We develop a simple information-based model of FDI flows. On the one hand, the relative abundance of "intangible" capital in specialized industries in the source countries, which presumably generates expertise in screening investment projects in the host countries, enhances FDI flows. On the other hand, host-country relative corporate-transparency diminishes the value of this expertise, thereby reducing the flow of FDI. The model also demonstrates that the gains for the host country from foreign direct investment [over foreign portfolio investment (FPI)] are reflected in a more efficient size of the stock of domestic capital and its allocation across firms. These gains are shown to depend crucially (and positively) on the degree of competition among FDI investors.


Emergent gravity views spacetime as an entity emergent from a more complete theory of interacting fundamental constituents valid at much finer resolution or higher energies, usually assumed to be above the Planck energy. In this view general relativity is an effective theory valid only at long wavelengths and low energies. We describe the tasks of emergent gravity from any ('top-down') candidate theory for the microscopic structure of spacetime (quantum gravity), namely, identifying the conditions and processes or mechanisms whereby the familiar macroscopic spacetime described by general relativity and matter content described by quantum field theory both emerge with high probability and reasonable robustness. We point out that this task may not be so easy as commonly conjured (as implied in the 'theory of everything') because there are emergent phenomena which cannot simply be deduced from a given micro-theory. Going in the opposite direction ('bottom-up') is the task of quantum gravity, i.e., finding a theory for the microscopic structure of spacetime, which, in this new view, cannot come from quantizing the metric or connection forms because they are the collective variables which are meaningful only for the macroscopic theory (valid below the Planck energy). This task looks very difficult or almost impossible because it entails reconstructing lost information. We point out that the situation may not be so hopeless if we ask the right questions and have the proper tools for what we want to look for. We suggest pathways to move 'up' (in energy) from the given macroscopic conditions of classical gravity and quantum field theory to the domain closer to the micro-macro interface where spacetime emerged and places to look for clues or tell-tale signs at low energy where one could infer indirectly some salient features of the micro-structure of spacetime.


Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the satisfaction of newly graduated nurses with educational programs and their experiences in role transition. Methods: Data were collected from November 1 to December 15, 2018 and 483 new graduate nurses working at 15 tertiary hospitals and 10 general hospitals participated. For data collection, self-report questionnaires including the Casey-Fink Graduate Nurse Experience Survey tool and satisfaction with education were used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and one-way analysis of variance. Results: Satisfaction with education ranged from 3.09 to 3.27, and satisfaction with preceptors was 3.45(maximum 4). The skill that new nurses ranked as most difficult during the first 3 months was charting/documentation, and throughout a whole year, the top 4 difficult skills were cardiopulmonary resuscitation/emergency response, ventilator care, end-of-life care, and prioritization/time management. In comfort/confidence, new graduates felt most comfortable with support and least comfortable with patient safety. More than 50 percent of new graduates experienced stress during role transition, and the most frequently experienced stressors were related to job performance and personal life. Levels of satisfaction with education and comfort/confidence differed according to the hospital type and number of preceptors for new nurses. Conclusion: In order to facilitate the transition of new graduate nurses to professional nurse, an extended period of education, systematic and standardized transition programs, and continuous support during the first year of practice are required.


The paper describes software for active antenna radar simulation. Cost and feasibility considerations impose dispersion tolerance between the numerous transmit and receive channels of an active antenna, so evaluation of global performance of the instrument becomes delicate. This tool allows an accurate calculation of transmitted and received signals through the antenna taking into account phase and amplitude distortions and dispersions withstood along the RF network distribution. Radiation pattern and impulse response express active antenna performance. First results are presented.<<ETX>>


We describe a novel experimental technique which allows the determination of absolute oscillator strengths of Rydberg transitions with medium to high quantum numbers. Absolute photoionization cross sections measured with the saturation method are used for a calibration of the f-values. The technique and its limitations are described in detail. Results are given for the main quantum numbers n = 28 - 60 for the series Ba I (), Sr I () and for the Ba I principal series (). For the latter series a comparison with data from the literature is given.


Reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) is the principal source of reducing power in numerous processes of physiological importance. We examined the influence of oxidative stress on the relative amounts of NADPH in human red blood cells (RBCs). To determine the homeostasis of the NADPH existing in the reduced form following oxidation, we developed an improved method for measurement of NADPH in human RBCs using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The present method with fluorescent detection is reproducible and selective than enzymatic cycling method and HPLC methods with spectrometric detection. The calibration curve is linear over the range of 0.1-5.0 muM with a correlation coefficient of 0.999. The within-run precision of the assays for total NADPH (NADPH+NADP(+)) and NADPH concentrations in human RBC were 2.4% and 8.6%, respectively (n=5). After the RBC suspension was exposed to tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP), which is scavenged by glutathione peroxidase (GPX) along with NADPH consumption, a significant decrease in the NADPH ratio [(NADPH/(NADPH+NADP(+))] was observed after a transient decrease and rapid recovery of the reduced form of glutathione. The marked decrease in the NADPH ratio induced by t-BHP exposure was observed in the absence of glucose. However, the NADPH ratio was not decreased by t-BHP exposure after pre-treatment with a glutathione reductase inhibitor. This method may be useful for the measurement of small amounts of NADPH from various biological sources.


Abstract: Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) meningitis sometimes occurs in patients with risk factors, which are associated with central nervous system (CNS) anomalies, surgical or anaesthetic access to CNS. We observed two cases of B. cereus meningitis in neonates without such risk factors. The clinical courses of both neonates were fulminant, and routine antibiotic therapy failed. Intracranial haemorrhage was evident at autopsy. According to the previous neonatal case reports and our experience, we found that six of seven neonates were premature babies admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit, five died within a week of onset of the disease, and six had intracranial haemorrhage. We speculate that B. cereus meningitis may occur in neonates, even without any of the risk factors previously described in adult case reports, and that the clinical manifestations of the meningitis might be chjpccterized by the high incidence of intracranial haemorrhage and poor mortality.


The principal aim of the study was to determine the influence of influenza A virus infection on capsaicin-induced relaxation responses in mouse isolated tracheal segments and clarify the underlying mechanisms. Anesthetized mice were intranasally inoculated with influenza A/PR-8/34 virus (VIRUS) or vehicle (SHAM), and 4 days later tracheal segments were harvested for isometric tension recording and biochemical and histologic analyses. Capsaicin induced dose-dependent relaxation responses in carbachol-contracted SHAM trachea (e.g., 10 μM capsaicin produced 66 ± 4% relaxation; n = 11), which were significantly inhibited by capsazepine [transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) antagonist], (2S,3S)-3-{[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]methoxy}-2-phenylpiperidine hydrochloride (L-733,060) [neurokinin 1 (NK1) receptor antagonist], indomethacin [cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor], and the combination of 6-isopropoxy-9-oxoxanthene-2-carboxylic acid (AH6809) and 7-[5α-([1S,1α(Z)-biphenyl]-4-ylmethoxy)-2β-(4-morpholinyl)-3-oxocyclopentyl]-4-heptenoic acid, calcium salt, hydrate (AH23848) [E-prostanoid (EP)2 and EP4 receptor antagonists, respectively], indicating that capsaicin-induced relaxation involved the TRPV1-mediated release of substance P (SP), activation of epithelial NK1 receptors, and production of COX products capable of activating relaxant EP2/EP4 receptors. Consistent with this postulate, capsaicin-induced relaxation was associated with the significant release of SP and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) from mouse tracheal segments. As expected, influenza A virus infection was associated with widespread disruption of the tracheal epithelium. Tracheal segments from VIRUS mice responded weakly to capsaicin (7 ± 3% relaxation) and were 25-fold less responsive to SP than tracheas from SHAM mice. In contrast, relaxation responses to exogenous PGE2 and the β-adrenoceptor agonist isoprenaline were not inhibited in VIRUS trachea. Virus infection was associated with impaired capsaicin-induced release of PGE2, but the release of SP was not affected. In summary, influenza A virus infection profoundly inhibits capsaicin- and SP-induced relaxation responses, most likely by inhibiting the production of PGE2.


Understanding and improving the psychosocial adjustments (e.g., quality of life, depression) and treatment outcomes (e.g., adherence, beliefs about treatments) of people with mental disorders are major health issues. The self-regulation model (SRM) postulates that illness representations play a central role on adjustment and treatment of people with physical illnesses. Recently, the SRM has been used with people with mental disorders. However, the manifestations of somatic and psychiatric disorders can be very different. Therefore, the use of SRM in the field of mental health is very complex. This difficulty, as well as the growing interest for illness representations in the field of mental health, justifies the utility to conduct a review on this topic. The current review shows that illness representations are related to psychosocial adjustment and/or treatment outcomes for people with various mental disorders [e.g., psychotic disorders, mood disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)]. However, some limitations to the applicability of SRM to mental disorders have been highlighted. These limitations should be considered in future studies.


Forests and forestry play important roles in Austria with its close to 50/ forest cover. This paper provides details about the Austrian forest carbon inventory, discusses briefly the sources and sinks accounted under the land use, land use change and forestry articles of the Kyoto Protocol, and presents an integrated carbon model (Austrian C-Balance Model) that was developed to include not only the forest sector, but other sectors that are greenhouse-gas relevant. Improvements in forest management practices are seen as important possibilities of increasing the carbon sink strength of Austrian forests, but also of pursuing other goals such as increased biodiversity and resistance to future climate-change impacts. This paper presents a process model and a carbon accounting model that are applicable for evaluating carbon impacts of changes in forest management.


A prospective controlled study on the benefits of pharmacists' individualized counseling on drug compliance, cholesterol concentration reduction, attainment of National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) goals, and patient satisfaction was carried out in a private community hospital in Hong Kong. All patients who were newly prescribed with lipid‐lowering drugs for primary prevention were included. The patients in the individualized counseling group received "intense" counseling and follow‐up of cholesterol concentration by a pharmacist for 3 months. The control group received routine counseling. Fifty patients completed the study (26 in the individualized group, 24 in the control group). Compliance was assessed, and those patients who achieved 75% compliance were defined as compliers. In the individualized group, 76.9% were compliers compared with 41.7% in the control group (p < 0.01). The individualized group achieved 28.3%, 27.7%, and 26.1% reduction in total cholesterol, LDL‐C, and triglycerides, respectively, compared with 15.3%, 16.3%, and 10.6% in the control group (p < 0.05 for all). Also in the individualized group, 80.8% achieved the ATP III LDL‐C goals compared to 58.3% in the control group (p < 0.05). Of patients in the individualized group, 85% felt that the pharmacist counseling service could improve their disease management. The study demonstrated that pharmacists' individualized counseling, together with the assessment of cholesterol concentrations, had positive impacts on the management of hyperlipidemia, including improved drug compliance, better treatment endpoints, and patient satisfaction.


A wide field-of-view (FOV) image contains more visual information than a conventional image. This study proposes a new type of hyperbolic mirror for wide FOV image acquisition. The proposed mirror consists of a hyperbolic cylindrical section and a bowl-shaped hyperbolic omnidirectional section. Using an imaging system with this mirror, it is possible to achieve a 213.8° horizontal and a 126.94° vertical maximum FOV. Parameters of each section of the mirror are designed to be continuous at the junction of the two parts, and the resultant image is seamless. The image-acquisition model is obtained using ray-tracing optics. To rectify the geometrical distortion of the original image due to the mirror, an image-restoration algorithm based on conformal projection is presented in this study. The performance of the proposed imaging system with the hyperbolic mirror and its image-restoration algorithm are verified by experiments.


Fault Injection (FI) is a well-known system verification technique, in which faults are artificially introduced into a system, to assess its behavior in exceptional conditions. FI can be applied at different levels, including physical, hardware and software. FI has also been applied at model level, although the amount of work in this direction is limited. However, the importance of models in the development of complex systems is growing, pushing towards model-level verification and sim-ulations. The Foundational UML (fUML) is a specific subset of UML, released as an OMG standard, that has a precise execution semantics and can therefore be executed. In this paper we investigate the application of FI to executable models specified with fUML. We first characterize the kind of fault that may be applied to fUML models, and then we realize an injection mechanisms based on automated model transformation. We apply the methodology to a simple example in the space domain, adapted from a real satellite system. We believe this is an important first step for the adoption of FI techniques on fUML models, for an early detection of design flaws. We conclude discussing some challenges and directions for future work.


Diabetic macular edema (DME) represents the most common cause of vision loss in patients affected by diabetes mellitus. Diabetic retinopathy has a significant impact on public health and the quality of life of many patients, and thus requires noteworthy consideration. The first line of treatment remains the management of systemic risk factors, but is often insufficient in controlling DME. For 25 years, the focal/grid laser photocoagulation was considered the standard of care for DME. Laser treatment reduces the risk of moderate visual loss by approximately 50%, but it is not associated with remarkable effects on visual improvement. Lately, new approaches in the treatment of DME have been considered; in particular the employment of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) drugs. VEGF is a pluripotent growth factor that functions as a vasopermeability factor and an endothelial cell mitogen, and thereby represents an appealing candidate as a therapeutic target for the treatment of DME. Recent trials have been investigating many anti-VEGF agents in the treatment of DME. The goal of this review is to present the evidence behind the use of anti-VEGF drugs in the treatment of DME.


Ammonia volatilization losses from surface applied urea could reduce the N-use efficiency in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations. Three field studies were conducted to assess the effectiveness of two urea formulations: coated-urea fertilizer (CUF) and the urease inhibitor N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide-treated urea (NBPT) at reducing ammonia (NH 3 ) losses in loblolly pine plantations under different forest floor moisture (dry vs. wet), substrate (forest floor vs. mineral soil), and site/soil type conditions (Piedmont vs. Coastal Plain). An additional laboratory study under controlled environmental conditions helped validate the results from the field. Ammonia volatilization losses were influenced more by the initial forest floor moisture than by the fertilizer formulations and were 43% lower when the fertilizer treatments were applied directly on the forest floor than on the exposed mineral soil. The average NH 3 losses, expressed as a percentage of applied N, in the Piedmont ranged from 1 to 9%, and from 7 to 16%, 7 and 30 d after fertilization, respectively. At Day 7, both CUF and NBPT reduced NH 3 losses, as compared with untreated urea, by 39 and 80%, respectively. In the Coastal Plain, NH 3 losses ranged from 7 to 17%, 7 d after fertilization. Both CUF and NBPT reduced NH 3 losses, as compared with untreated urea, by 35 and 25%, respectively. This difference in treatment ranking between sites suggests a fertilizer by site/ soil type interaction which the laboratory study confirmed. These results highlight the importance of knowing the environmental and site conditions before fertilization and can help decide where and when these formulations might be used more effectively.


A water retention curve for joints is a crucial parameter function in the numerical modeling of slopes, liners, and covers containing cracks or joints. In this study, a laboratory apparatus was designed and used to measure the water retention curves for rough joints at very low suctions. The aperture characteristics of the joint change spatially and are described by random-field theory. The apparatus incorporates a uniquely designed end cap and a water-content monitoring and pressure-control system. Suctions can be applied to the joint at an accuracy of 0.005 kPa. Visual observations of the flow process reveal that capillary flow is dominant in a rough epoxy joint with an average aperture size of 0.4 mm. The air-entry value is 0.23 kPa for the joint and decreases with increasing joint aperture size. When the applied suction becomes high, the water phase becomes discontinuous and a residual condition is attained. The residual degree of saturation is 0.26 for the joint with an average aperture size of 0.4 mm and decreases with increasing average aperture size. The rough joint can be viewed as a heterogeneous porous medium. The van Genuchten model can be used to describe the measured water retention curves for the rough joint.


Saudi Arabia's Atomic AmbitionsAs the impasse over Tehran's nuclear program worsens, those most likely to be directly effected by an Iranian bomb are showing greater alarm. While the media fixates on Israel and its possible reaction, other regional players have no less at stake.Despite Riyadh's long-held advocacy of making the Middle East a zone free of weapons of mass destruction, there has been much speculation in the last two decades about the possibility of its acquiring or developing nuclear weapons should Tehran obtain the bomb.1 In the words of King Abdullah: "If Iran developed nuclear weapons . . . everyone in the region would do the same,"2 a sentiment echoed by Prince Turki al-Faisal, former head of Saudi Arabia's General Intelligence Directorate.3 Has Riyadh decided to go down the nuclear road, or is this bluster a desperate bid to stop Tehran's nuclear program dead in its tracks?WHY GO NUCLEAR?A major deterioration in U.S.-Saudi relations - especially if Washington fails to stop Tehran's nuclear program or decides to scale back its military presence in the Middle East due to its recent energy discoveries - could force Riyadh to reconsider nuclear weapon acquisition to avoid having to face foreign aggression without U.S. security assurances. However, the relationship between Riyadh and Washington has thus far provided the Saudis with an unprecedented level of protection. From Washington's perspective, conventional wisdom holds that U.S. security commitments can keep han in check, prevent U.S. allies in the Middle East from submitting to Tehran's demands, and dissuade them from pursuing nuclear weapons. Yet both the willingness and the ability of the U.S. government to defend its partners in the region against a nuclear-armed Iran have been questioned.4 As an Israeli observer argued recently:The lack of American will to confront the ayatollahs and stop them in their tracks has given various Arab leaders plenty of incentive, as well as a good excuse, to proceed down the nuclear trail ... If the Iranians aren't stopped, and soon, we may wake up a few years from now to discover that Saudi Arabia and other unfriendly regimes have decided to upgrade their "civilian" nuclear programs into weapons-making industries.5Additionally, the Saudis are increasingly nervous about the strength of any U.S. commitment in light of the Obama administration's abandonment of such a long-standing regional ally as Egypt's Hosni Mubarak.6The second issue is a mirror image of the first, namely, the concern over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. In February 2012, one senior Saudi source told the London limes:There is no intention currently to pursue a unilateral military nuclear programme but the dynamics will change immediately if the Iranians develop their own nuclear capability . . . Politically, it would be completely unacceptable to have Iran with a nuclear capability and not the kingdom.7Abdulaziz Sager, head of the Geneva-based Gulf Research Center, argues that the consequences of Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons would result inturning Iran into a hegemonic power over the [Persian Gulf] states of the region, through its control of Iraq, its holding fast to the continued occupation of the UAE's [United Arab Emirates] islands, and its intervention in the domestic affairs of countries in the region through the agitated Shiite groups in these countries, which could push the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council], namely Saudi Arabia, to seek, in turn, the acquisition of a nuclear weapon to confront Iran.8Riyadh is most concerned about Iran's ambitions especially because it and many other Gulf states have substantial Shiite populations that could potentially become radicalized were a nuclear-empowered Iran to step up its incitement.9 Many analysts argue that in the event of an Iranian nuclear breakout, Riyadh would feel compelled to build or acquire its own nuclear arsenal. Given Saudi Arabia's vast wealth and strategic weakness, such a decision might seem logical. …


Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common causes of cancer mortality worldwide. Despite orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), recurrent HCC is a major cause of morbidity. In this case report, we evaluate the efficacy of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) as a bridge to OLT and for recurrence in the transplanted liver of a patient with HCC. A 52-year-old male with a history of chronic hepatitis C presented with a 1.7-cm liver lesion radiographically consistent with HCC, which was subsequently treated with a course of SBRT to 50 Gy in 5 fractions followed by OLT in 2009. The patient had a 2.2-cm recurrence in the transplanted liver in 2012, which was treated with SBRT to 62.5 Gy in 5 fractions. He tolerated the course of radiotherapy well with no significant radiation-related toxicity and remains in complete remission approximately 1 year after SBRT. SBRT is a safe and effective modality for the treatment of recurrent HCC in the transplanted liver of the same patient initially treated with SBRT as a bridge to OLT.


This article sketches out a relational theoretical approach to the study of collective entrepreneurial action. For such purposes, we argue that both Mancur Olson's methodological individualism as well as the sociological class analysis of Claus Offe and Helmut Wiesenthal - widely disseminated approaches to the study of entrepreneurial sectors - present strong essentialist tendencies. These approaches tend to substitute social conflict with various types of determinisms - economic, cultural, psychological, etc. In contraposition to such tendencies, we sketch out a relational approach in which collective entrepreneurial action is seen as the result of the existing correlation of forces, giving salience to historical and collective dimensions of building action and collective organization. For the study of entrepreneurial associations this perspective allows us to reflect upon the results and place of social conflicts.


This paper presents a series of numerical simulations to investigate blast-induced crack propagation in rock specimens embedded with a pre-existing fracture. The simulation is conducted using the particle-based discrete element method, which can effectively capture many important geomechanical processes such as solid vibration, crack growth and fracture sliding. Particles are assembled based on the grain size distribution of Beishan granite using a Voronoi tessellation algorithm, with the parameters of particle contacts calibrated against to the laboratory testing results. The pre-existing fracture is represented using the model of smooth-joint contacts. In this study, three sets of models are established to explore the effects of stress state, fracture length and fracture orientation on the damage evolution in the rock specimen subject to a blast load. In the first set of models, we observe that when the horizontal stress σx is not equal to the vertical stress σy , the maximum slip of the pre-existing fracture is positively correlated with the differential stress, i.e. Δσ= σx − σy, which further leads to the generation of different numbers of secondary cracks. The second set of models shows that the number of secondary fractures grows as a quadratic power function with the increased length of the pre-existing fracture. Furthermore, extensive tensile stress regions emerge around the tips of secondary fractures. The third set of models focuses on the sensitivity analysis of fracture orientation, showing that with the clockwise rotation of the pre-existing fracture from the vertical direction, the number of secondary fractures decreases significantly but they are still concentrated locally at the tips of the pre-existing fracture. The research findings of our paper have important implications for the assessment of excavation damaged zone properties around nuclear waste repositories built using the drilling and blasting method.


Lipid droplets (LDs) are specialized organelles that mediate lipid storage and play a very important role in suppressing lipotoxicity and preventing dysfunction caused by free fatty acids (FAs). The liver, given its critical role in the body's fat metabolism, is persistently threatened by the intracellular accumulation of LDs in the form of both microvesicular and macrovesicular hepatic steatosis. The histologic characterization of LDs is typically based on lipid-soluble diazo dyes, such as Oil Red O (ORO) staining, but a number of disadvantages consistently hamper the use of this analysis with liver specimens. More recently, lipophilic fluorophores 493/503 have become popular for visualizing and locating LDs due to their rapid uptake and accumulation into the neutral lipid droplet core. Even though most applications are well-described in cell cultures, there is less evidence demonstrating the reliable use of lipophilic fluorophore probes as an LD imaging tool in tissue samples. Herein, we propose an optimized boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) 493/503-based protocol for the evaluation of LDs in liver specimens from an animal model of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced hepatic steatosis. This protocol covers liver sample preparation, tissue sectioning, BODIPY 493/503 staining, image acquisition, and data analysis. We demonstrate an increased number, intensity, area ratio, and diameter of hepatic LDs upon HFD feeding. Using orthogonal projections and 3D reconstructions, it was possible to observe the full content of neutral lipids in the LD core, which appeared as nearly spherical droplets. Moreover, with the fluorophore BODIPY 493/503, we were able to distinguish microvesicles (1 µm < d ≤ 3 µm), intermediate vesicles (3 µm < d ≤ 9 µm), and macrovesicles (d > 9 µm), allowing the successful discrimination of microvesicular and macrovesicular steatosis. Overall, this BODIPY 493/503 fluorescence-based protocol is a reliable and simple tool for hepatic LD characterization and may represent a complementary approach to the classical histological protocols.


Choosing strategic locations to optimally place gateways prior to network deployment in Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) can alleviate a number of performance related problems; it can also lead to better handling of network scalability. Existing solutions that address the optimal gateway placement problem differ mainly in terms of the set of constraints that the placed gateways has to satisfy; the resulting placements influence, differently, the network quality of service (QoS). In this paper, we study the WMN topology design and we propose a Clustering Based Gateway Placement Algorithm (CBGPA) that guarantees end-to-end bounded delay communications with a good handling of network scalability. We show, via a case study, that CBGPA is constraints-independent algorithm that can effectively be coupled with a WMN design model; for that, we propose a multi-objective optimization model to design WMNs topologies from scratch. The two objectives of deployment cost and average congestion of gateways are simultaneously optimized in the model. The optimization model proposed is solved using a nature inspired meta-heuristic algorithm coupled with CBGPA, which provides the network operator with a set of bounded-delay tradeoff solutions. A comparative experimental study, using large size networks (up to 169 nodes) and different key parameter settings is conducted to show the effectiveness of CBGPA and to evaluate the performance of the proposed model.


Abstract Several studies in the field of applied linguistics have explored images held by language learners about a target language country. However, for the most part, these studies focused on learners of modern European languages, such as German, Spanish and French and they were conducted in Western educational contexts. Besides, none of the previous investigations attempted to conduct a systematic classification of the language learners' images. The present longitudinal study addressed these gaps in the research literature. It explored images about Russia held by Malaysian learners of the Russian language in a large university in East Malaysia. This article reports the findings of three questionnaire surveys conducted in 2004, 2007 and 2010. It was found that the images about Russia held by the participants were diverse and clustered around eight countryrelated aspects. Content of some categories of images was stable and changed little over time. Other categories were more fluid and more prone to change. The paper concludes with a discussion of pedagogical implications that can be derived from the findings.


Molecular dynamics simulations of the A(2A) adenosine receptor totaling 1.4 μs show clear evidence for specific sites mediating interactions between adenosine-bound A(2A) and cholesterol. The strongest evidence is for three binding sites. Two are in the extracellular leaflet, with one site interacting with helices VII and I, and the other with helices II and III. One site is located in the intracellular leaflet, interacting with helices III and IV. One of our three predicted binding sites is confirmed by a just-published high-resolution structure of A(2A) cocrystallized with an antagonist.


Abstract Masculinities research has started to disentangle the gendered challenges men face after forced migration. This paper aims to contribute to this emerging work by exploring constructions of masculinities of young Syrian refugee men in the Netherlands. It builds on the accounts of twenty-two Syrian men between nineteen and thirty-five years old whose experiences were explored using in-depth interviews and walking interviews. Our respondents construct masculinities predominantly in relation to labour market access, paid work and perceived social status, however, meanings of masculinities are differentiated by age, social class, race, and religion. Hence, we illustrate how respondents use personal biographies and generational narratives to shape these masculinities in relation to a restrictive host society. We find that older, higher educated respondents shape masculinities in relation to status loss and unrealised aspirations emphasised by experiences of racialisation and marginalisation in the local labour market. We go on to argue that younger respondents, who did not obtain any higher education due to the civil war, seem more flexible in finding work. As a result, they are able to maintain more traditional breadwinner masculinities, masculinities they use to counter societal narratives in the Netherlands concerning Muslim men. Last, we demonstrate how these generational differences affect perceptions and performances of masculinities in relation to gender, generational relations and life course advancement. The paper emphasises masculinities of young refugee Syrian men in the Netherlands as geographical and temporal constructions, remaining highly nuanced, plural and contextual.


Traditional farming practices in eastern Oregon ignore the inherent spatial variability (topography, soils) resulting in inefficient farming and lower net returns. Site-specific farming (SSF), or farming based on requirements of specific areas in a field, has the potential to improve input use efficiency and farm profits. To implement SSF, however, management zones should be demarcated preferably based on factors that most affect yield. The most common method for demarcating management zones is through intensive grid sampling that can be very expensive. The objective of this study was to find cheaper and quicker ways to demarcate management zones in a field in eastern Oregon. This study evaluated the use of electrical conductivity (EC) and yield maps in demarcating management zones. A 28-acre field was characterized for depth and nutrients at a 100-ft grid. Wheat was uniformly seeded throughout the field and harvested at each grid location. Results indicated that the spatial variability of wheat yield was influenced by soil depth. EC data were correlated with both depth and grain yield and can therefore be used to demarcate management zones quicker and cheaper than grid sampling in this field. Information from yield maps was also useful in demarcating management zones for SSF.


Recent experiments have shown that in addition to control by cis regulatory elements, the local chromosomal context of a gene also has a profound impact on its transcription. Although this chromosome-position dependent expression variation has been empirically mapped at high-resolution, the underlying causes of the variation have not been elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that 1 kb of flanking, non-coding synthetic sequences with a low frequency of guanosine and cytosine (GC) can dramatically reduce reporter expression compared to neutral and high GC-content flanks in E. coli. Despite the strong reduction in the maximal expression level from the fully-induced reporter, low GC synthetic flanks do not affect the time required to reach the maximal expression level after induction. Expression of the reporter construct is also affected by proximity to highly expressed ribosomal RNA operons depending on the relative orientation of transcription despite being insulated by strong transcriptional terminators, in a manner consistent with supercoiling competition. Overall, we demonstrate key determinants of transcriptional propensity that appear to act as tunable modulators of transcription, independent of regulatory sequences such as the promoter. These findings provide insight into the regulation of naturally occurring genes and specific rules for optimizing control of synthetic biology constructs.


Objective: To study the effects of the ethnic medicine Polygala fallax Hemsl with Guangxi characteristics on the sex hormones and ?-EP in research objective perimenopausal rat models. Methods: 40 female SPF rats were randomly divided into 4 groups, including the normal, model, high-dose and low-dose groups. Rats of three groups except for the normal one were treated with perimenopausal modelling through the method of subcutaneous injection of compound 4-VCD for 15 consecutive days. Rats of the normal and model group were normally fed without any treatment. Rats of the high-dose and low-dose groups were administered by high- and low-dose intragastric administration of the extract of Polygala fallax Hemsl. According to the menstrual cycle of the vaginal smear of the rat, each menstrual cycle is a course of treatment and 6 consecutive courses of treatment would be given. The indexes of serum sex hormones (E2, FSH, LH) and ?-EP of rats in each group were observed after treatment. Results: After the treatment of 6 cycles, for the levels of ?-EP and E2, the model group was lowest (P<0.05), the normal group was highest (P<0.05); and the high-dose group was higher than the low-dose group; For the levels of FSH and LH, the normal group was lowest (P<0.05), the model group was highest (P<0.05), and the high-dose group was lower than the low-dose group. Conclusion: Guangxi characteristic national medicine Polygala fallax Hemsl can effectively improve the levels of serum sex hormones and ?-EP in perimenopausal rat models and relieve the related symptoms with a certain dose-effect relationship.


Utility functions in Bayesian experimental design are usually based on the posterior distribution. When the posterior is found by simulation, it must be sampled from for each future dataset drawn from the prior predictive distribution. Many thousands of posterior distributions are often required. A popular technique in the Bayesian experimental design literature, which rapidly obtains samples from the posterior, is importance sampling, using the prior as the importance distribution. However, importance sampling from the prior will tend to break down if there is a reasonable number of experimental observations. In this paper, we explore the use of Laplace approximations in the design setting to overcome this drawback. Furthermore, we consider using the Laplace approximation to form the importance distribution to obtain a more efficient importance distribution than the prior. The methodology is motivated by a pharmacokinetic study, which investigates the effect of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation on the pharmacokinetics of antibiotics in sheep. The design problem is to find 10 near optimal plasma sampling times that produce precise estimates of pharmacokinetic model parameters/measures of interest. We consider several different utility functions of interest in these studies, which involve the posterior distribution of parameter functions.


A new g-factor sum rule is derived and compared with experimental data for several transition elements, g values calculated using the sum rule are then compared with those obtained from the Lande equation.


In this contribution, we investigate a graph to signal mapping with the objective of analysing intricate structural properties of graphs with tools borrowed from signal processing. We successfully use a graph-based semi-supervised learning approach to map nodes of a graph to signal amplitudes such that the resulting time series is smooth and the procedure efficient and scalable. Theoretical analysis of this method reveals that it essentially amounts to a linear graph-shift-invariant filter with the a priori knowledge put into the training set as input. Further analysis shows that we can interpret this filter as a Wiener filter on graphs. We finally build upon this interpretation to improve our results.


OBJECTIVE Any combination of metabolic abnormalities may constitute the metabolic syndrome (MetS), conferring coronary artery disease (CAD) risk, but the independent effect of different combinations on CAD onset remains unknown. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Healthy adult siblings (n = 987) of premature CAD (<60 years) case subjects were followed for 9.8 ± 3.8 years. Baseline MetS variables (insulin sensitivity index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides) were recombined into five principal components (PC1–5), and risk factor–adjusted proportional hazards for CAD onset of median-dichotomized PCs were estimated. RESULTS The significant hazard ratios were as follows: for PC1 (all abnormalities except blood pressure) 1.66 (P = 0.036), PC2 (high blood pressure levels, high HDL cholesterol) 1.71 (P = 0.016), and PC4 (low HDL cholesterol, high insulin sensitivity, low triglycerides) 2.0 (P = 0.001). Traditionally defined MetS had a hazard ratio of 1.32 (P = 0.18). CONCLUSIONS Independent MetS variants identified by PC analysis may explain metabolic mechanisms that increase CAD risk better than the presence of traditional MetS.


The U.S. Access Board's Draft Guidelines for Accessible Public Rights-of-Way recommends the use of push-button-integrated accessible pedestrian signals (APSs). This research compared the effect of specific features of push-button-integrated APSs on the ability of blind pedestrians to locate and correctly use push buttons and to cross accurately during the pedestrian phase. A rapid-tick walk signal promoted the fastest onset of crossing compared with speech messages and bird calls and is therefore the preferred signal. However, speech walk indications are needed where two APSs are mounted on the same pole. Although variations in the standard features made little difference to users who were thoroughly familiar with devices, empirical evidence from participants with less knowledge of the devices as well as subjective data lead to the recommendation that APS devices include a push-button locator tone, a rounded push button with an activation tone or message, a tactile arrow incorporated into the push button, responsiveness to ambient sound, and a push-button information message and beaconing in response to an extended button press.


We describe a case of postoperative brachial plexus neurapraxia after lumbar spinal surgery performed on the prone, seated, knee-chest position. The arms were extended above the patient's head.


Structurally related chromophores of different symmetry (dipolar, V-shaped, octupolar) are investigated and compared for elucidation of the combined role of branching and charge symmetry on absorption, photoluminescence and two-photon absorption (TPA). Their design is based on the assembly of one, two or three π-conjugated dipolar branches on a central core. Two series of branched structures obtained from a central triphenylamine core and dipolar branches having different charge-transfer characters are investigated: photophysical properties are studied and TPA spectra are determined through two-photon excited fluorescence experiments using fs pulses in the 700-1000 nm range. Calculations based on time-dependent quantum-chemical approaches, as well as the Frenkel exciton model, complement experimental findings. Experiments and theory reveal that a multidimensional intramolecular charge transfer takes place from the central electron-donating moiety to the periphery of the branched molecules upon excitation, whereas fluorescence stems from a dipolar branch. Symmetry and inter-branch electronic coupling are found to be responsible for amplification of the TPA response of branched compounds with respect to their monomeric analogues. In particular, an enhancement is observed in regions where the TPA bands overlap, and TPA activation is obtained in spectral regions where the dipolar analogue is almost two-photon transparent. Thus, appropriate tuning of the number of branches, of the coupling between them, and modulation of intramolecular charge transfer from core to periphery open the way for substantial improvement of TPA efficiency or TPA induction in desired spectral regions.


The Farnham gravels.—One of the most prolific gravels in England lies on a plateau south of a branch of the river Wey at Farnham, which is situated opposite a gap in the chalk ridge of the North Downs. Between the plateau and the river are at least three terraces attributed to the river which once flowed through the gap into what is now the Blackwater valley, but after the 50-ft. terrace was cut and covered, was captured by the Guildford Wey and diverted into the Waverley valley (Geological memoir, Alder shot and Guildford, p. 127). The gravel spreads and the implements they have yielded have been studied by Mr. Henry Bury, who recognizes four terraces, the top being the plateau 155 ft. above present river level and 355 ft. above O.D. (Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. lxiv, 1908, p. 318). It is clear that the plateau gravel here dates from St. Acheul times, as hand-axes of that culture in fresh condition are found in quantity ; and it may be presumed that the terraces below were cut in chronological order even if some of the deposits on them were due to aggradation or refilling of the valley. For two months in the summer a special exhibition of local implements was held at the British Museum, a selection from the Museum collection being supplemented by loans from Mr. Bury, Major Wade, F.S.A., Dr. John Gibson, Mr. Borelli, Mr. Harold Falkner, and Mr. W. F. Rankine. The intention was to concentrate on the problems presented by this most promising site ; and though any deduction from the facts is open to criticism, a date or culture for Terrace B (just below the plateau) is suggested by a small series in Mr. Bury's collection closely resembling some from High Lodge, Mildenhall, Suffolk (Proc. Prehist. Soc. E. Anglia, iii, 375—6), which seems to be intermediate between the Clacton and Le Moustier cultures. A similar hint for Terrace C is given by Dr. John Gibson's series of slightly rolled Levallois flakeimplements, though Major Wade's hand-axe found in situ at the base (Antiq. Journ. vii, 313) is evidence of another culture; and unrolled specimens from Terrace D (on the level of the railway-station) point to La Micoque. Derived hand-axes are found on all the terraces but are not evidential, except as showing extensive occupation of the district in palaeolithic times; but sporadic excavation is still being carried on, and it may yet be possible to test Mr. Bury's tentative equation of the terraces with those of the Thames, the heights above O.D. agreeing well, if 40 ft. is deducted from each of the Farnham levels.


Deconvolution is an efficient tool for enhancing both fluorescence and confocal microscopy images. Although in confocal microscopy the point spread function (PSF ) is rather small and images are much sharper compared to fluorescence microscopy, deconvolution can improve image contrast and reduce noise considerably in confocal microscopy. Several deconvolution methods have been proposed for 3D microscopy. In this work, we used Richardson-Lucy (RL) iterative algorithm assuming Poisson noise (because the noise on confocal microscope images corresponds to Poisson noise). However, RL does not always converge to a suitable solution. Convergence is improved, when combining RL with total variation regularization, using optimal regularization parameter. The aim of this work was to find the range of optimal values of the regularization parameter. For that, a synthetic image representing different shapes and intensities were generated, convolved and added Poisson noise. We deconvolved degraded images with different λ values. As result, from iteration history, we found that the range of TV regularization parameter λ = 0.008 to 0.03 gives satisfying results with respect to sharpness and the homogeneity of details. At smaller values of λ, all objects are smoothed out, but the oscillations near the sharp transitions of intensity are relatively small. In contrast, larger values of λ lead to a better edge detection but with the larger oscillations in the homogeneous regions. After the test on synthetic images, we applied the deconvolution algorithm to experimental data. Rat and trout cardiomyocytes were labeled with different fluorescence dyes, recorded with a confocal microscope and deconvolved. The deconvolution algorithm with the regularization parameter of λ = 0.01 led to significant improvement in image quality. We showed that the deconvolution process should be stopped after a certain number of iterations. Prolonged iterations can lead to misleading results, start amplifying noise or producing artifacts. In the near future, we plan to make a software bridge, which uses NVIDIA graphics cards (CUDA support) and/or cluster computing to enhance the computational speed. The software package composed on the basis of this work will be released as an open source project.


BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS
Oral sodium phosphate (NaP) solution is widely used for colonoscopy bowel preparation and it may cause aphthous ulcers in the colon. Our aim was to evaluate whether oral NaP solution is associated with gastric mucosal lesions.

METHODS
A total of 20 070 individuals underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) with colonoscopy, and 4271 individuals underwent EGD without colonoscopy, for cancer screening. Oral NaP solutions were used for bowel preparation prior to colonoscopy. Hemorrhagic gastropathy was graded using a five-point scale for erosive mucosal injury. The effect of NaP bowel preparation on hemorrhagic gastropathy was estimated using multiple logistic regression analysis with odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS
The incidence of hemorrhagic gastropathy was 1.6 % (70/4271) in the EGD only group and 4.0 % (809/20 070) in the EGD with colonoscopy group ( P < 0.001, unadjusted OR 2.55, 95 %CI 1.99 - 3.27). The ORs for mild (grade 1 - 2), moderate (grade 3), and severe (grade 4) hemorrhagic gastropathy according to NaP use were 1.92 (95 %CI 1.45 - 2.54), 4.72 (95 %CI 2.65 - 8.47), and 5.99 (95 %CI 1.46 - 24.63), respectively. After adjustment for confounding factors, NaP solution was a significant risk factor for acute hemorrhagic gastropathy in the multivariate analysis (OR 1.92, 95 %CI 1.34-2.74). In addition, male sex, a body mass index (kg/m (2)) of less than 20, concurrent use of antihypertensive or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and duodenal ulcers were independently associated with the development of hemorrhagic gastropathy. HELICOBACTER PYLORI infection and atrophic gastritis were negatively associated with hemorrhagic gastropathy.

CONCLUSION
Oral NaP bowel preparation for colonoscopy was associated with hemorrhagic gastropathy.


: Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is still one of the most deadly communicable diseases worldwide. In 2013, an estimated 9 million people developed TB and 1.5 million people died from TB. The global trend is a decrease of incidence, prevalence, and mortality. Objectives of the study: The basic aim of the study is to analyze the interaction of antimicrobial peptides as an alternative treatment of tuberculosis. Methodology of the study: This cross sectional study was conducted at hospitals of Khanewal during July 2018. The patients of both genders were selected for this study. Those patients who suffered from TB from last one year was included in this study. In this analyzes we compare the different drugs of TB which are available in the market as compared to antimicrobial peptides. Results: In general the three methods led to the same results. Linde et al. and other groups assayed the antimycobacterial activity by the BACTEC radio-metric method, which detected growth of mycobacteria by measurement of CO 2 released as a consequence of bacterial catabolism. Conclusion: It is concluded that Many AMPs have good or moderate activities against mycobacteria; however, in general the activities are lower as compared to the activities found against other Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacteria.


Schizophrenia is one of the most debilitating disorders with devastating effects on its victims and their families. Atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) because of their superior efficacy, reduced side effects, & better compliance, have rapidly become the mainstay of treatment. But, because of paucity of research & literature on the long-term metabolic side effect profile of these AAPs in Indian setup, this prospective study has been carried out to compare the effects of olanzapine & risperidone on body weight, body mass index, & blood sugar level in schizophrenic patients. Among 60 newly diagnosed DSM-IV patients of schizophrenia enrolled, it was observed that mean body weight & BMI were significantly increased from baseline to 6 & 12 weeks in both olanzapine (n = 30) & risperidone groups (n = 30) (P < 0.001). Also, mean blood sugar was found to be significantly elevated after 6 & 12 weeks of treatment with olanzapine (P < 0.001) but not in risperidone group. Thus, the present study underscores the need for baseline and six weekly monitoring of body weight and blood glucose in routine clinical practice with AAPs.


Abstract Teratomas are germ cell tumors which are mainly gonadal in origin. Other common extra-gonadal sites are mediastinal, sacro-coccygeal and pineal regions. Adrenal teratomas are extremely rare and primary adrenal teratomas are even rarer. We reported a case of primary adrenal teratoma in a 60-year-old male. We reviewed literature from 2000 to till date, and found 29 adult cases and 6 paediatric cases of adrenal teratoma. Usually, they are asymptomatic and identified as an incidental finding. Imaging modality such as USG, CT and MRI are useful in diagnosis. Though these tumors are mostly benign, malignant transformation may occur. Treatment includes surgical removal.


This paper aimed to evaluate farmers' preferences on condition attributes in a manufacturing pineapple sale contract. Data were collected from 300 pineapple farmers in Rayong province in the cropping season 2015 using paper-based questionnaires. Conjoint analysis model was employed to analyze the attribute ranking. Consequently, farmers were grouped by using cluster analysis in order to study attribute ranking for each group. The analytical results revealed that farmers' preferences were affected respectively by coverage-crop insurance option, price option, contract quantity and input supply arrangement. Finally, the attribute set that was found to obtain the highest total utility included guaranteed minimum prices, total quantity purchase and partial coverage-crop insurance. The farmers were segmented in 2 groups due to their preferences. The first group of farmers mostly had their planted areas between 20-40 rais and attended at least one training program concerning agricultural knowledge. The most important attribute of the first group was coverage-crop insurance option. Most of the second-group farmers had a small area planted and never attended the training. The price option was the most importance attribute for the second group. The suggestion from this study was that farmers, pineapple manufacturers and related government sectors jointly set a reasonably minimum guaranteed price that is consistent to the cost of production. Moreover, coverage-crop insurance could be added in a manufacturing pineapple sale contact in order to increase the farmers' confidence in their production.


Introduction: Successful soccer teams demonstrate longer duration of ball possession and more passes per possession than unsuccessful teams.1,2 Also, various variables have been established that explain these differences between teams, e.g. home advantage.3 Yet, the mechanism to achieve longer passing sequences remains unclear. It can be argued that number of pass options that a player has when holding the ball might underlie this. So far, no data is available on the number of pass options per possession. Therefore, the aim of this study is identify differences in the number of pass options across positions, game halves and match outcome. Method: Position data (AMISCO Pro©) of players and ball in 21 matches of an elite German premier league club was recorded. Sample includes 2008-2009 league (n=17) and Champions League (n=4) matches. Algorithms were developed in lpmSoccer3D (Inmotio Object Tracking BV) to calculate which teammate was available to receive a pass based on all players' running speed and ball speed. Available players were designated as 'pass option'. Means and standard deviations were calculated for number of pass options per match and per half. Differences between positions (goalkeeper, defender, midfielder, attacker), match outcome (win, draw, loss) and game half (1st, 2nd) were statistically evaluated. Results: No differences in the number of pass options between the match outcomes. The number of pass options increased significantly in the second half; the largest increase was found for attackers. Only the number of pass options of the goalkeeper differed from the other field positions. No significant interaction effects were found. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the number of pass options is not associated to match outcome, which is in line with previous studies. Nevertheless, the significant increase in the second half for all positions may hint at an altered strategy or changes in exploitation of free space for various reasons. Especially the increase for forwards may provide valuable information with respect to scoring goals. So, future research to evaluate the number of pass options prior to goals is warranted. References: 1Jones PD, James N & Mellalieu SD (2004). Possession as a performance indicator in soccer. Int J Perf An Sport, 4(1), 98-102. 2Hughes MD & Franks IM (2005). Analysis of passing sequences, shots and goals in soccer. J Sports Sci, 23(5), 509-514. 3Lago C & Martin R (2007). Determinants of possession of the ball in soccer. J Sports Sci, 25(9), 969-974.


This paper proposes a new approach to reducing the power consumption of instruction ROMs for embedded systems. The power consumption of instruction ROMs strongly depends on the switching activity of bit-lines. If a read bit-value indicates '0', the precharged bitline is discharged. In this scenario, a bit-line switching takes place and consumes power. Otherwise, the precharged bit-line level is maintained until the next access, thus no bit-line switching occurs. In our approach, the binary-patterns to be assigned to op-codes are determined based on the frequency of instructions for reducing the bit-line switching activity. Application programs are analyzed in advance, and then binary-patterns including many '1's' are assigned to the most frequently referenced instructions. In our evaluation, it is observed that the proposed approach can reduce bit-line switching by 40%.


Understanding customer behaviour (UCB) sequences with the multi-dimensional and temporal of the data is necessary for any competitive and global business aiming to provide interesting insights and to improve business strategies. While existing researchers have applied various data analytics approaches to understand and analyze behaviors of customer, they often failed to allow the analysts including business management, product marketing and development, and decision making, etc. Achieving these goals in collaboration with domain experts, we conducted a design study contributes to address a known problem with a novel solution and to provide data-driven visual decision support in collective policy data. We determine core study demands and then use a Visual Interactive System for Understanding Customer Behavior, named UCBVis that enables decision makers to gain detail insights into customer activities. In this study, we present customer behaviour pattern of multidimensional relationship through the visualisation system based on interweaving the pattern mining and querying with a designed encoding scheme. We use a large number of customer claim records and present visual outcomes to facilitate the exploration of customer behavior. Furthermore, we provide a concise set of insights and challenges associated with the use of UCBVis in the life insurance industry. We show the robustness of UCBVis through a user study with five participants shows that UCBVis is perceived to be more useful and provides actionable insights.


The publication analyzes the conditions of high school practice of developing the students' interest in self-education in the course of extra-curricular activities.


ABSTRACT This paper argues the benefits of characterizing occupational transitions as movement between figured worlds, which are socially constructed units that are characterized by particular people and activities, and that shape identities. Further, positive withdrawal, which is a purposeful decision to limit participation when the requirements of engaging surpass self-perceived ability, describes limited engagement with a figured world. To illustrate the utility of this lens, the community reintegration of military service members as they finish deployment and return to family and community life is explored. The figured worlds of military and family are drawn from first person accounts of deployment and reintegration experiences from the perspectives of both service members and spouses. The constructs of figured world and positive withdrawal are found to be useful ways to describe community reintegration for both service members and families and the complex shifts in identity associated with the transition process. The framework presented expands on the occupational science literature by presenting a framework for non-linear, bidirectional occupational transitions in which individuals return to familiar settings rather than enter novel ones. The constructs of figured world and positive withdrawal can contribute to future theory development and research with populations that experience similar occupational transitions.


Background: Although unbound ciprofloxacin is responsible for antibacterial effects, assays measuring the unbound drug plasma concentrations are scarce. This study aimed to develop and validate a rapid, reproducible, and sensitive liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry assay for the determination of total and unbound ciprofloxacin plasma concentrations. Methods: The determination of total ciprofloxacin concentrations required a 10 μL sample, while for unbound ciprofloxacin concentrations, it was 100 μL. Unbound ciprofloxacin was separated from protein-bound ciprofloxacin through ultrafiltration. A deuterated internal standard was used, and the sample preparation involved protein precipitation. The method was fully validated over a concentration range of 0.02–5.0 mg/L, according to the US Food and Drug Administration guidelines. In addition, its clinical application was demonstrated. Results: The total run time was 1.5 minutes. For total ciprofloxacin plasma concentrations, the mean accuracy ranged from 94.5% to 105.0% across the validated range, the intraday imprecision was ≤7.6%, and the interday imprecision was ≤9.8%. For unbound ciprofloxacin plasma concentrations, the mean accuracy ranged from 92.8% to 102.1% across the validated range, the intraday imprecision was ≤7.0%, and the interday imprecision was ≤9.6%. Ciprofloxacin in plasma and ultrafiltrate remained stable for at least 96 hours at room temperature, at least 4 years at −80°C, and at least 3 freeze/thaw cycles (−80°C), with a minimum interval of 24 hours. Conclusions: The presented method is precise and accurate. It has been implemented in clinical care and research projects at a university hospital, permitting rapid determination of total and unbound ciprofloxacin.


Polyaniline Multi walled Carbon nanotubes (PANI/MWCNTs) nanocomposite thin films have been prepared by non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jet on glass substrate with different weight percentage of MWCNTs 1, 2, 3, 4%. The diameter of the MWCNTs was in the range of 8-55 nm and length - - 55 55 μm. the nanocomposite thin films were characterized by UV-VIS, XRD, FTIR, and SEM. The optical studies show that the energy band gap of PANI/MWCNTs nanocomposites thin films will be different according to the MWCNTs polyaniline concentration. The XRD pattern indicates that the synthesized PANI/MWCNTs nanocomposite is amorphous. FTIR reveals the presence of MWCNTs nanoparticle embedded into polyaniline. SEM surface images show that the MWCNTs homogenously inside the polyaniline house. It can be concluded that the nanocomposite can be prepared PANI/MWCNTs thin films by plasma jet polymerization and control the optical energy band gap irregulars by controlling the MWCNTs weight concentration.


&NA; The umbilical artery waveform was assessed in 18 normal nonlaboring patients before and after full surgical epidural anesthesia for repeat cesarean section. Using range‐gated pulsed Doppler ultrasound, we found that the waveform analysis of the umbilical artery close to its placental insertion did not change significantly. These results suggest that no deleterious effect on fetoplacental circulation occurs with this form of anesthesia as long as maternal blood pressure is normal.


Supervisory Committee Dr. Andrew Rowe, Department of Mechanical Engineering Supervisor Dr. Peter Wild, Department of Mechanical Engineering Departmental Member Dr. Sadik Dost, Department of Mechanical Engineering Departmental Member Dr. Aaron Gulliver, Department of Electrical Engineering Outside Member A technology with the potential to create efficient and compact refrigeration devices is an active magnetic regenerative refrigerator (AMRR). AMRRs exploit the magnetocaloric effect displayed by magnetic materials whereby a reversible temperature change is induced when the material is exposed to a change in applied magnetic field. By using the magnetic materials in a regenerator as the heat storage medium and as the means of work input, one creates an active magnetic regenerator (AMR). Although several laboratory devices have been developed, no design has yet demonstrated the performance, reliability, and cost needed to compete with traditional vapor compression refrigerators. There are many reasons for this and questions remain as to the actual potential of the technology. The objective of the work described in this thesis is to quantify the actual and potential performance of a permanent magnet AMR system. A specific device configuration known as a dual-nested-Halbach system is studied in detail. A laboratory scale device is created and characterized over a wide range of operating parameters. A numerical model of the device is created and validated against experimental data. The resulting model is used to create a cost-minimization tool to analyze the conditions needed to achieve specified cost and efficiency targets. Experimental results include cooling power, temperature span, pumping power and work input. Although the magnetocaloric effect of gadolinium is small, temperature spans up to 30 K are obtained. Analysis of power input shows that the inherent magnetic work is a small fraction of the total work input confirming the assumption that potential iv cycle efficiencies can be large. Optimization of the device generates a number of areas for improvement and specific results depend upon targeted temperature spans and cooling powers. A competitive cost of cooling from a dual-nested-Halbach configuration is challenging and will depend on the ability to create regenerator matrices with near-ideal adiabatic temperature change scaling as a function of temperature.


In this note, we consider a vertical cable which is pinched at the upper end. A mass is attached at the lower end where a control force is also applied. We show that this hybrid system is uniformly stabilized by choosing a suitable control law for the control force depending on the velocity and angular velocity at the free end. Moreover for specific values of the feedback coefficients, we obtain the rate of decay of the energy of the system. >


Federal legislation mandates substantial reduction of air pollution emissions from electric utilities. Utilities in Appalachia that use locally mined high-sulfur coal must choose among abatement options such as fuel mixing and smokestack scrubbing technologies, Wet scrubbers are the most frequently adopted abatement technology in Ohio. This paper investigates beneficial reuses of by-product from wet scrubbers, By-product is most often disposed of in landfills, resulting in large external costs. We combine social cost and benefit transfers with a linear optimization model to investigate potential benefits of by-product recycling. Results suggest that significant incentives exist to find beneficial uses for by-product.


This paper describes gvSIG project, from its beginning until the current status. This open source project, started as a first approach to become the open source geographic information system of the administration in Valencia region and has become a reference project within the GIS world from the proprietary level applications until open source projects. gvSIG has cross many country borders and chase to reach the status of an "all-in" application, with an integrated behaviour unifying CAD and GIS worlds, vector and raster, integrating local data work with Spatial data infrastructure information and services, two dimensions world with 3D and 4D, building a tool used by GIS users at all levels.

 Key words: SDI, OGC, open source, interoperability, desktop clients


Since recent financial crises in Asia and Latin America, developing countries have been strongly advised to rely primarily on foreign direct investment (FDI) in order to promote economic development on a sustainable basis. Even harsh critics of rash capital account liberalization argue in favor of opening up towards FDI. Yet, economists know surprisingly little about the driving forces and the economic effects of FDI. There are few undisputed insights on which policymakers can rely. Globalization through FDI has become significantly more important since the early 1990s. Various groups of developing countries have participated to a strikingly different degree in the FDI boom. However, the distribution of FDI does not support the widely held view that FDI is concentrated in just a few developing countries. Considered in relative terms, various small and less advanced countries have been attractive to FDI. Policymakers should be aware that various measures intended to induce FDI, including the liberalization of FDI regulations and business facilitation, are unlikely to do the trick. Promotional efforts will help little to attract FDI if economic fundamentals are not conducive to FDI. Fiscal and financial incentives offered to foreign investors may do more harm than good by giving rise to costly "bidding wars." The importance of traditional determinants of FDI, notably the size of local markets, can no longer be taken for granted. Globalization tends to induce a shift from purely market-seeking FDI to new types of FDI, for which the international competitiveness of local production is highly relevant. The challenge for policymakers in developing countries then is to create immobile domestic assets that provide a competitive edge in the competition for FDI. This task has various dimensions, ranging from local capacity building and the provision of efficient business-related services to trade liberalization with regard to capital goods and intermediate products. Policymakers should not expect too much from FDI inflows. Capital formation continues to be a national phenomenon in the first place. FDI is superior to other types of capital inflows in some respects, particularly because of its risksharing properties, though not necessarily in all respects. The nexus between FDI and overall investment as well as economic growth in host countries is neither self-evident nor straightforward, but remains insufficiently explored territory


OBJECTIVE. Our objective was to determine whether parent-reported, high-quality primary care was associated with decreased nonurgent pediatric emergency department utilization. METHODS. A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data for a cohort of children from the 2000–2001 and 2001–2002 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey panels was performed. Baseline parent-reported quality of primary care with respect to family-centeredness, timeliness, and realized access (a measure of the child's ability to receive necessary care and referrals) was assessed by using composite scores from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. The primary outcomes were the numbers of subsequent nonurgent and urgent emergency department visits per child. RESULTS. Of 8823 children included, 70.0% rated family-centeredness, 88.2% rated realized access, and 55.6% rated timeliness as high quality. After adjustment for demographic factors and health status, high-quality family-centeredness was associated with a 42% reduction in nonurgent emergency department visits for publicly insured children and a 49% reduction for children ≤2 years of age. Greater realized access was associated with a 44% reduction in nonurgent emergency department visits for children 3 to 11 years of age and a 56% reduction for children ≥12 years of age. Greater realized access was also associated with decreased nonurgent emergency department visits for publicly and privately insured children (37% and 35%, respectively). There was no significant association between timeliness and nonurgent emergency department utilization, nor was any quality-of-care domain associated with urgent emergency department utilization. CONCLUSIONS. Parent-reported, high-quality family-centeredness and a high level of realized access to primary care were associated with decreased subsequent nonurgent emergency department visits for children. Parent reports of health care quality in these domains provide important complementary information on health care quality.


The impetus for this paper came from our experiences as learner-teachers of re-considering the epistemological and ontological roots of our undergraduate-nursing curriculum. It began as an earnest dialogue regarding particular aspects of first year undergraduate-nursing theory content, specifically, caring and compassion, self-concept and nursing identity, spirituality and culture, a simple question—how could we better engage first year nursing students with what they frequently considered to be "abstract" and "soft" concepts? An organic need to be "good teachers" and introduce learners to fundamental concepts in nursing, and have them understand, in meaningful ways, the complexity of "caring and compassion" with respect to what it is that nurses do, think, and enact. To this end, we enlisted Relational Inquiry, as articulated by Gweneth Hartrick Doane and Colleen Varcoe, as a means of creating an epistemological and ontological foundation for our teaching practice in order to better support the development of critically reflective, community orientated, caring relational practitioners. Initially, we thought relational inquiry was an epistemological endeavor and found that it is an ontological undertaking. We discovered that practicing from a relational caring perspective shifted our focus from the content to the student as a developing practitioner and human being. Through the process of re-imagining our teaching practice, we have begun to re-consider the importance of "attending to the spirit" of nursing students.


The quick and appropriate evacuation of the disaster victims is one of great concern in the disaster situation. Under the disaster situations, it is general that the victims evacuate from the present location to the nearest evacuation center depending on evacuation guidance. However, in case of the situation that many victims are at biased distribution to specific areas, the guidance to the closest evacuation center concentrates many victims to particular evacuation. As a result, the victims who could not enter the closest evacuation center need to evacuate to other evacuation centers, until accepted. Therefore, the problem occurs that the evacuation of victims is delayed significantly. In this paper, to solve this problem, we propose an evacuation center determination method aimed at reducing the evacuation time of the whole victims. Specifically, the proposed method determines an evacuation center so that the evacuation time of all victims becomes short based on the location information of victims and the capacity of evacuation centers. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method, we compared our proposed method with the shortest route selection method and random selection method, by using the simulation study assuming the situation of the Gion festival in Kyoto. As a result, when using the proposed method, we showed that the average evacuation time can be reduced to 35.9% compared with the shortest route selection method. Also, we confirmed that the average evacuation time can be reduced to 8.1% even if victims who follow the proposed method is 20% of the total. From these results, even if victims who follow the proposed method is a part of the total, we showed that our method can reduce the overall evacuation time, and contribute to disaster prevention.


Abstract Experimental studies evaluated the vector competence of Ochlerotatus taeniorhynchus (Wiedemann), Culex cancer Theobald, Culex pseudes (Dyar and Knab), Culex taeniopus Dyar and Knab, and a Culex (Culex) species, probably Culex quinquefasciatus Say, and Culex nigripalpus Theobald from Chiapas, Mexico, and Tocoa, Honduras, for epizootic (IC) and enzootic (IE) strains of Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) virus. Culex pseudes was highly susceptible to infection with both the IC and IE strains of VEE (infection rates >78%). Patterns of susceptibility to VEE were similar for Oc. taeniorhynchus collected in Mexico and Honduras. Although Oc. taeniorhynchus was highly susceptible to the epizootic IC strains (infection rates ≥95%, n = 190), this species was less susceptible to the enzootic IE strain (infection rates ≤35%, n = 233). The Culex (Culex) species were refractory to both subtypes of VEE, and none of 166 contained evidence of a disseminated infection. Virus-exposed Cx. pseudes that refed on susceptible hamsters readily transmitted virus, confirming that this species was an efficient vector of VEE. Although Oc. taeniorhynchus that fed on hamsters infected with the epizootic IC strain transmitted VEE efficiently, only one of six of those with a disseminated infection with the enzootic IE virus that fed on hamsters transmitted virus by bite. These data indicate that Cx. pseudes is an efficient laboratory vector of both epizootic and enzootic strains of VEE and that Oc. taeniorhynchus could be an important vector of epizootic subtypes of VEE.


We have studied the lateral and vertical correlation of the interface roughness of Si/SiGe multilayers grown on Si(001) substrates with a miscut between and using high resolution x-ray reflectivity. The theoretical analysis of the measurements proved that the established phenomenological models for the description of the interface profiles fail in the common case of moderately small miscut angles. We obtained qualitatively correct results for the roughness correlations using a microscopic kinetic step-flow growth model, which accounts for the aggregation of monolayer steps (step bunching) during the hetero-epitaxial growth.


Evolution of the plants is the very important aspects of the life on the planet. Since early plant life was typically aquatic in nature. It was the assemblage of the many kind of the aquatic algae's and the other taxa's of the aquatic importance. Among them the bryophytes are the plants which were amphibious in nature. However, the pteridophytes are typically land plants having well developed vascular bundles as well as other features of the and adaptations. Pteridophytes have the long fossils history; plants were well developed in the whole Paleozoic era. They were flourished well in the late Devonian and the carboniferous period. In that era one can find the number of the examples of fossils plants which were intimidate in evolution of the many kinds of the organs. Lepidocarpales was the assemblage of the organs like structure which have the pioneer's symptoms of the evolution of the ovules. That review presents the assemblage of the fossil pteridophytes.


Marine biogeochemical (BGC) models are highly uncertain in their parameterization. The value of the BGC parameters are poorly known and lead to large uncertainties in the model outputs. This study focuses on the uncertainty quantification of model fields and parameters within a one-dimensional (1-D) ocean BGC model applying ensemble data assimilation. We applied an ensemble Kalman filter provided by the Parallel Data Assimilation Framework (PDAF) into a 1-D vertical configuration of the BGC model Regulated Ecosystem Model 2 (REcoM2) at two BGC time-series stations: the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) and the Dynamique des Flux Atmosphériques en Méditerranée (DYFAMED). We assimilated 5-day satellite chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration and monthly in situ net primary production (NPP) data for 3 years to jointly estimate 10 preselected key BGC parameters and the model state. The estimated set of parameters resulted in improvements in the model prediction up to 66% for the surface chl-a and 56% for NPP. Results show that assimilating satellite chl-a concentration data alone degraded the prediction of NPP. Simultaneous assimilation of the satellite chl-a data and in situ NPP data improved both surface chl-a and NPP simulations. We found that correlations between parameters preclude estimating parameters independently. Co-dependencies between parameters also indicate that there is not a unique set of optimal parameters. Incorporation of proper uncertainty estimation in BGC predictions, therefore, requires ensemble simulations with varying parameter values.


A practical method of ambulatory management of childhood diabetes is described. The patient and his parents must realize that diabetes is a chronic disease which needs lifelong management. Adequate instruction should include the following principles of management and control: urine testing, diabetic diet, administration of insulin, intensive motor activity, recognition and treatment of hypoglycemic episodes. Hospitalisation of diabetic children should be avoided as much as possible. A proper ambulatory management of diabetic children ensures normal growth and development, that differs in no way from that of nondiabetic children.


This paper investigates the transversal and covering problems of hypergraphs via semi-tensor product of matrices. First, by the definitions of incidence matrix of hypergraph and characteristic logical vector of a vertex subset, one necessary and sufficient criterion is established for hypergraph transversal, based on which a new algorithm to find the minimum transversal is given for any hypergraph. Then, via properties between a hypergraph and its dual hypergraph, the covering problem can reduce to be transversal problem, and another algorithm for covering problem is presented. Finally, one illustrative example and application to simplification of Boolean functions are provided to show the effectiveness and applicability of the theoretical results.


In this study we report on two successful replications of a five‐factor personality inventory in two non‐Indo‐European languages, Estonian and Finnish, which both belong to the group of Uralic languages. Costa and McCrae's (1985) NEO Personality Inventory was adapted to these two languages. By all relevant psychometric parameters neither developed construct differs from the original construct: the reliabilities of only 11 per cent for the Estonian and 36 per cent for the Finnish subscale were lower than those of the respective NEO‐PI scales. The factor structure of both Estonian and Finnish inventories was very close to the five‐factor structure of the NEO‐PI, accounting for 71.7 per cent and 67.0 per cent of the variance, respectively. In spite of this generally good agreement, some language‐ or culture‐dependent differences were observed. Both Estonian and Finnish women were more extroverted and conscientious than men, compared with their English‐speaking counterparts. Also, some differences exist in the need for other people's company and excitement seeking. In the Balto‐Fennic culture gregariousness appears to presuppose some emotional stability and openness and excitement seeking is conceptualized more as a tool of rescuing from anxiety, depression, and low self‐esteem. This study is considered as a step towards determination of which parts of the most popular instrument for the measurement of the Big Five personality dimensions are truly universal and which parts of it are specific to a particular language and culture.


This research investigated the effects of tin composition and heat treatment variables on the Al-Zn-Mg alloy as sacrificial anode in seawater using gravimetric technique and statistical analysis. Tin was alloyed with Al-Zn-Mg in varied proportions (0%, 0.01%, 0.05% and 0.1%) to determine the optimum anode efficiency in the marine environment. Precipitation heat treatment was performed by first subjecting the samples to solution treatment at 5380C for 2 hours and later subjected to varying hardening temperatures and times. The samples were hardened for 4, 8 and 12 hours at each of the hardening temperatures of 1300, 1600 and 1900 centigrade. The anode efficiency increases as the tin concentration increases. The experimental result of this study showed that the Al-Zn-Mg alloy with 0.1% tin gives the optimum anode efficiency. It was revealed that the Al-Zn-Mg alloy without tin composition exhibited high output current capacity when hardened at 1900C for 4 hours. Predictive model developed in this work was in consonance with experimental observation except the following; at hardening temperature of 1600C, the model recommended 12 hours as against 4 hours of laboratory experiment and at hardening temperature of 1300C it advocated 8 hours as against 12 hours.Keywords - aluminum alloy, corrosion, precipitation hardening, regression and correlation analysis, and sacrificial anode


Nematodes and insects share common features of taxonomic and ecological biodiversity, with different species exploiting a wide range of environmental niches. However, plant-feeding nematodes are usually very small, and require a moisture phase for activity. This allows very limited active dispersal in soil, but survival mechanisms allow the ability for passive dispersal in transported soil, plant material, flowing water and sometimes wind-blown soil. The range of plant hosts differs widely among nematode species. The indigenous New Zealand fauna has not adapted to exotic agricultural plants. Agricultural crops are exposed to a limited biodiversity of introduced pest nematodes, with many of the nematodes having only a limited distribution within New Zealand. This reduced nematode diversity compared with comparable habitats in the northern hemisphere contributes to competitive advantages for plant-based industries. As many crops are strongly regionalised, deliberate grower application of biosecurity practices could sustain unique advantages. The possibilities in New Zealand are illustrated using a variety of crop examples.


In the design of mobile phone monitoring system, the balance of real-time video playback fluency and clarity is the key of the design work. For this problem, the designer can use image data compression international standard, such as MPEG standards, and real-time transport protocol RTP to reallize real-time video data transmission on GPRS, but the final result is extremely poor. On the basis of introducing the features of real-time interactive data, this paper proposes a specific H.264 real-time streaming media receiving scheme based on RFC3984, and uses Symbian smartphones with 3G functionality, the test shows that the scheme is feasible and the final software has a good operating results.


Attachment theory is essentially a child-centred theory which is not readily adaptable to the relating of adults. Dependence is proposed as the adult equivalent of attachment. Both attachment and dependence have both a closeness-seeking component and an upwardly directed component. From this observation emerges a theory of relating constructed around a horizontal axis concerning closeness seeking versus distance seeking and a vertical axis concerning upwardly directed behaviour versus downwardly directed behaviour. By the insertion of four intermediate positions, an octagonal arrangement of relating objectives is created which resembles the interpersonal circle. The theory differs from orthodox interpersonal theory in the clear distinction which is drawn between positive relating and negative relating. Three classes of negative relating are described. As in attachment theory, continuities are established between the relating of animals and the relating of humans. It is tentatively shown how the 10 DSM-IV personality disorders might be accommodated within the structure of the octagon. Psychotherapy based upon interpersonal theory is described. Two instruments for measuring negative relating are described: the Person's Relating to Others Questionnaire, which is a general measure of relating, and the Couple's Relating to Each Other Questionnaire, which measures specifically interrelating within couples. The usefulness of these in measuring change in psychotherapy is illustrated.


Bio-inspired mapping methods have started a new trend in the robotics navigation area. In this paper, we propose a new map building framework based on the neocortex model: Hierarchical Temporary Memory (HTM). HTM has tree-shaped hierarchical structure and demonstrates structural and algorithmic properties of the human brain neocortex. We first treat the mapping problem as the object recognition problem, and design HTM network hierarchical structure. Secondly, the Speed Up Robust Features (SURF) descriptors were extracted from the grabbed images. These descriptors were further projected into visual words. The presence or absence of visual words consists of input data of HTM in the form of binary sequences. With the binary visual words sequences, HTM network stored or recognized the scene information which were reflected in the visual words, and the output of HTM was the related environment map. After training the HTM network, we evaluated it by two sets of environment data. The results show that the HTM based mapping strategy can build the environment map successfully and handle the loop closing problem with high performance.


The success of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) depends on a high percentage of ventricular pacing. We present the electrocardiography and electrograms of a patient who underwent an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) with CRT implantation showing a low percentage of ventricular pacing as a result of T wave oversensing of paced QRS. The patient showed no clinical improvement. We suggest finding a good sensitivity of F waves in induced ventricular fibrillation during ICD implantation in order to overcome the harm of possible oversensing.


OBJECTIVE
Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) has an abrupt onset of inflammatory symptoms, making it a useful model for studying the effects of inflammation in bone. PMR requires corticosteroid treatment, which may itself have a detrimental effect on bone. This study used serially measured biochemical markers of bone turnover and bone density to address the relative contributions of systemic inflammation and corticosteroid therapy to bone loss.

METHODS
Fifty untreated patients with PMR were randomized to receive oral prednisolone or intramuscular methylprednisolone. Biochemical bone markers (pyridinoline [PYR], deoxypyridinoline [DPYR], procollagen type I carboxy-terminal peptide [PICP]) and bone mineral density (BMD) were measured at baseline and at 6, 12, and 24 months.

RESULTS
The median disease duration at presentation was 12 weeks (range 5-32 weeks). Levels of urinary crosslinks were increased in patients with untreated PMR compared with controls (PYR 74.9 +/- 30.0 nmoles/mmole creatinine, DPYR 14.6 +/- 6.4 nmoles/mmole creatinine [mean +/- SD]; P = 0.0001); the PICP level was normal (115.0 +/- 39.0 microg/liter). With treatment, the crosslinks levels fell and PICP levels rose within 6 months (P = 0.01). Bone resorption (PYR) correlated with untreated disease activity (erythrocyte sedimentation rate [ESR]) (r = 0.5, P = 0.003) and with interleukin-6 levels (r = 0.48, P = 0.05). There was a significant reduction in BMD of both the hip and the spine after 12 months of treatment (P = 0.0002), with no difference between treatment groups. As the steroid dosage was reduced, bone mass improved. Initial ESR influenced the percent change in BMD at 1 year (r = 0.35, P = 0.05), while cumulative steroid dose, mean ESR, and type of steroid used did not.

CONCLUSION
Inflammation in PMR increases bone resorption and appears to have a more detrimental effect on bone than does low-dose corticosteroid. If corticosteroids can be tapered and discontinued, bone loss in PMR can be a transient phenomenon.


Abstract Psychological characteristics are crucial to identifying talents, which is why these are being incorporated in today's multidimensional talent models. In addition to multidimensionality, talent studies are increasingly drawing on holistic theories of development, leading to the use of person-oriented approaches. The present study adopts such an approach by looking at the influence that motivational characteristics have on the development of performance, in a person-oriented way. For this purpose, it looks at how the constructs achievement motive, achievement goal orientation and self-determination interact with one another, what patterns they form and how these patterns are linked to subsequent sports success. Ninety-seven top young football players were questioned twice. Another year later, it was enquired which of these players had been selected for the U15 national team. At both measuring points, four patterns were identified, which displayed a high degree of structural and individual stability. As expected, the highly intrinsically achievement-oriented players were significantly more likely to move up into the U15 national team. The results point to the importance of favourable patterns of motivational variables in the form of specific types, for medium-term performance development among promising football talents, and thus provide valuable clues for the selection and promotion of those.


Abstract The Rembrandt basin is the largest well-preserved impact feature in the southern hemisphere of Mercury. Its smooth volcanic infill hosts wrinkle ridges and graben, and the entire basin is cross-cut by the Enterprise Rupes scarp system. On the basis of the Model Production Function crater chronology, our analysis shows that the formation of the Rembrandt basin occurred at 3.8±0.1 Ga during the Late Heavy Bombardment, consistent with previous studies. We also find that the smooth plains interior to the basin were emplaced between 3.7 and 3.6±0.1 Ga, indicative of a resurfacing event within the Rembrandt basin that is consistent with the presence of partially buried craters. These youngest plains appear temporally unrelated to basin formation, and so we regard their origin as likely to be due to volcanism. We identify the same chronological relationship for the terrain cross-cut by Enterprise Rupes to the west of the basin. Therefore, volcanic activity affected both the basin and its surroundings, but ended prior to the majority of basin- and regional-scale tectonic deformation. If Enterprise Rupes formed prior to the Rembrandt basin, then regional-scale tectonic activity along this structure might have lasted at least 200 myr.