ABSTRACT:
 Water samples from 11 belowground stormwater treatment Best Management Practices (BMPs) were evaluated for their capacity to support rapid development of the West Nile virus (WNV) mosquito vector, Culex quinquefasciatus. The observed minimum development time from egg to pupa ranged from six to over 30 days. Concentrations of potential food resources (total suspended solids and the particulate organic matter in water samples) were significantly correlated to development times. In addition, the rate of immature mosquito development was both site-dependent and variable in time, suggesting that factors favorable to rapid development were strongly influenced by watershed characteristics and seasonal changes in temperature. Measured temperatures in belowground BMPs suggest that these structures may remain amenable to WNV virus activity longer each year than sites aboveground.


Less than 2% of Lagerstatten with fossil vertebrate remains have yielded anything more than fragments of jaw material and other bones. One such exceptional deposit is the former oil shale mine of 'Grube Messel', located about 30 km south east of Frankfurt am Main. Articulated skeletons of various fish, salamanders, frogs, turtles, lizards, snakes, crocodiles, birds and mammals, as well as several hundred insects and plant remains, have been recovered, particularly during the last decade. The quality of preservation is truly exceptional. In many cases not only are the skeletons articulated, but the outlines of the entire body are preserved as black silhouettes. Sometimes even the contents of the digestive tract are available for investigation. Apart from the fish that formerly lived in the lake, the most frequent fossils found are flying creatures such as birds, bats and insects. Clearly, the lake acted as some kind of trap for these animals. The different modes of preservations are reviewed and the factors involved in this example of special preservation discussed.


The cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF(alpha)) may act within the neural circuitry of the medullary dorsal vagal complex (DVC) to affect changes in gastric function such as gastric stasis, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. The definitive demonstration that endogenously generated TNF(alpha) is acting within the DVC circuitry to affect these changes has been impeded by the lack of an antagonist for TNF(alpha). The present studies used localized central nervous system microinjections of the TNF-adsorbant construct (TNFR:Fc) to specifically neutralize the ability of endogenously produced TNF(alpha) to activate NST neurons. Our studies reveal that TNFR:Fc suppresses induction of cFos normally evoked by TNF(alpha). These results validate our hypothesis that circulating TNF(alpha) may act directly within the DVC to affect gastric function in a variety of pathophysiological states.


A modified Maxwell bridge has been made from several sets of Wilkins resistors and two boxes combined with a capacitor and a conductance with a IVD. The paper proposes a method that can eliminate the effect of the resistance time constant and emphasizes how to design a source balance network.


Giardiasis is the most common waterborne parasitic infection of the human intestine worldwide. The etiological agent, Giardia duodenalis (syn. G. intestinalis, G. lamblia), is a flagellated, binucleated protozoan parasite which infects a wide array of mammalian hosts. Human giardiasis is a true cosmopolitan pathogen, with highest prevalence in developing countries. Giardiasis can present with a broad range of clinical manifestations from asymptomatic, to acute or chronic diarrheal disease associated with abdominal pain and nausea. Most infections are self-limiting, although re-infection and chronic infection can occur. Recent evidence indicating that Giardia may cause chronic post-infectious gastrointestinal complications have made it a topic of intense research. The causes of the post-infectious clinical manifestations due to Giardia, even after complete elimination of the parasite, remain obscure. This review offers a state-of-the-art discussion on the long-term consequences of Giardia infections, from extra-intestinal manifestations, growth and cognitive deficiencies, to post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome. The discussion also sheds light on some of the novel mechanisms recently implicated in the production of these post-infectious manifestations.


Using a qualitative case study approach, this study looked at the educational activities that constitute a typical day in a homeschool family and the role that the parent has within those activities. Three homeschooling families with high school students in a single community in a southern state in the United States participated in the case study. Data was collected using observations, field notes, interviews and artifacts. Analysis of the data pointed to an eclectic mix of instructional modalities and activities used by families. Students often participated in a variety of instructional activities such as online courses, private tutors, and self-taught classes through the use of a flexible daily schedule. Parents were seen to be more of a facilitator or director of educational activities for their children rather than the direct providers of instruction in the homeschool setting.


Abstract This article presents the results of a series of thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) analyses of a set of disc experiments carried out by Patching et al. The authors have previously calculated the heat partition at each load stage fromthe experimental data, and the present work seeks to compare the heat partition developed in a thermal EHL analysis of the lubricant film with that calculated from the experiments. These EHL analyses show that the heat partition depends on the non-Newtonian formulation used. Only when the dissipation takes place by wall slip occurring at the faster moving surface do the heat partition results approach those determined from the experimental results. It is concluded that this combination of experimental heat partition results with associated EHL analysis can prove to be a much more discerning test of rheological behaviour in EHL contacts than is provided by measurement of traction.


To the Editor:— Drs. Rivers and Patno ( 207 :1328, 1969) have clearly demonstrated that cyclophosphamide and melphalan are equally effective chemotherapeutic agents in plasma cell myeloma. I am impressed, however, by the striking difference between the median survival of the placebo group from an earlier study (15 weeks) and that of the "no response" group of the present series (48 weeks). Is it possible to attribute this threefold increase in longevity to the use of drugs despite any objective or subjective response data? It has become increasingly apparent that survival in many hematopoietic malignancies including Hodgkin's disease and plasma cell myeloma is a function not only of chemotherapy or radiotherapy but also relates to the number of objective and subjective prognostic factors present during initial evaluation. 1 An intriguing possibility is that with increased diagnostic acumen, including immunoelectrophoresis, myeloma patients are being uncovered at an earlier stage of their disease. In


In this paper, two dynamic spectrum sharing models are proposed, namely a Markov-chain model and a queue-based model in order, to evaluate the performance of CRAHNs, where the shared Primary Channels (PCs) are complemented by unshared Secondary Channels (SCs). The new contribution of this paper is as follows. Firstly, our Markov-chain model is extendable to any practical number of PCs and SCs and remains accurate for any practical Primary User (PU) and Secondary User (SU) tele-traffic intensity. As a benefit, our technique accurately estimates the maximum number of Secondary Users Per Second (NSUPS) supported by a system, both by queuing analysis and by the Markov-chain model. In addition to our Markov-chain model, we also conceive queue-based models, which generally impose a lower modeling complexity than that of Markov-chain models, although at the cost of being more inaccurate. Our numerical results confirm the reduced evaluation complexity and improved accuracy of the proposed models and analysis.


Superior orbital fissure syndrome is a complex of cranial nerve impairment that affects the CN III, IV, V and VI all of which enters the orbit through the superior orbital fissure. Superior Orbital fissure syndrome occurs as a result of compression of all or some of these nerves passing through the fissure. Three major factors contributing to the syndrome includes traumatic injury, neoplasm and inflammation. This article takes into account the various data previously reported in literature and aims at providing a detailed knowledge about the anatomy of the superior orbital fissure to provide a better understanding about the syndrome.


We use a synoptic sampling of stream water to quantify the effect of soil type, rock type, deforestation extent determined by Landsat TM imagery, and urban population density on stream solute concentrations for 60 different watersheds in the dry season and 49 in the wet season in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon basin. Catchment areas range between 18 and 12,500 km2. Soil exchangeable cation content explains most of the variance in stream concentrations of cations, dissolved silicon (Si), and acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) in both forested and deforested basins based on regression analysis (R2 range 0.61–0.81), though the mechanism underlying the relationship is unknown. We use the relationship between soil exchangeable cation content and stream solute concentrations in forested catchments to estimate the predisturbance and postdisturbance signal concentrations of stream solutes for deforested watersheds. Signal concentrations of potassium (K), sodium (Na), and chloride (Cl) increase with deforestation extent for streams on gneiss, granite, and sedimentary rock in both the dry and wet seasons after the effect of soil type has been statistically removed. Sulfate (SO4) signal concentrations increase with deforestation extent in the dry season only. For catchments >40% deforested but with no urban populations, the ratios of disturbed to predisturbance stream concentrations range from 1.2 to 3.1 (K), 0.8 to 2.2 (Na), 0.7 to 2.7 (SO4), and 2.4 to 14.6 (Cl) in the dry season and 1.2 to 2.2 (K) and 0.6 to 3.4 (Cl) in the wet season. Urban population density strongly affects Cl and SO4 concentrations in both seasons and Na concentrations in the dry season; the urban signal comprises 40–58% of the dry season Cl signal and 83–89% of the wet season Cl signal for watersheds with >250 persons per km2. Streams on mica‐schist, mafic rock and carbonate shale have higher concentrations of Ca, Mg, Si, and ANC than watersheds on gneiss, granite, tertiary sediments or sandstone for a given soil exchangeable cation content in both seasons. Simple mass balance calculations suggest that supplemental cattle salts could comprise a significant fraction of the Na and Cl signals in the wet season but would not significantly impact wet season concentrations of Ca, Mg, or K.


The origins of the Albanian people have vexed linguists and historians for centuries, as Albanians first appear in the historical record in the 11th century CE, while their language is one of the most enigmatic branches of the Indo-European family. To identify the populations that contributed to the ancestry of Albanians, we undertake a genomic transect of the Balkans over the last 8000 years, where we analyse more than 6000 previously published ancient genomes using state-of-the-art bioinformatics tools and algorithms that quantify spatiotemporal human mobility. We find that modern Albanians descend from Roman era western Balkan populations, with additional admixture from Slavic-related groups. Remarkably, Albanian paternal ancestry shows continuity from Bronze Age Balkan populations, including those known as Illyrians. Our results provide an unprecedented understanding of the historical and demographic processes that led to the formation of modern Albanians and help locate the area where the Albanian language developed.


Several interventions used in treatment of depressive symptoms can enhance cardiovascular risk due to negative impacts on autonomic balance. Decreased vagal tone and/or excessive sympathetic nervous system activity have been noted in patients with depression. Heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV BFB) training may be able to reduce the cardiovascular risk for depressed patients by increasing the parasympathetic input to the heart. The results of published studies support that HRV BFB may be useful as an adjunctive treatment for patients with depression.


Despite advances in colon cancer research and novel therapies, high risk of recurrence remains a major challenge. This study reports miRNA expression profiling as a biomarker for the prognosis of TNM stage II and III colon cancer. Fresh frozen biopsies from the study cohort (N=111) were analyzed for miRNA by RT-qPCR and LASSO regression analysis was used to build a classifier of miRNAs. The prognostic accuracy was tested and the classifier was validated in an independent colon cohort (TCGA-COAD, N=209). The LASSO regression analysis identified a 16-miRNA signature including miR-143-5p, miR-27a-3p, miR-31-5p, miR-181a-5p, miR-30b-5p, miR-30d-5p, miR-146a-5p, miR-23a-3p, miR-150-5p, miR-210-3p, miR-25-3p, miR-196a-5p, miR-148a-3p, miR-222-3p, miR-30c-5p and miR-223-3p. A low 16-miRNA signature was associated with better 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) in the study cohort than a high signature (93 % versus 58 %; p< 0.001). The signature was an independent prognostic factor for better 5-year DFS in multivariate analyses (HR 21.4; 95% CI: 4.21-108.7; p< 0.001). The results in the validation cohort were consistent with the study cohort in univariate (77 % versus 65 %; p= 0.045) and multivariate analyses (HR 2.0; 95% CI: 1.04-3.89; p=0.039). We identified a 16-miRNA signature as a reliable prognostic biomarker for classification of colon cancer stage II and III patients into groups with low and high risk for recurrence.


OBJECTIVE
to assess the efficacy and safety of zolpidem modified release (MR) on an "as per needed basis" in patients with chronic insomnia.

METHODS
one hundred and thirty five adult patients with chronic insomnia were recruited. Participants received zolpidem MR 12.5 mg during a 12 weeks period. Severity and improvement of insomnia were assessed at baseline and at the end of study using the clinical global impression scale; sleep quality was assessed by the application of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; drug consumption behavior was evaluated through tablet counting; in addition its security was assessed by the registry of the adverse effects.

RESULTS
one hundred and fifteen patients completed the study; 83.7 % were considered improved or very improved, so that 66 % reached a normal or borderline condition. Twenty percent of subjects experienced adverse reactions; the most frequent were headache, excessive sleepiness, nausea and dizziness.

CONCLUSIONS
these data support the efficacy, safety and acceptance of zolpidem MR administered on an "as per needed" regimen for the treatment of chronic insomnia.


Medication adherence among older adults is far below the levels needed for clinical effectiveness from many medications. Control of hypertension prevents the development of further chronic disease and limits morbidity and mortality. This exploratory RCT tests an 8-week behavioral feedback-based intervention to improve medication adherence and blood pressure control among older adults with hypertension. Fifteen adults aged 60 years and older were randomized to intervention or control groups. At 12 weeks post-randomization, outcomes were improved in the intervention group versus control group for medication adherence (Cohen's d = 1.35), systolic blood pressure (d = 0.99), and diastolic blood pressure (d = 1.12). The intervention was wellreceived by study participants, and outcomes show promise for improving adherence and blood pressure outcomes.


Capture into the K shell of the projectile of an electron corresponding to a e--e+ pair created in the target nucleus is studied at ultrarelativistic impact energies. A plane-wave Born approximation is developed. Analytical double differential cross sections as a function of the scattering angle and of the final energy of the positron are obtained. Calculations for the H++H+, H++U92+, U92++H+ and U92++U92+ systems are presented. Saturation effects are predicted for ultra-high collision velocities. It is shown that at sufficiently high impact energy the mechanism studied here can dominate the K-shell-K-shell electron capture process.


Lentigo maligna is an in situ melanoma which usually affects sun-damaged skin on the head and neck. In patients with lentigo maligna, the clinically visible demarcation often correlates poorly with the histopathologically confirmed demarcation. Micrograhic surgery of lentigo maligna offers certainty of the presence of clear histological margins and is at the same time tissue sparing. Because of the clear margins after micrographic surgery, this technique leads to fewer recurrences than standard excision.


Vancomycin is the most frequently used antibiotic, accounting for up to 35% of hospitalized patients with infection, because of its optimal bactericidal effectiveness and relatively low price. Vancomycin-associated AKI (VA-AKI) is a clinically relevant but not yet clearly understood entity in critically ill patients. The current review comprehensively summarizes the pathophysiological mechanisms of, biomarkers for, preventive strategies for, and some crucial issues with VA-AKI. The pathological manifestations of VA-AKI include acute tubular necrosis, acute tubulointerstitial nephritis (ATIN), and intratubular crystal obstruction. The proposed pathological mechanisms of VA-AKI include oxidative stress and allergic reactions induced by vancomycin and vancomycin-associated tubular casts. Concomitant administration with other nephrotoxic antibiotics, such as piperacillin–tazobactam, high vancomycin doses, and intermittent infusion strategies compared to the continuous infusion are associated with a higher risk of VA-AKI. Several biomarkers could be applied to predict and diagnose VA-AKI. To date, no promising therapy is available. Oral steroids could be considered for patients with ATIN, whereas hemodialysis might be applied to remove vancomycin from the patient. In the future, disclosing more promising biomarkers that could precisely identify populations susceptible to VA-AKI and detect VA-AKI occurrence early on, and developing pharmacological agents that could prevent or treat VA-AKI, are the keys to improve the prognoses of patients with severe infection who probably need vancomycin therapy.


To take better advantage of cloud storage, it is necessary to migrate traditional application to the cloud. In existing cloud storage platforms, files are divided into chunks and redundantly stored, but in such circumstances, random file write may lead to much delay. It is quite common to access file randomly in traditional applications, therefore the performance of traditional application will be reduced after being migrated to the cloud. In order to solve the problem, we propose the idea of adding client-side caching to augment the cloud storage. In this way, most data access operations are executed on client-side rather than in cloud. File write delay and the cloud load will be reduced consequently. With this point in mind, we designed and implemented LabCloud. Similar with other block/file cloud storages, the system is designed to be chunk layout, but a hybrid caching file system CFS is complemented on the client-side. CFS could be mounted on client-side file system, and is compatible with POSIX file system interface, thus traditional application deployed in local host can be configured and running in it without modification. In this paper we describe the design and implementation of LabCloud and evaluate the system by test suites and experiments. Results demonstrate that it meets the requirement of most traditional applications, and the performance of random file access in cloud is improved.


The inherent features of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) make them highly attractive for uranium recovery applications. A key aspect yet to be explored is how to improve the selectivity and efficiency of COFs for recovering uranium from seawater. To achieve this goal, a series of robust and hydrophilic benzoxazole-based COFs is developed (denoted as Tp-DBD, Bd-DBD, and Hb-DBD) as efficient adsorbents for photo-enhanced targeted uranium recovery. Benefiting from the hydroxyl groups and the formation of benzoxazole rings, the hydrophilic Tp-DBD shows outstanding stability and chemical reduction properties. Meanwhile, the synergistic effect of the hydroxyl groups and the benzoxazole rings in the π-conjugated frameworks significantly decrease the optical band gap, and improve the affinity and capacity to uranium recovery. In seawater, the adsorption capacity of uranium is 19.2× that of vanadium, a main interfering metal in uranium extraction.


Restriction fragments containing the major outer-membrane protein (MOMP) gene from two nonhuman (rodent) strains of Chlamydia trachomatis, the mouse pneumonitis (MoPn) strain and the SFPD strain isolated from hamsters with transmissible proliferative ileitis, were cloned and sequenced. The MOMP genes of both MoPn and SFPD encode an identical 22-amino acid leader peptide and mature polypeptides of 365 and 382 amino acids, respectively. Alignment of the MOMP genes of the two rodent strains revealed 91% identity. By comparison with other known chlamydial MOMP gene sequences, there was 80%-83% identity with human biovars strains of C. trachomatis, and there was 69%-70% identity with C. psittaci and C. pneumoniae strains. The main differences in these sequences were clustered into four variable domains. A minimum-length evolutionary tree was constructed on the basis of the MOMP gene variable positions by using PIMA package software. The minimum mutation distances indicated that (i) the MOMP genes of all chlamydial strains may have evolved from a common ancestor; (ii) all the strains of C. trachomatis compose one of the subtrees, and strains of C. psittaci and C. pneumoniae compose the other subtree; and (iii) in the C. trachomatis subtree, the human and the rodent strains are divided into two clusters. The branching pattern of this evolutionary tree is generally consistent with current classification based on serological, morphological, and other biological characteristics.


Project teams represent both a mechanism for accomplishing work and an opportunity for learning within organizations. This paper investigates how an organization can learn from its project teams. It presents a case study of a complete experiential learning cycle within a single organization's new product development process. Post-mortem feedback was collected from the broad spectrum of organizational participants and the ten project teams that were operating simultaneously. This feedback was analyzed using an issue-focused approach, and learning was assessed based on actionable knowledge: the changes made to the process for future projects


Introduction. The article is devoted to territorial interethnic disputes in the North Caucasus of the Russian Federation, both "frozen" and ongoing, and their impact on regional political processes. Materials and methods. The theoretical and methodological foundations of the study are the concept of ethnic boundaries and social distance by F. Barth, the works on ethnopolitical conflicts by D. Horowitz, M. Toft, as well as the research of Russian scientists, such as A.V. Avksentiev, D.A. Dmitriev and others. For the North Caucasus, the issue of land ownership, the historical territory of the people has always been painful, it has been the main reason for and factor of interethnic distancing. This research is based on: 1) analysis of official documents of federal and regional authorities; 2) studying declarations of ethic movements and interviews of politicians; 3) media monitoring; 4) classification and situational analysis. Results. The considered territorial disputes in the North Caucasus can be classified in terms of the  factors underlying the conflicts: territorial disputes as consequences of deportation (North Ossetia and Ingushetia, Dagestan); the problem of divided peoples (Lezgins); disputes over unsettled land ownership (Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia and Dagestan); disputes over administrative boundaries (Chechnya and Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan). Discussion and conclusion. Taking into account the fact of significance of the "historical territory" for the North Caucasian peoples, the resolution of territorial disputes should be carried out with respect for historical memory, with the involvement of conciliation procedures that have strong traditional foundations in North Caucasian societies. Territorial conflicts and grievances lead to mobilization of the people, the growth of protest moods and regional political instability, therefore land issues should be resolved with the involvement of the public opinion. This will help to avoid clashes on an ethno-territorial basis and increase the trust in the authorities.


Infrastructure restructuring is one of the major elements of structural reforms in transition economies because of its expected large economic and social impact. This paper aims at assessing the role of infrastructure policy on the economic development in transition countries in general and on Ukraine in particular. We test the relationship between infrastructure policy and economic growth, though this test is carried out at a very aggregate level due to data problems. According to our estimations the government can make an indirect contribution to economic development by enhancing competition and efficiency within the infrastructure industries. The paper also develops a framework to analyse and compare infrastructure policies across transition countries, and provides a detailed survey of infrastructure policies in Ukraine. We conclude that the major element of reforms should be tariff reform, carried out concurrently with commercialisation and deregulation of the sector.


Background: The aim of this study is to compare acetabular anteversion between children with Down syndrome with or without hip instability. The second aim is to report the surgical experience at our institution in treating unstable hips for this population. Methods: All children with Down syndrome who were seen at our institution between 2004 and 2014 were reviewed, and those who had pelvic axial computed tomographic or magnetic resonance imaging scans were identified. Acetabular anteversion was compared between 2 groups: those with hip instability as a single hip pathology and those without hip instability. For patients who had surgery for their unstable hips, demographic, clinical, and surgical data were recorded. Preoperative and last visit radiographs were reviewed. Extrusion index and Tonnis, Sharp, lateral center edge, and neck shaft angles were measured. Presence of Shenton's line disruption, crossover, and posterior wall signs were recorded. Independent and paired t test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and &khgr;2 test were used with a significance level at 0.05. Results: Out of 308 children with Down syndrome, there were 10 patients with 13 unstable hips and 13 patients with 26 stable hips who had computed tomographic or magnetic resonance imaging scans. Age and sex distributions were similar (P>0.3) with no difference in acetabular anteversion (P=0.926) between them. Twelve patients (6 boys and 6 girls) had reconstruction for 17 hips. The mean age was 9 years (3 to 15 y) and the mean follow-up was 7 years (1.2 to 17.6 y). Five hips were painful preoperatively and 1 hip was painful at last visit. Radiographic measurements improved significantly (P<0.05). Shenton's line disruption was found in fewer hips (P=0.001) at last visit with no difference in the crossover and posterior wall signs (P=0.177). Conclusions: This report suggests that a wide range of acetabular anteversion measurements exist in children with Down syndrome. After detailed anatomic study of the hip, good results with a low complication rate can be expected over the intermediate term after hip reconstruction. Level of Evidence: Level IV—prognostic and therapeutic study.


The modern society is getting more and more digitalized and the concept Internet
of Things is growing. The data being collected and digital services require a place
to be accessed and sold, thus setting the demand for a new kind of marketplace; an
online IoT focused marketplace. The large EU supported open source platform for
Smart Solutions, FIWARE, has created such a marketplace, namely the Business
API Ecosystem (BAE). This paper aims to evaluate and review the BAE, giving
a quality evaluation as well as comparing it to contemporary alternatives. This
will help interested parties to make an educated decision when choosing an IoT
marketplace.
The evaluation was done with a hands-on approach where the BAE was explored.
The program was looked at from the perspective of both the administrator
and the users. It was installed, configured, tested and exploratory used. A custom
front-end was created to investigate its modifiability and the usability of its APIs.
Performance testing of the APIs was also done.
The results of the evaluation shows that the Business API Ecosystem is a
viable option for an IoT marketplace of high quality. However, it is a relatively
young and small project that which, without the use of plugins and other software,
lacks some much wanted IoT related functionality.


The source mechanism of underground nuclear explosions is remarkably different from that of earthquakes in both spatial radiation pattern and source time-function (STF). Small underground nuclear explosions can be used as empirical Green's functions (EGF) to isolate the source-time spectrum of a large suspected earthquake occurred in a Nuclear Test Site (target area) by the spectral division method. As this study shows, with high-quality data, the quotient spectrum can be transformed to the time domain, yielding the apparent far-field source-time function of the large suspected event. The relative source time-function (RSTF) of a nuclear explosion is usually a simple pulse with a duration of about 1 s., while an earthquake's is more complicated with a series of pulses and a longer duration. The RSTF can be used as a nice discriminant to distinguish the nature earthquakes from underground nuclear explosions in target areas.


Full length cDNAs encoding alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), fructose-1,6-biphosphate aldolase (ALD), nodule-enhanced malate dehydrogenase (neMDH), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), and nodule-enhanced sucrose synthase (neSS) were isolated from a pea (Pisum sativum L.) root nodule cDNA library and characterized. Transcript abundance and cellular expression patterns for each gene were examined at different stages of nodule development. All the genes were expressed prior to the induction of nitrogenase suggesting a developmental signal as the initial trigger for expression. RNA tissue blots demonstrated that all the genes except ALD exhibit enhanced expression in effective nodules. In situ hybridization studies showed contrasting patterns of gene expression within various nodule zones. The highest expression of ADH was observed in interzone. ALD was expressed predominantly in nodule meristem, invasion zone and interzone. The neSS transcripts were found rather uniformly throughout the nodule. Expression of neMDH and PEPC was also detected throughout the nodule, but the highest levels were associated with interzone and N2-fixing zone.


Objective To identify the knowledge, attitude, practice (KAP) of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy among Saudi patients with diabetes in Riyadh Saudi Arabia.Methods A cross sectional study that was conducted in 50 randomly selected primary care centers and two university hospitals, involving diabetic patients that are 18 years and older during May 2018 and December 2018 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, using a validated KAP-45 questionnaire to assess the KAP levels of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy.Results A total of 313 participants were enrolled in the study. Most of them 168(59.8%) were males and 38(12.3%) were illiterate and 141(45.4%) had at least a bachelor's degree. Most of them had a family history of DM and long standing history of DM The average knowledge score for diabetes was good and was suboptimal for diabetic retinopathy. While the attitude scores for both diabetes and diabetic retinopathy were suboptimal. Meanwhile the average practice score for diabetes was good and was low for diabetic retinopathy.Conclusions Findings observed in our study stress on the importance of improving education and awareness as it's the key for controlling the disease and reducing its complications.


Many patients on the intensive care unit have tracheostomies sited, following which some clinicians advocate that they should be fed via a nasogastric tube, as taking food orally might present a risk of aspiration. However, nasogastric (NG) tubes also have associated risks, harms and costs. The Royal Bolton Hospital is a district general hospital in the UK with an 8-bedded, mixed medical/surgical intensive care unit admitting around 430 level 3 patients per year. We describe our clinical practice in terms of a liberal attitude to offering oral feed to a selected group of patients with tracheostomies in situ. We postulate that this approach has several advantages and that the balance between risk and benefit must be assessed in each individual case. Expert assessment by Speech and Language therapists can help these judgements. Some beliefs regarding aspiration risk in patients with tracheostomies lack supporting evidence.


In many European countries, the majority of workers have their wages directly defined by industry-level agreements. In addition, for some workers, industry agreements are complemented by firm-specific agreements. This paper provides a critical survey of the effects of this two-tier bargaining system on the structure of wages in Europe and more particularly in Belgium. Empirical findings almost always show that firm-level agreements have a positive and significant effect on workers' wages. The impact on the dispersion of wages, however, is ambiguous. This is partially due to the varying degree of centralisation of collective bargaining across countries and industries.


This paper presents a new sensorless switched reluctance drive system. By suitably shaping an induced voltage in an inactive phase which is adjacent to an energized phase of a switched reluctance motor, the shaft position of the rotor can be easily obtained. First, the theoretical analysis of the proposed method is presented. By systematic theoretical analysis, a voltage signal which can easily estimate the shaft position of the motor is derived. This signal is only related to the input DC voltage of the converter, and the self and mutual inductances of the motor. After that, the design for a simple circuit which can synthesize the required voltage signal for rotor position estimation is presented. Next, how a 32-bit microprocessor system is used to execute the position and speed estimation, speed-loop control, and current-commands generation is shown. Several experimental results validate the theoretical analysis. This paper presents a new direction in the design and implementation of a sensorless switched reluctance drive system.


Background Accelerated atherosclerosis (AE) and increased arterial stiffness are comorbidities of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and are related to the inflammatory burden of the disease, as well as to certain clinical and genetic characteristics of the disease. There is controversy about the role of ACPA in the development of AE in these patients. Objectives To explore the relation between ACPA and RF titres and subclinical vascular damage in RA patients. Methods Descriptive cross-sectional study with analytical components. A total of 244 RA patients were recruited consecutively over a period of 18 months (2013–2014) in a rheumatology department of a tertiary hospital. Patients with high vascular risk (vascular ischemic events, renal failure and diabetes mellitus) were excluded. Demographics, clinical data (ACPA and RF titres, duration of disease, hypertension and dyslipidemia) and vascular damage (atheroma plaque, carotid intima thickness [IMTc] and pulse wave velocity [PWV]) were collected. The atheroma plaque and IMTc measurement was performed by ultrasonography of the carotid arterial tree using an Esaote® MyLab70XVG with a 7–12 MHz linear transducer and an automated program measuring intima-media thickness (IMT) through radiofrequency (Quality intima media Thickness in real time, QIMT). PWV was obtained by analysis of brachial pulse waves with an automated and validated system (Mobil O Graph®). Statistical analysis was performed with the SPSS 17.0 program. Results We included 181 patients, 141 (77.9%) women and 40 (22.1%) men, with a mean age of 60.4 years (SD 13.2) and a mean duration of the disease of 13.1 years (SD 10.5); 107 patients (59.1%) were smokers or ex-smokers, 56 (30.9%) hypertensive and 77 (42.5%) dyslipemic. 118 patients (65.2%) had positive ACPA, with a mean value of 330 (SD 621.5), and 107 (59.1%) had a positive value of RF with a mean of 114 (SD 164.5). No association was found between the positivity of ACPA and RF and the presence of atheroma plaques or with the values of IMTc and/or PWV. In patients with positive ACPA, a positive correlation was observed between ACPA titers and PWV values (p<0.05). In particular, ACPA titers over 1600 were the ones that discriminated the highest values of PWV in our population (p<0.009). The ACPA and RF values, on the other hand, were not related to the presence of plaques or to IMTc. Conclusions No relation was found between the positivity of RF and ACPA titers and the presence of pathological carotid ultrasound in our RA patient population. However, higher arterial stiffness was observed in patients with high ACPA titers. Disclosure of Interest None declared


In this paper we discuss processes of slope denudation during the Holocene in the hilly area near Sendai.We gave it our general consideration of the history of local geomorphic environments and hillslope development based on the analyses of sediments located in isolated depressions, including pollen analyses, radiocarbon datings and plant communitical data. The main results are as follows.1. Three periods of hillslope instability are identified: 1) before 9, 000y.B.P., 2) between 6, 000 and 2, 500y.B.P., with a prominent period between 6, 000 and 5, 000y.B.P., and 3) after 1, 000y.B.P. The unstable period between 6, 000 and 5, 000y.B.P. is contemporaneous with the Hypsithermal epoch (Fig. 4).2. It is not yet certain that the unstable period after 1, 000y.B.P. can be wholly attributed to soil erosion caused by human impacts on natural vegetation.3. Palynological analysis is useful for the clarification of slope conditions at various in time, for increases and decreases of pollen grains of certain plants which reflect geomorphological conditions, (especially Zelkova, Ulmus, Carpinus, Fraxinus and Fagus), enable one to determine micro-topographical changes on hillslopes.4. Different kind of denudation process on hillslope, i.e. soil creep on crest slope in the stable period (Fig. 7a) and small surface failure of slump type on side slope in the unstable period (Fig. 7b), has characterized present hillslope morphology.


John Seely Brown, director of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, is the editor of this collection of "Harvard Business Reviews" articles on how innovation occurs differently in today's organizational structures, with new technological tools and new global perspectives. This collection has a broad reach, from relatively technical articles to wide-ranging pieces on strategy, which provides a unique, eclectic, and integrated perspective on innovation.


Two hundred and four patients with reflux oesophagitis and hiatal hernia were operated on by a modified Allison's technique and followed up for one to 10 years. To avoid surgical bias, the clinical and radiological findings were assessed by the co-author, a radiologist. Ages, type of hernia, symptoms, coexisting pathology, and operative technique are described. The late follow-up includes an assessment of patients' opinions of their operation and residual symptoms and a review of the radiological findings. The management of 25 patients with fibrous strictures is described. Factors preventing reflux are discussed. Current operative procedures for reflux oesophagitis are reviewed. In this series of 204 cases, five patients, that is 2·5%, were surgical failures. They were all dissatisfied with their operation and their symptoms had not improved; radiologically three of them showed reflux or an irreducible hiatal hernia. This failure rate is not considered unreasonable and the modified Allison's procedure is therefore recommended for patients with reflux oesophagitis.


Objectives: To compare the need for mechanical cervical dilatation following vaginal misoprostol or synthetic osmotic dilator (Dilapan-S) usage for cervical preparation before operative hysteroscopy. Materials and Methods: Fifty-five premenopausal women scheduled for operative hysteroscopic procedures with a 26 Fr resectoscope were included in this randomized, controlled clinical trial. After randomization, either 400 μg of vaginal misoprostol or intracervical synthetic osmotic dilator (Dilapan-S) was inserted 12 h before operative hysteroscopy. The need for additional mechanical cervical dilatation before insertion of the resectoscope was compared between the two groups. Initial cervical diameter before mechanical dilatation, intraoperative complications (cervical tears, creation of a false passage), and ease of dilatation were also compared between the two groups. Results: In the misoprostol group, 92% of women required additional mechanical cervical dilatation, whereas only 36% of women in the Dilapan-S group required additional dilatation (P < 0.05). The median initial cervical diameter achieved with Dilapan was 9 mm (Q1: 7 mm; Q3: 10 mm), and with misoprostol, it was 6 mm (Q1: 4.5 mm; Q3: 8 mm) (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in other outcome parameters between the two groups. Conclusion: Synthetic osmotic dilator (Dilapan-S) is more efficacious than vaginal misoprostol at ripening the cervix before operative hysteroscopy.


A flow visualization technique was developed to analyze flow distribution inside a dishwasher in this study. Then, a new design plan was proposed to improve the efficiency of the dishwasher by the analyzed results and it was confirmed experimentally by the developed technique. Gas flow fields inside a drying duct of a tub for a drying process was investigated by a developed PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) and a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) method. Also, the flow visualization technique was developed for the liquid flow field of a rotor-arm system to propose the improved design idea. Also, interactions between liquid and gas were observed around the rotor-arm system. The two-phase flow was modified to the liquid flow field because laser sheets are refracted when pass through the two-phase flow. Thus, the flow visualization techniques was developed in this study to measure the instantaneous flow velocities in the liquid quantitatively.


The book has two interrelated objectives. One objective is meta-theoretical and concerns the exploration of theoretical debates connected to issues of studying society and environmental problems; another objective is empirical/analytical, referring to the analysis of "green" public participation in the electricity and waste sectors in Sweden, and partly in the Netherlands as well as the UK. The metatheoretical part draws the conclusion that the ontology of critical realism, combined with a problem-subjectivist tenet, is a particularly fruitful basis for the social sciences in order to provide an understanding environmental conflicts. The empirical questions refer to preconditions and obstacles to public participations in the "greening" of the domestic practices related to electricity and waste. Methodologically, the empirical part is based on a combination of statistical data and comparative case study research, conducted through semi-structured interviews with local authorities, housing organizations, energy companies, a windpower cooperative, and households. The challenges of providers are divided into making visible, making acceptable, and making doable, based on both material and socio-political characteristics of the sectors. Households, in turn, face the challenges of constructing combinations of green identity as a foundation of their motivation: ecological, environmental, economic, and social green identities. The study shows how differences in identity-combinations across cases-although materially influenced-are rarely materially determined in any irrevocable way. Instead, policy reform may substantially strengthen the social support of action-motivating combinations of green identities.


In the first lecture, we looked at concepts from point set topology, the branch of topology that studies continuity from an analytical point of view. This view does not have a computational nature: we cannot represent infinite point sets or their associated infinite open sets on a computer. Starting with this lecture, we will look at concepts from another major branch of topology: combinatorial topology. This branch also studies connectivity, but does so by examining constructing complicated objects out of simple blocks, and deducing the properties of the constructed objects from the blocks. While our view of the world–our ontology–will be mostly combinatorial in nature, we will see concepts from point set topology reemerging under disguise, and we will be careful to expose them! In this lecture, we begin by learning about simple building blocks from which we may construct complicated spaces. Simplicial complexes are combinatorial objects that represent topological spaces. With simplicial complexes, we separate the topology of a space from its geometry, much like the separation of syntax and semantics in logic. Given the finite combinatorial description of a space, we are able to count, and the miracle of combinatorial topology is that counting alone enables us to make statements about the connectivity of a space. We shall experience a first instance of this marvelous theory in the Euler characteristic. This topological invariant gives a simple algorithm for classifying 2-manifolds, turning our existential classification from the last lecture into a computational method.


Recently, there has been a significant amount of work on the recognition of human emotions. The results of the work can be applied in real applications, for example in market survey or neuro-marketing. This interesting problem requires to recognize naturally human emotions which come from our mind but ignore the external expressions fully controlled by a subject. A popular approach uses key information from electroencephalography (EEG) signals to identify human emotions. In this paper, we proposed an emotion recognition model based on the Russell's circumplex model, Higuchi Fractal Dimension (HFD) algorithm and Support Vector Machine (SVM) as a classifier. Moreover, we also proposed a method to determine an emotion label of a series of EEG signals. Our model includes two main approaches in machine learning step. In a first approach, machine learning was utilized for all EEG signals from numerous subjects while another used machine learning for each particular subject. We extensively implemented our model in several test data. The experimental results showed that the first approach is impossible to apply in practical applications because EEG signal of each subject has individual characteristic. In addition, in the second, our model can recognize five basic states of human emotion in real-time with average accuracy 70.5%.


Obesity and overweight which have been tied to changes in the structural integrity of the blood-brain barrier, neuroinflammation, glucoregulation and decreased levels of neurotrophins, impacting structures in the central nervous system including some of the limbic system and prefrontal cortex related with cognitive deficit processes with perceiving, attending, memorizing, remembering and thinking, those involved in human behavior and learning. This research was mainly aimed at finding if there are alterations of cognitive processes: executive function, inhibitory control and working memory in undergraduate students diagnosed with normal weight, overweight and obesity. An observational, prospective, transversal and analytical study was performed on a sampling fee of 57 undergraduate students grouped into 3 categories based on Body Mass Index (BMI) of the FES Zaragoza, UNAM. The evaluation was done with neuropsychological tests taken from Neuropsi attention and memory, a significant decrease in the scores on the assessment deficit ranges from mild to severe of working memory in patients with BMI ≥25 compared with subjects with 18.5 to 24.9 BMI.


This paper presents an analysis of internal air temperatures measured hourly in the living rooms of 230 domestic buildings in the city of Leicester, UK. Time series analysis is used to identify the mechanisms that shape room temperatures, during the summertime period of July and August, in rooms that are neither mechanically heated nor cooled, and to develop empirical models of room temperatures for use in predicting future temperatures based on past measured values and on future weather conditions. Such models can enable overheating risk alerts for homeowners and public authorities to be more accurately estimated and targeted.


Purpose
Efficient numerical assessment of performance is particularly important in digital material design of porous materials. This study aims to present an up-scaled approach to virtually investigate permeation of fluids through a real porous filter membrane with a heterogeneous micro-structure.

Design/methodology/approach
The method of asymptotic homogenization is applied. The structural parameters of the micro-structure are directly obtained from structural equation modeling image analysis of a commercial filter membrane without fitting procedures. The simulation results are compared to permeation experiments of gaseous nitrogen and liquid water.

Findings
The authors found that variations in the pressure gradients across the membrane, resulting from the heterogeneity of pore structure, need to be considered. Remarkable agreement between simulations and experiments is observed.

Originality/value
Despite some research in the field of filtration, no studies on filter membranes have been published yet, although they represent a large segment of filtration technology.


BackgroundPharmacoeconomic analysis is increasingly being used to assist decision makers in getting the biggest "bang for the buck" within cost-constrained health care budgets. The tools and techniques of this science, however, have scarcely been applied to neuropathic pain. ObjectiveTo describe the basic principles of pharmacoeconomic analysis and set forth a preliminary pharmacoeconomic model of neuropathic pain. Key FindingsApplying the tools and techniques of pharmacoeconomic analysis to neuropathic pain yields several insights. First, because pain treatment predominantly benefits quality of life, the results of a pharmacoeconomic analysis of neuropathic pain treatment should be expressed in terms of the cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY)-gained metric. Second, because pain can fluctuate, a state-transition modeling approach should be used in constructing the pharmacoeconomic model to account for changes in pain status over time, particularly as relates to the effects of treatment. Finally, assessment of typical practice patterns in neuropathic pain suggests that the pharmacoeconomic model should account for multiple rounds of treatment (i.e., first-line therapy, second-line therapy, and so on), primary care to specialty care referral patterns, and differences in costs and outcomes between primary care physicians and pain specialists. ConclusionsPharmacoeconomic analysis of neuropathic pain treatments can play an influential role in formulary committee deliberations, treatment algorithms, and decision making in the clinical setting. By describing the fundamental concepts and key challenges in this field, it is hoped that this article will represent a useful first step toward a pharmacoeconomic model of neuropathic pain.


Background To compare diabetes risk assessment tools in estimating risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and to evaluate cardiometabolic risk profiles in a middle-aged Irish population. Methods Future risk of developing T2DM was estimated using 7 risk scores, including clinical measures with or without anthropometric, biological and lifestyle data, in the cross-sectional Mitchelstown cohort of 2,047 middle-aged men and women. Cardiometabolic phenotypes including markers of glucose metabolism, inflammatory and lipid profiles were determined. Results Estimates of subjects at risk for developing T2DM varied considerably according to the risk assessment tool used (0.3% to 20%), with higher proportions of males at risk (0–29.2% vs. 0.1–13.4%, for men and women, respectively). Extrapolated to the Irish population of similar age, the overall number of adults at high risk of developing T2DM ranges from 3,378 to 236,632. Numbers of non-optimal metabolic features were generally greater among those at high risk of developing T2DM. However, cardiometabolic profile characterisation revealed that only those classified at high risk by the Griffin (UK Cambridge) score displayed a more pro-inflammatory, obese, hypertensive, dysglycaemic and insulin resistant metabolic phenotype. Conclusions Most diabetes risk scores examined offer limited ability to identify subjects with metabolic abnormalities and at risk of developing T2DM. Our results highlight the need to validate diabetes risk scoring tools for each population studied and the potential for developing an Irish diabetes risk score, which may help to promote self awareness and identify high risk individuals and diabetes hot spots for targeted public health interventions.


Technical communicators have longed turned to audience, purpose, and context as they analyze situations. But Mirel's article demonstrates that audience-purpose-context is too weak a framework to handle the job of detailed sociopolitical analysis: not only is it inadequate for analyzing the needs of end users, it is also inadequate for analyzing situations within the writer's organization. In this response, this paper explores the weakness of audience-purpose-context and points to alternative sociopolitical frameworks.


ABSTRACT Between c.1825–1856, a French-born artist, Joseph Bouet, made approximately sixty pencil sketches of legal actors in the courtroom at Durham; including images of judges, lawyers, and defendants. Legal imagery from this period in North East England is rare and our research (presented in two parts) is the first detailed analysis of these sketches by legal scholars. This article introduces our preliminary analysis of Bouet's sketches. We explore potential theoretical approaches and demonstrate that the images show the law in practice in a specific nineteenth century context. The value of our analysis is in revealing what the images tell us about legal institutions, the people who worked within them and the 'objects/subjects' of the law. The study makes an important contribution to socio-legal scholarship in demonstrating the value of such images as an underused source in legal historical research. The sketches are also the subject of a second article, Part 2 which presents three detailed case studies. The articles can be read as separate and independent pieces, but each benefit from being read in conjunction with the other.


For the first time in Earth's long history, one species Homo sapiens completely dominates the globe. Over 6 billion people now inhabit the planet, and that number is growing at an alarming rate. In sharp contrast to previous eras, we drive, fly, telephone, and e-communicate from even the most remote regions of Earth. With the aid of technology, no significant segment of our population is truly isolated. Today, it is possible to make a cell phone call from the Serengeti, or live ''off the grid'' from in-holdings within the midst of national forests or wilderness areas in North America. With the notable exception of weedy species that thrive amidst the disturbances we create, predictably, the more ''connected'' we become, non-human life with which we share this planet becomes increasingly disconnected. The vast reach of humans and the resulting parcelization of natural landscapes are of major concern to conservation scientists. Indeed, horror stories about habitat fragmentation appear in every book about conservation biology, make appearances in high-school textbooks, and are featured regularly in our leading newspapers and magazines. And conservation biologists are not alone in their concern about massive habitat destruction and fragmentation. Members of the public also have been inspired to promote special efforts for connecting landscapes in our increasingly dissected world. While the vision of connected landscapes may be compelling, the practice of preventing fragmentation and conserving connectivity is not a simple matter. Conservationists often fail to articulate clearly what they


Managing energy consumption, containing fuel usage, and preparing for alternate fuel sources are immediate areas for concern and action for all health care providers. The authors describe how they are meeting the challenge of increased energy costs and reduced availability while maintaining high-quality care by applying the concept of total energy management.


Introduction. According to the Croatian concept of school librarianship, the school librarian is the key factor in the operation and development of the library, as well as in the contribution the library makes towards overall educational success in the primary and secondary schools. This document introduces the professional profile of the school librarians, including the process of their education, as well as their role in the upbringing and education. In these settings, the key role is played by the well-founded legal and other regulations through which the Republic of Croatia (the Ministry for Science, Education and Sport) established the school librarianship and the librarians as the distinct, essential and acknowledged profession in the system of upbringing and education. The purpose of the document is to present the role and activities of the school librarians in the Republic of Croatia, with the emphasis on the changing needs of the users and the changes inside the educational system. Thus raising the expectations of the librarians' role. Method. Within the scope of the principal topic (Library and Information Practice) the document is primarily based on the indicators that are result of experience and day-to-day practice. When contemplating the probable future roles of librarians in education, the author uses the research results about the changing needs of the users, and takes into account the actual changes, e.g. in the technology as well as in the educational system. Results. According to the research conducted and the findings from the practice there is a visible trend of strengthening the (sub)role of information practitioners towards the one of a tutor, expanded by the wideranging managerial duties. The document can serve to baseline and develop the position not only of the librarianship profession, but also the "persona" of school librarians inside educational systems world-wide. The following indicators will be usable: (1) the organization of librarians' education, (2) the model of continuing education of school librarians, (3) the level of professionalism and status in the vocation (4), dayto-day activities, and (5) the vision of principal future direction of school librarians.


Abstract Localized extinction can play a significant role in obscuring reconstructions of historical biogeography. Insects, one of the most diverse clades in the tree of life, have complex patterns of local endemism, patterns of relictual distributions, and clades which are rather widespread and cosmopolitan. At the same time, insects have a rich fossil record that can contribute to the inference of ancestral geographical distributions, in light of present ranges. Here, we review current and ancestral insect distributions to explore the impact of fossil ranges on ancestral area reconstruction. Known examples of relictual distributions within Phasmatodea and termites are discussed, while we test the impact of fossil inclusion on biogeographic reconstruction within ants and dragonflies.The inclusion of fossil distributions increases the breadth of ancestral ranges across several nodes in ant and dragonfly phylogenies, which has implications for biogeographically based interpretations of past evolutionary ecology for these groups. More broadly, the incorporation of fossil data into estimates of ancestral distributions will not only improve the accuracy of those estimates but also provide additional temporal context.


[reaction: see text] To improve upon the previous orthogonal method for synthesis of a triazine library, an alternative strategy has been developed via oxidation-activation of the thioether to the sulfone. Through a comparison between these two methods, the sulfone strategy was demonstrated as an enhanced method in the generation of highly pure triazine library compounds.


Background: Amplitude-integrated electroencephalography (aEEG) is used increasingly in neonatal intensive care and seems helpful in predicting outcomes at the age of 2 years. Objectives: To determine whether early aEEG patterns in preterm infants are equally useful in predicting outcomes at early school age. Methods: We recorded aEEG in 41 preterms (gestational age 26.0–32.9 weeks) at a median postnatal age of 9.7 h (IQR 7.0–25.3) and in 43 preterms on median day 8 (IQR 7–9). We assessed aEEG by pattern recognition and calculated the means of the aEEG amplitude centiles. At a median of 7.39 years, i.e., early school age, we assessed their motor, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes. Results: Depressed aEEG patterns were not associated with poorer outcomes. Cyclicity directly after birth was associated with a higher total IQ (mean 104 vs. 97, p = 0.05) and higher scores on visual perception (mean percentile 57.1 vs. 40.1, p = 0.049) and visual memory (mean percentile 34.5 vs. 19.1, p = 0.090). We found some associations between the aEEG amplitude centiles and cognitive outcomes, but none for motor or behavioral outcomes. There was an increased risk of abnormal scores on long-term verbal memory in cases of the lower 5th and 50th aEEG amplitude centiles directly after birth. The odds ratios were 0.65 (95% CI 0.42–0.99, p = 0.040) and 0.71 (95% CI 0.52–0.96, p = 0.025), respectively. Conclusions: In relatively healthy preterm infants the value of aEEG in predicting neuropsychological outcomes at early school age is limited. The presence of cyclicity directly after birth tends to be associated with better cognition. © 2018 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel


Purpose: Paragonimiasis is infectious disease occurred by Paragonimus Westermani, which invades into human body as a final host. Habitual eating the freshwater crab or crawfish unboiled is one of the reason of infection. Paragonimiasis raged in 1970s in Korea, Japan, China and other Asian countries but the incidence decreased rapidly. Once people eat infected second host, parasite penetrates the duodenal wall and migrates to the lung. During this migration period, the parasite can migrate to other organ, such as brain, spinal cord, liver and subcutaneous tissue, but the cases are rarely reported. The objective of our study is to present our experience of the ectopic migration of parasite to the subcutaneous tissue of the abdomen, which was easily treated with excision and Praziquantel medication. Methods: A 59-year-old woman who likes eating unboiled freshwater crab was diagnosed as Paragonimiasis 15 months ago. Her symptoms were fever and cough, and she was treated with Praziquantel medication. 3 months after discharge, she visited our hospital with left pleuritic chest pain, cough with fever, and palpable mass formation on left lower quadrant of the abdomen. Wedge resection of the left lung and Praziquantel medication was maintained for a week. Nevertheless, fever persisted after the treatment. The patient received total excision of the abdominal soft tissue mass, and the fever was relieved. Results: Pathologic findings of the mass showed multiple cyst and abscess formation with crystal structure which is suspicious parts of the parasite or calcified egg shells. Uncontrolled fever was relieved after the operation, and there was no evidence of recurrent Paragonimiasis and ectopic migration for 1 year follow up period. Conclusion: Ectopic migration of Paragonimus is rare, but multiple organ can be involved. Patient with Paragominiasis who was refractory in fever control after Praziquantel medication or surgical evaluation of the lung should be considered as ectopic migration of the Paragonimiasis.


ABSTRACT Street performers have long had an ambiguous relationship with the law. At various times they have been castigated and policed as "beggars in disguise" or treated as an urban nuisance to be tightly controlled and tolerated at best. Recent decades have seen something of an about-face. City governments in many countries are embracing buskers as a cultural and commercial asset and are putting in place legal regimes that aim to simultaneously encourage and control busking. Field work in Australia's two largest cities—Melbourne and Sydney—can be used to assess whether the rules and conditions that are associated with permit systems are compatible with the goals of most buskers: to make an artistic contribution to the quality of urban life and to make a living. Contrary to the view that state-imposed rules are incompatible with the nature and ethos of busking, contemporary busking laws are widely supported by street musicians and are regarded as facilitative of, rather than a barrier to, busking's positive contribution to the vitality of the everyday life of the city.


In order to study the contamination by the U. S. EPA 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soil of the end-of-life vehicle dismantling area, soil samples with vertical depth of 0-1 000 cm were collected and analyzed. The concentrations of EPA 16 priority PAHs were determined in soils samples. The results showed that total concentrations of PAHs were 991 ng.g-1 in surficial samples, with the highest concentrations detected for pyrene, benzo [a]anthracene and fluorine, reaching 11 820, 1 234 and 1 083 ng.g-1, respectively. The soils with the depth range of 0-10 cm were heavily polluted by PAHs, and the soils in the depth range of 50-350 cm were moderately or slightly polluted by PAHs. It seems that there was no PAHs pollution when the soil depth was over 400 cm. However, it was noted that the total concentration of 7 carcinogenic PAHs including chrysene (Chr), benzo [a] anthracene (BaA), Benzene and (b) fluoranthene(BbF) , Benzene and (k) fluoranthene (BkF), Benzo [a] pyrene (BaP), Diphenyl and [a, h] anthracene(DahA) , Indene and [1,2,3-CD] pyrene (IcdP) was still as high as 34.15 ng.g-1 in soil with a depth of 850 cm. The contents of PAHs decreased sharply with the increase in vertical depth. Low-ring PAHs such as phenanthrene, Fluoranthene and acenaphthene became the priority compounds when the depth was over 300 cm. The ratios of Phe/Ant and Fla/Pyr demonstrated that the PAHs in the soil profiles could be primarily sourced from petroleum pollution.


BACKGROUND
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the MEFV gene may modify inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) activity. The prevalence of MEFV gene SNPs in IBD patients and their involvement in IBD pathophysiology remains unclear.

METHODS
We analyzed 12 MEFV gene SNPs in peripheral leukocytes of Japanese IBD patients (Crohn's disease [CD]: 69 patients, ulcerative colitis: 32 patients) by polymerase chain reaction using next-generation DNA sequencing and evaluated their prevalence and association with the disease characteristics. Inflammasome activity and mature interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 production were evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from CD patients stimulated with lipopolysaccharides and adenosine triphosphate, and compared between those with and without the E148Q SNP. COL1A1 and HSP47 gene expression was analyzed in CCD-18Co cells costimulated with IL-1β and other inflammatory cytokines.

RESULTS
The prevalence of MEFV gene SNPs in IBD patients was similar to that in the human gene database. E148Q was the most common SNP. Compared with CD patients without E148Q, those with E148Q had a significantly greater frequency of the stricture phenotype, and their peripheral blood mononuclear cells exhibited significantly higher IL-1β and IL-18 levels and higher caspase-1 activity. IL-1β and IL-17A synergistically increased COL1A1 and HSP47 gene expression.

CONCLUSIONS
MEFV gene SNPs, including E148Q, modify the behavior of CD. IL-1β and IL-18 are produced through enhanced caspase-1 activity in monocytes of CD patients with E148Q. IL-1β promotes gene expression of fibrosis-related genes by cooperating with IL-17A in myofibroblasts. Therefore, E148Q might be a disease-modifying gene associated with the fibrostenosis phenotype in CD patients.


A μ-porous silicon (μPS) gas sensor based on interdigitated μ-electrodes (IDμE's) has been designed and developed. μPS obtained by means of electrochemical anodization of a p-type silicon (c-Si) wafer was used as active layer. The μPS layers are supported by the bulk of the c-Si wafer. Interdigitated μ-electrodes, which work as transducers, were deposited on the μPS surface by means of gold evaporation using shadow mask technique. Different IDμE's, with different geometries and dimensions have been deposited. Additionally, different conditions of μPS formation, as i.e. electrolyte concentration, current density and anodization time, were used in order to obtain different actives layers with different absorption capabilities. Clear responses to organic vapors such us ethanol have been obtained.


Biological entity has evolved excellent spatial structure for high-selectivity and high-affinity capturing of heavy metals. Inspired by the spatial structure of the superb-uranyl binding protein SUP, we mimic the spatial structure of SUP in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). The MOF UiO-66-3C4N fabricated by introducing 4-aminoisophthalic acid into UiO-66 shows high uranyl adsorption capacity both in simulated seawater and in natural seawater. In natural seawater, UiO-66-3C4N exhibits 17.03 times higher uranium extraction capacity than that to vanadium, indicating the high selectivity of the adsorbent. The EXAFS analysis and DFT calculation reveal that UiO-66-3C4N forms smaller nano-pocket for uranyl capture than that of SUP protein, which can both restrict the entrance of the other interfering ions with larger size and reinforce the binding by increasing the coordination interaction, and therefore qualify the nano-pocket with high affinity and high selectivity to uranyl.


One hundred years after its adoption, China's Open Door policy is bearing fruit: China has concluded expansive market access agreements with its major trading partners that have paved the way for its becoming a Member of the World Trading Community. As a necessary cost of the WTO accession, China has made remarkable commitments, particularly in relation to its current trade practice. These commitments raise the question of whether China will be able to surpass the formidable barriers of implementation in order to become an honourable Member of the World Trading Community. In an effort to provide some answers in this regard, this article examines the process of China's WTO accession process, and the positive links between China's internal reform and its external economic integration. The focus of the analysis is on measuring the gap between China's commitments for WTO membership and its current practice. The article further assesses the factors that affect the implementation of China's commitments, i.e. its law concerning international agreements, the inherent domestic constraints, and the outside monitoring. The analysis allows the tentative conclusion that the internal drive for openness evidenced in recent practice, and the outside monitoring assisted with persuasion will outweigh the negative historical context.


A human multiple myeloma (MM) cell line, U-266, has developed the ability to grow independently of exogenous interleukin 6 (IL-6) during long-term cultivation in vitro. The early passage, feeder-cell dependent U-266 cell line (U-266-1970) was compared with the late passage U-266-1984 cell line with respect to response to IL-6, IL-1 beta and tumour necrosis factor alpha and expression of IL-6 and IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) mRNA and protein. The results showed that; (a) only the U-266-1970 cell line was stimulated to growth by IL-6, (b) IL-6 and IL-6R mRNA were expressed in both cell lines, (c) the level of IL-6 mRNA was increased in the U-266-1984 cell line and only this line produced IL-6 and, (d) the level of IL-6R mRNA was highest in the U-266-1984 cell line and the number of IL-6R about ten times higher than in U-266-1970. The growth of the IL-6-producing U-266-1984 cell line was inhibited by 30% by anti-IL-6R antibodies suggesting the possibility that an autocrine IL-6 loop might have developed during the long-term cultivation. In addition to many other phenotypic alterations of the U-266 cell line, having developed as a consequence of tumor progression in vitro, its growth factor requirement seems to have evolved from a dependence on IL-6 as a paracrine growth factor to a capacity for autonomous growth, dependent on autocrine IL-6 stimulation. Whether such a development also may take place in MM clones in vivo remains to be established.


Four resistance components, i.e. incubation period, latent period, maturation period and pycnidial coverage, were studied in a diallel cross of four wheat cultivars differing in susceptibility to Septoria tritici. Inoculations and evaluations were carried out at the fourth leaf stage for two years. A combined ANOVA for both years exhibited a significant interaction between crosses and years for maturation period. A separate ANOVA for each year was done for this trait. The combined ANOVA showed that crosses were significantly different for incubation, latent period and pycnidial coverage. Cross effects were also significant for maturation period in each year for the separate ANOVA. Year effects were significant for latent period and maturation period. General combining ability (GCA) was significant and preponderant for incubation period, latent period and pycnidial coverage. For maturation period, the separated ANOVA showed the significance of the GCA for both years. Specific combining ability (SCA) was significant for incubation and pycnidial coverage and for maturation in one year. The preponderance of the additive genetic variance for all traits indicates the possibility of selecting for them in order to obtain improved cultivars. Incubation period was inherited independently of maturation period and pycnidial coverage, indicating that combinations of some of those characters may lead to more effective and durable resistance.


Optimization of welding parameters on friction welding of Incoloy 800 H rod experiments were carried out by Taguchi based Desirability Function Analysis (DFA). The welding parameters such as heating pressure (HP), upsetting pressure (UP), heating time (HT) and upsetting time (UT) and its responses such as Tensile strength (TS) and burn off length (BoL) were chosen for this work. The L12 orthogonal array designs of experiment were involved for conducting experiments. The significance of quality of welding process was found by analysis of variance (ANOVA). The experimental results indicate that the upsetting time and the heating pressure were recognized to make the most significant contribution to the overall performance.


This handsome picture has presented something of a puzzle since it first appeared on the art market. It entered the Gallery's collection in 1937 with an attribution to Dosso Dossi and was long known as The Standard Bearer. An attribution to Tintoretto and the current title were adopted in 1984, based on acceptance of the work by Tintoretto scholars at that time. [1] However, questions have remained about both the attribution and the subject.


Germination involves highly dynamic transcriptional programs as the cells of seeds reactivate and express the functions necessary to establish in the environment. Individual cell types have distinct roles within the embryo, so must therefore have cell-type specific gene expression and gene regulatory networks. We can better understand how the functions of different cell types are established and contribute to the embryo by determining how cell-type specific transcription begins and changes through germination. Here we describe a temporal analysis of the germinating Arabidopsis embryo at single-cell resolution. We define the highly dynamic cell-type specific patterns of gene expression and how these relate to changing cellular function as germination progresses. Underlying these are unique gene regulatory networks and transcription factor activity. We unexpectedly discover that most embryo cells transition through the same initial transcriptional state early in germination, after which cell-type specific gene expression is established. Furthermore, our analyses support previous findings that the earliest events leading to the induction of embryo growth take place in the vasculature. Overall, our study constitutes a general framework to characterise Arabidopsis cell states through embryo growth, allowing investigation of different genotypes and other plant species whose seed strategies may differ.


This study analyses novel entitled of the novel is "Number" by Rachel Ward. Therefore, the writer is interested to conducting research to know human needs in Rachel Wards Number. By using a psychological approach to analyse psychological problems in Rachel Ward''s novel entitled Number .It is a novel that tells how the psychological aspect of Jem when he knows when someone will die and is related to his love relationship with Spyder who was the accused in the London Eyes bombing, but not Spyder. In this study, the researcher completed the data using a descriptive analysis approach. This qualitative descriptive method was used to analyze and interpret the data, and the information was gathered in the form of words, text, and explanations instead of a number. This approach aims to explain how is human needs Rachel Ward"s novel "Numbers"In this study, the writer presents data analysis based on five types of Human Needs in Rachel Ward''s novel "Numbers". According to Abraham Maslow''s Hierarchy of Needs, there are five types human needs that is Self Actualization, Esteem, Love/Belonging, Safety, and Physiological. To understand the data collection, Hierarchy of Needs among relationship between Spyder and Jem in the novel most exposed is self actualization which is how big love Jem to Spider and also how love's Jem to Spyder, the second esteem which is Spyder and Jem try to not hurt their heart each other.  They care and respect between them, The third is love/belonging that show they own each other, and The fourth is Safety which expresses for  they care for each other. And fifth is physiological that show how they emotion to face their faith.


Voice hearing (VH) can occur in trauma spectrum disorders (TSD) such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociative disorders. However, previous estimates of VH among individuals with TSD vary widely. In this study, we sought to better characterize the rate and phenomenology of VH in a sample of 70 women with TSD related to childhood abuse who were receiving care in a specialized trauma program. We compared the rate of VH within our sample using two different measures: 1) the auditory hallucination (AH) item in the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR (SCID), and 2) the thirteen questions involving VH in the Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation (MID), a self-report questionnaire that comprehensively assesses pathological dissociation. We found that 45.7% of our sample met threshold for SCID AH, while 91.4% met criteria for MID VH. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analyses showed that while SCID AH and MID VH items have greater than chance agreement, the strength of agreement is only moderate, suggesting that SCID and MID VH items measure related but not identical constructs. Thirty-two patients met criteria for both SCID AH and at least one MID VH item ("unequivocal VH"), 32 for at least one MID VH item but not SCID AH ("ambiguous VH"), and 6 met criteria for neither ("unequivocal non-VH"). Relative to the ambiguous VH group, the unequivocal VH group had higher dissociation scores for child voices, and higher mean frequencies for child voices and Schneiderian voices. Our findings suggest that VH in women with TSD related to childhood abuse is common, but that the rate of VH depends on how the question is asked. We review prior studies examining AH and/or VH in TSD, focusing on the measures used to ascertain these experiences, and conclude that our two estimates are consistent with previous studies that used comparable instruments and patient samples. Our results add to growing evidence that VH—an experience typically considered psychotic or psychotic-like—is not equivalent to having a psychotic disorder. Instruments that assess VH apart from psychotic disorders and that capture their multidimensional nature may improve identification of VH, especially among patients with non-psychotic disorders.


Before correction, the difference coupling coefficient in LHC is expected to reach |c/spl I.bar/|/spl ap/0.2 at injection and vary by 30 to 40% from injection to top energy. These high values arise mostly from the field imperfections in the superconducting dipoles, the feed-down from the parasitic sextupoles and the strongly-focused low-/spl beta/ insertions. A measurement method which lends itself to continuous monitoring and active feedback is therefore investigated. Our approach is based on the beam response to an excitation in the other plane (coupling BTF). The analytical approach shows that a proper measurement protocol allows extracting the global and local complex coefficients of both the difference and sum coupling resonances. In order to prevent any emittance blow-up, the beam is excited at small amplitude outside its eigen-frequencies with smooth transitions (AC-dipole principle). A first experiment in the SPS confirms the approach and its robustness.


1. Chloride concentration and freezing-point depression ( =osmotic pressure) have been measured on samples of urine obtained from various parts of the crayfish antennal gland by micropuncture. 2. The chloride concentration of the urine is significantly below that of the blood in all parts of the antennal gland, but a marked drop is not seen until the distal tubule is reached. 3. The urine becomes progressively hypo-osmotic to the blood in the labyrinth, distal tubule and bladder. In the coelomosac, it is iso-osmotic; possible reasons for this are discussed. 4. Chloride concentration and osmotic pressure are lower in urine taken from the nephropore than in urine taken from the distal tubule near the place where it joins the bladder. This suggests that the bladder is in part responsible for the production of hypotonic urine. 5. The results of the present study are discussed in relation to the theory that filtration (in the limited sense discussed by Riegel & Kirschner, 1960) is the mechanism by which primary urine is formed in the crayfish antennal gland.


Classic KS usually appears between ages 50 and 70 years and has a relatively benign, indolent course for 15 years or longer. Treatment usually controls the disease quite well.


Artificial light is an important and necessary part of urban environments, but light can have substantial direct and indirect effects on populations of various organisms. Urban areas are often situated close to water and thus organisms dependent on water could be especially vulnerable. Trichoptera is one of the most abundant insect orders in freshwater, but its attraction to light has not been analysed in detail. We contrasted catches in light traps and passive traps at three locations in Sweden. The results showed that artificial light can affect Trichoptera populations. Attraction to light varied between Trichoptera species and females were more attracted than males. Day‐, evening‐ and especially night‐active species were all attracted to light. Light catches of day‐ and evening‐active Trichoptera could partly be a consequence of atypical flight activity, i.e. they are deceived to take flight when a lamp is lit during night. In all, artificial light can alter Trichoptera populations, sex ratios and species composition. This impact should be considered when erecting and managing light sources near waterways.


Neurological disorders comprise one of the largest groups of human diseases. Due to the myriad symptoms and the extreme degree of clinical variability characteristic of many neurological diseases, the differential diagnosis process is extremely challenging. Even though most neurogenetic diseases are individually rare, collectively, the subgroup of neurogenetic disorders is large, comprising more than 2,400 different disorders. Recently, increasing efforts have been undertaken to unravel the molecular basis of neurogenetic diseases and to correlate pathogenetic mechanisms with clinical signs and symptoms. In order to enable computer‐based analyses, the systematic representation of the neurological phenotype is of major importance. We demonstrate how the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) can be incorporated into these efforts by providing a systematic semantic representation of phenotypic abnormalities encountered in human genetic diseases. The combination of the HPO together with the Orphanet disease classification represents a promising resource for automated disease classification, performing computational clustering and analysis of the neurogenetic phenome. Furthermore, standardized representations of neurologic phenotypic abnormalities employing the HPO link neurological phenotypic abnormalities to anatomical and functional entities represented in other biomedical ontologies through the semantic references provided by the HPO. Hum Mutat 33:1333–1339, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Pseudocereals, namely, amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa are gluten-free grains with high bioactive components and antioxidant properties. Differential sieving is a common pre-processing technique to obtain coarse and fine flours for specific uses. The present study aimed at determining the content and activity of antioxidant components extracted in acidified methanol and aqueous media in differentially sieved pseudocereal flours. Further, the antioxidant components were characterized and measured in each flour fraction. Buckwheat grain and its fractions showed the highest total phenolic and flavonoid content. Overall, the bioactive compounds were majorly present in fine flour fraction followed by whole and coarse flour. Free radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power was highest in quinoa flour fractions. Ferulic acid was predominant in amaranth and buckwheat, whereas for quinoa, it was gallic acid and catechin. The pseudocereal flours were rich sources of antioxidant components and showed considerable antioxidant activity, though there were wide variations in each of the flour fractions. Differential sieving influenced the antioxidant properties significantly and finer fractions appeared to be richer in antioxidant components. Quantification of phenolic compounds in this study describes the compositional distribution in flour fractions of pseudocereals along with assessment of their antioxidant potential using multiple assays. This would help in better understanding of antioxidant properties of pseudocereals and their potential utilization for development of products with improved nutritional profile. The pseudocereal flours can serve as functional food ingredients for development of novel products.


The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of elderly Iranians regarding exercise. Sixteen healthy elderly people participated in semi-structured interviews conducted in 2009 in Tehran, Iran. A qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the participants' experiences and perceptions regarding physical activity. Five main categories were studied: 1). kinds of exercise activities, 2). common activities, 3). engaging in reasonable activities, 4). barriers to physical activity, and 5). effects of exercising on life. Distinctive themes within each of the categories were identified. The findings of this study show the current perceptions regarding physical activity and exercise in elderly Iranians.


This essays main focus will be on emergency shelters in disasters, and their understanding in gender awareness, by focusing on the way gender is constructed and seen. This dissertation will examine documents from Australian Red Cross and IASC (Inter Agency Standing Committee) in order to explore how they work with gender and shelter related issues. The objective is to examine and with help from these documents see how gender is constructed. The method and theory is based on Carol Bacchis; What's the problem represented to be approach? (WPR-approach). This means that the essay have a discourse analysis basis, which the essay is built on. This was chosen because Bacchis approach interrogates the documents and therefore it is easier to get different views of how gender is constructed. Which way it is constructed and what is not constructed as a problem.The main research question is: How is the construction of gender perspective in the documents that are intended to steer the planning of the emergency shelters? The questions will be; What or which problems seem to represent these documents, regarding gender understanding in emergency shelters?Are there any assumptions behind these formulated problems? If so, what are they?During the review of the documents, is there anything left that is seen as a non-problem, not problematized? Are there any gap or invisibility or can the problem be seen as something else?This essay will show how gender is constructed based on power imbalance. The way gender is constructed is complex and difficult. One thing is clear and that is that the way gender is constructed and how gender is represented, matters in emergency shelters. Gender is still also a topic for crisis management to integrate.


The objective of the study was to improve the teaching of English speaking in a large class through cooperative learning at grade 5B of SD Negeri 3 Imogiri Bantul, Yogyakarta.
This study was action research, consisted of two cycles with three meetings in each cycle. The research members were students of grade 5B of SD Negeri 3 Imogiri, the English teacher, the collaborator, and the researcher. The research procedure consisted of reconnaissance, planning, implementing and observing the actions, and reflection. The data collection techniques were observations, interviews and tests. The data were taken by observing the teaching and learning process during the implementation of the actions, interviewing the students of grade 5B, interviewing the English teacher, interviewing the collaborator and holding tests. The data were in the form of field notes, interview transcripts and students' speaking scores. Two methods were used in analyzing the data. The qualitative data were analyzed in five steps, i.e. assembling the data, coding the data, comparing the data, building interpretations, and reporting the outcomes. The quantitative data in the form of pre-test and post-test scores were analyzed by comparing the mean scores. The validity of the data was obtained by applying democratic validity, outcome validity, process validity, catalytic validity, and dialogic validity.
The result of the study shows that the use of cooperative learning activities improves the teaching of English speaking. The qualitative data show that the students' participation, confidence, enthusiasm, interaction and obedience improve. The students participate during the activities and do not hesitate and feel shy to speak English. They enthusiastically join the speaking activities and discuss the materials with their groups. All of the students also obey the class rules. The quantitative data also show that the students' speaking skills improve. It can be seen from the improvements of the mean scores in every aspect of speaking in the pre-test and post-test. From the data above, it can be concluded that the teaching of English speaking improve.


This paper documents a set of models used by Norges Bank in estimating the output gap. The models take into account developments in key cyclical indicators such as GDP1, unemployment, inflation, wage growth, investment, house prices and credit growth. As the output gap cannot be observed, there is no direct way of evaluating the estimated output gap. Criteria for a good estimate of the output gap can, however, be the extent to which the output gap estimates provide information about future developments in GDP growth, inflation and unemployment. Measured this way, the models have good forecasting properties compared with simple trend estimations solely based on GDP data. The forecasting properties for an average of the models are shown to be better than for each individual model. The models' estimates of the output gap also have relatively good real-time properties.


In this paper, we propose a robust register-transfer level (RTL) power modeling methodology for functional units. Our models are consistently accurate over a wide range of input statistics, they are automatically constructed and can provide pattern-by-pattern power estimates. An additional desirable feature of our modeling methodology is the capability of accounting for the impact of technology variations, library changes and synthesis tools. Our methodology is based on the concept of node sampling, as opposed to more traditional approaches based on input sampling.


This study is a critical inquiry into the changes in conceptualisation of the term "program" in architectural discourse after the 1960s and early 1970s.The aim is to benefit from the difficulty in defining "program" in architecture as a fruitful, pragmatic and intellectual source. This study introduces the idea of "programmatic experimentation" by exploring and re-reading the work of Gordon Matta-Clark, in which "experimentation" led to the evaluation of "program" as "concept". "Program" is re- conceptualised under two theoretical statements: "Concept" and "Experimentation". The implementation of the constructed togetherness of two terms is traced through the work of Matta-Clark as a radical criticism of the established conventions in architectural discourse.


This study evaluates the relationship between academic risk taking and chemistry laboratory anxiety using a relational scanning model. The research sample consisted of 127 undergraduate students (sophomores, juniors and seniors) in the Chemistry Teaching Department at Dicle University. This research was done in the spring semester of the 2012 to 2013 academic year. The Chemistry Laboratory Anxiety Scale, developed by Bowen (1999) and adapted into Turkish by Azizoglu and Uzuntiryaki (2006), was used to measure students' levels of chemistry laboratory anxiety. The Scale of Academic Risk Taking, developed by Clifford (1991) and adapted into Turkish by Korkmaz (2002), was used to measure students' levels of academic risk taking. The relationship between chemistry laboratory anxiety and academic risk taking was examined using a structural regression model. It was found that academic risk taking explained 39% of the total variance in the chemistry laboratory anxiety scores. This study aims to contribute to the chemistry education literature and to guide chemistry teachers.

 Key words: Chemistry laboratory anxiety, academic risk taking.


: Investigation of hemodynamic changes in 180 women liable to operations of supravaginal amputation were carried out in order to chose the optimum method of curative premedication in patients with essential arterial hypertension. The results obtained show that Adalat in dosage 60 mg daily during 7 days is most effective in cases with concomitant border-line hypertension. Anaprilin in dosage 160 mg daily and Adalat in dosage 60 mg/day during 7 days have the best hypotensive effect at the first stage of essential hypertension. Clopheline in dosage 300 mg/day or Adalat in dosage 60 mg/day during 7 days are most expedient in the course of hypotensive preparing the patients with the II stage of essential hypertension.