Introduction: Photobiomodulation is a promising field in modern minimally invasive dentistry approach which serves as a non-cutting method of using the red to near infrared light on body tissues. PBM consider an excellent alternative or adjunctive to traditional treatment modality. It is a simple and fast to perform, well accepted and tolerated by the patients, that aid in pain relief and reduces inflammation, parallel to the enhanced healing and tissue repair processes. PBM can induce cell proliferation and enhance stem cell differentiation. This impact has direct effects on many stimulatory and protective genes. So this application with these properties was used as adjunctive therapy to the conventional treatment of various diseases and conditions related to soft and hard tooth structure and surrounding tissues. Aim: The purpose of this study is to thorough the light on the applications of PBM therapy in dentistry by understand mechanism of action, with a special focus on stem cells and mechanisms of repair. Methods: A systematic literature review depends on collecting data from an evidence based studies. Searches were made of fifteen electronic databases: the Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), EMBASE, PsycINFO, Scopus and Web of science, MEDLINE (PubMed). Summary: PBM applications is very promising adjunctive or alternative approach in periodontal, Peri-implant inflammation therapy, orthodontic treatment, temporomandibular joint problems, and with oral medicine lesions, surgical exposure of impacted teeth, pediatric dentistry, crown cementation, dentin hypersensitivity and in gingivectomy, gingivoplasty and frenectomy. LLLT is an easy, simple, shorter chair time, mostly technique accepted by patients and moreover reduce pain intensity, stimulate healing capacity, better coagulation and no need for suturing so gain more patients acceptance. Conclusion: Photobiomodulation is recommended as an alternative for failed standard therapy or as an adjunct modality to treatments. It is a safe and potentially effective on its own thus facilitating easy use. It is a helping device to complete conventional therapy. With superior advantages of easy and faster application, better coagulation, no need for suturing, less swelling and pain and better deepithelialization. However, there is some limitations include cost of the device and it is very difficult to have all the different lasers indicated for different procedures in a private practice.


This book shares the best practices, mistakes, victories, and essential steps for success which the author has gleaned from working with countless organizations. Unlike other books that only focus on the engineering issues (task lists) or management issues (CMMS), this in-depth resource is the first to give true emphasize to the four aspects of success in preventive maintenance systems-engineering, management, economic, and psychological -thereby enabling readers to have a balanced view and understanding of what is happening in their organizations. Additionally, it blends concrete actionable steps and structures with the theory behind the steps. Includes check sheets, history of PM, stories, photographs, and case histories. ●


Long, annual precipitation time series from central‐northeastern Argentina are analysed with special attention to interdecadal and interannual variations. The results show a variability that is highly nonstationary. The most outstanding feature is the difference in annual precipitation before and after the 1950s. The interdecadal variability is particularly well defined in the west, and there is a significant linear trend in the study area. Negative anomalies of the areal‐averaged annual precipitation can be observed in all the areas around 1910 and 1930 or 1940. In the western zone there are two better‐defined negative periods around 1950 and 1970, and a gradual increase can be observed in the eastern zones starting in the 1950s. The interdecadal and interannual variations affect the behaviour of extreme precipitation on the annual scale and during the months with maximum precipitation in the region. In support of these conclusions, different representation methods are used (running means, power spectrum analysis, and wavelet transforms). The variations in the annual cycle of extreme precipitation under different conditions are analysed by applying harmonic analysis. The wettest years are represented by an annual and semi‐annual cycle, whereas dry years need the input of lower frequency cycles. Copyright © 2004 Royal Meteorological Society


Abstract The construction sector is notorious for being unsustainable and disintegrated industry while, it is crucial to provide a lens towards sustainable construction from the digital innovation and integration perspective. Although a considerable amount of research has been focused on how building information modeling (BIM) helps improve sustainable construction; there are still a limited number of studies that have investigated the BIM process in sustainability fields. This study aims to identify all common domains of BIM and sustainability applications and reveals the academic and practice gaps in the construction industry. Through employing the scientometric analysis method, a collective number of 188 journal articles were gathered and analyzed. The thematic analysis was then applied and five common domains of BIM and sustainability on lifecycle assessment, green buildings criteria, energy analysis, environmental assessments and design, construction and project management were eventually identified. The current study identifies the research confusion, neglect and application gaps across all five identified domains and provides researchers with a deep understanding of BIM in the sustainability and future directions for further research.


A bill introduced recently by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va, would require physicians and other healthcare providers seeking to obtain or renew a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration registration number to complete CME related to responsible opioid prescribing practices.


AIMS
The purpose of the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) Validation Project was to assess the diagnostic validity of this examination protocol. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the project's methodology, descriptive statistics, and data for the study participant sample. This article also details the development of reliable methods to establish the reference standards for assessing criterion validity of the Axis I RDC/TMD diagnoses.

METHODS
The Axis I reference standards were based on the consensus of two criterion examiners independently performing a comprehensive history, clinical examination, and evaluation of imaging. Intersite reliability was assessed annually for criterion examiners and radiologists. Criterion examination reliability was also assessed within study sites.

RESULTS
Study participant demographics were comparable to those of participants in previous studies using the RDC/TMD. Diagnostic agreement of the criterion examiners with each other and with the consensus-based reference standards was excellent with all kappas > or = 0.81, except for osteoarthrosis (moderate agreement, k = 0.53). Intrasite criterion examiner agreement with reference standards was excellent (k > or = 0.95). Intersite reliability of the radiologists for detecting computed tomography-disclosed osteoarthrosis and magnetic resonance imaging-disclosed disc displacement was good to excellent (k = 0.71 and 0.84, respectively).

CONCLUSION
The Validation Project study population was appropriate for assessing the reliability and validity of the RDC/TMD Axis I and II. The reference standards used to assess the validity of Axis I TMD were based on reliable and clinically credible methods.


Abstract The effect of the insecticide endosulfan on the predatory efficiency of the green lacewing, Chrysoperla carnea Stephens (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) on the eggs of tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) was measured with Holling's disc equation. Though the type II functional response was maintained in C. carnea exposed to endosulfan, the functional response parameters: attack rate (a′), handling time (Th), total handling time (Tht), searching time (Ts), and search efficiency (E) were affected for both prey offered. The predator took more time to identify, pursue, capture, consume, and digest the prey, and in general, the efficiency of the predator as a biological control agent was adversely affected.


In this paper, we address the issue of financial constraints in agricultural cooperatives. We estimate an augmented Q investment model for a large sample of US agricultural cooperatives and test whether cooperative investment is sensitive to cash flow. Empirical results suggest that agricultural cooperatives are indeed financially constrained when making investment decisions.


Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

The targeting of tumor cell metabolism has emerged as an attractive candidate for chemotherapeutics. In particular, tumor cell mitochondria are dramatically reprogrammed to generate large amounts of biosynthetic intermediates to fuel cell division. We previously described a novel class of non-redox active lipoic acid analogs ("thioctoids") which effect dramatic inactivation of the mitochondrial enzyme complex pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) (PMID:21769686). We have recently completed a comprehensive metabolomic study indicating that thioctoids down-regulate multiple mitochondria-associated enzymes. Each of these target enzymes are key control points for entry of carbon into the TCA cycle, including the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex and the branch-chain dehydrogenase/amino trasferase complex. In addition we will present data that reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a direct regulatory role in these inactivations and are a major contributor to the resultant cell cycle arrest and multiple cell death pathways which follow. Taken together, our results indicate that thioctoids are potent inhibitors of tumor cell mitochondrial energy metabolism, owing, apparently, to the central regulatory role of lipoic acid in mitochondrial lipoamide dehydrogenase-containing enzyme complexes. We hypothesize that thioctoids are 'misread' by these complexes resulting in increased levels of ROS leading to the further shutdown of redox-sensitive metabolic enzymes and ultimately cell death. As a consequence of these novel properties, thioctoids attack tumor-specific metabolism far more broadly and pervasively than other agents directed at individual metabolic steps or activities. Thioctoids are exceptionally well tolerated in animal studies and as a result may have high clinical potential. They are currently in early stage human clinical trials.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1122. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1122


RATIONALE
To determine the effect of medical treatment versus lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) on pulmonary hemodynamics.

METHODS
Three clinical centers of the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) screened patients for additional inclusion into a cardiovascular (CV) substudy. Demographics were determined, and lung function testing, six-minute-walk distance, and maximum cardiopulmonary exercise testing were done at baseline and 6 months after medical therapy or LVRS. CV substudy patients underwent right heart catheterization at rest prerandomization (baseline) and 6 months after treatment.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
A total of 110 of the 163 patients evaluated for the CV substudy were randomized in NETT (53 were ineligible), 54 to medical treatment and 56 to LVRS. Fifty-five of these patients had both baseline and repeat right heart catheterization 6 months postrandomization. Baseline demographics and lung function data revealed CV substudy patients to be similar to the remaining 1,163 randomized NETT patients in terms of age, sex, FEV(1), residual volume, diffusion capacity of carbon monoxide, Pa(O(2)), Pa(CO(2)), and six-minute-walk distance. CV substudy patients had moderate pulmonary hypertension at rest (Ppa, 24.8 +/- 4.9 mm Hg); baseline hemodynamic measurements were similar across groups. Changes from baseline pressures to 6 months post-treatment were similar across treatment groups, except for a smaller change in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure at end-expiration post-LVRS compared with medical treatment (-1.8 vs. 3.5 mm Hg, p = 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS
In comparison to medical therapy, LVRS was not associated with an increase in pulmonary artery pressures.


The mechanism of generating deformation was investigated in the singly closed shell region. It was shown that even a single proton is able to polarize the neutron cloud and generate some very small, βpol2 ≈ 0.02 deformation. As fingerprints of this kind of micro-deformation the induction of quadrupole moment for the core, the alignment of broken pairs and the rearrangement of the neutron density distribution by a single proton are discussed.


The class I glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) of Anopheles gambiae are encoded by a complex gene family. We describe the genomic organization of three members of this family, which are sequentially arranged on the chromosome in divergent orientations. One of these genes, aggst1-2, is intronless and has been described. In contrast, the two A. gambiae GST genes (aggst1alpha and aggst1beta) reported within are interrupted by introns. The gene aggst1alpha contains five coding exons that are alternatively spliced to produce four mature GST transcripts, each of which contains a common 5' exon encoding the N termini of the GST protein spliced to one of four distinct 3' exons encoding the carboxyl termini. All four of the alternative transcripts of aggst1alpha are expressed in A. gambiae larvae, pupae, and adults. We report on the involvement of alternative RNA splicing in generating multiple functional GST transcripts. A cDNA from the aggst1beta gene was detected in adult mosquitoes, demonstrating that this GST gene is actively transcribed. The percentage similarity of the six cDNAs transcribed from the three GST genes range from 49.5% to 83.1% at the nucleotide level.


With the cooperation of many research institutes and railway companies, the next generation high speed train is under development for many years. To confirm the safety requirement of the developed high speed train, multibody dynamic analysis is implemented. Through this analysis, railway derailment and lateral guiding force simulation was evaluated according to UIC code 518 OR for international railway vehicle. Test results were compared by limit value of safety criteria. Safety evaluation results, according to international standards, would provide basic reference data of ensuring safety speed and track radius curve. The safety of the train at the maximum speed is verified by numerical analysis results.


This paper aims to gain insight into the medical decision-making processes undergone in a nursing home in response to troubled breathing. Participants were 20 residents of a large, nonprofit nursing home, six of whom died by the time of data collection. The mean age was 88 yr, and 70% were female. Diagnostic tests and medication were the most frequently used treatments. The most important considerations reported were the resident's quality of life, family wishes, and the relative effectiveness of alternative treatment options. In 45% of the cases, the physicians reported family involvement. In 30% of cases, the physicians would have wanted less treatment if they were in the resident's condition. Troubled breathing emerges as an end-of-life symptom for many residents. An analysis of the decision-making process and its evaluation could foster improved care of these symptoms.


The narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy 1H0707−495 has shown the first clear evidence of X-ray reverberation in which the soft, disc-reflection and Fe-L-dominated 0.3–1 keV band lags behind the hard, continuum-dominated 1–4 keV band by ≈ 30 s. A simple reflection model, however, cannot explain the different amplitudes of variability between the continuum and reflection components in time-resolved spectra. Here we apply a light-bending model (LBM) to 1H0707−495 to determine whether or not it can fully account for both the time-averaged spectrum and observed X-ray variability and time lags. A point-like source is assumed to move vertically from 3.5rg  to  8 rg approximately along the rotation axis of the black hole. Photon paths are integrated via a numerical method for each source position to calculate the corresponding direct and ionized reflection spectra from the accretion disc. The source is assumed to move up and down in such a way as to reproduce the 1–4 keV light curve from the XMM–Newton observations. We find that, even though the reproduced time-averaged spectrum generally agrees with the observations, this LBM cannot account for the observed time lags between the continuum and reflection spectrum. Furthermore, timing properties such as coherence are sensitive to the ionization state of the inner disc. We conclude that a more complex model of the source geometry and intrinsic variability are required, and probably one in which fluctuations propagating through the disc are directly associated with the X-ray sources. Our ionized reverberation mapping model is completely general, allowing other scenarios to be investigated in the future. Reverberation signatures are beginning to constrain the true nature of the X-ray source of not only 1H0707−495, but also other active galactic nuclei.


— This paper presents development results of the method of seismoacoustic activity monitoring based on usage vibrosensitive properties of optical fibers. Analysis of Rayleigh backscattering radiation parameters changes, which take place due to microscopic seismoacoustic impacts on the optical fiber, allows to determine seismoacoustic emission sources positions and to identify their types. Results of using this approach are successful for complex monitoring of railways.


In brief: Despite increasing evidence that regular aerobic exercise yields many benefits for patients with arthritis, patients often are advised to curtail physical activity. Findings from studies of patients with either rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis who participated in an aerobic exercise program show that the subjects made significant gains in aerobic capacity, functional status, muscle strength, and other aspects of performance. In addition, they improved in subjective aspects that might have a positive impact on quality of life, including pain tolerance, joint pain, mood, and social activity. The authors discuss some questions that remain unanswered and present guidelines for physicians who wish to prescribe aerobic exercise for their arthritis patients.


In this note we explain the main motivations Norbert Wiener had for the creation of his Generalized Harmonic Analysis [13] and his Tauberian Theorems [14]. Although these papers belong to the most pure mathematical tradition, they were deeply based on some Engineering and Physics Problems and Wiener was able to use them for such diverse areas as Optics, Brownian motion, Filter Theory, Prediction Theory and Cybernetics.


China has been growing its economy at an average rate of around 9 percent over the last 25 years and the rise of China has become a common concern among international community. Particularly, China would have more both economic and military resources to achieve its national agenda. Whether China with so rapid economic growth would become a benign power or a malignant power would have profound implication for the international system. Recently that China is flexing its economic muscle against Taiwan has posed further concerns about China's future assertive international behavior.


The purpose of this paper is to determine the strategies for enhancing the acquisition of government publications in Nigerian university libraries. The study seeks to identify the kinds of government documents acquired in university libraries in Nigeria; ascertain the ways they are acquired; determine appropriate ways they documents should be acquired in the libraries; identify the problems affecting their acquisition, and determine strategies for enhancing their acquisition in the libraries. The design of this study is a descriptive survey. The study focused on three academic libraries in the South East geopolitical zone of Nigeria namely: Nnamdi Azikiwe Library, University of Nigeria; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Library, Umudike and Festus Nwako Library, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. The population of this study comprises of 78 academic librarians in the three university libraries involved in the study. A questionnaire, observation checklist, and oral interview were used in collecting relevant data for the study. Frequency count, percentage and mean were used to analyze the items in the questionnaire. Based on the analysis and the findings, the following recommendations are made: all the Nigerian government presses both at the federal parastatals and state levels should be required by law to publish and distribute at least ones in six months, the lists of all the items they published; There should be increased funds for the management of academic libraries so as to accommodate the increasing purchase of more government publications and taking care of currency; government document libraries should be engaged fully in online subscription of government publications, among others.


ABSTRACT Oropharyngeal, airway, intestinal, and genital mucosal epithelia are the main portals of entry for the majority of human pathogenic viruses. To initiate systemic infection, viruses must first be transmitted across the mucosal epithelium and then spread across the body. However, mucosal epithelia have well-developed tight junctions, which have a strong barrier function that plays a critical role in preventing the spread and dissemination of viral pathogens. Viruses can overcome these barriers by disrupting the tight junctions of mucosal epithelia, which facilitate paracellular viral penetration and initiate systemic disease. Disruption of tight and adherens junctions may also release the sequestered viral receptors within the junctional areas, and liberation of hidden receptors may facilitate viral infection of mucosal epithelia. This review focuses on possible molecular mechanisms of virus-associated disruption of mucosal epithelial junctions and its role in transmucosal viral transmission and spread.


The thesis is an analysis of the pattern of economics literature in three parts: first, of the total population of published and unpublished literature in economics; second, a detailed analysis of the portion of that population which is used by economists, as measured by the pattern of citations of literature in nine journals; third, a similar analysis of the references given by teaching staff at three universities to students of economics. The main aim of the thesis is to review the professional literature in its various forms, and to compare this with the use made of it by practising economists. Three cross-section analyses of citations were carried out, for the years 1950, 1960 and 1968, to determine changes which had taken place in the use of the literature over the post-War period. [Continues.]


Statistical behavior and peculiarities of the viscosity data for original and aged bituminous materials have been investigated. Approximation of the empirical distribution of the aging index values as the ratio of corresponding values for aged and original bituminous material viscosity has been carried out employing normal, lognormal, and Charlier theoretical distribution models. Corresponding models for the suitable approximation of values under consideration have been verified. Probability distribution models under discussion reflect the main features of the aging index data. Accordance of the applied distribution models has been confirmed by transformed-values analysis employing logarithmic and square root transformations for presented aging index values. Suggested probabilistic models including the normal distribution and, in the first instance, the lognormal and Charlier distribution models, can be recommended for practical application for corresponding data analysis. Relationships among the viscosity data of original and aged bituminous materials employing different linear and nonlinear equations and multiple regression models, also including use of penetration and kinematic viscosity data, have been studied and analyzed. Specifications of the residual behavior for the regression equations have been examined, keeping in mind data peculiarities and their degree of heterogeneity. Presented results widen the possibilities for original and aged bituminous materials penetration and aging index data interpretation, increasing the reliability of estimations for corresponding quantitative characteristics.


Injections of muscimol into the median raphe nucleus (MR) elicit intense drinking in normally hydrated rats. To determine whether this response is dependent on forebrain systems mediating other aspects of water intake, the authors examined the effects of lesions of the subfornical organ (SFO), median preoptic nucleus (MnPO), lateral preoptic area (LPO), or lateral hypothalamus (LH) on the drinking. Lesions of the SFO or LH attenuated muscimol-elicited drinking, whereas lesions of the MnPO or LPO increased water intake after the treatment. All of the lesion groups showed a deficit in drinking to injections of polyethylene glycol and at least one of the doses of hypertonic saline. Only the SFO- and LH-lesioned groups showed a suppression of drinking to systemic injections of angiotensin II, suggesting that the drinking elicited by intra-MR injections of muscimol may involve changes in the central circuits mediating angiotensin-induced drinking.


The present age is about information technology. In order to build technical human power, the higher secondary education board of Bangladesh has launched a new course named Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as compulsory subject for intermediate college students in the traditional way. Statistic has shown that there are many lacking in the traditional system to teach ICT course. Lacking of proper amount of ICT based and qualified teacher is one of them. This paper examines the inadequacies involved with traditional system of learning the ICT course and proposes a solution by developing a technology enhanced web based collaborative learning (WBCL) model named "ICT Course Helper (ICH)" that will increase the ICT based knowledge of learners. Finally, the model is implemented and surveyed. The survey result indicates that the proposed and developed system may give better result than conventional learning procedure of ICT course to the student. Keywords— web Based Learning; Collaborative Learning; ICT; NCTB; QA procedure.


This letter presents a robust generalized correlation approach for monitoring of power system oscillatory modes. Due to the non-Gaussian nature of measurement noise, and presence of impulsive outliers, the wide-sense stationarity assumption of power system measurement data is violated even under ambient conditions thus limiting the effectiveness of conventional autocorrelation based approaches in mode metering. The fundamental definition of correlation function for power system measurements is extended to a generalized correlation function in order to incorporate higher order statistics into existing modal estimation technique. Simulations on synthetic and real-life test signals have been conducted to demonstrate the robustness of the proposed method.


To the Editor.—
 The revised recommendations of the Committee on Infectious Diseases concerning the use of pertussis vaccine in infants with proven or suspected neurologic disease1 warrant comment. Such modified recommendations are needed because of confusion about the causation of coincident or preexisting neurologic disease that appears or is first recognized in temporal association with the administration of diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, (DTP), which confusion has resulted in extensive litigation over alleged personal injury. Although most authorities believe that pertussis vaccine does on rare occasions produce permanent neurologic damage, it is clear that the vast majority of these alleged injuries are of other etiology.


Recent circulation control testing at West Virginia University, in a closed loop wind tunnel, has been conducted on models where the trailing edge radius was selected to be smaller than that used in literature, such as Loth and Boasson [1], 1.5 inches and Englar [2], 0.4375 inches. The reduced size was chosen in an attempt to minimize the drag experienced during periods of non-activation of the circulation control, and the smaller size was more compatible to the wind tunnel test section size. However, while the drag is lessened by a smaller trailing edge, the performance of circulation control also appears to be dependent upon a multitude of variables including, but not limited to, the trailing edge radius and jet velocity. Through a modeled experiment, the two attributes that influence the circulation control performance were concurrently manipulated by varying the radius of curvature and the velocity of the blown jet. The combination of these characteristics were experimentally explored to determine the location where the jet leaves the surface of the cylinder, also known as the separation point. The optimum separation point is defined as the farthest angular displacement from the plane of the blown jet exit slot, which corresponds to the greatest increase in the circulation around the cylinder, representing the trailing edge of a circulation control airfoil. From the known radius and jet velocity, an expression that relates the separation point and the mass flow rate velocity quantity are compared. Understanding the blowing coefficient and its impact on the separation point, results in a predictive relationship between these two attributes of circulation control. The results of this two-dimensional cylinder study found that an increase in trailing edge radius decreased the location of the separation point. In addition, an increase in the jet velocity resulted in an increase in the separation point location. The combination of these two quantities produced a relationship similar to each individually, illustrated by the mass flow rate velocity value, which is the blowing coefficient excluding free stream conditions, versus the angle of separation. Data is therein compared to the theory by Newman [3], which predicts a maximum separation point location at 245 degrees beyond the jet exit plane and an increase in the separation point as the radius of curvature increases. The results of this study found a separation point maximized at 231 degrees, and, contrary to Newman [3], a decrease in the separation point was found as the radius of the cylinders increased.Copyright © 2010 by ASME


In recent years, the integrity of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) under pressurized thermal shock (PTS) accident has become controversial issue since the larger shift of RTNDT in some higher fluence surveillance data raised a concern on RPV integrity. Under PTS condition, the combination of thermal stress due to a temperature gradient and mechanical stress due to internal pressure causes considerable tensile stress inside the wall of RPV. Currently, RPV integrity is assessed by comparing stress intensity factor on a crack tip under PTS condition and a reference toughness curve based on the fracture toughness data of irradiated compact specimens. Since PTS loading is large enough to cause plastic deformation, a crack tip behavior on the inner surface of RPV can be explained by elastic-plastic fracture mechanics using the J-integral.In this study, 3D elastic plastic finite element analyses were performed to assess the crack tip behavior on surface of a RPV under Loss of coolant Accident, which causes one of the most severe PTS condition. In order to quantify the constraint effect on a surface crack, J-Q approach was applied. The constraint effect of a surface crack was compared with a compact specimen and its influence on the fracture toughness was assessed.As a result, the difference of constraint effect was clearly obtained. And it is recommended to consider constraint effects in the evaluation of structural integrity of RPV under PTS.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


Chickan Lake is one of the oldest lake in vicinity of Dadu district, Sindh. It holds the water throughout the year and importantly counted in saline water lake, the salinity reaches up to 9.5 ‰ in winter and decline 6.0%. Because there is not enough literature on this particular lake a study was conducted in 2015 to 2016, for the determination of physical, chemical and biological characteristics in different seasons in monsoon and winter. During the study all physico-chemical parameter were higher in winter than those of monsoon season. Plankton studies reviled that the total 20 species belong which is covering 4 classes. Cyanophyceae comprised of 7 species followed by Chlorophyceae 6 species, Bacillariophyceae 4 species and Euglenophyceae 3 species were recorded. Growth of cyanophyceae is dominated over bacillariophyceae, euglenophyceae and chlorophyceae.


There were 838 perinatal deaths of at least 20 weeks gestation or at least 400 grams birth weight reported to the PDC in 2009. Confidential reports on 827 deaths were reviewed. Of the 598 stillbirths reported to the PDC, reviews were carried out on 580 (97.0%). The PDC was notified of 240 neonatal deaths. Reviews were carried out on 247 neonatal deaths, which include neonatal deaths that occurred after discharge or transfer from the hospital of birth.


For years, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology has been considered as a challenge when it comes to developing efficient software to handle the extremely large volumes of data this surveying method is able to collect. In contexts such as this, big data technologies have been providing powerful solutions for distributed storage and computing. In this work, a big data approach on geospatial processing for massive aerial LiDAR point clouds is presented. By using Cassandra and Spark, our proposal is intended to support the execution of any kind of heavy time-consuming process; nonetheless, as an initial case of study, we have focused on fast ground-only rasters obtention to generate digital terrain models (DTMs) from massive LiDAR datasets. Filtered clouds obtained from the isolated processing of adjacent zones may exhibit errors located on the boundaries of the zones in the form of misclassified points. Usually, this type of error is corrected through manual or semi-automatic procedures. In this work, we also present an automated strategy for correcting errors of this type, improving the quality of the classification process and the DTMs obtained while minimizing user intervention. The autonomous nature of all computing stages, along with the low processing times achieved, opens the possibility of considering the system as a highly scalable service-oriented solution for on-demand DTM generation or any other geospatial process. Said solution would be a highly useful and unique service for many users in the LiDAR field, and one which could get near to real-time processing with appropriate computational resources.


Understanding the structural origins of the photoelastic response in oxide glasses is important for discovering new families of zero-stress optic glasses and for developing a predictive physical model. In this Letter, we have investigated the composition dependence of the stress optic coefficient C of 32 sodium aluminosilicate glasses with different types of alkaline earth oxides (MgO, CaO, SrO, and BaO). We find that most of the composition dependence of the stress optic response can be captured by a linear regression model and that the individual contributions from the alkaline earths to C depend on the alkaline earth-oxygen bond metallicity. High bond metallicity is required to allow bonds to be distorted along both the bonding direction and perpendicular to it. These findings are valuable for understanding the photoelastic response of oxide glasses.


The paper is concerned with binaural signal processing for a bimodal human-robot interface with hearing and vision. The two microphone signals are processed to obtain an enhanced single-channel input signal for the subsequent speech recognizer and to localize the acoustic source, an important information for establishing a natural human-robot communication. We utilize a robust adaptive algorithm for filter-and-sum beamforming (FSB) and extract speaker direction information from the resulting FIR filter coefficients. Further, particle filtering is applied which conducts a nonlinear Bayesian tracking of speaker movement. Good location accuracy can be achieved even in highly reverberant environments. The results obtained outperform the conventional generalized cross correlation (GCC) method.


Background:
 Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are at increased risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS); however, the factors predicting those at highest risk are not well-understood. We identified demographic and standard risk factors that best predict those at high risk based on a multiple biomarker algorithm.

 Methods:
 We studied adults with DM from a clinical registry who had measures of the PULS score (GD Biosciences, Irvine, CA), a biomarker algorithm identifying endothelial damage and predicting 5-year ACS risk consisting of HGF, sFAS, Fas Ligand, Eotaxin, CTACK, MCP3, Il-16, HbA1c, HDL-C, as well as age, sex, DM, and family history of CHD. We identified the proportion of patients with DM at low (<3.5%), intermediate (3.5-<7.5%), and high (≥7.5%) risk of ACS based on PULS. Stepwise logistic regression providing odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) examined the relationship of age, gender, and individual risk factors not part of the PULS algorithm with the likelihood of a high risk PULS score.

 Results:
 There were 668 adults with DM (females: 39.5%, ages 30 to 100, mean age 66.5 years). Of these, 6.0% had a low, 12.9% intermediate, and 81.1% high risk PULS score. In the stepwise logistic regression, independent predictors of a high risk PULS score included age, sex, hypertension, body mass index (BMI), and current smoking (table). Other risk factors and biomarkers, including apolipoprotein A-1 (ApoA1), apolipoprotein B (ApoB), ratio ApoB to ApoA1, total or LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, very low density lipoprotein cholesterol, lipoprotein (a), systolic or diastolic blood pressure, hs-CRP, and small dense LDL were not associated with a high PULS risk score.

 Conclusion:
 We demonstrated that age, male gender, hypertension, BMI, and current smoking are key factors potentially identifying persons with DM at high risk of ACS based on an algorithm identifying endothelial damage. Further validation through prospective studies with actual ACS events are needed.


Reconstituted influenza virus envelopes were obtained following solubilization of intact virions with Triton X-100. Quantitative determination revealed that the hemolytic and fusogenic activities of the envelopes prepared by the present method were close or identical to those expressed by intact virions. Hemolysis as well as virus-membrane fusion occurred only at low pH values, while both activities were negligible at neutral pH values. Fusion of intact virions as well as reconstituted envelopes with erythrocyte membranes--and also with liposomes--was determined by the use of fluorescently labeled viral envelopes and fluorescence dequenching measurements. Fusion with liposomes did not require the presence of specific virus receptors, namely sialoglycolipids. Under hypotonic conditions, influenza virions or their reconstituted envelopes were able to fuse with erythrocyte membranes from which virus receptors had been removed by treatment with neuraminidase and pronase. Inactivated intact virions or reconstituted envelopes, namely, envelopes treated with hydroxylamine or glutaraldehyde or incubated at low pH or 85 degrees C, neither caused hemolysis nor possessed fusogenic activity. Fluorescence dequenching measurements showed that only fusion with liposomes composed of neutral phospholipids and containing cholesterol reflected the viral fusogenic activity needed for infection.


Despite a multimodal radical treatment, mortality of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (AEOC) remains high. Host-related factors, such as systemic inflammatory response and its interplay with the immune system, remain underexplored. We hypothesized that the prognostic impact of this response could vary between patients undergoing primary debulking surgery (PDS) and those undergoing interval debulking surgery (IDS). Therefore, we evaluated the outcomes of two surgical groups of newly diagnosed AEOC patients according to the neutrophil, monocyte and platelet to lymphocyte ratios (NLR, MLR, PLR), taking median ratio values as cutoffs. In the PDS group (n = 61), low NLR and PLR subgroups showed significantly better overall survival (not reached (NR) vs. 72.7 months, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 40.9–95.2, p = 0.019; and NR vs. 56.1 months, 95% CI: 40.9–95.2, p = 0.004, respectively) than those with high values. Similar results were observed in progression free survival. NLR and PLR-high values resulted in negative prognostic factors, adjusting for residual disease, BRCA1/2 status and stage (HR 2.48, 95% CI: 1.03–5.99, p = 0.043, and HR 2.91, 95% CI: 1.11–7.64, p = 0.03, respectively). In the IDS group (n = 85), ratios were not significant prognostic factors. We conclude that NLR and PLR may have prognostic value in the PDS setting, but none in IDS, suggesting that time of surgery can modulate the prognostic impact of baseline complete blood count (CBC).


This paper discusses the existence of the fatwa institutions in Indonesia to solve the problems of contemporary law. This is evident in the implementation of Islamic law are represented by several institutions fatwas, such as the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), which has a Fatwa Commission; Muhammadiyah has Majlis Legal Affairs Committee, Nadhatul Ulama (NU) has Bahtsul Masa'il, and Persatuan Islam (Persis) has Hisbah Board, and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia has a Health Advisory Council and Syara (MPKS). This paper is a literature study using fiqh approach and sociology of Islamic law approach. The results showed the existence of the fatwa is crucial to answering the legal status of contemporary issues in society. But the results fatwa has no consequences and legal consequences for all the strict Muslim society.


African catfish, namely lele dumbo, is an economically important fresh water fish in Nusa Tenggara Barat. There are three strains of African catfish that are well distributed among farmers. Genetic information of three strain catfish stocks is needed in order to sustain their development program. Genetic variations of the three strains of catfish, i.e. Sangkuriang, Masamo, Paiton has been evaluated using RAPD markers. DNA genome was extracted using phenol-chloroform methods. DNA was amplified using 20 primers (OPA 1 – 20). The results showed that three of the 20 primers have good amplification products. There was no significant genetic differences among three strains of catfish analyzed (P>0.05). Genetic variation of three African catfish stocks ranges from low to middle value. The highest genetic variation is found in strain Masamo with heterozygosity of 0.273 (with 70% polymorphism loci), followed by Sangkuriang 0.189 (60%) and Paiton 0.147 (40%). Hybrid candidates of Masamo-Sangkuriang have eterozygosity ranges between 0.256 - 0.306 (with 66.6 7 – 73.77% polymorphism loci). Strain Masamo and Paiton has more close genetic relationship than among the both and Sangkuriang.


. The positive solution is studied for a ( k, n − k ) conjugate boundary value problem. The nonlinear term is allowed to be singular with respect to both the time and space variables. By applying the approximation theorem for completely continuous operators and the Guo-Krasnosel'skii fixed point theorem of cone expansion-compression type, an existence theorem for a positive solution is established.


Analysing gastric circulation we find that the hemodynamic effects of acid secretion and wall stress during contractions are capable of producing malperfusion of discrete areas. A computer-aided simulation of digestive cycles on a simplified gastric model shows an ischemic lesion, corresponding with the phenomenology of human gastric ulcer. A steal-phenomenon, which the effect is due to, has been produced experimentally.


Speech is easily interfered by external environment in reality, which results in the loss of important features. Deep learning has become a popular speech enhancement method because of its superior potential in solving nonlinear mapping problems for complex features. However, the deficiency of traditional deep learning methods is the weak learning capability of important information from previous time steps and long-term event dependencies between the time-series data. To overcome this problem, we propose a novel speech enhancement method based on the fused features of deep neural networks (DNNs) and gated recurrent unit (GRU). The proposed method uses GRU to reduce the number of parameters of DNNs and acquire the context information of the speech, which improves the enhanced speech quality and intelligibility. Firstly, DNN with multiple hidden layers is used to learn the mapping relationship between the logarithmic power spectrum (LPS) features of noisy speech and clean speech. Secondly, the LPS feature of the deep neural network is fused with the noisy speech as the input of GRU network to compensate the missing context information. Finally, GRU network is performed to learn the mapping relationship between LPS features and log power spectrum features of clean speech spectrum. The proposed model is experimentally compared with traditional speech enhancement models, including DNN, CNN, LSTM and GRU. Experimental results demonstrate that the PESQ, SSNR and STOI of the proposed algorithm are improved by 30.72%, 39.84% and 5.53%, respectively, compared with the noise signal under the condition of matched noise. Under the condition of unmatched noise, the PESQ and STOI of the algorithm are improved by 23.8% and 37.36%, respectively. The advantage of the proposed method is that it uses the key information of features to suppress noise in both matched and unmatched noise cases and the proposed method outperforms other common methods in speech enhancement.


In view of the observation in epidemiologic studies that the neurological component of the hand-arm vibration syndrome develops first, a conservative measure of the presence and progression of the syndrome may be obtained from the degree of numbness and loss of fine touch. Degraded tactile spatial resolution, as measured by step and gap detection with an esthesiometer, has been found, on the average, in stages 2 and 3 of the Taylor-Pelmear classification for vibration-induced white finger (VWF). Present evidence suggests that this occurrence is due to the degeneration of slowly adapting (type I) and, possibly, fast adapting (type I) mechanoreceptors, and/or their nerve fibers. The apparatus commonly employed for measuring vibrotactile perception thresholds in clinical studies records the sensitivity of fast adapting type II mechanoreceptors (pacinian corpuscles), which play no role in step or gap detection. They may, however, provide early evidence of neurological changes occurring in the syndrome, as a significant degradation in the threshold of fast adapting type II receptors appears to develop, on the average, before stage 2 of VWF.


Mixed cultures of several Azospirillum and Rhizobium trifolii strains caused either an inhibition or stimulation of nodule formation on plant hosts as compared with nodulation of plants inoculated with R. trifolii alone. Azospirillum strains affected the nodulation process at a precise cell ratio (R. trifolii/Azospirillum cells) and time of inoculation. All Azospirillum strains used showed a variation in their ability to inhibit or enhance nodulation by R. trifolii strains. When nonviable cell preparations of Azospirillum strains were used for mixing experiments, no effect on nodulation was observed. A decrease in the effectiveness of normally Nod+ Fix+R. trifolii strains was observed when an Azospirillum strain caused an increase in nodule number.


Seven new species of Trizogeniates Ohaus, 1917 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Geniatini) from Brazil are described: Trizogeniates beckeri new species, T. curvatus new species, T. eliskae new species, T. hallensorum new species, T. spatulatus new species, T. vazdemelloi new species, and T. zuzanae new species. The male of T. eris Villatoro, 2002 is described for the first time. The diagnostic features of the seven new species and the male of T. eris are presented and compared with their congeners. Illustrations of specimens, mouthparts, and male genitalia of the new species and T. eris are also provided. Additionally, an identification key and an illustrated catalogue with the geographic distribution of the Brazilian species of Trizogeniates are presented. New Brazilian state records for 12 species are depicted: T. cribricollis (Lucas, 1859) from Pará, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Paraná; T. dispar (Burmeister, 1844) from Espírito Santo; T. eris from Rio de Janeiro; T. goyanus Ohaus, 1917 from Mato Grosso do Sul; T. laevis (Camerano, 1878) and T. montanus Ohaus, 1917 from Espírito Santo and Paraná; T. temporalis Ohaus, 1917 from Goiás; T. terricolus Ohaus, 1917 and T. vittatus (Lucas, 1859) from Paraná; and T. traubi Martínez, 1965 from Pará, Minas Gerais, and São Paulo. Finally, distributional maps for the Brazilian species are included.


Abstract : Historically, the Sunnis in Lebanon have had difficulty raising viable militias. Mainstream leaders have traditionally rejected wholesale military mobilization, preferring to pursue their community's interests through the political process. Most of the Sunni fighters in Lebanon today belong to extremist groups, which have thus far failed to garner significant public support. However, there are indications that the calculus for militia-building may be changing. Since the assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005, the failure of the political elite to protect Sunni interests has reinforced a sense of victimization, and has created space for the growth of militant fundamentalist groups eager to claim the role of community defenders. As sectarian tensions grow, fueled by developments in Syria and Hizballah's continued role in that conflict, the Sunni population may come to perceive regional instability as an existential threat. In this case, those leaders willing to employ violence to protect Sunni interests may gain legitimacy in the eyes of the community. A confluence of political, social, and military dynamics affecting the Sunni community could signal a shift towards more widespread militarization. Our analysis suggests the following indicators could presage militarization of the Lebanese Sunni community: (1) Mainstream Sunni politicians begin to adopt the sort of militant, sectarian rhetoric currently employed by some Islamists to retain their political dominance; (2) Sunni officials and elites attack the legitimacy of state institutions, particularly the Lebanese Army; (3) The Future Movement's Christian allies, particularly the Lebanese Forces and Phalange parties, break their political alliance over concerns of Sunni militancy; (4) Sunni groups attempt to accumulate more and heavier weaponry; and (5) Sunni-dominated state institutions (e.g., Internal Security Forces) support sectarian militias with funding, weaponry, or operational assistance.


BACKGROUND
Delayed elimination of methotrexate associated with serious side-effects has been attributed to the co-administration of benzimidazole proton pump inhibitors.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
We have retrospectively analyzed the causes of delayed methotrexate elimination in patients who had received the rescue agent glucarpidase to evaluate the potential implication of benzimidazoles.

RESULTS
Between 2002 and 2008, six patients (mean age: 30 years; range: 4-74 years) were treated with glucarpidase. Delayed elimination associated with impaired renal function occured after the first cycle except in 2 patients (2nd and 8th administration of high-dose methotrexate). The possible causes of delayed elimination identified were: insufficient hydration (n=1) and drug-drug interactions (n=5). The potential drug-drug interactions included the co-administration of piperacillin/tazobactam (n=1) and proton pump inhibitors (omeprazole, n=3; esomeprazole, n=2). Impaired elimination of methotrexate was not observed either in the 3 patients who were treated further or during the previous cycles of the 2 pretreated patients in relation to the absence of co-prescription of proton pump inhibitors.

CONCLUSION
In line with the recent literature and given the prohibitive cost of glucarpidase, we have advocated the cessation of proton pump inhibitors administration during methotrexate treatment.


Since the beginning of movie-making there has been depictions of ambivalent relationships between young girls and adult males. In the middle of last century the stir caused by Nabokovs novel Lolita (1955), one of the last centurys most famous, and infamous, novels about an adult man obsessed with a not yet pubescent girl, shed light upon this practice. These nymphic girls and their lovers, when appearing in film, might not be depicted as involved in an explicit paedohiliac relationship. However, there is always a sexual energy, and tension, and hence an ambivalence surrounding this couple.
This essay attempts to answer questions such as in which way the girl is provided with a sexuality, how the relationship between the young girl and the adult male has been depicted by film makers through different stages of contemporary history and in which way the spectator is offered identification with the movies and its characters. Films selected for this research include Lolita (1962), Leon (1994) and Hard Candy (2005). To reach an adequate understanding of these films, and the development of the Lolita character over time, theories such as psycoanalytic theory and feminist theory has been deployed.


1. Over the last 20 years the concept of 'freshwater quality' has expanded to incorporate a range of physical, chemical, hydromorphological and biological characteristics. In Europe, this process has been given greater impetus by the EC Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the requirement for Member States to assess and monitor a comprehensive suite of freshwater features.

 2. Assessments of river hydromorphology are needed not only for implementing the WFD but also for nature conservation purposes, such as monitoring the condition of Special Areas of Conservation under the EC Habitats Directive and helping in the management and restoration of rivers. At present there are few detailed methods available in Europe for assessing river hydromorphology, and standard approaches are urgently required.

 3. The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) works to promote voluntary technical harmonization in Europe in conjunction with worldwide bodies and its European partners. The production of a CEN standard for assessing the hydromorphological features of rivers began in September 1999 and culminated in the production of EN 14614 in November 2004.

 4. EN 14614 is a 'guidance standard' that provides a framework of general principles and sets out which aspects of river hydromorphology should be assessed, how to plan and conduct field surveys, how results should be interpreted and presented, and ways of applying quality assurance procedures.

 5. A second CEN standard on river hydromorphology has recently been published. Using simple scoring systems, this will enable the extent of hydromorphological modification to river channels, banks, riparian zones and floodplains to be recorded and assessed consistently.

 6. CEN standards encourage European collaboration and provide a framework which other countries can use to develop their own assessment methods. However, ways need to be found to streamline the process of standardization and to ensure that published standards influence the work of researchers, environmental regulators and policy makers. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Nucleic acid hybridization experiments performed with deoxyribonucleic acid from serovars (serotypes) I to VIII of Ureaplasma urealyticum revealed a clustering of the analyzed strains into two major groups. One cluster included serovars I, III, and VI and the other included serovars II, IV, V, VII, and VIII, the two groups being distinguished at the 40 to 60% homology level. No consistent correlation could be demonstrated between the nucleic acid homology data presented here and the heterologous serological relationships known to exist between different serovars of U. urealyticum. On the other hand, agreement was found between clusterings according to deoxyribonucleic acid homologies and recently published observations made by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis methods.


The case of bilateral, non traumatic, non simultaneous posterior shoulder dislocations in 64 years old patient is reported here. They occured in a time gap of 3 months during the rest (sleep). Over the next 6 months no proper diagnosis was made despite X-ray examination, MRI and hospitalization.


Aims: The general aim of this thesis was to describe and compare the group of foreign-born persons living in Sweden and native Swedes with regard to health development over time, thus studying the influence of migration on health.

Methods: All four studies are based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB) and the National Board of Health and Welfare, Centre for Epidemiology covering the period 1970?1999. The database used included all foreign-born persons aged 16 years and upwards who were registered as living in Sweden in 1970. For each foreign-born person a Swedish matched control was chosen. The control was matched and was similar in age, sex, occupation, type of employment and county of residence in 1970. In total 906,564 people were included, 50 percent foreign-born persons. Information from the National Board of Health and Welfare, Centre for Epidemiology on date of death and death diagnosis was added to the database. Exclusion criteria were if no information was available or if a person had emigrated or migrated back (?re-migrated?). Persons were then also excluded if the information from the control subject was missing due to migration. The database used for analysis finally consisted of 723,948 persons, 361,974 foreign-born and 361,974 Swedish controls. All statistical analyses were carried out using the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) program, version 11.5, and both descriptive and analytic statistic methods were used.

Results: The results of the four studies show that foreign-born persons living in Sweden 1970?1999 have higher mortality, lower mean age at time of death and a different pattern of causes of death. The studies also found a tendency to less utilization of health care and that county of residence influences mortality among foreign-born persons. The most important finding was that migration has an influence on health.

Conclusion: To explain the differences found in health among foreign-born persons, several different factors have to be taken into account. Health is influenced by economic situation, housing, working conditions, unemployment, social network and background before migration. Social and physical environment or inequalities in resources and utilization of health care are important. Migration is shown to have a negative influence on health and is an important factor to consider when studying mortality and health in a population.


Background: Until now, very few studies have investigated the susceptibility profile of biocides to nosocomial pathogens and none reported in the Saudi Arabia. Hence, the aim of this study was to detect the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of a range of multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria: Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae against three common hospital disinfectants: chlorhexidine, benzalkonium chloride and cetrimide. Methods: The in vitro susceptibility tests of the three biocides were studied against 21 MDR A. baumannii, 11 MDR P. aeruginosa and 3 MDR K. pneumoniae strains, isolated from various clinical specimens in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. The susceptibility testing was performed by broth microdilution method following Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. Results : Among 35 isolates tested, there was no reduced susceptibility observed in A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae, however, two isolates of P. aeruginosa were showed reduced susceptibility (> 512 µg/mL) against benzalkonium chloride and cetrimide. Conclusion :Our observations imply that reduced susceptibility was observed with quaternary ammonium compounds against P. aeruginosa and no apparent relationship exists between specific disinfectants and their multidrug resistance character in A. baumannii and K. pneumoniae. Further studies are required to confirm these results in terms of biocides resistance.


As societies world-wide become increasingly multicultural, so the issues of identity, belonging, tolerance and racism become imperative to understand in their various forms. This book adds to the discussion by examining the interface between the lived, personal experiences of people in cross-cultural marriages and wider socio-political issues. One major contribution this book offers is that the marriages discussed are from a very broad range of cultures and classes. Amongst other issues, contributors examine: the legal and social factors influencing cross-cultural marriages; the personality factors and positive or negative stereotypes of otherness that influence spouse choice; notions of identity, gender and personhood, and definitions of difference, and how these are often tied up in emotive stereotypes; how all these factors affect the ongoing process of living together and the ability to cope; and how the children of such marriages come to terms with identity choices. This book should be highly relevant to the growing number of people in cross-cultural marriages, as well as to professionals in the fields of marriage guidance, child welfare and academics interested in ethnicity and kinship.


This monograph is based on a study of 560 temporal artery biopsies carried out on patients with visual disturbances presenting to an eye clinic. Among these, 32 cases of temporal arteritis were found. In order to put this material into proper perspective, changes in temporal arteries were also studied in autopsy material. Attempts were made to relate the findings in the temporal arteries to changes in the vasculature of the retina and optic nerve. A variety of sophisticated techniques including electron microscopy of the biopsy material and trypsin digestion of available retinae for the visualization of the vasculature were used. The effort involved in this study must have been considerable but it is doubtful whether the results are commensurate with this. The conclusion that temporal artery biopsy is necessary for the firm diagnosis of temporal arteritis and for the differentiation of optic nerve involvement by other vascular processes has previously


Here we present the realization of a novel fluorescence detection method based on the electromigration of fluorescent molecules within a nanocapillary combined with the laser excitation through a platinum (Pt)-coated nanocapillary. By using the Pt nanocapillary assisted focusing of a laser beam, we completely remove the background scattering on the tip of the electrophoretic nanocapillary. In this excitation geometry, we demonstrate a 1000-fold sensitivity enhancement (1.0 nM to 1.0 pM) compared to the detection in microcapillaries with epifluorescence illumination and fluorescence spectrophotometry. Due to a significant electroosmotic flow, we observe a decelerating migration of DNA molecules close to the tip of the electrophoretic nanocapillary. The reduced DNA translocation velocity causes a two-step stacking process of molecules in the tip of the nanocapillary and can be used as a way to locally concentrate molecules. The sensitivity of our method is further improved by a continuous electrokinetic injection of DNA molecules followed by sample zone stacking on the tip of the nanocapillary. Concentrations ranging from 0.1 pM to 1.0 fM can be directly observed on the orifice of the electrophoretic nanocapillary. This is a 1000-fold improvement compared to traditional capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence.


Erosion has been divided into interrill, rill, and gully components. Interrill erosion consists of soil particle detachment by raindrop impact and particle transport by splash and shallow overland flow. Interrill erosion and runoff rates were measured from one square-meter drainable flume filled with disturbed soil under simulated rainfall at different slopes ranging from 1.5 to 20%. Three contrasting soil types were used in the study. Rainfall was applied using a rainfall simulator with a single sweeping nozzle located 4 meters above the soil surface that sprayed drops with mean diameter of 1.5 mm. Results indicated that the effect of slope on interrill erosion depends on the soil type and rainfall rate. In other words, there is an interaction between slope, soil type and rainfall rate. Measured interrill erosion rates were compared to soil loss predicted by the proposed equations in WEPP model. Results revealed that the model tends to over-predict the values on the lower end, while under-predicting the values on the upper end of the scale.


Reconstructing a 2D slice or a 3D volume from a set of insufficient tomographic data is a difficult problem, and it is often tackled with analytical reconstruction algorithms. However, these types of methods fall short on delivering a quality image due to the severe artefacts introduced by the insufficiency of the data. The presented work shows the effects of taking tomographic scans with fewer radiographs on the quality of the reconstructed images. The aim here is to show the advantages of using iterative reconstruction methods over analytical methods, which are demonstrated by a quantitative comparison.


Inducing repair processes within the adult diseased lung is of major interest. Wnt/β-catenin signal activation has been demonstrated to induce lung repair in emphysemateous mouse lungs in vivo. We aim to determine Wnt/β-catenin driven lung repair processes in the 3D microenvironment, using murine and human diseased lung tissue cultures ex vivo.

Vibratome-generated lung slices (300 µm) were viable up to day 7. Lung structure and integrity was determined by 4D confocal live tissue imaging. Lithium chloride (LiCl) stimulation led to active Wnt/β-catenin signaling, as evidenced by increased GFP positive cells in alveolar regions of emphysematous tissue cultures from Wnt TCF-GFP reporter mice. LiCl activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling in tissue cultures of diseased human lungs, as analysed by active β-catenin expression and upregulated target gene expression ex vivo. Wnt/β-catenin signal activation in murine and human tissue cultures was accompanied by altered mRNA and protein expression of alveolar epithelial type I and II cell markers, as analysed by qPCR, Western Blotting, or tissue imaging. We found an increase in T1alpha expression in mouse and human diseased lung tissue cultures. Surfactant protein C expression was significantly upregulated and secreted in human lung tissue cultures from emphysema patients.

We demonstrate that human lung tissue cultures are viable, exhibit preserved lung architecture, and express distinct alveolar epithelial marker upon Wnt/β-catenin activation. Human lung tissue cultures represent a valuable tool to analyse potential targets and drugs for lung repair, thereby leading to more translatable and clinically relevant therapeutic options for chronic lung disease.


Seagrass beds are important for providing ecological functions and ecosystem services, including its role as habitat for marine animals. In spite of their significance, they remain in decline. The change of seagrass beds will affect the associated animals. Some animals that live on seagrass beds protected by IUCN Red Data List and CITES 1973. Yet the data have not been properly recorded. The aim of this study was to find out the existence of marine animals protected by the Red Data List and CITES 1973 IUCN, especially in seagrass ecosystems in Indonesia. The method used in this research is mix method with desk study approach and presentation of data analyzed through review. The results of the study show that changes in seagrass ecosystems will affect the presence of migratory marine animals and those who live and settle in this ecosystem. The provisions in the IUCN Red Data List and CITES 1973 supported by national legislation in Indonesia will have significant impact on the protection of marine animals in seagrass beds.


Embryonic axes and cotyledons of three soybean (Glycine max L. cv. Gudzon) seed lots designated as "normal", "naturally aged" and "acceleratedly aged" were analyzed for their organic free radical contents. No signals of free radicals were found in ESR spectra from cotyledonary material of the three samples investigated. High levels of organic free radicals were observed in the embryonic axes. There were significant differences in the free radical contents of the embryonic axes: the relative values of free radicals were 100, 190 and 170% for samples aged normally, naturally and in an accelerated manner, respectively. These results point to the physiological role of the embryonic axes during natural or accelerated aging of seeds, notwithstanding that the axis is a small part as compared to the cotyledons. It is suggested that lipid peroxidation in embryonic axes may play an important role in the seed deterioration during aging.


Activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cAPK) or protein kinase C (PKC) causes a rapid desensitization of beta 2-adrenergic receptor (beta AR) stimulation of adenylylcyclase in L cells, which previous studies suggest involves the cAPK/PKC consensus phosphorylation site in the third intracellular loop of the beta AR, RRSSK263. To determine the role of the individual serines in the cAPK- and PKC-mediated desensitizations, wild type (WT) and mutant beta ARs containing the substitutions, Ser261-->Ala, Ser262-->Ala, Ser262-->Asp, and Ser261/262-->Ala, were constructed and stably transfected into L cells. Results showed that serine 262 was the primary site of the cAPK-induced desensitization, whereas either serine 261 or serine 262 was sufficient to confer the 4 beta-phorbol 12 beta-myristate 13 alpha-acetate (PMA)/PKC-mediated desensitization. Coincident stimulation of cAPK and PKC caused an additive desensitization (6-8-fold increase in the EC50) which was significantly reduced (80%) only by the double substitution mutation. Quantitative evaluation of the coupling efficiencies and the GTP-shift of the WT and mutant receptors demonstrated that only one of the mutants, Ser262-->Ala, was partially uncoupled. The Ser262-->Asp mutation did not significantly uncouple, demonstrating that introducing a negative charge did not appear to mimic the desensitized state of the receptor. The beta AR expression level played a critical role in determining the pattern of beta AR desensitization; i.e. while the overall desensitization was unaltered within a large range of beta AR expression level (10-300 fmol/mg), the increase in EC50 and decrease in Vmax were differentially affected by the change in the receptor level.


Software developments in the domain of building performance simulation (BPS) targeting the early design stages of a building need to address two points successfully to be adopted in design practice: (1) facilitating communication between multiple engineering disciplines and (2) the limited amount of design information. The authors consider the limited amount of design information available not as a limit but as a design uncertainty. To focus the designer's attention the approach chosen here is to extend the capabilities of existing simulation tools with uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. The development of software goes as any product development through stages as design, synthesis and analysis and involves numerous design iterations. The analysis of the prototypical tool extension includes verification und usability evaluation. Whilst the verification of prototypical design tools is necessary to ensure the added analysis functionality is implemented correctly the usability evaluation is to ensure the proposed feature meets the demand of the potential user group. A heuristic usability evaluation was conducted with six expert practitioners using a paper prototype. The quantitative feedback to heuristics as design guidance, process integration, and application confirmed the potential of the tool extension to support design practice. The usability evaluation indicated that expert practitioners would encourage the use of uncertainty propagation and sensitivity analysis if tool extensions to BPS-tools were available. The experts assess uncertainty propagation and sensitivity analysis to add value by reducing the risk of technical design decisions and limiting the extent of design iterations.


The simplified pulse width modulation (PWM) strategy for the bidirectional ac/dc three phase converter in a micro grid system is proposed. A high efficiency isolated bidirectional ac to dc converter is proposed to control the bidirectional power flows and to improve its power conversion efficiency. The number of switching's of the proposed simplified PWM strategy is one fourth that of the conventional unipolar PWM (UPWM) and bipolar PWM (BPWM). Based on the novel simplified PWM strategy, a proportional integral (PI) control scheme and SVPWM technique is developed to achieve better rectifier mode and inverter mode performance compared with the conventional dual loop control scheme. The proposed simplified PWM strategy with the proposed proportional integral control scheme has lower total harmonic distortion than the bipolar PWM and higher efficiency than both unipolar and bipolar PWMs. Furthermore, the proposed simplified PWM operated in the inverter mode also has larger available fundamental output voltage VAB than both the unipolar and bipolar PWMs. The simulation results verify the validity of the proposed PWM strategy and control scheme.


Some aids of collective and individual radioprotection of the medical personnel during a conduction of intracavitary gammatherapy are evaluated. The characteristics of the production equipment (a semi-automatic protection line, a set for radiation following the principle of simple afterloading, remote afterloading) are given, and their operation principles are described. The materials concerning the radiation-hygienic analysis of the medical personnel labour conditions are reported. Measures providing their reliable protection during manipulations with radioactive sources are delineated.


In a synopsis theoretical and experimental problems of the parenteral nutrition are discussed. The infusional phlebitis and thrombose, the technique of exact dosage of infusion fluids, the balance of nitrogen utilization and questions of the essential and unspecifical nitrogen sources, the energy requirement and the carbohydrate utilization, the dynamique of insulin secretion and possibilities of energy preparation by lipid components are especially mentioned. Finally a general conception of parenteral nutrition inserted in cited and discussed results is developed which is proceeding from the thesis, that the nitrogen requirement related to the body weight is determinining the requirements of energy, potassium and water. The limiting factors of parenteral nutrition are the maximal turnover of substrates and the osmotical excretion capacity in the homoiostatic regulation.


In this presentation we investigate the relationship between parental occupations and filial education attainment. The focus of the presentation is General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) attainment. GCSEs are public examinations and mark the first major branching point in a young person's educational career. Poor GCSE attainment is a considerable obstacle which precludes young people from pursuing more advanced educational courses. Young people with low levels of GCSE attainment are usually more likely to leave education at the minimum school leaving age and their qualification level frequently disadvantages them in the labour market and low levels of qualifications are also likely to have a longer term impact on experiences in the adult labour market In this presentation we analyse a recently harmonised dataset which combines a number of cohorts from the Youth Cohort Study of England and Wales. The analyses concentrate on pupils attending comprehensive schools in the 1990s. We analyses some alternative measures of GCSE attainment and consider a number of alternative classifications of parental occupations. Within the data there is item non-response and we attempt to develop the analysis by employing multiple imputation methods. We conclude that there is a relatively strong (and persistent) association between parental occupations and filial GCSE attainment. This relationship is observed irrespective of however GCSE attainment and parental occupations are measured. Parental occupation plays a more striking role in GCSE attainment than both gender and ethnicity. These finding make a contribution to wider debates within social stratification research.


Current-induced domain wall motion in TbFeCo wires with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy has been directly observed by Kerr microscope. The moving direction of domain wall is opposite to the current direction, which is in agreement with the spin torque transfer theory. The critical current density found in TbFeCo is lower than 107 A/cm2, which is an order smaller than in other metallic materials reported so far. In addition, the critical current density gets increased with the increase of the pinning potential in TbFeCo thin film, which is also consistent with the theoretical prediction for a pinning dominant mechanism.


In 2013, the Constitutional Advisory Panel invited New Zealanders to think about our vision of what New Zealand should look like in the future and to consider how our constitutional arrangements would support that vision. In response, New Zealanders have suggested the inclusion of an environmental protection regime in our future constitutional landscape. The author supports this prevailing opinion. This paper will use the experiences gained from international and regional human rights and environmental law treaties and other countries' constitutions to explore the best model to achieve that goal. This comparative law analysis will identify the key theoretical and legal issues that must be addressed by Parliament to ensure the successful implementation and enforcement of an environmental protection regime through the courts. While international developments are important, any environmental constitutional framework must reflect New Zealand's unique and distinctive history, environment, people, and cultural values. With this in mind, this paper will tentatively canvass a new environmental constitutional framework and lay foundations for further legal research and public debate.


An Au2S network model was proposed to study the structural origin, evolution, and formation mechanism of the Aun(SR)m clusters containing quasi-face-centered-cubic (fcc) cores. The Au-S framework structures of 20 quasi-fcc gold clusters had been determined from the Au2S network. Based on the Au2S network, some new quasi-fcc clusters, such as 8e- clusters Au24(SR)16, Au26(SR)18, Au26(SR)19 -, Au29(SR)21, Au30(SR)22, and Au32(SR)24, and a class of Au24+8n(SR)20+4n (n = 1, 2, 3, …) clusters were predicted. Furthermore, by studying the evolution of Au-S frameworks, it was possible to construct molecular-like reaction equations to account for the formation mechanism of quasi-fcc gold clusters, which indicated that the formation of quasi-fcc gold clusters can be understood from the stepwise 2e--reduction cluster growth pathways. The present studies showed that the Au2S network model provided a "parental" Au-S network for exploring the structural evolution of the quasi-fcc Aun(SR)m clusters. Moreover, it was possible to study the formation pathways of the Aun(SR)m clusters by studying the evolution of their Au-S frameworks.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between single dosage of 60Co radiation and the degree of radiation-induced skin ulcers, and to evaluate the curative effect of Heijiang Pill (HJP) on skin ulcer induced by various dosages of radiation in rats.

METHODS
Sixty-six Wistar female rats were randomly divided into three groups, the blank control group (n = 6) and the two radiation groups, each 30 rats, with their right hind leg exposed respectively to 60 Gy and 40 Gy of 60 Co radiation. The time of emergence and degree of skin ulcer were recorded. Then rats in the two radiation groups were subdivided into the HJP group, the Ethacridine group and the model group, 10 in each group, they received corresponding treatment after ulceration, and the incidence, pathology, cure rate and cure time of skin ulcer were observed in the 90 days of observation.

RESULTS
The incidence of skin ulcer was higher and occurred earlier in rats radiated with 60 Gy than that with 40 Gy (P < 0.05). In the same radiation dosage, the ulcer healing rate in rats treated with HJP was higher than that treated with Ethacridine (P <0.05), and in the subgroups of 40 Gy radiation, the mean cure time in the HJP group was shorter (P < 0.05). The local epithelial proliferation and repairing could be verified by pathological observation in the HJP group.

CONCLUSION
Larger dosage of radiation leads to earlier emergence and aggravation of ulcers. HJP can effectively cure radiation skin ulcer, and the effect is especially significant on the ulcer induced by low dose radiation.


concentrations in μg.L-1. Electroactive As (III) is evaluated by direct analysis. As (V) is converted into As (III) using reduction solution; the new As (III) concentration, represents the total inorganic As in the analyzed sample. As (III) and total inorganic As determination showed a work potential peak at -0.68 V; As (V) concentration was determined by subtraction [total inorganic As – As (III)]. Quantification and detection limits for As (III) were 0.22 and 0.08 μg.L-1, respectively, for a deposition time of 180 s with the linear range from 1 to 5 μg.L-1. Standard deviation for 1 to 5 μg.L-1 arsenic concentration (n = 10) was 5%. The methodology was successfully applied for identifying and quantifying the inorganic arsenic in grape juices; and the accuracy was assessed by a recovery test on spiked samples, being 98.2% for As (III) and 96.4% for As (V). These results were compared with those from hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry analyses. The grape juice samples analyzed by voltammetric technique showed As (III) and As (V) concentrations ranging 51-71 μg.L-1 and 34-60 μg.L-1, respectively.


Introduction: Diet has a strong influence on aging and lifespan. Thus, understanding the mechanisms by which diet influences lifespan has implications for age-related and diet-related diseases. Caenorhabditis elegans  is a powerful system to study the effects of diet on lifespan because it has a short life history, a simple anatomy and can be fed a variety of bacterial species and strains (1). In this project, we will use the nematode model  C. elegans  to uncover possible dietary factors that cause changes in the activation of diet-responsive genes. We will use a transgenic  C. elegans  strain that harbours a GFP promoter fusion to  acdh-1. This transgenic dietary sensor strain, when submitted to diet restriction (a treatment that extends lifespan (2)) has a reduced GFP expression (3). We will use  Bacillus subtilis  large deletion mutants of non essential genes as a food source to screen for factors that change the GFP expression in the sensor strain. This project will indicate which kinds of factors in the diet are important for lifespan. Methods: -Generate a transgenic worm carrying two fluorescent constructs: P acdh-1 ::GFP to monitor diet sensing and Pdop-3::RFP to serve as standard for worm number normalization. -Perform high-throughput screening of the fluorescent  C. elegans  strain with  B. subtillis  deletion mutants. -If a significant variation of the diet sensor is found during the screening we will perform lifespan experiments to clarify if that diet affects the life history of the worm. If there is a noticeable change in lifespan a screen with single deletion mutants of that large deletion will be used to clarify which mutation is producing a change in life history. Results: -The fluorescent strain APS9 ( vsIs33 [dop-3 ::RFP] ; wwIs24 [P acdh-1 ::GFP + unc-119(+)]) was generated via sexual crossing of the strains VL749 x LX811. Heat shock treatment and RNAi of him-14 were used to increase male ratio. -We are currently screening the activity of P acdh-1 ::GFP when C. elegans is feed with single strains of the library of 250 B. subitilis mutants. -Future milestones: lifespan experiments and single-deletion mutants screen. Conclusions: To be determined.


The Internet and its applications, such as social media, have revolutionized the way stateless diasporas communicate transnationally. This new virtual, deterritorialized conversation between diasporic individuals contributes to building (digital) social networks which constitute resources and opportunities for diasporas, central to social and geographical mobility. This paper explores the role of the Internet in connecting diasporas without a home nation-state, encouraging subordinated people to participate in civic society and creating a collective source of digital social capital in the diaspora. I argue that the Internet, particularly social media, contributes to the growth of social networks, social capital and the community's cultural and political participation within and across nation-state borders.


Apoptosis is a form of cellular suicide and is activated in various cells, including keratinocytes, in response to physiological and pathological stimuli. A current hypothesis holds that apoptotic cells in a concerted manner express characteristic phenotypic features comprising cytoplasmic budding, pyknosis, chromatin condensation, karyorhexis and internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. In this study we investigated the effects of different potential inducers of apoptosis on cultured human keratinocytes. Viability was determined with vital dyes (ethidium bromide, trypan blue), cell morphology was investigated with electron microscopy, and nuclear and DNA integrity was assessed with TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labelling) or DNA gel electrophoresis. Irradiation with 50 mJ/cm2 ultraviolet B (UVB), treatment with C8 ceramide, or suspension in a semisolid medium caused apoptosis which was ultrastructurally different from necrotic induced by very high (300 mJ/cm2) doses of UVB. However, the phenotype of dying cells did not exhibit all typical features of apoptosis and cell morphology depended on the method used to induce apoptosis. Cells irradiated with ultraviolet B or treated with C8 ceramide developed large and small budding and DNA nicks but not chromatin condensation or classical karyorhexis. In UVB-irradiated cells a novel form of karyorhexis was observed manifested by formation of a few very small chromatin fragments in nuclear periphery. Cells suspended in methylcellulose developed DNA nicks and pyknosis, but not budding or karyorhexis. In neither case could the typical internucleosomal DNA fragments be detected by gel electrophoresis. These morphological results indicate that in keratinocytes induction of effect or death mechanisms is not concerted but depends on the stimulus inducing apoptosis.


In this paper a new marker-based approach is presented for 3D camera pose tracking in indoor Augmented Reality (AR). We propose to combine a circular fiducials detection technique with a particle filter to incrementally compute the camera 3D pose parameters. In order to deal with partial occlusions, we have implemented an efficient method for fitting ellipse to scattered data. So even incomplete data will always return an ellipse corresponding to the visible part of the fiducial image. The other advantage of our approach comparing to the related camera pose estimation works is its capacity to naturally discard outliers which occur because of image noises. Results from real data in an augmented reality setup are presented, demonstrating the efficiency and robustness of the proposed method.


This paper presents a new economic and effective TPEG (transport protocol experts group) application for location based service (LBS) that can be provided in terrestrial-digital multimedia broadcasting (T-DMB) transmission system. We propose a novel point-of-interest (POI) application interoperable with TPEG protocol, and introduce the POI data server/client and the DMB receiver with TPEG decoder implemented by using the proposed protocol. The stability and effectiveness of the proposed protocol is verified through the experimental broadcasting, and the pilot service using the commercial T-DMB network is being provided successfully


Over 6000 feet of clastic sediments, probably of early Tertiary age, have been deposited in an actively developing graben. The sequence consists of beds mostly less than a foot thick, ranging in texture from conglomerate to shale, but dominantly of low rank graywacke. While much of the rapid vertical variation in lithology is erratic, some cyclic patterns are present.

The sediments were derived from an area of low-grade metamorphic rocks only a short distance to the west and were deposited at the edge of a mountainous land which was actively rising by warping and perhaps by early movements on the faults that now separate the horst of Prince Charles Foreland from the graben of the Foreland Sound. Slump structures indicate considerable downward sliding of the sediments toward the center of the graben.

Lithologic cycles in the sediments have been analyzed quantitatively in an attempt to assess their significance. Major cycles are attributed to variation in the balance between the rate of upward movement of the source area and the rate at which erosion reduced the resulting topographic relief. Minor cycles (mainly conglomerate-sandstone alternations and sandstone-shale alternations) are superimposed on the major cycles. Chiefly from an analysis of the ratios of thicknesses of beds in these cycles, it is argued that they represent short-term meteorologic variations.

For each kind of rock, the thicknesses of beds have a log normal frequency distribution, and the geometric mean thicknesses increase with coarseness: shales 0.3 foot, siltstones 0.6 foot, sandstones 1.0 foot, conglomerates 1.4 feet. The sandstone thickness distribution, however, is a composite of two populations. The sandstones that are in cyclic alternation with conglomerates have a geometric mean thickness greater than that of the conglomerates; the sandstones that are in cyclic alternation with shales have a geometric mean thickness less than that of the shales. These data are compared with information on bedding thickness from other areas, and the interpretation of such data is discussed.

The tectonic setting is taphrogeosynclinal; the rocks are dominantly low rank graywackes. The association of various kinds of sedimentary rocks with this tectonic setting is discussed. If general uplift occurs at the same time as the differential movement that forms the taphrogeosyncline, non-marine deposits will probably develop. Arkoses will be abundant if the source area consists of high-grade metamorphic and granitic rocks. Arkoses and non-marine deposits have developed in the past in a number of situations where block-faulting accompanied the uplift and deep erosion of the central part of an orogenic belt after an episode of orogenesis. In Prince Charles Foreland, however, the horst rose and the graben sank about a mean horizon of roughly constant elevation, and the "accidental" location on the western flank of the much older Caledonian fold belt of Spitsbergen resulted in a source area of low-grade metamorphic rocks and a sedimentary pile dominated by low rank graywackes.


In response to Roth and Ryckman, I explain in more detail why narratives fashioned with ideal, quantitative covering laws cannot be combined into large-scale covering-law explanations and specify further reasons for supposing that history can be conceived as dynamically nonlinear. I also appeal to an episode in the history of science to examine the idea that dynamical complexity is local in historical space and time and to suggest that such complexity does not pose a unique problem for historical narration. Finally, I suggest that Roth and Ryckman's critique of the use of nonlinear dynamical concepts in historical explanation must extend to explanations employing concepts from linear science. I conclude that their warning against the incoherence of scientism is not convincing.


The figure of the clown has passed through different moments and historical lectures, which makes it be considered an archetypal figure in the occidental culture. Their role in society has always been the ridiculous, object of giggling, but the clown is not only a being consistent, authentic and courageous, he is also fragile and transparent in his significations. Nowadays, the means of this character are reconstructed, like, for example, in the programs of clowns in community interventions – a new phenomenon that has grown considerably in the last years. They are already in different places such as hospitals, refugee camps, in developing areas and in emergency situations around the world. Anxious to promote health through humour, of laughter and a true and genuine attention to the other, these artists fit, increasingly, in community interventions, acting as a very important social role. This work aims to relate the figure of the clown and the clown of the hospital programs with the movement of humanization hospital currently available, identifying in them, relations with the work of health and promotion.


In this work, we report a single-site, heterogeneous Pd(ii)-NHC-based oxidative C-H activation catalyst, designed on a self-supported coordination polymer platform. The system has been applied successfully for selective arene C-H monohalogenation reactions affording a good degree of efficiency and reusability. Control experiments suggested that the Ru(ii)-terpyridine-based coordination network scaffolding the covalently attached Pd(ii)-NHC catalytic centres was highly robust under oxidizing conditions and rendered superior activity than the homogeneous counterpart.


The development of T-cell responses in pigs vaccinated against Aujeszky's disease in the presence of maternal-derived antibodies (MDA) was examined. The aim of study was to evaluate the influence of MDA on the postvaccinal T-cell responses and optimization vaccination protocols in MDA-positive pigs. Pigs born to immune sows were vaccinated at different ages against Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV). For estimation of T-cell responses the lymphocyte proliferation and interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin-4 production were evaluated. High values of stimulation index were noted in groups vaccinated at 8 or 12 weeks of age (in 60% and 100% animals, respectively). In weaners vaccinated at 10 and 14 weeks of age, as well as in those vaccinated at 7 days and revaccinated at 8 or 12 weeks of age, 100% of animals positively responded in the lymphocyte proliferation assay after booster. At 20 weeks of life, only animals vaccinated at 12 weeks of age, 7 days and 12 weeks of age, and 10 and 14 weeks of age showed antigen-specific proliferation. Similar results were observed with IFN-gamma secretion after exposure to live ADV. We demonstrate that early vaccination with a live glycoprotein E-deleted ADV vaccine, in the face of high levels of MDA, could be effective, but the intensity and duration of the anamnestic response depends on the time of booster injection.


A search for pairs of dijet resonances with the same mass is conducted in final states with at least four jets. Results are presented separately for the case where the four jet production proceeds via an intermediate resonant state and for nonresonant production. The search uses a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb−1 collected by the CMS detector in proton-proton collisions at √ s = 13 TeV. Model-independent limits, at 95% confidence level, are reported on the production cross section of four-jet and dijet resonances. These first LHC limits on resonant pair production of dijet resonances via high mass intermediate states are applied to a signal model of diquarks that decay into pairs of vector-like quarks, excluding diquark masses below 7.6 TeV for a particular model scenario. There are two events in the tails of the distributions, each with a four-jet mass of 8 TeV and an average dijet mass of 2 TeV, resulting in local and global significances of 3.9 and 1.6 standard deviations, respectively, if interpreted as a signal. The nonresonant search excludes pair production of top squarks with masses between 0.50 TeV to 0.77 TeV, with the exception of a small interval between 0.52 and 0.58 TeV, for supersymmetric R-parity-violating decays to quark pairs, significantly extending previous limits. Here, the most significant excess above the predicted background occurs at an average dijet mass of 0.95 TeV, for which the local and global significances are 3.6 and 2.5 standard deviations, respectively. Submitted to the Journal of High Energy Physics © 2022 CERN for the benefit of the CMS Collaboration. CC-BY-4.0 license ar X iv :2 20 6. 09 99 7v 1 [ he pex ] 2 0 Ju n 20 22