveyed to the pathologist as a list of differential diagnosis. Aims The aims of this article are to correlate the clinical diagnosis with histopathologic diagnosis and to determine the correlation rank order of differentials with histopathologic diagnosis. Methods Four hundred and fifty-five skin biopsies signed out as inflammatory lesions were identified using the laboratory information system. Clinical differential diagnosis from the biopsy requisition forms were tabulated and compared with the final histopathologic diagnosis. Results Out of the 455 individuals considered, 237 (52.08%) were men and 218 (47.9%) were women. The clinical diagnosis with more than 40 mentions included vasculitis, lichenoid dermatitis, discoid lupus erythematosus, psoriasis and eczema. The histopathologic diagnosis with more than 20 mentions included lichenoid dermatitis, cutaneous vasculitis, pemphigus vulgaris, psoriasis and Hansen's disease. The median number of differential diagnosis per patient was 3 (range: 1–5). The final diagnosis was included in the differentials in 412 (90.5%) and absent in 43 (9.5%) cases. In 339/412 (82.3%) cases, the final diagnosis was the first differential. In 70/412 (16.9%) cases, the final diagnosis was listed as the second or third differential and in 3/412 (0.007%) cases as the fourth and fifth. Among the 37 discordant cases where the clinical details were available, the clinical description correlated with the final diagnosis in 15 cases; clinical and histopathologic diagnoses fell under the same broad disease category in 19 cases. Only 3/37 cases were truly discordant. Limitations The sample size and the possibility of lesions being overbiopsied are the only possible limitations. Conclusion The overall concordance between the first three clinical diagnosis and histopathology was a good 98%. A longer list of differential diagnosis is not helpful. In situations where a specific clinical diagnosis is deferred, an accurate description of the lesions aids the pathologist.


Machine-to-Machine communication (M2M) refers to automated applications executing on smart devices or machines that communicate through a network with little or no human intervention at all. By enabling smart devices to communicate directly with one another, M2M communications technology has the potential to radically change the world around us and the way that we interact with objects. Many applications can benefit from M2M communications, such as transportation, health care, smart energy production, transmission, and distribution, logistics, city automation and manufacturing, security and safety, and others. Thus M2M communications have emerged as a cutting edge technology for next generation communication, are developing rapidly and inspiring numerous applications. This article presents an investigation of the applications of M2M communications. First, an overview of M2M communication is given. The enabling technologies and open research issues of M2M communication are also discussed. Then we have the network design architecture/issues of M2M for wireless health monitoring. The proposed prototype implementation of "Wireless Health Monitoring System" including the M2M service platform and M2M area network


Student passivity is a problem in higher education classrooms. This study contests that much of it may be caused by the presentation style in lectures. The ubiquitous use of PowerPoint has negatively affected student engagement in higher education classrooms. Accordingly, research was conducted into the removal of PowerPoint as a transmission medium. The location was in two undergraduate modules at an Irish university. A total of 136 students were involved over a 12-week period.  Data following the interventions were collected the survey method. Results showed a positive response to the removal of PowerPoint resulting in increased engagement by students.


Thermoelectric (TE) bonds between two silicon wafers have been formed using sputtered Pyrex films. The bond area was defined by patterning and etching reliefs into a silicon wafer. The bond geometry was varied from square to circular annuli with varying widths, diameters, and corner rounding. Bond strengths were determined as a faction of bond shape and size. From rupture pressure measurements an empirical statistical model which allows prediction of bond strength as a function of bond geometry has been developed for thin film TE bonds.<<ETX>>


Clustering is routinely applied to modern high-dimensional data, including gene expression measurements from microarray and RNA-seq. Iteratively estimating the cluster centers and assigning memberships according to pre-defined criteria, the clustering algorithms classify genes or samples to help ascertain molecular processes or sub-types. For example, the cluster membership assignments of unlabeled single cells from massively parallel RNA-seq experiments are used as the cell identities. However, how can we evaluate if the cluster memberships are correctly assigned? To this end, we introduce the jackstraw methods for unsupervised classifications that rigorously test the assignments of data features into their clusters. By learning uncertainty in clustering the noisy data, the proposed jackstraw methods can identify statistically significant features that truly make up the corresponding clusters. Simulation studies using K -means clustering confirm the accuracy of the proposed statistical significance. We consider mRNA abundances of 5981 Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes under cell cycle. After the proposed jackstraw methods are applied for K = 6 clusters, we estimate and use posterior inclusion probabilities (PIP) to select and visualize the canonical features for their clusters. We also investigate the single cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) data from a mixture of Jurkat and 293T cell lines, where individual cell identities are un-known. The jackstraw methods evaluate cluster membership assignments of 3381 unlabeled single cells such that the majority of multiplets are identified in an unsupervised manner. When clustering is employed in high-dimensional data analysis, the proposed tests enable rigorous evaluation of membership assignments that readily improve feature selection and visualization.


1121 Background: Geldanamycin (GA) is a potent inhibitor of Hsp90. Its derivative, 17-AAG is in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of several cancers. However, due to its hydrophobicity, 17-AAG is administered in cremophor. Both GA and 17-AAG contain a quinone group that is well known to have redox-active properties that may be linked to potential toxicity. Herein we describe the preparation and biological evaluation of novel geldanamycin derivatives. Methods: The new derivatives of GA were prepared from GA or 17-substituted GA Purity and authenticity of new compounds were confirmed with NMR, MS and HPLC. The new derivatives of GA were evaluated for invitro cytotoxicity against MX-1 (human mammary carcinoma), HT29 (colon), HepG2 (hepatoma), HCT116 (colon), and 3T3 (fibroblast). Hsp90 binding affinity of the new GA derivatives was evaluated using a competitive Hsp90α fluorescence polarization binding assay. Nanoparticle albumin bound (nab) forms of 17AAG and the novel compounds were prepared for further invivo studies. Results: More than forty new derivatives of GA were prepared from either GA or 17-substituted GA in 50-80% yield. All of derivatives were obtained in single E isomers. Some of the prepared derivatives showed significantly increased cytotoxicity compared to 17-AAG. For example, ABI328 (IC50 = 0.11 μM and 0.13 μM) exhibited more potent activity than 17-AAG (IC50 = 1.7 μM and 9.4 μM ) on MX-1 and HCT116 respectively; ABI287 (IC50=1.66 μM) was more active than 17-AAG (IC50 = 142 μM) against HT29. Some of the new derivatives of GA retained similar binding affinities to Hsp90 in comparison to 17-AAG. Nanoparticle nab-17AAG and nab-ABI328 were successfully prepared. . Conclusion: We have successfully prepared a series of geldanamycin derivatives, some of which exhibit higher cytotoxic activities and comparable Hsp90 affinities in comparison to 17-AAG. Nanoparticle (nab) versions of 17AAG and the novel compounds were successfully prepared. The evaluation of antitumor activity of ABI328 and ABI287 in xenograft models is in progress.


In this paper, we attempt to examine the identity of researchers in writing their research articles (RAs) by exploring the linguistic forms indicating the identity of the authors in English RAs, determining the functions these forms serve in the discourse, and revealing the socio-cultural aspects implied from the use of the authorial identity. We will identify the English first-person pronouns used by native and non-native authors in Scopus-indexed linguistics and education academic journal articles. This study applied the corpus linguistic method to collect the data and to draw conclusions about the authorial identity presented in the articles. Hopefully, this paper will help to not only comprehend the role and the importance of the authorial presence but also encourage researchers to represent their identity in their own RAs. DOI: doi.org/10.24071/llt.2020.230110


Two different synthases are responsible for the high production of eugenol in the green achene and the ripe receptacle of the strawberry fruit. Eugenol is a volatile that serves as an attractant for pollinators of flowers, acts as a defense compound in various plant tissues, and contributes to the aroma of fruits. Its production in a cultivated species such as strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa), therefore, is important for the viability and quality of the fruit. We have identified and functionally characterized three strawberry complementary DNAs (cDNAs) that encode proteins with high identity to eugenol synthases from several plant species. Based on a sequence comparison with the wild relative Fragaria vesca, two of these cDNAs, FaEGS1a and FaEGS1b, most likely correspond to transcripts derived from allelic gene variants, whereas the third cDNA, FaEGS2, corresponds to a different gene. Using coniferyl acetate as a substrate, FaEGS1a and FaEGS1b catalyze the in vitro formation of eugenol, while FaEGS2 catalyzes the formation of eugenol and also of isoeugenol with a lower catalytic efficiency. The expression of these genes is markedly higher in the fruit than in other tissues of the plant, with FaEGS1a and FaEGS1b mostly expressed in the green achenes, whereas FaEGS2 expression is almost restricted to the red receptacles. These expression patterns correlate with the eugenol content, which is highest in the achene at the green stage and in the receptacle at the red stage. The transient expression of the corresponding cDNAs in strawberry fruit and the subsequent volatile analyses confirm FaEGSs as genuine eugenol synthases in planta. These results provide new insights into the diversity of phenylpropene synthases in plants.


This paper examines the evolution of the conceptual framework of the migration and development nexus within the European context, and outlines some of its possible future prospects, based on a reflection on the constraints and opportunities currently challenging policies and practices in this field. On the one hand it analyzes how the link between migration and development was initially conceived and is still being shaped within a migration model featured by an economistic approach and by the constant concern for the containment of migratory pressure. At the same time, it reflects on several possible innovative prospects, in the light of transnationalism and its implications for the relationship between migration and development, some considerations suggested by the local development model, the evolution of the EU soft policy framework, and the lessons learned by some interesting projects in this field. ____________________________________________________________________________________


A study was conducted in which young males, under the legal alcohol purchase age of 21, attempted to purchase beer at grocery stores and other retail outlets. Underage purchases were attempted at a sample of stores in Washington, D.C.; Westchester County, New York: and Albany and Schenectady counties, New York. Beer was sold to the underage purchasers at 97 percent of the Washington, D.C. stores, 80 percent of the Westchester County stores, and 44 percent of the Albany and Schenectady stores, despite the fact that such sales are illegal. Beer was more likely to be sold to the underage purchasers at smaller neighborhood stores in urban areas. Sales were least likely in Albany, which experienced recent police enforcement of the alcohol purchase age laws. Vigorous enforcement of the minimum purchase age laws is needed to reverse the current national trend toward more alcohol-related highway fatalities among youth.


A compilation of historic communications has been prepared concerning the development of psychiatric knowledge, attitudes, phenomena, and institutions. Commencing with Plato, excerpts from over 50 authors are presented in clear and readable translation. The compiler provides a brief introduction before each section; on several occasions the reviewer would have appreciated more of such help. Yet, Goshen does not obtrude upon the living quality of the historic messages. Through this volume the reader is launched upon an historic journey of great interest and diversity. Individuals of great and less great stature speak from afar of matters that have immediate moment but distant relevance. Freud speaks in his biographical studies of the historians' desire to deliver a message and point a moral. Selection of subject matter was not automatic or random. In so large a collection of historical times and individual moments, latitude is offered to trace various themes through time. The


This paper presents the EPOS approach to bring object-oriented operating systems closer to high performance parallel applications. The gap between them originates from the complexity of assembling an operating system out of a complex collection of complex classes. EPOS aims to deliver, whenever possible automatically, a customized runtime support system for each application. In order to achieve this, EPOS introduces the concepts of scenario-independent system abstractions, scenario adapters and inflated interfaces. An application designed and implemented following the guidelines behind these concepts can be submitted to a tool that will proceed syntactical and data flow analysis to extract a blueprint for the operating system. This blueprint is then refined by dependency analysis against information about the execution scenario acquired from the user via visual tools. The outcome of this process is a set of selective realize keys that will support the generation of the application-oriented operating system.


The use of autofluorescence technique in the characterization of the sequential tissue transformation process in 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (DMBA & TPA) induced two-stage mouse skin carcinogenesis model in conjunction with a suitable statistical method is being explored. The fluorescence excitation emission matrix (EEM) from experimental group (n=40; DMBA/TPA application), control group (n=6; acetone application) and the blank group (n=6; no application of DMBA/TPA or acetone) were measured every week using Fluoromax3 spectrofluorometer coupled with a waveguide fiber optic bundle (JY Horiba, NJ). The EEM was recorded for 19 excitation wavelengths from 280 to 460 nm at 10 nm intervals and the fluorescence emission was scanned from 300 to 750 nm. During the tissue transformation the epithelial tissues underwent biochemical and structural changes that are manifested in the tissue fluorescence. To correlate the tissue morphology with the observed fluorescence differences in the fluorescence emission, animals were sacrificed and the tissue biopsies were subjected to histopathological evaluation. The fluorescence emission corresponding to different fluorophores was extracted from the EEM, and the spectral data were used in multivariate statistical algorithm for the earliest diagnosis of the onset of tissue transformation. The intrinsic fluorescence from tryptophan, NADH and prophyrins showed distinct differences in the spectral signature during the tissue transformation, due to the altered metabolic activities of the cells. The statistical analysis of the spectral data corresponding to each excitation wavelength showed better classification accuracy at 280, 320, 350 and 405 nm excitations, corresponding to tryptophan, collagen, NADH and porphyrins with the classification accuracy of 74.3, 68.1, 64.6 and 74.7 % respectively. The variations in the spectral signature and the results of the statistical analysis suggest that porphyrins, tryptophan and NADH can be targeted as potential tumor markers in the early detection of the tissue transformation process.


Over an 18-month period, we observed 759 children attending eight day care centres in the Quebec City area to determine the rate of absenteeism due to illness in day care centres. 481 children were absent for a mean duration of 4.1 days. The absenteeism rate was 5.6 days out of a possible 1 000 days of attendance and did not vary with day care centre or age.


The joint censoring scheme is of practical significance while conducting comparative life-tests of products from different units within the same facility. In this thesis, we derive the exact distributions of the maximum likelihood estimators (MLEs) of the unknown parameters when joint censoring of some form is present among the multiple samples, and then discuss the construction of exact confidence intervals for the parameters. We develop inferential methods based on four different joint censoring schemes. The first one is when a jointly Type-II censored sample arising from k independent exponential populations is available. The second one is when a jointly progressively Type-II censored sample is available, while the last two cases correspond to jointly Type-I hybrid censored and jointly Type-II hybrid censored samples. For each one of these cases, we derive the conditional MLEs of the k exponential mean parameters, and derive their conditional moment generating functions and exact densities, using which we then develop exact confidence intervals for the k population parameters. Furthermore, approximate confidence intervals based on the asymptotic normality of the MLEs, parametric bootstrap intervals, and credible confidence regions from a Bayesian viewpoint are all discussed. An empirical evaluation of all these methods of confidence intervals is also made in terms of coverage probabilities and average widths. Finally, we present examples in order to illustrate all the methods of inference developed here for different joint censoring scenarios.


Oxalate oxidase catalyzes the conversion of oxalic acid and molecular oxygen to carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide. Oxalate-degrading enzymes are of interest for various applications including clinical analysis of the levels of oxalic acid in blood and urine and control of oxalic acid in industrial processes, such as pulp and paper manufacture. In these applications, the presence of oxyanions other than oxalate may affect the enzyme activity. The inhibitory effect of selected oxyanions on oxalate oxidase from barley was investigated. Seven out of fourteen of the compounds studied inhibited oxalate oxidase at a concentration of 1 mM. Perchlorate, chlorate and chlorite were selected for more detailed studies. The results indicate that perchlorate, chlorate and chlorite cause mixed inhibition of oxalate oxidase and that the severity of the inhibition within the series increases with the oxidation state. The apparent KM of the enzyme was 0.28 ± 0.05 mM.


Disruptions in circadian rhythms can occur in healthy aging; however, these changes are more severe and pervasive in individuals with age-related and neurodegenerative diseases, such as dementia. Circadian rhythm alterations are also present in preclinical stages of dementia, for example, in patients with mild cognitive impairments (MCI); thus, providing a unique window of opportunity for early intervention in neurodegenerative disorders. Nonetheless, there is a lack of studies examining the association between relevant changes in circadian rhythms and their relationship with cognitive dysfunctions in MCI individuals. In this review, circadian system alterations occurring in MCI patients are examined compared to healthy aging individuals while also considering their association with MCI neurocognitive alterations. The main findings are that abnormal circadian changes in rest-activity, core body temperature, melatonin, and cortisol rhythms appear in the MCI stage and that these circadian rhythm disruptions are associated with some of the neurocognitive deficits observed in MCI patients. In addition, preliminary evidence indicates that interventions aimed at restoring regular circadian rhythms may prevent or halt the progress of neurodegenerative diseases and mitigate their related cognitive impairments. Future longitudinal studies with repeated follow-up assessments are needed to establish the translational potential of these findings in clinical practice.


Background: Diabetes is chronic condition that is a major risk factor for diseases of all organ systems. We currently have many allopathic drugs to treat the condition, however, we need to explore the effects of the herbal drugs in treating the disease.

Aim and Objective: Our study aims to evaluate the antidiabetic effect of Ficus benghalensis bark ethanolic extraction in diabetic male albino rat species.

Materials and Methods: The albino rats were categorized into six groups and each group consists of six rats. All groups were induced diabetes by streptozotocin except Group-I. Group-I (normal control) and Group-II (diabetic control) were not given any drug. Group-III (standard group) was received glibenclamide 0.5 mg/kg body weight by oral route daily for 15 days. Group-IV rats (test Group-1) were given 150 mg/kg, Group-V rats (test Group-2) were given 300 mg/kg, and Group-VI (test Group-3) rats were given 500 mg/kg body weight of F. benghalensis bark extract by oral route daily for 15 days. Glucose levels in blood were evaluated on the 0th, 5th, 10th, and 15th days.

Results: The test groups were treated with increasing dose of F. benghalensis bark extract which had significant dose-dependent anti-hyperglycemic activity. The test Group 3 showed antidiabetic activity as effective as glibenclamide with the dose of 500 mg/kg.

Conclusion: The study on F. benghalensis bark extract concluded that it has dose-dependent anti-hyperglycemic effect in diabetic rats as efficacious as standard drug.


An algorithm has been developed for the reconstruction of an X-ray image obtained at the minimum dose load on the researched object and provided a given image accuracy. This algorithm combines approaches typical of the inverse projection and regularization methods. The image is formed by overlaying filtered projections, and the filtering parameters are determined from the minimum condition for the difference between the discrepancy and the experimental error.


Organ cultures and primary cell cultures of medaka (Oryzias latipes) testis were compared with respect to cell viability and cell proliferation. The analysis by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry showed that in both cultures, the cells remained viable for at least 1 day and cell proliferation could be analyzed reliably by BrdU incorporation. The proliferating cells were mostly spermatogonia located at the periphery of the testis in tissue sections. Both culture systems were used to study the effect of 17‐α‐ethynylestradiol on cell proliferation. The results obtained with organ and primary cultures were consistent: low concentrations (0.01 and 1 nm) of synthetic estrogen stimulated cell proliferation slightly, while a higher concentration (100 nm) had an inhibitory effect. Both culture methods are suitable for the analysis of substances that might interfere with germ cell proliferation or other functions in spermatogenesis.


Aim: To determine adverse events in patients taking treatment for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Methods: Records of all patients who received treatment for LTBI at the Chest Clinic of a large tertiary hospital between 01/2000 and 04/2008 were reviewed. An adverse event was defined as any change in health status that led to treatment interruption or cessation. Liver function tests were not performed routinely during follow-up, except when the patient was considered to be at an increased risk of developing hepatitis. Results: Of 201 patients in whom treatment for LTBI was initiated 143 (71%) received isoniazid for 6 months, 32 (15%) received a combination of isoniazid and rifampicin for 6 months, and the remainder were treated with different regimens. Their mean (SD) age was 21 (17) years and 44% were male. Nineteen patients (9.5%) experienced an adverse event. Seven patients developed a rash, four had lethargy and/or mood disorders, three had subclinical hepatitis, four experienced severe nausea, vomiting and/or other gastrointestinal symptoms and three had features of peripheral neuropathy. In eight patients who experienced an adverse event medication was temporarily ceased and then re-started without change; in four the treatment regimen was changed; and in seven the treatment was ceased completely. The risk of adverse events was not significantly related to age, sex, drug regimen (single drug versus combination therapy) or baseline transaminase levels. Conclusions: In this cohort almost 1 in 10 patients on treatment for LTBI experienced an adverse event. Although the adverse events were generally mild to moderate, this risk has to be taken into account when deciding whether to advise treatment for LTBI.


ree cross-linked projects with SLM component have been/are implemented/ in Tajikistan : Community Agriculture and Watershed Management Project (CAWMP): 2004 – 2012; Land Registration and Cadastral System for Sustainable Agriculture Project (LRCSP): 2005-2014; and Environmental Land Management and Rural Livelihoods Project (ELMARL): proposed for 2013-2017. CAWMP and ELMARL have a Global Environmental Facility (GEF) supported component. e projects' SLM policy is successive, although different projects cover diverse directions of agricultural development: community actions and participatory capacities building, peculiarities of land privatization and fragmentation, and climate change adaptation. e synergy of the projects environmental results appears in: Awareness raising in environmental risks assessment, application of environmentally and economically effective technologies in farm production; Experience in water, soiland energy-saving technologies in rural areas; Improvement of sanitary and ecologic conditions in villages; Rehabilitation of degraded lands (incl. irrigated) and increase of soils fertility; Rehabilitation and access to pastures; Fixing erosion on slope lands by woodlots, horticulture, haying, etc. Lessons learned for further results development are the following. Negative: Low skills of project environmental stuff, Weak contacts with governmental stakeholders responsible for environmental issues, Lack of information sharing and low use of Web opportunities, Weak integration with other projects and donors. Positive: Growth of level of national environmental Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), High effectiveness of local small interventions (boom-up) in comparison with national-level activities (top-down), Replicability and sustainabilty of environmentally sound activities, Increasing aention to pastures as an important natural resource, Rising possibilities and capacities to space imagery use.


We investigate several generalizations of the harmonic and refined Rayleigh-Ritz method. These may be practical when one is interested in eigenvalues close to one of two targets (for instance, when the eigenproblem has Hamiltonian structure such that eigenvalues come in pairs or quadruples), or in rightmost eigenvalues close to (for instance) the imaginary axis. Our goal is to develop new methods to extract promising approximate eigenpairs from a search space, for instance one generated by the Arnoldi or Jacobi-Davidson method. We give theoretical as well as numerical results of the methods, and recommendations for their use.


For a normal hearing person, understanding speech from a single talker is effortless in quiet surrounding. It becomes more challenging when the talker is surrounded by a loud crowd or other kind of noise. Individuals with hearing impairment might already experience problems in understanding speech in quiet, and it may become even more challenging in noise. In the present dissertation, I investigated how characteristics of the voice of a talker contribute to understanding speech in difficult listening situation. For this, I presented sentences, which were either interrupted with silent gaps, or with noise filling in the gaps, making speech perception more challenging. I further manipulated the vocal characteristics of these sentences, allowing me to test for effects of vocal characteristic manipulation in challenging listening scenarios. The participants had to employ cognitive strategies to perceptually restore the parts of the sentences that were replaced with either silence or noise. I found that interrupted speech can be successfully restored even for some voice manipulations, when linguistic context prevails over these manipulations. The results help to establish the importance of pitch for interrupted-speech perception as well as for triggering the cognitive restoration mechanisms, especially when the input sounds are degraded, as in hearing-impairment. However, interestingly, speech perception improvement that was expected to occur with access to pitch cues was not captured at the group level for actual hearing-impaired individuals, although they perceived better sound quality. These findings contribute to assessing how to improve speech perception in noise for hearing-impaired individuals.


This chapter will consider how thinking and practice has developed over the last 25 years in relation to the use of technologies to provide access and engagement with all aspects of education for learners experiencing barriers to learning and inclusion. It will relate the developments in the conceptualisation of special educational needs to advances in our understanding of technology. This will range from the work of Mary Hope in the 1980s (special computers for special children) through the National Curriculum Access technology of Jill Day (1982), NCET's Success Maker (1986) to the classification systems employed by Chris Abbott (2006). The implications for exploiting the potential of this technology will be considered in relation to other recent findings.


This article discusses the existence of property rights in ritual symbolism, focusing particularly on disputes over these rights. A universe of such rights is comparable in certain respects to a prestige economy such as the Kula system. They both manifest the same conception of property as a symbolic representation of persons. Both involve contests for the control of high-status forms of property, between political actors competing for prestige and legitimacy. Some illustrations are given of the uses of this perspective in analysing processes of change in ritual systems.


CONTEXT
The clinical relevance of medullary thyroid microcarcinoma, a calcitonin-secreting malignancy, as a valid target for biochemical screening programs has been called into doubt.

OBJECTIVE
This investigation aimed at clarifying the intensity of lymphatic spread and exploring the potential for biochemical cure in medullary thyroid microcarcinoma.

DESIGN
This was a retrospective analysis.

SETTING
The setting was a tertiary referral center.

PATIENTS
Included were 233 patients with hereditary (126 patients) or sporadic (107 patients) medullary thyroid microcarcinoma.

INTERVENTIONS
The intervention was compartment-oriented surgery.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Clinical-histopathological variables were stratified by primary tumor diameter (2-mm increments) and biochemical cure.

RESULTS
With incremental tumor diameter, increasingly more patients with medullary thyroid microcarcinoma harbored lymph node metastases: from 6 to 62% of patients (P < 0.001) for hereditary and from 13 to 43% of patients (P = 0.01) for sporadic disease. The corresponding biochemical cure rates declined from 96 to 71% (P = 0.001) and from 85 to 77% (P = 0.01). Distant disease (two instances of lung metastasis and one instance of bone and liver metastasis) was exceptional, affecting 1.3% of patients with medullary thyroid microcarcinoma. Strongest predictors of a patient's failure to achieve normal calcitonin serum levels were positive nodal status (79 vs. 11% in hereditary and 79 vs. 12% in sporadic disease; both P < 0.001) and the number of involved nodes (means of 6.6 vs. 0.3 nodes in hereditary and 8.8 vs. 0.4 nodes in sporadic disease; both P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
Sporadic and hereditary medullary thyroid microcarcinoma carry a significant risk of lymph node metastasis and postoperative calcitonin elevation.


Calcofluor white (CFW), a chemofluorescent agent, has proven effective in the recognition of Pneumocystis carinii cysts in respiratory fluids and secretions. However, its usefulness in the recognition of P. carinii cysts in tissue preparations has not been established. We studied 68 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, transbronchial tissue biopsy specimens from individuals seropositive for the human immunodeficiency virus and stained them with the CFW stain and the conventional Gomori methenamine silver (GMS) stain to determine the concordance rate of the two stains. CFW-positive specimens showed light peripheral staining and a unique double parenthesis-like structure near the center of the cysts. Thirty-six (52.9%) of the 68 specimens were CFW and GMS positive, whereas 27 (39.7%) of the specimens were negative by both techniques, yielding a concordance rate of 92.6%. Five (7.4%) of the 68 specimens showed disparate results, and, of these, four (5.9%) were CFW positive and GMS negative, whereas one (1.5%) was CFW negative and GMS positive. We conclude that the CFW stain is suitable and useful for the demonstration of P. carinii cysts in tissue preparations.


I invited Kathryn L. Moseley, MD to write the editorial appearing on the pages before this one as to whether she thought that the original Flexner Report was unduly harsh on the existing black medical schools. I invited her to choose whether she wanted to write the "pro" or "con" editorial, and that I would write the opposite piece for the sake of a presentation-although I might not necessarily believe in the position on which I was to write. She elected to write the "yes, it was harmful" piece, and I had to assume the editor's burden. In fact, as I began doing my internal soul searching for answers, I began to believe that the original Flexner Report actually helped preserve two black schools--Howard and Meharry--both of which might well have closed along with the other five schools scattered across the southeast, absent Flexner's direct and tangential support.


The detection of low received power of global positioning system (GPS) signals in the signal acquisition process is an important issue for GPS applications. Improving the miss-detection problem of low received power signal is crucial, especially for urban or indoor environments. This paper proposes a signal existence verification (SEV) process to detect and subsequently verify low received power GPS signals. The SEV process is based on the time-frequency representation of GPS signal, and it can capture the characteristic of GPS signal in the time-frequency plane to enhance the GPS signal acquisition performance. Several simulations and experiments are conducted to show the effectiveness of the proposed method for low received power signal detection. The contribution of this work is that the SEV process is an additional scheme to assist the GPS signal acquisition process in low received power signal detection, without changing the original signal acquisition or tracking algorithms.


Ecological and evolutionary dynamics have been historically regarded as unfolding at broadly separated timescales. However, these two types of processes are nowadays well-documented to intersperse much more tightly than traditionally assumed, especially in communities of microorganisms. Advancing the development of mathematical and computational approaches to shed novel light onto eco-evolutionary problems is a challenge of utmost relevance. With this motivation in mind, here we scrutinize recent experimental results showing evidence of rapid evolution of tolerance by lag in bacterial populations that are periodically exposed to antibiotic stress in laboratory conditions. In particular, the distribution of single-cell lag times—i.e., the times that individual bacteria from the community remain in a dormant state to cope with stress—evolves its average value to approximately fit the antibiotic-exposure time. Moreover, the distribution develops right-skewed heavy tails, revealing the presence of individuals with anomalously large lag times. Here, we develop a parsimonious individual-based model mimicking the actual demographic processes of the experimental setup. Individuals are characterized by a single phenotypic trait: their intrinsic lag time, which is transmitted with variation to the progeny. The model—in a version in which the amplitude of phenotypic variations grows with the parent's lag time—is able to reproduce quite well the key empirical observations. Furthermore, we develop a general mathematical framework allowing us to describe with good accuracy the properties of the stochastic model by means of a macroscopic equation, which generalizes the Crow-Kimura equation in population genetics. Even if the model does not account for all the biological mechanisms (e.g., genetic changes) in a detailed way—i.e., it is a phenomenological one—it sheds light onto the eco-evolutionary dynamics of the problem and can be helpful to design strategies to hinder the emergence of tolerance in bacterial communities. From a broader perspective, this work represents a benchmark for the mathematical framework designed to tackle much more general eco-evolutionary problems, thus paving the road to further research avenues.


Eradication of Helicobacter pylori with currently available antibacterial agents is unsatisfactory due to the risk of side-effects and the emergence of resistance. The organism rapidly dies in vitro in the presence of urea at pH 6. When incubated in citrate buffer (pH 6) plus urea (10 mM) the five minute survival was 26% compared with 96% without urea and the survival progressively decreased with increasing urea concentrations, being only 9% in 50 mM urea. The bactericidal effect depended on pH as the organism survived in citrate buffer (pH 7) plus urea (50 mM). The death of the organism at pH 6 in the presence of urea was prevented by the addition of the competitive urease inhibitor hydroxyurea. These findings indicate that destruction of the organism is mediated by its exceptionally high urease activity. Harnessing this enzyme to induce self-destruction could provide a new approach to eradicating this common infection.


low dose―. Dr Dabholkar raised the question of whether catatonia in itself is an indication for ECT. We hypothesise that ECT (or antidepressant medi cation) will be effective in treating hysterical catato nia and other conversion disorders only in cases where the conversion symptom serves as the †̃¿ masked' expression of an underlying depression (cf. Fisch, 1987). In this regard, it should be noted that psychogenic pain disorders have been successfully treated with antidepressant medication (Walsh, 1983), and that electrically or chemically induced seizures have been successfully used in the treatment of "¿ bizarre psycho genic movements― (Edwards, 1968), and in the treat ment of psychogenic amnesia (Daniel & Crovitz, 1986). In the case reported by Dr Dabholkar, it is plaus ible that the conversion symptoms may have served as an alternative to a major depressive episode; in other cases (Daniel & Crovitz, 1986) the develop


Neuroblastomas are pediatric tumors originating from immature neuroblasts in the developing peripheral nervous system. Differentiation therapies could help lowering the high mortality due to rapid tumor progression to advanced stages. Oleic acid has been demonstrated to promote neuronal differentiation in neuronal cultures. Herein we report on the effects of oleic acid and of a specific synthetic PPARβ agonist on cell growth, expression of differentiation markers and on parameters responsible for the malignancy such as adhesion, migration, invasiveness, BDNF, and TrkB expression of SH‐SY5Y neuroblastoma cells. The results obtained demonstrate that many, but not all, oleic acid effects are mediated by PPARβ and support a role for PPARβ in neuronal differentiation strongly pointing towards PPAR ligands as new therapeutic strategies against progression and recurrences of neuroblastoma. J. Cell. Physiol. 211: 837–847, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Abstract: Isodontia auripes [Fernald] females nested in fourteen 12-mm diameter artificial trap nests at two locations in New York State (Geneseo and Rensselaerville). We report broods of up to 14 pupae in a single chamber with an average of 5.8 pupae per chamber (previously reported range 2 - 6 pupae/chamber). Nest architecture, with plugs of finely shredded, packed grass and coarse, wound grass stems, was similar to other reports of I. auripes nests, except that only one nest contained a grass partition on the back wall of the chamber (in a case where mud-nesting wasps had preceded I. auripes). All prey items that could be identified to species were either the non-native drumming katydid, Meconema thalassinum [DeGeer], or the narrow-winged tree cricket, Oecanthus niveus [DeGeer]; M. thalassinum accounted for 71% of identified prey and is a new prey record for this wasp. Nests contained an estimated average of 11 prey per pupa, with a strongly female-biased prey sex ratio. The 116 collected pupae suffered from high pre-emergence mortality (65.5%), mostly due to the presence of parasitic flies and chalcid wasps in many nests. Adult females were larger than males in body mass and head width but did not differ in emergence time. Both male and female wasps could be found within single brood chambers, though the population was male-biased (2.4:1) and individual nests strongly favored one sex. In general, pupal cases closest to the nest entrance within a chamber were smaller than those found furthest away, suggesting size-related fitness impacts for offspring based on the order of egg laying.


Abstract. We studied expression of transcription factor T-bet protein in allergic (ABA) versus non-allergic bronchial asthma (NABA), depending on severity grade and clinical phase of the disease. A Western blotting technique was applied, according to the standard protocol (Amersham), using polyclonal anti-T-bet antibodies at a 1:500 dilution (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, UK). The protein levels were quantified, using β-actin as a reference. It is shown for the first time that T-bet expression in ABA patients, as compared to healthy controls, was reduced with increasing disease severity, but did not correlate with clinical phase of the disease. In NABA patients, no sufficient differences in T-bet expression were revealed, as compared with healthy controls. The work was supported by St.Petersburg governmental grant PD04-4.0-102 (Certificate № ASP604079).


This article focuses on issues related to the current legal situation of historic machinery and vehicles in Australia as well as the competencies, skills and commitment of persons (both professionals and amateurs, or volunteers) dealing with their protection. Australia's listed industrial heritage is generally limited to industrial buildings, as most often production equipment has been scrapped or relocated. The author discusses the need for leg islative reform to enable the listing and protection of historic machines in a similar way to the listing and protection of historic buildings, based on an assessment of their value and relationships with local communities. He also discusses the need for volunteer organizations dealing with big stuff to reexamine what they need to do to attract professionals (diversified in terms of profession, age, interests, etc.) and work with protection funding bodies to create funding structures that support multiyear industrial heritage preservation projects.


Cannabis use among older Americans is increasing. Although much of this growth has been attributed to the entry of a more tolerant baby boom cohort into older age, recent evidence suggests the pathways to cannabis are more complex. Some older persons have responded to changing social and legal environments and are increasingly likely to take cannabis recreationally. Other older persons are experiencing age-related health care needs, and some take cannabis for symptom management, as recommended by a medical doctor. Whether these pathways to recreational and medical cannabis are separate or somewhat tangled remains largely unknown. There have been few studies examining cannabis use among the growing population of Americans aged 65 and older. In this essay, we illuminate what is known about the intersection between cannabis and the aging American population. We review trends concerning cannabis use and apply the age-period-cohort paradigm to explicate varied pathways and outcomes. Then, after considering the public health problems posed by those who misuse or abuse cannabis, we turn our attention to how cannabis may be a viable policy alternative in terms of supporting the health and well-being of a substantial number of aging Americans. On the one hand, cannabis may be an effective substitute for prescription opioids and other misused medications; on the other hand, cannabis has emerged as an alternative for the undertreatment of pain at the end of life. As intriguing as these alternatives may be, policy makers must first address the need for empirically driven, representative research to advance the discourse.


The predaceous midge genus Brachypogon Kieffer is presently known in Mexico by Brachypogon (Brachypogon) fuscivenosus (Lutz, 1914), B. (B.) bimaculatus Spinelli & Grogan, 1998, B. (B.) woodruffi Spinelli & Grogan, 1998 and B. (Isohelea) cuacuahuitlus Huerta & Borkent, 2005. In this contribution a new species, Brachypogon (Brachypogon) ginue, is described and illustrated from a male specimen collected in Tlanchinol, State of Hidalgo, Mexico. This new species belongs to the impar species group. The first description of the female of Brachypogon (Isohelea) cuacuahuitlus Huerta & Borkent is also provided.


Dendritic Cells (DC) are professional antigen presenting cells, necessary during the initiation of immune responses. The study of the role of DC in the establishment of this response has long been tempered by the difficulties to purify DC in sufficient numbers. In vitro generation of DC, from CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors in human and mice, should permit to clarify the relationships between the different DC types isolated in vivo and their roles. GM-CSF has been described to play a key role in the propagation of DC. In human, in association with TNF alpha, it allows the generation of DC from CD34+ progenitors. Those in vitro generated DC are capable of receptor mediated endocytosis and can present soluble antigen to specific T cell clones and activate naive T cells. During activation of naive T cells CD86 (on DC)--CD28 (on T lymphocyte) interaction seems to play a critical role. Interestingly, DC express a functional CD40, which triggering upregulates expression of CD80 and CD86 and induces cytokine production, indicating a reciprocal talk between DC and T cells during the course of antigen presentation. Finally, in vitro generated DC interact directly with B cells, activated through their CD40 antigen, leading to enhanced growth, differentiation (IgM production) and preferential isotype switch towards IgA. Thus, in the extrafollicular area of secondary lymphoid organs, in addition to prime naive T cells, DC might also directly provide costimulatory signals involved during the initiation of primary B cell responses.


The distribution, abundance end fishery of the brown mussel (Perna indica) along the
southwest coast of India are dealt with in this account. The annual production of brown mussel war
estimated around 600 t and the total stock about 1600 t This shows that there is scope for increased
production from the natural beds. The results of mussel farming experiments done in the Vizhinjam
Bay by raft culture method are given. The prospects of mussel farming and the problems encountered
are discussed.


As an artificial light source, light-emitting diode (LED) with a short wavelength range can be used in closed-type plant production systems. Among various wavelength ranges in visible light, individual light spectra induce distinguishing influences on plant growth and development. In this study, we determined the effects of monochromatic LEDs on leaf shape index, growth and the accumulation of phytochemicals in a red leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. 'Sunmang') and a green leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. 'Grand rapid TBR'). Lettuce seedlings grown under normal growing conditions (20℃, fluorescent lamp + high pressure sodium lamp, 130 ± 5 μmol·m -2 ·s -1 , 12 hours photoperiod) for 18 days were transferred into incubators at 20℃ equipped with various monochromatic LEDs (blue LED, 456 nm; green LED, 518 nm; red LED, 654 nm; white LED, 456 nm + 558 nm) under the same light intensity and photoperiod (130 ± 7 μmol·m -2 ·s -1 , 12 hours photoperiod). Leaf length, leaf width, leaf area, fresh and dry weights of shoots and roots, shoot/root ratio, SPAD value, total phenolic concentration, antioxidant capacity, and the expression of a key gene involved in the biosynthesis of phenolic compounds, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), were measured at 9 and 23 days after transplanting. The leaf shape indexes of both lettuce cultivars subjected to blue or white LEDs were similar with those of control during whole growth stage. However, red and green LEDs induced significantly higher leaf shape index than the other treatments. The green LED had a negative impact on the lettuce growth. Most of growth characteristics such as fresh and dry weights of shoots and leaf area were the highest in both cultivars subjected to red LED treatment. In case of red leaf lettuce plants, shoot fresh weight under red LED was 3.8 times higher than that under green LED at 23 days after transplanting. In contrast, the accumulation of chlorophyll, phenolics including antioxidants in lettuce plants showed an opposite trend compared with growth. SPAD value, total phenolic concentration, and antioxidant capacity of lettuce grown under blue LED were significantly higher than those under other LED treatments. In addition, PAL gene was remarkably activated by blue LED at 9 days after transplanting. Thus, this study suggested that the light quality using LEDs is a crucial factor for morphology, growth, and phytochemicals of two lettuce cultivars.


While the registration step is often problematic for superresolution, many microscopes and telescopes are now equipped with a piezoelectric mechanical system which permits to accurately control their motion (down to nanometers). Therefore one can use such devices to acquire multiple images of the same scene at various controlled positions. Then a fast super-resolution algorithm [1] can be used for efficient super-resolution. However the minimal use of r2 images for a resolution enhancement factor r is generally not sufficient to obtain good results. We propose to take several images at positions randomly distributed close to each reference position. We study the number of images necessary to control the error resulting from the super-resolution algorithm by [1] due to the uncertainty on positions. The main result is a lower bound on the number of images to respect a given error upper bound with probability higher than a desired confidence level.


On the basis of the laws of conservation of energy and angular momentum we demonstrate that possible trajectories in 1/r fields, represented in the velocity space, are always circles. Different conic sections correspond to different radii of the circles. This approach facilitates the derivation of all the quantities pertaining to the Keplerian problem.


The increment minimized recursive predicting model, the adaptive control law and the recursive adaptive parameter predicting algorithm unified form are presented for a class of nonlinear discrete-time systems with time delays based on dynamic approximate any higher-order Hammerstein model. They realize the adaptive control for the time-delayed nonlinear systems with larger time delays. The simulation results show the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm for a class of nonlinear systems.


The author tries to prove the thesis that the conception of public sphere is a factor that decides the future of democracy. It has connected civil society and the state with the principle saying that social communication is able to inform the legislators and state administration about how they should serve the interests of all the citizens. While civil society reflects the struggle that tries to reconcile individual profits with building an ethical community, public sphere plays the key role in finding new areas of common good and in working out both social and individual strategies in order to achieve it. An ideal project of public sphere assumes that all its participants express their opinions as equals; however, reality shows that inequality and domination still distort social communication. An open and dynamic public sphere is the dimension of civil society that is the most important one for democracy, as it helps build the demos in the literal sense of the word – as a community that is able to create its own future. Public sphere functions owing to communication; it connects cultural creativity, selective and consolidated traditions, and a well thought out debate; and all this in order to give information to the citizens participating in it and to influence the state and other institutions.


This paper presents a method based on geometry for three-dimensional (3D) face reconstruction without the need for additional images, hardware components, or objects. In our proposed method, we consider part of the nose as the feature region because its shape remains almost constant during the measurement. The geometry of this region was used to provide cues for phase unwrapping. We first spatially unwrap the phase and determine the integer multiple of 2π to be added by comparing the recovered result of the feature region and its actual shape. Then, the face can be reconstructed with the acquired absolute phase. Experimental results demonstrated that our method is capable of reconstructing a dynamic face with high measurement speed, and only three phase-shifted fringes are required per frame.


Twelve student actors (6 males, 6 females) were given voice training for two months. Randomly selected, half of the students (3 males, 3 females) was trained in the traditional way, while the other half was given biofeedback with real-time spectrum analysis. The aim was a ringing voice quality with strong overtones at 3–5 kHz. Text samples read at different loudness levels were recorded before and after training. Fundamental frequency (F0), sound pressure level (SPL) and long-term-average spectrum (LTAS) analyses were made. Voice quality was evaluated by two voice trainers. Sound energy at 3–5 kHz increased by 3–4 dB (1.5–14.5 dB) across groups after training. This change, which was slightly larger for the biofeedback (BF) group, did not correlate with SPL. F0 increased slightly in the BF group and decreased in the control group. The relative dB level of fundamental decreased significantly more in the BF group probably suggesting a tighter adduction. Voice quality improved in both groups. Visual feedback seems to add some efficacy in voice training. However, there is a danger of hyperfunctional voice production if other sensory feedback is neglected.


abstract:Biomedical research in the United States has contributed enormously to science and human health and is conducted in several thousand institutions that vary widely in their histories, missions, operations, size, and cultures. Though these institutional differences have important consequences for the research they conduct, the organizational taxonomy of US biomedical research has received scant systematic attention. Consequently, many observers and even participants are surprisingly unaware of important distinguishing attributes of these diverse institutions. This essay provides a high-level taxonomy of the institutional ecosystem of US biomedical research; illustrates key features of the ecosystem through portraits of eight institutions of varying age, size, culture, and missions, each representing a much larger class exhibiting additional diversity; and suggests topics for future research into the research output of institutional types that will be required to develop novel approaches to improving the function of the ecosystem.


Traffic congestion causes enormous social costs as well as loss of travel time and waste of energy. Though the Seoul metropolitan government implemented various forms of transportation policies such as urban road pricing and public transportation reform, traffic volume which across the Seoul metropolitan borders have greatly increased because of housing land development in suburban area. The purpose of this study is to estimate individual's willingness-to-pay(WTP) for extensive implementation of congestion pricing through policy-mix with bus rapid transit(BRT) system. So the field survey interviews carried out. The empirical analysis was done with priority given to the following two topics; derivation of individual WTP and prior evaluation of policy effect from the equity aspect. To estimate individual WTP, we adopted contingent valuation method (CVM). The former is to estimate individual WTP for respondent's maintaining his/her transit pattern when he/she is faced with congestion pricing by using compensating variation(CV) concept. And, the latter aims at evaluating policy effect from the equity aspect by calculating the Proportion of WTP to average income using WTP in income bracket for policy scenarios.


Luminescent molecular probes and nanoscale materials have become important tools in biosensing and bioimaging applications because of their high sensitivity, fast response, specificity, and methodological simplicity. In recent years, there has been a notable advancement in fluorescent probes that respond to the subtle changes in subcellular microenvironments (e.g., polarity, pH, and viscosity) or distribution of certain crucial biomarkers (e.g., reactive oxygen species, ions, amino acids, and enzymes). The dynamic fluctuations of these bio-molecules in subcellular microenvironments control cellular homeostasis, immunity, signal conduction, and metabolism. Their abnormal expressions are linked to various biological disorders and disease states. Thus, the real-time monitoring of such bioactive species is intimately linked to clinical diagnostics. Appropriately designed luminescent probes are ideally suited for desired organelle specificity, as well as for reporting intracellular changes in biochemicals/microenvironmental factors with the luminescence ON response. In this perspective, we review our recent work on the development of fluorescent probes for sensing and imaging within sub-cellular organelles. We have also discussed the design aspects for developing a prodrug with a fluorescent probe as an integral part of possible theranostic applications. An overview of the design principles, photophysical properties, detection mechanisms, current challenges, and potential future directions of fluorescent probes is presented in this feature article. We have also discussed the limitations and challenges of developing the solution platform for sensing technologies in clinical diagnostics.


This study aims to understand the attitudes of Turkish consumers toward foreign products in diplomatic crisis period. With this aim, at first, demographic characteristics of the consumers identified and then the relationship between independent variables which are consumer ethnocentrism and consumer animosity, and dependent variable which is willingness to buy foreign products is determined. In addition, the effect of product judgment as a moderator on the relationship between willingness to buy foreign products and consumer ethnocentrism and animosity is explored. Convenience sampling method was used in the study. Data was collected from students in Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences of Afyon Kocatepe University as based on voluntary basis. The data were collected between 20.10.2015 and 02.11.2015 and within this time period, it was reached to 418 students, totally. Thus, these 418 students in Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences became the sample of the research. Research findings show, different from the many researches in the literature, that consumer ethnocentrism, and consumer animosity do not negatively affect the willingness to buy foreign products even in a case when Turkey has a diplomatic problem with some countries. So the previous findings about the consumer ethnocentrism and the consumer animosity are challenged with the findings of this study within Turkey context. In this sense, this study contributes to the literature scholarly, by offering new findings about the existing constructs within different country context.


The stochastic analysis of composite structures with partially restrained (PR) connections under seismic loads present some interesting and challenging issues to practicing engineers. This paper proposes an efficient, robust and accurate method for stochastic forced vibration analysis of concrete-steel composite structures allowing for PR connections. These are followed by suitable numerical example which indicates that employment of such a stochastic forced vibration analysis. The Kocaeli earthquake in 1999 is considered as a ground motion. The connections parameters and material properties are considered to be random variables. It is essential to properly consider the PR connections in the stochastic dynamic analysis and design of the steel-concrete composite structures, since design forces change significantly. The assumption that the connections are rigid, which is routinely used in the application, is not proper. The effect of the variability connection stiffness on the composite structures responses is sufficiently important for consideration in structural safety.


Hydropower is considered a renewable form of energy production, but generating electricity from rivers is not always environmentally benign. The global demand for renewables is increasing rapidly as fossil fuels are gradually phased out, so rivers will continue to be subjected to the pressures imposed by hydropower for decades to come. Finding ways of operating hydropower plants that limit impacts on downstream river ecosystems is therefore a pressing global concern. Usually, these plants cause marked and rapid fluctuations in flow in downstream river reaches, termed 'hydropeaking'. Hydropeaks result in a variety of ecological changes in the dynamic mountain rivers they typically affect; declines in fish and insect populations are evident, especially in reaches immediately downstream from the plant. While these changes are often acute and readily apparent, the underlying causal mechanisms remain unclear. We argue here that riverbed sediments are a critical but neglected causal link between hydropeaking flow regimes and ecological changes. We outline how a variety of tools from different branches of river science can now be brought together to understand precisely why hydropeaking alters sediment dynamics; these tools provide a mechanistic explanation for changes in bed sedimentary conditions and channel form across multiple scales and, consequently, a better understanding of ecological changes. By allowing us to simulate the effects of flow fluctuations on sediment dynamics and channel form, these tools also allow us to develop ways of releasing water from hydropeaking dams that limit impacts on aquatic habitat and species.


A data reverse engineering tool whose input can be from heterogeneous legacy systems which can range from COBOL record layouts to DB/2 data definitions needs to be able to utilize a flexible data model as well as phase schema translations. The flexible data model allows a designer to fully understand the legacy system as well as know what corrections could be made during conversion to a new implementation. The phase schema translation takes the database designer through the reverse engineering process in such a way that the user can concentrate on one aspect of the process at a time and not to get bogged down in the process itself.


Polypyrrole/multiwalled carbon nanotubes composites (PPy/MWCNTs) were produced in an acidic solution utilizing an in situ oxidative polymerization method using ferric chloride as an oxidizing agent and sodium dodecyl sulfate as a soft template. Thermal evaporation was used to fabricate thin films from polypyrrole/multiwalled carbon nanotube composites. The resulting composites were examined by different techniques to explore their morphology, structural and electrical characteristics. The surface morphology analysis revealed that polypyrrole structure is a two-dimensional film with impeded nanoparticles and the thickness of coated PPy around the MWCNTs decreases when increasing the amount of MWCNTs. XRD analysis revealed that the average crystallite size of the prepared composites is 62.26 nm. The direct energy gap for PPy is affected by a factor ranging from 2.41 eV to 1.47 eV depending on the contents of MWCNTs. The thin film's optical properties were examined using experimental and TDDFT-DFT/DMOl3 simulation techniques. The optical constants and optical conductivity of the composites were calculated and correlated. The structural and optical characteristics of the simulated nanocomposites as single isolated molecules accord well with the experimental results. The nanocomposite thin films demonstrated promising results, making them a viable candidate for polymer solar cell demands. Under optimal circumstances, the constructed planar heterojunction solar cells with a 75 ± 3 nm layer of PPy/MWCNTs had a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 6.86%.


The construction of variational approximations to the solutions of the Dirac equation is discussed. The importance of imposing the physical boundary conditions for both the point- and finite-nuclear models on the set of trial functions is emphasised. The low-frequency Breit interaction is shown to cause no variational failure when included in the iterative solutions of the Dirac-Hartree-Fock equations. The practical advantages of calculations which variationally include the Breit interaction over conventional treatments which employ only the Coulomb interaction are discussed. Manybody perturbation theory calculations of the radial correlation energy of helium- and beryllium-like systems are reported


The in vitro permeation studies of imipramine hydrochloride (IMH) reported earlier from our laboratory showed that a combination of menthol (2.5% w/v) and oleic acid (2.5% w/v) worked well in terms of safety and efficacy. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the in vivo performance of this combination; in order to do that, penetration enhancers were incorporated in a hydro-alcoholic gel of hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose along with IMH and used as the drug matrix in a reservoir transdermal patch. A stability study of IMH gel was performed at 40 degrees C/75% RH for 2 months. The results of this study indicate that gels of IMH stored at 40 degrees C/75% RH turned yellow brown in 2 months and the small change in viscosity of gel at 40 degrees C/75% RH had an insignificant effect on the release rate of IMH from the gel (p>0.05). The in vivo performance of the gel was tested in rats using a reservoir transdermal patch, which consisted of a backing membrane, drug matrix and retaining membrane with an area of 12.5 cm2. Plasma concentrations of 3 microg/ml of IMH were achieved and in a histopathological study 24 h occlusion was found to be safe.


Persistent neuronal firing has been modeled in relation to observed brain rhythms, especially to theta oscillations recorded in behaving animals. Models of short-term memory that are based on such persistent firing properties of specific neurons can meet the requirements of spike-timing-dependent potentiation of synaptic strengths during the encoding of a temporal sequence of spike patterns. We show that such a spiking buffer can be simulated with integrate-and-fire neurons that include a leak current even when different numbers of spikes represent successive items. We propose a mechanism that successfully replaces items in the buffer in first-in-first-out (FIFO) order when the distribution of spike density in a theta cycle is asymmetric, as found in experimental data. We predict effects on the function and capacity of the buffer model caused by changes in modeled theta cycle duration, the timing of input to the buffer, the strength of recurrent inhibition, and the strength and timing of after-hyperpolarization and after-depolarization (ADP). Shifts of input timing or changes in ADP parameters can enable the reverse-order buffering of items, with FIFO replacement in a full buffer. As noise increases, the simulated buffer provides robust output that may underlie episodic encoding.


Intakes of milk and milk nutrients were determined for 8 foals at 11-18 days of age and for 10 foals at 30-44 days and 60-74 days of age while sucking grazing mares. Water intakes (sources other than milk) of the foals were determined at 30-44 days and 60-74 days of age. Five of the 10 mares were fed a protein supplement (24% crude protein) in addition to grazing during the stud season. The protein supplement did not influence foal intakes of milk and milk nutrients, milk composition, weight gains of the mares or the growth rate of the foals. Foal milk intakes increased (P less than 0.05) from 16.9 kg/day at 11-18 days to 18.1 kg/day at 60-74 days of age. The water intakes of the foals increased (P less than 0.01) from 3.9 kg/day at 30-44 days to 5.5 kg/day at 60-74 days of age. Total fluid intakes per kg foal liveweight were 246, 202 and 172 g at 11-18, 30-44 and 60-74 days of age, respectively. For each kg of weight gain, foals consumed 12.8, 15.7 and 16.4 kg milk at 11-18, 30-44 and 60-74 days of age. Stage of lactation had a significant effect on the total solids, lactose and protein content of milk. The fat and gross energy content of milk remained constant.


The Joint Operational Energy Initiative (JOEI) models energy (and all classes of supply) consumption, generation, and sustainment across a virtual battlefield area of operations utilizing the System of Systems Analysis Toolset (SoSAT) and the Fully Burdened Cost Tool (FBCT). Recent advances in SoSAT provide a capability to model condition-based scenarios that better represent complex dynamic scenario changes and provide more accurate, realistic operational scenario and sustainment modeling. In addition, the JOEI team developed a new operational metric called Combat Effective Operational Endurance (CEOE) using SoSAT system-level outputs to determine unit combat power over time based on system availability and system combat weights. FBCT improvements include increased synchronization with SoSAT and expansion of capabilities to model Class V (ammunition), Class VII (major end item) transport, troop movement, convoy generation and higher fidelity cost allocation. The new SoSAT condition-based scenario capability and FBCT Class-VII capability were recently used by the JOEI team to model dynamic transport operations for crew and equipment transportation and resupply convoys in Phase II operations. Example results for a trailer study involving the Phase II model and for the new CEOE metric are presented. Citation: A. Brian Ernst, A. Rachel Agusti, A. Dennis Anderson, A. Hai Le, A. Alan Kish, A. Francois Bosselut, A. Meagan Pitluck-Schmitt, A. Michael Zabat, "Advancing System of Systems Analysis Toolset (SoSAT) and the Fully Burdened Cost Tool (FBCT) to Jointly Assess Operational Performance, Sustainment, Cost, and Operational Energy", In Proceedings of the Ground Vehicle Systems Engineering and Technology Symposium (GVSETS), NDIA, Novi, MI, Aug. 13-15, 2019. DISTRIBUTION A. Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.


A four-ball wear test has been designed and tested with a series of petroleum based hydraulic fluids. This test procedure comprises a sequence of three 30 minute test segments designed to evaluate "wear in," steady state wear and the effect of antiwear films produced in the first two parts of the test. Excellent repeatability of this sequential testing has been established. The wear properties of formulated fluids have been shown to be a function of system temperature and bearing load. A series of formulated mineral oil base lubricants that have been evaluated extensively in heavy-duty industrial hydraulic equipment have also been evaluated in a laboratory pump test system and the sequential four-ball wear test. A correlation developed for the heavy-duty industrial hydraulic systems with the laboratory pump test system has been extended to the four-ball wear tester sequential runs under specific load and temperatures.


This article aims at this problem of adaptive neural tracking control for state-constrained systems. A general fixed-time stability criterion is first presented, by which an adaptive neural control algorithm is developed. Under the action of the proposed adaptive neural tracking controller, the tracking error converges into a small neighborhood around the origin in fixed time; meanwhile, all system states abide by the corresponding state constraints for all the time. The main difference between the present research and the previous control schemes for state-constrained systems is that this article proposes a novel and feasible approach to ensure that the constructed virtual control signals satisfy the state constraints on the corresponding states viewed as the virtual control inputs. Such an approach guarantees theoretically that all the system states cannot violate their constrained requirements at any time. Finally, two simulation examples provide support to the proposed results.


Pure stands of Ryegrass were in their third year of growth in the field, exposed to either ambient (355 {mu}mol mol{sup -1}), or elevated (600 {mu}mol mol{sup -1}) atmospheric CO{sub 2} concentration. A Free-Air CO{sub 2} Enrichment (FACE) system was used to maintain the elevated CO{sub 2} concentration whilst limiting experimental constraints on the field conditions. The theoretically predicted increase in the net rates of CO{sub 2} uptake per unit leaf area (A {mu}mol mol{sup -1}) as a consequence, primarily, of the suppression of photorespiration by CO{sub 2} a competitive inhibitor of RubP oxygenation by Rubisco, was observed for the Lolium perenne studied. Also observed was a general decline in leaf evapotranspiration (E) consistent with observations of increased water use efficiency of crops grown in elevated CO{sub 2}. Enhancement of leaf A in the FACE grown L. perenne ranged from 26.5 1 % to 44.95% over the course of a diurnal set of measurements. Whilst reductions in leaf E reached a maximum of 16.61% over the same diurnal course of-measurements. The increase in A was reconciled with an absence of the commonly observed decline in V{sub c}{sub max} as a measure of the maximum in vivo carboxylation capacity of the primary carboxylasing enzyme Rubisco and J{sub max} a measure of the maximum rate of electron transport. The manipulation of the source sink balance of the crop, stage of canopy regrowth or height in the canopy had no effect on the observation of a lack of response. The findings of this study will be interpreted with respect to the long term implications of C{sub 3} crops being able to adapt physiologically to maximize the potential benefits conferred by growth in elevated CO{sub 2}.


Let me start by congratulating the dedicated team of Pakistan Journal of Surgery and Medicine (PJSM) whose untiring effort brought this journal of International standard. I have the honor to be part of this professional and enthusiastic galaxy of highly intellectual writers. Insha'Allah you will witness the glory of this journal very soon.


Drawing on vast amounts of new data from live, unscripted radio and TV broadcasts, and the internet, this is a brilliant and original analysis of colloquial English, revealing unusual and largely unreported types of clause structure. Andrew Radford debunks the myth that colloquial English has a substandard, simplified grammar, and shows that it has a coherent and complex structure of its own. The book develops a theoretically sophisticated account of structure and variation in colloquial English, advancing an area that has been previously investigated from other perspectives, such as corpus linguistics or conversational analysis, but never before in such detail from a formal syntactic viewpoint.


Natural self-aeration of water flows in open channels protects surfaces in contact with the flow from cavitation damage if enough air content is reached (Falvey [6] [7], Peterka [10], Russel & Sheenan [11]), although it could lead to an increase in both flow depth and velocity. Also, self-aerated flow enhance the process of atmospheric gases exchange within the fluid, improving water quality downstream of hydraulic structures (Chanson [5]). So it is of great interest to evaluate accurately the critical point where air entrainment begins, that is, the location of the inception point. The note first shows a review on some methods to evaluate the inception point location. Second, a brief explanation on calculation development is made and an expression is obtained which enables to compute the point of incipient self-aeration as a function of unit discharge, bottom slope of the chute and uniform surface roughness in a more simple and accurate way. Finally, comparison with results provided by other methods is made and conclusions are obtained.


Electives supplement to the core curriculum of undergraduate health professions education, thereby enriches personal and professional development of undergraduates in diverse areas. Electives provide an opportunity for transformative learning. This paper describes the implementation of electives at newly established Bilwal Medical College for Boys, a constituent college of Liaquat University of Medical Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan. Firstly, concrete policy for electives was developed by health professions educationist. Then Committee for the implementation of electives was constituted. Subsequently, feasible and achievable implementation plan was formulated focusing on the activities to be done before, during and after the placement of students for electives in different departments and process of implementation. The first batch of students studying in fourth year of MBBS attended the electives. With keen involvement of all stakeholders such as, students, faculty, administration, parents and collaborating departments and their faculty, the program was successfully implemented. Thorough supervision and monitoring during placement contributed toward the success of program.


The papers are listed in the order they were presented at the workshop. See http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/moore/acl2/workshop-2000 for more information. Supporting scripts for many of the papers may be found at this site. This year we encouraged both long and short papers, the latter indended primarily to present work in progress.


SOX9 haploinsufficiency underlies campomelic dysplasia (CD) with or without testicular dysgenesis. Current understanding of the phenotypic variability and mutation spectrum of SOX9 abnormalities remains fragmentary. Here, we report three patients with hitherto unreported SOX9 abnormalities. These patients were identified through molecular analysis of 33 patients with 46,XY disorders of sex development (DSD). Patients 1–3 manifested testicular dysgenesis or regression without CD. Patients 1 and 2 carried probable damaging mutations p.Arg394Gly and p.Arg437Cys, respectively, in the SOX9 C‐terminal domain but not in other known 46,XY DSD causative genes. These substitutions were absent from ~120,000 alleles in the exome database. These mutations retained normal transactivating activity for the Col2a1 enhancer, but showed impaired activity for the Amh promoter. Patient 3 harbored a maternally inherited ~491 kb SOX9 upstream deletion that encompassed the known 32.5 kb XY sex reversal region. Breakpoints of the deletion resided within nonrepeat sequences and were accompanied by a short‐nucleotide insertion. The results imply that testicular dysgenesis and regression without skeletal dysplasia may be rare manifestations of SOX9 abnormalities. Furthermore, our data broaden pathogenic SOX9 abnormalities to include C‐terminal missense substitutions which lead to target‐gene‐specific protein dysfunction, and enhancer‐containing upstream microdeletions mediated by nonhomologous end‐joining.


Measuring signatures of strong-field quantum electrodynamics (SF-QED) processes in an intense laser field is an experimental challenge: it requires detectors to be highly sensitive to single electrons and positrons in the presence of the typically very strong x-ray and γ-photon background levels. In this paper, we describe a particle detector capable of diagnosing single leptons from SF-QED interactions and discuss the background level simulations for the upcoming Experiment-320 at FACET-II (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory). The single particle detection system described here combines pixelated scintillation LYSO screens and a Cherenkov calorimeter. We detail the performance of the system using simulations and a calibration of the Cherenkov detector at the ELBE accelerator. Single 3 GeV leptons are expected to produce approximately 537 detectable photons in a single calorimeter channel. This signal is compared to Monte-Carlo simulations of the experiment. A signal-to-noise ratio of 18 in a single Cherenkov calorimeter detector is expected and a spectral resolution of 2% is achieved using the pixelated LYSO screens.


It is well known that DNA-protein binding (DPB) prediction is not only beneficial to understand the regulation mechanism of gene expression but also a challenging task in the field of computational biology. Traditional methods for DPB prediction that depend on manually extracted features may lead to classification errors. Recently, deep learning such as convolutional neural network (CNN) has been successfully applied to classification tasks and improved DPB prediction performance significantly. Yet, these methods are based on the original DNA sequence modeling, ignoring the hidden complex dependency and complementarity between multiple sequence features. In consideration of this problem, we propose a method to fuse different sequence features and analyze them systematically through multi-scale CNN. First, sliding windows of specified lengths are set on distinct DNA sequences to generate multiple sequence features with unequal lengths. Second, multiple feature sequences are fused and encoded for feature representation. Third, multi-scale CNN with different binding motif lengths is used to automatically learn and mine the influence of internal attributes and hidden complex relations between the fusion sequence features and make full use of the complementary advantages of extracted CNN features to predict DPB. When our model is applied to 690 ChIP-seq datasets, it achieves an average AUC of 0.9112, which is significantly better than the latest methods. The results show that our method is effective for DPB prediction and is freely available at http://184.108.40.206/mscDPB/.


The manner of conduct of Constitutional referendums in Ireland has come under particularly sharp focus since the defeat of the referendum which was intended to facilitate the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon in June 2008. The Supreme Court rulings considered in this article - Crotty v. An Taoiseach, McKenna v. An Taoiseach (No. 2) and Coughlan v. Broadcasting Complaints Commission and RTE combined with the failure of successive executives and legislatures to react to them in an adequate manner with legislation have played a significant role in the failure of Ireland to ratify the Treaty of Lisbon by the time of writing. Indeed, if the decision not to ratify the Lisbon Treaty is not ultimately reversed, it may well be that these judgments will collectively come to be regarded as the most significant examples of judicial activism in Irish legal history. Somewhat curiously, notwithstanding the very major impact which Supreme Court jurisprudence has had on the frequency and conduct of referendums on European Treaties in Ireland, the case-law examined here has until recently attracted relatively little academic attention. This article seeks to redress this lacuna.


By a graph X we mean a finite set V(X), called the vertices of X, together with a set E(X), called the edges of X, consisting of unordered pairs of distinct elements of V(X). We shall indicate the unordered pairs by brackets. Two graphs X and Y are said to be isomorphic, denoted by X Y, if there is a one-to-one map a of V(X) onto V(Y) such that [aa,cab]eE(Y) if and only if [a, b] E(X). An isomorphism of X onto itself is said to be an automorphism of X. For each given graph X there is a group of automorphisms, denoted by G(X), where the multiplication is the multiplication of permutations. The complementary graph Xc of X is the graph whose V(XC) = V(X), and E(XC) consists of all possible edges which do not belong to E(X). It is easy to see that X and Xc have the same group of automorphisms. A graph consisting of isolated vertices only is called the null graph, and its complementary graph is called the complete graph. Both the null graph and the complete graph of n vertices have Sn, the symmetric group of n letters, as their group of automorphisms. A regular graph of degree k is a graph such that the number of edges incident with each vertex is k. The null graphs and the complete graphs are regular. The graph X is necessarily regular if G(X) is transitive. In [7], K6nig proposed the following question: "When can a given abstract group be set up as the group of automorphisms of a graph?" The question can be interpreted in two ways. (a) Given a finite group G, can one construct a graph whose group of automorphisms is abstractly isomorphic to G? (b) Given a permutation group G acting on n letters, can one construct a graph of n vertices whose group of automorphisms is G? The former has been answered affirmatively by Frucht in [4] and [5], and many others. Concerning the latter, Kagno in [6] investigated the graphs of vertices < 6 and their group of automorphisms. It is known that not every group can have a graph in the sense of (b). For instance, letting


There is little empirical evidence on the issue of whether the relationship strength in entrepreneurial networks (RSENs) facilitates tacit knowledge transfer (TKT), and if so, whether incubator/accelerator affiliation affects the relationship between RSENs and TKT. The purpose of this paper is to understand how the startups affiliated to incubator/accelerator (private/public/private-public) are able to improve their innovation capability. This study examines various relationships within the empirical context of Indian manufacturing and service startups. We empirically provide some evidence that formal RSEN influences the extent of TKT, and hence, the innovation capability. The results support that startups in formal entrepreneurial networks gain more if they have public-private incubator/accelerator affiliation. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to link RSENs to the TKT in the national system of innovation literature. This study also contributes to our understanding of entrepreneurial networks in a non-Western context, i.e., India. In terms of practical implication, it is not only entrepreneurial networks that play an important role in TKT, but also their relationship strength. Hence, we argue that TKT in entrepreneurial networks may be a source of critical competitive advantage for startups in the 21st century. In addition, results provide implication for developing relationship with the members in networks for tacit knowledge. These implications have the potential to direct the policy initiatives.


Few-layer black phosphorus nanosheets (BPs) combined with melamine cyanurate and poly(phenylene oxide) were used to prepare a flame-retardant thermoplastic elastomer based on polystyrene (TPE-S) for the first time. Compared with neat TPE-S, BP-modified TPE-S with a phosphorus content of 7.98% (TPE-S/BP-7.98) passed the UL-94 vertical burning V-0 rating, and the limiting oxygen index value increased to 24.0%. The peak heat release rate (PHRR), total heat release, and the average combustion effective heat of TPE-S/BP-7.98 were decreased by 61.8, 26.0, and 35.3%, respectively. The time to PHRR was increased from 90 s (neat TPE-S) to 170 s. Scanning electron microscopy of frozen fracture sections showed favorable compatibility and dispersibility of BPs in TPE-S. In addition, the introduction of BPs showed the most negligible effect on the mechanical properties of TPE-S compared with other flame retardants (aluminum hypophosphite and red phosphorus).


This paper attempts to shed light on a unique configuration of factors causing the virtual disappearance of the preterite tense form in the history of Afrikaans. At the outset factors such as apocope and creolisation are discounted on various grounds, though the latter cannot be ruled out completely. However, while the Cape Dutch record of mainly L1 speakers suggests a gradual disappearance of the preterite during the first half of the 19th century, the virtual absence of the preterite in texts written in the early Afrikaans vernacular, as soon as they start appearing in this period, is conspicuous. It is hypothesised that the preterite had disappeared much earlier in the vernacular, especially as spoken by L2 speakers or those belonging to groups of former L2 speakers, amongst whom the influence of the Dutch norm was probably less marked. A scrutiny of the extant, though scant, utterances and writings of such speakers or representing such speakers reveals a situation close to that of modern Afrikaans as far as preterite usage and replacement by the perfect, in particular, is concerned. The main factors appear to be mnemonic, systemic and pragmatic. The basic mechanism was imperfect learning, a corollary of which is the retention, to the present day, of the most salient preterite forms. The language system contributed to preterite loss in that the perfect - an important competitor - was itself simplified in several respects, one of which is (again) the elimination of the mnemonic factor through the regularisation of the past participle. From a pragmatic point of view, other tense marking alternatives beside the perfect also remained available, e.g. the historical present and an adverbial marker such as toe. Several of these factors were indeed found to co-occur in texts of L2 speakers and individuals from former L2 groups


The concept of documentational genesis (Gueudet & Trouche, 2009) is a new
theoretical concept that seems to be a useful analytical tool for studying the
development of mathematics teachers. The concept of documentational genesis can
be considered as an analogy of the concept of instrumental genesis (Rabardel, 1995;
Trouche, 2005b) into the field of mathematics teacher education. In this new
approach the focus is on the activities that the teacher develops outside the classroom,
but that influence his work in the classroom. In particular the focus is on the
documentation work of the teacher, i.e. the interaction of a teacher with a set of
elements that shape and define his work in the classroom; for example, to draw
examples and exercises out from a textbook for his mathematics lesson plans, to look
up his own notes of previous courses, to analyze the mathematical productions of his
students, to listen to suggestions or criticisms of his fellow teachers and his students,
to study a curriculum reform to be implemented in his school, etc. This set of
elements with which the teacher interacts in order to carry out his documentation
work is called resources.
There are situations where the interaction between mathematics teachers and
resources is not spontaneous. In these contexts there is a need for organizing and
arranging the set of resources that the teachers interact with, in order to develop
specific aspects of their professional knowledge. Here I am referring to the in-service
mathematics teacher education programs. Inspired by the concept of instrumental
orchestration (Trouche, 2004; Trouche, 2005a), the aim of this paper is to illustrate
and to argue that at least in the field of mathematics teacher education, it make sense
and is relevant to use and to develop the concept of documentational orchestration. I
will highlight the necessity of studying in a joint way this concept together with the
11
concept of documentational genesis. Particularly it is shown how the
instrumentalization and instrumentation processes that constitute a documentational
genesis, can be taken as a basis to guide the refinement and redesign of an
orchestration. The empirical evidence supporting the arguments are taken from an
online educational program for mathematics teachers, that is to say, the structure and
operation of the program is based on the use of the Internet and its associated tools.


OBJECTIVES
Ocular myasthenia (OM) and mitochondrial disorder (MID) may be easily mixed up, if the MID presents with similar manifestations as OM and if MID manifestations progress only slowly.

CASE REPORT
In a 69yo Caucasian female OM was diagnosed at age 54y. Six years after onset the diagnosis was challenged, because the response to cholinergic medication was weak, acetyl-cholin-receptor antibodies were only marginally elevated, creatine-kinase was slightly elevated, and because the patient's mother had developed dementia. Resting lactate was normal but the lactate-stress-test was highly abnormal. Muscle biopsy was indicative of a MID and biochemical investigations revealed a complex I defect.

CONCLUSIONS
MID may be easily mixed up with OM, particularly at onset of a MID with only mild manifestations. The diagnosis of OM should be challenged if untypical clinical features develop or clinical manifestations do not respond to cholinergic medication.


Knowledge of statistical power is essential for sampling design and data evaluation when testing for genetic differentiation. Yet, such information is typically missing in studies of conservation and evolutionary genetics, most likely because of complex interactions between the many factors that affect power. powsim is a 32-bit Windows/DOS simulation-based computer program that estimates power (and α error) for chi-square and Fisher's exact tests when evaluating the hypothesis of genetic homogeneity. Optional combinations include the number of samples, sample sizes, number of loci and alleles, allele frequencies, and degree of differentiation (quantified as FST). powsim is available at http://www.zoologi.su.se/~ryman.


We often pay attention to the trauma of hospital admission with its consequent anxiety and loss of autonomy and control. I am less convinced that we apply the same sensitivities to the transfer of care or discharge from hospital.