We consider a closed macroscopic quantum system in a pure state $\psi_t$ evolving unitarily and take for granted that different macro states correspond to mutually orthogonal subspaces $\mathcal{H}_\nu$ (macro spaces) of Hilbert space, each of which has large dimension. We extend previous work on the question what the evolution of $\psi_t$ looks like macroscopically, specifically on how much of $\psi_t$ lies in each $\mathcal{H}_\nu$. Previous bounds concerned the \emph{absolute} error for typical $\psi_0$ and/or $t$ and are valid for arbitrary Hamiltonians $H$; now, we provide bounds on the \emph{relative} error, which means much tighter bounds, with probability close to 1 by modeling $H$ as a random matrix, more precisely as a random band matrix (i.e., where only entries near the main diagonal are significantly nonzero) in a basis aligned with the macro spaces. We exploit particularly that the eigenvectors of $H$ are delocalized in this basis. Our main mathematical results confirm the two phenomena of generalized normal typicality (a type of long-time behavior) and dynamical typicality (a type of similarity within the ensemble of $\psi_0$ from an initial macro space). They are based on an extension we prove of a no-gaps delocalization result for random matrices by Rudelson and Vershynin.


The investigation of cerebral hemodynamics in 318 pilots with the use of ultrasonic dopplerography and transcranial dopplerography has shown that the earliest and most frequent manifestations of cerebrovascular disorders are observed in the vertebrobasilar zone (VBZ). The significant indices characterizing the morphofunctional condition of cerebral arteries are the results of triplex scanning of the main vessels. The pathologic changes in VBZ arteries, the variants of abnormal disposition of vertebral arteries, the secondary changes connected with extravasal effect are often detected during the early cerebrovascular disorders. According to the results of cervical vertebra roentgenography the degenerative-and-dystrophic changes, the congenital anomaly and traumatic injuries could play a certain role in the development of early cerebrovascular disorders in VBZ. Most frequently the symptoms of vertebrobasilar vascular insufficiency develop due to the cervical vertebral dislocation, uncovertebral arthrosis, Kimmerle's anomaly and other changes.


Spacetimes which are conformal to 2 + 2 reducible spacetimes are considered. We classify them according to their conformal algebra, giving in each case explicit expressions for the metric and conformal Killing vectors, and providing physically meaningful examples.


We show that a parity-breaking uniform (averaged over all directions on the sky) circular polarization of amplitude V_{00}≃2.6×10^{-17}Δχ(r/0.06) can be induced by a chiral gravitational-wave (GW) background with a tensor-to-scalar ratio r and chirality parameter Δχ (which is ±1 for a maximally chiral background). We also show, however, that a uniform circular polarization can arise from a realization of a nonchiral GW background that spontaneously breaks parity. The magnitude of this polarization is drawn from a distribution of root variance sqrt[⟨V_{00}^{2}⟩]≃1.5×10^{-18}(r/0.06)^{1/2}, implying that the chirality parameter must be Δχ≳0.12(r/0.06)^{-1/2} to establish that the GW background is chiral. Although these values are too small to be detected by any experiment in the foreseeable future, the calculation is a proof of principle that cosmological parity breaking in the form of a chiral gravitational-wave background can be imprinted in the chirality of the photons in the cosmic microwave background. It also illustrates how a seemingly parity-breaking cosmological signal can arise from parity-conserving physics.


A Mobile Hot Cell (MHC) Cask is subjected to a series of tests to be carried out on cask experimentally or demonstrated analytically as specified by relevant Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) & International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) codes (1), (2), for design approval. Thermal test is one of such test to be demonstrated on the cask to simulate postulated accident condition. A thermal test is demonstrated on MHC cask analytically in a manner as specified/suggested by relevant codes. The demonstration of thermal test is carried out by finite element analysis. Three tests have been carried out on MHC cask (1) steady state temperature distribution in cask without solar insolation, (2) steady state temperature distribution in cask with solar insolation and (3) thirty minute fire test followed by cooling at ambient temperature until temperatures in cask starts coming down in all the places. Objective of this test is to determine maximum surface temperature on cask in normal transport condition and finding temperature distribution in cask during fire and post fire condition. An estimate of percentage of molten lead is also presented


Before the promulgation of the 1987 Single European Act (SEA), the European Communities (EC) had undertaken three multi-year Environmental Action Programmes and generated more than 100 measures to coordinate and harmonize environmental protection. However, the 1957 Treaty of Rome, the legal basis for the organization, did not authorize joint action in the area of environmental protection. Pre-1987 environmental legislation was justified on the grounds that divergent environmental regulations in the Member States distorted trade competition and constituted a non-tariff barrier to free trade, and that the Treaty specified as objectives the promotion of "an accelerated raising of the standard of living" and the improvement of the living and working conditions of EC citizens. The SEA represented a seachange in the legal mandate of the organization in that it amended the Treaty of Rome to require that environmental protection be incorporated into every aspect of Community policy. Utilizing an advocacy coalition model, this paper aspires to describe and explain the policy stages, actors, and political interactions associated with the incorporation of environmental objectives into the EC's mission via the Single European Act. The activities of advocacy coalitions are examined during the agenda setting, policy option delineation, and decision making stages to ascertain the relative importance of policy ideas, national/power interests, institutional factors, and political interactions to explaining the "greening" of the SEA. The study concludes that although coalitional activities were not evident in processes that placed environmental provisions on the SEA agenda, they were important during the policy delineation and decision making stages. Environmental provisions were added to the agenda as a consequence of a process of policy evolution. All major participants agreed that the constitutionalization of the de facto functions was desirable. The Commission as a policy initiator and broker played the most significant role in placing environmental concerns on the SEA agenda. Once these concerns were on the agenda, the member states aligned themselves in coalitions on the basis of their positions on the specificity and stringency of the proposed legislation. "Green/clean" states feared that the legislation would require downward harmonization of their high national standards, while less environmentally-concerned states feared the economic costs of meeting strengthened EC regulations. In the end, the substantive content of the legislation was shaped by Commission-brokered compromise. The most contentious issues were "side-stepped" so that the overall initiative might move forward. All parties to the final decision making were eager that this "fringe" area bring positive incentives rather than confrontation to the SEA negotiations.


We investigate novel transport phenomena in a chiral fluid originated from an interplay between a vorticity and strong magnetic field, which induces a redistribution of vector charges in the system and an axial current along the magnetic field. The corresponding transport coefficients are obtained from an energy-shift argument for the chiral fermions in the lowest Landau level due to a spin-vorticity coupling and also from diagrammatic computations on the basis of the linear response theory. Based on consistent results from both methods, we observe that the transport coefficients are proportional to the anomaly coefficient and are independent of temperature and chemical potential. We therefore speculate that these transport phenomena are connected to quantum anomaly.


The paper presents the contemporary concepts of information and psychological operation in the contemporary environment. The concepts were presented through general theoretical considerations by presenting leading theorists from the US, Russian Federation and the PR China. The concepts explain the goals, content and methods of acting on potential groups and individuals, and the means of information and psychological operation. The goal of the paper is to show that the research problem is not important exclusively for political and military systems, but that groups and individuals are particularly exposed to the challenges and threats in the contemporary environment. Various means of information and psychological activity in the contemporary environment (rumors, fake news) and their consequences such as changing attitudes and behavior of people in political and social processes are presented. An empirical account showing the importance of this topic is an analysis of the European institutions' activities in counteracting fake news during important political processes and elections for the European Parliament.


Conn's Syndrome is an uncommon condition. Patients who have undergone adrenalectomy in the early postoperative period can demonstrate biochemical hypoaldosteronism. Given the rare nature of this phenomenon we investigated its incidence and whether it translated to clinical findings. A single-institution retrospective review of all patients with biochemically proven hyperaldosteronism from 2005 to 2014 that underwent unilateral adrenalectomy. A total of 29 patients fit the inclusion criteria. Functional hypoaldosteronism had appreciated in 18/29 (62%) patients, whereas 11 patients (38%) had normal postoperative aldosterone. No significant differences between diagnostic groups were found in terms of clinical outcomes (length of stay, postoperative symptomatology, and readmissions P = 0.669, 0.154, and 0.268, respectively). Two (7%) patients required medical therapy. Biochemical evidence of functional hypoaldosteronism was identified in two-thirds of patients undergoing unilateral adrenalectomy. Although contralateral aldosterone suppression can be anticipated, the phenotypic response varied and the outcomes were similar to patients with normal aldosterone levels. Current guidelines make no formal recommendations for assessment of hypoaldosteronism after adrenalectomy, resulting in varying practice paradigms. Surgeons should consider the risk of postoperative hypoaldosteronism in these patients and counsel patients accordingly. Prospective investigations should be performed to assist in development of an outcomes-based care delivery model for these patients.


The equations of motion for electromechanical systems are traced back to the fundamental Lagrangian of particles and electromagnetic fields, via the Darwin Lagrangian. When dissipative forces can be neglected the systems are conservative and one can study them in a Hamiltonian formalism. The central concepts of generalized capacitance and inductance coefficients are introduced and explained. The problem of gauge independence of self-inductance is considered. Our main interest is in magnetomechanics, i.e. the study of systems where there is exchange between mechanical and magnetic energy. This throws light on the concept of magnetic energy, which according to the literature has confusing and peculiar properties. We apply the theory to a few simple examples: the extension of a circular current loop, the force between parallel wires, interacting circular current loops and the rail gun. These show that the Hamiltonian, phase space, form of magnetic energy has the usual property that an equilibrium configuration corresponds to an energy minimum.


A new algorithm for implementing the basic operations on BDDs (binary decision diagrams) on a massively parallel computer is presented. Each node is associated with a processor, and nodes belonging to the same level are evaluated together. An implementation of the algorithm on a Connection Machine CM2 has been done, and the prototype is being tested on a set of benchmark applications. Experimental results, showing the time required to perform the apply operation on BDDs of growing size demonstrate the exactness of the complexity analysis and the effectiveness of the approach.<<ETX>>


Oxybutynin chloride (Ditropan®, Alza) is widely regarded as the most efficient antimuscarinic agent for the treatment of bladder detrusor dysfunction resulting in urinary urgency, frequency and urge incontinence. Oxybutynin metabolism occurs primarily in the proximal gastrointestinal tract and the hepatic circulation and is mediated by the cytochrome P450 3A4 isozyme. The major degradation products are desethyloxybutynin, which possesses pharmacological activity, and phenylcyclohexylglycolic acid, which is metabolically inert. A major limitation to long-term compliance with immediate-release oxybutynin remains the necessity for twice- or thrice-daily dosing regimens to provide sustained pharmacological efficacy. Side effects induced by cytochrome P450 metabolism of oxybutynin into the primary metabolite desethyloxybutynin within the gut wall substantially affect the tolerability of the compound within the individual. The oral osmotic delivery system provides unique advantages for drug delivery and substantially alters the tolerability profile of the oxybutynin chloride compound. This extended-release formulation consists of a two component core encapsulated by a semi-permeable membrane. The osmotic gradient between the surrounding environment and the inner core of the delivery system remains constant and water absorption within the capsule is controlled by the semipermeable membrane causing a controlled release of drug, which is sustained over 24 h. Herein are reviewed the various pre- and post-approval trials which have documented the overall therapeutic index of the oral osmotic oxybutynin (Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals). Subsequent post-market surveillance issues are reviewed as are new developments in oxybutynin delivery.


We have re‐investigated the roles of CD4 and CD8 T cell subsets in skin graft rejection across a single class I MHC disparity. Recipient mice were transplanted with skin from donors transgenic for the class I MHC molecule Kb. As expected, CD8 T cells were sufficient for rapid injection; but surprisingly, CD4 T cells were also competent to do the same. Rejection was dependent on one or the other subset, since elimination of both resulted in indefinite graft survival. The possibility that alloantibody was the downstream effector of CD4 mediated rejection was excluded because CD8‐depleted mice rendered B cell deficient still rejected rapidly, but T cell‐depleted recipients with pre‐existing high titers of alloantibody were unable to do so. In addition, if CD4 cells act to reject by recruiting and/or activating macrophages then this was not dependent on CR3, IFN‐γ or TNF‐α. Transplantation of skin grafts where the MHC class I disparity was at the level of passenger leukocytes only, demonstrated that transient bystander damage could occur, but that this was insufficient to result in full rejection. We surmise that for CD4 T cells to reject an MHC class I‐incompatible graft it is necessary that an appropriate allogeneic peptide is processed and presented in the context of recipient MHC class II. CD4 T cells from B6 mice may fail to reject skin from MHC class I mutants because of the lack of such MHC class II‐restricted presentation.


Background The Figure-of-8 Walk Test (F8W) involves straight and curved paths and was designed to represent walking skill in everyday life. Objective The purposes of this study were to validate the measure in older adults with walking difficulties and to explore correlates of the curved-path walking measure not represented by a straight-path walking measure. Design Fifty-one community-dwelling older adults with mobility disability participated in 2 baseline visits as part of an intervention study. Methods The F8W time, steps, and smoothness and measures of gait (gait speed, modified Gait Abnormality Rating Scale [GARS-M]), physical function (Late Life Function and Disabilities Index [LLFDI], Survey of Activities and Fear of Falling in the Elderly [SAFFE], Gait Efficacy Scale [GES], Physical Performance Test [PPT], and fall history), and movement control and planning (gait variability, Trail Making Test B [Trails B]) were recorded in each test session. Bivariate correlations for the F8W with each variable were conducted to examine concurrent and construct validity. Adjusted linear regression analyses were performed to explore the variance in mobility explained by F8W independent of gait speed. Results Figure-of-8 Walk Test time correlated with gait (gait speed, r=−.570; GARS-M, r=.281), physical function (LLFDI function, r=−.469; SAFFE restriction subscale, r=.370; PPT, r=−.353), confidence in walking (GES, r=−.468), and movement control (step length coefficient of variation, r=.279; step width coefficient of variation, r=−.277; Trails B, r=.351). Figure-of-8 Walk Test steps correlated with step width variability (r=−.339) and was related to fear of falling (t=−2.50). All correlations were significant (P<.05). Limitations This pilot study had a small sample size, and further research is needed. Conclusions The F8W is a valid measure of walking skill among older adults with mobility disability and may provide information complementary to gait speed.


Background: The planet has been hit by the novel coronavirus since December 2019, which has not only affected the day-to-day activities but has also affected the health-seeking approach of the general population. The reports from the National Institute on Drug Abuse survey hint toward a rise in opioid use in the states. Even in India, the utilization of health services, especially the outpatient department (OPD) and opioid substitution clinics have been affected due to the impact of COVID-19 and subsequent national and regional lockdowns. The Indian studies reflect upon the experience and measures to continue the treatment facilities in substance users, yet none are available to reflect upon the impact of COVID-19 on the pattern of opioid use or functionality of OPD services. Objective: The objective of this study is to study the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on treatment seeking among opioid users from OPD-based opioid treatment centers: a retrospective study. Methodology: A retrospective study was done in an OPD-based opioid treatment center of a tertiary care hospital to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on treatment-seeking opioid users by comparing the data of pre-COVID-19 (April 2019–March 2020) and during COVID-19 (April 2020–March 2021) OPD visits by opioid users. The OPD visits data were collected, including the number of visits, the total number of buprenorphine tablets dispensed, and the dose of buprenorphine consumed per month. The data collected were further analyzed for the descriptive and analytic statistics using the SPSS software version 23.0. Results: During the pre-COVID-19 (April 2019–March 2020) duration, there were a total of 1104 (average 92/month) OPD visits and 4818 (Average 401/month) buprenorphine tablets were dispensed; whereas during the COVID-19 year (April 2020–March 2021), it was 980 (average 81.66/month) visits and 5174 (431/month) tablets. The results were further compared using the paired t-test, which was found to be statistically significant for the number of tablets dispensed, whereas not statistically significant for the number of OPD visits and doses. Conclusion: Although the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the feasibility to seek treatment in opioid users, it has not significantly affected OPD visits for opioid treatment at our center. Although the policy changes such as Indian Psychiatry Society (IPS) interim guidelines for opioid substitution therapy have been beneficial to facilitate the harm reduction and treatment-seeking attitude and have not affected the treatment seeking as expected due to lockdown and transportation which have been a hurdle. Further regulations on opioid treatment OPD, Tele-consultation services and mobile mental health services may be helpful to ensure continuity of treatment and harm reduction among the opioid users.


We present a facile method for the preparation of bimetallic AuAg nanoparticles (NPs) with controlled size and composition rendering them ideally suitable for optical and catalytic applications. In analogy to methods for the generation of monometallic Au and Ag NPs, AuAg NPs were prepared inside polystyrene-b-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) block-copolymer micelles formed in toluene, by loading the P4VP cores of the micelles first with AgNO(3) and then with HAuCl(4). In contrast to the reverse sequence of loading, homogenously bimetallic AuAg particle arrays were achieved after reduction carried out in solution with hydrazine monohydrate as the reducing agent. TEM reveals that stable and spherical NPs can be prepared well separated from one another and with a narrow size distribution with diameters of ∼3 nm. The bimetallic NP composition was confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) of single NPs. The atomic ratio of Ag and Au contained in single particles is in good agreement with the relative concentrations of both metals used in the synthesis which was confirmed by atomic absorption spectroscopy. The atomic ratio Au : Ag was systematically varied between 3 : 1 and 1 : 3. For all ratios UV-vis spectra showed a single plasmon band. Its wavelength varied from 430 for Au : Ag = 1 : 3 to 515 nm for Au : Ag = 3 : 1, showing a linear dependence on the relative amount of gold within the range of plasmon wavelengths from monometallic gold (538 nm) to silver (415 nm).


Landlocked Bhutan faces unique challenges, and opportunities as it pursues the development of its transport sector into the 21st century. Bhutan's population growth rate is high, rural-urban migration is accelerating, and, fueled by sustained economic growth, the country is urbanizing rapidly, giving rise to an expanding urban middle class, with rising expectations of well-paid employment, accessible services, and consumption potential. However, accessibility to a large measure depends on availability of reliable, and affordable transportation. Poor rural access is synonymous with rural isolation, and poverty, while high external and domestic transport costs constrain the country's economic and social development. Transportation poses a considerable cost disadvantage to business and commercial undertakings; road transport is slow and regularly disrupted by landslides and flooding; air transport is costly and erratic. Costly transport is a major factor constraining the development of tourism, horticultural exports, and agro-processing and wood-based industries. Sector issues discussed in this report emerge from a detailed assessment of the transport system, and an analysis of public expenditures. It discusses the strategy for improving rural accessibility, and the central role of roads, and motorized transport for integrating remote regions and communities into the national economy; access to regional and global markets, to include technical support for development, operation, and management of transport logistics, establishment of a dry port in Phuentsholing with reefer storage facilities, and, internationally competitive Druk air cargo rates, especially for exports of perishable, and high value agricultural products; transport sector planning and coordination, which includes specific policy, planning, and investment recommendations for roads, air transport, urban transport, and road transport services. It is recommended to consider recasting the proposed Transport Master Plan as a National Transport Strategy and Policy Review to identify and analyze emerging challenges, and constraints in the transport sector; recommend appropriate strategies, and policies to address these concerns; and, prepare an implementation plan for sector modernization, including policy and institutional reforms.


Background: Practice variation may indicate a lack of evidence to guide management. This study investigated the preferences of operative management of proximal phalangeal fractures in Australian hand surgeons, as well as factors that may account for variations. Methods: An electronic survey of all members of the Australian Hand Surgery Society was performed. Surgeon demographic factors and surgical preferences were investigated. Three common proximal phalangeal fracture configurations were presented as cases. Potential predictors of management were explored. Results: A total of 51.9% of active hand surgeons responded. Orthopaedic surgeons were more comfortable with lateral plating and intramedullary screw fixation, while plastic surgeons preferred Kirschner wire (K-wire) fixation. Junior surgeons were more likely to believe that intramedullary screw fixation produced superior results. 53.0% of surgeons in a tertiary environment believed that adequate hand therapy was key (compared to 17.0% of clinicians in a secondary hospital). Conclusions: There is significant practice variation and a lack of standards in the management of a common clinical problem, as well as a lack of consensus on the evidence underpinning common fixation methods. Further research is needed. Level of Evidence: Level IV (Therapeutic).


The genus Labahitha has hitherto comprised two species from peninsular Malaysia and Christmas Island (Australia). We here demonstrate that the genus is widespread in islands and territories across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, including the following species that have been previously assigned to other filistatid genera: Labahitha marginata (Kishida, 1936) comb. nov. (= Filistata bakeri Berland, 1938 syn. nov.), Labahitha garciai (Simon, 1892) comb. nov. (= Pritha heikkii Saaristo, 1978 syn. nov., = Pritha sechellana Benoit, 1978 syn. nov.), Labahitha nicobarensis (Tikader, 1977) comb. nov., Labahitha littoralis (Roewer, 1938) comb. nov., Labahitha insularis (Thorell, 1891) comb. nov., Labahitha sundaica (Kulczyński, 1908) comb. nov. (all transferred from Pritha, the latter three provisionally, pending re-examination of the type material); Labahitha fuscata (Nakatsudi, 1943) comb. nov. and Labahitha ryukyuensis (Ono, 2013) comb. nov. (both transferred from Tricalamus). Many of these species have been collected in synanthropic settings and from disparate islands thousands of kilometers apart. This suggests either high dispersal capabilities or, more likely, human-mediated introductions. At least L. marginata has been introduced to continental America. Two new species of Labahitha are described: Labahitha platnicki sp. nov. from New Caledonia and the Bismarck Islands and Labahitha incerta sp. nov. from Queensland, Australia. The male of Labahitha gibsonhilli (Savory, 1943) is reported for the first time. Wandella loloata sp. nov. is described from Papua New Guinea, representing the first record of this genus outside Australia. Pritha hasselti (Simon, 1906) from Indonesia is shown to be a Filistatinae, and thus the species is provisionally transferred back to Filistata.


This study attempts to establish the causal effects of outdoor play through a conceptual model consisting of six latent constructs. Seventy Penang preschool operators took part in a questionnaire survey conducted from June to July 2021. All of the 70 respondents agreed that outdoor play is important for children's development even though only 62 respondents implemented outdoor play yards in their preschools. Raw data from these 62 respondents were used to develop the conceptual model by PLS-SEM. Measurement models were assessed by checking the indicator reliability, internal consistency reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity. The structural model was assessed by checking the SRMR and NFI. The measurement models are found to be acceptable with AVE > 0.50 for all of the constructs and all of the 34 indicators have loadings > 0.50. However, there are 16 indicators with difference between loadings < 0.10, and the structural model does not have a good fit with SRMR > 0.10 and NFI < 0.90. Lack of discriminant validity could be remedied by removing eight indicators with difference between loadings < 0.10. Model fit could be improved with larger sample size since bootstrapping with 1000 iterations yielded SRMR = 0.098 at 95% for the saturated model. Seven significant paths were found among the six constructs in the final conceptual model.


Summary.  The formation of antibodies against factor VIII or factor IX that inhibit replacement therapy is currently the most serious treatment‐related complication faced by patients with haemophilia. This review highlights non‐modifiable and modifiable risk factors that determine the development of these antibodies. The non‐modifiable risk factors include patient genotype for haemophilia, immunogenotype, ethnicity and positive family history. Age, intensity of treatment and the type of clotting factor administered are identified as modifiable risk factors. These risk factors are likely to be identified more accurately in forthcoming prospective randomized controlled trials and current patient registries. Through a more complete picture of a patient's overall risk profile, individually tailored treatment schedules might be developed that could minimize the incidence of inhibitor formation and thus maximize therapeutic benefit.


This study evaluates the change in particle size of dry-milling corn ethanol co-products by using ultrasonic energy to increase the production of the biogas from the anaerobic digestion of ethanol dry-milling co-products, namely: dried distiller grain with solubles (DDGS), solids, thin stillage, and corn-syrup. The co-product samples were treated with various ultrasonic conditions and compared to non-treated samples (control sample). The ultrasonic amplitude was varied from 52.8 µmpp to 160 µmpp and the sonication time was varied from 10 to 50s. The samples were characterized with scanning electron and optical microscopy (SEM, OM) and particle distribution analysis (PDA). It was found that with solid/liquid suspensions (DDGS, solids), there was a significant decrease in particle size, increasing the surface area to volume ratio, to possibly enhance biogas yield during anaerobic digestion of these materials. In the case of thin stillage and corn syrup, the results were surprising in that an increase in particle size was seen.


Abstract Earlier studies have found that priming a resident female hamster by allowing it to attack a conspecific intruder transiently reduced the latency of its attack on a second (probe) intruder. The present series of experiments showed that the time the subject spent in contact with each intruder prior to attack revealed this priming effect more clearly than did the conventional total elapsed time measure. The influence that stimuli encountered during the first few minutes of intruder exploration would heighten the subject's aggressive arousal was confirmed in experiments showing that increasing exposure to an anaesthetized intruder from 0 to 90 s systematically reduced subsequent attack latency. Ninety seconds of contact with an anaesthetized intruder just prior to testing on a pair of priming and probe trials significantly reduced the priming effect. However, such exposure may not reproduce the full reduction in latency that follows an overt attack. Consecutive priming and probe attack latencies were uncorrelated even though the latter is routinely shorter than the former. Attacks were therefore modelled as stochastic events. Standard log survivor analysis suggests that attack probabilities increase to an asymptote during both priming and probe trials. A novel θ( t ) transformation of the data showed more clearly that the priming effect results from a probability of attack which starts at a higher level on probe trials and rise to asymptote faster.


In this paper, we consider the inverse problem of determining the shape and location of inhomogeneity D in an elliptic equation with a Neumann boundary condition on ∂Ω where and χD is the characteristic function of a subdomain D. We discuss the global uniqueness in determining D by a single measurement of Dirichlet data u on ∂Ω and prove uniqueness results with extra information on domains D.


Assessment of changes in airway dimensions during bronchoconstriction is conventionally based on measurements of respiratory mechanics. We evaluated the efficacy of ultrafast high-resolution computed tomography (UHRCT) to directly determine the dynamic changes in cross-sectional area (CSA) of airways in response to methacholine (MCh). UHRCT scans were obtained at functional residual capacity before (baseline) and after intravenous bolus injections of MCh (10(-8.5)-10(-7.0) mol/kg) to seven mechanically ventilated pigs. Changes in CSA of bronchi of varying baseline size (1-10 mm diam) were determined by using a customized image processing software package (VIDA) based on a user-directed computer-adjusted edge-finding algorithm. MCh induced dose-dependent decreases in CSA, which were paralleled by increases in airway opening pressure at higher doses of MCh; at lower doses of MCh, decreases in CSA of smaller airways were detected without concomitant changes in airway opening pressure. Changes in CSA were heterogeneous and variable, especially in the smaller airway ranges. The results of the present study support the concept that UHRCT can be used in conjunction with bolus challenges to effectively determine dose-response changes in airway caliber in both large and small airways. This technique provides data that may not be reflected by conventional lung function measurements and, hence, is a useful tool to study airway reactivity.


A low-loss Terahertz (THz) transmission optical fibre with a subwavelength core is reported in this article. The main fibre is composed of a subwavelength solid polymer core and a tube. The tube is used to prevent the extending of THz wave to the external environment. Two solid ends are introduced to suspend the subwavelength core in the air. The solid fibre ends are found have low splicing losses with the main fibre. The proposed fibre provides a simple technique for the transmission of THz wave in a short distance.


Cells respond to environmental fluctuations by regulating multiple transcriptional programs. This response can be studied by measuring the effect of environmental changes on the transcriptome or the proteome of the cell at the end of the response. However, the dynamics of the response reflect the working of the regulatory mechanisms in action. Here, we utilized a fluorescent stress reporter gene to track the dynamics of protein production in yeast responding to environmental stress. The response is modulated by changes in both the duration and rate of transcription. We probed the underlying molecular pathways controlling these two dimensions using a library of ~1,600 single‐ and double‐mutant strains. Dissection of the effects of these mutants and the interactions between them identified distinct modulators of response duration and response rate. Using a combination of mRNA‐seq and live‐cell microscopy, we uncover mechanisms by which Msn2/4, Mck1, Msn5, and the cAMP/PKA pathway modulate the response of a large module of stress‐induced genes in two discrete regulatory phases. Our results and analysis show that transcriptional stress response is regulated by multiple mechanisms that overlap in time and cellular location.


A new type of beam called the NPEP-BG (a Bessel–Gaussian (BG) beam with a spiral phase term of a new power-exponent-phase (NPEP)) is theoretically studied in this letter. The results show that the number of singularities of the phase and side lobes of the intensity of this beam were equal to the topological charges (TCs) and the beam has the characteristics of self-healing during propagation. The NPEP-BG beam combined the partial characteristics of the new power-exponent-phase vortex (NPEPV) and the Bessel Gaussian beam. At the focus of the beam, the characteristic like a perfect vortex beam was present, in which the focal radius is stable and independent of the topological charge. There are multi-focal spots around a ring in the focal plane, meaning that the NPEP-BG beam has a potential for application in multi-particle manipulation.


The title compound, C29H42Cl2N7O2P3, is a phosphazene derivative with a bulky substituent attached through a spiro junction with two pyrrolidine rings. The six-membered C3N2P ring has a chair conformation, while the phosphazene ring has a slight envelope conformation. The two N atoms in the C3N2P ring are likely to be stereogenic.


Extraction of valuable metals such as gold from electronic wastes (e-waste) is regarded as a promising way of environmental remediation; however, this process is still confronted with the cost-ineffective product for normal usages like electronic devices or jewelry. Therefore, there would be merits in directly converting gold from e-waste to materials of higher value, for example, catalysts for pollutant treatment. Herein, a porous aromatic framework (PAF) with cationic sites, named iPAF-7, was synthesized and exhibited rapid extraction of gold from e-waste. Au@iPAF-7 completely converted nitroarenes to arylamines within 10 s at a rate constant of 7.8 × 10-2 s-1, which is much higher than that of any other gold nanoparticle (AuNP) catalysts with solid supports reported so far. Furthermore, considering the limitations and difficulties of operating powder materials, the aerogel monolith incorporating iPAF-7 was successfully fabricated, which retained the excellent gold extraction ability and catalytic activity of its powder form, thus exhibiting its potential application for continuous-flow catalysis of nitroarene reduction.


In this paper, channel training and coherent decodings under channel estimation error are investigated for relay networks with one single-antenna transmitter, R single-antenna relays, and one R-antenna receiver. A two-stage training scheme is proposed to estimate both the relay-receiver and the transmitter-relay channels at the receiver, which are commonly required in amplify-and-forward (AF) relay networks. We use distributed space-time coding (DSTC) for data transmission and investigate the effect of channel estimation errors on network performance. Two coherent decodings are considered: mismatched decoding in which channel estimations are treated as if perfect, and matched decoding in which estimation error is taken into consideration. We show that for full diversity, with mismatched decoding, at least 3R symbol intervals are required for training; while with matched decoding, R+2 symbol intervals for training are enough. The complexities of the decoding schemes are investigated. To achieve a balance between performance and complexity, an adaptive decoding scheme is proposed. Simulated error rates are shown to justify the analytical results.


Abstract The chipmunks are a Holarctic group of ground squirrels currently allocated to the genus Tamias within the tribe Marmotini (Rodentia: Sciuridae). Cranial, postcranial, and genital morphology, cytogenetics, and genetics each separate them into three distinctive and monophyletic lineages now treated as subgenera. These groups are found in eastern North America, western North America, and Asia, respectively. However, available genetic data (mainly from mitochondrial cytochrome b) demonstrate that the chipmunk lineages diverged early in the evolution of the Marmotini, well before various widely accepted genera of marmotine ground squirrels. Comparisons of genetic distances also indicate that the chipmunk lineages are as or more distinctive from one another as are most ground squirrel genera. Chipmunk fossils were present in the late Oligocene of North America and shortly afterwards in Asia, prior to the main radiation of Holarctic ground squirrels. Because they are coordinate in morphological, genetic, and chronologic terms with ground squirrel genera, the three chipmunk lineages should be recognized as three distinct genera, namely, Tamias Illiger, 1811, Eutamias Trouessart, 1880, and Neotamias A. H. Howell, 1929. Each is unambiguously diagnosable on the basis of cranial, post-cranial, and external morphology.


Background: Adequate sports activity improves health and physical development by increasing muscle strength, alertness, sensory development, muscle coordination, speed, strength, and stamina. Many researches show that sports activity reduces reaction time, which is a reliable indicator of rate of processing of sensory stimuli by central nervous system. So the present study is undertaken to evaluate effect of playing badminton on reaction time.

Aims & Objective: To compare visual reaction times of badminton players with those of age-matched controls.

Materials and Methods: We estimated the visual reaction times of 50 male badminton players of 18–22 years age group who were practicing badminton for 2–3 h/day for a minimum of 2 years. The visual reactions were compared with those of 50 age-matched healthy male students of Dr SCGMC Nanded (Maharashtra, India) who formed the control group.

Results: Visual reaction time of dominant as well as non-dominant limb of badminton players was significantly less than that of the control group who were not practicing any sports activity.

Conclusion: Our study results support the view that playing badminton is beneficial in improving eye–hand reaction time, muscle coordination, cognitive functions, concentration, and alertness.


The main purpose of vehicle suspension system is
to isolate the vehicle main body from any road geometrical
irregularity in order to improve the passengers ride comfort and
to maintain good handling stability. The present work aim at
designing a control system for an active suspension system
which is widely applied in today's automotive industries. The
design implementation involves construction of a state space
model for half vehicle with four degree of freedom and a
development of full state-feedback controller using Linear
Quadratic Regulator (LQR) techniques. The performance of
active suspension system was assessed by comparing its response
to that of passive suspension system. Simulation using
Matlab/Simulink environment shows that, even at resonant
frequency the active suspension system develops a good dynamic
response and a better ride comfort when compared with the
passive suspension system.


Several studies have shown that iodine plays a role in spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis in man and other animals. In addition, abnormalities of iodine metabolism have been found in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and in chickens of the obese strain (OS), an animal model of spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis. We have examined several parameters of iodine metabolism before immune damage in this model and in the related Cornell strain (CS), a strain which develops a late-onset mild thyroiditis, to discover a possible causal relationship between altered iodine metabolism and the initiation of autoimmunity. Thyroglobulin was purified from individual chicken thyroid glands and analysed for iodine by the ceric sulphate method. Analogous to the thyroglobulin of Hashimoto's patients, the iodine content of OS thyroglobulin (27 atoms/molecule) was lower than that of normal-strain thyroglobulin (46 atoms/molecule) when the chickens were provided with a normal diet. Also, under conditions of TSH suppression, the iodine content of OS thyroglobulin (18 atoms/molecule) was lower than that of CS thyroglobulin (36 atoms/molecule) and of normal-strain thyroglobulin (32 atoms/molecule). In contrast with Hashimoto's patients, however, the OS and CS chickens had practically no inorganic iodide in their thyroid glands; electrophoretic analysis of thyroid homogenates revealed that essentially all (greater than 99.62%) 125I was organified by 16 h in all strains of birds tested. Despite the relatively poor iodination of thyroglobulin exhibited by OS chickens, they did not iodinate additional 'unique' proteins, when examined by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of thyroid proteins labelled with 125I in vivo.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


We present a method to obtain a misfit function for robust waveform inversion. This method, designated as adaptive traveltime inversion (ATI), computes a matching filter that matches the measured data to the predicted one. If the velocity model is accurate, the resulting matching filter reduces to an (approximate) Dirac delta function. Its traveltime shift, which characterizes the defocusing of the matching filter, is computed by minimization of the cross-correlation between a penalty function like t and the matching filter. The ATI misfit function is constructed by the minimization of the least square error of the calculated traveltime shifts. Further analysis shows that the resulting traveltime shifts correspond to the first-order moment, the mean value, of the resulting matching filter distribution. We extend ATI to a more general misfit function formula by computing different order moment of the resulting matching filter distribution. Choosing the penalty function in adaptive waveform inversion (AWI) as t, the misfit function of AWI can be interpreted as the second-order moment. We use the Marmousi model to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.


This study was carried out to investigate the impact of climate variability, aggregate agricultural expenditure, level of aggregate farm mechanization (farm technology) and arable land use on food output in Nigeria from 1978 to 2009. Secondary data were obtained from Central Bank, National Bureau of Statistics and World Bank and analyzed using Autoregressive Distributed Lagged (ARDL) model. The series were first tested for stationarity using Augmented Dickey Fuller and Philips Perron tests. The ARDL model was then applied after confirming that the series were mixture of I(0) and I(1). Tests for serial correlation (Breusch-Pagan test), stability (CUSUM), specification (RAMSEY RESET), heteroscedasticity and Jarque-Bera normality tests were also conducted. These tests validated the variables and specification of the model applied. The model showed a good fitting with an R 2 of 0.71. The statistically significant F-ratio (p<0.01) of 4.72 (greater than critical bound level of 3.74) confirmed cointegration of the series. Results showed that on the long-run, climate variability (rainfall), level of aggregate farm mechanization and arable land use exerted significant positive effects (p<0.01) on food production in the country. Nonetheless, its effect was considered to be negative in the ong-run. Thus, it was concluded that Nigerian government should concentrate on ensuring the efficiency of agricultural expenditure through prudence and proper accountability.In addition, agricultural transformation based programmes should be in place to improve agricultural mechanization and building capacities of farmers to adopt climate resilient technologies such as investment in irrigation facilities especially in the semi-arid regions of the country. Key word: Climate change, food security, agricultural finance, arable land intensification, agricultural mechanization, Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL) . *Corresponding Author E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Accepted 14 July 2013


The pollination syndrome of Gentiana andrewsii Griseb., a closed, blue gentian, was investigated in a disclimax community in relation to the ecological and phenological characteristics of the surrounding plant community. Gentiana andrewsii is obligately dependent upon bumblebees for pollination and seed set. The flowers are self-fertile, protandrous, and herkogamous; pollen deposition is restricted to the bumblebee's sternum. Pollen is the primary bumblebee attractant; the sugar concentration of nectar is low. The corolla reflects a purplish-blue color augmented by a dissected pattern of ultraviolet light, both well-adapted to bumblebee vision. Bumblebee species show no preference among synchronously flowering species, but caste preferences are evident, with G. andrewsii largely attracting workers. Most local bumblebees have tongues too short to retrieve nectar from the long Gentiana corolla tubes; many steal nectar from lateral perforations of the corolla tube. The blooming of G. andrewsii at the end of the bumblebee season may have resulted from selection favoring other earlier flowering competitors. Sympatric and synchronously blooming Gentiana crinita Froel. (Gentianella crinita (Froel.) G. Don, Gentianopsis crinita (Froel.) Ma) also reflects the same purplish-blue color as G. andrewsii but with different ultraviolet reflection patterns. Nectar appears to be the primary attractant in G. crinita. Queens and larger workers are the most frequent visitors, tongue length being less of a discriminating factor. OHIO J. SCI. 88 (4): 132-138, 1988


Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder characterized by a triad of skin tumors, renal tumors, and multiple pulmonary cysts. Our patient was a 40-year-old man with a history of recurrent bilateral pneumothorax and a family history of pneumothorax. The patient visited our department with chest pain and was diagnosed with left pneumothorax based on a chest X-ray. Thoracic computed tomography (CT) showed multiple cysts in both lungs. We performed thoracoscopic bilateral bullectomy with curative intent. Intraoperative observation showed numerous cysts in the lung apex, interlobular region, and mediastinum. We resected the cysts that we suspected to be responsible for the symptoms and ligated the lesions, and then performed total pleural covering. After surgery, genetic testing was performed. The result enabled us to diagnose Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome in this patient. Although the patient has developed neither recurrent pneumothorax nor any renal tumors, to date, long-term monitoring is necessary.


The possible importance of the cysteine-rich γ-prolamin in kafirin and zein functionality has been neglected. The role of γ-kafirin in organized microstructures was investigated in microparticles. Residual kafirin (total kafirin minus γ-kafirin) "microparticles" were non-discrete (amorphous mass of material), as viewed by electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Adding 15% γ-kafirin to residual kafirin resulted in the formation of a mixture of non-discrete material and nanosize discrete spherical structures. Adding 30% γ-kafirin to the residual kafirin resulted in discrete spherical nanosize particles. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that γ-kafirin had a mixture of random-coil and β-sheet conformations, in contrast to total kafirin, which is mainly α-helical conformation. γ-Kafirin also had a very high glass transition temperature (Tg) (≈270 °C). The conformation and high Tg of γ-kafirin probably confer structural stability to kafirin microstructures. Because of its ability to form disulfide cross-links, γ-kafirin appears to be essential to form and stabilize organized microstructures.


Objective: We aimed to determine the association between serum receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (sRANKL) levels and ankylosing spondylarthritis (AS) in Chinese populations.Methods: The PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Chinese Biomedical Database, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP, and Wan Fang databases were searched for studies conducted before October 1, 2020 without language restrictions. STATA version 12.0 and Revman version 5.3 were used to analyze the data. The standard mean differences (SMDs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were calculated. Results: Twelve clinical case–control studies, including 585 AS patients and 423 healthy controls, were included. The combined SMD for sRANKL suggested that the sRANKL level was significantly higher in the Chinese AS patients than in the healthy controls (SMD: 3.27, 95%CI: 2.11-4.43, P<0.00001). RANKL-related factor osteoprotegerin OPG (SMD: 0.86, 95%CI: 0.09-1.64, P<0.03) and RANKL/OPG (SMD=1.05, 95%CI=0.64-1.46, P<0.00001). Subgroup analysis indicated that the patients from North and South China had higher sRANKL levels than the controls; the patients sRANKL levels from South China were higher in the subgroup with Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) >4. In terms of duration, ≤8years AS patients had higher sRANKL levels than the controls. Other subgroup analyses were conducted by region, language, source of control, age, and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI). In these subgroups, the sRANKL levels were significantly higher in the AS patients than in the controls. BASFI and BASDAI were sources of heterogeneity.Conclusions: The sRANKL levels are higher in the Chinese AS patients, especially among the patients from South China. sRANKL levels may be positively correlated with the pathogenesis of AS among the Chinese patients.


Background and Study Aim: There is no reasonable enough scientific knowledge about the aerobic energy expenditure from practicing kendo techniques. Therefore, this study aim is an aerobic energy expenditure (Ė) during the practice of kendo techniques. We verify the hypothesis that Ė, metabolic rate (as metabolic equivalent unit, MET) and the rate of carbohydrate oxidation are proportional in magnitude to the amount of regional and whole-body fat-free mass (FFM) of the kendo practitioners. Material & Methods: Ten male participants (29.0 ±7.6 years, 82.0 ±14.2 kg, 174.4 ±7.5 cm) underwent body composition evaluation by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), progressive tests to determine V̇O2max, and performance of kendo protocol, with 11 warm-up and 31 kendo techniques (waza). During the protocol, gas exchange were measured using K4b2 (COSMED®). Based on V̇O2 and V̇CO2 data, the Ė was calculated using (Ė = 3.941∙V̇O2 + 1.106∙V̇CO2) and converted to MET, assuming the constant (= 4.184 kJ∙kg−1∙h−1). Pearson coefficient (r) tested the correlations between regional and whole-body composition data with the values obtained for Ė during warm-up and waza. A significance level of p≤0.05 was considered. Results: The peak aerobic rate during warm-up and waza reached 7.5 ±1.4 (METs) and 8.0 ±1.9 (METs), respectively. The FFM of the trunk, lower and upper limbs correlated with total Ė (76.3 ±13.2 kcal) during warm-up, with (r) ranging from 0.72 to 0.92, as well as with total Ė (218.5 ±34.8 kcal) for the execution of entire protocol (r = 0.67 to 0.75). Conclusion: The practice of kendō is classified as vigorous exercise requiring high cost of aerobic energy, which is higher in practitioner with larger regional FFM


Objectives: An intraoperative neural response telemetry-ratio (NRT-ratio) was established, which can provide information about the intraoperative intracochlear electrode array position for perimodiolar electrodes. Methods: In a retrospective controlled study in 2 tertiary referral centers, the electrophysiological data sets of 50 patients with measured intraoperative auto-NRTs and postoperative radiological examinations were evaluated. All patients were implanted with Nucleus slim straight electrodes. The NRT-ratio was calculated by dividing the average auto-NRT data from electrodes 16 to 18 with the average from electrodes 5 to 7. Using a flat panel tomography system or a computed tomography, the position of the electrode array was certified radiological. Results: Radiologically, 2 out of 50 patients were identified with an electrode translocated from the scala tympani into the scala vestibuli. The radiologically estimated electrodes indicating a scalar change showed a regular NRT-ratio but nonspecific NRT-level changes at the localization of translocation.


We report a rare case of traumatic abdominal wall hernia caused by persistent and severe cough. We believe this is the first reported case of such an entity. We present computed tomography findings and a pertinent review of the literature.


Abstract : The report summarizes the results of a study to: (1) investigate the primary needs of air traffic controllers, flow controllers, and central flow controllers for weather information, (2) define a cost effective system concept to meet these needs, and (3) lay out a plan for the development of the proposed weather subsystem to support Air Traffic Control. The recommended system will provide rapid generation and dissemination of reliable user oriented observations and very short range severe weather forecasts (up to 30 min.) to facilitate controller planning. This new capability will: (1) reduce weather induced controller work load peaks, (2) permit controllers to coordinate and preplan aircraft rerouting for weather avoidance, (3) achieve an improved balance between the inefficiency of overreaction and the essentials of safety, (4) facilitate controller response to pilot requests for weather data on a work load permitting basis, and (5) enable the issuance of accurate weather advisories. The system will also provide rapid generation and dissemination of reliable short range forecasts (up to 4 hours) to permit early introduction of necessary flow control procedures. This new capability will: (1) decrease problems for controllers, (2) increase acceptance of flow control, and (3) increase traffic flow efficiency without decreasing safety.


Wireless communication channels are a scarce resource shared among multiple users in either scheduled or randomized fashions. We challenge a few design aspects of the widely used IEEE 802.11 MAC in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), such as the use of RTS, CTS, and ACK handshaking and the binary exponential backoff mechanisms, and argue that these key mechanisms incur high channel overhead and cannot effectively eliminate hidden terminal problems in multi-hop scenarios. Instead, we propose a set of efficient grid-based channel allocation and access scheduling algorithms using Latin squares, called as GAALS, for scalable WSNs with single-radio multi-channel communication capabilities. Using nodal location information and forming grids over the WSN deployment area, GAALS maps Latin squares to the grids, and dynamically assigns multiple channels to the WSN grids for channel access scheduling purposes. The fairness and scalability of GAALS are analyzed and evaluated in multiflow multihop WSNs with multi-channel capabilities. The results show that GAALS achieves much better performance than other multichannel protocols.


Commercially available polyethersulfone (PES) and polyphenylquinoxaline (PPQ) resins were evaluated as high-temperature thermoplastics for advanced composite and adhesive applications. Continuous graphite reinforced laminates up to 400 plies thick were fabricated successfully from both systems, once processing parameters were defined. Structural as well as hemispherical shapes were postformed from consolidated flat laminates. Poor-quality panels were reprocessed to high-quality parts, using the thermoplasticity of the matrix resins. The PES exhibited sensitivity to moisture as shown in the testing of both the neat resins and advanced composites. Adhesive bonds were also fabricated on 6A14V titanium adherends, using PPQ and thermoplastic processing techniques. The performance of the adhesive was improved significantly by the use of woven graphite scrim cloth. It is postulated that this scrim cloth results in significantly reduced residual stress in the bond line.


Abstract The concepts and implementation of standardized mean differences and minimum effect tests have been emphasized in ANOVA. The corresponding processes and implications are, however, not yet well explicated in the context of ANCOVA. To enhance the usefulness of ANCOVA, this article describes the minimum effect tests of standardized contrast as a valuable alternative to the hypothesis testing of no effect difference and the conventional evaluation of unstandardized effects in ANCOVA. Power and sample size procedures are developed to accommodate covariate randomness and imbalance for randomized and nonrandomized designs. The data from a clinical study of comparing two treatments for gingivitis are used to illustrate the application of the suggested approaches. The emphases of numerical appraisal are on the merit of minimum effect detection in comparative analysis and the influence of covariate feature in power and sample size computation. The proposed power and sample size calculations improve upon approximate formulas by fully accounting for the stochastic property and intrinsic disparity of the covariate variables. Computer algorithms are available for calculating the p-value, power level, and sample size of one- and two-sided minimum effect tests.


Serum testosterone concentration was significantly elevated in adult male rats by a single perinatal allylestrenol administration. One week after a second allylestrenol treatment in adulthood the hormone concentration dropped below the control values. Serum progesterone concentration was significantly lowered in adult female rats by a single perinatal allylestrenol administration. Following a second allylestrenol treatment in adulthood the hormone concentration reached the control values. These experiments demonstrate that the hormonal imprinting caused by allylestrenol (a steroid used in the treatment of endangered pregnancy) not only acts at receptor level and produces changes in sexual behaviour, but also induces modifications in serum hormone concentrations.


Due to the amount of data involved in emerging deep learning and big data applications, operations related to data movement have quickly become a bottleneck. Data-centric computing (DCC), as enabled by processing-in-memory (PIM) and near-memory processing (NMP) paradigms, aims to accelerate these types of applications by moving the computation closer to the data. Over the past few years, researchers have proposed various memory architectures that enable DCC systems, such as logic layers in 3D-stacked memories or charge-sharing-based bitwise operations in dynamic random-access memory (DRAM). However, application-specific memory access patterns, power and thermal concerns, memory technology limitations, and inconsistent performance gains complicate the offloading of computation in DCC systems. Therefore, designing intelligent resource management techniques for computation offloading is vital for leveraging the potential offered by this new paradigm. In this article, we survey the major trends in managing PIM and NMP-based DCC systems and provide a review of the landscape of resource management techniques employed by system designers for such systems. Additionally, we discuss the future challenges and opportunities in DCC management.


The diagnosis of hypertension includes measurement of blood pressure out of the office by either 24-hour ambulatory monitoring or home blood pressure monitoring. These methods have led to recognition of "white coat hypertension" (WCH) and "masked hypertension" (MH). Research in the 1930s first demonstrated that blood pressures in the office were often far different from those out of the office, at a time when there was no effective treatment. International attention was focused on another imminent world war and a highly controversial election in the United States. Hypertension was not a priority for concern. From the 1950s onward: (i) epidemiology linked hypertension to risk of cardiovascular disease, (ii) effective and safe drugs for treatment of hypertension appeared, (iii) randomized clinical trials demonstrated that drug treatment of hypertension is highly effective for prevention of cardiovascular disease, and (iv) advances in technology led to development of small, portable devices for recording blood pressure noninvasively at home or during usual activities. Accurate measurement of blood pressure in "real life" is now necessary and feasible for appropriate diagnosis and assessment of treatment. Out-of-office blood pressure measurement is emerging as the standard of care for hypertension.


Variability of a sort not susceptible to genetic analysis is a frequently observed phenomenon among fungi and bacteria 1 and is an important interfering factor in the recognition and identification of pathogenic fungi. It is important from the standpoint of any systematic study that the permanence, frequency and extent of such variation be known. In the case of some fungi, mutants have been subjected to genetic analysis. 2 The sudden appearance, diversity and permanence of the type of variation under discussion and the genetic behavior of analogous variants in neurosporan and in yeasts seem to justify the designation "mutant" for these variants. The published report 3 of a series of remarkable mutations appearing spontaneously in an old culture of the pathogenic fungus Microsporon gypseum concluded with the hypothesis, "many of the dermatophytes now known as species are only varieties of a single unstable species." 4 The con


The bimolecular reaction of C2H+2 with H2 is found to undergo a surprising change of mechanism to one of inverse energy dependence below temperatures of 3 K as observed in a free jet flow reactor. The observed rate coefficient for C2H+3 production is found to be k=5.6×10−11 T−2 cm3/s in this energy regime. Contrary to previous belief, the reaction is exothermic and results are described regarding kinetic isotope effects, the competitive three body association process and internal C2H+2 vibrational state dependency of the chemistry. A mechanism is suggested which involves a low temperature switching to a tunneling process through a small barrier and is intimately coupled to the long lived complex properties of very low energy collisions.


Introduction: Malocclusion may have an impact on psycho-social aspects but the
evidence is less clear cut regarding the potential benefits associated with
orthodontic treatment. This PhD therefore aimed to study these aspects in 3
chapters: / Systematic review / Aims: To evaluate social, psychological and quality of life changes due to
orthodontic treatment. / Methods, Results and Conclusions: Six electronic databases were searched and
21 articles included, reporting results of RCTs and observational studies. There was
inadequate evidence to support or refute that orthodontic treatment in adolescent
patients has positive psychosocial effects. The lack of a universal outcome measure
in reporting impacts of orthodontic treatment is an important issue, so efforts must
be made to develop this measure. / Prospective controlled longitudinal study / Aims: To study social impacts following functional appliance in adolescent with
Class II Division 1 malocclusions and to compare it with a control group of patients
of the same age range who had not yet commenced treatment. / Methods: Participants completed a questionnaire regarding social impacts before
and after functional appliance treatment.
Results: 114 patients were recruited, 65 patients in the treatment group and 49
patients in the control group. There was no statistically significant difference
between the groups at T2. / Conclusions: Based on the questionnaires used, there were no significant social
benefits associated with functional appliance treatment. / Qualitative study / Aims: To explore the social impacts of malocclusion in adolescent patients using
qualitative methods. / Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted and data were analysed using a
framework analysis. / Results: 12 participants were interviewed and three main themes were identified:
Interpersonal relations, feelings regarding facial images and teasing. / Conclusions: Although common themes were identified, variation existed with
regards to the social effects of malocclusion on an adolescent's lifestyle.
Interviewees reported being repeatedly reminded of their malocclusion; reinforced
through teasing and images in different media.


In the Ecuadorian Amazon region, Ocotea quixos is a well-known as well as an important plant used as a spice and as folk medicine ingredient. Besides the traditional knowledge, only a few bioprospecting and pharmacological experiments have been carried out and some promising findings have been done. Essential oil from calices (OQCO) and from leaves (OQLO) have been investigated furthermore showing a remarkable difference. In the case of floral calyx oil the main components were trans-cinnamaldehyde and methylcinnamate while the leaves essential oil presented β-caryophyllene, cinnamyl acetate, sabinene, geranial and finally trans-cinnamaldehyde. Both essential oils have shown to possess useful biological activities, as antiplatelet, antithrombotic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifungal and antimicrobial activities. These findings open new research prospects and promising applications as functional fragrances for both oils.


Background Understanding the relative risks of maintenance treatment versus discontinuation of antipsychotics following remission in first episode psychosis (FEP) is an important area of practice. Method A systematic review and meta-analysis. Prospective experimental studies including a parallel control group were identified to compare maintenance antipsychotic treatment with total discontinuation or medication discontinuation strategies following remission in FEP. Results Seven studies were included. Relapse rates were higher in the discontinuation group (53%; 95% CIs: 39%, 68%; N = 290) compared with maintenance treatment group (19%; 95% CIs: 0.05%, 37%; N = 230). In subgroup analyses, risk difference of relapse was lower in studies with a longer follow-up period, a targeted discontinuation strategy, a higher relapse threshold, a larger sample size, and samples with patients excluded for drug or alcohol dependency. Insufficient studies included psychosocial functioning outcomes for a meta-analysis.


Considering that pollutants can be transferred to the human body through food consumption, food safety is of great concern to the consumers. In order to evaluate the health risk of heavy metals to consumers by milk categories and consumer age groups via the ingestion of milk products, the contents of Pb, Cr, Cd, Cu, Al, Ni, Zn, and Co in fermented, sterilized, and modified milk samples collected from markets in Nanchang, China, were measured by ICP-MS, and the potential health risk was assessed by the method of target hazard quotients (THQ) and hazard index (HI). Results of this study showed that the contents of all studied elements, excluding Zn, were within the food safety limits. The mean daily exposures were estimated to be safe on comparison with the reference dose. However, total metal THQ (TTHQ) and HI values based on maximum exposure were larger than one for a baby age 0-3, which indicated that the long-term high consumption of milk products would result in high health risk for infants. The results also showed that the contribution of fermented milk to total THQ was larger than other milk products. Therefore, more attention should be paid to control the dietary intake of milk products by babies age 0-3, and we should monitor the potential risk caused by the ingestion of fermented milk.


Analysis of phylogenetic trees has become an essential tool in epidemiology. Likelihood-based methods fit models to phylogenies to draw inferences about the phylodynamics and history of viral transmission. However, these methods are computationally expensive, which limits the complexity and realism of phylodynamic models and makes them ill-suited for informing policy decisions in real-time during rapidly developing outbreaks. Likelihood-free methods using deep learning are pushing the boundaries of inference beyond these constraints. In this paper, we extend, compare and contrast a recently developed deep learning method for likelihood-free inference from trees. We trained multiple deep neural networks using phylogenies from simulated outbreaks that spread among five locations and found they achieve close to the same levels of accuracy as Bayesian inference under the true simulation model. We compared robustness to model misspecification of a trained neural network to that of a Bayesian method. We found that both models had comparable performance, converging on similar biases. We also implemented a method of uncertainty quantification called conformalized quantile regression which we demonstrate has similar patterns of sensitivity to model misspecification as Bayesian highest posterior intervals (HPI) and greatly overlap with HPIs, but have lower precision (more conservative). Finally, we trained and tested a neural network against phylogeographic data from a recent study of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic in Europe and obtained similar estimates of region-specific epidemiological parameters and the location of the common ancestor in Europe. Along with being as accurate and robust as likelihood-based methods, our trained neural networks are on average over 3 orders of magnitude faster. Our results support the notion that neural networks can be trained with simulated data to accurately mimic the good and bad statistical properties of the likelihood functions of generative phylogenetic models.


Computer-aided early diagnosis of Alzheimers Disease (AD) and its prodromal form, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), has been the subject of extensive research in recent years. Some recent studies have shown promising results in the AD and MCI determination using structural and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (sMRI, fMRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) modalities. Furthermore, fusion of imaging modalities in a supervised machine learning framework has shown promising direction of research.
In this paper we first review major trends in automatic classification methods such as feature extraction based methods as well as deep learning approaches in medical image analysis applied to the field of Alzheimer's Disease diagnostics. Then we propose our own algorithm for Alzheimer's Disease diagnostics based on a convolutional neural network and sMRI and DTI modalities fusion on hippocampal ROI using data from the Alzheimers Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database (this http URL). Comparison with a single modality approach shows promising results. We also propose our own method of data augmentation for balancing classes of different size and analyze the impact of the ROI size on the classification results as well.


An illustrated morphological description of two new species of the genus Diamesa Meigen, 1835 are provided from Tien Shan and Pamir mountains: D. akhrorovi sp. nov., as male adult; D. alibaevae sp. nov., as male adult and pupa. DNA barcoding results of the two new described species with comparative database on some related Diamesa species are also given. The two new described species key both near D. planistyla Reiss, 1968, which was known from Nepal and redescribed here from Tian Shan. The diversity of Diamesa genus using three mitochondrial (COI, COII, 16S rRNA), two nuclear (18S rRNA, EF-1a) markers and estimating phylogenetic relationships is also highlighted. Six of the studied Diamesa species including D. akhrorovi sp. nov. and D. alibaevae sp. nov. represent a well-supported monophyletic clades with high Bayesian posterior probability, while D. cinerella Meigen and D. hamaticornis Kieffer have a lower interspecific sequence divergence.


Ethnography; Compassion; Compassionate care; Nursing
A series of healthcare scandals over the last 15 years in the United Kingdom (UK) National Health Service (NHS) generated a vigorous public and professional debate. Within this debate, care failures were framed as a 'lack of compassion' and, specifically, a lack of compassion in contemporary nursing.

The healthcare policy response was to rapidly implement a values-based strategy that aimed to 'embed the principles of compassion and caring' (DoH, 2014) in healthcare staff. The strategy progressed, despite evidence suggesting that healthcare professionals valued compassionate care (Maben et al., 2007b, Newton et al., 2009, Glazer and Beehr, 2002). Significant changes were made to nursing recruitment, regulation and education, with the explicit intention of prioritising compassion. The research response to the NHS care standards debate has also focused predominantly on the values of NHS staff, and has inadequately represented the contextual contingencies of practice.
This study aimed to develop an empirically informed descriptive and explanatory understanding of compassion in a healthcare setting. The objectives were to examine the key elements of the phenomenon and how participants constructed and enacted compassion. The study was a constructionist ethnographic design set in one NHS hospital ward. Participants included various staff groups, patients and relatives. Fieldwork lasted one year and included over 150 hours of participant observation, 70 informal interviews and 30 recorded interviews. Analysis involved thick description of ward life, and thematic, key-event and deviant-case analysis. Theories of compassion, psychological research and a sociological perspective were employed as analytic lenses. Themes included contextualised compassion, compromised compassion, receiving compassion, and the role of threat and safety.

I found compassion in the ward setting was constrained by a tangle of micro- and macro-level contingencies which shape the experience of giving, and receiving, compassionate care. The contingencies of the clinical context were frustrating to staff and patients and led to an inconsistent quality of care. All actors contributed to the dynamics of compassion on the ward. I found that staff valued compassion as an aspect of their care, and for some it was part of their identity and gave meaning to their work. Patients also valued compassionate care, felt comforted by it, and responded positively, which in turn was uplifting for staff. Unexpectedly, some patients struggled to recognise, trust or feel relieved from compassionate care. I found that a sense of threat dominated the ward culture, which was evident in the language and practices of staff, and could inhibit their capacity to engage compassionately with others. However, when the organisation provided positive practical support, compassionate care often flourished.
This study contributes the notion of 'constrained compassion' as a descriptive and explanatory framework for understanding the phenomenon in the ward setting, and evidences that threat and safety, compromise and cost are inherent in its enactment. It demonstrates that theoretically-informed compassion research can be beneficial, and highlights the value of cross-disciplinary approaches to compassion scholarship. The study also demonstrates the strengths and limitations of process- and values-based theories of compassion and argues that conceptualising compassion as a context-dependent process can broaden the possibilities of future nursing research. In terms of policy, this study argues that healthcare strategies must take a broader, research-based approach. Furthermore, it recommends the urgent acknowledgement and investigation of the contextual barriers to care. Embedding positive, practical and pastoral staff support within organisations should be a priority. Rather than aiming for 'compassionate staff,' healthcare organisations may benefit from making multidisciplinary efforts towards developing compassionate healthcare environments.


Many initiatives encourage investigators to share their raw research datasets in pursuit of increased research quality and efficiency. Despite these investments of time and money, we do not yet understand the impact of these initiatives. In this study, I use bibliometric methods to understand the prevalence and patterns with which investigators publicly share their raw gene expression microarray datasets after study publication.

Automated methods were used to identify 11,603 published studies that created gene expression microarray data. At least 25% of these studies have datasets in one of the two predominant public databases for microarray data, increasing from 5% in 2001 to 35% in 2009. Fifteen factors that described authorship, funding, institution, publication, and domain environments were derived from 124 article attributes. Most factors associated with the prevalence of data sharing (p<0.01). In particular, publishing in a journal with a relatively strong data sharing policy, receiving funding from many NIH grants, publishing in an open access journal, and having prior experience sharing gene expression data were associated with the highest data sharing rates. In contrast, increased first author age and experience, having no experience reusing data, and studying cancer and human subjects were associated with the lowest data sharing rates.

In second-order factor analysis, previously sharing gene expression microarray data was most positively associated with high data sharing rates, whereas publishing a study on cancer or human subjects was strongly associated with a negative probability of data sharing.

I hope these methods and results will contribute to a deeper understanding of data sharing behavior and eventually more effective data sharing initiatives.


In experiment on white rats was evaluated the positive effect of food deprivation on heart damaged by norephynephrine. Magneto-laser irradiation increased the adaptive resources of cardiovascular system during food deprivation and norephynephrine myocardiodystrophy.


Abstract. Land use and land cover (LULC) classification has long been an essential topic in Earth Observation research and plays a key role in the sustainable development of agriculture. This study evaluated the accuracy of LULC classification based on an initial clustering step in a heterogeneous agricultural landscape using PlanetScope imagery while checking for variability among their Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) temporal signatures. We adopt an object-based image analysis to generate image-objects and then extract statistical information of PlanetScope spectral bands and vegetation indices as input information for classification. The exploratory analysis focused on the double crop class and calculated the distance between NDVI temporal signatures of paired land parcels. We applied an unsupervised clustering technique along with Random Forest algorithm based on multiple tests to classify and analyse gains and losses in accuracies produced by these approaches. Our results showed that the initial clustering method outperformed the non-clustered classification of LULC in overall accuracy measures. The exploratory analysis demonstrated that double crops might present high intra-class variability and diverse crop calendars for neighbour land parcels. The accuracies achieved represent promising opportunities for the sufficiently accurate classification of such areas, and the knowledge of the intra-class variability allows the analyst to infer the temporal dynamics of crop fields. We reinforce that further work could assess other types of classifiers, especially in areas with a large number of crop types and distinct management practices.


We perform an experimental test where we directly observe light-induced electron transitions with a macroscopic spatial discontinuity. The effect is related to the fundamental indivisibility of macroscopic orbit-like quantum states reminiscent of so-called extended states in the integer quantum Hall system. The test has become realizable due to the discovering of a quantum phase with spontaneous pervasive quantum ordering reminiscent of that of a single atom. The observed transitions may be regarded as a peculiar quantum dynamics beyond relativity, which implies that the current relativistic model of universe should be replaced by a deeper quantum model. It is the Bohm's model of undivided universe which now should involve a deeper-than-classical concept of absolute simultaneity and a deeper-than-relativistic concept of space and time. Ultimately, our test thus establishes a new hierarchy of fundamental physical theories where the de Broglie-Bohm realistic quantum theory is the deepest theory which does not contradict either classical physics or relativity but rather is beyond both. This is because the fact that quantum theory is dealing with a deeper reality where physical objects are not self-sufficient entities and therefore they can transit discontinuously within an overall quantum system determined by their wavefunctions.


The rate of periprosthetic infection (PJI) following primary total knee arthroplasty ranges from 0,5 to 6%, while after the revision arthroplasty PJI rate grows up to 13,6%. Despite the fact that PJI is more often caused by gram-positive microorganisms, the treatment of patients induced by gram-negative pathogens and fungi is the most complex and associated with the higher recurrence rate. This paper presents a positive two-stage treatment of a patient with fungal periprosthetic infection with a review of current medical literature. Revision, sanation of infection site and implantation of articulating antibacterial spacer was performed in the first stage of treatment. The second stage, which was the implantation of a revision prosthesis, followed in 6 months after removal of infection nidus. Subsequently the authors obtained good functional outcomes and stopping the infection process.


ABSTRACT The co-extinction of interdependent species in relation to massive, long-term habitat disturbance has not been thoroughly investigated. Using logistic regression analyses, we examined the relationship between the loss of butterflies and their specific hostplants from the tropical island of Singapore and report the probable occurrence of their co- extinctions at the community level. Our simulation shows that the number of extinct butterfly species is expected to increase exponentially with that of extinct hostplants. The close association between butterflies and their hostplants suggests that the preservation of whole habitats is urgently needed if we are to avoid the possible cascading effects of species (co-)extinctions.


We consider the problem of determining quantitative information about corrosion occurring on an inaccesible part of a specimen. The data for the problem consist of prescribed current flux and voltage measurements on an accessible part of the specimen boundary. The problem is modelled by Laplace's equation with an unknown term in the boundary conditions. Our goal is recovering from the data. We prove uniqueness under certain regularity assumptions and construct a regularized numerical method for obtaining approximate solutions to the problem. The numerical method, which is based on the assumption that the specimen is a thin plate, is tested in numerical experiments using synthetic data.


Sir, We would like to report a sequel to the clinical case described by Bennett et al.' They described a previously unreported complication of mycoplasma infection, namely myositis. However, the same patient recently represented after an interval of 3 years with the same symptoms. He gave a 4-day history of nausea, anorexia, lethargy and night sweats. This was followed by myalgia affecting his thighs and lower back, and on the day of admission, jaundice and pruritus. On examination he was deeply jaundiced, had fever of 37.5°C and a sinus tachcardia. Abdominal examination revealed tenderness in the right hypochondrium, no viscera were enlarged. His quadriceps were noted to be slightly wasted, tender and weak. All reflexes were normal and plantar responses flexor. Investigations revealed a total white cell count of 5.9 x 109/1 Liver function showed a bilirubin of 200.mol/l (normal ranges 1-26), alkaline phosphatase 371 U/l (7-320), aspartate transaminase 3387 IU/1 (5-30). His creatine kinase was grossly elevated at over 40,000 U/I (1 -200) and no myoglobin was detected in his urine. An infection screen excluded recent Mycoplasma pneumoniae, chlamydia, Coxiella burnettii, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, influenza A and B infection. Hepatitis B serology was negative but IgM and IgG antibodies to hepatitis A were both detected indicating recent infection. His antinuclear factor and liver autoantibodies were negative. Seven days later, his creatine kinase had fallen to 596 U/I and after 3 weeks was normal. At 3 weeks his bilirubin had fallen to 50 Jimol/l, with a normal alkaline phosphatase and an aspartate transaminase of 92 U/l. We feel that this patient has a particular tendency to develop acute myositis in association with acute intercurrent infections and that this problem should not be considered as a specific complication of Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The occurrence of severe myositis in association with acute viral illness is well documented2 although the mechanisms are not clear. K. Spillane I.M. Chesner Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK.


Purpose. To determine the clinical factors that modify the recovery time for gait after Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in childhood. Method. Medical records of patients admitted to Instituto de Ortopedia Infantil Roosevelt (IOIR) between years 1991 and 2001, were reviewed. Age, sex, cranial nerve impairment, requirement of assisted ventilation, number of days of assisted ventilation, muscular strength at day 10 of the disease, presence of quadriplegia, intravenous infusion of human gamma globulins (IVIG), were taken as independent variables. The number of needed days to reach Hughes State III was taken as the major outcome. First, univariate analysis was performed and with the factors that showed a statistically significant association with recovery time, multiple linear regression analysis and Cox regression were also performed. Results. Data of 332 children under 15 years old was collected. (Mean age: 7.1 years). A sample of 215 children was gathered for the study, all of them were regarded as functional states IV or V. Acute Motor Axonal Neuropathy (AMAN) was found in 30% of all cases. In the univariate analysis Cranial nerve impairment, requirement of assisted ventilation, presence of quadriplegia and presence of non-excitable motor nerves were associated with delayed motor recovery time. Patients who received IVIG reached Hughes state III faster than those who received only support treatment. This finding, that was more important in the presence of Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP), lost its value in the Cox regression analysis. In the multivariate analysis, muscular strength, assessed at day 10 of the disease was the most important predictor to determine motor recovery. The presence of quadriplegia was strongly associated with a delayed recovery time. Relative risk: 3.3 (95% Confidence Interval 2.1 – 5.2). Conclusions. Muscular strength at day 10 of the disease is the most useful clinical factor to determine prognosis of motor recovery in children who have suffered Guillain-Barré syndrome.


The purpose of this study was to analyze the implementation of human resource development applied at PT. Wijayaperkasa Indah Mojokerto. PT. Wijayaperkasa Indah is a manufacturing company engaged in the processing of logs into semi-finished and finished wood materials and is included in the wood building goods industry. Human resource development applied at PT. Wijayaperkasa Indah is through training and promotion. There are obstacles in the implementation of the training in the form of employee indiscipline in participating in the training and the lack of employee awareness of the importance of the training provided so that employees are not enthusiastic in participating in the training so that many employees do not attend even though employees who attend training properly will be rewarded in the form of promotions. Employees are not disciplined in attending training because the training is not in accordance with the need to work more efficiently and effectively according to company standards so that the results of wood products produced by the production division of PT. Wijayaperkasa Indah still has high product damage. This product damage indicates that the work skills in the production division have stagnated so that the company's management develops human resources to improve employee skills through training.


Morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge are two (among many) components of multi-faceted word knowledge critical for language development and ultimately, academic performance, as they strongly correlate with other essential, literacy-related skills, such as spelling, writing and reading comprehension (Ramirez, Chen, Geva & Kiefer, 2010). Developing these types of knowledge is a non-linear process for school-age children: morphological awareness, in particular, involves long-term learning towards a full mastery beginning in mid-dle childhood and continuing through adolescence. Such learning processes can pose significant challenges especially for children attending a school entirely in a second language (L2) while speaking, as a first language (L1), a language which is ethno-linguistically minority in status in the larger (L2) society. Despite globally growing populations of L2 children in school settings, little is known about the nature of morphological/vocabulary knowledge in one language, relative to the other, especially when children are learning two typologically distant languages with different writing systems. The current study, situated within the theoretical framework of multicompetence (Cook, 2003), set out to investigate specific aspects of vocabulary knowledge and morphological awareness in different groups of English- and Japanese-speaking monolingual and bilingual children, whilst also examining the extent to which English morphological awareness influences/or is influenced by Japanese morphological awareness among the bilingual sample. The purpose of the study is largely three-fold. One was to examine the children's ability to understand and express a connection between a word and its meaning. The former taps into receptive vocabulary knowledge, whereas the latter expressive vocabulary knowledge. Two vocabulary tests were administered to three groups of children per language: two bilingual groups (24 Japanese learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) and 21 learners of Japanese as a Heritage Language (JHL)) and a group of 25 English Language Monolinguals (ELMs) (English); and ESLs, JHLs and a group of 27 Japanese language Monolinguals (JLMs) (Japanese). The second purpose was to investigate the children's ability to identify morphemes included in a word and also to produce inflectional and derivational forms of a word, using two morphological tasks per language – a Word Segmentation (WS) task and a Word Analogy (WA) task. Lastly, the current study examined, through statistical analyses, the nature of an association between morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge in each language, and also whether morphological awareness in one language could act as a significant predictor of morphological awareness in the other, i.e., cross-linguistic influence. Four key findings were obtained. First, the patterns in which each group demonstrated vocabulary knowledge through English tests contrasted with the pattern observed in the Japanese results. In English, the ESL group scored more highly on the receptive test than the expressive test, whereas the reverse pattern was the case for the ELM group. The JHL group yielded comparable scores across tests. In Japanese, in contrast, all three groups (ESL/JHL/JLM) scored more highly on the expressive test than on the receptive test. Second, all groups of children typically demonstrated higher degrees of an awareness of inflectional morphemes than of derivational morphemes in the English morphological tasks (both the WS and WA tasks) and the Japanese WA task. A slightly different pattern was observed in the Japanese WS task, where the performances of ESL and JLM children were not sensitive to morpheme type, whereas the JHL group yielded higher scores on the inflectional morphemes than the root morphemes. As regards the relationship between morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge in each language, in English, it was the ability to produce morphologically complex items, as opposed to recognising morphemes, that was positively related to vocabulary knowledge in all three groups (ESLs, JHLs & ELMs). In Japanese, in contrast, both morpheme recognition and production were positively related to vocabulary knowledge in all Japanese-speaking groups (ESLs, JHLs & JLMs). Lastly, the bilingual data identified a reciprocal nature of morphological transfer (Japanese -> English) only in the ESL group. More specifically, the ESL children's ability to identify morphemes in Japanese words through segmentation may have a positive influence on the ability to produce English inflectional and derivational items. The latter ability is, in addition, likely to play a positive role in its Japanese equivalent, namely, the ability to produce Japanese inflectional and derivational items. No transfer effects were established in either direction for the JHL group. These within-language and cross-linguistic investigations of the nature of, and the relationship between morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge are discussed in terms of the existing evidence in the literature (e.g., Carlisle, 2000; Ramirez at al.,2010) and are graphically illustrated via the integration continuum based on the notion of multicompetence (Cook, 2003). Several limitations of the current study are reviewed and discussed, fol-lowed by the Conclusion chapter, where the unique contribution of the current study to the literature is revisited, together with a brief remark about its indirect links with the field of educational research in Japan and suggestions for future research.