PURPOSE
To evaluate the importance in anterior segment dysgenesis of genetic variation in Foxe3, a gene encoding a forkhead transcription factor specifically expressed in the lens.

METHODS
The phenotype of mice heterozygous for a mutation in the DNA-binding domain of Foxe3 was examined from histologic sections, and DNA binding by the encoded protein was investigated by gel-shift assay. FOXE3 from human patients with Peters' anomaly was PCR amplified and sequenced.

RESULTS
The dysgenetic lens (dyl) allele of Foxe3 was found to encode a protein unable to bind DNA. Approximately 40% of mice heterozygous for Foxe3(dyl) have corneal and lenticular defects. The phenotype is variable but typically consists of the equivalent of Peters' anomaly in humans, with central corneal opacity, keratolenticular adhesion, and, in some cases, anterior polar cataract. In a small cohort (n = 13) of patients with Peters' anomaly, shown to be normal in the PAX6 locus, one individual was found to be heterozygous for a nonconservative missense mutation in FOXE3. The mutation, which does not occur in 116 chromosomes from a control population, substitutes leucine for arginine 90 at a highly conserved position in the forkhead domain.

CONCLUSIONS
Haploinsufficiency of Foxe3 in a mouse model causes anterior segment dysgenesis similar to Peters' anomaly. Although causality could not be shown in the human case, the presence of a rare, nonconservative substitution in FOXE3 of a patient with Peters' anomaly is interesting, in light of the phenotypic similarities with the mutant mice.


p130(Cas) (Cas) is an adaptor molecule which becomes tyrosine phosphorylated by v-Src- or v-Crk-triggered transformation and several physiological stimuli, such as cell attachment to fibronectin. We previously generated mice lacking Cas and demonstrated that Cas functions as an assembling molecule of actin filaments. To further explore Cas role in cellular function, we established Cas-deficient and Cas-re-expressing fibroblasts and compared their behaviors in response to several biological stimuli. We found that Cas-deficient fibroblasts showed significant defects in cell movement after mechanical wounding and in cell migration toward fibronectin as compared with Cas-re-expressing cells. In addition, when plated on fibronectin-coated dishes, Cas-deficient cells exhibited a significant delay in cell spreading as compared with Cas-re-expressing cells albeit that protein-tyrosine phosphorylation was similarly induced. These results demonstrated that Cas functions as a molecule promoting cell movement, cell migration, and cell spreading and suggest that Cas would be implicated in various physiological and pathological processes, such as would healing, chemotaxis, and tumor invasion.


BACKGROUND
Unemployment has become a serious social problem in industrialized countries. Job loss produces health-related disorders. Health-related data of the unemployed are scarce and prompted us to survey this group.

METHODS
A database of a health survey conducted between 1989 and 1993 in 79 selected rural communities of Styria (Austria) was used to analyze risk factors and employment status. The sample consisted of 8,747 individuals, 345 unemployed and 8,402 employed.

RESULTS
Risk behavior is higher among unemployed individuals than among those employed, particularly for males. Unemployed males were significantly less motivated to reduce weight and to change dietary habits than their counterparts, and they had significantly more anxieties, sleeping disorders, and lack of appetite. A similar pattern was found with regard to gastrointestinal and chronic liver and respiratory diseases. In addition, the unemployed utilized medical services more often.

CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study on health-related indicators and unemployment status in Austria. Job loss implies health-related disorders. The effectiveness of reducing the morbidity of the population in general is also dependent on intervention programs focusing on the specific needs of this high-risk group, e.g., adapting primary health care to its needs and fostering social support networks.


We present 2323 high-amplitude δ-Scuti (HADS) candidates discovered in the Large Magellanic Cloud by the SuperMACHO survey (Rest et al.). Frequency analyses of these candidates reveal that several are multimode pulsators, including 119 whose largest amplitude of pulsation is in the fundamental (F) mode and 19 whose largest amplitude of pulsation is in the first overtone (FO) mode. Using Fourier decomposition of the HADS light curves, we find that the period–luminosity (PL) relation defined by the FO pulsators does not show a clear separation from the PL relation defined by the F pulsators. This differs from other instability strip pulsators such as type c RR Lyrae. We also present evidence for a larger amplitude, subluminous population of HADS similar to that observed in Fornax.


Playa basins contain saline lakes and the evaporitic mudflats around them. However, playa basins can be different depending if they are fed by marine incursions, dominated by perennial lakes of brackish or fresh water, or dominantly dry. A discrimination of playa types, which originated under such different conditions, can be difficult in the rock record. The present study contributes to our understanding of these settings by reconstructing the evaporitic facies evolution in the German Keuper Basin after the retreat of an epeiric sea. The Middle to Late Triassic Grabfeld Formation (ca. 237–233 Ma) consists of weathered gypsum and dolomitic marl at the surface. Non-weathered, anhydrite and dolomitic marl successions were studied at the tunnel face and on drillcores for the Stuttgart 21 construction project around Stuttgart. From oldest to youngest, the following facies were recognized: (1) The Grundgipsschichten facies represents an environment of large, shallow, sulfate lagoonal lakes ("saltern"). Aren itic sulfate was deposited in very shallow waters, comprising many tepee-like structures, enterolithic folds and numerous truncation surfaces. (2) The Bochingen-Horizont facies is characterized by greenish gray laminated mudstone and dolomite deposited in perennial saline lakes. Anhydrite was locally altered by brackish or fresh water. (3) The Dunkelrote Mergel facies contains the sediments of a dominantly dry playa basin, red mudstone and nodular anhydrite. Sheetfloods resulted in ephemeral lakes under a monsoonally controlled climate. Sedimentation was sparse with numerous truncation surfaces. Large, festoon-like structures on the tunnel face were interpreted as paleo-gilgai structures. The study concludes that an evaporative environment of a coast ("coastal sabkha") can never be undoubtedly distinguished from a playa basin in the sedimentary record.


This work involves investigation and evaluation of the factors that affect the preparation and release of the model class I drug (loxoprofen sodium) to optimize the efficiency of its prepared nano transfersomal dispersion to give rapid onset of action (burst effect) within the

first 2 hours that can continue for further four hours. The work involved preparation of twenty formulas of transfersomal dispersion by thin film method which were nano-sized by probe sonication and characterized morphologically by Transmission electronic microscopic (TEM), zeta potential, particle size, polydispersity index (pdI), pH, physical appearance, entrapment efficiency, viscosity, transmittance and in vitro drug release. The selected nano transfersomal formula (SF16) showed pH (7.2), particle size (393 nm), pdI (0.259), zeta potential (-25), entrapment efficiency (91%) and gave a 73% drug release within the first 2 hours of the in vitro test and continued until it gave 86.35% drug release after 4 h. This work succeeded in preparing optimized tansfersomal dispersion for loxoprofen sodium using different soya lecithin / edge activator percent and different types of edge activator. The optimum formula gave an immediate release of the model drug (loxoprofen sodium) and it was ready to be incorporated in any suitable dosage form to give continuous drug release.


Background and Objectives Basal septal thinning or localized aneurysmal dilatation without coronary artery disease has been described as a characteristic finding suggestive of cardiac sarcoidosis. We sought to assess the prevalence of this characteristic echocardiographic finding in patients with pacemaker (PM) or implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD). Subjects and Methods Echocardiography of patients who received PM or ICD were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with marked thinning and akinesia confined to the basal septum (type 1), or posterolateral wall resulting in localized aneurysmal outward bulging (type 2) without history of myocardial infarction or significant coronary stenosis were included for analysis. Results Among 1,357 consecutive patients, 21 exhibited suggestive echocardiographic findings (type 1/2=15/6) with a mean ejection fraction of 37±11%. The prevalence was 1.2% in the PM group and 4.0% in the ICD group. Only 3 patients showed histologically confirmable sarcoidosis in lymph nodes, lung and heart, respectively. Endomyocardial biopsy was attempted in 6 patients, but failed to demonstrate sarcoidosis. The 1-, 2-, 4- and 6-year clinical events (death, cardiac transplantation and hospital admission)-free survival rates were 100%, 85.7±7.6%, 75.0±9.7% and 48.6±12.4%, respectively. During follow-up, two patients with PM underwent ICD implantation, and another underwent heart transplantation. Conclusion Prevalence of echocardiographic features suggesting prevalence of cardiac sarcoidosis is low in patients who underwent device implantation. However, considering the very low yield of endomyocardial biopsy and the rare extracardiac manifestations in cardiac sarcoidosis, characteristic echocardiographic findings could be an adjunctive diagnostic criterion in these patients.


This is a preliminary report of a new approach to treatment of sickle-cell disease based on the knowledge that the sickling phenomenon resides in a defect in the hemoglobin which, when deoxygenated, undergoes molecular rearrangement with consequent alteration of the shape of the erythrocyte. The sickle-cell phenomenon is not seen in fully oxygenated blood. It seemed reasonable to the authors to employ carbonic anhydrase inhibitor to control reduction of hemoglobin in sickle-cell disease to such an extent as to prevent the occurrence of sickling. The carbonic anhydrase inhibitor employed was acetazolamide (Diamox®). Experiments were conducted in vitro and also in vivo in a single Negro baby 8 months of age. Before treatment the patient's blood contained 18.7% sickled cells. One hour after 2 mg of acetazolamide per kilogram the percentage of sickled cells was reduced to 11.8%; 1 hour after 7 mg of acetazolamide per kilogram the percentage of sickled cells was reduced to 7.5%. At the time of this preliminary report the patient had been treated with acetazolamide for 29 days with an increase in the hemoglobin from 7.1 to 9.4 gm/100 ml. In a preliminary period of observation of 41 days before treatment the hemoglobin had declined during two separate episodes of hemolysis. The theory of the suggested mode of treatment is discussed. A detailed account of the clinical observations is to be the subject of a further report.


Automatic text categorisation is a major challenge for information retrieval, information extraction, and semantic web projects. The categorisation of texts depends on the 'meaning' of the individual texts - texts sharing the same meaning should be categorised together and those with different meaning will be categorised separately. This is an intelligent task and requires the knowledge of a given domain and expertise in text categorisation. Meaning is expressed by using keywords in a specialist domain; these keywords can change over time and new keywords are added and old ones removed. I present a method where keywords are extracted automatically from large collection of texts and the keywords are then used to train neural computing systems - in a limited way the systems 'learn' to categorise. A number of different techniques of extracting keywords are presented. The keywords were extracted using the traditional tfidf metric, a technique used in contrastive corpus linguistics - weirdness; multi-word compounds have been used as well as vectors for text collections. For 'learning' algorithms, we used the unsupervised self-organising maps and the supervised support vector machines - both have been used for the purposes of dimension reduction that is mapping from a highdimensional feature space to a lower dimensional without much loss of accuracy. The performance of such systems is evaluated through classification accuracy and average quantisation error. Three large text collections were used for training and testing - the TREC-AP news wire, the Reuters RCV1 and streaming news from Reuters Financial - the focus of the experimentation was on financial news. An archetype was developed that incorporates text analysis, terminology management, neural computing and feature vector generation systems. A novel evaluation scheme is reported where a vector of randomly selected words from a text collection is used as a baseline. The other comparisons are between systems trained by different techniques and with different learning algorithms. The key results include the classification accuracy is highest when the compound terms are chosen for creating vectors - the compounds were extracted automatically - however, when a terminology-based method was used to create vectors the single words from this method appear to be a better vector for training. The results of the experiments are encouraging. With further research, improvements in quantitative performance can be expected in the future.


Inhibitors of the renal outer medullary potassium channel (ROMK) show promise as novel mechanism diuretics, with potentially lower risk of diuretic-induced hypokalemia relative to current thiazide and loop diuretics. Here, we report the identification of a novel series of 3-sulfamoylbenzamide ROMK inhibitors. Starting from HTS hit 4, this series was optimized to provide ROMK inhibitors with good in vitro potencies and well-balanced ADME profiles. In contrast to previously reported small-molecule ROMK inhibitors, members of this series were demonstrated to be highly selective for inhibition of human over rat ROMK and to be insensitive to the N171D pore mutation that abolishes inhibitory activity of previously reported ROMK inhibitors.


1. There is no satisfactory evidence for regarding the organ of Syrski as the male gonad of Anguilla . 2. Silvering of the eel, salmon and trout is independent of gonad development and cannot therefore be regarded as a 'breeding dress'. 3. Injection of either pregnancy urine, ox anterior lobe extracts, pig anterior lobe extracts and thyroid extracts, as also pituitary homeo-implantation, were all without effect on the gonads of eels treated in this way. 4. Ox anterior lobe extracts produced premature smoltification in Salmo salar , had no visible effect on S. trutta or on Anguilla vulgaris , and did not affect the gonads in either species. 5. Injection of thyroid extracts produced silvering in salmon and brown trout but had no effect on the eel. 6. After two months9 treatment with thyroid extract brown trout are externally indistinguishable from sea trout.


ABSTRACT Developmentally regulated initiation of DNA synthesis was studied in the fly Sciara at locus II/9A. PCR analysis of nascent strands revealed an initiation zone that spans ∼8 kb in mitotic embryonic cells and endoreplicating salivary glands but contracts to 1.2 to 2.0 kb during DNA amplification of DNA puff II/9A. Thus, the amplification origin occurs within the initiation zone used for normal replication. The initiation zone left-hand border is constant, but the right-hand border changes during development. Also, there is a shift in the preferred site for initiation of DNA synthesis during DNA amplification compared to that in preamplification stages. This is the first demonstration that once an initiation zone is defined in embryos, its borders and preferred replication start sites can change during development. Chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that the RNA polymerase II 140-kDa subunit occupies the promoter of gene II/9-1 during DNA amplification, even though intense transcription will not start until the next developmental stage. RNA polymerase II is adjacent to the right-hand border of the initiation zone at DNA amplification but not at preamplification, suggesting that it may influence the position of this border. These findings support a relationship between the transcriptional machinery and establishment of the replication initiation zone.


Iraq is a poor country with a per capita income of I.D. 76 (0 212) per annum in 1965. She has underdeveloped resources and large supplies of foreign exchange from her oil exports. She is not short of unskilled labour or land and excellent opportunities exist for development in agriculture. Since 1950 the governments have attempted vigorously to develop the economy and have stressed (probably incorrectly) industry and industry has grown from 7.6% of national income in 1953 to 11.2% in 1963 at an annual average rate of 11.5%. In this thesis I have discussed, analysed and appraised a number of policies adopted by the government of Iraq designed to promote the growth of the industrial sector. These policies were of two kinds: (i) The establishment of enterprises financed, constructed and operated by the government. (ii) The encouragement of the expansion of private industrial enterprises, by protecting them from foreign competition, through the provision of finance, by way of tax exemptions of all kinds and through controls over the allocation of investment. This thesis shows that a key constraint on a more rapid rate of industrial growth and the long term development of a viable industrial structure has been the administrative bottleneck. Thus central planners formulated investment programmes without regard to the capacity of government agencies to implement their plans. Consequently only a fraction of funds available for industrialization plans was actually utilized. Moreover because of the low quality and limited capacity of the administrative machinery in relation to the volume and complexity of tasks imposed on it, tariff rates were determined haphazardly, import prohibitions were determined without proper reference to economic principles; tax exemptions were extended arbitrarily; no proper steps were taken to provide industry with sufficient working capital; and the government attempted to control the allocation of private investment by means of very restrictive and cumbersome procedures. Consequently some of the designed incentives acted as impediments to private efforts.


Field experiments were designed to examine the effects of parental ability on clutch size, for the two sexes separately. To handicap parental ability we removed feathers from the wings and the tail of three tit species (Parus spp.) during the initial incubation period. We then removed their first clutches, and examined the effect of the handicap on the subsequent nesting. In Blue Tits (P. caeruleus), and Coal Tits (P. ater), handicapped females reduced the size of the repeat clutch more than control females. In Blue Tits handicapped females fed their young at a lower rate, lost more body mass during the nestling period, and at fledging time their broods were significantly smaller than those of controls. Their fledglings had a body mass, similar to the control fledglings. Handicapped female Great Tits (P. major) only reduced their clutch size a small amount; consequently, at fledging time, their body mass and those of their young were lower than for controls. The males of the three species of tits did not seem to increase parental investment when their mate was handicapped. When male Blue and Coal Tits were handicapped their mates did not reduce clutch size more than did those of the control group, despite a reduction in parental investment by handicapped males. However, breeding success was not significantly affected by handicapping males. We conclude that the clutch size determination of female tits is primarily based on their own ability to feed their young, and not on the quality of their mate. Male tits seem to have a lesser influence on breeding success than females, and males seem less willing or less able to increase their parental investment.


The present research work arises in relation to the needs of the oil industry to produce those deposits of the Morichal District, possessors of high remaining reserves, where MEOR symbolizes a biotechnological, effective and profitable alternative that uses the injection of microorganisms as an additional strategy to the conventional treatments of improved recovery of hydrocarbons. Different oil fields located in different parts of the world have implemented this process with similar approaches and expectations, however, the results have had discrepancies, since bacteria are significantly affected by variations in subsoil conditions, which is why a methodology was designed to select wells candidates to carry out this technique, which exhibits the most suitable environment for such purposes, coupled with it, certain correlations were established from statistical programs to predict both Water Cut (%) and Recovery Factor (%), which represent important aspects to compare and guarantee how feasible the MEOR process can be in this potentially important area within the oil context, noting that they yielded satisfactory estimates in the wells particularly under study belonging to the Pilon Field, since they affected on average a 38% increase in the recovery factor and an approximate decrease in the water cut of 16% projecting optimistic expectations regarding the success of this process.


The in-orbit imaging performance of the three X-ray telescopes on board of the X-ray astronomy observatory XMM-Newton is presented and compared with the performance measured on ground at the MPE PANTER test facility. The comparison shows an excellent agreement between the on ground and in-orbit performance.


Recently, many image processing applications have taken advantage of a psychophysical and neurophysiological mechanism, called "surround suppression" to extract object contour from a natural scene. However, these traditional methods often adopt a single suppression model and a fixed input parameter called "inhibition level", which needs to be manually specified. To overcome these drawbacks, we propose a novel model, called "context-adaptive surround suppression", which can automatically control the effect of surround suppression according to image local contextual features measured by a surface estimator based on a local linear kernel. Moreover, a dynamic suppression method and its stopping mechanism are introduced to avoid manual intervention. The proposed algorithm is demonstrated and validated by a broad range of experimental results.


Objectives: Evaluation of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, subfoveal choroidal thickness, and retinal vessel caliber measurements in children with thalassemia minor. Methods: In this cross-sectional and comparative study, 30 thalassemia minor patients and 36 controls were included. Heidelberg spectral domain optical coherence tomography was used for peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, subfoveal choroidal thickness, and retinal vessel caliber measurements. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and subfoveal choroidal thickness between the two groups (p > 0.05). There was no correlation between retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and hemoglobin values. Both the arterioral and venular calibers were higher in thalassemia minor group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: There is increased retinal arterioral and venular calibers in children with thalassemia minor compared with controls.


Green fluorescent protein (GFP) and its derivatives are the most widely used molecular reporters for live cell imagining. The development of organelle-specific fusion fluorescent proteins improves the labeling resolution to a higher level. Here we generate a R26 dual fluorescent protein reporter mouse, activated by Cre-mediated DNA recombination, labeling target cells with a chromatin-specific enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) and a plasma membrane-anchored monomeric cherry fluorescent protein (mCherry). This dual labeling allows the visualization of mitotic events, cell shapes and intracellular vesicle behaviors. We expect this reporter mouse to have a wide application in developmental biology studies, transplantation experiments as well as cancer/stem cell lineage tracing.


Leukocytes have ability to distinguish between self cells (body own cells) and foreign (allogenic) cells on the basis of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) proteins that are present on the cell membrane and are effectively unique to a person. During allogenic blood transfusion a person receives large number of allogenic donor leukocytes and these are recognized as foreign cells by the recipient immune system which leads to several adverse reactions. To avoid such leukocyte‐mediated adverse reactions leukodepleted blood transfusion is required. Leukocytes can be separated on the basis of size, dielectric properties, by affinity separation, freeze‐thawing and centrifugation but all these methods are time consuming and costly. Filtration is another method for leukocyte depletion that is comparatively less expensive and more efficient as it gives more than 90% leukodepletion of blood along with minimal cell loss. However, present filtration procedures also have some limitations as they work efficiently with blood components but not with whole blood and show non‐specific adhesion of large number of platelets and red blood cells along with leukocytes. All the currently available filters are costly, which has been a major reason for their limited application. Therefore, demand for a more efficient and cost‐effective filter is high in medical community and scientists are attenpting to improve the efficiency of currently available filters. The present review gives an overview of the significance of leukodepleted blood transfusion and focuses on different methods for leukocyte depletion and challenges involved in all these technologies.


This paper introduces a new decision support framework for transport projects appraisal, which is based on the multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) and the cost-benefit analysis (CBA) to address both monetary and non-monetary characteristics of the problem at the same time. Substantial inaccuracies are present while obtaining non-monetary and monetary inputs to the MCDA and the CBA, respectively. To provide the MCDA part of the framework with uncertainty, an interval-valued Pythagorean fuzzy set (IVPFS) is used as an attractive uncertain modeling tool. Additionally, a new multi-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) method with partially known attribute weights and unknown expert weights under the IVPFS environment is proposed to find the best sustainable transport project from the non-monetary criteria point of view. Furthermore, a novel uncertainty modeling tool, namely an interval-valued Pythagorean trapezoidal fuzzy set, is introduced to address ill-known quantities and inaccuracies that exist in the estimation of monetary impacts. Finally, this framework is used to handle a real case study of a complex decision process of finding the best transport project to fund several candidate projects. This approach has made it possible to handle the decision process from economic, social, environmental points of view at the same time. The result of this case study shows that the decision-making framework can be used as a valuable decision support tool. Moreover, it is shown that the presented framework can be applied to effectively support appraisals of transport projects.


The repair of large bone defects is a major clinical problem for which tissue engineering (association of a biomaterial and cells) constitutes a valuable alternative. In this domain, the architecture and the mechanical properties of the 3D scaffold aimed to support cells is of key importance to succeed in bone reconstruction. In this study, we aim to design and evaluate a bionanocomposite foam-based scaffold, exhibiting all the desired biofunctional attributes of biocompatibility, bioactivity, osteoconduction/induction, combined with potential release properties. To perform this, 2 components have been associated: (i) a biopolymer, pectin, incorporating (ii) calcium phosphate nanoparticules to provide bone apatite nucleation sites, mechanical reinforcement, and to play the role of potential drug reservoir. The goal of this study was to determine the feasibility of obtention of such bionanocomposite by foam-templating, and to study the influence of mineral particules ratio on pectin foam and final scaffold 3D architecture and properties.


MLN4924 is an investigational small molecule inhibitor of NEDD8-activating enzyme (NAE) that has shown clinical activity in Phase I clinical trials. MLN4924 is a mechanism-based inhibitor of NAE as demonstrated through the formation of a NEDD8-MLN4924 covalent adduct that is a tight-binding inhibitor of NAE. The antitumor activity of MLN4924 has been linked to two mechanisms in pre-clinical models: (1) the induction of DNA re-replication and cell death through dysregulation of Cdt-1 and (2) the inhibition of NF- B signaling. Importantly, modulation of both pathways has been demonstrated in pharmacodynamic (PD) studies from patients administered MLN4924. To characterize potential mechanisms of resistance to MLN4924, cell line and xenograft models of solid tumors were used. HCT-116 (colon), NCI-H460 (lung) and Calu-6 (lung) cells were treated with high concentrations of MLN4924 for four days after which the remaining cells were isolated and cultured in drug free media. Six HCT-116, two NCI-H460 and one Calu-6 clone were isolated and found to be at least 10-fold less sensitive to MLN4924, in most cases the isolated clones were completely insensitive indicating they were now resistant to MLN4924. However, the MLN4924 resistant clones were still sensitive to other chemotherapies including bortezomib (proteasome inhibitor), SN-38 (topoisomerase I inhibitor) and doxorubicin (anthracycline) suggesting a resistance mechanism unique to MLN4924. Co-incubation with Pgp, BCRP or MRP2 transporter inhibitors did not re-sensitize cells to MLN4924 indicating that the resistance mechanism was not related to increased drug efflux. DNA sequencing of NAE pathway genes identified heterozygous mutations in NAEbeta resulting in amino acid substitutions in the ATP binding pocket or NEDD8-binding cleft. Nude rats bearing HCT-116 xenografts were treated with the maximum tolerated dose of MLN4924 on a clinically relevant dosing regimen of Days 1, 4, 8 and 11 of a 21 day schedule. In the first cycle of therapy tumor regressions were observed but ultimately tumors regrew over subsequent cycles and were found to contain heterozygous mutations in NAEbeta. Tumors containing mutations in NAEbeta were transplanted into nude rats and shown to be insensitive to MLN4924 confirming resistance. In addition, cell lines derived from the resistant xenografts were shown to be resistant to MLN4924 in vitro but remained sensitive to other chemotherapeutic agents. Biochemical analysis of NAEbeta mutants revealed a slower rate of NEDD8-MLN4924 adduct formation and demonstrated that the adduct was no longer bound tightly by the mutant enzyme. Thus, in pre-clinical models of solid tumors treatment emergent mutations in NAEbeta lead to MLN4924 resistance. DNA sequencing of samples obtained from MLN4924 clinical trials is ongoing. These data may provide rationales for patient selection approaches with MLN4924 and the development of next generation NAE inhibitors that can be designed to overcome treatment emergent mutations found in clinical studies. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2011 Nov 12-16; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2011;10(11 Suppl):Abstract nr C28.


The speed of contraction of a skeletal muscle largely depends on the myosin heavy chain isoforms (MyHC), whereas the relaxation is initiated and maintained by the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPases (SERCA). The expression of the slow muscle-type myosin heavy chain I (MyHCI) is entirely dependent on innervation, but, as we show here, innervation is not required for the expression of the slow-type sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2a) in regenerating soleus muscles of the rat, although it can play a modulator role. Remarkably, the SERCA2a level is even higher in denervated than in innervated regenerating soleus muscles on day 7 when innervation is expected to resume. Later, the level of SERCA2a protein declines in denervated regenerated muscles but it remains expressed, whereas the corresponding mRNA level is still increasing. SERCA1 (i.e., the fast muscle-type isoform) expression shows only minor changes in denervated regenerating soleus muscles compared with innervated regenerating controls. When the soleus nerve was transected instead of the sciatic nerve, SERCA2a and MyHCI expressions were found to be even more uncoupled because the MyHCI nearly completely disappeared, whereas the SERCA2a mRNA and protein levels decreased much less. The transfection of regenerating muscles with constitutively active mutants of the Ras oncogene, known to mimic the effect of innervation on the expression of MyHCI, did not affect SERCA2a expression. These results demonstrate that the regulation of SERCA2a expression is clearly distinct from that of the slow myosin in the regenerating soleus muscle and that SERCA2a expression is modulated by neuronal activity but is not entirely dependent on it.


Epidemiological evidence suggests that size at birth may affect health in later life. The growth of the fetus may be adversely affected by a suboptimal maternal environment. Understanding placental development and function will help unravel the mechanisms controlling fetal growth. This article poses the problem: how does the maternal environment (uterine or systemic) influence placental development? Critical human placental functions include remodelling maternal uterine spiral arteries to increase the flow of blood to the maternofetal interface, and transferring oxygen and nutrients into the fetal vasculature, all processes involving trophoblast. Gene ablations that affect pregnancy outcome in mice lead to some interesting hypotheses.


Competition theory is founded on the premise that individuals benefit from harming their competitors, which helps them secure resources and prevent inhibition by neighbours. When multiple individuals compete, however, competition has complex indirect effects that reverberate through competitive neighbourhoods. The consequences of such 'diffuse' competition are poorly understood. For example, competitive effects may dilute as they propagate through a neighbourhood, weakening benefits of neighbour suppression. Another possibility is that competitive effects may rebound on strong competitors, as their inhibitory effects on their neighbours benefit other competitors in the community. Diffuse competition is unintuitive in part because we lack a clear conceptual framework for understanding how individual interactions manifest in communities of multiple competitors. Here, I use mathematical and agent-based models to illustrate that diffuse interactions—as opposed to direct pairwise interactions—are probably the dominant mode of interaction among multiple competitors. Consequently, competitive effects may regularly rebound, incurring fitness costs under certain conditions, especially when kin–kin interactions are common. These models provide a powerful framework for investigating competitive ability and its evolution and produce clear predictions in ecologically realistic scenarios.


The temporal and spatial variability of sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface wind and the chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration in the Gulf of Tonkin is analyzed based on satellite data for one year 2002. The analysis results indicated that monthly and spatial variations of the chl-a are primarily associated with the monsoonal winds activity and sea surface temperature distributions. In general, the results show the average monthly Chl-a concentrations were high in most area of the Gulf under northeasterly monsoonal, with a belt of higher Chl-a concentrations along the coast during throughout year, which is consistent with the winter northeast monsoon. The offshore-ward phytoplankton blooming events with a high chl-a concentration (> 1.5 mg m -3 ) patch extending southwestward from the northeast coast to most area of the gulf in the strong northeast wind months. The high chl-a concentration is found to be consistent with low SST spatial distribution in the northeastern gulf during winter monsoon season. In summer, chl-a concentrations were quite low in center part of the gulf, with a belt of higher chl-a concentrations along the coast. During summer, SST was high (28-31 0 C) with higher values in the northern gulf, while northeast winter monsoon winds were stronger than southwest summer monsoon winds in this year.


Background. Rhetoric abounds about harms associated with easier access to cannabis. Yet, surveys of medical marijuana patients and recreational users in Canada and the USA observed that they prevalently substitute cannabis for alcohol, opioids and other drugs. This synthetic study focused on arguably the most harmful substance, opioids, and hypothesized reduced harms with medical and recreational cannabis legalization. Methods. Broad keyword searches of interdisciplinary research databases, peer-reviewed and gray, between 2010 and 2020 retrieved 11 studies. Their outcomes were synthesized with a sample-weighted meta-analysis that compared opioid-related outcomes before and after marijuana legalization in states that legalized marijuana versus those that had not.Results. All but one of the primary studies supported the marijuana protection or harm reduction hypothesis. In aggregate and controlling for typically eight state-level covariates, risks associated with opioid use diminished by 7% (RR = 0.93, 95% CI 0.92, 0.94) after legalization; 7% after medical marijuana and 35% after recreational marijuana legalization (p < .05). Opioid prescriptions decreased by 8% and opioid overdose mortality diminished by 25% after medical marijuana legalization. Both were further diminished after recreational marijuana was legalized. Conclusions. Their potential public health significances is clear, suggesting that such legislation profoundly affects the behaviors of physicians, patients and addicts in protective ways. However, all the studies, thus far, have been state-level, ecological analyses. Further multilevel and clinic-based analyses in ought to be accomplished to systematically replicate (or refute) this study's harm reduction estimates and to put them into clinical practice where indicated.


A multiphysics phase field framework for coupled electrochemical and elastoplastic behaviors is presented, where the evolution of complex solid-electrolyte is described by the variation of the phase field variable with time. The solid-electrolyte interface kinetics nonlinearly depends on the thermodynamic driving force and can be accelerated by mechanical straining according to the film rupture-dissolution mechanism. A number of examples in two- and three- dimensions are demonstrated based on the finite element-based MOOSE framework. The model successfully captures the pit-to-crack transition under simultaneous electrochemical and mechanical effects. The crack initiation and growth has been demonstrated to depend on a variety of materials properties. The coupled corrosion and crystal plasticity framework also predict the crack initiation away from the perpendicular to the loading direction.


Fibrin deposition is an important histopathologic feature of inflammation and is mediated, in part, by monocyte/macrophage procoagulants. rIFN gamma acted in synergy with suboptimal levels of bacterial LPS by priming thioglycollate-induced mouse peritoneal exudate cells (TG-PEC) to express high levels of surface procoagulant. TFN-alpha beta, TFN-alpha, IL-1, either alone or in combination with LPS or IFN-gamma, had no effect on macrophage procoagulant activity expression. In contrast to the dramatic increases of macrophage procoagulant activity induced by IFN-gamma/LPS, on exudate macrophages, normal peritoneal macrophages, or peripheral blood monocytes were unresponsive suggesting that the state of activation of the macrophage determines reactivity. IFN-gamma induced a Factor VIIa-like activity detected only after cell disruption. Synergy between LPS and IFN-gamma-induced procoagulants may occur as the result of the assembly of the thromboplastin (induced by LPS), Factor VII/VIIa complex on the macrophage surface. RNA synthesis was required for procoagulant induction. Procoagulant expression may, as for other cytokines involved in inflammatory responses, be regulated by short lived repressor proteins as low dose cycloheximide superinduced procoagulant responses to both LPS and IFN-gamma and caused the extracellular expression of procoagulant in response to IFN-gamma. This study suggests an important role for IFN-gamma in the assembly of components of the extrinsic coagulant cascade on the macrophage surface. The synergy between IFN-gamma and LPS may moderate macrophage-initiated fibrin deposition characteristic of inflammatory responses.


© Cambridge University Press 2013. Providing a reliable and consolidated treatment of the principles behind large-area electronics, this book provides a comprehensive review of the design challenges associated with building circuits and systems from thin-film transistors. The authors describe the architecture, fabrication and design considerations for the principal types of TFT and their numerous applications. The practicalities of device non-ideality are also addressed and the specific design considerations necessitated by instabilities and non-uniformities in existing fabrication technologies. Containing device-circuit information, discussion of electronic solutions that compensate for material deficiencies, and design methodologies applicable to a wide variety of organic and inorganic disordered materials, this is an essential reference for all researchers, circuit and device engineers working on large-area electronics.


Background: Obesity is a serious condition because it is associated with other chronic diseases which affect the quality of life. In addition to problems associated with diet and exercise, recent research has found that pesticide exposure might be another important risk factor. The objective of this study was to determine the association between pesticide exposure and obesity among farmers in Nakhon Sawan and Phitsanulok province, Thailand. Methods: This study was a population-based cross-sectional study. Data on pesticide use and obesity prevalence from 20,295 farmers aged 20 years and older were collected using an in-person interview questionnaire. The association was analysed using multivariable logistic regression, adjusted for its potential confounding factors. Results: Obesity was found to be associated with pesticide use in the past. The risk of obesity was significantly predicted by types of pesticides, including insecticides (OR = 2.10, 95% CI 1.00-4.38), herbicides (OR = 4.56, 95% CI 1.11-18.62), fungicides (OR = 2.12, 95% CI 1.34-3.36), rodenticides (OR = 2.55, 95% CI 1.61-4.05), and molluscicides (OR = 3.40, 95% CI 2.15-5.40). Among 35 surveyed individual pesticides, 22 were significantly associated with higher obesity prevalence (OR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.10-2.88 to OR = 8.30, 95% CI 2.54-27.19), including herbicide butachlor, 15 insecticides (two carbamate insecticides, five organochlorine insecticides, and eight organophosphate insecticides), and six fungicides. Conclusion: This study found obesity in farmers in Nakhon Sawan and Phitsanulok province, Thailand, to be associated with the long-term use of several types of pesticides. The issue should receive more public attention, and pesticide use should be strictly controlled.


We present realistic Kondo-lattice simulation results for the recently-discovered heavy-fermion antiferromagnet CePt2In7 comparing with its three-dimensional counterpart CeIn3 and the less two-dimensional ones, Ce-115's. We find that the distance to the magnetic quantum critical point is the largest for CeIn3 and the smallest for Ce-115's, and CePt2In7 falls in between. We argue that the trend in quasi-two-dimensional materials stems from the frequency dependence of the hybridization between Cerium 4f -electrons and the conduction bands.


In 2005, the American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society published a practice parameter, based primarily on studies that involved 6 to 18 months of treatment, indicating that prednisone has a beneficial effect on muscle strength and function in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and recommended that corticosteroids be offered (prednisone 0.75 mg/kg/d and deflazacort 0.9 mg/kg/d) as treatment. Recent reports emphasize that longer term treatment with corticosteroids (greater than 3 years) produces important sustained benefits in neuromuscular function without causing major side effects. This review highlights these reports and indicates that long-term corticosteroid therapy (1) prolongs ambulation by 2 to 5 years, (2) reduces the need for spinal stabilization surgery, (3) improves cardiopulmonary function, (4) delays the need for noninvasive nasal ventilation, and (5) increases survival and the quality of life of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Educational, vocational, and other social counseling is now a vital part of management for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.


This paper introduces a multiplayer framework to collaboratively characterize sources of system risk from multiple expert perspectives, integrating several tools for holistic risk identification and risk management elicitation: the Adaptive Multiplayer Hierarchical Holographic Model (AMP‐HHM), the Risk Filtering, Ranking, and Management methodology, and the Partitioned Multiobjective Risk Method. Applicable to a broad set of systems engineering risk applications, the framework is illustrated with a case study focusing on risk assessment and management for the 2006 Gubernatorial Inauguration held in Williamsburg, VA, for which 272 different areas of risk were identified by collaborative means. Management options for three scenarios were defined, and their impacts on the inauguration were evaluated through expected and upper‐tail risk measures. As a final step, the analysis determined a set of noninferior options that can be used by decision‐makers to craft security strategies. A computer tool was developed to assist in the AMP‐HHM process, demonstrating the efficacy of the framework in collaborative work without synchronicity and regardless of geography. While the framework has been applied to a defense risk analysis in this paper, it can easily be applied to any problem where experts from disparate backgrounds, expertise, or geographies are working together to solve an unstructured, multidimensional problem. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


As the web shifts towards mobile devices without support for Adobe Flash, developers need to use new technologies to bring the type of animated, interactive content they used to develop in Flash to those mobile devices. In this thesis, we present the design and implementation of a tool that eases this transition by automatically converting Flash to HTML5. We propose a new type of transformation using a server-side compiler and clientside interpreter that benefits the performance, file size overhead and interoperability of the conversion. The converter, named Swiffy, is evaluated on a dataset of Flash advertisements by measuring the percentage of files that are fully supported, the accuracy of the conversion and the performance of the output on desktop browsers and mobile devices. Swiffy provides Flash to HTML5 conversion in Google AdWords and is available for anyone to use as an extension to Adobe Flash Professional or using an online conversion service. Since the public release, millions of SWF files have been converted and Swiffy is now used across the Internet.


Plants execute an array of mechanisms in response to stress which include upregulation of defense-related proteins and changes in specific metabolites. Polyamines – putrescine (Put), spermidine (Spd), and spermine (Spm) – are metabolites commonly found associated with abiotic stresses such as chilling stress. We have generated two transgenic tomato lines (556HO and 579HO) that express yeast S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase and specifically accumulate Spd and Spm in fruits in comparison to fruits from control (556AZ) plants (Mehta et al., 2002). Tomato fruits undergo chilling injury at temperatures below 13°C. The high Spd and Spm tomato together with the control azygous line were utilized to address role(s) of polyamines in chilling-injury signaling. Exposure to chilling temperature (2°C) led to several-fold increase in the Put content in all the lines. Upon re-warming of the fruits at 20°C, the levels of Spd and Spm increased further in the fruit of the two transgenic lines, the higher levels remaining stable for 15 days after re-warming as compared to the fruit from the control line. Profiling their steady state proteins before and after re-warming highlighted a protein of ∼14 kD. Using proteomics approach, protein sequencing and immunoblotting, the ∼14-kD protein was identified as the pathogenesis related protein 1b1 (PR1b1). The PR1b1 protein accumulated transiently in the control fruit whose level was barely detectable at d 15 post-warming while in the fruit from both the 556HO and 579HO transgenic lines PR1b1 abundance increased and remained stable till d 15 post warming. PR1b1 gene transcripts were found low in the control fruit with a visible accumulation only on d 15 post warming; however, in both the transgenic lines it accumulated and increased soon after rewarming being several-fold higher on day 2 while in 556HO line this increase continued until d 6 than the control fruit. The chilling-induced increase in PR1b1 protein seems independent of ethylene and methyl jasmonate signaling but may be linked to salicylic acid. We propose that polyamine-mediated sustained accumulation of PR1b1 protein in post-warmed chilled tomato fruit is a pre-emptive cold stress response and possibly a defense response mechanism related to Cold Stress-Induced Disease Resistance (SIDR) phenomenon.


Diazanaphthalenes (DAPs) are a broad class of N-heteroaromatic compounds with several technological and biological applications. Some of these applications are attributed to the ability of DAP molecules to form associated dimers through non-covalent interactions. A study of the types and strength of the interactions involved is crucial for understanding the preferred geometries and energetics of the dimers. In this study, the dimers of five DAPs are investigated by means of Møller–Plesset second order perturbation theory, hybrid meta-GGA [density functional theory methods (DFT): DFT/MPWB1K, DFT/M05-2X and DFT/M06-2X] and DFT dispersion-corrected (DFT-D/ωB97XD) methods to elucidate their dimers' preferred geometries, relative energies and nature of the interactions between monomer units. The results indicate that the monomer units of the dimers are held by either intermolecular hydrogen bonds or π…π stacking interactions, and that the preferred dimers are those in which the monomer units interact through π…π stacking interactions. A comparison across structures suggests that the position of the N atom in the ring has significant role in determining the relative energy and binding strength of the dimers. A comparison among the different methods utilised for the study indicates that DFT/M06-2X method provides binding energies that are close to those of DFT-CCSD(T) correction scheme and could therefore be considered as the best method for describing the binding properties of DAP dimers.


The coherent signal subspace method may be used in order to apply subspace localization methods (e.g. MUSIC) to coherent sources. This method involves a focusing process followed by frequency smoothing, which is intended to decorrelate source signals from coherent sources. In practice, however, only moderate decorrelation is obtained, which may lead to performance degradation. Although decorrelation can be improved by widening the smoothing bandwidth, a wider bandwidth may increase focusing error and the smoothing bandwidth is limited by the bandwidth of the actual signal. In this paper, a weighted frequency smoothing that improves decorrelation for a given bandwidth is proposed. It is shown that better decorrelation is obtained by selecting the weights to be inversely proportional to the source signal power at the given frequency. However, since the power of the source is not known, it is estimated by the trace of the array spatial covariance matrix. An experimental study is presented that investigates the effect of the proposed weighting on DOA estimation of speech sources in a reverberant environment.


Brinjal var.Pant Rituraj showed the best general combining ability (gca) effects for fruit diameter, average fruit weight and number of infested fruits/plant whereas, Pant Samrat for number of healthy fruits/plant, total number of fruits/plant and yield/plant and S. aethiopicum L. (2n=24) for the traits number of healthy fruits/plant, total number of fruits/plant and weight of infested fruits/plant whereas. BARI was found best general combiner for fruit length, average fruit weight, weight of healthy fruits/plant and yield/plant. PB-71 gave significant gca effect for fruit diameter, average fruit weight and yield/plant. The cross BARI x PB-66, BARI x Pant Rituraj and BARI x Pant Samrat were found highest specific combining ability (sca) effect for most of the characters studied. Other good specific combiners were PB-66 x PR, PB-66 x PS, BARI x PB-71 and S. aethiopicum x BARI. These parents and specific combinations could be utilized for further breeding programme of brinjal improvement.


Alkaline phosphatase prepared from human placentae shows greater resistance to heat inactivation than any other known alkaline phosphatase of human origin. In the presence of magnesium this enzyme may be heated at 70°C. for 30 minutes without loss of activity whereas other human alkaline phosphatases lose most of their activity on being heated at 56°C. for this period of time. This heat stability is seen in freshly prepared enzyme, in alcohol-fractionated and freeze-dried material, and in the sera of individuals into whom placental alkaline phosphatase has been infused. The clinical implications of our observations are briefly indicated.


The photodissociation dynamics of the tert-butyl peroxy (t-BuOO) radical are studied by fast-radical-beam coincidence translational spectroscopy. The neutral t-BuOO radical is formed by photodetachment of the corresponding t-BuOO- anion at 700 nm (1.77 eV), followed by dissociation at 248 nm (5.00 eV). Photofragment mass and translational energy distributions are obtained. The major channel is found to be three-body fragmentation to form O, CH3, and acetone (83%), with minor two-body fragmentation channels leading to the formation of O2 + tert-butyl radical (10%) and HO2 + isobutene (7%). Experimental results show that the translational energy distribution for two-body dissociation peaks is close to zero translational energy, with an isotropic angular distribution of fragments. These results indicate that two-body fragmentation proceeds via internal conversion to the ground electronic state followed by statistical dissociation. For three-body dissociation, the translational energy distribution peaks closer to the maximal allowed translational energy and shows an anisotropic distribution of the plane of the dissociating fragments, implying rapid dissociation on an excited-state surface. A small shoulder in the three-body translational energy distribution suggests that some three-fragment dissociation events proceed by a different mechanism, involving internal conversion to the ground electronic state followed by sequential dissociation.


Countries seeking to remake the structure of their societies have placed a strong emphasis on the development of a viable and effective system of local government. The restructuring of local government is especially significant in the context of South Africa's emerging democracy. A key component of this process has been boundary delimitation, which involved a process of spatial organisation and re-organisation. In South Africa the de-racialisation of local government represents a major challenge. Many affluent white local authorities were reluctant to give up the power and privileges of the old order and merge with previously black local authorities. Also, the socio-spatial distortions of the apartheid era need to be addressed through a more equitable distribution of resources, and the re-drawing of geographical boundaries. Attempts at municipal restructuring in South Africa have been fraught with problems and conflicts. The conflicts engendered, the negotiations, compromises, and coalitions generated constitute important areas of research. Examining and elucidating the manner in which these various forces have manifested themselves in the major metropolitan centres is the central theme of this paper. The focus of this paper is on boundary delimitation in the Durban Metropolitan area. Introduction Countries undergoing political and economic transition have placed a strong emphasis on the development of a viable and effective system of local government (Mawhood, 1993; Maharaj, 1997). A critical issue is the "nature of local territorially-based communities and their potential for democratic self-governance within the complex political and economic environment" (Sancton, 1996:277). The restructuring of local government has been primarily "influenced by economic, technological, political and ideological change", and can "modify spatial patterns of development and disparities" (Razin, 2000:7). In South Africa the de-racialisation of local government represents a major challenge. 1 Paper presented in the IASTE conference "[un]bounding traditions: the tensions of borders and regions" held in Honk-Kong (December 2002) "Rencontres de l'innovation territoriale 2 The restructuring of local government is especially significant in the context of South Africa's emerging democracy, especially since this transformation "has taken place in a way that is probably unique from an international comparative perspective" (Swilling, Monteiro and Johnson, 1995:16). A key component of this process has been spatial re-organisation through boundary delimitation. However, boundaries are not neutral geographic lines. Boundary changes are often associated with a redistribution of political power and resources, with some institutions and parties benefiting, and others being disadvantaged (Alexander, 1982; Hasson and Razin, 1990; Keating, 1995; Cameron, 1999). Quite often boundary conflicts are associated with urban municipalities encroaching into rural areas. Unless there are redistributive transfers, urban-rural inequalities are accentuated (Razin, 2000). In a process of territorial restructuring, there are potential areas of dispute, which often reveal local, regional and national geopolitical stakes (Hasson and Razin, 1990). Therefore, local and regional spatial restructuring led to contestations and conflicts over the delimitation of new boundaries in South Africa (Ramutsindela and Simon, 1999; Narsiah and Maharaj, 1997; 1999; Ramutsindela, 2001). The conflicts engendered, the negotiations, compromises, and coalitions generated constitute important areas of research. The aim of this paper is to analyse the effects of the contemporary territorial and administrative restructuring on urban dynamics in South Africa. More specifically, the focus is on how the process of territorial restructuring impacted on metropolitan areas as well as their hinterlands. The political and economic implications associated with attempts to extend urban boundaries into rural areas will also be assessed. It is important to understand how boundary rationalisation and political power intersect. The nature, size, composition and governance of regions are constantly changing depending on the balance of societal forces and the dominant mode of accumulation (Markusen, 1978). Political, territorial and administrative reorganisation therefore needs to be theorised in terms of the articulation of a number of structures including those associated with ideology, bureaucracy, nationalism, gender and regimes of accumulation (Driver, 1991; Murphy, 1991). "Rencontres de l'innovation territoriale 3 Local Government in Transition in South Africa Since the 1990s South Africa embarked on the long journey towards reconstruction, development and planning in the post-apartheid era. Success would depend on a sensitive understanding of the "geographical legacy of apartheid and the scars it has left behind, and also to the complex local, regional and environmental diversity that characterises the South African whole" (McCarthy, 1991:23). The contemporary South African city is reflective of a discourse of apartheid urban planning characterised by racially fragmented and discontinuous land use and settlement patterns, haphazard, dysfunctional and inefficient spatial ordering, land use mismatches, low level population density and the concentration of the poor in relatively high density areas on the peripheries and the rich in the core intermediate urban areas (Hindson et al, 1992:6). Local government in the apartheid city was characterised by a "complex process of functional inclusion, spatial separation, and political exclusion" (Swilling, et al. 1991:175). In the democratic era the Local Government Transition Act (LGTA) of 1994 provided an institutional base for the disbanding of race-based municipalities, scrapping of apartheid laws relating to local government, and the establishment of transitional local councils (Khan and Maharaj, 1997). About 1 260 local authorities were merged to form 843 municipalities. However, the type of local government that materialised in terms of the LGTA did not "necessarily support the notion of 'one city' or 'one tax base'" (Wooldridge, 2002:132). In many areas the spatial inscription which prescribes the separation of areas of abject poverty from areas of affluence persists (Narsiah and Maharaj, 1999). For example, there was a tendency to exclude "settlements on the periphery of the metropolis which would lower the per capita tax base, and place a strain on service delivery capacity" (Wooldridge, 2002:132). Furthermore, "hastily drawn municipal boundaries and negotiated ward boundaries produced a fragmented system, with metropolitan areas divided into impractical substructures, and some small towns and rural areas cut up like a patchwork quilt" (Cashden, 2002:162). "Rencontres de l'innovation territoriale 4 In an attempt to address these problems the White Paper on Local Government provided the foundation for a new developmental local government (DLG) system (Government Gazette, 13/3/98, p. 15). It introduced the notion of the 'wall to wall principle' in order to ensure that all the parts of the country, including the poor rural peripheries, will be integrated in the new demarcation process. DLG exhorts local authorities to focus on achieving developmental outcomes, such as the provision of basic infrastructure and services; the creation of integrated cities and livable environments; the encouragement of local economic development initiatives; and the empowerment of communities. Three inter-linked approaches to help municipalities to effectively play a developmental role were proposed: "integrated development planning and budgeting; performance management; and working together with local citizens and partners" (Government Gazette, 13/3/98, p.16). An important strategy to help municipalities to become more developmental is integrated development planning (IDP). Integrated development planning depends on the coordination of a range of services and regulations, including land-use planning, household infrastructure, environmental management, transport, health and education, safety and security and housing (Government Gazette, 13 March 1998, p.39). The type of municipal institutions that would best suit South African conditions was the subject of considerable discussion. The issue of their shape, size, and boundaries was directly linked to the socio-economic dynamics. There were two different perspectives with regard to metropolitan government. For those who were interested in the growth imperative metropolitan government plays a pivotal role in promoting economic development because it provides a more effective regional infrastructure for reproducing labour power as well as promoting production and distribution; offered tax exemptions and subsidies to attract investment; and facilitated the establishment of pro-growth partnerships with the private sector. Those who favoured the equity focus argued that metropolitan government could promote more equitable land use; ensure fairer taxation; improve efficiency, service provision and capacity; reduce socio-spatial inequalities and foster rational planning (PLANACT, 1992; Government Gazette, 13/3/98, pp.81-84). In South Africa the White Paper on Local Government defined metropolitan areas as follows: Metropolitan areas are large urban settlements with high population densities, complex and diversified economies, and a high degree of functional integration across a larger geographic "Rencontres de l'innovation territoriale 5 area than the normal jurisdiction of a municipality. Economic and social activities transcend municipal boundaries, and metropolitan residents may live in one locality, work in another, and utilise recreational facilities across the metropolitan area (Government Gazette, 13/3/98, p.78). Mega cities were established in South Africa's six metropolitan areas (Johannesburg, Pretoria, East Rand, Du


Cellar doors provide retail sales for wineries, providing higher returns than wholesale to domestic and export markets. Customer-based research has established enjoyable cellar door experiences are essential to building brand attachment, creating enduring customers, and increasing on-site and post-visit sales. However, customers co-create cellar door experiences with staff, as each approach the experience with unique realities guiding their expectations. Scarce literature includes experiences from staff perspectives. Constructivist grounded theory and adopting Charmaz's approach to analysis were used to explore data from semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 33 wine consumers ranging in wine involvement, from wine novices to highly involved enthusiasts and winemakers. Twenty-two of the consumers were cellar door staff with experiences ranging from a few months to owners of long-established family wineries. Cognitive dissonance theory helped us to understand how tensions may arise for individuals approaching each experience and where to avert perceived risks. Findings show convivial connection respecting all actors creates enjoyable experiences. The warmth of greeting, further strengthened by staff–customer rapport, developed via knowledgeable conversation throughout the experience, increases brand attachment. Co-created connection becomes the conduit through which positive experiences are created and where brand attachment is forged. A framework based on emerging categories guides professional development models and human resources strategies for wineries, thereby maximizing profitability through cellar door sales.


Drought and environmental degradation in the drylands of West Africa are widely cited as a possible cause of population decline in migrant birds that winter or stage in the Sahel. Low rainfall was an important factor in declines of long-distance migrants in the 1960s and 1970s, but longer-term declines are likely to be complex in causation, affected by factors operating on any or all of breeding grounds, migration routes or wintering grounds. Human activities have had profound effects on land use in the Sahel in the last four decades, as farmers, livestock keepers and other resource users have responded to drought and economic and social change. Localised ecological studies of habitat use by migrant birds in the Sahel have been undertaken, but a systematic understanding of the place of land use change in the decline of Afro-Palaearctic migrants is still lacking. This paper uses a systematic review of published scientific literature to assess the evidence base for the links between dryland environmental change in the Sahel and numbers of migrant birds that winter in this region. It analyses the extent to which understanding is based on fieldwork in the Sahel itself and concludes that, despite the scientific consensus about the significance of human land use change on bird numbers, field evidence is greatly lacking. The two land use changes for which most evidence exist are loss of wetland and woodland habitats for which impacts on migrant bird species are largely, but not uniformly, negative. More direct research on the links between bird populations and dryland land use change in the Sahel is urgently needed.


Cannulated beef cattle (four cows: 556 kg initial weight; four steers: 504 kg initial weight) were used in an experiment with two simultaneous Latin squares to determine effects of substituting alfalfa and(or) corn for vegetative bermudagrass (BER; 77% neutral detergent fibre and 5.5% acid detergent lignin) or mature bromegrass (BRO; 70% neutral detergent fibre and 6.6% acid detergent lignin) hay on digestion characteristics. For Controls, BER or BRO was fed at 1.32 or 1.54% body weight of cows and steers, respectively; other treatments entailed substitution for hay DM of alfalfa cubes (17%) or ground corn (33%). A protein supplement was given to all animals. In vitro neutral detergent fibre (NDF) digestion was slightly greater for BER than BRO. Supplement treatments did not affect the concentration of total volatile fatty acids or the molar proportion of propionate in ruminal fluid. True ruminal organic matter (OM) digestion was similar among diets; greater duodenal microbial OM flow and postruminal NDF digestion for BRO than BER diets were responsible for higher (P < 0.05) postruminal OM digestion for BRO diets. Supplement treatment did not affect duodenal microbial nitrogen flow or efficiency of microbial growth. Corn supplementation increased total tract OM digestion (P < 0.05). Alfalfa addition depressed total tract OM and NDF digestibilities more when added to BER than BRO; depressions in total tract NDF digestion with alfalfa and corn substitutions were additive. With constant DM intake, slightly less than ad libitum, alfalfa or corn substituted alone or together for hay did not improve characteristics of digestion by cattle consuming vegetative bermudagrass or mature bromegrass other than increased postruminal and total tract OM digestibilities with corn.


This paper utilizes a combination of theory and simulations to examine synthetic aperture imaging across a wide range of turbulence conditions. Extensive wave optics simulations are used to validate existing theory and to investigate the use of a common measurement technique. It demonstrates the applicability of earlier synthetic aperture laser radar (ladar) (SAL) research across a wide range of turbulence conditions, and examines the metric approaches and limitations for the imaging conditions normally seen in practical SAL systems. To examine the full impact of turbulence on SAL, the derivations, simulations, and analyses include three different resolution metrics as well as a commonly used contrast metric: the integrated sidelobe ratio. This paper demonstrates the integrated effects of turbulence on SAL imaging. Finally, suggestions are given for measuring the true resolving power of operational SAL systems.


Simulators have been acknowledged as one of the most flexible tool in studying and evaluating network performance. Variuous approaches have been followed in data networks modeling. The present paper explores the range of applicability of a fluid-dynamic model, proposed in [5], able to describe the load evolution of a data network. Looking at intermediate time scale, it is assumed that packets are conserved, and hence the packets density obey to a conservation law. The assumption underlying the model is the behaviour of the information loss probability from which the flux is derived. Here the validity of the above hypothesis and the rules introduced to solve dynamics at nodes are discussed. In particular packet loss estimations using queueing models have been compared with the assumed loss probability. Moreover a TCP throughput simulation is proposed to evaluate the feasibility of the "tent" flux.


BACKGROUND
Efficient resource management should consider the improvement of internal factors first as the unique task of medical institutions that can perform the medical services for efficient hospital management under the optimum management condition.

OBJECTIVE
This study aims to suggest the efficient model for nurse resource management that can estimate optimum nurse resources according to the nursing intensity of the hospitalized patients.

METHODS
The study was performed with four steps including collection and analysis of requirements, system design, system realization, and evaluation, which took 2 years and 10 months. The measurement tool used in the step of system evaluation was a modified version of Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction (QUIS) 5.0.

RESULTS
The system was implemented using Oracle database with Power Builder by Sybase. NRS, PCS, and ONMES were realized with developed NRMIS, and the survey was conducted on the usefulness as the system evaluation. The system evaluation results of User Interaction Satisfaction, means scores of ONMES, PCS, and NRS were 7.15 ± 0.52, 6.21 ± 1.11, and 6.03 ± 1.14 out of 9 points, respectively. Demonstrating the positive change in the subjective usefulness of the respondents after using the system compared to the period before using the system (F= 16.551, p= 0.000).

CONCLUSION
It was confirmed that this system contributed to an enhancement of the working process speed, efficiency, and accuracy by simplifying the works which were the purposes of the nursing information system, which changes dynamically, to support decision making on the management of effective and flexible nurse resources.


European bison Bison bonasus (Linnaeus, 1758) bulls were observed in the Bialowieza Primeval Forest between 1976 and 1990. During snow-free periods mean (± SD) group size was 1.63 ± 1.05. Mean group size in pre-rut was 1.83 ± 1.19 and was significantly (p < 0.001) larger than mean bull group size in rut 1.27 ± 0.63. Most often bulls were solitary (62.0%), small groups of up to 3 bulls were accounted in 32.2% of observations, and groups of 4 9 individuals in 5.8% of observations. In pre-rut period bulls active in reproduction (6-11 years old) secluded themselves from mixed groups; they lived solitary or in bull groups. Mean summer home range size of bulls over 4 yrs old was 2288.0 ± 696 ha. Mean monthly home range in pre-rut period was 963.3 ± 406.4 ha, i.e. significantly (p < 0.001) smaller than in rut (1662.0 ± 510.6 ha). In the snow-free season bulls mostly used fresh and moist deciduous forests (48.8% of encounters), and secondly mixed coniferous and mixed deciduous forests (28.9 and 19.1%). Bulls used tree stands more than 20 yrs old (54.3% of observations), but also open areas, i.e. young plantations up to 10 yrs of age, clearcuts and meadows (al together 37.3% of observations). In winter, on an average 35% of adult bulls entered large mixed aggregations gathering near two supplementary feeding sites. The remaining bulls took advantage of other feeding racks or enter farmland. Mean winter home range size of bulls was 426.1 ± 307 ha, and is significantly positively correlated to the animal age.


The research on The Effect of Providing Curcuminoid Dosage To Digestible protein, Protein Efficiency and The Rate of Passage of Feed in Grower Period Pig's Digest System has been conducted since January 10th, to 27th February 2008, at Pig Livestock Laboratory and Teaching Farm of KPBI Obor Swastika in Cisarua, Bandung, Indonesia. The aim of this research was to state the effect of providing and the best dosage of curcuminoid in meal to digestible protein, protein efficiency and the rate of passage of feed in grower period pig's digest system. This research used 20 grower period pigs with 35 kg average body weight and 2,13 percent variation coefficient. The experiment used the completely randomized design, the treatment given was the addition level of curcuminoid dosage (0, 4, 8 and 12 mg curcuminoid/kg body weight). Each treatment was done five times. The result of this research gives 4 mg curcuminoid/kg body weight give in ration finisher pig increase protein digestability and no significant for protein efficiency and passing rate feed

Keywords : Curcuminoid, Digestible Protein, Protein Efficiency, Rate of Passage of Meal in Digest System, Grower Period Pig

Diterima: 21-02-2011, disetujui: 28-04-2011


Abstract. Multiple classifier systems (MCSs) have shown great performance for the classification of hyperspectral images. The requirements for a successful MCS are 1) diversity between ensembles and 2) good classification accuracy of each ensemble. In this paper, we develop a new MCS method based on a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Firstly, in each ensemble of the proposed method, called PSO-MCS, PSO identifies a subset of the spectral bands with a high J2 value, which is a measure of class-separability. Then, an SVM classifier is used to classify the input image, applying the selected features in each ensemble. Finally, the classification results of the entire ensembles are integrated using a majority voting strategy. Having the benefit of the PSO algorithm, PSO-MCS selects appropriate features. In addition, due to the fact that different features are selected in different runs of PSO, diversity between the ensembles is provided. Experimental results on an AVIRIS Indian Pine image show the superiority of the proposed method over its competitor, named random feature selection method.


ABSTRACT The free-roaming cat population in Japan is increasing, and these cats are regarded as a tourism resource in some areas; however, their welfare status is unknown. Thus, this study assessed the welfare status of free-roaming cats in the old town of Onomichi City, Hiroshima, Japan. Route censuses were conducted 8 times per month for 3 years to estimate cat populations in the uptown and downtown areas of Onomichi. In the 1st year, we found 124 cats and 80 cats in the uptown and downtown areas, respectively. Approximately half the cats in each area were in poor physical condition. By the 3rd year, 99 of the 124 uptown cats and 66 of the 80 downtown cats had disappeared; moreover, uptown cats in poor physical condition disappeared in significantly greater numbers than those in good condition. It was presumed most missing cats died from illness or injury as opposed to having migrated elsewhere. This study suggests the welfare status of free-roaming cats in Onomichi is poor, and organized management of these cats is a matter of great urgency to improve their status.


Identifying the infection sources in a network, including the index cases that introduce a contagious disease into a population network, the servers that inject a computer virus into a computer network, or the individuals who started a rumor in a social network, plays a critical role in limiting the damage caused by the infection through timely quarantine of the sources. We consider the problem of estimating the infection sources and the infection regions (subsets of nodes infected by each source) in a network, based only on knowledge of which nodes are infected and their connections, and when the number of sources is unknown a priori. We derive estimators for the infection sources and their infection regions based on approximations of the infection sequences count. We prove that if there are at most two infection sources in a geometric tree, our estimator identifies the true source or sources with probability going to one as the number of infected nodes increases. When there are more than two infection sources, and when the maximum possible number of infection sources is known, we propose an algorithm with quadratic complexity to estimate the actual number and identities of the infection sources. Simulations on various kinds of networks, including tree networks, small-world networks and real world power grid networks, and tests on two real data sets are provided to verify the performance of our estimators.


This paper builds on my doctoral thesis and describes the different clefting structures in Portuguese as a means of conveying the focus-ground structure of texts. Clefting is used to mark the text with the sender perspective. The broad variety of cleft sentences in Portuguese is connected to a complex variety of functions, and thus confronts the translator with the challenge of translating them into other languages such as German, a language which does not have this structural variety owing to its relatively free word order. Some possible translation methods based on the functions of cleft sentences are presented and illustrated.


L-ascorbic acid (H2Asc) is one of the basic vitamins, necessary to the normal growth and behaviour of organisms. The primary goal of this review is to present the chemical characteristics of this substance and to discussed its relation to various biological functions of vitamin C, mainly as a free radical scavenger. In presented work author analysed of same metals Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), Hg(II), Pb(II) with L-ascorbic acid, showing preventive activity of vitamin C at exposure on metals.


Objectives: MRSA isolates with vancomycin MIC of 1-2 μg/ml have been linked with treatment failure and heteroresistant VISA phenotype. This study was aimed at comparing two screening methods i.e. GRD Etest and Vancomycin Screen agar in detection of heteroresistance. Material & Methods: The present study was carried out on 41 Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from different clinical specimens collected from Lahore General Hospital, Lahore. After screening for methicillin resistance, vancomycin MIC was determined by standard E test. Isolates with a vancomycin MIC of 1-2 μg/ml were screened for heteroresistance by Glycopeptide Resistance Detection (GRD) E-test and Vancomycin screen agar. Data was entered and analyzed by using SPSS version 20.0. Study Design: Comparative Study. Setting: Pathology Department of Post Graduate Medical Institute, Lahore. Period: May 2014 to May 2015. Results: When compared with E test GRD, Vancomycin screen agar (V3) showed 100% sensitivity with a 95% CI 39.76% to 100% and the specificity was 65 % with a 95 % CI 47.46% to 79.79%. Its PPV was 23% and NPV was 100% with an overall diagnostic accuracy of 68%. When compared with E test GRD, Vancomycin screen agar (V4) showed a sensitivity of 75% with a 95% CI 19.41% to 99.37% and a specificity of 86.47% with a 95% CI 71.91 to 95.59%. Its PPV was 37.5% and NPV predictive value was 96.96% with an overall diagnostic accuracy of 85.36%. Conclusion: In developing countries like Pakistan, where E tests are costly and difficult to use in routine laboratories, a screening test, which does not miss heteroresistant VISA may be of clinical use.


We report in this paper the computation of accurate total collision strengths and effective collision strengths for electron-impact excitation of FeII, using the parallel R-matrix program PRMAT. Target states corresponding to the 3d64s, 3d7, 3d64p and 3d54s4s basis configurations were included in the calculations giving rise to a 113 LS state 354 coupled channel problem. Following a detailed systematic study of correlation effects in both the target state and collision wavefunctions, it was found that an additional 21 configuration functions needed to be included in the Configuration Interaction expansion to obtain significantly more accurate target states and collision wavefunctions. This much improved 26-configuration model has been used to calculate converged total effective collision strengths for all sextet to quartet transitions among these levels with total spin S = 2, giving a total of 1785 lines. These calculations have laid the foundation for an approach which may be adopted in the study of electron collisions with the low ionization stages of other iron peak elements. The work has been further extended with the commencement of a Breit-Pauli relativistic calculation for one of the smaller models and includes 262 fine-structure levels and over 1800 coupled channels. At the same time the PRMAT parallel R-matrix package is being extended to include relativistic effects which will allow us to attempt the more sophisticated 26-configuration model and produce for the first time the amount and quality of atomic data required to perform a meaningful synthesis of the Fe II spectrum.


OBJECTIVE
Because the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) transverse relaxation time (T2) of cartilage is sensitive to organization of collagen fibers in the cartilage, it may be a noninvasive image marker for senescent changes in cartilage collagen and early cartilage degeneration. The purpose of this study was to determine age-dependent differences in cartilage T2 values in healthy asymptomatic women.

METHODS
Quantitative T2 maps of patellar cartilage from 30 asymptomatic women ages 22-86 years were obtained using a 3.0T MRI scanner. The study population was stratified by age into 4 cohorts: 18-30, 31-45, 46-65, and 66-86 years. Spatial differences in cartilage T2 were determined as a function of normalized distance from bone. Older groups were compared with the 18-30-year-old group to determine the effects of age on cartilage T2 values. Regions were considered statistically significantly different if the mean T2 values between groups differed at P < 0.05.

RESULTS
Mean cartilage T2 profiles were nearly identical for the 2 youngest cohorts. Compared with the 18-30-year-old group, T2 values were statistically significantly longer in the superficial 40% of cartilage in the 46-65-year-old group and over the entire cartilage thickness in the 66-86-year-old group.

CONCLUSION
The location of T2 elevations in women over the age of 45 years is consistent with the theory that senescent changes of cartilage collagen begin near the articular surface and progress to the deeper cartilage with advancing age.


Vaccinia virus, a member of the Poxviridae family, has been extensively used as an oncolytic agent and has entered late stage clinical development. In this study, we evaluated the potential oncolytic properties of other members of the Poxviridae family. Numerous tumor cell lines were infected with ten non-vaccinia poxviruses to identify which virus displayed the most potential as an oncolytic agent. Cell viability indicated that tumor cell lines were differentially susceptible to each virus. Raccoonpox virus was the most potent of the tested poxviruses and was highly effective in controlling cell growth in all tumor cell lines. To investigate further the oncolytic capacity of the Raccoonpox virus, we have generated a thymidine kinase (TK)-deleted recombinant Raccoonpox virus expressing the suicide gene FCU1. This TK-deleted Raccoonpox virus was notably attenuated in normal primary cells but replicated efficiently in numerous tumor cell lines. In human colon cancer xenograft model, a single intratumoral inoculation of the recombinant Raccoonpox virus, in combination with 5-fluorocytosine administration, produced relevant tumor growth control. The results demonstrated significant antitumoral activity of this new modified Raccoonpox virus armed with FCU1 and this virus could be considered to be included into the growing armamentarium of oncolytic virotherapy for cancer.


OBJECTIVE
This study was undertaken to compare the effects of single versus multiple courses of betamethasone therapy on the frequencies of neonatal outcomes and perinatal infectious morbidity among singleton pregnancies complicated by preterm delivery.

STUDY DESIGN
We performed a nonconcurrent prospective analysis of singleton pregnancies delivered between 24 and 34 weeks' gestation after antenatal betamethasone exposure. Patients were categorized into two groups according to betamethasone exposure: (1) two 12-mg doses in a 24-hour interval on admission (single-course group) and (2) repeated dosing after the initial single course (multiple-course group). All patients received prophylactic antibiotics for group B streptococci. Any patients with ruptured membranes for >24 hours before delivery were excluded. Data were analyzed with the Student t test, the chi(2) test, and the Fisher exact test. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the effect of each steroid dosing regimen on early-onset neonatal sepsis and neonatal death. P <.05 was considered significant for all 2-tailed tests.

RESULTS
A total of 453 patients were included, with 267 in the single-course group and 186 in the multiple-course group. The two groups were similar with respect to maternal demographic characteristics, gestational age at delivery, mode of delivery, birth weight, and maternal group B streptococcal colonization. Multiple courses were significantly associated with early-onset neonatal sepsis (odds ratio, 5.00; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-23. 2), chorioamnionitis (odds ratio, 9.96; 95% confidence interval, 2. 1-64.6), endometritis (odds ratio, 3.61; 95% confidence interval, 1. 7-8.1), and neonatal death (odds ratio, 2.92; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-6.9). The frequencies of the other neonatal outcomes analyzed, including respiratory distress syndrome and grade III or IV intraventricular hemorrhage, were similar between the 2 groups. Multiple logistic regression analyses confirmed that multiple courses of antenatal betamethasone were independently associated with early-onset neonatal sepsis (odds ratio, 1.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-1.9) and neonatal death (odds ratio, 1.70; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-1.9).

CONCLUSIONS
Multiple courses of antenatal betamethasone are associated with increased risks of perinatal infectious morbidity and neonatal death.


NIST has devised preliminary elements (technical "hooks") of a convenient logging method for Web-based electronic health record (EHR) dialogues. These can identify fields, record times spent at each (by whomever), and log a sequence of visits. The next step will be to refine this promising start, to begin building upon it a more polished and user-friendly system. We present our results to gain impressions from users of the worth of simple, open tools for tuning and improving e-record flows and their corresponding with practice workflows.


Abstract.  A type II membrane protein similar to CD69 (TIIMPSC) has been isolated in human embryo fibroblasts treated with IFN‐α. Structural analysis and immunofluorescence detection has suggested that this protein is located on the surface of fibroblasts, generally considered, a receptor. Cell proliferation assay has revealed that activation of TIIMPSC elevates the level of fibroblast proliferation. Further, examination of signal transduction has indicated that expression of this protein is up‐regulated by IFN‐α stimulation, and that it is involved in the regulation of fibroblast growth through the JAK‐STAT signalling pathway.


An Automated Driving System (ADS) is subject to hazardous weather conditions and to failures, both of which can result in a partial or total loss of its ability to monitor the driving environment. Yet until high driving automation and full driving automation is achieved, a human driver is expected to respond appropriately to any malfunction or adverse on-road conditions preventing the ADS from reliably sustaining the dynamic driving task performance. However, automation causes drowsiness and hypo-vigilance, which can compromise a human driver's ability to respond to ADS-issued requests. Hence the necessity of defining dynamic driving task fallback strategies that can be performed by the ADS, if and when necessary. The proposed fallback strategy is aimed at level 4 ADS features designed to operate a vehicle on a road whose characteristics make any attempt at stopping hazardous. It naturally applies to level 5 ADS-operated vehicles and to ADS-dedicated vehicles as well. The transition stage, during which the strategy is triggered, consists in the replacement of missing vehicles and obstacles in the world model with ghost objects. An embedded visibility map is then used to retrieve the maximum distance at which the ADS-operated vehicle can be seen, when driving behind it. The speed profile underlying the fallback strategy meets a time to collision criterion of 4 s, which enables the avoidance and the mitigation of rear-end collisions. The behaviour of drivers in collision imminent situations cannot be observed in test track studies due to safety concerns. As a result, experiments were conducted in the driving simulation software SCANeR studio.


After several introductory reflections, this article attempts to categorize the various ways of using the New Testament as a foundation for the church's missionary activity. Here the author argues that interpreters of the New Testament should avoid a "double reductionism," while aiming at a multidimensional interpretive approach. The Bible is not a single book with a single understanding of mission. Rather, it offers a variety of perspectives on what mission might look like. In a third part the author offers several hermeneutical observations, suggesting that "linear" hermeneutics should be replaced by a hermeneutics of conversation. To counteract the absolutizing of our own situation and experience, it is necessary to stimulate a cross-cultural missiological hermeneutics.


Fiber optoelectronics technology has recently attracted attention as enabling various form factors of wearable electronics, and the issue of how to control and optimize the configuration and physical properties of the electrode micropatterns in the microfiber devices has become important. Here, spirally wrapped carbon nanotube (CNT) microelectrodes with a controlled dimension are demonstrated for high-performance fiber optoelectronic devices. Inkjet-printed CNT microelectrodes with the desired dimension on an agarose hydrogel template are rolling-transferred onto a microfiber surface with an efficient electrical interface. A fiber organic field-effect transistor with spirally wrapped CNT microelectrodes verifies the feasibility of this strategy, where the transferred microelectrodes intimately contact the organic semiconductor active layer and the output current characteristics are simply controlled, resulting in characteristics that exceed the previous structural limitations. Furthermore, a fiber organic photodiode with spirally wrapped CNT microelectrodes, when used as a transparent electrode, exhibits a high Ilight/Idark ratio and good durability of bending. This fiber photodiode can be successfully incorporated into a textile photoplethysmography bandage for the real-time monitoring of human vital signals. This work offers a promising and efficient strategy to overcome the geometric factors limiting the performance of fiber-optic optoelectronic devices.


In this paper, we propose a new two-stage method, including Principal Component Analysis and Boosted Regression Tree, to model conditional expected returns. With this technique, we address two potential criticisms on how to capture the true identity of the investors' information set, and how investors use the information in forming expected returns. Applying this risk premium proxy, we test whether risk premium is always positive. A number of asset pricing studies have focused on testing linear restrictions imposed by asset pricing models and largely ignore this important restriction. We find evidence that the positivity condition of the risk premium is violated for the US (CRSP index) in some states of the economy; these states are associated with periods of low corporate returns, low long term government bond returns, lagged negative risk premium, and downward sloping term structure.


The aim of this research paper is to understand the concept of GST and also discuss the effect of GST on leading sectors of Indian Economy. This research paper is based on literature review wherein secondary data is collected from various websites, newspaper, journals and different publications. The paper brings to light the challenges, positive and negative effects on different sectors in last one and half year (till Dec 2018) after implementation of GST. The aim of research paper is to consolidate all the details at one place so if anyone want to study the impact of GST on leading sectors they will have all the relevant details available at one place instead of searching different sources.