Although thermoelectric materials with a figure of merit, ZT, higher than 1.2 have gained considerable interest in electric power generation, little is hitherto known on the influence of severe plastic deformation on thermoelectric performance. Severe plastic deformation is one of the elegant techniques to furnish ultrafine grained microstructure with a high level of point, linear and surface defects. Particularly the phonon scattering on these defects is used as a main route to reduce thermal conductivity in thermoelectric materials and as a consequence increasing ZT. The present article provides an overview on the achievements of the various techniques of severe plastic deformation to gain high figures of merit in the thermoelectric materials, commonly used in energy conversion devices, such as skutterudites, clathrates, Heusler phases, and bismuth tellurides. For all skutterudites, high pressure torsion, as one of the major techniques of severe plastic deformation processes, is a great tool to either enhance ZT of hot pressed samples or to directly produce fast and easily high ZT thermoelectric bulks. A still unsurpassed highlight is the enhancement of ZT from 1.6 to almost 2 (Sr0.09Ba0.11Yb0.06Co4Sb12) at 825K. Whilst for thermoelectric clathrates so far little success was reported, high pressure torsion treatment of Heusler and Half-Heusler phases in some cases was able to boost ZT (VTa0.05Fe2Al0.95, rising ZT from 0.22 to 0.3) although the absolute ZT increases are still disappointing. For pand n-type Half-Heusler alloys (NbFeSband TiNiSn-based) at least three temperature cycles are necessary to gain a thermally stable state, indicating that obviously the introduced defects and structure changes are more resistant against heat treatments than in case of skutterudites. Bismuth tellurides of type V1(VI)1 and/or V2(VI)3 (V, VI denote the group elements) have been already deformed by high temperature pressure or high temperature extrusion before the SPD methods were known, for the sake of improving ZT at least with temperatures 300500K, at most fighting with the condition to achieve a high electrical conductivity because of the strong anisotropy in these materials. By starting with ball milling followed by high temperature pressing at not too high temperatures, not only the electrical conductivity could be kept large but also the lattice thermal conductivity was diminished such that figures of merit up to ZT = 1.4 at T = 373K were achieved. This value could be reached by many of the ECAP experiments published so far, although only across the sample long axis because of lattice anisotropy. First applications of HPT did not reach that ZT level as either the conditions of texture could be not fulfilled, or, above all, the processing rates and/or temperatures were too high. Recent investigations not having involved SPD found the importance of the lattice defects' specific phonon scattering efficiencies, especially that of dislocations, and by introducing them in sufficiently high densities, enhancements of p-type BiTellurides up to ZT = 1.9 were possible. These findings recommend the use of SPD methods here, not at least as they have been already applied very successfully by the authors of this review to both pand n-type Skutterudites increasing the figure of merit up to ZT 3 2. As concerns mechanical properties, the application of SPD methods significantly raises the strength while leaving the elastic moduli unchanged unless new phases have been formed. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.MF201941]


The isometric pull and push strength profiles of males and females were determined in seated and standing positions in the workspace. The strongest pull strength location was at extreme reach vertically above the shoulder for both males and females. The greatest pull strength of400 Newtons (N) for males was recorded in the seated and standing positions. Females' pull strengths in the seated and standing positions were 222 and 244 N, respectively. The strongest push strength was always at the maximum reach at the overhead location. Males' maximum push strength was 227 N in the seated position and 251N in the standing position. Females' maximum push strength was 96Nin the seated position and 140 N in the standing position. On the average the strength in the standing position was 79% of the seated position. The push strength was 71% of the pull strength and females were 56% as strong as males.


Lukáš, E., Kotas, P., and Obrusník, I., (1974).British Journal of Industrial Medicine,31, 288-291. Copper and zinc levels in peripheral nerve tissues of rats with experimental carbon-disulphide neuropathy. By means of neutron activation analysis the levels of zinc and copper in peripheral nerve tissue of two groups of rats with carbon-disulphide neuropathy were estimated. The neuropathy (diagnosed electromyographically) was evoked by inhalation of 3·6 mg CS2/litre of air (variant 1) or 2·4 mg CS2/litre of air (variant 2). Stationary Zn levels were found in control and exposed animals in both of the experimental variants, while the copper levels increased very significantly from 4·2 ± 0·3 ppm to 9·9 ± 1·7 ppm in experimantal variant 1 and from 2·4 ± 0·3 ppm to 5·6 ± 0·6 ppm in variant 2. The experiments suggest that changes in metal metabolism of peripheral nerve tissue deserve attention as one of the possible pathological links in the development of carbon-disulphide intoxication.


The effects of physico-chemical properties of two soil sampling locations on the proximate and mineral nutrients contents of Gongronema latifolium Benth were examined in Otuoke secondary forest habitat, in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Leaf samples of Gongronema latifolium and soil (0-20 cm depth) samples were randomly collected from two sites in the study area. Three replicates were maintained for each treatment using randomized complete block design. The pH of 5.10 was recorded at location 1 while that of location 2 was 5.00. The contents of calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, iron, copper and zinc were higher in leaves of G. latifolium at location 1 than those of location 2, while the content of potassium was higher in leaves of G. latifolium at location 2 than those of location 1. The moisture, protein, lipid and fibre contents in leaves of G. latifolium were higher at location 1 than those of location 2, while the contents of ash and carbohydrate in leaves of G. latifolium were higher at location 2 than those of location 1. This study showed that the nutritional status of G. latifolium was affected by the sampling locations of the study area, hence, appropriate cultural practices are needed in the area in order to create favourable soil conditions for optimum growth and development of the test plant.


Competition is often considered a fundamental process influencing assemblage structure, yet little is known about competition among ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi. Here, we examine competitive interactions between Rhizopogon occidentalis and Rhizopogon salebrosus in a 6-month microcosm study. Pinus muricata seedlings were grown in three EM treatments: R. occidentalis, R. salebrosus, and R. occidentalis and R. salebrosus. At 2, 4, and 6 months, five seedlings per treatment were harvested and the EM root tip biomass of each species was determined. Root tips in the two-species treatment were identified using molecular techniques. R. occidentalis had similar EM root tip biomass when grown alone or in the presence of R. salebrosus. By contrast, R. salebrosus had significantly lower EM root tip biomass when grown with R. occidentalis than when grown alone, indicating it was a competitive inferior under the conditions tested. Competition was driven by differences in timing of colonization resulting in a strong priority effect for R. occidentalis. Our results, together with two earlier studies, indicate competition may play a more important role in EM interactions than previously recognized.


New geologic concepts have been developed that illuminate the critical role of bound water in the generation and prediction of overpressures in mudstones. The concept is based on new understanding of the surface-charge effects on water adsorbed on solid surfaces and comes in part from molecular modelling, atomic force measurements, and high-beam neutron diffraction studies reported in the literature. The picture that is emerging is as follows. Bound water on clay surfaces can support a lithostatic load. The bound water fraction increases with compaction, as free water is expelled, with a concomitant decrease in permeability. Overpressures commence at a threshold depth, the retention depth, where the rate of fluid loss is not sufficient to establish pressure equilibrium with the surface. With deeper burial there is a second threshold depth, a gating depth, where bound water condenses to a high-density phase. Below this gating depth, fluid expansion or other effects are responsible for secondary pressure anomalies. Knowledge of bound water effects accounts for discrepancies observed in laboratory measurements of mudstone properties. For instance, mercury intrusion and surface-area measurements depend strongly on how much (hygroscopic) bound water has-been absorbed or adsorbed on a sample before measurements. Surface charge effects tend to increase with compaction due, in part, to reduction of iron and beidellitization. A large data set for mudstones is used to show that the fraction of bound water tends to reach a maximum of almost 100 percent at a depth of 2 to 3 km. An important part of this research is the development of the empirical equation BW = 0.734 CEC (1-Փ)/Փ, where BW is bound water (fraction of total pore volume), Ф is porosity and CEC is cation-exchange capacity (expressed in meq/gm). Porosity and CEC are borehole derived using resistivity and acoustic methods described here. As an adjunct part of this research a software package (called P3) has been written that puts the concepts and relationships into practice.


Abstract Not Available – First paragraph follows:
Inorganic soils of the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys planted potatoes often crust in early spring. Crust strength and thickness are conditioned by the amount and intensity of rainfall, soil clod stability, and rate of drying of the soil surface. In the past there has not been much information about the extent to which crust development can affect plant performance. In the spring of 1970 the effects of severe soil crusting upon potato plant emergence and development were observed and recorded at Shatter.


People whose gender does not correspond to the binary gender system, i.e., trans∗gender people, face two main problems when it comes to healthcare in Germany: (1) They often suffer from general psychiatric comorbidities as well as specific and significant mental distress due to gender dysphoria, and (2) the German healthcare system lacks sufficiently educated and clinically experienced medical personnel who are able to provide specialized healthcare. Aside from transition, it often is extremely difficult for trans∗gender people to get access to and be integrated into the medical system. Stigmatization and pathologization in treatment are widespread, as are long waiting times for specialized healthcare providers who are often only accessible to those trans∗gender people willing to travel long distances. Frequently, trans∗gender people face further difficulties and barriers after transition, as some healthcare professionals fail to provide suitable care (e.g., gynecological consultation for transmen). The ICD-11 German Modification (ICD-11-GM), which should be routinely used by 2022, implements a depathologization of trans∗gender people in the medical system. This paper compares the issues related to health and healthcare of trans∗gender people in Germany with those in other European countries. We review the care offered by specialized centers with regard to treatment of and support for trans∗gender people. We conclude with specific proposals that may contribute to establish an improved, up-to-date, gender-sensitive healthcare system.


Selection is one of the vital tools for improving the indigenous chicken genetic resources. A total of 1585-day-old chicks comprising of 3 types of chicken namely Naked Neck (NN), Hilly (H) and Non-descript Deshi (ND) were hatched for this study to form foundation stock. Improvement target of egg weight was to increase by 1g and improvement target of egg production rate was to increase by 2 % per generation. In foundation stock, selection was practiced at 40-week of age, on the basis of an index comprising the parameters of age at first egg (ASM), body weight(BW), egg production(EP) and egg weight(EW). Data were analyzed in CRD by General Linear Model (GLM) Univariate Procedure. Significantly highest fertility (82.71%) and hatchability (82.20%) were found in ND genotype. Significantly (P 0.05) variation in FCR among the native chicken genotypes. NN genotype (3.46%) had non-significantly (χ2 = 3.62; P > 0.05) higher chick mortality than ND (1.63%) and H (2.11%) at brooding period (0-4 weeks). Significantly (P<0.01) higher dressing percentage was found in NN (64.58) genotype than ND (60.26) and H (61.70) genotypes. Non-significantly higher egg production in selected group was found in H (70) genotype than ND (68) and NN (67) genotypes. Significantly (P<0.001) highest shape index and Haugh unit were found in H and ND genotypes, respectively. As a result of selection, egg production is expected to improve by 0.562, 0.932 and 0.755%, respectively for ND, H and NN genotypes. In terms of reproductive traits ND was superior, in terms of productive traits H genotype was superior and in terms of dressing percentage and breaking strength NN genotype was superior. These findings of the study also give an impetus for continuing the research for more generations to fulfill the objectives of the long-term programme. Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. March 2017, 3(1): 80-87


Abstract A light-driven galvanic cell was constructed making use of the photosynthetic activity of isolated chloroplasts. Artificial mediators managed the transfer of electrons from the endogenous electron carriers to the platinum electrodes in each of the joined half-cells. In one the mediators were reduced by electrons originating from water. In the other the mediators were oxidized by photosystem I in the presence of an autoxidizable electron acceptor. The redox potential in the single half-cells has been studied as a function of the lipophilicity of the mediators and their concentration. Further more different autoxidizable acceptors and different treatments of the chloroplasts were investigated. The combined half-cells were separated by an ultrafiltration membrane. Upon illumination the system gave rise to an open circuit potential of up to 220 mV. This battery was charged with rates as high as photosynthetic electron transport rates. The results are discussed with respect to the arrangement of the cell and the properties of the components for high effectiveness and maximal potential differences.


The events of the past five years showed that the most promising alternative liquid fuel is the bioethanol, which could replace fossil fuels, thus impeding the further acceleration of the global warming. The bioethanol production of the world showed a significant growth, which was basically caused by the increase of corn starch processing and fermentation. However, the growing and the processing of corn results in lignocellulosic by-products like corn stover, corncob, corn fiber, and press cake. The weight of the starch is only \sim 25% of the whole corn plant. The further increase of corn growing and processing will increase the production of the lignocellulosic by-products as well.
The idea of ``bio-refining´´ means the fractionation of the biomass with chemical and biotechnological methods, and producing value added products from each fraction. The goal of most researches in the field of lignocellulose utilization is the production of ethanol. Most authors conclude that it is not economical because of the high ratio of the yet unutilizable fractions, like hemicellulose and lignin. But if these fractions could be sharply separated, and converted to valuable products, the whole process of lignocellulose utilization (bio-refining) could be economically feasible. The scope of this study was to review and evaluate all of the presently available methods for separating the fractions of lignocellulosic biomasses, and for utilizing them. Over one hundred publications were reviewed from the fields of biotechnology, food chemistry, and chemical technology to collect all processes for lignocellulose utilization.


Basal body replication during estrogen-driven ciliogenesis in the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) oviduct has been studied by stereomicroscopy, rotation photography, and serial section analysis. Two pathways for basal body production are described: acentriolar basal body formation (major pathway) where procentrioles are generated from a spherical aggregate of fibers; and centriolar basal body formation, where procentrioles are generated by the diplosomal centrioles. In both pathways, the first step in procentriole formation is the arrangement of a fibrous granule precursor into an annulus. A cartwheel structure, present within the lumen of the annulus, is composed of a central cylinder with a core, spoke components, and anchor filaments. Tubule formation consists of an initiation and a growth phase. The A tubule of each triplet set first forms within the wall material of the annulus in juxtaposition to a spoke of the cartwheel. After all nine A tubules are initiated, B and C tubules begin to form. The initiation of all three tubules occurs sequentially around the procentriole. Simultaneous with tubule initiation is a nonsequential growth of each tubule. The tubules lengthen and the procentriole is complete when it is about 200 mµ long. The procentriole increases in length and diameter during its maturation into a basal body. The addition of a basal foot, nine alar sheets, and a rootlet completes the maturation process. Fibrous granules are also closely associated with the formation of these basal body accessory structures.


Suakin (Ar. Sawākin) is the second important town of Sudan and a port for Muslim pilgrims bound for Jeddah. Its economy is primarily based on fishing. Long before the establishment of the present, new town, Suakin was an island town to which cargo ships from the Red Sea ports came and goods from India were transhipped via Jeddah. In its heyday, the island town was populated by merchants and traders who came to settle there from African and Arab countries, mainly Egypt and Sudan, and India and Europe. The majority of the inhabitants who lived around the island town belonged to the Beja (Ar. Buja or Bujā) groupings, whose ancestry goes back centuries; they were, as they are mainly today, pastoralists and cultivators. Around the late nineteenth century, members of a distinct Western Arabian ethnic group, the Rashayda (Ar. Rashāᵓida; s. Rashīdī), came to Sudan to look for work and live in the hinterland and on the coast. Though the majority were nomads and herders, several were involved in dhow trading, and a small number settled in Suakin. By the 1930s, however, many buildings in the island town started to crumble into rubble as its inhabitants abandoned the island for better economic prospects in other Red Sea port towns. Subsequently, a new town developed south of the island, including communities from the neighboring region, mainly Cushitic-speaking Beja groupings and other minorities such as the Rashayda, and in recent decades, they were joined by West African pilgrims who chose to settle there on their return from hajj (pilgrimage). Some members of the Beja groups follow occupations related to the sea; many come from the mountains to seek work as fishermen, or divers during the shell-collecting season, or laborers during the hajj season. Fishing activity is centered on the craftsmanship of the dhow builders: the dhows must not only be seaworthy but also specifically designed for fishing and shell collecting. This article will examine maritime activity on the Sudanese coast with particular reference to Suakin, past and present. It will discuss the level of involvement of the Beja and the importance of the role of the Rashayda in this multiethnic community from their arrival in the nineteenth century to the present time; further, it will show how they adapted their knowledge and skills and also show that the maritime terminology used is predominantly Western Arabian and not, as would be expected, Cushitic, as spoken by the Beja groups or linguistic registers of other ethnic groupings. The methodology applied in this research is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2004, together with consultation of primary and secondary sources.


Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by the accumulation of CD19+/CD5+ lymphocytes, and this is achieved primarily through a block in apoptosis. The mechanisms underlying this defect are not fully understood. Several proteins have been shown to protect CLL cells from apoptosis and one of these is albumin that solublizes lipids in the plasma. A lipid found in plasma, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), protects epithelial and fibroblast cells from apoptosis. We investigated whether LPA could be a survival factor in CLL. Herein, we demonstrate that LPA effectively protects the B cell line BJAB and the CLL-like cell line I-83 from etoposide, fludarabine, and chlorambucil-induced apoptosis. In primary CLL cells, plasma from either healthy or CLL patients significantly reduces spontaneous and drug-induced apoptosis. However, delipidation of the plasma reduces its protective effect. In addition, LPA protects primary CLL cells but not healthy lymphocytes from apoptosis. By western blotting, the LPA receptor 1 (LPA 1 ) expression is increased in primary CLL cells compared to normal lymphocytes. Treatment of primary CLL cells with the LPA receptor antagonist diacylglycerol pyrophosphate (DGPP) reverses the protective effect of LPA against apoptosis. Over expression of the LPA 1 receptor protects cells from apoptosis and downregulation of the receptor blocks LPA mediated protection against spontaneous apoptosis. The protective effect of LPA is inhibited by blocking activation of the PI-3K/AKT signaling pathway. These results indicate that LPA is a survival factor in primary CLL cells and that drugs targeting the LPA receptors might be an effective therapy for this disease.


Study
Design: Between January 2003 and June 2009, we collected fresh tumor and
extracted high-quality RNA from the omental/peritoneal metastases of 47
patients with stage IIB-IV ovarian cancer. Clinical data were abstracted from
the patients' medical records. Expression of Six1 level by quantitative RT-PCR
was compared with preoperative factors and intraoperative findings using the χ2 test and the Fisher exact test. The effect of Six1 elevation on survival was
assessed with the Kaplan/Meier method. Results: The mean age of patients
enrolled was 60 (range 33 - 84). The histological subtypes were 77% serous
(36/47), 11% endometrioid (5/47), 4% mucinous (2/47), and 4% clear cell (2/47).
Eighty-one percent were optimally cytoreduced. Median Six1 expression for the
samples was 114 fg/ng 18S rRNA and Six1 overexpression, defined as >300
fg/ng 18S rRNA, was observed in 19% of tumors. Six1 expression above sample
median was associated with peritoneal disease (p = 0.049) and inability to
optimally cytoreduce (p = 0.02). Six1 overexpression was associated with
worsened survival in the high grade serous subgroup (43 months versus 71
months, p = 0.039
Log Rank test). Conclusions: Elevated levels of Six1 predict peritoneal disease
and larger residual tumor after maximal cytoreductive effort. Prospective
prediction of surgical cytoreduction using a combination of Six1 expression,
included with other factors, is currently being evaluated.


It has been established that c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1) is essential to the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Although JNK influences inflammatory signaling pathways, it remains unclear whether its activity in macrophages contributes to adipose tissue inflammation and ultimately to the regulation of systemic metabolism. To address whether the action of this critical inflammatory kinase in bone marrow-derived elements regulates inflammatory responses in obesity and is sufficient and necessary for the deterioration of insulin sensitivity, we performed bone marrow transplantation studies with wild type and JNK1-deficient mice. These studies illustrated that JNK1-deficiency in the bone marrow-derived elements (BMDE) was insufficient to impact macrophage infiltration or insulin sensitivity despite modest changes in the inflammatory profile of adipose tissue. Only when the parenchymal elements lacked JNK1 could we demonstrate a significant increase in systemic insulin sensitivity. These data indicate that while the JNK1 activity in BMDE is involved in metabolic regulation and adipose milieu, it is epistatic to JNK1 activity in the parenchymal tissue for regulation of metabolic homeostasis.


I have proposed an explanation of lactic acid production and output by red and white skeletal muscle during repetitive contractions. The proposal does not require O2 lack to slow oxidative phosphorylation. In this proposal lactic acid production is due to the fact that activation of glycolysis is more rapid than activation of oxidative phosphorylation. This results in a transient elevation of NADH in the cytoplasm and net lactic acid production. Once oxidative phosphorylation is fully activated and the activation of glycolysis wanes, balance is again achieved. Lactic acid production decreases and may become net utilization.


The purpose of this study is to set up the analytical method of new persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as chlordecone, endosulfan, -HCH, -HCH, -HCH. The analytical methods for these compounds listed as new POPs by the Stockholm Convention need to be newly established. Therefore, we proposed the analytical method for 5 organic chlorinated pesticides (OCPs) and then applied the analytical method to environmental samples. To do this, the pre-treatment such as florisil and activated carbon cleanup process in the Korean official method for classic POPs had been reviewed. All of compounds except chlordecone were pre-treated simultaneously with reviewed cleanup process and detected by GC/MS and HRGC/HRMS respectively. There is a problem that chlordecone could not get a high sensitivity by GC analysis, but in this study GC/MS method was proposed.


We report experimental results on chip-to-chip transfer of single-flux-quantum (SFQ) pulses using an active multichip module (MCM). Josephson transmitters and receivers are integrated on both a chip and an MCM substrate. An MCM consisting of a 4.8-mm chip and an 8.2-mm MCM substrate was fabricated using a 1.6-kA/cm/sup 2/ Nb-trilayer process and a solder-bumped flip-chip bonding technology. The correct operation of the circuit was confirmed by low-speed testing. Bit-error rate (BER) of the circuit was measured down to 10/sup -5/, and extrapolation of the error-function fits suggested a very small BER, lower than 10/sup -200/, at the optimum bias point. Experimental margins on the bias voltage were as large as /spl plusmn/34%.


Pseudomonas putida is able to grow on malonate as a sole source of carbon and energy. Malonate decarboxylase is a key enzyme catabolizing malonate to acetate and CO2. The enzyme consists of the five different subunits, (60 kDa), (33 kDa), (28 kDa), (13 kDa), and (30 kDa). The smallest subunit is an acyl-carrier protein (ACP) possessing 2'-(5"-phosphoribosyl)-3'-dephospho-CoA as a prosthetic group. Acylation of ACP is the initial step triggering the decarboxylation of malonate in a cyclic manner, i.e., the subunit is activated to form acyl-S-ACP by the subunit in the presence of acetyl-CoA or malonyl-CoA as an active acyl donor. The acetyl residue on the subunit is replaced with malonate by the subunit, and the malonyl residue subsequently undergoes decarboxylation by the subunits and , thereby regenerating acetyl-S-ACP. This unique cyclic reaction mechanism that amplifies acetate as its product in proportion to the amount of a given acetyl-CoA and/or malonyl-CoA is allows one to detect pmol levels of the CoA derivatives. Moreover, one can separately measure the three CoA molecular species, acetyl-CoA, malonyl-CoA, and nonesterified CoA (CoASH), by a combination of the elimination of acetyl-CoA with citrate synthetase (EC 188.8.131.52) or acetylation of CoASH with phosphate acetyltransferase (EC 22.214.171.124). The micromethod, named the acyl-CoA cycling method, is useful to define the rapid changes in vivo in the size and composition of the CoA pool. By this micromethod, it has been demonstrated that there is a remarkable difference in the size and composition of intracellular pools of CoASH and CoA thioesters between aerobic bacteria and facultatively anaerobic bacteria. It has also been revealed that the composition of CoA pools in facultatively anaerobic bacteria drastically changes within minuites in response to the quality and quantity of the carbon source in the medium, growth phase, pH, incubation temperature, osmotic stress, or antibiotics to inhibit energy yielding systems and fatty acid biosynthesis.


The objective of this paper is to develop further a framework for computationally modeling microstructurally small fatigue crack growth in AA 7075-T651 [1]. The focus is on the nucleation event, when a crack extends from within a second-phase particle into a surrounding grain, since this has been observed to be an initiating mechanism for fatigue crack growth in this alloy. It is hypothesized that nucleation can be predicted by computing a non-local nucleation metric near the crack front. The hypothesis is tested by employing a combination of experimentation and finite element modeling in which various slip-based and energy-based nucleation metrics are tested for validity, where each metric is derived from a continuum crystal plasticity formulation. To investigate each metric, a non-local procedure is developed for the calculation of nucleation metrics in the neighborhood of a crack front. Initially, an idealized baseline model consisting of a single grain containing a semi-ellipsoidal surface particle is studied to investigate the dependence of each nucleation metric on lattice orientation, number of load cycles, and non-local regularization method. This is followed by a comparison of experimental observations and computational results for microstructural models constructed by replicating the observed microstructural geometry near second-phase particles in fatigue specimens. It is found that orientation strongly influences the direction of slip localization and, as a result, influences the nucleation mechanism. Also, the baseline models, replication models, and past experimental observation consistently suggest that a set of particular grain orientations is most likely to nucleate fatigue cracks. It is found that a continuum crystal plasticity model and a non-local nucleation metric can be used to predict the nucleation event in AA 7075-T651. However, nucleation metric threshold values that correspond to various nucleation governing mechanisms must be calibrated. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20100024243 2020-01-05T05:24:48+00:00Z


The myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) and the major glycoprotein of the peripheral nervous system myelin (P0) are two members of the family of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs). A role in cell adhesion of the carbohydrate moiety of these molecules has been attributed to the presence of N-glycans bearing the HNK-1 carbohydrate epitope. On the other hand, it has been suggested that these glycoproteins could be ligands of an endogenous mannose-binding lectin present in myelin, the cerebellar soluble lectin (CSL). In order to further document the heterogeneity of the glycans of these two CAMs, we have used several probes: an anti-carbohydrate antibody of the HNK-1 type, called Elec-39, the plant lectin concanavalin A (ConA), and the endogenous lectin CSL involved in myelin compaction. This study shows that CSL binds to a small proportion of the polypeptide chains of MAG found in adult CNS of rats and man and the polypeptide chains of P0 molecules from adult human and rat sciatic nerve. For MAG from adult rat brain, the binding of CSL is restricted to glycans of polypeptide chains which could be separated from the others according to their solubility properties. These MAG molecular entities react also with the Elec-39 antibody and with ConA. These results confirm that P0 and MAG are heterogeneous in their carbohydrate moieties.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Single-component electrolyte-free fuel cells possess a similar function to the traditional fuel cells with a complex three-component structure. However, how to enhance their electrical properties for practical industrial applications remains a timely and important issue. Here, we report the manipulation of concentration ratios of ionic to electronic conductors in an electrolyte-free Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ–Li0.15Ni0.45Zn0.4 by adjusting the relative weight between its two inside compositions. Our systematic investigations reveal that the fuel cell with 30% in weight of Li0.15Ni0.45Zn0.4 exhibits an almost uniform distribution of the two compositions and has a total conductivity as high as 10 × 10−2 S cm−1 at 600 °C. Such an enhancement is found to be attributed to the established balance between the numbers of its inside ionic and electronic conductors. These findings are relevant for the technological improvement of this new species of electrolyte-free fuel cell and represent an important step toward commercialization of this single-component fuel cell.


Objectives
To determine whether rapid correction of iron deficiency using intramuscular iron dextran normalizes serum metabolomic changes in a nonhuman primate model of iron deficiency anemia (IDA).

Methods
Blood was collected from naturally iron-sufficient (IS; n = 10) and IDA (n = 12) male and female infant rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) at 6 months of age. IDA infants were treated with intramuscular injections of iron dextran, 10 mg/weekly for 4-8 weeks. Iron status was reevaluated following treatment using hematological measurements and sera were metabolically profiled using HPLC/MS with isobaric standards for identification and quantification.

Results
Early-life iron deficiency anemia negatively affects many cellular metabolic processes, including energy production, electron transport, and oxidative degradation of toxins. Slow iron repletion with dietary supplementation restores iron deficient monkeys from a hematological perspective, but the serum metabolomic profile remains differed from monkeys that had been iron sufficient their entire life. Whether rapid iron restoration through intramuscular injections of iron dextran normalizes serum metabolomic profile is not known. A total of 654 metabolites were measured with differences in 53 metabolites identified between IS and IDA monkeys at 6 months (P 0.05). Pathway analyses provided evidence of altered liver function, hypometabolic state, differential essential fatty acid production, irregular inosine and guanosine metabolism, and atypical bile acid production in IDA infants. After treatment, iron-related hematological parameters had recovered, but the formerly IDA infants remained metabolically distinct from the IS infants, with 225 metabolites differentially expressed between the groups.

Conclusions
As with slow iron repletion, rapid iron repletion does not normalize the altered serum metabolomic profile in rhesus infants with IDA, suggesting the need for iron supplementation in the pre-anemic stage.

Funding Sources
National Institutes of Health.


A 5-day Hershberger assay using young mature male rats to detect compounds interfering with androgen receptor (AR)-mediated mechanisms was evaluated for ability to identify p,p'-DDE (a weak AR antagonist) and methyltestosterone (MT, an AR agonist). Fenitrothion, an organophosphate pesticide, was also evaluated in this validated assay. Castrated male Crj:CD(SD)IGS rats (1 week after castration, 11 weeks of age) were subjected to experiments. To determine a suitable value of testosterone propionate (TP) as a reference androgen for detection of antiandrogenic chemicals, castrated male rats were treated daily with TP (0, 0.06, 0.25, 1, 4, or 16 mg/kg/day, s.c.). TP produced increases in weights of ventral prostate, seminal vesicles and levator ani plus bulbocavernosus muscles. Serum androgen level measured by RIA kit (mostly TP) were elevated in a dose-related manner, while the weights of organs with 1 mg/kg/day of TP were nearly equivalent to the maximum responses (i.e., sub-maximal). One hundred mg/kg/day of p,p'-DDE significantly attenuated TP 0.1 mg/kg-induced increases in weights of seminal vesicles and muscles, and TP 1 mg/kg-induced increases in weights of ventral prostate, seminal vesicles and muscles, but did not affect the weight of these organs in either TP 16 mg/kg-treated or intact rats, demonstrating that the dose range of 0.1-1 mg/kg TP is suitable for reference androgen. Oral treatment with 100 mg/kg of MT increased the weights of ventral prostate, seminal vesicles and muscles as strongly as did subcutaneous injection of 1 mg/kg of TP. These findings demonstrate that the 5-day Hershberger assay using young mature as well as immature male rats is a sensitive and valid short-term screening method for the detection of chemicals interfering with AR-mediated mechanisms. To determine whether fenitrothion interferes with AR-mediated mechanisms in vivo, fenitrothion (0, 0.75, 1.5 or 3 mg/kg/day) was administered by gavage for 5 days to castrated rats for androgenicity, or to castrated rats treated with 1 mg/kg TP for antiandrogenicity. Treatment with fenitrothion had no adverse effects on clinical signs, body weight, or liver or kidney weights, but cholinesterase activities in the brain and erythrocytes were significantly suppressed by fenitrothion to, respectively, 77-81% and 66-67% of control levels. In the antiandrogenicity experiment, serum androgen levels of TP-treated, castrated rats did not differ among groups. Treatment with 100 mg/kg of p,p'-DDE as a positive control again significantly attenuated TP-induced increases in weights of the ventral prostate and seminal vesicles, while fenitrothion had no effect on the weights of any organs. In the androgenicity experiment, treatment with 100 mg/kg of MT significantly increased weights of ventral prostate, seminal vesicles and muscles, but fenitrothion had no effects on the weights of any of these organs. These findings yield no evidence that fenitrothion interferes with AR-mediated mechanisms in vivo, consistent with the result of several toxicological bioassays.


Background
The Global Unite Shoulder System is the next generation of implant from the Depuy Global Shoulder line. The primary feature of the Global Unite is adaptability through the interchangeable modular bodies, modular suture collars, and stems. Short-term functional and radiographic outcomes of the Global Unite Platform Shoulder System were assessed as well as complication and revision rates.

Methods
95 subjects were enrolled prospectively between 2013 and 2015 that underwent anatomic or reverse shoulder arthroplasty utilizing the DePuy Global Unite Anatomic Platform Shoulder System. Functional outcome data (ASES and SANE) as well as radiographic data was collected on these patients pre-operatively, and at 6 months, 1 year and 2 years post-operatively.

Results
The cohort consisted of 97 shoulders in 95 patients of which 54 (56.8%) are males and 41 (43.2%) are female. There were 55/97 (56.7%) were primary anatomic total shoulder arthroplasties, 37/97 (38.1%) primary reverse shoulder arthroplasties, and 3/97 (3.1%) revision procedures to a reverse shoulder arthroplasty. Outcome scores demonstrated an increase in ASES score from a mean of 33.00 to 79.56 and SANE score of 21.30 to 84.08.

Conclusion
The Depuy Global Unite shoulder system demonstrated very good short-term results in this two-year outcome study. Functional outcome scores are similar to current literature for anatomic and reverse primary cases. Radiographic measures at two years are promising with only 2 cases of grade 1 scapular notching and one case of grade 2 scapular notching. Overall the Depuy Global Unite is a versatile shoulder system with very good early outcomes.


Revolutionary organizations may act as schools to social movements. Also places with a tradition of protest may do the same. We possibly learn something with the lessons of the past. The defense of rights does the training of potential militants... Learning to struggle is an apprenticeship transmitted within historical movements. This is what we are going to analyze in this article, starting with the insurrectional movements that took place in Minas Gerais in the 18th century.


A Li-doped MgO catalyst, when prepared by impregnation of magnesium acetate with aqueous lithium acetate (with a Li to Mg molar ratio of 0.1 : 1) followed by calcination in air at 750 °C, shows no change in its initial high activity and selectivity in oxidative conversion of methane to higher hydrocarbons, for a long period.


Cowpea is a food legume very popular for its seeds and leaves in Côte d'Ivoire. This plant constitutes a significant source of financial income for vulnerable populations in rural areas. However, it production remains low in the growing areas because of the traditional practice of this food. In other words, the cultivation technique adopted for this plant is not appropriate, in particular the sowing density. To solve this problem, research work has been undertaken in 2019 and 2020 with the aim of improving the production of this crop. The first year consisted of identifying the most productive variety in a complete random arrangement with three replicates. During the second, the trials concerned the optimization of the production of this variety by controlling the seed density. For this purpose, the sowing was carried out according to three sowing densities: low density (40.000 plants/ha), middle density (134.444 plants/ha) and high density (280.000 plants/ha) in a complete Original Research Article Nestor et al.; JEAI, 42(8): 1-7, 2020; Article no.JEAI.60790 2 random device with three repetitions. The parameters collected from sowing to harvest and after harvest were subjected to statistical analysis. Thus, it emerges from this analysis that the creeping variety recorded the best values of the growth parameters. This variety could be used as fodder for animal feed. For variables related to production, the highest values were obtained with the upright variety. The yield of this variety is doubled when cultivated at low density. Thus, for the financial and food empowerment of cowpea producers, they will have to take an interest in the upright variety and cultivate it in low density.


OBJECTIVE To identify factors that influence medical students' perceptions of the quality of a clinical skills course; to apply these factors to the course at one hospital; to measure the effect of this change. DESIGN Cross sectional questionnaire survey; application of identified factors; repeat questionnaire survey. SETTING Three teaching hospitals and five district general hospitals in north east England. SUBJECTS Third year medical students attending locomotor clinical skills courses in two consecutive years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Score awarded by students in five categories; numbers of patients seen by each student; comparisons with other clinical skills weeks. RESULTS Response rates were 71 of 150 and 89 of 161. Factors associated with a high awarded score were: organisation of the course by a rheumatologist (p<0.01); teaching from a rheumatologist (p<0.01); higher number of patients seen (r=0.76). Mean number of patients seen varied widely, from 7 per student at one hospital to 20.4 at another. Teaching hospitals scored poorly. In the second year, after making changes at one teaching hospital the mean total score improved (p<0.01), and students saw more patients (p<0.01). The ranking of this hospital rose from 6 to 1. The additional cost of the modified course was £640 per student. CONCLUSIONS The standard of teaching of locomotor clinical skills varies widely and can be improved by application of factors identified in this survey, although additional costs are incurred.


Recently, metamaterials with unique electromagnetic (EM) properties have attracted people's great interest. In metamaterials, the eclectic and magnetic response to incident light can be conveniently tuned. For example, the enhancement of electric and magnetic response can bring about effective negative permittivity (epsilon) and negative permeability (mu), respectively [1,2]. Since the interactions of metamaterials and light can be manipulated by varying the structural and geometric parameters of metamaterials, metamaterials provide us a convenient platform to mimic a variety of quantum-optic phenomena such as electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) [3] and vacuum Rabi splitting [4]. EIT in quantum optics occurs when atoms can transit via two pathways and make a destructive interference to inhibit absorption, which brings about slow-wave effect and strong group velocity dispersion [5]. However, the building process of atomic EIT is still unclear due to the very quick time evolution in the transition. EIT analog in metamaterials realized by the interference in two classical pathways can observe the dynamic process during the establishment of EIT in the time scale much larger than the atomic counterpart. Based on a waveguide structure, we study the dynamic evolution of EIT in metamaterials and reveal experimentally the parameters controlling excitation transfer during the building process of EIT [6]. The dynamic properties of classical EIT not only mimic the population transfer between energy levels in the atomic EIT, but also present a physical picture of rapid optical response that plays an important role in fast manipulating light by EIT. Moreover, we study another important problem in classical EIT, i.e., the influence of intrinsic losses on EIT. We provide systematic experimental demonstration of EIT in metamaterials with tunable intrinsic loss. It is found under the EIT condition the maximum transmittance as well as the corresponding group delay in the transmission window is nearly unchanged and only the delay bandwidth is affected by the intrinsic loss. Vacuum Rabi splitting, which appears when atoms or atom-like systems are put inside a cavity, is another important quantum phenomenon that may be applied for the quantum entanglement and computations [7]. In a cavity with high quality factor and small volume, vacuum Rabi splitting can occur for a single atom in the strong coupling regime. In general, the cavity modes are all in the form of standing waves and the cavity fields are inhomogeneous. To ensure strong coupling of an atom (or a quantum dot) and photons, we need to place the atom right at the peak(s) of the fields, which is very challenging in atomic or solid-state experiments. Moreover, in atomic experiments, a cold atom is needed. This is because a hot atom can move around the position-variant fields under thermal fluctuation, making the coupling of the atom and the cavity unstable. To overcome the position uncertainty, we propose another type of cavity filled with zero-index metamaterials (ZIMs) in which  epsilon=0 and/or mu=0 . In an impedance-matched ZIM ( epsilon=mu=0), both phases and amplitudes of the EM fields are homogeneous [8]. However, in a epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) medium (epsilon=0,mu=1), although the phases of EM waves are uniform, in most cases the amplitudes of electric fields will vary in space. In practice, a highly doped semiconductor such as InGaAs can be utilized as an ENZ medium [9] and self-assembled or colloidal quantum dots could be embedded in this ENZ medium. So how to realize uniform electric fields in an ENZ medium is an important practical problem. We discover that, when an ENZ medium is inserted in the center of a two-dimensional photonic crystal with a gap that plays a role of magnetic wall, the electric fields in the ENZ medium are forced to be nearly uniform, as required by Maxwell equations and boundary conditions. Then, we embed a quantum dot in the ENZ medium confined by the magnetic-wall-like photonic barrier and obtain a nearly position-independent Rabi-like splitting. This is because the enhanced electric fields are almost same at any place of the ENZ medium. Finally, by loading lumped capacitors and inductors in a microwave transmission line, we realize a cavity with effective ZIM in which the enhanced fields are nearly homogeneous [10]. When an atom-like split ring resonator is coupled to this effective ZIM at various locations, we observe the nearly position-independent Rabi-like splitting. A ZIM-filled cavity in the strong coupling regime will provide us a new platform to study the interactions of atoms and photons in the future.


Background: Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health. In 2016, 39% of adults aged 18 years and over (39% of men and 40% of women) were overweight. Overall, about 13% of world adult populations [11% of men and 15% of women] were obese in 2016.
Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of Information, Education and Communication on prevention of obesity among young adult and adolescent among nursing students before and after structured teaching programme and to find out the relationship between the level of knowledge regarding prevention of obesity in pretest and posttest .
Methodology: A Quasi Experimental Design was carried out in the study the sample comprised of 50 students who were selected by purposive sampling technique. The tool comprises of demographic profile and 30 multiple choice questionnaire. Reliability of the tool was checked by using multiple choice questionnaire. The data were analyzed by using structured questionnaire. The data was analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results: There is significant association between the knowledge and the selected demographic variables.
Conclusion: Obesity in adolescents and children has raised to significant levels globally with serious public health consequences. The findings of the study concluded that IEC was very effective in improving the knowledge of the students on prevention of obesity.


The average annual rain attenuation statistics experienced by individual microwave links are well understood. ITU‐R models exist for the prediction of these statistics, and they are used to assign power levels to links to achieve the desired availability. The performance of networks such as mulithop links or links utilizing route, frequency or time diversity, is considerably more complex, and only superficial guidance is available for their design. The complexity arises from the correlation of rain attenuation experienced by the various individual links in the network. To understand and predict the performance of these networks, it is necessary to understand the spatial and temporal correlation of rain intensity. This paper uses a model for the high‐resolution spatial and temporal variation of rain intensity proposed by Paulson [2002]. This model allows the direct calculation of all the first and second order, temporal, statistics of rain attenuation experienced by pairs of microwave links, when the link system is covered by single rain events. The model is used to develop expressions for the joint rain attenuation distribution for pairs of links and hence expressions for diversity improvement for networks spanning small areas. These predictions are compared to diversity statistics measured from a database of radar images covering the southern United Kingdom.


The reaction time experiment was extended by requiring patients with unilateral hemispheric disease to respond differentially to one of one, two, three, or four stimuli. Evaluation was based on the performance of control patients without cerebral disease. Reaction time was found to be an increasing function of the complexity of the task in all groups. While both groups of brain-damaged patients were slower than control patients, under all conditions, the performance of those with unilateral right hemisphere disease paralleled that of controls. The patients with left hemisphere disease, however, showed a more marked retardation in speed of response as the task grew more complex. The results suggest patients with disease of the left hemisphere show relatively greater impairment in speed of decision making in situations of increased complexity than do patients with right hemisphere disease.


OBJECTIVES
The effect of morbid obesity on liver transplant outcomes has yielded mixed results. The aim of this study was to determine listing practices for morbidly obese patients at liver transplant centers in the United States.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A 19-item survey was created to assess liver transplant evaluation and listing practices for morbidly obese patients. All adult liver transplant medical and surgical directors in the United States were contacted by e-mail, which provided an Internet link to an online survey.

RESULTS
We sent a total of 187 surveys by e-mail, with responses received from 46 physicians (24.7% response rate). A policy on evaluation and listing of obese patients was present at 70.5% of institutions, with most (54.5%) reporting that their body mass index cutoff for transplant was 40 kg/m2, but a range of 35 kg/m2 to unlimited was noted. Most respondents agreed that patients with high body mass index were less likely to be evaluated for transplant. Respondents reported increased complication rates among obese patients, with the most common being poor wound healing and increased infection rates.

CONCLUSIONS
Most medical and surgical liver transplant directors have a strong appreciation of the possible morbidity risks associated with performing liver transplants in morbidly obese patients and have policies in effect to minimize these risks.


The number of babies that require care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit continues to rise in the UK and parents who have a baby who is born sick or prematurely find themselves adapting to this stressful and often unexpected event whilst also trying to establish their role as a new parent. With no current large British studies, this study explores the experiences of both mothers and fathers in the NICU in relation to adaptation and parental role development and how their experience changes over time. In total 76 parents were interviewed using semi structured interviews 7-10 days following the birth to capture their early experiences of the NICU and then again beyond 28 days to explore any changes in their views and feelings over time. Interviews were tape recorded, transcribed verbatim into the written word and imported into WINMAX PRO. Data analysis revealed nine major sections. These are preparation prior to birth, labour and delivery, first sight of infant, support from the partner, family, friends and other parents, support from and communication with staff, adaptation to the NICU experience, development of the parental role, changes with time and the experiences of fathers. Findings show differences in what mothers and fathers find stressful about their NICU experience, how they adapt to the birth of a sick or premature infant and in their development of the parental role. With the passage of time the events surrounding the birth became less significant as parents start to look to the future. Their role as a parent continued to develop with feelings that their baby needed and recognised them, but many parents felt that they were unable to influence what happened to their baby in the NICU. Recommendations are made for further research and for changes to NICU practice.


This article presents research on two key BBC World Service websites, BBC Persian Online and BBC Arabic Online. It draws on in-house BBC data, supplemented by our own semi-structured interviews with online editors and other key World Service staff. It examines where users of the two sites are located, their demographic characteristics and their views on and uses of the sites. The data is analyzed in the context of debates about the politics of diasporic media and communication networks and changing collective identities, the UK government's Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) strategy of 'digital diplomacy' and the World Service's stated public purpose of fostering a 'global conversation.' Our research has shown how the majority of users of both BBC Arabic and Persian Online services reside outside the geographical areas that the BBC World Service targets and may be defined as diasporic. And these two websites are not exceptional. Diasporic groups make increasing use of the BBC's online foreign language news sites but these transnational communication networks are an unintended consequence of the BBC's activities. We highlight how the internet is changing configurations of audiences and users at the BBC World Service as geographically dispersed language groups can log on to the news services from anywhere in the world. We argue that the BBC World Service can no longer be seen as an international broadcaster pursuing the BBC's motto 'nation shall speak peace unto nation.' Rather, as one of the world's largest news providers, it is implicated in the formation of new kinds of transnational communities and communications which has as yet unforeseen consequences for national identifications and for strategies of public diplomacy.


The relationship between coral UV-absorbing compounds (mycosporine-like amino acids, or MAAs) and solar UV radiation in the shallow coral reef environment has been much debated. The presence of these compounds in the mucus of Fungiidae allowed the measurement of weekly compensatory changes in the amount and composition of these compounds together with shifts in the wavelength of maximum absorbance (l max. ) in the mucus of 11 specimens of Fungia repanda (Scleractinia:Fungiidae) during 18 months of monitoring in situ in Tahiti. The corals received full sunlight within a topless cage (specimen depth, 1 m) located at the Arue lagoon (northern coast of Tahiti). The amount of UV-absorbing compounds was found to be significantly and positively related to solar UV radiation, with a lag time of one week and with a corresponding long-wavelength shift in the maximum absorbance without lag, but was not significantly related to sea-water temperature or to the volume of mucus secreted. Analysis of mucus MAAs by high-performance liquid chromatography showed that the shift in l max. could be related to an increase in three components: mycosporine-2-glycine, palythine and mycosporine-glycine.


Linear variable reluctance (LVR) motors have been a strong candidate to provide linear motion for high-performance applications without mechanical transmission. The goal of this paper is to design and implement an adaptive sliding mode position control of the LVR motor to enhance the system robustness and to achieve high accuracy for high-precision applications. The designed controller consists of: (i) the inner force control loop based on sinusoidal flux model for simplicity and computational efficient and (ii) the outer position control based on adaptive sliding mode control which is robust to parameter variations and external force disturbance. The experimental results clearly show that the proposed controller is suitable for controlling the LVR motor system for high accuracy applications and effective for reducing the chattering.


The realization of a resilience based research action project requires the elaboration of different models dedicated to the description of the organization studied, to the ideal functioning whishes, to the logic of evolution that have to be create. The objective of this paper is to present a modeling framework dedicated to the study of social organization and it's application to the resilience engineering context.


OBJECTIVE
In 1994 a pilot intergenerational project was started in the city of Taguatinga, Brazil, to promote the well-being of both elderly and adolescent populations using reminiscence processes as a means of interaction. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the project from the participants' viewpoint and to improve the contribution of those age groups in building up social capital.

METHODS
From November 1999 to April 2000 a qualitative study using focus groups technique was conducted. Using a discussion guide, 9 groups of students, ranging in age from 13 to 19 years old, and 3 groups of elderly aged 60 years and over were interviewed to collect data regarding their interaction before and after an intergenerational program.

RESULTS
The main findings suggested a change in attitude of young people toward old age and elderly people. Participating elderly people reported improvement in their health status. For both age groups the findings suggested a better understanding between generations.

CONCLUSIONS
It seems that reminiscence intergenerational activity contributes to building up mutual trust and reciprocity. These results seem to indicate this is an alternative for investing in social capital and improving participants' well-being. However, further work is needed to support these findings.


For the validity of an obligation, Roman law requires the existence of a number of fundamental contractual requirements, including that the object of the obligation must be possible, permissible and absolute (or at least determinable), and that it must have monetary value.1 The basic rule regarding the impossibility of a contract appears in Justinian's Digest, D. 50.17.185, Celsus, libro octavo digestorum, impossibilium nulla obligatio est.In the eighth book of his Digest, Celsus (second century C.E.) discusses the contract of sale (emptio-venditio). It is possible that he formulated the rule as an opinion applicable in a specific instance. The foundation of the rule may have been the parties' unwillingness to realise something which could not be realised, such as the transfer of an article which never or no longer existed. Even if the parties are unaware of this fact, no obligation is created. It is better, therefore, to think that the law did not want to protect what seemed illogical. Indeed, it is apparently not logical for an obligation to exist when it is impossible to carry it out; at the same time, there are a few limitations which restrict the scope of the rule.First, one must distinguish between initial preclusions and those which materialise after the conclusion of the contract. The principle of impossibilium nulla obligatio has a general character only as far as initial impossibility was concerned. We will further see that, in the second case, the one who was bound to the terms of the contract was exempt only if the impossibility was not the result of his negligence or of any other reason traceable to him. Otherwise, the obligation endures and all the consequences of its nonfulfiment arise.


The present invention relates to a group of novel electrochromic materials. More specifically, it relates to electrochromic materials based on either single or two-core viologen systems and the use of these viologen systems as a variable transmittance medium for the manufacture of an optical article, such as an ophthalmic lens.


Copper sulfide describes a group of chemical compounds consisting of copper and sulfur that can exist in various compositions. The properties of copper sulfide depend on the composition, size and shape of the material, making it an interesting candidate for various applications, including catalysis. The first part of this thesis describes several methods to prepare copper sulfide nanoparticles. Colloidal copper sulfide (hetero)nanocrystals as well as supported copper sulfide nanoparticles were prepared with good control over size, shape and composition. In addition, the methods resulted in copper sulfide nanoparticles suitable for catalytic applications by for example, removing bulky organic ligands from the particle surface to make the surface accessible for reactants, or by preparing nanoparticles anchored on a support material to improve their stability and handling. The second part of the thesis focusses on the applications of copper sulfide nanoparticles in photo- and electrocatalysis. From our findings, Cu2-xS nanoparticles are not very promising photocatalysts. However, their use in electrochemical CO2 reduction led to interesting results. Even though the copper sulfide nanoparticles reduce to metallic copper under typical CO2 and H+ reduction conditions, residual sulfur in the catalysts steered the product selectivity to formate.


kingship, justice, and good governance; attitudes toward poverty, charity, and disability; the relationship between secular and ecclesiastical authority; the place of the miraculous in everyday life; crusading; and Latin Christian attitudes toward Mus-lims and Jews. Further increasing the value of these translations is a generous introduction that delves deeply into major themes while also laying out the historical context in considerable detail.


The discipline of sociology explores the nature, structure, and dynamics of social life, and also its causes and consequences for the world. With this broad mandate, sociology encompasses a diversity of substantive interests, methodological approaches, and theoretical orientations. Sociologists study diverse social phenomena ranging from online conversations, friendship, and families to neighborhoods, governments, and global markets. They study cities and communities, inequality, social mobility and social class, patterns of population change and migration, social identities such as race, class, and gender, ethnic relations and social conflict, social media and digital interaction, and social dimensions of sex, health, business, education, law, politics, religion, and science. Sociologists study the emergence, stabilization, disintegration, and wide-ranging implications of these social institutions, behaviors, and meanings. Methodologies of the field range from ethnography, interviews, and historical research to surveys, computational modeling, and big data analysis. formation Current societies are characterized by a culture of consumption; consumption is central to lifestyles and identity, it is instantiated in our technological reality and the complex of advertising media, structures of wanting and shopping. Starting from the question "why do we want things" we will discuss theories and empirical studies that focus on consumption and identity formation; on shopping and the consumption of symbolic signs; on consumption as linked to the re-enchantment of modernity; as a process of distinction and of the globalization of frames; and as related to time and information. The course is built around approaches that complement the "productionist" focus of the social sciences. Students interested in economic sociology and anthropology can supplement this course by one on Markets and Money. to how the data are collected, organized and transformed, and how these spatial aspects affect statistical methods. The focus is on research questions relevant in the social sciences, which inspires the selection of the particular methods that are covered. Examples include spatial data integration (spatial join), transformations between different spatial scales (overlay), the computation of "spatial" variables (distance, buffer, shortest path), geovisualization, visual analytics, and the assessment of spatial autocorrelation (the lack of independence among spatial variables). The methods be illustrated by means of open source software such and as they are key in social inequality is produced and reproduced we will discuss potential solutions these What role do How do both and This examines these through the lens of social theory, engaging current academic debates on the consequences of social inequality in We will engage these debates by studying foundational and emerging theories and examining empirical research on how social inequalities are reproduced or ameliorated through schools. Through close readings historical, anthropological and sociological case of U.S, an understanding of the forces and that and how they contribute unequal and achievement outcomes students along lines of race/ethnicity, class, and immigration status, and how themselves this We will as and school the ecological expert/novice, 'being there'/removal - this seminar is a practicum in theoretically grounded and critically reflexive qualitative methods of research. By introducing students to participant observation and interviews in virtual worlds, ethics, data analysis and writing up, the course offers an opportunity to make sense of the current pandemic we're all experiencing in real time. An emphasis will be placed on multimedia, digital, and virtual ethnography."Terms This course examines the dynamic relations between schooling and identity. We will explore how schools both enable and constrain the identities available to students and the consequences of this for academic achievement. We will examine these relations from multiple disciplinary perspectives, applying psychological, anthropological, sociological, and critical theories to understanding how students not only construct identities for themselves within schools, but also negotiate the identities imposed on them by others. Topics will include the role of peer culture, adult expectations, school practices and enduring social structures in shaping processes of identity formation in students and how these processes influence school engagement and achievement. We will consider how these processes unfold at all levels of schooling, from preschool through college, and for students who navigate a range of social identities, from marginalized to privileged. Prerequisite(s): registration will be given to MAPSS students seeking the Education and Society certificate.Equivalent in How does race operate in Latin America and the Caribbean, and in what ways does it intersect with the concept of nation and national belonging? This course follows the history of race and national formation in the region, from the wake of the independence movements of the early nineteenth century to the present. It draws on historical, anthropological, sociological, artistic, and literary approaches to identifying, analyzing, and interpreting the varied meanings of race and nation throughout the region. We will discuss changing notions of race over time and their relationship to contemporaneous social data resources for demographic and global-health research. The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program has collected, analyzed, and disseminated accurate and representative data on population, health, HIV, and nutrition through more than 400 surveys in over 90 countries. Students will learn about the nuts-and-bolts of producing high-quality quantitative data in a variety of sociocultural contexts and will analyze publicly available survey data to answer questions at the intersection of demography, health, and environment. The course begins with a brief history of survey practices; students will read and digest technical material, including questionaries, sampling protocols, scientific reports, and the exemplary secondary literature; students will quickly move to quantitative data analysis using model and actual DHS datasets. This is not a statistics class, but students are expected to use Stata or R independently for data examines these histories, and the ways that algorithms and Big Data shape social processes and institutions. We'll examine the consequences of these technologies for governing people, managing economies, and for our everyday "micro" interactions. To do so, we'll wrestle with a range of empirical examples and theoretical pieces to help us make sense of these phenomena. Our goal is to develop a better understanding shape individuals and society, and to integrate that new knowledge into our own scholarly or professional practice. us in our everyday lives: we invoke them when our friends and family ask us about our day, we encounter them on the news, on social media, and in the books, we read to our children. Stories are central to interpreting human experiences: they help us order them into meaningful episodes and communicate these understandings to one another. This seminar explores how social and historical sciences use empiric evidence in the narrative form. Given the variety of narrative genres (fictional/non-fictional, written/oral), any discussion on narrative analysis has to be selective. This course focuses on first-person accounts of personal experiences and how they can inform sociocultural studies. At the beginning of the semester, we will delineate the terminology and explore common elements in narratives. We will also examine different analytical approaches like thematic and structural analysis and what kind of insights these approaches bring about. We will then investigate empirical examples of narrative analysis from sociological, historical, and feminist research to understand how personal accounts can expand our understanding of various social phenomena. The course will have a practical component where students will gain hands-on experience designing and carrying out an interview-based research project that uses the interpretive methods we study. investigate through


Interpreting mathematics as a discourse includes three claims: that there are forms of mathematics-reality transitions, that mathematics includes actions, and that mathematics includes a political dimension. Through a discussion of different mathematics-based discursive acts, I will substantiate the discursive interpretation of mathematics. Next, by reconsidering ethnomathematics-based discursive acts, I will argue that also ethnomathematics can be interpreted as a discourse. As in the case of mathematics, ethnomathematics-based discursive acts concern the formation of: possibilities, rationality, structures and artefacts, authority, and overlooking. Finally, I will provide a critical perspective on both mathematics and ethnomathematics through the claim that any kind of action is in need of critical reflections.


In a previous communication 1 we showed that in obese subjects in whom evidence of metabolic disorders (diabetes mellitus, including the prediabetic state, essential hypertension and arteriosclerosis) and arthritic disturbances (osteo-arthritis) was lacking the cholesterol content of the plasma was usually at a normal level. The advent of these degenerative diseases in the obese was generally accompanied by a rise in the plasma cholesterol. The second phase of the problem, namely, a study of the variations in the blood cholesterol in obese subjects undergoing reduction of weight on a low caloric diet, is now reported. We wished to determine whether loss in weight while on a low caloric diet exerted any influence on the normal level of the plasma cholesterol in subjects with uncomplicated obesity and, again, whether the elevated plasma cholesterol in obese persons showing evidence of degenerative disease could be reduced by a similar diet. MATERIAL AND METHODS


An inexpensive and portable surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor, SPReeta Evaluation Kit SPR3, has been used to develop a biosensor for the determination of fluoroquinolone antibiotics (FQs) and to demonstrate its performance analyzing FQ residues in milk samples. The SPReeta three-channel gold chips were activated with a mixed self-assembled monolayer (m-SAM) and functionalized with a FQ haptenized protein. Binding of the antibody produced a concentration-dependent increase of the SPR signal as a result of the change in the refraction index. Similarly, the presence of the FQ produced a dose-dependent decrease of the response, which allowed a good limit of detection (LOD) to be obtained (1.0 ± 0.4 μg L(-1) for enrofloxacin in buffer). The response was reproducible in all three channels, on different injections and days, and also between chips. Milk samples could be analyzed after a simple sample treatment involving fat removal by centrifugation and dilution with water. Under these conditions calibration curves were obtained showing that FQ residues can be analyzed in milk samples with an IC(50) value of 26.4 ± 7.2 μg L(-1) and a LOD of 2.0 ± 0.2 μg L(-1) (for enrofloxacin), far below the European Union regulations for this antibiotic family in this matrix. Finally, the paper also demonstrates that the biosensor is able to selectively detect the presence of FQs in milk samples, even in the presence of other antibiotics. Enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and norfloxacin residues were detected in blind samples supplied by Nestlé Co.


PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study the influence of different quantitative (traditionally used) and qualitative variables, such as the possible negative effect in determined periods of certain socio-political factors on share price formation.Design/methodology/approachWe first analyse descriptively the evolution of the Ibex-35 in recent years and compare it with other international benchmark indices. Bellow, two techniques have been compared: a classic linear regression statistical model (GLM) and a method based on machine learning techniques called Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost).FindingsXGBoost yields a very accurate market value prediction model that clearly outperforms the other, with a coefficient of determination close to 90%, calculated on validation sets.Practical implicationsAccording to our analysis, individual accounts are equally or more important than consolidated information in predicting the behaviour of share prices. This would justify Spain maintaining the obligation to present individual interim financial statements, which does not happen in other European Union countries because IAS 34 only stipulates consolidated interim financial statements.Social implicationsThe descriptive analysis allows us to see how the Ibex-35 has moved away from international trends, especially in periods in which some relevant socio-political events occurred, such as the independence referendum in Catalonia, the double elections of 2019 or the early handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.Originality/valueCompared to other variables, the XGBoost model assigns little importance to socio-political factors when it comes to share price formation; however, this model explains 89.33% of its variance.


Embedded cores are being increasingly used in the design of large system-on-a-chip (SoC). Because of the high complexity of SoC, the design verification is a challenge for system integrators. To reduce the verification complexity, the port-order fault (POF) model has been used for verifying core-based designs (Tang and Jou, 1998). In this paper, we present an automatic-verification pattern generation (AVPG) for SoC design verification based on the POF model and perform experiments on combinational and sequential benchmarks. Experimental results show that our AVPG can efficiently generate verification patterns with high POF coverage.


Abstract 1. Primates exhibit a high degree of among-species dietary diversity, which likely exposes them to varying levels of xenobiotic compounds. Here, we examined the evolution of primate CYP1-3 gene families, and we classified the 15 CYP1-3 gene subfamilies as either xenobiotic-metabolizing (XM) or endogenous-metabolizing (EM) based on sources in the P450 literature. 2. We predicted that XM P450s would show (1) greater variability in gene-copy number and (2) more evidence of diversifying selection and, especially on codons that encode the substrate-recognition sites (SRSs) for the final enzymes. 3. Counter to our first prediction, EM and XM P450s showed similar levels of variation in gene-copy number. We did find, however, that four XM P450 subfamilies (CYP2C, CYP2D, CYP2E, and CYP3A) showed evidence of diversifying selection while no EM subfamilies demonstrated any consistent signal of diversifying selection. Of these four, CYP2C, CYP2D, and CYP3A showed significant links between SRSs and diversifying selection. 4. These results reveal an amount of evolutionary dynamism that would not be expected when viewing P450 subfamilies along a simple binary EM/XM spectrum. We recommend that comparative studies of cytochrome P450 evolution should focus on the CYP2C, CYP2D, CYP2E, and CYP3A subfamilies.


This paper describes the design and implementation of a decision support system (DSS) based on the fund dispatching decision viewpoint from the financial division of a business group. An integrated data warehouse is established and the technique of online analytical processing (OLAP) is applied to analyze daily transaction data of an enterprise resource planning system with determined management goal. We adopt the Business Dimensional Lifecycle approach to accomplish the system design and development. The DSS system developed is to provide latest and timely information of financial asset and liability positions in each company within the case business group so that decision makers can have a clear decision support in fund dispatching. While most related researches on fund dispatching focused especially on efficient banking capital management and few studies were done for general financial department of traditional enterprise let alone for the business group, this study has made a progress in this issue and the resultant system is applicable to the similar business group.

Keywords: Financial Asset and Liability, Fund Dispatching, Decision Support Systems, OLAP, Data Warehouse


Introduction
 A triplet combination including a proteasome inhibitor (PI) and an IMiD has shown significant efficacy in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) patients. A role for maintenance therapy with the PI bortezomib has been suggested in non-head to head comparisons. Therefore, we investigated the efficacy and feasibility of an oral regimen including induction therapy with ixazomib in combination with thalidomide and dexamethasone, followed by a randomization between maintenance therapy with ixazomib or placebo in elderly non-transplant eligible (nte) NDMM. We here report the final analysis of induction therapy and preliminary results of the randomization phase of the study. This trial was registered at www.trialregister.nl as NTR4910.
 Methods
 In this prospective multicenter phase II trial nte-NDMM 143 patients were treated with 9 28 day-cycles consisting of ixazomib 4 mg (day 1, 8, 15), thalidomide 100 mg (day 1-28) and dexamethasone 40 mg (day 1, 8, 15, 22) followed by randomization between either ixazomib or placebo (both day 1, 8, 15/28 days) until progression. Primary objectives were comparison of progression free survival (PFS) between maintenance therapy with ixazomib or placebo (hypothesized hazard ratio (HR) 0.39) and to determine the overall response rate (ORR) of induction therapy.
 Frailty was assessed by a modification of the IMWG frailty index based on age, the Charlson Comorbidity Index and the WHO performance as a proxy for (instrumental) Activities of Daily Living (scoring WHO 0 as 0 points, WHO 1 as 1 point, and WHO 2-3 as 2 points). High risk cytogenetics was defined as del17p, t(4;14) and/or t(14;16).
 Results
 The median follow up (FU) from registration is 26.4 months (range 0.9-41.0 months). Patient characteristics are presented in table 1. Following induction treatment ORR (i.e. ≥PR) was 81% (95% confidence interval (CI) 74-87%), ≥ VGPR 47% (95% CI 38-55%) and ≥ CR 9% (95% CI 5-15%). Age ≥76 years, frailty (unfit or frail) or high cytogenetic risk did not affect the rate and quality of response. Median PFS from registration for all patients was 14.3 months (95%-CI 11.8-16.8). Frailty did not affect PFS. The median PFS for high risk and standard risk disease was comparable; 12.4 months (95%-CI 7.3-20.0) versus 14.6 months (95%-CI 11.5-17.4) respectively. The OS from registration at 18 months was 85% (95% CI 77-90). This was 90% (95% CI 72-97), 92% (95% CI 78-97) and 74% (95% CI 61-84) for fit, unfit and frail patients respectively.
 Seventy-eight patients (55%) were randomized. The reasons for not being randomized were toxicity (17% [24/143]), progressive disease (15% [21/143]), death (3% [5/143]) and other reasons (10% [15/143]). Median FU from randomization is 18.6 months (range 9.0-31.5 months). Baseline characteristics of randomized patients separately are presented in table 1. Upgrade of response occurred in 13% of patients receiving placebo and 10% of patients receiving ixazomib. The median PFS from randomization was 8.4 months (95%-CI 3.0-13.8) in the placebo arm and 10.1 months (95%-CI 5.6-24.1) in the ixazomib arm (p=0.47, figure 1). The OS from randomization at 18 months was 92% (95%-CI 77-97) in the placebo arm and 100% in the ixazomib arm (p=0.85).
 Toxicity is presented in table 2. The incidence of neuropathy was low; 8% grade 3 (mainly during thalidomide treatment; 5%) and no grade 4. There was no new onset neuropathy during ixazomib maintenance. During induction 24/143 (17%) patients discontinued therapy due to toxicity; 11 thalidomide-related neurotoxicity, 3 infection, 3 skin toxicity, 2 gastro-intestinal (GI) toxicity and 5 other. During maintenance 4/38 (11%) in the placebo (3 neurotoxicity and 1 other) versus 4/39 (10%) in the ixazomib arm (3 neurotoxicity and 1 GI) discontinued therapy due to toxicity. Discontinuation due to toxicity was comparable across age and frailty groups.
 Conclusion
 Induction treatment with 9 cycles of ITd in nte NDMM results in a high ORR of 81%, with 47% ≥ VGPR, independent of age, frailty status and cytogenetic risk. Our placebo controlled randomized phase II trial did not show an improvement in response and PFS with ixazomib maintenance therapy until progression. Ixazomib maintenance did not result in additional toxicity as compared to placebo.

 Zweegman: Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene Corp.: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Schjesvold:Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Bayer: Consultancy; Adaptive: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Oncopeptides: Consultancy; Abbvie: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria. Levin:Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. van de Donk:Janssen Pharmceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding. Sonneveld:Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Amgen: Honoraria, Research Funding; Karyopharm: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Honoraria, Research Funding. Abildgaard:Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding.


Purpose To determine the efficacy and safety of phacoemulsification, clear lensectomy, and the Hydrus microstent (Ivantis, Inc.) in Black and Afro-Latino glaucoma patients. Method This is a retrospective nonrandomized study of 134 Black and Afro-Latino patients who underwent clear lensectomy with Hydrus stent implant for the treatment of glaucoma. For comprehensive analysis, patients were divided into mild, moderate, and advanced glaucoma. The evaluated parameters were reductions in the number of medications, intraocular pressure (IOP), mean deviation on visual field test, and visual acuity. Results A total of 134 patients with 1-year follow-up were evaluated. At 1 year, the average number of medications significantly decreased from 2.5 ± 1.4 preoperatively to 0.43 ± 1.04 (p < 0.001) and IOP decreased from 14.4 ± 3.9 to 13.8 ± 3.10 (p=0.16). 110 (82.1%) patients were medication-free at 1 year (n = 57, 83.8% mild glaucoma; n = 37, 92.5% moderate glaucoma; n = 16, 61.5% advanced glaucoma). There was stabilization of mean deviation on the visual field test (baseline, −8.28; 1 year, −8.28; p=1). The most reported adverse effects were transient IOP spike and hyphema (n = 7, 5.2%; n = 3, 2.2%, respectively); both events were self-resolving. No decline in vision or sight-threatening complications were reported at 1 year, and no additional surgeries were required. Conclusion This 1-year retrospective study demonstrated the efficacy and safety of clear lensectomy and Hydrus stent implantation in decreasing medication burden while maintaining lower IOP in Black and Afro-Latino glaucoma patients.


[structures: see text] The present article describes the reaction between 1,2-diaza-1,3-butadienes and trialkyl phosphites, under an atmosphere of nitrogen and under solvent-free conditions, to give alkyl 3,3-dialkoxy-2H-1,2,3lambda5-diazaphosphole-4-carboxylates that, in turn, are converted into corresponding E-hydrazonophosphonates by treatment with THF:water (95:5). These latter compounds are obtained directly by the reaction of 1,2-diaza-1,3-butadienes with trialkyl phosphites in the presence of air. These compounds are useful for the further preparation of dialkyl (5-methyl-3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-4-pyrazolyl)phosphonates and 2-dialkoxyphosphoryl-1,2,3-thiadiazoles.


This paper submits reviewing of the changes in language consciousness of representatives of Russian ethnic and lingual culture under the influence of a heterogeneous language environment, namely: identification of reactions, which fixate changes in knowledge and perceptions of Russian cultural tradition representatives; and analysis of the similarities and differences in the structure of associative areas of linguistic markers of national and cultural consciousness of linguoecological type. It has been found that the language consciousness, being culturally conditioned phenomenon, reflects the specificity of the national and cultural space in which its representatives exist.


This paper describes the CEM, an original electronic engine management system developed by Alfa Romeo which has the task of controlling fuel injection, ignition and other boundary functions. This system has been designed particularly for high specific power output engines, as typical Alfa Romeo engines are; hence it includes timed sequential fuel injection and a set of sensors and actuators that were chosen aiming in particular at fast engine response. The CEM system has been defined and tested on all the engines of the Alfa Romeo range; it has also made possible the development of new control techniques such as the modular engine. In order to improve the performance characteristics and to obtain additional control features a second generation CEM is now under development. The future system will use the spin-offs of studies now in progress on adaptive controls based on detection of the pressure cycles and ionization inside cylinders to achieve a direct control of combustion. This should enable the optimization of engine behaviour during its whole life.


Current schemes for the mechanism of the photosynthesis reaction imply a two-part cycle; one part produces a strong photoreductant, the other functions to release molecular oxygen. Wild-type Scenedesmus exhibits the two light-induced electron-paramagnetic resonances typical of green algae and chloroplasts of higher plants. These resonances indicate the presence of unpaired electrons in at least two sites. By means of mutants which are blocked in one or the other part of the dual cycle, the narrow, rapidly decaying signal can be correlated with the photoreductant part, and the broad, slowly decaying signal can be correlated with the part releasing molecular oxygen.


Since the country's xenophobic violence in 2008, the 2019 xenophobic assaults are a new reminder of South Africa's anti-immigrant prejudice. Xenophobia threatens refugees, asylum seekers, economic migrants, and other designated geographical "outsiders," including internal migrants and minority ethnic groups. This study will provide an overview of xenophobia in South Africa and insights into its occurrence by examining the conflict profile, including the background, actors, causes, and the present dynamic of the conflict. In this qualitative study, the exploratory analysis concentrates on a thorough examination of available secondary data. Issues regarding economic tensions, hatred, and hate speech surfaced as a reality of conflict. The Generalized Deterrence Theory (GDT) will support this research and explain why certain people behave criminally, oddly, or anti-socially. Thus, this study argues that measuring economic improvement and improving land policy is a potential treatment for xenophobia. Until the problems of unemployment and poverty are resolved, xenophobia will decrease proportionately. Nevertheless, political games, which tend to take the form of hate speech, have proven to impact disputes and should be avoided.
Keywords: Xenophobia, Conflict, hate speech, economic tension, South Africa


The University of California Pavement Research Center (UCPRC) conducts research on pavements of all types, including concrete and asphalt. It has operated facilities at UC Berkeley since 1948 and at UC Davis since 2002, and also conducts research on California highways. Primary funding for the UCPRC is provided by Caltrans. Most of the UCPRC's work is done through the Partnered Pavement Research Center contract, whose mission is to apply innovative research and sound engineering principles to improve pavement structures, materials, and technologies through partnership between academia, Caltrans, and industry. Introduction


Ocean wave energy is one of the most abundant energy sources in the world. There is a wide variety of wave energy conversion systems that have been designed and developed, resulting from the different ways of ocean wave energy absorption and also depending on the location characteristics. This paper reviews and analyses the concepts of hydraulic power take-off (PTO) system used in various types of wave energy conversion systems so that it can be a useful reference to researchers, engineers and inventors. This paper also reviews the control mechanisms of the hydraulic PTO system in order to optimise the energy harvested from the ocean waves. Finally, the benefits and challenges of the hydraulic PTO system are discussed in this paper.


It has been established that Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a pivotal role in regulating systemic glucose and lipid homeostasis. Previously, we identified a insulin-resistance (IR) related lncRNA named Gm15441, which was upregualted in skeletal muscle from db/db mice by RNA-sequencing. Here, we explored the relationship between Gm15441 and skeletal muscle function in vitro and in vivo and the possible mechanism involved in that process. Real-time PCR analyses revealed Gm15441 was abundant in skeletal muscle compared to other metabolic tissues. Additionally, Gm15441 expression was observed upregualted in IR cells (pamitate-treated C2C12 myotubes) and mice (db/db, ob/ob and aged mice). Overexpression of Gm15441 by plasmid transfection in C2C12 myotubes decreased Glut4, p-Akt/Akt and p-Irs1/Irs1 protein levels and attenuated glucose uptake capacity by the 2-NBDG method. Gm15441 overexpression also impaired mitochondrial oxygen consumption and Pgc1α expression. Moreover, adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors to induce Gm15441 expression in skeletal muscles. Six-week-old male mice were administered with AAV-GFP or AAV-Gm15441 vectors followed with or without high-fat diet (HFD) for 14 weeks. Body weight gain and food intake were not different among the groups, but AAV-Gm15441 mice under HFD showed decreased glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. These mice exhibited ectopic lipid accumulation in skeletal muscle by HE staining, although no difference was observed in skeletal muscle weights and serum TG. A global mRNA analysis further indicated a possible regulatory role of Pparα-Pgc1α pathway in Gm15441-mediated dysregulation of glucose-lipid metabolism. Collectively, these findings improve our understanding of lncRNAs involved in skeletal muscle glucose-lipid metabolism and represent potential therapeutic targets to IR and associated metabolic diseases. Key words: lncRNA, Gm15441, skeletal muscle, insulin resistance, Pgc1α. Disclosure L. You: None. Y. Zeng: None. N. Gu: None. C. Ji: None.


SUMMARY: The effect of heptamyein (an antifungal heptaene antibiotic closely related to the ascosin-candicidin-trichomyein group) on the respiration of Candida albicans was studied. Heptamycin inhibited the oxidation of pyruvate, lactate and trehalose to a considerable degree. The oxidation of glucose, acetate, acetaldehyde and ethanol was only slightly affected by heptamycin. Anaerobic glycolysis was significantly inhibited. No inhibition of cell-free preparations of trehalase (obtained from C. albicans) or pyruvic carboxylase (from C. albicans and Saccharomyces carlsbergensis) was observed; CO2 output by cell-free preparations was not affected either. The uptake of pyruvate and trehalose by C. albicans cells is apparently due to an active and inducible mechanism; heptamycin inhibits oxidation of these substances by blocking their penetration into the yeast cell. The oxidation of trehalose in induced organisms was not inhibited by heptamycin whereas that of pyruvate was. Heptamycin, candicidin B, ascosin, trichomycin and amphotericin B inhibited phosphate uptake by non-proliferating suspensions of C. albicans. The inhibition was observed at fungistatic concentrations (0·5-5μg./ml.) and without any preincubation with the antibiotic. Phosphate uptake by Debaryomyces nicotianae, Pichia farinosa, Cryptococcus albidus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae was similarly affected by heptamycin. Esterification of inorganic phosphate by cell-free extracts of C. albicans was not affected by heptamycin. It is suggested that the fungistatic effect of heptaene antibiotics upon sensitive yeasts is mainly due to the prevention of phosphate uptake.