Our objectives were to determine the effects of early ovulation on fertility and uterine health of dairy cows. Four hundred and forty-five Holstein cows (185 primiparous and 260 multiparous) from five herds were used. Blood samples were collected at 21, 35 and 49 days in milk (DIM) and cows were considered to be cyclic at 21 DIM (Cyc21) if serum progesterone (P4) concentration was above 1 ng/ml, cyclic by 49 DIM (Cyc49) if P4 concentration was above 1 ng/ml at 35 or 49 DIM, or not cyclic (NotCyc) if P4 concentration was below 1 ng/ml at all sample times. Endometrial cytology for diagnosis of subclinical endometritis was examined at 49 DIM in a subset of 414 cows. Cows in the group Cyc21 had increased hazard of insemination, for the first service, compared with cows in Cyc49 [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.40; 95% CI = 1.10-1.79; p = 0.006] and NotCyc (HR = 2.07; 95% CI = 1.52-2.82; p < 0.001). Cows in the Cyc49 group also had increased hazard of insemination compared with cows in the NotCyc group (HR = 1.47; 95% CI = 1.13-1.93; p = 0.005). Median days to insemination were, respectively, 71, 76 and 96 for cows in Cyc21, Cyc49 and NotCyc groups. Cows in Cyc21 had greater first service pregnancy per AI than Cyc49 [38.6 vs 28.1%; adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.67; 95% CI = 1.01-2.75; p = 0.04] and NotCyc (38.6 vs 23.6%; AOR = 2.08; 95% CI = 1.08-4.00; p = 0.03). Pregnancy per AI was similar in Cyc49 and NotCyc cows (28.1 vs 23.6%; AOR = 1.25; 95% CI = 0.70-2.24; p = 0.45). Cows in Cyc21 had increased hazard of pregnancy up to 300 DIM compared with Cyc49 (HR = 1.52; 95% CI = 1.17-1.96; p = 0.002) and NotCyc (HR = 1.98; 95% CI = 1.41-2.78; p < 0.001). Cows in Cyc49 tended to have increased hazard of pregnancy compared with NotCyc (HR = 1.31; 95% CI = 0.96-1.77; p = 0.09). Median days to pregnancy were, respectively, 103, 147 and 173 for cows in Cyc21, Cyc49 and NotCyc groups. Cows in the Cyc21 group had decreased prevalence of subclinical endometritis compared with cows in the NotCyc group (29.9 vs 43.7%; AOR = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.29-0.97; p = 0.04); however, the prevalence did not differ from the Cyc49 group (29.9 vs 39.1%; AOR = 0.68; 95% CI = 0.41-1.14; p = 0.15). Cyc49 cows had similar prevalence of subclinical endometritis compared with NotCyc cows (AOR = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.46-1.29; p = 0.32). Early postpartum ovulation was associated with improved uterine health and fertility.


This paper proposes a control strategy for multiple-vehicle longitudinal collision avoidance or impact minimization if it is unavoidable. The system is defined as a coupled group of vehicles with vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V) in short enough distance following. The relationships with the further front and/or rear vehicle without V2V has been taken into account, which are modeled as lower bound limit on deceleration of the first vehicle and upper bound on maximum deceleration of the last vehicle in the system. The objective is to determine the desired deceleration for each vehicle such that the total impact of the system is minimized at each time step. The impact is defined as the relative kinetic energy between a pair of vehicles. The optimal control problem is further simplified as a finite time horizon predictive control (MPC), which is a quadratic programming problem. Simulation in Matlab shows some interesting results. The algorithm can be applied to vehicles with automated brake control capabilities with progressive market penetration of V2V.


In June 2002 the new MACT (Maximum Achievable Control Technology) rules will go into effect. These new rules represent the tightest emissions regulations to date and will have an effect on new and upgraded cement production lines hereafter. The MACT rules do not regulate NO/sub x/ or SO/sub 2/ and CO is only regulated when firing waste fuels; however, each state regulates these emissions for a new cement production line. It is important to note that states can mandate even lower limits than those given in the MACT rule and add additional emission requirements. As the emission limits get tighter and tighter, it becomes critical to be able to accurately predict gaseous emissions and incorporate the proper system design to meet permit requirements. A number of possibilities exist to minimize gaseous emissions. These include systems designs, like the low NO calciner, and "tailpipe" designs, like the wet scrubber. Some methods are much simpler and less expensive than others. In some instances the viability of a new production line can depend on the extent of added costs required to achieve environmental compliance. This paper focuses on emissions of NO/sub x/ SO/sub 2/, CO, and THC, and the various methods that can be used to control these emissions within current limits.


Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an efficacious treatment for substance use disorders and other problem behaviors (Lundahl and Burke, 2009). However, little is known about the specific mechanisms that drive therapeutic change. A growing body of research has focused on coding within-session language to better understand how therapist and patient language mutually influence each other and predict successful (or unsuccessful) treatment outcomes. These studies typically use human raters, requiring considerable financial, time, and training costs for conducting such research. This paper describes the development and testing of a recursive neural network (RNN) model for rating 78,977 therapist and patient talk turns across 356 MI sessions. We assessed the accuracy of RNNs in predicting human ratings for client speech and compared them to standard n-gram models. The RNN model showed improvement over ngram models for some codes, but overall, all of the models performed well below human reliability, demonstrating the difficulty of the task.


Literature on positive plant microbial interactions in perennial ryegrass dairy pasture systems is reviewed and interactions that have been reported to have a substantial impact on pasture production and/or levels of chemical inputs into or losses from the system are assessed. Utilisation of N2 fixing (rhizobia) white clover as the N input into a perennial ryegrass pasture is likely to give pasture and milk production similar to that with addition of 200 kg inorganic N ha−1 annum−1 and avoid greenhouse gas emissions resulting from N fertiliser production. Use of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide that de-activates the ammonia monooxygenase enzyme in ammonia-oxidising bacteria can substantially reduce NO3− leaching and N2O emissions from perennial ryegrass pastures while increasing productivity. Infection of perennial ryegrass plants with the fungal endophyte Neotyphodium lolii is very significant for the production and persistence of dairy pastures in Australasia due to the endophyte producing a range of alkaloids that confer benefit to the host plant through insect resistance/repellance. In addition, there is considerable potential to manipulate rumen microorganisms such that methane production per unit organic matter intake and the proportion of N uptake that is excreted in urine are decreased while production is maintained or increased. Also, P-solubilising bacteria and mycorrhizas are worthy of study in relation to the development of inoculants for use as a mechanism to increase P availability in pastures from reserves in the soil and/or applied rock phosphate.


The previous studies on the correlation between tumor incidence and changes in microsomal and mitochondrial swelling during feeding of 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene to rats have been extended to other hepatic carcinogens. Administration of 4'-fluoro-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene, 4'-ethyl-2-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene, 2-acetylam-inofluorene, ethionine, and tannic acid were found to produce drastic alterations of the swelling of rat liver mitochondria. In contrast to these compounds, feeding of the non-carcinogenic azobenzene and 4-diethylaminoazobenzene produced only small changes in swelling. Significant modification in the over-all pattern of the swelling curve was observed when the usual concentration of 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene was reduced, but not when the riboflavin level in the diet was increased tenfold. Feeding of high levels of this dye to the guinea pig did not affect mitochondrial swelling which is consistent with the resistance of this species to azo-dye carcinogenesis. Hypophysectomy provides protection against the alterations, produced by feeding 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene, in the characteristics of thyroxine- or mercuric chloride-induced mitochondrial swelling. Studies with citric cycle substrates on mitochondrial swelling suggest block of the glutamate ⇌ α-keto-glutarate pathway after feeding 3'-methyl-4-dimethylaminoazobenzene for 4 weeks. There is a considerable, but reversible, reduction of certain types of mitochondrial swelling in two situations associated with rapid liver growth: after partial hepatectomy and after intraperitoneal injection of 20-methylcholanthrene. Naphthacene, however, which also stimulates rapid liver growth, does not affect mitochondrial swelling.


A copper(II) acetate/(R)-DTBM-SEGPHOS-catalyzed ring opening of benzofurans and enantioselective hydroamination cascade with dimethoxymethylsilane (DMMS) and hydroxylamine esters is described. Starting from readily available substituted benzofurans, a series of chiral N,N-dibenzylaminophenols, which are of high interest in pharmaceutical chemistry, were obtained with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 66 % yield, 94 % ee).


BACKGROUND/AIMS
The prevalence of co-infections with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and novel hepatitis viruses GBV-C (Hepatitis G virus, HGV) and TT virus (TTV) in chronic hepatitis C (HCV) infection has been studied. In patients with chronic hepatitis C and in asymptomatic healthy HCV carriers, the influence of these agents on the course of HCV infection was assessed.

METHODS
a total of 110 HCV-positive individuals, among them 77 patients with chronic hepatitis C--50 of them treated with interferon (IFN)--and 33 HCV carriers with normal alanine aminotransferase have been investigated. HBV-DNA, HGV RNA and TTV DNA were detected by PCR, to determine HBsAg and anti-HBc ELISA technic has been used.

RESULTS
In the healthy population, the prevalence of anti-HCV was 0.3%, HBsAg 0.09%, anti-HBc 2.5%, HGV RNA 8.0% and TTV DNA 18.5%, respectively. In chronic hepatitis C HBsAg (accompanied with HBV-DNA) occurred in 1.29%, anti-HBc 25.97%, HGV RNA in 9.09% and TTV DNA in 40.25% of cases. In IFN-treated patients with sustained remission, the frequency of TTV was 20% vs. 45.7% found in non-responders. Among asymptomatic HCV-carriers, the prevalence of anti-HBc was 27.27%, HGV RNA 9.09% and TTV DNA 75.7% respectively.

CONCLUSIONS
Neither previous HBV infection, nor HGV RNA and TTV DNA had apparent effect on the course of chronic HCV infection. TTV was detected with the lowest frequency in persons with sustained remission due to IFN, suggesting antiviral effect of IFN on TTV.


Heme oxygenase (HO-1) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the catabolism of heme, which leads to the generation of biliverdin, iron, and carbon monoxide. It has been shown to have important antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties that result in a vascular antiatherogenic effect. To determine whether HO-1 expression in macrophages constitutes a significant component of the protective role in atherosclerosis, we evaluated the effect of decreased or absent HO-1 expression in peritoneal macrophages on oxidative stress and inflammation in vitro, and the effect of complete deficiency of HO-1 expression in macrophages in atherosclerotic lesion formation in vivo. We found that compared with HO-1+/+ controls, peritoneal macrophages from HO-1−/− and HO-1+/− mice exhibited (1) increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, (2) increased proinflammatory cytokines such as monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), and (3) increased foam cell formation when treated with oxLDL, attributable in part to increased expression of scavenger receptor A (SR-A). Bone marrow transplantation experiments performed in lethally irradiated LDL-R null female mice, reconstituted with bone marrow from HO-1−/− versus HO-1+/+ mice, revealed that HO-1−/− reconstituted animals exhibited atherosclerotic lesions with a greater macrophage content as evaluated by immunohistochemistry and planimetric assessment. We conclude that HO-1 expression in macrophages constitutes an important component of the antiatherogenic effect by increasing antioxidant protection and decreasing the inflammatory component of atherosclerotic lesions.


Infrared lasers have been used for debridement and sterilisation of both soft and hard tissues, but there have been few studies of such laser applications in endodontics. The present laboratory study was undertaken to examine the feasibility of using pulsed infrared laser radiation to remove moisture from root canals (with an adjunctive sterilising effect). Canals were prepared in extracted teeth and a standardised technique used to fill the apical half of the root canal with saline. Pulses of CO2 or Nd:YAG laser energy were delivered into the root canal system via miniature applicators and residual fluid determined, as well as temperature changes on the root surface. With the CO2 laser, long pulse durations were effective at dehydrating the canals, but elicited deleterious thermal changes both locally within the canal as well as on the root surface. With Nd:YAG laser treatment, large temperature increases on the root surface occurred even with low powers and low pulse frequencies, and extended times were necessary for dehydration. With higher powers and pulse frequencies, complete dehydration could be achieved in less than 60 seconds, however root surface temperatures increased approximately 25 degrees, and the radicular dentine was damaged by the production of plasma. Dehydration of root canals could not be achieved safely with these two infrared lasers, and damage to both radicular dentine and the periodontal ligament would occur if these techniques were to be applied clinically. Alternative methods which do not exert significant thermal effects should be investigated.


Probiotics (growth promoters) have been used as supplements in animal feeds for more than seven decades to enhance growth and decrease feed/gain ratio. Moreover, many of the beneficial productive responses associated with the use of probiotic supplements can be directly related to their effects on the microbial population in the digestive tract. Most evidence for such effects is results of intensive studies of microbial activities in the rumen of cattle and sheep. Pronifer is a fermentation product consists of a bacterial cocktail of specific lactic acid producing bacteria as a probiotic agent, it may act through improving the balance of the intestinal micro flora. Also, pronifer improves health, performance, minimize diarrhea and increase growth rates.Moreover, yeast stimulates rumen bacteria and enhance lactate and ammonia utilization resulting in moderate pH and increases in microbial population which lead to increases in fiber digestion and protein synthesis in the rumen. Yeast culture improved feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion in growing ruminants.


Intravenous nurses are at risk for infection with blood-borne pathogens to the extent that they are directly exposed to blood. By classifying work-related tasks according to potential for exposure and by implementing appropriate precautions for each task, the I.V. nurse's risk of infection can be minimized.


ABSTRACT Background Type 1 Usher syndrome (USH1) is a rare disease and major cause of genetic deaf-blindness. Deafness is present from birth while retinitis pigmentosa (RP) which typically presents during childhood is progressive leading to blindness. The aim of this research was to develop a disease model describing USH1 symptoms and their impact on patients' lives. Materials and Methods Qualitative interviews were conducted with patients (pediatric and adult) and parents of children and adolescents with USH1. Interviewed subjects were enrolled through ophthalmologists from specialized eye centers in the USA and in France. Trained interviewers used semi-structured techniques to elicit concepts relevant to patients and their parents. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts led to the identification of concepts which were organized to generate a disease model. Results A total of 18 patients (7 in the US; 11 in France)– 9 adults, 4 adolescents, and 5 children– and 9 mothers were interviewed. The most cited ocular symptoms were difficulty seeing at night and loss of peripheral vision. Interviewees reported limitations on Physical (e.g. difficulty moving), Mental (e.g. fear about falling), Social (e.g. difficulty discussing disease with others) and Role (e.g. difficulties at school/work) functioning. These impacts were, when possible, mitigated by coping strategies and support (e.g. using electronic devices, having a positive/proactive attitude). Conclusions This research provides an overview of symptoms experienced by patients with USH1 and highlights the dramatic impact these have on patients' lives, allowing the identification of concepts of importance when evaluating therapeutic treatments in development for RP.


The use of preprinted charting forms saves nursing time and, at the same time, increases completeness and accuracy of documentation. Data for Quality Management (QM) are easily gathered from preprinted charting forms, making the forms an effective tool for building a nursing QM program. The enthusiastic response to the presentation of this program at the American College Health Association's 1998 Annual Meeting in San Diego prompted the authors to share this information with journal readers.


Approximately 18 yr after the supernova explosion, the blast wave of SNR 1987A is entering the main body of the equatorial circumstellar material, which is causing a dramatic brightening of the remnant. We recently reported observational evidence for this event from our Chandra data (the work published in 2005 November by Park et al.). We present here the temporal evolution of the X-ray-emitting shock parameters and the detailed description of the spectral and image analysis of SNR 1987A, on which our 2005 November work was based. While the remnant becomes brighter, the softening of the overall X-ray spectrum continues and is enhanced around day 6200 (since the explosion). The two-component shock model indicates that the electron temperatures have been changing for the last ~6 yr. The X-ray spectrum is now described by kT ~ 0.3 keV and 2.3 keV thermal plasmas that are believed to characteristically represent the shock-heated density gradient along the boundary between the H II region and the dense inner ring. As the blast wave sweeps through the inner circumstellar ring shining in X-rays, we expect that the shock parameters will continue to change, revealing the density and abundance structure of the inner ring. Follow-up Chandra observations will thus uncover the past history of the progenitor's stellar evolution. The origin of the relatively faint hard X-ray emission (E > 3 keV) from SNR 1987A is still unclear (thermal vs. nonthermal). Considering the continuous brightening of the hard-band intensity, as well as the soft-band flux, follow-up monitoring observations will also be essential to reveal the origin of the hard X-ray emission of SNR 1987A.


Single-stranded DNA breaks in Zajdela's ascitic hepatoma and transformed hamster fibroblasts were caused by treating alive cells with 1% dimethylsulfoxide for 2 h or 100 micrograms/ml bleomycin for 5 min and tested by alkaline and neutral DNA elutions. Electron microscopy of thin sections revealed decompaction of the loosened approximately 25 nm globules within diffuse chromatin into thin fibrillar mesh while supranucleosomal structure of the compact chromatin remained untouched. The chromatin enhanced its affinity for cationic dyes and contrast agents. It is concluded that the diffuse chromatin possesses torsional stress of DNA superhelicity and its loosened subunits represent a form for its organization. They probably correspond to the functionally active (dynamic) nucleosomes which display destruction under DNA domain relaxation caused by one-strand breaks.


A retrospective clinical follow-up study of 50 cutaneous melanomas diagnosed at a Pigmented Lesion Clinic over a five year period is presented. Compared to previous Irish studies the mean Breslow depth of the tumours was considerably less, thus indicating that patients presenting to such clinics have more superficial melanomas and ultimately a better prognosis.


SUMMARY The semblance criterion widely used for slowness estimation is examined using the theory of statistical hypothesis testing and shown to be equivalent to that for detecting propagating signals of any energy at a specified slowness. We propose to suppress weak collar arrivals on semblance maps for logging while drilling (LWD) data by incorporating a minimum signal energy threshold in the aforementioned theory and using it to derive a couple of modifications of the semblance. Other simpler modification inspired by these are also proposed on heuristic grounds. All proposed modifications perform comparably on real LWD data and are effective at suppressing weak unwanted arrivals while preserving the desired ones.


Objective: In the current study, hsCRP and lipid profile levels in prehypertensives were assessed and compared with those in normal subjects, as well as blood pressure and lipid profile correlations were examined. Study Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Department of Physiology, Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences (LUMHS) in Jamshoro. Period: Six months 1st November 2022 to 30th April 2023. Material & Methods: From the general population, 50 pre-hypertensive and 50 normotensive subjects ranging in age from 25 to 55 were enrolled. A blood pressure measurement and an anthropometric measurement were taken. Student t tests were used to compare serum hsCRP with lipid profiles. In order to correlate blood pressure with hsCRP and lipid profile, Pearson correlation was used. Results: A significant correlation was not found between blood pressure (SBP and DBP) and hsCRP in either group. When compared to normal individuals, pre-hypertensives had significantly higher cholesterol and LDL (P-value <0.001). Among prehypertensive patients, blood pressure and lipid parameters did not seem to be significantly correlated. Conclusions: We conclude that in both prehypertensive and normal subjects, hsCRP levels are not significantly different. Therefore, pre-hypertensive patients do not have inflammation. Prehypertensive patients have significantly higher total cholesterol and LDL levels than normal individuals. There is an alteration in the lipid profile of prehypertensive individuals.


Background. Finding the associations between schizophrenia symptoms and the biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress and the kynurenine pathway may lead to the individualization of treatment and increase its effectiveness. Methods. The study group included 82 schizophrenia inpatients. The Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS), the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) and the Calgary Depression in Schizophrenia Scale were used for symptom evaluation. Biochemical analyses included oxidative stress parameters and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Results. Linear models revealed the following: (1) malondiadehyde (MDA), N-formylkynurenine (N-formKYN), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), advanced glycation end-products of proteins (AGE) and total oxidative status (TOS) levels are related to the PANSS-total score; (2) MDA, reduced glutathione (GSH) and BDNF levels are related to the PANSS-negative score; (3) TOS and kynurenine (KYN) levels are related to the PANSS-positive score; (4) levels of total antioxidant status (TAS) and AOPP along with the CDSS score are related to the BACS-total score; (5) TAS and N-formKYN levels are related to the BACS-working memory score. Conclusions. Oxidative stress biomarkers may be associated with the severity of schizophrenia symptoms in positive, negative and cognitive dimensions. The identification of biochemical markers associated with the specific symptom clusters may increase the understanding of biochemical profiles in schizophrenia patients.


Concentrations of 11 metals (cadmium [Cd], lead [Pb], copper [Cu], iron [Fe], manganese [Mn], cobalt [Co], chromium [Cr], nickel [Ni], zinc [Zn], magnesium [Mg], and calcium [Ca]) and protein in human pancreatic juice were studied. Human pancreatic juice was sampled by endoscopic cannulation after administration of secretin (intravenous [i.v.], 1 mu/kg). There were 19 subjects (11 males and 8 females) and the means of their ages were 50.3 yr (male, 20-68 yr) and 52.5 yr (female, 45-64 yr). Diagnoses were: normal, 5; early pancreatic cancer, 9; and chronic pancreatitis, 5. None had symptoms suggestive of disturbances in endocrine and exocrine functions of the pancreas. Concentrations of metals and protein in pancreatic juice did not change significantly between males and females or with pathological changes in the pancreas. Assuming the flow rate of pancreatic juice to be 1500-2000 ml/day, the daily excretions of metals into duodenum via pancreatic juice were calculated as follows (mumoles of metal/day): Cd, 0.012-0.012; Pb, 0.216-0.288; Cu, 6.20-8.26; Fe, 2.34-3.12; Mn, 0.100-0.133; Co, 0.165-0.220; Zn, 7.46-9.94; Cr, 0.084-0.112; Mg, 274.1-365.4; Ni, 1.64-2.18; and Ca, 0.221-0.295. Toxic (Cd and Pb) and essential metals (Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Cr, and Ni) are excreted daily into duodenum via pancreatic juice.


Orientation: The nature and representation of psychological strengths is an emerging area of positive psychology. Individual differences occur in strengths profiles between people, which may be attributed to educational, occupational, gender and cultural influences and can be qualitatively explored using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The application of strengths measurement is underway in South Africa, but locally developed, context-specific strengths taxonomies are currently lacking, as well as research linking psychological strengths and leadership. Muslim women in leadership deal with general gender-related leadership challenges as well as specific cultural and religious issues, and the application of psychological strengths may serve as enabling factors. Research purpose: This study aimed to explore and describe the psychological strengths demonstrated by a minority sub-population of South African women leaders in the workplace. Motivation for the study: Psychological strengths are linked to flourishing and well-being. Understanding their representation and their context of application can enhance both the academic literature and organisational practices surrounding them. A minority leadership group of Muslim women were appointed for this study, bearing in mind their particular leadership challenges and the enabling strengths they employ as a point of interest, as possible indicators for future strengths and leadership development initiatives. Research approach/design and method: Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 Muslim women leaders from various employment industries who held senior management or leadership roles. IPA method was used for the analysis and interpretation of the results. Main findings: Interpretative phenomenological analysis of the interview data revealed a taxonomy of 28 psychological strengths, which were categorised as cognitive, emotional, interpersonal, values/motives or behavioural. Practical/managerial implications: The strengths may be focussed on for leadership development and it is recommended that the study should be replicated across various cultural groups to identify and develop the strengths that occur in the diversity of leaders within the South African work context. Contribution/value-add: This exploratory study contributes to the knowledge base of psychological strengths. It also highlights specific strengths to be considered when implementing leadership development programmes, particularly those for Muslim women in South African workplaces.


Biological safety cabinets are frequently relied upon to provide sterile work environments in which hazardous microorganisms can be safely handled. Verification of correct airstream velocities does not, by itself, ensure that adequate protection will be achieved under all users. Instead, the concentration of microorganisms in a cabinet operator's breathing zone must be measured during typical cabinet use conditions to determine whether the exposure is below acceptable limits. In this study, cabinet operator exposures were measured with a personal air sampler. Bacterial spores were released inside a cabinet as a uniform challenge aerosol, and the number of escaping spores was measured for several cabinet arrangements during a number of typical operations. The following were studied to determine their effects on aerosol containment: inflow air velocity, size of access opening, type of operator movements, location of operator's hands, and pace of activity. Other experiments examined differences in aerosol containment for eight typical microbiology operations when performed by six operators who covered a range of body heights and volumes.


The Federal Organizational Sentencing Guidelines, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other laws and regulations encouraged U.S. corporations to adopt codes of conduct and compliance programs. Usually these laws and regulations offer corporations lower penalties if they adopted codes of conduct and compliance programs to encourage them to engage in self-policing. These efforts seemed to have failed in the case of Enron. As a result, Congress enacted the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that changed the dynamic by requiring public corporations to disclose if they had a code of conduct and if not, why not. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act assumed that the market would punish corporations that failed to adopt codes of conduct with lower prices for their stock. Many U.S. corporations have adopted corporate codes of conduct because of the incentives built into the Organizational Sentencing Guidelines, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other laws. Most of the existing codes of conduct, however, merely require businesses to comply with their present legal obligations. U.S. corporations are reluctant to adopt codes of conduct that contain aspirational goals that exceed their legal requirements, because of concerns that the failure to achieve the aspirational goals set forth in these codes of conduct would make the corporations targets for litigation and because the added costs might make them less competitive than businesses that do not adopt such policies and procedures. This article examines the ways in which the law shapes what rules and procedures go into codes of conduct. It suggests a way of creating a safe harbor for codes of conduct that espouse aspirational goals that would overcome or minimize the legal disincentives to adopting aspirational goals in business codes of conduct. Finally, it will analyze why enacting this safe harbor would, on balance, be beneficial to the businesses involved and to society as a whole.


Flow Cytometric Analysis of Reticulated Platelets (G. Matic, G. Rothe, and G. Schmitz, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany). In the last several years, flow cytometry has emerged as one of the tools of choice in evaluation of platelets. In particular, the distinction between reticulated platelets and mature platelets based on RNA fluorescence has proved to be a vital tool in the clinical hematology laboratory. Further, as is now well understood, it is important to evaluate platelets in whole blood rather than in isolated populations. Platelet quantification in a dual‐color whole‐blood method is of interest for the characterization of thrombocytopoiesis in (immune)‐thrombocytopenia or in the regenerating bone marrow.


When I think about the extraordinary writing and speaking phenomenon by the name of Barack Obama, who also happens to be the President of the United States of America, the most powerful country in the world, I can't help asking myself, what can he do for Africa? I ask this not only because he is a son of Africa, but also because I hear in his speeches the words of a man deeply committed to human values, and therefore concerned with the predicament of Africa's people in this age of globalization. As the first African American elected to the American presidency, Obama represents an extraordinary symbolic change in American politics. No one can underestimate the symbolic significance of his election. Nor should it be considered purely a matter of symbolism; a changing of the guard at the top necessarily involves—or should involve—implications of substantive change. There is the rub—can we expect substantive change of any significance from his election, given the nature and structure of American politics and society? In connection with that question it is fair to ask: what does the Age of Obama portend for Africa? Two related questions arise concerning this: first, what should Obama do for Africa, and second, what can he do for Africa? As to the first question, what Obama should do for Africa is linked to Africa's need; and we can spend a whole day talking about that and not exhaust it. On the basis of Obama's speeches, including especially his Accra speech of July 11, 2009, and our own sense of Africa's needs, I offer three primary talking points that embrace a set of values or goals upon which all government systems should be based. The first is peace and stability, the second is sustainable economic development and social justice, and the third is democracy and good governance—not necessarily in that order.


Deep learning models have been employed to perform IR tasks and have shown competitive results. Depending on the structure of the models, previous deep IR models could be roughly divided into: representation-based models and interaction-based models. A number of experiments have been conducted to test these models, but often under different conditions, making it difficult to draw a clear conclusion on their comparison. In order to compare the two learning schemas for ad hoc search under the same condition, we build similar convolution networks to learn either representations or interaction patterns between document and query and test them on the same test collection. In addition, we also propose multi-level matching models to cope with various types of query, rather than the existing single-level matching. Our experiments show that interaction-based approach generally performs better than representation-based approach, and multi-level matching performs better than single-level matching. We will provide some possible explanations to these observations.


Abstract: This study assesses whether geographic localization of housestaff patients contributes to improved patient knowledge of diagnosis, patient satisfaction, provider satisfaction, and workplace culture of safety. Due to national changes to graduate medical education, housestaff patients were localized to a single general medicine ward. Ninety-three patients prelocalization, 64 patients postlocalization, 26 localized physicians, and 10 localized nurses were surveyed. Validated questionnaires assessed patients' experiences during hospitalization, and physician and nurse job satisfaction. Fifty-seven percent of patients knew their diagnosis prior to localization, compared to 80% postlocalization (p < .0001). Prior to localization, 39% of patients who reported experiencing anxieties or fears during hospitalization felt physicians frequently discussed these emotions with them compared to 85% after localization (p < .0001). Before localization, 51% of patients stated that doctors spent 4 min or more daily with them discussing care, compared to 91% after localization (p < .0001). Both physician and nurse opinion significantly improved regarding some but not all aspects of collaboration, teamwork, patient safety, appropriate handling of errors, and culture of safety. The average length of stay was unchanged and the change in 30-day readmission rate was not statistically significant. Localization of patients to a single inpatient ward improved patient knowledge and satisfaction, and some aspects of interprofessional communication and workplace culture of safety.


Purpose
The paper aims to focus on adjacent buildings response, equipped with damper, to analyze the vibration reduction in the nearby buildings. The nearby buildings were also equipped with dampers. The occurrence of adjacent buildings with adequate or inadequate space in between is a common phenomenon. However, many a times not much attention is paid to provide or check gap adequacy or to connect the two buildings suitably to avoid pounding of two structures on each other. This study emphasizes the utility of providing a damper in between two adjacent buildings for better performance.

Design/methodology/approach
The two steel structures taken for study are prototype of two structures normally found in industrial structure such as power plant, where in one of boiler structure is often tall and braced and short structure of turbine building which is moment resistant, modeled in SAP. There could be similar such structures which are often connected to a platform or a walkway with a sliding end, so as not to transfer horizontal force to other structures. If the advantage of stiffness of tall braced structure is taken into account, shorter structure can be suitably connected to braced structure to transfer forces during seismic cases under nonlinear conditions, thereby avoiding pounding (incase gap is too less), reducing response and thus optimizing the section sizes. The structures were subjected to El Centro earthquake, to simulate MCE (which could be the other site TH scaled up as desired for real site PGA), and damper location and parameters were varied to find optimum value which offers reduced base shear, reduced top floor displacement and minimum inter story drift and highest energy absorption by fluid viscous dampers.

Findings
The findings show that taller structures, which are braced, have more stiffness; the effect of damper is more pronounced in reducing displacement of shorter moment resistant structure to the tune of 60%, with suitably defined Cd value which is found to be 600 KNs/m for the present study. Thus, advantage of stiffener structure is taken to leverage and reduce the displacement of shorter moment resistant structure in reducing its displacement under nonlinear conditions of seismic case.

Originality/value
This work shows the original findings, of the adjacent buildings response, equipped with damper, to analyze the vibration reduction on other buildings which were planned to be constructed nearby.


Maize (Zea mays L.) is a food crop sensitive to low temperatures. Low temperature, as one of the abiotic stress hazards, seriously affects the yield of corn. However, the genetic basis of low-temperature adaptation in maize is still poorly understood. In this study, maize S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC) was localized on the nucleus. We introduced the SAMDC gene into the excellent maize inbred line variety GSH9901 and used Agrobacterium-mediated transformation to produce cold-tolerant transgenic maize lines. After a 3-year single-location field trial, the contents of polyamine (PA), proline, malondialdehyde, an antioxidant enzyme, and APX in the leaves of transgenic maize plants overexpressing SAMDC were significantly increased, and the introduction of the SAMDC gene was significantly increased the expression of CBFs and cold-related genes.The agronomic traits of overexpression maize changed and the yield traits were significantly improved, but no significant changes were found in plant height, ear length, and shaft thickness.Thus, engineering the SAMDC enzyme is an effective strategy to improve the cold tolerance and value of maize.


In about 3% of children, viral infections of the airways that develop in early childhood lead to narrowing of the laryngeal lumen in the subglottic region resulting in symptoms such as hoarseness, abarking cough, stridor, and dyspnea. These infections may eventually cause respiratory failure. The disease is often called acute subglottic laryngitis (ASL). Terms such as pseudocroup, croup syndrome, acute obstructive laryngitis and spasmodic croup are used interchangeably when referencing this disease. Although the differential diagnosis should include other rare diseases such as epiglottitis, diphtheria, fibrinous laryngitis and bacterial tracheobronchitis, the diagnosis of ASL should always be made on the basis of clinical criteria.


The analysis of wound healing is important for the therapy control and for the development of drugs stimulating the healing process. Wounds cause damage to the skin barrier. A damaged stratum corneum leads to an increased water loss through the skin barrier. The standard measuring procedure for characterization of wound healing is the measurement of transepidermal water loss (TEWL). The disadvantage of this method is that it can be easily disturbed by the perspiration of the volunteers and by topically applied substances, for instance wound healing creams. In the study presented, in vivo laser scanning microscopy and optical coherent tomography were compared concerning the application for their analysis of wound healing processes. The laser scanning microscopy allows the analysis of the healing process on a cellular level. The course of wound healing determined by laser scanning microscopy was correlated with numerical values, allowing the numerical characterization of the wound healing process.


Purpose of review To provide an update on the recent evidence underpinning the approach to nutritional care in patients with severe primary chronic small bowel dysmotility. Recent findings Patients with severe chronic small intestinal dysmotility suffer nutritional and nonnutritional morbidity, both as a result of their underlying polysymptomatic, poorly understood condition and the interventions required. A proportion require artificial nutrition support; however, this is associated with impaired quality of life and associated complications. The approach to nutritional support must therefore engage a multidisciplinary team (MDT) to ensure that decisions to escalate beyond oral nutrition reflect individualised risk-benefit discussions while adopting a holistic approach to symptom management. Since nutritional outcomes are worse in those with the chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO) phenotype, differentiation into CIPO and non-CIPO subgroups, using a pragmatic diagnostic approach rather than invasive/poorly tolerated investigations, can be an important step in achieving nutritional care tailored to the individual. Summary Malnutrition in patients with severe chronic small intestinal dysmotility is multifactorial. Early engagement of a broad team that includes dietitians, psychologists and pain management experts is crucial to achieving the most beneficial and least harmful patient-centred nutritional care outcomes.


Spray gel as an alternative to hand washing soap. Pandan wangi leaves are efficacious as antiseptics. This study aimed to obtain a good formulation of spray gel pandan wangi leaves extract and efficacious as an antiseptic. The method used in this study was to compare the concentration of Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) on three formulas including 0,5%; 1,5%; and 2,5%. The formulas was tested for their physical properties to determine the best formula and will be tested for physical stability at room temperature (28o±2oC) for 4 weeks and followed by testing the effectiveness of antibacterials. The result showed that formula I (0,5% HPMC concentration) was the best formula. This formula fulfills all the criteria for good physical properties. The formula I was stable at room temperature and has effectiveness against Staphylococcus aureus. This study is the basic experiment for development of spray gel prparations with active substances derived from natural ingredients. Keyword – spray gel, Pandanus amaryllifolius, Roxb. extract, ansepti


Background: Electrosurgery helps surgeons to perform procedures faster and with less bleeding. Aim of the study: This paper was designed to illustrate some aspects of electrical burns, their potential causes in our operating room and the method which guided us to the technical solutions of the problem. Material and methods: This case-control study included 129 patients who underwent cardiac operations at a tertiary university medical center. Forty-one patients experienced burn during the operation during this period. The demographic and perioperative characteristics of this group (as case group) were compared to the remainder (88 patients) who had operations on the same days, but had no burns (as control group). Causative factors and preventive measures were reviewed. Results: It was observed that a greater number of patients in the burn group had diabetes and hypertension, were operated on in an emergency setting (P = 0.001), and had a longer aortic clamp time. After the assessment of the monopolar electrosurgery equipment and restoring the electrical conditions of the operating rooms, it was determined that the shields covering the operating table were not completely insulated from current. Conclusions: Burning was the result of incomplete insulation of the patients from the operating table. Identifying the pitfalls in dealing with electrosurgery and simple precautions help to reduce such preventable complications.


Phenotypic characterization and body biometric in 13 traits (height at withers, body length, chest girth, paunch girth, ear length, tail length, length of tail up to switch, face length, face width, horn length, circumference of horn at base, distances between pin bone and hip bone) were recorded in 233 adult Gojri buffaloes from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh states of India. Traits were analysed by using varimax rotated principal component analysis (PCA) with Kaiser Normalization to explain body conformation. PCA revealed four components which explained about 70.9% of the total variation. First component described the general body conformation and explained 31.5% of total variation. It was represented by significant positive high loading of height at wither, body length, heart girth, face length and face width. The communality ranged from 0.83 (hip bone distance) to 0.45 (horn length) and unique factors ranged from 0.16 to 0.55 for all these 13 different biometric traits. Present study suggests that first principal component can be used in the evaluation and comparison of body conformation in buffaloes and thus provides an opportunity to distinguish between early and late maturing to adult, based on a small group of biometric traits to explain body conformation in adult buffaloes.


Feeding disorders can range from mild (e.g., food selectivity by taste or texture) to severe (e.g., total food refusal; Bachmeyer, 2009). If left untreated, feeding disorders can result in serious health ramifications, including malnutrition, growth delays, and developmental delays (Kern & Marder, 1996). Recent studies comparing commonly used occupational therapy (OT) treatments and empirically supported applied behavior analysis (ABA) treatments found that the ABA treatments were effective for all children while the OT treatments were ineffective for all children exposed to the OT treatment (Addison et al., 2012; Peterson, Piazza, & Volkert, 2016). We used a multielement design to compare a modified version of a commonly used treatment, food chaining, and an empirically validated ABA treatment to treat the food selectivity of 2 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). For both children, consumption of the target foods only increased during the ABA-treatment condition. We subsequently faded the size of the preferred food within the simultaneous-presentation arrangement, moved to a sequentialpresentation arrangement, and then thinned the schedule of reinforcement. We will discuss the results within the context of treatment implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research.


The twentieth century was to witness many social revolutions. Of these one of the most significant was the rise of mass spectator sport. Whilst the late nineteenth century saw many sports codified and regulated, it was from the early years of the twentieth century that massive stadia were constructed in order to house the increasing numbers of spectators willing and able to attend matches. This was partly the result of social change as fewer people, for example, worked on Saturdays, and increasing affluence. During the century, moreover, the facilities offered and demanded grew significantly. Covered accommodation expanded, terraces were improved and floodlighting was installed. Later, all-seater stadia became the necessary standard for higher division teams and new modern grounds replaced the old. Some of these changes were the result of tragedies, such as the Valley Parade fire and the Hillsborough disaster, but others were a reflection that football had to appeal to a broader market if it was to shed its reputation for crowd violence. In Football Grounds Fact Book, noted commentator on stadia Michael Heatley explores how football grounds have evolved over the past century. Exploring the subject thematically with the aid of a fascinating selection of both colour and mono images, the book provides a graphic examination of the changing face of British football. Covering such diverse topics as ticketing, floodlights, disabled facilities, groundsharing, the architecture of Archibald Leitch (arguably the most important figure in the early development of stadia), national stadia, and much else. The author, whose earlier book for Ian Allan Publishing on the changes to football grounds (Football Grounds Then & Now) sold out, has produced another excellent and innovative volume on this fascinating subject. For all interested in football and football grounds in particular, Football Grounds Fact Book represents an entertaining overview of stadium developments over the past century. Ian Allan Publishing's books on football grounds have proved consistently successful. This latest addition to the list will help build upon the imprint's reputation as one of the leading publishers in this area.


The lack of adequate information on glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) material characteristics at high temperatures lowers the accuracy of analytical and design models developed to predict the behaviour of GFRP reinforced concrete members. This paper presents experimental results of a series of tensile tests on GFRP bars at elevated temperatures. These results are a part of ongoing comprehensive material tests on various GFRP products from different manufacturers. Up until now, material tests conducted on GFRP bars have been limited to bars of up to 12 mm in diameter. To represent real fire situations in typical FRP reinforced concrete structures, two novel features have been implemented in the experimental program: large and commonly used GFRP reinforcements (#5 with nominal diameter of 16 mm), and tensile tests under transient temperature. Temperature ranges from 25 to 400 ̊C have been considered for steady state temperature tests. In transient condition tests, specimens are loaded before heat exposure. For the transient temperature tests, bars loaded to service levels (75 kN) failed at temperatures above 500 ̊C.


To test the effectiveness of adriamycin (ADM: doxorubicin), alone or in combination with other cytostatic drugs, as second treatment, the course of illness in 53 patients with metastasizing carcinoma of the breast was analysed retrospectively. After pre-treatment with leukeran (chlorambucil), methotrexate, fluorouracil and prednisone (LMFP), they were treated with ADM, either alone or in combination with other drugs. Twenty-seven patients were pre-treated with hormones. If progression was demonstrated under LMFP, treatment was continued either with ADM alone; with ADM, vincristin and cyclophosphamide (VAC); or with other ADM combinations. On LMFP 25 patients (47%) had remission of a mean duration of 10.5 months and mean survival time of 23 months. With ADM alone during the second treatment phase there was no case of remission, while with VAC remission was obtained in 38%, with other ADM combinations in 39%. The median second-remission duration was seven months with VAC and five with other ADM combinations, median survival time 11 months with VAC and nine months with other ADM combinations. 25% of patients had a survival rate of twenty-four months after onset of second treatment with VAC. The most important side-effect during the ADM treatment phase was total alopecia (92% of patients). Haematological and gastrointestinal side-effects were also more marked than during the first treatment phase (with LMFP).


Apoptosis is known to maintenance of tissue homeostasis and elimination of cancer cells. Whithout programed cell death, cell proliferation would lack on important component of control of oncogenic process. Apoptosis is caused by various inducers such as chemival compound and toxin. Aflatoxin B 1 is a potent toxin. In the liver, it undergoes biotransformation which produces reactive oxigen species, causes cellular stress that initiates apoptosis. However, the correlation between exposure of AFB and the evidence of apoptosis in the liver and development of Hepato Cell Carcinoma has not been elucidated. For this purpose, we used an animal experiment with 96 white rats (Rattus Norvegicus). Adult healthy white rats were divided into four groups of 24 rats each, based on the dosages of AFB 1 given. Each group was divided further into three subgroups of eight rats based on the length of exposure time to AFB 1 . Four dosages of AFB 1 , were introduced orally everyday into different groups, consisted of 0, 10, 15 and 20 µg dissolved in 0,2 ml propylene glycol. Three subgroups received the dosage for 12 weeks, 16 weeks, and 20 weeks. At the end of the experiment, the rats were sacrificed. Liver cells with apoptosis were scrutinized using peroxidase insitu apoptosis detection kit and liver cell damages were examined using histological slices stained by haematoxillin cosin. In our analysis, we found that apoptosis of the liver increased until the formation of dysplacia of the liver cells. After that apoptosis decreased. It means that the highest dosages and the longest time exposure AFB 1 inhibited apoptosis. We concluded that apoptosis of the liver cells due to AFB 1 caused not only by the damaged of mitochondria (caused by reactive oxygen species) but also by the mutation of p53 which we could see dysplacia of the liver cell in histogical slices.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is used as temporary life support in subjects with potentially reversible respiratory/cardiac failure. The principal purpose of this review was to assess the characteristics and potential advantages of physiotherapeutic interventions in subjects on awake ECMO support.

METHODS
Seven databases were interrogated: we searched titles, abstracts and keywords using the Medical Subject Headings terms 'extracorporeal membrane oxygenation' and 'rehabilitation' linked with the Boolean operator 'AND'.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION
In total, 216 citations were retrieved. Nine citations satisfied our inclusion criteria and were subjected to full-text analysis. The numbers of patients enrolled in the included studies (most of which were case series) were low (n = 52). We found no prospective studies or randomized controlled trials. Overall, subjects on awake ECMO usually received a combination of passive and active physiotherapy, and most achieved an acceptable degree of autonomy after treatment. Emerging research in the field affords preliminary evidence supporting the safety of early mobilization and ambulation in patients on awake veno-venous ECMO support. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A new process technology has been demonstrated that successfully addresses an urgent challenge in silicide technology scaling: the formation of low-resistivity TiSi/sub 2/ on sub-half-micrometer polysilicon lines. The key idea is the use of a TiN cap during the silicide process to minimize contaminants and stress in the film. No complex process steps have been added, and the thermal budget actually has been reduced, allowing for easy integration into standard CMOS technology. The new technology enables low sheet resistance values to be attained for scaled-down TiSi/sub 2/ thicknesses on sub-half-micrometer geometries, and thus, is eminently suited for scaling TiSi/sub 2/ technology.


We describe electrical detection of spin pumping in metallic nanostructures. In the spin pumping effect, a precessing ferromagnet attached to a normal metal acts as a pump of spin-polarized current, giving rise to a spin accumulation. The resulting spin accumulation induces a backflow of spin current into the ferromagnet and generates a dc voltage due to the spin dependent conductivities of the ferromagnet. The magnitude of such voltage is proportional to the spin-relaxation properties of the normal metal. By using platinum as a contact material we observe, in agreement with theory, that the voltage is significantly reduced as compared to the case when aluminum was used. Furthermore, the effects of rectification between the circulating rf currents and the magnetization precession of the ferromagnet are examined. Most significantly, we show that using an improved layout device geometry, these effects can be minimized.


Herein we report the synthesis and full characterization (NMR and solid-state structures) for a series of Zr(IV), Hf(IV), and Al(III) salalen complexes, together with salen bimetallic counterparts. With the salalen ligand, 1H2, monometallic complexes were observed in solution and solid state. Complex Zr(1)(OiPr)2 was able to produce isotactic polylactide (PLA) from rac-lactide (Pm up to 0.85) in solution at 50 °C; in the melt (130 °C) this reduced to ca. 0.75. Al(1)Me was significantly less active and produced PLA with only a very modest isotactic enchainment (Pm ≈ 0.6). Zr(1)(OiPr)2 was also able to produce copolymers with lactide and e-caprolactone, producing copolymers of a "blocky" nature.


Summary Two MDH isoenzymes were detected in the homogenate of normal human blood platelets. According to their properties the cationic isoenzyme is compartmentalized in the mitochondria, the anionic one belongs to the cytoplasma. In spite of the few mitochondria in human blood platelets the proportion of the cationic enzyme is relatively high. Both of these enzymes could belong to a transfer system for malate transport across the mitochondrial membrane. As human blood platelets do not contain creatine phosphate a system like that could be of significance for platelet function.


Reconfigurable systems now offer tens of millions equivalent gates, allowing highly parallel processing impossible to reach with general purpose processors. Nevertheless, designing a circuit is intrinsically more complicated than a software approach because space and time concepts must be considered together. Current HDLs, which use a low level description, are only accessible to highly qualified hardware designers and require much more time than a pure software solution. This paper demonstrates how the use of higher level HDL allows people with a software background to design complex architectures in a simple and an efficient way. Five sort algorithms have been designed and tested in a few days using our intermediate level HDL. Results show that the design time, circuit space and global performances are at least one order of magnitude better than a processor approach for a NoC and could easily go to three orders of magnitude.


In a previous paper devoted to an application of dynamic programming to pattern recognition [1], we pointed out that some identification problems could be regarded as generalized trajectory processes. The functional equation technique [2] could then be employed to obtain an analytic formulation of the determination of optimal search techniques. In many cases, however, (for example, in chess or checkers), a straightforward use of the functional equation is impossible because of dimensionality difficulties. In circumventing these obstacles to effective computational solution, we employed a decomposition technique which we called "stratification" [1, 3]. In this paper, we present a different way of avoiding the dimensionality problem, based upon the concept of "extended state variable". To indicate the utility of the concept, we shall apply it to the problem of finding a fault in a complex system.


In this paper we present the initial phase of a study in development under the project "Teachers' Aids on creating content for learning environments" (taccle2.eu), a European project funded by the European Union through the Comenius multilateral program (517726-LLP-1-2011-1-BE-COMENIUS-CMP). More concretely, we present the work that is being developed for the creation of a set of learning activities for the creative arts and cultural education curricula using ICT and Web 2.0 tools. The study was based on the principles of the development methodology approach (Van den Akker, 1999). Following this perspective, and using a focus group strategy, we present here the strategies created to catch the view of a group of art teachers previously selected on the basis of knowledge and experience of using technology in their teaching practice. Assuming the importance of involving teachers in the process of design and development of learning activities, we selected and worked during three months with a group of twelve experienced teachers in the use of the potential of information and communication tools, in particular in the use of Web 2.0 features. The main questions to answer with this joint reflection were: a) In the area of creative arts what kind of learning activities can benefit from the potential of digital technologies available today?; b) How should those activities be organized and presented to less motivated teachers in order to motivate them to use digital technologies in their practices? The preliminary results suggests the idea of structuring activities not individually, but in a "creative project integrator" as a way to bring inexperienced teachers from the arts and culture areas to meet the pedagogical potential of digital technologies and to integrate them more effectively in his or her teaching practice. In fact, the expert teachers interviewed suggest a consensus that the proposed activities should be organized around a common educational goal, albeit with sufficient flexibility that allows inexperienced teachers build or adjust their own content and context. We will conclude with a discussion and a reflection about teacher training strategies based on some suggested examples of imaginative and creative ways and proposals to organise the learning contexts using ICT tools in the case of the arts and culture subjects.


The electron field emission properties of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) grown on sulfur-incorporated nanocomposite carbon (n-C:S) buffer layer were investigated. Both the MWCNTs and the n-C:S films were synthesized in a hot filament chemical vapor deposition system at relatively low methane concentrations. The n-C:S buffer layer provides good contact and adhesion to the Mo substrate and good contact and interface to the MWCNTs. The presence of this buffer layer was shown to improve the reproducibility and stability of the field emission behavior of MWCNTs. The turn-on field (EC) varies as much as 1.1V∕μm after high current density operation when there is no buffer layer, but variations up to only 0.3V∕μm are observed when the buffer layer is present. These results are interpreted in terms of the n-C:S buffer layer role, providing good adhesion and contact to the substrate side and to the MWCNTs, hence ensuring a high density of continuous paths for electrons from the substrate to the MWCNTs.


The rule of law denotes an expectation of non-arbitrary governance.  It also invokes law's distinctive characteristics: formality, institutional independence, and authority.  Taken together with a basic conception of the person, the rule of law can be treated as 'good governance consistent with human rationality or agency' and is often associated with human dignity.  On the view defended here human dignity in conjunction with the rule of law makes additional, specific, demands on legal systems, namely the reconciliation of the 'normative holism' of law (its regulatory reach) with permissive, 'anthropological', demands.  This line of enquiry provides us with both a distinctive understanding of human dignity and an understanding of law that is normative but still closely related to the formal virtues implied by the rule of law.


The dynamics of the strong coupling formation between two solitons with the unit topological charge is studied in detail for a wide-aperture class A laser. The sequence of bifurcations of the vector field of energy fluxes in the transverse plane was demonstrated during the formation of a soliton complex.


Background and objective The prevalence of falls among older adults living in the community is ~30% each year. The impacts of falls are not only confined to the individual but also affect families and the community. Injury from a fall also imposes a heavy financial burden on patients and their families. Currently, there are different reports on the risk factors for falls among older adults in the community. A retrospective analysis was used in this study to identify risk factors for falls in community-dwelling older adults. This research aimed to collect published studies to find risk factors for falls in community-dwelling older adults. Methods We searched for literature from the founding of PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, the Web of Science, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), the China Science and Technology Periodicals Database (VIP), and the Wanfang database until September 2022. The studies were selected using inclusion and exclusion criteria. We collected information from relevant studies to compare the impact of potential risk factors such as age, female gender, fear of falling, history of falls, unclear vision, depression, and balance disorder on falls among community-dwelling older adults. Results A total of 31 studies were included with 70,868 community seniors. A significant risk factor for falls in the community of older adults was dementia (2.01, 95% CI: 1.41–2.86), age (1.15, 95% CI: 1.09–1.22), female gender (1.52, 95% CI: 1.27–1.81), fear of falling (2.82, 95% CI: 1.68–4.74), history of falls (3.22, 95% CI: 1.98–5.23), vision unclear (1.56, 95% CI: 1.29–1.89), depression (1.23, 95% CI: 1.10–1.37), and balance disorder (3.00, 95% CI: 2.05–4.39). Conclusion This study provides preliminary evidence that falls among community-dwelling older adults are associated with factors such as age, female gender, fear of falling, history of falls, unclear vision, depression, and balance disorders. The results of this research may help improve clinician awareness, risk stratification, and fall prevention among community-dwelling older adults. Systematic review registration identifier INPLASY2022120080.


We calculate the tree and penguin amplitudes in the B → π+π− decay channel employing the perturbative QCD factorization approach. Using the amplitudes as input with the theoretical uncertainties sufficiently considered, we constrain the UT angle γ to 53◦ ≤ γ ≤ 70◦, from the measurements of the CP violation parameters Cπ+π− and Sπ+π− in B 0 → π+π−. The U-spin breaking effect between B → π+π− and B s → K+K− is estimated to be around 30%.


The thrombophilias are conditions characterized by an increased tendency to thrombosis. This paper aims at presenting the actual guidelines concerning the preventive attitudes in the thrombophilias that mainly expose to venous thromboembolism. The identification of these thrombophilias resides on one hand on the patients' and their family's history of venous thrombosis, and on the other hand on the diagnosis of disorders known to be associated with an increased risk of venous thrombosis. Heparin-associated thrombocytopenia of type II is a still too often underdiagnosed syndrome in which the prevention of thrombosis requires a specific approach. The authors discuss thoroughly the preventive attitudes for patients that do not require a long-term anticoagulation, for patients in whom a long-term anticoagulation is generally recommended, and for patients in whom it is sometimes recommended. The practical use of anticoagulation is described. Lastly, a special attention is paid to situations in which the thrombotic risk is increased, such as prolonged immobilization, surgery, traumas, pregnancy and postpartum, contraception and oestrogen therapy.


Literacy is one of the foremost indicators of development in a society. Women literacy is very important and plays an essential role for the progress of the society. Illiteracy is a stumbling block to women's development and empowerment in all spheres of life. In the daily living situations, they experience several problems. The main objectives of the study to identify the difficulties/ problems faced due to illiteracy among rural women in Dindigul District. A qualitative study was adopted and interview schedule was used to elicit the information from the respondents. Majority of the rural women were in age group of 36-40 years. The observation implies that illiteracy among women in the age range of 36 to 55 years is rampant among the socially backward classes. Difficulty in reading the name board of a bus and allied difficulties while travelling alone outside the village were mentioned by most of the rural women. Nearly 81 per cent of the rural women stated these two problems. Two thirds of the respondents mentioned their difficulties in putting their signature. 58.8 per cent of the respondents expressed difficulties in operating television and mobile phones.The results indicate that the major problems cited by the respondents were those affecting their mobility. The researcher, educationist and policy makers initiate the efforts in the area of women literacy is the need of the hour and also in this modern world.


Abstract. Eddy covariance data from four European grassland sites are used to probabilistically invert the CARAIB (CARbon Assimilation In the Biosphere) dynamic vegetation model (DVM) with 10 unknown parameters, using the DREAM(ZS) (DiffeRential Evolution Adaptive Metropolis) Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampler. We focus on comparing model inversions, considering both homoscedastic and heteroscedastic eddy covariance residual errors, with variances either fixed a priori or jointly inferred together with the model parameters. Agreements between measured and simulated data during calibration are comparable with previous studies, with root mean square errors (RMSEs) of simulated daily gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (RECO) and evapotranspiration (ET) ranging from 1.73 to 2.19, 1.04 to 1.56 g C m−2 day−1 and 0.50 to 1.28 mm day−1, respectively. For the calibration period, using a homoscedastic eddy covariance residual error model resulted in a better agreement between measured and modelled data than using a heteroscedastic residual error model. However, a model validation experiment showed that CARAIB models calibrated considering heteroscedastic residual errors perform better. Posterior parameter distributions derived from using a heteroscedastic model of the residuals thus appear to be more robust. This is the case even though the classical linear heteroscedastic error model assumed herein did not fully remove heteroscedasticity of the GPP residuals. Despite the fact that the calibrated model is generally capable of fitting the data within measurement errors, systematic bias in the model simulations are observed. These are likely due to model inadequacies such as shortcomings in the photosynthesis modelling. Besides the residual error treatment, differences between model parameter posterior distributions among the four grassland sites are also investigated. It is shown that the marginal distributions of the specific leaf area and characteristic mortality time parameters can be explained by site-specific ecophysiological characteristics.


Using fixed-effects regression analysis, this article demonstrates that China donates more aid dollars to countries which have higher degrees of ethno political competition. This article advances a theory of foreign aid that links domestic political considerations of recipient countries with the desire of donor nations to leverage foreign aid for political gain. States where ethnic identity functions as a relevant political factor, that is, those states where ethnicity has been utilized by elites to mobilize populations for political purposes will receive more aid than countries where ethnicity is irrelevant in the domestic political calculus.

 Key words: Politically relevant ethnic groups, ethnopolitical competition, foreign aid.


In this paper, a novel activated silica gel (ASiG)–graphene (G) composite was initially fabricated via a simple sonication-induced assembly and used as the substrate material to prepare an electrochemical sensor (ASiG/G/GCE) for the sensitive determination of rutin. Morphology and electrochemical properties of the composite were investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), chronocoulometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Experimental results revealed that the ASiG/G composite induced a remarkable increase of the redox currents of rutin, which could be attributed to the high surface area and excellent electric conductivity of G, as well as the strong accumulation efficiency of ASiG toward rutin. The peak current from DPV is linearly dependent on the rutin concentration in a range of 0.001 to 1.2 μmol L−1 with a detection limit of 3.3 nmol L−1. The ASiG/G/GCE also exhibited good selectivity and acceptable reproducibility. Moreover, the ASiG/G/GCE was successfully applied to the fast determination of rutin in medicine tablets and human plasma with satisfactory recoveries. Therefore, the present work offers a new way to broaden the analytical applications of functionalized graphene in pharmaceutical research.


PURPOSE
Missed appointments within the National Health Service (NHS) are a drain on resources, associated with not only considerable time and cost implications, but also sub-optimal health outcomes. This literature review aims to explore non-attendance within the NHS in relation to causes, impacts and possible mitigation of negative effects of missed appointments.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH
MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus and PubMed were searched with a date range of 2016-2021. Databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles published in English addressing non-attendance of adults within the NHS. Studies were excluded if they were theoretical papers, dissertations or research concerning patients aged under 18. A total of 21 articles met the inclusion criteria and were selected for analysis.

FINDINGS
The results indicate a significant association of non-attendance and poor health outcomes. Patients from a lower socioeconomic status, adults aged over 85 and those with multiple co-morbidities are more likely to miss appointments. The most commonly reported patient-centred reasons for failing to attend were forgetfulness, transportation difficulties, and family commitments. Practice-specific reasons were cited as inefficiencies of the appointment booking system, failure of traditional reminders and inconvenient timings. Interventions included text reminder services, the inclusion of costs within reminders and enhanced patient involvement with the booking process.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE
Non-attendance is complex, and to secure maximum attendance, targeted interventions are required by healthcare facilities to ensure patient needs are met. The adaption of scheduling systems and healthcare services can assist in reducing DNA rates.


The most fundamental analytical errors that lead to overstated projected regional economic impacts (ex ante) are demand based: (1) failure to subtract local sources of spending and non-local uses of spending from the budgets of subject organizations or events; (2) erroneous attribution of all ancillary spending as causally related to the existence of the subject organization or event; and (3) failure to adapt multipliers to specific regions, including the failure to recognize the relationship between the likely size of the initial net spending injections and the speed with which those injections "leak" from the target region. But those ex post verification studies in sports that have generally found very small realized economic impacts resulting from even mega-events like Super Bowls have tended to emphasize supply-side infrastructure capacity constraints in local economies that generate significant crowding-out effects. This issue is reviewed with a focus on the differential treatment of crowding-out effects in the sports versus the arts (cultural sector) literatures, and evaluates whether there are legitimate reasons why ex ante arts economic impact studies have generally ignored supply constraints. Interestingly, the only real ex post verification study done in the arts (Skinner, 2006) found remarkable similarity between the empirical impact results and what would likely have been predicted by an ex ante impact study (for the case of blockbuster museum exhibits in Jackson, Mississippi), in contrast to the usual sports event finding.


We assessed the utility of codominant allozyme markers for paternity analysis in natural populations of Ophiopogon xylorrhizus (Liliaceae s. l.) by means of likelihood‐based approach. In the three independent natural stands of 46 individual plants with 354 seeds of O. xylorrhizus (Liliaceae s. l), we assigned 319 seeds to a single individual with the highest LOD score. Among these, 179 seeds had a significant D‐value. An individual (acting either as female or male) mateds with an average of one other individual on average to reproduce, except when it self‐pollinated. If an individual that neither donated pollen to other individuals nor selfed, being strictly a pollen acceptor, the number of offspring produced was half that produced by as many offspring as individuals which both provided and accepted pollen (4.1 vs. 9.5). Significant positive relationships were found in all the three stands between the number of self‐pollen an individual produced and the number of seeds that individual set. Male outcrossing reproductive success was unevenly varied, both in amount and spatial location. The individuals located in the centre of the stand and the individuals closest to each other had higher male outcrossing reproductive success than those at the edge of the stand. Male selfing reproductive success showed a similar pattern, with an even distribution of female reproductive output. Most mating events were took place within 20 m. The distance between mates mirrored the active ranges of pollinators, and shaped the fine‐scale population spatial genetic spatial structure. The results indicate that selfing assures reproductive success in O. xylorrhizus.


We examine immigrants' earnings trajectories and measure the extent and speed with which they are able to reduce the earnings gap with natives, using a dataset that links respondents of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) to their longitudinal earnings obtained from individual tax records. Our analysis addresses key debates regarding ethnoracial and cohort differences in immigrants' earnings trajectories. First, we find a racially differentiated pattern of earnings assimilation: black and Hispanic immigrants are less able to catch up with native whites' earnings compared to white and Asian immigrants, but they are almost able to reach earnings parity with natives of their same race and ethnicity. Second, we find no evidence of a declining "quality" of immigrant cohorts even after controlling for their ethnoracial composition and human capital. Immigrants arriving since 1994 actually experience similar or slightly higher earnings growth compared to immigrants from earlier eras. We identify a pattern of accelerated assimilation in which more educated immigrants experience much of their earnings growth during the first years after arriving.


While gas condensation and mechanical alloying have been used to produce nano-phase powders, an effective method of applying these powders as coatings is still lacking. Furthermore, fundamental studies of the mechanical properties of nano-phase powders may be complicated by the porosity associated with consolidation processes. Recently, we have made nano-crystalline composite thin films of Ag-Mo and Ag-Ni by depositing two immiscible elements simultaneous onto substrates. We found, using XRD and TEM, that the average grain size varies from 10 to 100 nm by choosing an appropriate substrate temperature. Nanoindentation measurements showed the hardness of the composite is increased four times by reducing the grain-size of both phases from 100 to 10 nm. The load vs. displacement curves were simulated using a finite element method (ABAQUS). A relationship between the hardness of the two-phase composite and the yield strength of each phase is obtained.


Objective To evaluate the clustered characteristics of the components of metabolic syndrome. Methods 483 subjects (242 men, 241 women, aged 53±12 years ) in Beijing area underwent a 75g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) for screening of diabetes.203 subjects were diagnosed as diabetes through OGTT.Factor analysis was performed using the variables of insulin/blood glucose, total cholesterol (CHO), LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides (TG), systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio and waist circumference. Results Five factors, including obesity, insulin resistance/hyperglycemia, CHO/LDL-C, dyslipidemia (elevated TG and decreased HDL) and hypertension, could explain 72.2% of total variance.The most important component was obesity, which could explain 29.8% of total variance.The obesity factor was associated with dyslipidemia factor through C-reactive protein (CRP).Dyslipidemia factor also associated with insulin resistance/hyperglycemia factor.Hypertension factor and CHO/LDL-C factor were isolated from other factors. Conclusions Obesity factor is the most important component of metabolic syndrome.The pathophysiologic mechanism of metabolic syndrome is complex.Insulin resistance alone could not explain all features of the metabolic syndrome.Its pathophysiology maybe include the factors of obesity, insulin resistance and inflammatory reaction.


Multimineral analysis is widely used to calculate in situ porosity, fluid saturation, and mineralogy of rocks penetrated by a well. It delivers weight/volumetric concentrations of rock solid/fluid constituents by combining multiple borehole geophysical measurements and often is referred to as petrophysical joint inversion. We have recently developed a probabilistic method for improved petrophysical estimation of rock constituents and their uncertainty from well logs. This method mitigates borehole and instrument-related environmental effects present in the measurements and efficiently propagates the uncertainty from measurement noise and rock-physics models (RPMs) to compositional/petrophysical estimations. We extend the probabilistic estimation method to the challenging conditions of multiple neighboring wells penetrating similar rock formations where borehole/drilling environmental conditions, borehole instruments, and measurement noise may vary from well to well. A calibration step is performed in a few key wells with core data and/or advanced borehole measurements; it enables the same RPMs and prior models to be implemented in nearby wells but with limited measurements. In addition, we implement a precomputed surrogate model constructed with radial basis function interpolation for accurate and efficient nuclear-property calculations. We verify the multiwell interpretation method using synthetic and field examples of organic-rich shale formations. Results find that the probabilistic method (1) improves rock petrophysical/compositional estimations by mitigating borehole environmental effects and incorporating a priori knowledge, (2) yields regionally consistent compositions among wells, and (3) quantifies the uncertainty of the estimations. As a result, the probabilistic approach is especially suitable for assessing petrophysical/compositional properties in multiwell settings with complex rock constituents and/or limited borehole measurements.


【Purpose:This study performed to evaluate the effect of hip fracture among persons over 50 years old, in Jeju-do, Korea, on mortality, activity of daily living(ADL). Methods:Three hundred eighteen patients over to 50 years of age who lived in Jeju-do and sustained a hip fracture from January 1st 2003 to December 31th 2004 were recruited. The information collected from the hospital records for each patient included age, sex, date of onset, and patients investigated activity grade, ADL, outdoor walking aid on 3month, 6month and 12month. Results:The incidence was 12.5/10,000 for total patients(female 17.0/10,000, male 6.3/10,000) in population over 50 years old. Patients who had lower activity grade and ADL level, showed higher mortality, and patients using outdoor walking aid showed higher mortality. Conclusion:The activity grade, ADL level, Using of outdoor walking aid affect mortality, so more programs about ADL must be developed for the life span and quality of life.】


Interpretations of historic events are an important part of the contemporary political discourse in the EU countries. Politics of memory have become a key issue in identity politics in "new" Europe in the process of nation building and are on the rise in "old" Europe where nation-states, regions aspiring for autonomy and supranational structures promote diverse historic narratives. Attempts to bring together and reconcile different interpretations of the past in school textbooks are undertaken on the EU level and sponsored by several member states. The leader here is Germany, a country where politics of memory are an inherent part of the political discourse. A revision of national "big narratives" and attempts to take in positions of various groups of the contemporary multicultural societies is a phenomenon of the 21st century. A persistent need for effective mechanisms to maintain social stability is enhanced by mass discontent over the prospects of the European integration process and by a rise of "new nationalism" in some of the better off regions of "old" Europe. Education plays a key role in the formation of the European memory culture, but a consensus on values needed to promote a shared culture is undermined by the current difficulties of integration processes due to Brexit and to contention over migration regulation. This brings in diverse and sometimes non-compatible priorities of memory politics onto the national agenda (as in the case of Catalonia and Spain), and the "struggle for identity" becomes a key political issue for communities aspiring for more autonomy and independence. Opinion polls, questionnaire surveys, school curricula and expert assessments of textbook contents provide the empirical basis for this study. The author demonstrates how reinterpretations of history and newly constructed images of the past are used to reconsider the governance agenda and to legitimize "new nationalism" in the European public opinion.


The Pco2 of mixed venous blood has been increased abruptly by 5—49 mm Hg, without altering the volume or pressure of blood returning to the right ventricle, by infusion of blood with 550—700 mm Hg Pco2 into the right atrium, and simultaneous withdrawal of equal volumes of blood from the inferior vena cava. Twenty-five such blood exchanges in four anesthetized cats, four anesthetized dogs, and three unanesthetized dogs failed, with one exception, to increase respiratory frequency or tidal volume if PaCOCO2 remained constant; respiration increased only when PaCOCO2 rose. Correlation of ventilatory minute volume with PvCOCO2 was poor ( r = 0.296; P > 0.1) but was good with PaCOCO2 ( r = 0.608; P < 0.001). Experiments on the innervated and denervated carotid body (dog) demonstrated that chemoreceptors can respond rapidly (0.5 sec) to changes in PaOO2 or PaCOCO2. The absence of demonstrable ventilatory response to increased PvCOCO2 over periods of 0.5–3.0 min in animals in whom increments in PaCOCO2 led promptly to increased ventilation indicates that there are no CO2 receptors in the precapillary pulmonary circulation of importance in the physiological regulation of respiration.

Submitted on May 25, 1961


Potasio Rio Colorado is a potash development project located in the Mendoza Province of Argentina that produces the majority of potassium used for agricultural fertilisers. The potassium is extracted through mining underground water-soluble minerals such as potash by dissolving the minerals with water; this process is called solution mining. A common waste product of solution mining that needs to be disposed of to improve the prospects of waste disposal in order to help solve a major societal problem "groundwater contamination" is strong aqueous solution, referred to as brine. This report assesses the risks associated with storing brine in a deep saline cylindrical aquifer in the following way: Can strong brine be stored in a deep saline aquifer without leaking back to the surface? Will the published injection rates of brine result in hydraulic fracturing leading to additional paths for brine to leak back to the surface? The Carter-Tracy technique was used to determine the cumulative water influx within the aquifer which gave insight to determining the possibility of brine outcropping using Darcy's radial flow for incompressible fluids. The applicability of the Carter-Tracy technique was maximised by limiting the time-steps used to less than 30 days. The results obtained were evident enough to prove brine not only outcrops at high rates (lowest:  356 m 3 /day, highest: 2395 m 3 /day) but also the high injection rates set by Vale will cause the rock to fracture leading to additional paths for brine to leak towards the surface. The applicability of this method has been validated with a set of results that has previously been published in a peer-reviewed journal.  The conclusion drawn was based on the stratigraphic diagram of the permeable and impermeable layer provided by Legarreta (1985) and did not give a clear indication that the surface treated as the surface in the calculations was the actual ground-surface, leaving some uncertainty. Recommendations for further research have been pointed out, but these solutions offered for the prevention of groundwater salinisation should not be implemented until one of these approaches has been assessed, found effective, and deployed.


The advent of modern data collection and processing techniques has seen the size, scale, and complexity of data grow exponentially. A seminal step in leveraging these rich datasets for downstream inference is understanding the characteristics of the data which are repeatable -- the aspects of the data that are able to be identified under a duplicated analysis. Conflictingly, the utility of traditional repeatability measures, such as the intraclass correlation coefficient, under these settings is limited. In recent work, novel data repeatability measures have been introduced in the context where a set of subjects are measured twice or more, including: fingerprinting, rank sums, and generalizations of the intraclass correlation coefficient. However, the relationships between, and the best practices among these measures remains largely unknown. In this manuscript, we formalize a novel repeatability measure, discriminability. We show that it is deterministically linked with the correlation coefficient under univariate random effect models, and has desired property of optimal accuracy for inferential tasks using multivariate measurements. Additionally, we overview and systematically compare repeatability statistics using both theoretical results and simulations. We show that the rank sum statistic is deterministically linked to a consistent estimator of discriminability. The power of permutation tests derived from these measures are compared numerically under Gaussian and non-Gaussian settings, with and without simulated batch effects. Motivated by both theoretical and empirical results, we provide methodological recommendations for each benchmark setting to serve as a resource for future analyses. We believe these recommendations will play an important role towards improving repeatability in fields such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, genomics, pharmacology, and more.


The third phase of a high field dipole technology development, a full set (2+) of Stress-Managed winding modules is being fabricated. The dipole fabrication uses tooling, fixtures, procedures and technology modified and updated based on the second phase work and results reported plus new material developments and higher performance strand. The strand was furnished by the DOE HEP Nb3Sn conductor development program. The modules' cables were processed and cabled by the LBNL facility using the latest procedures developed. There were several new materials and processes introduced in this third phase to improve performance or simplify the fabrication which will be discussed. If all the performance inherent in the strand were to be achieved then the peak field should be higher than 14 T. The containment and flux return structure are the same as used in phase 2. This phase of the development will constitute the outer winding modules of a 'Collider' prototype Block dipole with Stress-Management. The lessons learned and the results obtained will be discussed.


Nitric oxide (NO) is a gasotransmitter that avidly binds both free and heme-bound iron, forming relatively stable iron nitrosyl compounds (FeNOs). We have previously demonstrated that FeNOs are present in the human placenta and are elevated in preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. The ability of NO to sequester iron raises the possibility of the NO-mediated disruption of iron homeostasis in the placenta. In this work, we tested whether exposure of placental syncytiotrophoblasts or villous tissue explants to sub-cytotoxic concentrations of NO would elicit the formation of FeNOs. Furthermore, we measured changes in the mRNA and protein expression levels of key iron regulatory genes in response to NO exposure. Ozone-based chemiluminescence was used to measure concentrations of NO and its metabolites. Our results showed a significant increase in FeNO levels in placental cells and explants treated with NO (p < 0.0001). The mRNA and protein levels of HO-1 were significantly increased in both cultured syncytiotrophoblasts and villous tissue explants (p < 0.01), and the mRNA levels of hepcidin and transferrin receptor were significantly increased in culture syncytiotrophoblasts and villous tissue explants, respectively, (p < 0.01), while no changes were seen in the expression levels of divalent metal transporter-1 or ferroportin. These results suggest a potential role for NO in iron homeostasis in the human placenta and could be relevant for disorders of pregnancy such as fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia.


Complex refactoring processes, such as applying big refactorings or removing design smells are difficult to perform in practice. The complexity of these processes is partly due to their heuristic nature and to the constraints imposed by preconditions on the applicability of the individual refactorings. Developers have to find out manually how to apply a complex refactoring "recipe", from a refactoring book, for each particular situation. In a PhD thesis, we developed an approach for tackling this problem. We described how to better write refactoring "recipes" (Refactoring Strategies) and how to compute, from them, the precise refactoring sequences for each particular situation (Refactoring Plans). Our proposal introduced, for the first time, the use of automated planning for this kind of software engineering problems. This paper presents a short summary of that PhD thesis and discuss the future work, open questions, new research opportunities arisen and the lessons learned from it.


Bacterial pneumonia remains a major health threat, with particular risk for infants in developing countries. The effective design of strategies that minimize the morbidity and mortality from pneumonia requires an awareness of the host defense mechanisms that function to prevent respiratory infections. In this review the normal immune host defenses and the abnormalities in this process that promote the development of lower respiratory bacterial infections will be briefly reviewed. A brief discussion will focus on a complication of respiratory infections, asthma, which can follow viral illness and also be a significant problem for children.


The challenge for implementing an ecosystems approach to environmental decision-making processes, such as spatial planning, is to understand the range, nature and amount of ecosystem services currently provided and the potential for such service provision in the future. The ability to spatially represent ecosystems services is a critical element of the evidence base on which to make decisions about how physical space is used most effectively and sustainably, and the way people and activities are distributed at different spatial scales. This paper reports on the outcomes of a research project originally undertaken for the UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which developed a methodology for mapping ecosystem services using GIS and readily available, existing land use/land cover datasets. Critical components of the methodology, in order to determine which datasets are appropriate for which services, are network analysis and stakeholder engagement techniques, to define the relevant typology of ecosystem services and their relationship to land use/land cover types. The methodology was developed and tested successfully in the context of green grid (green infrastructure) networks in a major UK regeneration area, the Thames Gateway, to the east of London, and its potential use in impact assessment further explored through a number of case studies.