Preeclampsia (PE) is a specific syndrome of pregnancy, characterized by hypertension and proteinuria. This pathology is associated with hyperuricemia and elevated serum levels of inflammatory cytokines. Uric acid crystals may activate an intracellular complex called inflammasome, which is important for processing and release of inflammatory cytokines. This study investigated the state of monocyte activation, both endogenous and stimulated with monosodium urate (MSU), by gene expression of NLRP1 and NLRP3 receptors as well as their association with inflammatory cytokines expression. Monocytes were obtained from peripheral blood of 23 preeclamptic pregnant women, 23 normotensive pregnant women (NT) and 23 healthy non-pregnant women (NP). Inflammasome activation was evaluated by the gene expression of NLRP1, NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1β, IL-18 and TNF-α by RT-qPCR in unstimulated monocytes (endogenous expression), or after cell stimulation with MSU (stimulated expression). The concentration of cytokines was assessed by ELISA. In preeclamptic pregnant women, gene expression of NLRP1, NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1β and TNF-α by monocytes stimulated or not with MSU was significantly higher than in NT and NP groups. Stimulation of monocytes from preeclamptic and non-pregnant women with MSU induced increased gene expression of NLRP3, caspase-1 and TNF-α in relation to the endogenous expression in these groups, while this was not observed in the NT group. The cytokine determination showed that monocytes from women with PE produced higher endogenous levels of IL-1β, IL-18 and TNF-α compared to the other groups, while the stimulus with MSU led to higher production of these cytokines in preeclamptic group than in the NT group. In conclusion, the results showed increased basal gene expression of NLRP1 and NLRP3 receptors in monocytes from PE group. These cells stimulation with MSU demonstrates that uric acid plays a role in NLRP3 inflammasome activation, suggesting the participation of this inflammatory complex in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.


A mathematical model was developed for the multitank stripping section of industrial ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber processes. Experiments were conducted to determine Henry's law coefficients and diffusivities for hexane solvent and 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene (ENB) comonomer in EPDM particles. Equivalent radii for diffusion within the particles were also determined. A model was developed to predict solvent and comonomer concentrations in a single particle as it moves through a series of tanks with different operating conditions. A second, more-complicated model was then developed to account for a continuous flow stirred tank residence time distribution for the particles in the tanks. Data from three industrial plants were used to estimate parameters and assess the models' predictive ability. Typical prediction errors are 0.90 wt % for residual hexane and 0.14 wt % for residual ENB. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 2596–2606, 2014


We investigated the occurrence of TCR alpha beta + CD4- CD8- mononuclear cells (DN alpha beta T cells) and TCR gamma delta + CD3+ mononuclear cells (gamma delta T cells) among the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 22 myasthenia gravis patients (MG) and 22 controls in order to examine whether extrathymic T cell subpopulations might be responsible for the pathogenesis of MG. The differences between the mean percentages of both DN alpha beta T cells and gamma delta T cells in the MG patients (DN alpha beta T cells: 0.53 +/- 0.51%, gamma delta T cells: 3.45 +/- 2.79%) and the controls (DN alpha beta T cells: 0.32 +/- 0.16%, gamma delta T cells: 3.81 +/- 2.36%) were not significantly different. However, higher DN alpha beta T cells ratios (1.48 approximately 1.84%) were noted in three MG patients. Thymectomy and subsequent thorough dissection of the anterior mediastinum 3 years after thymectomy had no effect on the symptoms of one patient, a 25-year-old woman without thymoma. The other two patients, a 45-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman without thymoma, had recurrences despite long-term remissions (14 years and 30 years, respectively) after thymectomy. Examination of DN alpha beta T cells, which are probably generated extrathymically without negative selection, may play an important role in understanding the pathogenesis in these three cases of MG.


. This paper reveals and analyses the ethnic politics mobilised by a fast-growing Islamic movement, the Gulen movement, which emerged in the 1980s in Turkey and expanded to Central Asia in the mid-1990s. Following the micro-sites, where nationness is reproduced as an everyday practice, my ethnographic research in Almaty-Kazakhstan explored the emergent Islamic sensibilities for the nation and ethnic identity. Revivalist Islam has often been essentialised as incompatible with nationalism, since it has been widely associated with the Muslim community rather than nations and nation-states. I argue that this bias is facilitated and maintained by the deep division in the literature. Scholarly work on both Islam and nationalism are split into two opposing approaches, state-centered and culture-centered. The findings of the present study challenge the binary thinking that juxtaposes politics against culture and dichotomises ethnic and state-framed base of nationalism and nationhood. My major finding is that the Gulen movement has not only inherited the symbols and myths of descent from the founding fathers of the Turkish state, but it is also currently reproducing the related ethnic politics in cooperation with–not in opposition to–the secular states in the post-Soviet Turkic world. The study reconciles ethno-symbolic and state-centered approaches in explaining the convergence between Islamic and secular nationalism in the formation of ethnic politics in Almaty-Kazakhstan.


Effect of certain oxidizing and reducing compounds on germination of Neurospora macroconidia Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License. This research note is available in Fungal Genetics Reports: http://newprairiepress.org/fgr/vol2/iss1/9 cell could be demonstrated after this period. ---Department of Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. Klein, D.T. and R. M. Klein. Effect of As port of a long-range investigation of the interaction certain oxidizing and reducing compounds of ionizing radiation and visible light on N. crassa on germination of Neurospom mucroconidio. x38701 (Klein, R.M. and D.T. Klein, l9a. Amer. J. Bat. 49, in press) it became important to include CI study of the effect of sulfhydryl (reducing) and peroxidative (oxidizing) compounds on germination and on photoreversal of X-ray damage. Of all compounds tested to date, only thiourea (I x IO-* M) significantly increased the percentage germination of macroconidia. Cysteine, ascorbic acidTBAL, mercaptoethylpropionic acid and mercaptoethylomine suppressed or inhibited germination at high concentrations and were without significant effect at lower concentrations. Hydrogen peroxide and tertiary butyl hydroperoxide inhibited germination at 0.5 M. The organic peroxide was between IO and 50 times more "toxic" than was H202 for germination. ---department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York. (This article is not to be cited in the litemture without the author's permission). Mailing, H. and S. Frederiksen. Induction of reversions in Neurospora crassa by nitrous acid. To study the induction of reversions with nitrous acid Kplmark's K 3/17 strain with o double requirement for adenine (a&-A mutant No. 38701) and inositol (mutant No. 37401) has been used. A simultaneous measurement of the reversion rates of the adenine and inositol alleles is possible in this system (Westergoard, Experientio &224, 1957). The technique for scoring the reversions was that described by Kolmark (Hereditas 2270, 1953) except for the following modifications: The conidia were plated on the surface of the medium instead of being suspended in the melted medium, and N. minimal instead of Westergaard's minimal (P-minimal) was used. For treatment with nitrous acid the conidia are suspended in 0.05M sodium acetate at pH 4.5 and one part of freshly prepared NaN02 solution of the appropriate concentration is added to three parts of conidial suspension.


The present study aimed to determine whether developmental patterns, adiposity level and fatty-acid composition of fetuses exposed to maternal malnutrition are driven by their sex or their genotype, or both, as these may modulate the adaptive response to the intrauterine environment independently of the maternal genotype. We used a single maternal genotype (purebred Iberian (IB) sows), which was inseminated with heterospermic semen (obtained by mixing semen from Iberian and Large White (LW) boars), to obtain four different subsets of fetuses (male and female, purebred (IB×IB) and crossbred (IB×LW)) in Iberian purebred sows. Analysis of fetal phenotypes indicated a better adaptive response of the female offspring, which was modulated by their genotype. When faced with prenatal undernutrition, females prioritised the growth of vital organs (brain, liver, lungs, kidneys and intestine) at the expense of bone and muscle. Moreover, the analysis of fat composition showed a higher availability of essential fatty acids in the female sex than in their male counterparts and also in the Iberian genotype than in crossbred fetuses. These results are of high translational value for understanding ethnic differences in prenatal programming of postnatal health and disease status, and show evidence that prenatal development and metabolic traits are primarily determined by fetal sex and strongly modulated by fetal genotype.


We designed a 3,6-dibromo-9-hexyl-9H-carbazole derivative with the blue emissive iridium complex bis[2-(4,6-difluorophenyl)pyridyl-N,C 2' ](picolinato)iridium(III) (Flrpic) linked at the alkyl terminal. Based on this monomer, novel 3,6-carbazole-alt-tetraphenylsilane copolymers grafted with Flrpic were synthesized by palladium-catalyzed Suzuki coupling reaction, and the content of Flrpic in the polymers could be controlled by feed ratio of the monomers. The polymer films mainly show blue emission from Flrpic, and the emission intensity from the polymer backbones is much weaker compared with the doped analogues, which demonstrates an efficient energy transfer from polymeric host to covalently bonded guest. The phase separation in the polymers was suppressed, which can be identified by atomic force microscopy and designed electroluminescent (EL) devices. EL devices based on the polymers exhibited blue phosphorescence from Flrpic. The luminous efficiency of preliminary devices reached 2.3 cd/A, and the efficiency roll-off at high current densities was suppressed.


This study challenges the ruling orthodoxy that foreign news tends to be reported in divergent ways, reflecting the interests and identity of the home nation. Instead it concludes that the Greek and US elections in 2012 were reported in very similar ways in the leading news media of five countries located in different continents. In the case of the 2012 Chinese election, there were striking affinities in the news reporting of four out of five countries. Powerful forces that make for global conformity include the dominance of a small number of international news agencies, the emergence of a transnational journalistic culture, the hegemony of market liberal thought, the legacy of the Cold War, and the shared perspectives of allied states.


Insulating polymer composites with conductive filler particles are attractive for sensor applications due to their large piezoresistive response. Composite samples composed of a polymer matrix filled with particles of doped semiconductor that gives a piezoresistive response that is 105 times larger than that of bulk semiconductor sensors are prepared here. The piezoresistance of such composite materials is typically described by using a tunneling mechanism. However, it is found that a percolation description not only fits prior data better but provides a much simpler physical mechanism for the more flexible and soft polymer composite prepared and tested in this study. A simple model for the resistance as a function of applied pressure is derived using percolation theory with a conductivity exponent, s. The model is shown to fit experimental piezoresistive trends with the resistance measured both perpendicular and parallel to the pressure direction.


In most cases pathologic scars are managed using surgical procedures. In recent decades a trend towards the generalized use of flaps has been observed. Skin expanders have been applied for a while and are still useful in postburn alopecia. Large surfaces are being treated more and more with skin substitutes. These are mainly dermal substitutes covered with partial thickness skin grafts. These procedures can be combined in order to cover very large skin surfaces. Prefabricated flaps are based on angiogenesis induction via vessel carriers implanted in the depth of the skin structure. The use of skin substitutes limits skin harvesting, which may be a source of scarring.


Nodes with multiple GPUs are becoming the platform of choice for high-performance computing. However, most applications are written using bulk-synchronous programming models, which may not be optimal for irregular algorithms that benefit from low-latency, asynchronous communication. This paper proposes constructs for asynchronous multi-GPU programming, and describes their implementation in a thin runtime environment called Groute. Groute also implements common collective operations and distributed work-lists, enabling the development of irregular applications without substantial programming effort. We demonstrate that this approach achieves state-of-the-art performance and exhibits strong scaling for a suite of irregular applications on 8-GPU and heterogeneous systems, yielding over 7x speedup for some algorithms.


The mid fifth century was largely marked by a Christological controversy that began with private teachings of the ambassador of the Alexandrian see to Constantinople, the prominent Archimandrite Eutyches. The precise teaching of Eutyches remains somewhat obscure, since no written work by him is extant. Thus, everything that the modern historical scholarship knows about Eutyches' theology comes from secondary sources, such as the writings of his opponents or scontemporary Synodal Acts. Consequently, the fine points of Eutyches' Christological position are subject of scholarly debate. However, on the basis of the unchallenged contemporary historical evidence, as it is found in the original trial of Eutyches for heresy at the Synod of Constantinople in 448 AD, a critical evaluation of Eutyches' Christological position seems possible. In this article it was argued that the Christological teaching of Eutyches was inadequate in terms of the later Christological standard set at Chalcedon (451 AD).


Maladaptive behavioral responses characteristic of post-traumatic stress disorders are notably resistant to treatment. We hypothesized that the pharmacological disruption of memories activated during reconsolidation might reverse established stress-induced increases in depression-like behaviors and cocaine reward. C57BL/6J mice were subjected to repeated social defeat stress (SDS), and examined for time spent immobile in a subsequent forced swim test (FST). An additional set of SDS-exposed mice were place-conditioned with cocaine, and tested for cocaine-conditioned place preference (CPP). All stress-exposed mice were then subjected to a single additional trial of SDS while under the influence of propranolol or cycloheximide to disrupt memory reconsolidation, then given one additional FST or CPP test the next day. Mice subjected to repeated SDS subsequently demonstrated increases in time spent immobile in the FST or in the cocaine-paired chamber. Vehicle-treatment followed by additional SDS exposure did not alter these behaviors, but propranolol or cycloheximide treatment reversed each of the potentiated responses in a dose-dependent manner. Overall, these results demonstrate that while repeated exposure to a social defeat stressor subsequently increased depression-like behavior and cocaine-CPP, disruption of traumatic memories made labile by re-exposure to SDS during reconsolidation may have therapeutic value in the treatment of established post-traumatic stress disorder-related behaviors.


Building energy simulations are often used for trial-and-error evaluation of ''what-if'' options in building design--a limited search for an optimal solution, or ''optimization''. Computerized searching has the potential to automate the input and output, evaluate many options, and perform enough simulations to account for the complex interactions among combinations of options. This paper describes ongoing efforts to develop such a tool. The optimization tool employs multiple modules, including a graphical user interface, a database, a preprocessor, the EnergyPlus simulation engine, an optimization engine, and a simulation run manager. Each module is described and the overall application architecture is summarized.


Background It remains unclear whether cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) are associated with depression in the general elderly population. We thus performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between depression and CMBs. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted in EBSCO, PubMed, and Web of Science for relevant studies that assessed the relationship between depression and the prevalence of CMBs. Results Five eligible studies including 7,328 patients were pooled in meta-analysis. The prevalence of CMBs was 18.0%. The prevalence of depression was 11.1%. The pooled analysis demonstrated odds ratio for CMBs and depression to be 1.187 (95% confidence interval 1.005–1.403; p = 0.043) with no evidence of statistical heterogeneity (I2 = 0.0%, p = 0.621). Conclusion Our meta-analysis of available published data indicated an increased prevalence of depression in the subjects with pre-existing CMBs. This finding supports the vascular depression hypothesis. Further studies are needed to investigate the role of CMBs in the pathogenesis and progression of depression, which might provide a potential target for the prevention and treatment.


A 43-year-old man was referred with a history of unexplained falls associated with transient loss of consciousness. He had evidence of cardioinhibitory carotid sinus hypersensitivity (CSH) on carotid sinus massage and subsequently confirmed to have periods of symptomatic asystole on an implantable loop recorder, consistent with a diagnosis of cardioinhibitory CSH.


Optical burst switching (OBS) is envisioned as the paradigm for a high-bandwidth Internet. Losses due to contention is a serious problem in OBS networks. Since the core nodes have limited capabilities, loss rate cannot be determined at the nodes. Thus, estimating the losses on a path purely based on end-to-end measurements and thereafter develop proactive measures for loss reduction is an attractive option. For the first time, we apply a tomographic technique that can estimate the losses at the core nodes from end-to-end measurement between the edge nodes. We use passive unicast tomography to minimize the network overhead. We model the problem of estimating loss rate at the nodes from path-level measurements as a maximum likelihood problem and solve it using the expectation-maximization algorithm. In simulations, we use a multiple source, multiple destination embedding on the NSFNET topology and observe losses on multiple paths to infer losses at the core nodes. The estimated losses are found to match closely with actual losses measured.


In this paper, we study the scales and dynamics of Taylor–Görtler (TG) vortices in streamwise-rotating turbulent channel flows at moderate and high rotation numbers ( $Ro_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}=7.5$ , 15, 30, 75 and 150) with a fixed Reynolds number. In order to precisely capture TG vortices in the streamwise and spanwise directions, direct numerical simulations have been performed on 15 test cases of different domain sizes and rotation numbers. A two-layer pattern of TG vortices is identified, and the characteristic length scales of TG vortices are quantified using the premultiplied energy spectra. It is observed that as the rotation number increases, the spanwise scale of TG vortices remains stable but the streamwise scale increases rapidly. Three criteria have been used for judging a domain-size-independent solution in both physical and spectral spaces. The weakest criterion ensures accurate predictions of the first- and second-order statistical moments of the velocity, which requires a minimum streamwise domain size of $L_{1}=64\unicode[STIX]{x03C0}h$ , where $h$ is one-half the channel height. However, the streamwise domain size needs to be stretched drastically to $L_{1}=512\unicode[STIX]{x03C0}h$ if the most stringent criterion is considered, which demands that all energetic eddies be fully captured based on a predefined threshold value (i.e. $12.5\,\%$ of the peak value) of the premultiplied two-dimensional energy spectrum. The effects of streamwise system rotation on the scales and dynamics of TG vortices are investigated by comparing the statistical results of rotating and non-rotating channel flows, and through the analysis of two-point correlations, premultiplied energy spectra, and budget balance of turbulent stresses.


A two-layer adaptive wrapping technique is proposed in this paper to migrate legacy energy management system (EMS) modules into reusable components, and therefore transforming the legacy system into a component-based system. Meanwhile, an XML-based database wrapping technique is proposed to provide a flexible data exchange solution. These techniques help not only maintaining the reliability but also increasing the reusability of the legacy EMS during the software evolution process.


Highly crystalline Fe-Al-EU-1 zeolites were hydrothermally synthesized in a HMBr2-Na2O-Al2O3-SiO2-Fe2O3-H2O system by using hexamethonium bromide (HMBr2) as a template. The physical and chemical properties, and the bonding state of Fe in the zeolite framework for the prepared Fe-Al-EU-1 samples were characterized by a series of techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric-derivative thermogravimetric (TG-DTG) analysis, N-2 adsorption-desorption, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS). The results show that with increasing the mass fraction of Fe in the original sol-gel, the unit cell volume of Fe-Al-EU-1 zeolite inflates; the zeolite doped with Fe causes an increase in its surface area (BET) from 272 to 365 m(2) . g(-1) and a reduced amount of template removal, as well as a decrease in decomposition temperature. Adding Fe ions into sol-gel also leads to lowered zeta potential, easily gathered colloidal particles, and increased shape of zeolite. The UV-Vis spectrum shows that there is a characteristic peak at about 220-250 nm with a sharply increased intensity due to the p-d transition of the bonding electrons from the 2p-orbital of 0 atom to the d-orbital of the four-coordinated Fe atom in the framework. Also at around 373 nm, the coordination bonding of four-coordinated Fe atoms and adjacent Si - O groups leads to a d-d charge transition peak with an energy level splitting and increased peak intensity. The XAFS results show that with the crystallization process going on, the pre-edge absorption peak for 1s -> 3d and main absorption peak for 1s -> 4p change significantly. Four-coordinated structural units of iron species formed from the original sol-gel samples are gradually transformed into a tetrahedral coordinated iron-silicon-oxygen skeleton, in which iron-silicon-oxygen ionic structural unit is also transformed into skeleton iron species with a tetrahedral covalent bonding structure.


Objective To evaluate the outcomes of bilateral vasectomy reversal procedure in relation to the macroscopic technique, surgical time and duration of obstructive interval. Materials and methods We performed a retrospective study over a twelve-year period using a macroscopic technique. All cases of vasectomy reversal were consecutive and performed by the same surgeon. The procedure was performed using a single layer, spatulate end to end anastomosis technique using 6×6-0 prolene. No loupe magnification was used. Results The median age of the men was 42 years (range 30-56). The median obstructive interval in years was 8.5 years (range 2-23). The procedure was a day case and the median surgical time under general anaesthetic was 75 minutes (range 45-90). None of the patients required hospital admission following discharge. 63 of the 70 patients had positive patency test postoperatively (90 %). The sperm count was more than twenty million /ml. The pregnancy rate was 54 % and the miscarriage rate was 7.1%. Conclusion The outcomes of macroscopic vasectomy reversal performed by an experienced surgeon can have a high success rate using the macroscopic single layer spatulate end to end anastomosis technique. This technique is easy to learn compared to the learning curve involved in microsurgery and is an effective means of "re- establishing" fertility in vasectomised men.


Penile cancer is a rare cancer for which no medical guidelines have been established before in Japan. These guidelines aim to standardize, as much as possible, the therapeutic modality for penile cancer, for which empirical evidence is limited on a global scale, thereby bolstering therapeutic outcomes for patients with penile cancer. The new guidelines conform to the Minds Guide for Developing Clinical Practice Guidelines (2017) as much as possible. However, virtually no randomized comparative studies and meta‐analyses based on such randomized studies have been conducted. Therefore, only the findings available at present were listed after conducting an exhaustive literature review of items with extremely low evidence levels and for which bodies of evidence and grades of recommendation were not evaluated. Clinical questions were set for items with a relatively large number of studies, including retrospective studies. However, since it is virtually impracticable to summarize bodies of evidence by systematic reviews, recommendation grades and evidence levels were discussed and determined by the consensus panel of the Preparatory Committee. The following were outlined: epidemiological, pathological, diagnostic, therapeutic, follow‐up, and quality of life‐related findings. Additionally, seven clinical questions were established to determine recommendation grades and evidence levels. We hope that these guidelines will prove to be useful to medical professionals engaged in clinical practice related to penile cancer in Japan and anticipate that critical reviews of the guidelines will lead to further refinement of the next edition.


Over the past decade, computer scientists and psychologists have made great efforts to collect and analyze facial dynamics data that exhibit different expressions and emotions. Such data is commonly captured as videos and are transformed into feature‐based time‐series prior to any analysis. However, the analytical tasks, such as expression classification, have been hindered by the lack of understanding of the complex data space and the associated algorithm space. Conventional graph‐based time‐series visualization is also found inadequate to support such tasks. In this work, we adopt a visual analytics approach by visualizing the correlation between the algorithm space and our goal – classifying facial dynamics. We transform multiple feature‐based time‐series for each expression in measurement space to a multi‐dimensional representation in parameter space. This enables us to utilize parallel coordinates visualization to gain an understanding of the algorithm space, providing a fast and cost‐effective means to support the design of analytical algorithms.


Muscle spindles in the soleus of 1‐year‐old dystrophic mice of the C57BL/6J dy2J/dy2J strain were studied by microscopic and morphometric methods, and comparisons were made with those in age‐matched normal tissue. Transverse epon sections were cut through various regions of an individual receptor, and subsequent 90° reorientation enabled longitudinal examination of the same spindle. In dystrophy, alterations were detected in the outer capsule and consisted of a significant increase in its overall thickness in equatorial regions. Perineurial proliferation accompanied histiocyte and collagen infiltration. Within the equator, intrafusal fibers and sensory terminals appeared unaffected by dystrophy. Alterations in the intrafusal fibers were restricted to polar zones where the mean diameters of chain and bag fibers were significantly reduced. Polar chain fibers exhibited a greater degree of atrophy in dystrophy with a 40% diminution in size. Ultrastructural changes in intrafusal fiber polar regions were less pronounced compared to the surrounding dystrophic muscle. Mitochondrial alterations in affected intrafusal fibers included intramatrix inclusions and glycogen deposition. Vacuolization of the sarcoplasmic reticulum and subsarcolemmal tubular aggregates were also observed in polar regions of dystrophic chain fibers. Regional variation in spindle involvement in advanced murine dystrophy provides evidence that the equatorial contents of this receptor are sequestered from the deleterious effects of the disease. Capsular thickening in the equator may be an adaptive response, preventing the intrafusal fibers from undergoing the moderate change and atrophy observed at their polar ends.


This book contains research based evidence of a comparative study of high school students with respect to personality and values. It has been an attempt to make individual to conscious about his/her personality development, an ability to explore the ideas and framework that helps individual to find a richer life and more meaningful and directive value based personality and relationship of the human with the world around him/her. 1105 Students were selected as a sample with the used of Random Sampling. The data were collected through Multidimensional Personality Inventory (MPI) and Moral Value Scale (MVS). Data were analysed by the help of frequency distribution, mean, median, t-value, F-value and correlation value. The findings showed that male students were found significantly higher than female students on MPI. Female students were found significantly higher than male students on MVS. Correlation study of component of personality shows that average but positive relationship between traits. This book will be helpful to the school teachers, educators, professors, psychologist, educational counsellor and individual who want to develop his/her personality and values.


Both structure and density of lower limb bones in 21 patients with vitamin D-resistant rickets and in those with vitamin D-deficient rickets consequences after treatment by transosseous osteosynthesis method were studied using computed tomography (CT) technique. The dynamics of structure changes in the femoral and tibial metaepiphyses of the patients with vitamin D-resistant rickets at the age of 11-16 years manifested itself in random arrangement of bone trabeculae in the medial parts, as well as in irregular sclerosis areas as compared to the bone structure of the patients with vitamin D-deficient rickets consequences. At the age of 17-23 years in the long-term period (from one to three years after the fixator removal), the greatest sclerotic changes were noted in the proximal tibial epiphysis (180±85 НU) while the least ones were in the distal femoral metaphysis (167±84 НU). At the age of 24-40 years, the patients with vitamin D-resistant rickets had minimal density values in the proximal tibial epiphysis (181±106 НU) that was associated with the degenerative changes, being extensive cyst-like reorganization at this level.


The relationship between acute dystonic reactions and serum calcium levels in 17 acutely psychotic patients was studied. Previous studies have implicated an association between a lowered serum calcium value and acute dystonia. This study failed to note a significant incidence of hypocalcemia in a group of psychotic patients. It is not known whether other factors related to calcium-magnesium balance may be related to dystonia.


The structural and chemical heterogeneity of 2.5-nm Pt50Ru50 electrocatalysts was studied by transmission electron microscopy using selected area diffraction, lattice imaging, electron-energy loss spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The catalysts with the highest methanol oxidation activities exhibit oxidation-induced phase separation on the nanoscale to form Pt-rich metal embedded in Ru-rich hydrous and anhydrous oxide. Reduction of the oxide-on-metal samples produces a true bimetallic face-centered cubic Pt50Ru50 alloy, with 275 times lower oxidation activity.


...................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ................................................................................................. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................... v LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... viii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix CHAPTER


We examine the effect of the establishment of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) clearinghouse in 1892 on counterparty risk using a novel historical experiment. During this period, the NYSE stocks were dual-listed on the Consolidated Stock Exchange (CSE), which already had a clearinghouse. Using identical securities on the CSE as a control, we find that the introduction of multilateral net settlement through a clearinghouse substantially reduced volatility of NYSE returns caused by settlement risk and increased asset values. Our results indicate that a clearinghouse can improve market stability and value through a reduction in network contagion and counterparty risk.


This Element examines efforts to strengthen Economic and Monetary Union in the European Union, especially over the last decade, asking if enough has been done to render it more sustainable and resilient. Drawing on a survey of 111 leading experts on the economics and politics of EMU, this Element reviews the wide-ranging reforms undertaken since the crises of the early 2010s and assesses whether they go far enough. Although it concludes that much has been done to push the euro towards being a more complete currency, it identifies remaining flaws and challenges which EU leaders need to resolve.


This paper reviews the empirical studies on the economic impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on economic growth. The review shows that investments in ICTs have significant impact on economic growth. However, these effects are fully displayed only when investments in ICTs are associated with investments in complementary assets such as companies re-engineering, e-government programs (organizational capital) and ICTs skills (human capital). The paper emphasizes the role of broadband as an enabling technology due to its nature of General Purpose Technology. Furthermore, the literature review presents in details the major studies on the impact of broadband on economic growth and shows that the diffusion of broadband can have significant payoffs in terms of increasing productivity. However, these effects are not universal but depend on the level of development of the "ICTecosystem" of each country. While in the past too much policy making in many countries has concentrated on the supply side of the broadband market, the paper stresses the importance of adequately recognise the role of the demand side, especially for countries like Italy. Finally, the paper shows that the investments in ICTs have higher social returns than those in other infrastructures especially for the externality effects characterizing the broadband networks.


OBJECTIVES
This study sought to design and validate a reliable instrument to assess the quality of physician documentation.

DESIGN
Adjectives describing clinician attitudes about high-quality clinical documentation were gathered through literature review, assessed by clinical experts, and transformed into a semantic differential scale. Using the scale, physicians and nurse practitioners scored the importance of the adjectives for describing quality in three note types: admission, progress, and discharge notes. Psychometric methods including exploratory factor analysis were applied to provide preliminary evidence for the construct validity and internal consistency reliability.

RESULTS
A 22-item Physician Documentation Quality Instrument (PDQI) was developed. Exploratory factor analysis (n = 67 clinician respondents) on three note types resulted in solutions ranging from four (discharge) to six (admission and progress) factors, and explained 65.8% (discharge) to 73% (admission and progress) of the variance. Each factor solution was unique. However, four sets of items consistently factored together across all note types: (1) up-to-date and current; (2) brief, concise, succinct; (3) organized and structured; and (4) correct, comprehensible, consistent. Internal consistency reliabilities were: admission note (factor scales = 0.52-88, overall = 0.86), progress note (factor scales = 0.59-0.84, overall = 0.87), and discharge summary (factor scales = 0.76-0.85, overall = 0.88).

CONCLUSION
The exploratory factor analyses and reliability analyses provide preliminary evidence for the construct validity and internal consistency reliability of the PDQI. Two novel dimensions of the construct for document quality were developed related to form (Well-formed, Compact). Additional work is needed to assess intrarater and interrater reliability of applying of the proposed instrument and to examine the reproducibility of the factors in other samples.


Although new technologies such as precision farming will contribute to increasing yields per unit area, similarly soil and water conservation will be instrumental in maintaining these increases in productivity while reducing environmental degradation, off-site transport, and water pollution. Initially, 'precision conservation' was defined as the integration of spatial technologies such as global positioning systems (GPS), remote sensing, and geographic information systems (GIS) and the ability to analyze spatial relationships within and among mapped data. Surface modeling, spatial data mining and map analysis are three broad approaches that can be used to analyze layers of information to help develop and implement management practices that contribute to soil and water conservation in agricultural and natural ecosystems. In this paper, we expand the definition of precision conservation to a developing science that uses the new spatial technologies to link a system from a site specific location, to a field, to a set of fields (farm) to a regional scale. We also expand our discussion based on the status of precision conservation as it was shown by twenty six precision conservation papers presented at the 2004 Soil Science Society of America annual meeting. We propose that precision conservation will be a key science to contribute to the sustainability of our biosphere in this century.


The study was conducted in Southern Sri Lanka which is bound by longitudes 80.50 E and 80.59 E and latitude 5.59 N and 6.07 N in the Right Bank of Nilwala river Basin. This study aimed to identify corrective and behavior of the groundwater quality changers, present groundwater levels fluctuations with precipitation and groundwa ter consumption of the region. Groundwater is the major water source in the study area, where shallow uncon fined groundwater is used for domestic purposes and irrigation. To determine the hydrogeological conditions and groundwater quality distribution, conduct monitoring by selecting 60 (sixty) dug wells with respect to water level, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), major cations and pH from January 2006 to May 2007. The dug wells are sunk into the permeable quaternary deposits overlying Precambrian granite gneiss and unconfined aquifer mainly consist with laterite and sandy clay. The study helped to prepare hydro geological map and the distribution of EC, TDS and pH maps using the GIS package Arc view. Hydrogeological map help to identify recharge and discharge areas of the study area. The pH of the groundwater remains 4.5 – 6.5 and it usually decreases within a small range consequent to rains and EC fluctuation was in the range of 200 – 600 S/cm. Chemical analysis indicates that iron concentration is high in some areas which has more favorable situation for pyrite formation. The characteristic of hydrographs provide conclusion in the unconfined quaternary aquifer ground water level intimately related to atmospheric precipitation and recharge of aquifer takes place during the rain periods.


Short-circuit losses were measured on a 213 MVA single-phase converter transformer at a number of frequencies between 60 Hz and 6 kHz. Using the results of these tests the harmonic losses during AC/DC converter operation were calculated. Variations of harmonic losses with transformer reactance, transformer winding stray loss factor and converter firing angle were studied. Using exponents of the components of harmonic losses with frequency derived from the tests, a table has been developed for determined the magnitude of the harmonic loss during converter operation. The data required to use the table are derived from design calculations and normal load loss test results. >


We report a case of pure choriocarcinoma of the left testis in a 27-year-old male. He consulted a physician with left back pain in August, 1990. Intravenous pyelography (IVP) revealed left hydronephrosis. Abnormal computerized tomography (CT) revealed para-aortic lymph node swelling. The chest X-ray revealed bilateral multiple coin lesions. The genital examination revealed a left testicular nodule 8 mm in diameter. Left high inguinal orchiectomy was performed. Histopathological diagnosis was pure choriocarcinoma. After 4 courses of the PVB (cisplatin, vinblastine, bleomycin) therapy, tumor regression rate of the pulmonary metastases was 41.9%. He was transferred to our hospital on December 3, 1990 and was admitted 3 days later. "COMPE" chemotherapy, consisting of cisplatin, vincristine, methotrexate, peplomycin, and etoposide, was administered. After seven courses of "COMPE" chemotherapy, he achieved a partial response (the regression rate of the pulmonary metastases and the retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis were 78.8% and 69.1%, respectively) and the residual masses in the lungs and the retroperitoneum were removed. Necrosis and xanthogranulomatous fibrosis were found in the resected material. The patient showed no evidence of disease one year after thoracotomy.


Mobile robots have played a vital role in the transportation industries, service robotics, and autonomous vehicles over the past decades. The development of robust tracking controllers has made mobile robots a powerful tool that can replace humans in industrial work. However, most of the traditional controller updates are time-based and triggered at every predetermined time interval, which requires high communication bandwidth. Therefore, an event-triggered control scheme is essential to release the redundant data transmission. This paper presents a novel parameter-adaptive event-trigger sliding mode to control a two-wheeled mobile robot. The adaptive control scheme ensures that the mobile robot system can be controlled accurately without the knowledge of physical parameters. Meanwhile, the event trigger sliding approach guarantees the system robustness and reduces resource usage. A simulation in MATLAB and an experiment are carried out to validate the efficiency of the proposed controller.


BackgroundMounting evidence links systemic and local inflammatory cytokine production to myocardial dysfunction and injury occurring during ischemia-reperfusion, cardiopulmonary bypass, and heart failure. Phosphodiesterase inhibitors (PDEIs), used frequently in these states, can modulate inflammatory signaling. The mechanisms for these effects are unclear. We therefore examined the effects of 2 commonly used PDEIs, amrinone and milrinone, on cardiac cell inflammatory responses. Methods and ResultsPrimary rat cardiomyocyte cultures were treated with endotoxin (LPS) or tumor necrosis factor-&agr; (TNF-&agr;), alone or in the presence of clinically relevant concentrations of amrinone or milrinone. Regulation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF&kgr;B), nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase isoforms, and cytokine production were assessed by electrophoretic mobility shift assays, Western immunoblotting, and enzyme-linked immunoassays, respectively. Both LPS and TNF-&agr; induced significant NF&kgr;B activation, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression, and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cytokine production; with the exception of COX-2 expression, all were significantly reduced by amrinone, beginning at concentrations of 10 to 50 &mgr;mol/L. In contrast, milrinone increased nuclear NF&kgr;B translocation, iNOS and COX-2 expression, and cardiomyocyte production of interleukin-1&bgr;. Cell-permeable cAMP increased inflammatory gene expression, whereas cell-permeable cGMP had no effect, indicating that the effects of amrinone were not due to phosphodiesterase inhibition. Similar results were seen in macrophages and coronary vascular endothelial cells. ConclusionsBoth amrinone and milrinone have significant effects on cardiac inflammatory signaling. Overall, amrinone reduces activation of the key transcription factor NF&kgr;B and limits the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, whereas milrinone does not.


Abstract Paul opens his First Epistle to the Corinthians with the exhortation "Now I appeal to you, brothers [and sisters], … that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose" (1:10). This plea is strikingly similar to a passage in Sifre Deuteronomy 96, where the words lo titgodedu are interpreted as "Do not be made into gatherings/factions [ʾagudot]; rather, be all of you one gathering [ʾagudah]." Analyzing these sources in depth, this article argues that Paul was familiar with this early rabbinic midrash in an oral form. It also explores the possibility that Paul used another early rabbinic tradition on unity, which is found in the Mekhilta de-miluʾim section of the Sifra. If Paul indeed knew certain rabbinic oral traditions, then he was an independent interpreter of Scripture, who read Scripture in the original Hebrew. Further, even if Paul's audience consisted primarily of gentiles, the legal norms he sought to institute among them were based on Jewish traditions. Finally, Paul follows his exhortation against schismata with the names of specific groups in Corinth, which demonstrates that he understood the tannaitic tradition as a normative principle, meant to be applied to specific disagreements. If so, other first-century Jews also likely understood lo titgodedu as a concrete halakhic prohibition.


This study provides an original method of analysing maternal mortality in Brazzaville, based on all deaths collected in the mortuaries in August 1996. During the study period, a clinical examination of all cadavers brought to Brazzaville's three mortuaries was done, and the relatives who had delivered the bodies were interviewed on signs and symptoms preceeding and the actual circumstances surrounding the deaths. A maternal mortality ratio of 652 per 100,000 was found in the age range 15 49 years, and the risk of death from all causes in women while pregnant, parturient or postpartum was estimated as double the baseline. The different indicators of risk of death attached to childbearing were shown to vary considerably according to age. In relative terms, the increase in all-cause risk of death was high for "early" pregnancies (estimated as nearly three fold below age 25), much more so for "late" pregnancies (nearly six fold above age 40), and much less for those pregnancies between these two age groups (less than two fold). In absolute terms, the excess risk of death associated with childbearing was maximum after (estimated at 40 per 1,000), and much lower before age 40 (5 to 6 per 1,000). In the age group most affected by AIDS (25 to 39 years), only 37% of all deaths in pregnant, parturient or postpartum women were from direct obstetric causes, versus about 60% before age 25 and 80% after age 40. The external and internal consistencies of the findings are discussed, and the public health policy implications are described. (Afr J Reprod Health 2000; 5


In this study, the combined effect of partial postharvest dehydration and long-term ozone treatment was evaluated at 10 and 20% weight loss as a strategy to induce compositional changes in grape skin flavanols. Two separate trials were carried out in thermohygrometric-controlled chambers at 20 °C and 70% relative humidity. The first trial was conducted under an ozone-enriched atmosphere at 30 μL/L, whereas the second trial was performed under an air atmosphere as a control. Two red wine grape varieties were studied, Barbera and Nebbiolo (Vitis vinifera L.), for their different phenolic composition. Berry skin flavanol composition was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography after phloroglucinolysis and size-exclusion chromatography. The results showed that dehydration and ozone effects were variety-dependent. In Barbera skins, being characterized by lower proanthocyanidin contents, the two effects were significant and their combination showed interesting advantages related to lower proanthocyanidin loss as well as higher prodelphinidin and lower galloylation percentages. In Nebbiolo, skin flavanol composition was barely affected.


Between July 2010 and June 2011 the habitat utilization of nilgai
(Boselaphus tragocamelus) were studied in Van Vihar National Park,
Bhopal, using "Fecal Pellet Sampling". Nilgai used different habitat types
in Van Vihar National Park such as grassland, savanna, scrubland and
woodland. Besides, nilgai were also used marshland but very rarely.
The grassland and scrubland were highly preferred by the nilgai, while
as savanna and woodland were less preferred by the nilgai. Nilgai showed
seasonal variation in the habitat utilization. In monsoon, the grassland
was overutilized by the nilgai, and the savanna, scrubland and woodland
were underutilized by the nilgai. In winter, scrubland was overutilized,
while as the grassland, woodland and savanna were underutilized by
the nilgai. In summer, the scrubland and woodland were overutilized by
the nilgai, and the grassland and savanna were underutilized by the
nilgai. Creation of more grass plots, extension of the area of National
Park and plantation of more trees would improve the overall quality of
the habitat and make more space available for the nilgai antelopes.


Muslims in America: Examining the Facts provides an objective overview of the realities and experiences of Muslims in the United States, both historically and in the present day, and of their relationship with their fellow Americans. It surveys the history of American Muslims' settlement and integration into the United States; explores the dominant social, political, cultural, and economic characteristics of American Muslim families and communities; and studies the ways in which their experiences and beliefs intersect with various notions of American national identity. In the process, the book critically examines the more dominant social and political narratives and claims surrounding American Muslims and their religion of Islam, including false or malicious claims about their attitudes toward terrorism and other important issues. Muslims in America: Examining the Facts thus gives readers a clear and accurate understanding of the actual lives, actions, and beliefs of Muslim people in the United States.


We consider a conservative system contained in a polyhedral angle and assume elastic interaction with the boundary. We propose an elementary proof of the fact that the corresponding dynamics is well defined almost everywhere with respect to Lebesgue measure. In particular cases we obtain results concerning topological characterization of the set consisting of singular initial conditions. Some relevant examples are indicated.


One of the most attractive aspects of commodity investment today is that there are now a number of passive indexes that are fully investable. The LMEX index is a narrowly focused index that offers returns based on a basket of industrial metals (aluminum, copper, nickel, zinc, tin, and lead). The index is constructed using futures contracts traded on the London Metals Exchange. This article presents the risk and return benefits of the LMEX index as an addition to existing stock and bond portfolios.


The aim of this study was to assess the patterns and trends of pharmacological treatment for outpatients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) in China in the period 2015–2019. Prescription data for outpatients with PHN were extracted from the database of the Hospital Prescription Analysis Program of China according to the inclusion criteria. The trends in yearly prescriptions and corresponding costs were analyzed and stratified by drug class and specific drugs. A total of 19,196 prescriptions from 49 hospitals in 6 major regions of China were included for analysis. The yearly prescriptions increased from 2534 in 2015 to 5676 in 2019 (p = 0.027), and the corresponding expenditures increased from CNY 898,618 in 2015 to CNY 2,466,238 in 2019 (p = 0.027). Gabapentin and pregabalin are the most commonly used drugs for PHN, and more than 30% of these two drugs were combined with mecobalamin. Opioids were the second most frequently prescribed drug class, and oxycodone accounted for the largest share of the cost. Topical drugs and TCAs are rarely used. The frequent use of pregabalin and gabapentin was in accordance with current guidelines; however, the use of oxycodone raised concerns about rationality and economic burden. The results of this study may benefit the allocation of medical resources and management for PHN in China and other countries.


Background Information on the health and growth status of the population is essential for planning and administering health promotion programs. Methods This is a cross-sectional study of the anthropometric measurements of United Arab Emirates (UAE) children aged 0-18 years, by a multistage stratified random sampling technique based on age and sex. Healthy, full-term children of UAE nationality who did not have any diseases that could affect their growth pattern were included in the study. Children were selected using multistage sampling, using sampling proportional to size methods in 9 geographical areas. Growth charts for various anthropometric measures were created using Cole's LMS statistical package. This package estimates age-specific percentiles with the use of smoothing splines after transformation to normality. Results A total of 21,068 children (12,159 females) between the ages of 0 and 18 years were studied. In the present study, we included 8-15% of the population aged 0-18 years. The growth chart for 0-36 months is very similar to the NCHS growth reference chart in terms of both weight for age and length and height for age. The mean (+SD) length/height in children was 49.9 ± 3.2 cm at birth, 75.9 ± 5.7 cm at 12 months, 86.4 ± 4.5 cm at 24 months, 95.1 ± 5.9 cm at 36 months, and 111.1 ± 6.4 cm at 60 months. The height of UAE children in the first 3 years of life, especially at the ages of 2 and 3 years, mirrored those achieved by Brazilian children in the WHO study. Conclusion The results of the present study are useful for growth assessment of UAE children.


Recent studies have shown that the emissions from conventional torrefaction processes is the second largest contributor to the supply chain. This article presents a torrefaction unit that operates based on oxy-combustion concept, whereby preventing carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides emissions. The oxygen required in the process is supplied from an Air Separation Unit (ASU) and the working fluid of the new system is carbon dioxide. The process model is implemented in Engineering Equation Solver (EES) and simulation is conducted using the design data of a conventional plant which torrefies wood at 553 K for 17.5 minutes. The overall efficiency of the plant which accounts for both thermal and electrical energy requirement of the process is found to be 88%. The total energy consumption of the system exhibits a minimum at an optimum torrefaction temperature. With willow as the feedstock, the optimum temperature is determined to be 536 K at a residence time of 20 minutes, at which the total equivalent thermal energy required is 2 MJ/kg dry biomass and the energy yield is as high as 91%. The results show that the optimum torrefaction temperature is feedstock dependent and it is lower for a longer residence time.


The ovipositional patterns of the heteronomous hyperparasitoid Encarsia pergandiella Howard (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) in the presence of its primary host Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), and in the presence or absence of conspecific and heterospecific secondary hosts (Encarsia formosa Gahan and Eretmocerus mundus Mercet; Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) were examined to assess host species preferences. Host preferences by heteronomous hyperparasitoids may affect the relative abundance of co‐occurring parasitoid species and may influence host population suppression by the parasitoid community. Four combinations of hosts were tested: (1) B. argentifolii, E. mundus, and E. formosa, (2) B. argentifolii, E. formosa, and E. pergandiella, (3) B. argentifolii, E. mundus, and E. pergandiella, and, (4) B. argentifolii, E. mundus, E. formosa, and E. pergandiella. Arrays of hosts (24) were constructed in Petri dishes using leaf disks, each bearing one host. Thirty arrays of each host combination were exposed to single females for 6 h. All hosts were dissected to determine number of eggs per host. Encarsia pergandiella parasitized E. formosa hosts as frequently as E. mundus hosts. However, E. pergandiella parasitized either of these heterospecific hosts more frequently than conspecific hosts in treatments including two secondary host species. When a third parasitoid species was included in host arrays, E. pergandiella parasitized conspecific hosts as frequently as heterospecific hosts. Developmental stage of the hosts did not significantly influence host species selection by E. pergandiella. Our results indicate that host selection and oviposition by heteronomous hyperparasitoids like E. pergandiella, vary with the composition of hosts available for parasitization, and suggest a preference for heterospecific over conspecific secondary hosts.


An ordered soap froth is created in a cylindrical tube. By dilating (up to 500%) and compressing the froth, we observe sequences of structural transitions. After dilation followed by compression, the froth recovers its initial structure, but the sequences of intermediate structures upon dilation and upon compression are different. This topological hysteresis is explained by creation and motion of a single dislocation as suggested by a recent work of the present authors.


Here we consider design ethnography, and design fiction. We cast these two approaches, and the design endeavor itself, as forward-looking processes. Exploring the means by which design ethnography and design fiction derive their value reveals the potential for a mutually beneficial symbiosis. Our thesis argues that design ethnography can provide design fiction with the methods required to operationalize the practice in industry contexts. Meanwhile design fiction can provide design ethnographers a novel way of extending the temporal scope of the practice, thus deriving actionable insights that are applicable further into the future. "While we are more than ever aware of both the promise and the threat of technological advance, we still lack the intellectual means and political tools for managing progress." Andrew Feenberg


The parabolic Anderson model is the Cauchy problem for the heat equation with a random potential. We consider this model in a setting which is continuous in time and discrete in space, and focus on time-constant, independent and identically distributed potentials with polynomial tails at infinity. We are concerned with the long-term temporal dynamics of this system. Our main result is that the periods, in which the profile of the solutions remains nearly constant, are increasing linearly over time, a phenomenon known as ageing. We describe this phenomenon in the weak sense, by looking at the asymptotic probability of a change in a given time window, and in the strong sense, by identifying the almost sure upper envelope for the process of the time remaining until the next change of profile. We also prove functional scaling limit theorems for profile and growth rate of the solution of the parabolic Anderson model.


BACKGROUND
Lower extremity physical performance measured at one point in time is a powerful predictor of future disability. Whether information on previous lower extremity performance adds independent information to disability prediction compared to a single measure alone is unknown.

METHODS
Data are from community-dwelling men and women aged greater than or equal to 65 years enrolled in the Invecchiare in Chianti study who were free of mobility and activities of daily living (ADL) disability at baseline and at 3-year follow-up (n = 891). Walking speed and Short Physical Performance Battery were examined at baseline and at the 3-year follow-up (zero-time). Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the associations between physical performance measures and incident mobility and ADL disability detected at the 6-year and 9-year follow-up.

RESULTS
Walking speed and Short Physical Performance Battery score assessed at the zero-time strongly predicted development of mobility and ADL disability during the subsequent 6 years independent of walking speed/Short Physical Performance Battery score 3 years prior.

CONCLUSIONS
Current lower extremity performance is a strong risk factor for subsequent mobility and ADL disability and is independent of performance 3 years prior, which has negligible independent prognostic value.


The pancreas of adult and old mice of various ages has been shown to contain a lipid fraction which is not normally stainable, but which is unmasked by the action of the lipid-solvent methanol: chloroform (1:2 v/v) and hence becomes stainable by the acid haematein reaction. This fraction seems to be contained in the zymogen granules of adult and old mice, but is absent from the pancreas of 1- to 2-week-old animals.


Photorefractory male starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) were transferred from a photoperiodic schedule of 18 h light:6 h dark to 8 h light:16 h dark for 2, 4, 6 or 10 weeks, and then photostimulated by exposure to 18 h light:6 h dark. Testicular dimensions were measured at regular intervals by laparotomy. There was no change in testicular volume in birds photostimulated after 2 weeks under a photoperiod of 8 h light:16 h dark, but a cycle of testicular growth followed by regression occurred in the other groups. Testicular volume was increased significantly by 20 days under 18 h light:6 h dark in all three groups; regression began after 45, 65 and 75 days in birds pre-exposed to 8 h light:16 h dark for 4, 6 and 10 weeks, respectively. These results are discussed in relation to other evidence for the progressive development of photosensitivity.


Whether there are universal laws or principles in complex systems is a fascinating and important question. Prof. John Casti uses the case of Normal Distribution (\bell curves") to illustrate that such universal principle is perhaps out there waiting to be discovered [1]. He suggests Zipf's law as a candidate for such universal principle. But as the author of one of the three publications to prove that \monkey languages" exhibit Zipf's law [2] (B. Mandelbrot and J. Nicolis wrote the other two [3,4]), I tend to believe that Zipf's law is a \law of transformation" (if it can be called a \law") rather than a \law of complex systems". I restrict the name \Zipf's law" to rank-frequency distributions that are power-law function P (r) 1=r , 1 (r is the rank, and P (r) is the frequency of events corresponding to that rank). Besides the rank-frequency distribution of English words and \monkey typed words", other rank-frequency distributions that obey power-law functions with exponent close to 1 were also known, including the population of cities [5]. The non-linguistic examples given in Ref.[5] may not have an explanation yet, but the Zipf's law in \monkey languages" has already been explained and understood. This explanation also shed light on the Zipf's law in English language. To summarize in one sentence, the Zipf's law in \monkey languages" is caused by an exponential transformation of variables, and if the rst variable follows an exponential distribution, the second would follow a power-law distribution. To be more speci c, the rst variable is the word's length, and the second variable is the word's rank. The details of this proof can be found in Ref.[2], but I can sketch the proof here easily: suppose there is an exponential function of variable x: f(x) = Aexp[ Bx], and a transformation from x0 to x: x = Cexp[Dx0], the new function in variable x will be:


Introduction: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common pediatric mental health problems but often goes unrecognized. Children with ADHD have an increased risk of injuries. Whether injured children presenting to the emergency department (ED) have an increased frequency of unrecognized ADHD symptoms compared to noninjured children is not known. Purpose: Examine the association of medically unrecognized ADHD symptoms in injured compared to noninjured children presenting to a pediatric ED. Methods: A prospective age- and sex-matched cross-sectional comparison design of parent reported ADHD symptoms based on the Vanderbilt Assessment Scale in injured and noninjured children ages 5 to 18 years. Families were excluded if ADHD was listed in the medical history by nurses or physicians or if the child was currently taking medications for ADHD. Injured children were matched with noninjured children who presented with medical complaints. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed. Proportions of children with ADHD symptoms in injured and noninjured children were compared with the &khgr;2 statistic. Results: One hundred sixty-four mothers of children were enrolled into the study: 82 in the injured and 82 noninjured group. The frequency of parent reported ADHD symptoms was the same in the 2 groups (9.8%). Conclusions: Children presenting with injuries are no more likely than a noninjured age- and sex-matched group to have unrecognized ADHD based on parental screen. Targeting injured children for ADHD screening is not supported by this study.


The article reflects on the diagnosis the levels of a sense of alienation in the context of voting behavior in elections to parliament in 2011. Social functioning, mental condition and the perception of the political scene are important primarily in the plane of the possibility of mobilization of individual electorates. It can be assumed that those who feel a sense of im- pact on the socio-political environment, recognizing the link between the actions taken by them and their effects are more likely to take part in elections. It is difficult to determine in which di- rection will influence the level of a sense of political alienation, as dissatisfaction with the cur- rent political scene, lack of trust in political leaders, the lack of any effect on its shape can result in one hand and the consequent withdrawal of political passivity, on the other - raise motivation to change the status quo through activity and voting for another party. A sense of an external anchor, the integration of values and other people may also be affected in two ways - firstly to provide the individual a sense of strength, support, and identification with a group of committed and interested in the election could translate into a significant mobilizing force, on the other, be- ing in a safe place among the cherished values and loved ones can focus enough attention to the individual, that active participation of socio-political recedes into the background. The author's research tool was used in the study - the Scale of Alienation "Z". It consists of measurements of three factors: a sense of powerlessness-power, a sense of political alienation-self-significant, sense of isolation-integration.


Response expectancies, or the expectation of one's own non-volitional reactions to situational cues, are hypothesized to be a psychological mechanism of both hypnotic and placebo responding (Kirsch, 1990). In this study, response expectancies were evaluated as a mediator of suggested and placebo analgesia using Baron and Kenny's (1986) classic method of testing mediation. One hundred and seventy-two volunteers were randomly assigned to hypnotic analgesia suggestion, imaginative analgesia suggestion, placebo analgesia, or no-treatment control conditions. The hypnotic, imaginative and placebo treatments were more effective than the no-treatment control condition in relieving finger pressure pain. The hypnotic treatment was also more effective than the placebo. Each of the three treatments was partially mediated by response expectancies, although the percentage of mediation varied across the hypnotic (25%), imaginative (29%) and placebo (41%) conditions. The findings support the position that response expectancies are one of the major psychological mechanisms of suggested and placebo analgesia. Copyright © 2009 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This paper addresses the issue of providing stability guarantees during the implementation of multibody simulations for haptic display. Within the framework of the virtual coupling, we discuss the passivity of the haptic display. Previous work has established that, if the numerical methods used in the virtual environment are discrete time passive, it is possible to decouple the stability of the device from the virtual environment simulation. In the present work, we prove that discrete time passive operators must be implicit, making them unlikely candidates for real time implementation. Given restrictions on environment parameters, however, passivity can sometimes be preserved even when using explicit numerical methods. An important benchmark simulation is that of a point mass, and restrictions take the form of a minimum mass that can be simulated passively. This minimum mass is derived for several simple numerical integrator-virtual coupling pairs.


The possibility of control and tuning of the band structures of phononic crystals offered by the introduction of an active magnetoelastic material and the application of an external magnetic field is studied. Two means to obtain large elastic properties variations in magnetoelastic material are considered: Giant magnetostriction and spin reorientation transition effects. A plane wave expansion method is used to calculate the band structures. The magnetoelastic coupling is taken into account through the consideration of an equivalent piezomagnetic material model with elastic, piezomagnetic, and magnetic permeability tensors varying as a function of the amplitude and orientation of the applied magnetic field. Results of contactless tunability of the absolute bandgap are presented for a two-dimensional phononic crystal constituted of Terfenol-D square rod embedded in an epoxy matrix.


This paper proposes a meta-heuristic image processing application for mobile robot navigation. It classifies figures that are drawn on a wall by hand with a laser pointer. Image processing technique extracts optical flow of the laser beam trail, which represents vectors along edges of shapes. Genetic programming learns geometric characteristics of laser trail shapes and creates classification algorithm. Three typical figures, such as a circle, a triangle, and a square, are evaluated and identified in high accuracy. We have investigated the effects of genetic programming parameters on the performance of shape identification. As a result, proposal system makes it possible to command robots by easy and intuitive action of drawing a figure only with a laser pointer.


We have analysed the mechanism of PMA-induced adhesion of the MDS human leukemia cell line. Affinity to various matrix ligands indicated that PMA induced fibronectin adhesion of MDS cells. This interaction could not be inhibited by RGDS-peptide, therefore it was most probably not mediated by integrins. Rather, both the basal and PMA-induced fibronectin adhesion of MDS cells could be inhibited by heparin and much less efficiently by chondroitin sulphate, suggesting that glycosaminoglycans of proteoglycans may be responsible for the change in adhesive phenotype. PMA stimulation of MDS cells induced a significant increase in proteoglycan biosynthesis. Studies on the glycosaminoglycan pattern of the proteoglycans showed that PMA treatment initiated a shift in glycanation of the MDS-proteoglycans from the predominant chondroitin sulphate-proteoglycans in control cells to a predominant heparan sulphateproteoglycans in adherent cells. These data indicate that protein kinase C, the main target of PMA, may have a profound role in the regulation of glycanation pattern of proteoglycans. Furthermore, such alterations in the cellular proteoglycans may significantly affect the matrix adhesion potential of hematopoietic cells.


A new method for determining the interfacial tension based on comparison of experimental data and simulation results of droplet electrodeformation is proposed. The interfacial tension for pair of liquids is obtained. To simulate the deformation of a conducting liquid droplet in a liquid dielectric under the action of the electric field, the moving mesh method is used. Simulation results of droplet deformation are experimentally verified. The experimental setup, in which edge effects are eliminated, is designed.


INTRODUCTION: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is a cornerstone in diagnosing thyroid nodules. For decades, Danish FNA have been categorised into the groups: "FNA not performed", "Inadequate", "Cystic", "Inconclusive", "Benign", "Suspicious", "Malignant" and "Information missing". Internationally, The Bethesda Classification System (TBCS) is increasingly accepted, especially owing to a detailed specification of FNA suspicious for malignancy. The Danish "Suspicious" group is very broad and includes atypia, follicular neoplasia and FNA suspicious of other malignancies. The purpose of this study was to apply TBCS to the Danish "Suspicious" FNA group and to estimate the frequency of malignancy in the individual Bethesda groups (BG). METHODS: This descriptive study is based on a prospective cohort from the THYKIR database. It includes 479 patients with a "Suspicious" FNA and surgical treatment in The Region of Southern Denmark from 2001 to 2013. Based on pathology records, FNA was classified according to the TBCS. Malignancy was determined by the histological diagnosis from the THYKIR database. RESULTS: The Danish "Suspicious" group was allocated to the BG I, II, III, IV, V and VI with a malignancy risk of 36.4%, 13.3%, 17.2%, 16.1%, 55.3% and 88.2%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The Danish "Suspicious" group contains a broad spectrum of BG with varying malignancy risk. The results indicate a need for standardisation of the Danish FNA classification. A national introduction of the TBCS might secure an international and comparable standard.


Mitochondrial defects are tightly linked to axon degeneration, yet the underlying cellular mechanisms remain poorly understood. In C. elegans, PVQ axons that lack mitochondria degenerate spontaneously with age. Using an unbiased genetic screen, we found that cell-specific activation of CaMKII/UNC-43 suppresses axon degeneration due to loss of mitochondria. Unexpectedly, CaMKII/UNC-43 protects against degeneration through the conserved Sarm1/TIR-1-ASK1/NSY-1 MAPK pathway. In addition, we show that disrupting a trafficking complex composed of calsyntenin/CASY-1, Mint/LIN-10, and kinesin suppresses axon degeneration. Further analysis indicates that disruption of this trafficking complex activates the CaMKII-Sarm1-MAPK pathway through L-type voltage-gated calcium channels. Our findings identify CaMKII as a pivot point between mitochondrial defects and axon degeneration, describe how it is regulated in this context, and uncover a surprising neuroprotective role for the Sarm1-ASK1 pathway.


In the context of an alarmingly sped up "slow death" for disabled people living under emergency COVID-19 medical triage protocols in Ontario, Canada, that produce, naturalize, and weaponize our vulnerability, we assert that slow digital story-making opens a threshold space filled with complex, relational, lively collaborative worldmaking. Here, we analyze videos made by three digital/multimedia story-makers, known as experimenters, who express the turbulence they lived through via storywork that described their unique yet entwined vantage points. Following Rosi Braidotti's caution against capitalizing on tragedy, we offer Donna Haraway's "compost writing" as an alternative to building theory. By compos(t)ing online multimedia stories that straddle digital/human/more-than-human realms, we take up "digital composting" as an unfinished methodology wherein we move collectively, even from the isolation of our own homes. We posit slow digital story-making as a way of "staying with the trouble" as we find ourselves worldmaking at the complex threshold between life/death, vulnerability/resistance, individual/relational, human/nonhuman. To compost digital multimedia stories is to leave them to ruminate in the complex entanglements of posthuman existences in urgent times.


Resistance to insulin-stimulated glucose uptake is present in the majority of patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and in -25% of nonobese individuals with normal oral glucose tolerance. In these conditions, deterioration of glucose tolerance can only be prevented if the p-cell is able to increase its insulin secretory response and maintain a state of chronic hyperinsulinemia. When this goal cannot be achieved, gross decompensation of glucose homeostasis occurs. The relationship between insulin resistance, plasma insulin level, and glucose intolerance is mediated to a significant degree by changes in ambient plasma free-fatty acid (FFA) concentration. Patients with NIDDM are also resistant to insulin suppression of plasma FFA concentration, but plasma FFA concentrations can be reduced by relatively small increments in insulin concentration. Consequently, elevations of circulating plasma FFA concentration can be prevented if large amounts of insulin can be secreted. If hyperinsulinemia cannot be maintained, plasma FFA concentration will not be suppressed normally, and the resulting increase in plasma FFA concentration will lead to increased hepatic glucose production. Because these events take place in individuals who are quite resistant to insulinstimulated glucose uptake, it is apparent that even small increases in hepatic glucose production are likely to lead to significant fasting hyperglycemia under these conditions. Although hyperinsulinemia may prevent frank decompensation of glucose homeostasis in insulin-resistant individuals, this compensatory response of the endocrine pancreas is not without its price. Patients with hypertension, treated or untreated, are insulin resistant,


More than three decades after their introduction, diagnostic classification models (DCM) do not seem to have been implemented in educational systems for the purposes they were devised. Most DCM research is either methodological for model development and refinement or retrofitting to existing nondiagnostic tests and, in the latter case, basically for model demonstration or constructs identification. DCMs have rarely been used to develop diagnostic assessment right from the start with the purpose of identifying individuals' strengths and weaknesses (referred to as true applications in this study). In this article, we give an introduction to DCMs and their latest developments along with guidelines on how to proceed to employ DCMs to develop a diagnostic test or retrofit to a nondiagnostic assessment. Finally, we enumerate the reasons why we believe DCMs have not become fully operational in educational systems and suggest some advice to make their advent smooth and quick.


This article describes an innovative form of therapeutic letter writing in which clients are invited to write letters to each other, rather than the more traditional narrative practice of therapists writing letters to clients. Two clients who both struggle with chronic pain and caregiver stress are consulting with the same counsellor and begin to write therapeutic letters to each other anonymously, with their counsellor passing the letters between them. Examples of the clientwritten letters are included in the body of the article as well as the clients' responses about their experiences with this innovative form of narrative letter writing. The author describes the intention behind this practice and offers suggestions based on her experience of how to facilitate the process. Most notably, this form of client generated letter writing decentres the therapist and highlights the client's voice, provides an opportunity for clients to strengthen their preferred narrative, and creates communities of concern in which clients build relationships with each other that assist with decreasing the isolation and influence of problems in their lives. The article aims to inspire fellow narrative practitioners to link the lives of their clients through client-written therapeutic letters.


ABSTRACT Collaborative practice is a workforce priority for integrated health and social care systems internationally, requiring robust outcome measurement instruments (OMIs) to enable team development and good quality research. In this systematic review, we appraised self-administered OMIs that could be used to measure team-based collaborative practice within integrated health and social care teams in community settings. The most important measurement properties when selecting between OMIs are content and structural validity and internal consistency. The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) systematic review method was modified to evaluate each OMI. For each measurement property, the methodological quality of individual studies and quality of each parameter were rated, and the level of evidence graded. A search strategy applied to 19 bibliographic databases identified 7 instruments that met eligibility criteria. A total of 6 development studies, 6 content validity studies, 8 studies for structural validity, and 10 for internal consistency were included. Only the shortened version of the Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale (ATICS-II) was rated as Sufficient for each measurement property with Very Low or Moderate quality evidence. Further validation of each OMI for use by community integrated teams is needed; studies evaluating relevance, comprehensibility and comprehensiveness are a priority.


Abstract Background: There is paucity of data on alternative drug therapies for patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). Tacrolimus (TAC) is a promising salvage agent. We present a review of TAC therapy in AIH patients. Methods: A search for studies with keywords 'autoimmune hepatitis' and 'tacrolimus' was performed. Reviews, studies of AIH post-transplant and AIH in children were excluded. Diagnosis of AIH was based on criteria established by the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group. Complete biochemical response was defined as normalisation of aspartate aminotransferase (AST <45) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT <50). No biochemical response was defined as failure to return to normalisation at the end of follow-up. Demographic information and details of pre- and post-treatment liver biopsy were collected. Results: Seven articles achieved the inclusion criteria and reported data for a total of 162 adult patients. The majority of studies reported average ages approximately 35 years old. Treatment duration ranged from 1 to 136 months. Indications for therapy were mostly AIH refractory to steroid treatment or inability to tolerate standard steroid treatment. Eighty-three patients (51.2%) were reported to have pre-therapy liver biopsy. Of 49 patients for whom stage was reported, 6 patients were stage 1, 16 were stage 2, 14 were stage 3 and 13 were stage 4. Of 40 patients for whom grade was reported, 1 patient was grade 0, 3 were grade 1, 9 were grade 2, 14 were grade 3 and 13 were grade 4. Dosing regimens were between 1 and 8 mg/day. Target trough TAC serum concentrations ranged from 0.5 to 10.7 ng/mL TAC was discontinued in 28 (17.3%) patients for various reasons. Renal function remained stable in most patients. One hundred and twenty-one patients (74.7%) demonstrated complete biochemical response to treatment. Post-therapy liver biopsy was obtained for 30 (18.5%) patients, and 25 (15.4%) of these patients were noted to have histological remission according to the grade of inflammation or stage of fibrosis. Conclusion: TAC is relatively effective in the treatment of AIH refractory to traditional therapy. It appears that liver function can be enhanced at a minimal cost to renal function. Key Points There is a cohort of patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) who do not respond to standard therapy. Alternative treatment options for these patients have been explored, but outcomes have not been comprehensively examined. We report the use and efficacy of tacrolimus (TAC) in patients with AIH. We found that TAC can be safely and effectively used in patients with AIH with minimal side effects. TAC can be a potential treatment option for patients with AIH refractory to standard therapy.


This research involves studying the effect of catalyst and heat treatment temperature on the coating properties of sol-gel titanium dioxide TiO2 thin films. There are several studies discussed about the effect of catalyst and the influence of heat treatment temperature on the TiO2 coating properties. Nonetheless, there is no systematic research on this title. In the sol-gel production route, titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) is used as a precursor to produce TiO2 thin film. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) act as acidic catalyst and ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH ) act as alkaline catalyst are manipulated to investigate the influence of various catalyst-type on the microstructure and morphological properties of TiO2 thin films. The TiO2 thin films will then deposit on glass substrate by adapting dip-coating technique. Then, the thin film samples are heat treated at different temperatures, particularly 500℃ and 700℃ to analyze the effect of annealing temperature on the morphology and phase transformation of TiO2 thin films through different catalyst. It was found that TiO2 thin film exhibits different surface morphology when different catalysts were used (distinct pH). When there is use of alkaline catalyst, the film exhibits particle shape instead of sheet-form. In addition, it was also observed that the distribution of TiO2 particles behaved differently when different annealing temperatures were applied on the films. It was found that the agglomeration is more dispersed at higher temperature.


Cyclophosphamide must be enzymatically activated to be either mutagenic or teratogenic. This activation is thought to be catalyzed by the cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase system. To study the relationship between the mutagenic and teratogenic metabolites of cyclophosphamide, the mutagenicity and teratogenicity of this drug were compared after activation by rats pretreated with chemicals (phenobarbital and beta-naphthoflavone) inducing different cytochromes P-450. Activation of cyclophosphamide to mutagenic metabolites by enzyme fractions from rats on day 13 of gestation was measured with the Ames test using Salmonella typhimurium TA1535. Teratogenicity was assessed in vivo by treatment of rats with cyclophosphamide on day 13 of gestation. Cyclophosphamide was activated to mutagenic metabolites to the same extent (on a tissue wet weight basis) by enzyme fractions from maternal liver, kidney and placenta, despite differences in cytochrome P-450 content. Fetal homogenates did not activate cyclophosphamide. Phenobarbital pretreatment increased the activation of cyclophosphamide to mutagenic metabolites by maternal liver microsomes 10-fold and liver cytochrome P-450 content 1.8 fold; however, this drug did not alter the activation of cyclophosphamide by maternal kidney, by placenta or by the fetus. Phenobarbital pretreatment increased the teratogenicity of cyclophosphamide in rats on day 13 of gestation (increased incidence of malformed embryos, decreased fetal weight). Pretreatment with beta-naphthoflavone did not induce liver cytochrome P-450 in the pregnant rat and did not change the activation of cyclophosphamide to mutagenic metabolites by liver, kidney, placenta or the fetus. Pretreatment with this polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon had no effect or decreased the teratogenicity of cyclophosphamide. Thus, these experiments suggest that the mother, rather than the fetus, is the site of activation of cyclophosphamide; after phenobarbital pretreatment the predominant site of cyclophosphamide activation is the maternal liver. There appears to be a correlation between the teratogenicity and mutagenicity of cyclophosphamide after induction of the cytochromes P-450. We can speculate that the "proximate teratogen" of cyclophosphamide may also be the "proximate mutagen".


Ecofeminist philosophy and literary theory need mutually to enhance each other's critical praxis. Ecofeminism provides the grounding necessary to turn the Bakhtinian dialogic method into a critical theory applicable to all of one's lived experience, while dialogics provides a method for advancing the application of ecofeminist thought in terms of literature, the other as speaking subject, and the interanimation of human and nonhuman aspects of nature. In the first part of this paper the benefits of dialogics to feminism and ecofeminism are explored; in the second part dialogics as method is detailed; in the third part literary examples are discussed from a dialogical ecofeminist perspective.


In a social environment, web 2.0 technologies offer significant benefits to enterprises willing to integrate the technology into their business. The most socio-technological systems which have gained much more attention and generated most interest from companies in recent years are blogs, social networking and wikis. However, web 2.0 technologies provide opportunities for companies that are able to implement them effectively. The overall purpose of this thesis is to describe and explore the use of web 2.0 technologies within and between enterprises as well as challenges associated with their use. Five interviews have been conducted to investigate the phenomena of how web 2.0 technologies are used in companies and challenges behind the use of these technologies. The results show that the uses and tasks of web 2.0 technologies differ from internal uses into external uses, from one company to other companies and even from one department to other departments. Also, the research finds that not all companies use web 2.0 technologies externally due to challenges like security issue, culture change and management experiences which prevent the further success of Enterprise 2.0.


Focusing on post-Franco Spanish fiction from 1975 to 1989, Robert C. Spires applies the concepts of episteme and discursive field to the ways in which language from multiple sources determines how reality is defined at a given moment and how it influences ideas, attitudes, and feelings. Spires identifies bonds connecting disparate academic disciplines and sociopolitical events by exploring how the world of fiction serves as a register of the nonfictional world. In 1989 the Soviet bloc, along with other totalitarian regimes in South America and Africa, disappeared from the global geopolitical map. Spain set the precedent for this decentralizing revolution when, in 1975, its longtime dictator, Francisco Franco, died; democratic elections followed two years later. This study records an epistemic shift away from logocentric and totalizing approaches to reality by analyzing the links between the novelistic strategies used by Spanish writers from 1975 to 1989 and recent international events and theoretical trends in science, mathematics, communication studies, and art. Highlighting worldwide processes of fragmentation, decentralization, and pluralism, Spires foregrounds ways in which literary and scientific approaches to and concepts of reality coincide, with fiction serving as one more register of how reality is conceived at a particular point in time."Post-Totalitarian Spanish Fiction" makes a major contribution in the field of Spanish literature and will enhance the esteem that contemporary Spanish literature is beginning to achieve internationally. In addition, this "epistemocritical" project will serve as a model for literary critics who wish to accommodate the increasingly popular approach labeled "cultural studies" without surrendering the primacy of the literary text.


Abstract Whatever else a theory of impeccability assumes about the moral life of heavenly agents, it seems to imply something about the type of actions possible for such agents, along with the quality of their moral characters. Regarding these characters, there are many that have argued impeccable and heavenly agents must also be perfectly virtuous agents. Michael Slote has recently argued, however, that perfect virtue is impossible. Assuming Slote's argument is successful, a theory of impeccability that relies on the possibility of perfect virtue would be greatly harmed, even to the point of incoherence. My intent here is to defend the coherence of the doctrine of impeccability, at least as it applies to the moral life of heavenly agents.


Throughout the years, the identity and institutional capacity of the European Union (EU) has changed. As a global actor in international politics, the EU has perceived the need for developing a comprehensive space policy perspective. This perspective has evolved by the changing dynamics of the space ecosystem i.e., "New Space", and it is a phenomenon that consists of new business models, new technologies, new markets, new value chains, and new actors. New actors in space activities have drastically altered the dynamics of space activities. This paper aims to examine the new actors in the context of European space governance, and scrutinise the tendencies of space companies so as to develop a better understanding of the European space system. The article concludes that, being aware of the undeniable importance of space applications and the security of space systems, the EU attaches importance to catching the "New Space" trend in its governance structure and encouraging appropriate changes in the sector.


Health care organizations often fail in their effort to implement care-improving innovations. This article differentiates role-changing innovations, altering what workers do, from time-changing innovations, altering when tasks are performed or for how long. We examine our hypothesis that the degree to which access to groups that can alter organizational learning—staff, management, and external network—facilitates implementation depends on innovation type. Our longitudinal study using ordinal logistic regression and survey data on 517 hospitals' implementation of evidence-based practices for treating heart attack confirmed our thesis for factors granting access to each group: improvement team's representativeness (of affected staff), senior management engagement, and network membership. Although team representativeness and network membership were positively associated with implementing role-changing practices, senior management engagement was not. In contrast, senior management engagement was positively associated with implementing time-changing practices, whereas team representativeness was not, and network membership was not unless there was limited management engagement. These findings advance implementation science by explaining mixed results across past studies: Nature of change for workers alters potential facilitators' effects on implementation.