This project evaluated the air leakage and electric power consumption of Residential HVAC components, with a particular focus on air leakage of furnace cabinets. Laboratory testing of HVAC components indicated that air leakage can be significant and highly variable from unit to unit ? indicating the need for a standard test method and specifying maximum allowable air leakage in California State energy codes. To further this effort, this project provided technical assistance for the development of a national standard for Residential HVAC equipment air leakage. This standard is being developed by ASHRAE and is called ASHRAE Standard 193P - Method of test for Determining the Air Leakage Rate of HVAC Equipment . The final part of this project evaluated techniques for measurement of furnace blower power consumption. A draft test procedure for power consumption was developed in collaboration with the Canadian General Standards Board: CSA 823 Performance Standard for air handlers in residential space conditioning systems .


Results are presented of two experiments (field and glasshouse) comparing effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilisers on growth and nitrogen fixation of two white clover varieties, 'Grasslands Huia' and 'Grasslands 4700'. In both experiments, added N caused a temporary reduction in growth when available N supply was depleted, because of a short lag in the development of nitrogen fixation to replace this source. At lower field temperatures (l4/4°c) 4700 grew better than Huia, but the performance of both varieties was similar in the glasshouse (21/12°c). In the field 4700, but not Huia, responded to added N during early establishment, indicating nitrogen fixation was limiting the growth of this variety. Without added N, growth of both varieties was similar. Phosphate appeared to be more limiting in the glasshouse, and at low phosphate 4700 responded by producing relatively more root growth than Huia.


Purpose or research. The paper considers the solution of the scientific and practical problem of measuring the humidity content of lumber on the basis of a programmable logic controller (PLC), which makes it possible to implement control systems for drying lumber on inexpensive controllers of wide application with the advantages of modern SCADA systems.Methods. To achieve this goal, modern methods for assessing the humidity content of lumber by electrical resistance have been investigated. We have provided a review and analysis of the known dependences of the electrical resistance of lumber on moisture. It is noted the need to measure resistance in the range of 2.5 KΩ to 25 MΩ. The schematic solution for matching a high-resistance measurement bridge with an additional voltage source with a PLC is described here. We have proposed a method for calculating the matching scheme. Expressions are obtained for calculating humidity according to the data of an analog-to-digital converter. The procedure for setting up the measurement channel according to the readings of two reference measurements is presented.Results. The estimation of the measurement error of humidity and resistance is carried out. It is shown that a resistance measurement error of up to 20% leads to a humidity measurement error of up to 1%, provided that the parameters are correctly configured. To set it up, it is enough to take two reference measurements to complete the procedure for setting the humidity measurement parameters.Conclusion. In the process of designing modern systems for drying lumber, you can use the algorithms and programs of the technological process available and well presented in the literature for implementation on the PLC. The article offers a solution to the main problem of measuring the humidity content of lumber, which is necessary for these algorithms and programs. The material can be useful for researching technological stages of the drying process and developing industrial control systems based on inexpensive controllers.


Marital life is a form of cooperation between a husband and a wife whichsometimes experiences disharmony. There are always ups and downs in it, and both of thewife and husband need to show their maturity to resolve all the problems that may arise atany time. However, sometimes the couple cannot build good cooperation in solving aproblem or even tend to worsen the situation. Such a situation can create an unhealthymarital life.If such a condition is ignored, it would be worse. A feeling of boredom andannoyed will potentially occurred in their relationship. Boredom is closely related to thepurpose of life. The more clear and meaningful purpose in life, the easier it is to overcomeboredom. Conversely, without a clear purpose and meaningful life, it will be more difficultto overcome it. In running their life, families have to refer to their purpose of life byorganizing and planning activities to achieve their goals in life.


The genes of the AccI restriction-modification system specific for GT(A/C) (G/T)AC were cloned from the chromosomal DNA of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, and their nucleotides sequenced. The restriction and modification genes coded for polypeptides with calculated molecular weights of 42,494 and 63,078, respectively. Both the enzymes were coded by the same DNA strand and the restriction gene was upstream of the methylase gene, separated by 2 bp. The restriction gene was significantly expressed in E. coli cells, so that the AccI restriction endonuclease could be purified to homogeneity. Analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel filtration indicated that the catalytically active form of the endonuclease was tetrameric. Sequence comparison with related enzymes indicated that AccI methylase contained a segment of tetra-amino acids, NPPY, characteristic of N6-adenine methylases. In addition, some homologous regions were found in the sequence of HincII methylase specific for GT(C/T) (A/G)AC.


SIR,-Dr. A. P. C. Bacon's recent report of a case of hypernephroma presenting with a continuous chest murmur (Journal, September 20, p. 729) raises an intriguing speculation based on the demonstration of an association between some renal diseases (particularlv hypernephroma) and polycythaemia. Although no mention is made of a red cell count in this case, one wonders what significance was attributed to a haemoglobin of 108% and a blood pressure of 190/80 in a case of continuous murmur. The author ascribes the bruit to the tumour mass, which was found to pulsate and produce an audible murmur at operation, and he cites other instances of hypernephromas being audible by stethoscope. It might be interesting to review the haematologic findings in these cases, since polycythaemia is another condition which may produce such a phenomenon. Forssell' first suggested that hypernephroma be included among those tumours causing polycythaemia. Videbaeh2 had previously encountered two cases of hypernephroma in a review of 35 cases of polycythaemia, while Conley et al.,3 using the opposite approach, discovered polycythaemia in 3 of 139 cases of hypernephroma. A further review4 of 273 cases of hypernephroma disclosed polycythaemia in five. There have been two recent reports5 6 of polycythaemia in patients with hydronephrosis. In one of these6 there was increased blood volume and plasma turnover as measured by radio-iron uptake studies. The red cell count and blood volume return to normal levels following removal of the affected kidney. This fact and the absence of either leucocytosis or thrombocytosis suggest that these cases may not be justly called polycythaemia rubra vera and that erythrocytosis or erythrocythaemia may be preferable terms. The underlying mechanism has not been elucidated, but there is apparently a stimulus to erythropoiesis in these abnormal kidneys. What this may be no one has suggested, but to my mind the postulated renal " hormone " (erythropoietin) of Bethel7 8 might be considered.-I am, etc., Trinity College, Dublin. S. F. CAHALANE.


Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a compound present as glucobracissin in cruciferous vegetables has anticancer activities which is in line with some of the epidemiological evidence that suggests a beneficial effect of consumption of cruciferous vegetables on cancer incidence and progression. The precise target of indole-3-carbinol has not been determined. We examined the effect of I3C on prostate cancer in a well-defined R3327 model using Copenhagen rats and the transplantable cell line, MAT-LyLu. This cell line derived from a tumor in Copenhagen rats is androgen independent and metastasizes to the lung and lymph nodes. Tumors were induced in Copenhagen rats by injecting MAT-LyLu subcutaneously and the animals treated with I3C that was administered either intraperitoneally or intravenously, in order to achieve maximal systemic exposure. This was a departure from the traditional chemopreventive route of indole-3-carbinol where the compound was incorporated in the diet. Our results indicate that I3C inhibited the incidence, growth and metastases of MAT-LyLu cells and both i.p. and i.v. injections of I3C were equally effective. Statistical analysis (Kaplan-Meier curves) clearly indicates a tumor-free and overall survival benefit as a result of treatment with I3C. These studies show for the first time that I3C in an injectible form has anti-prostate cancer activity.


Background: Lockout reforms were introduced in February 2014 by the New South Wales government in an attempt to curb alcohol-related violence in Sydney, following a number of fatalities. Changes include 1.30 a.m. venue lockouts and the 3 a.m. cessation of alcohol service. This study aims to assess the results of these reforms through analysis of departmental treatment data. All maxillofacial fractures that required operative management at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, over a two-year period pre and post reforms were analysed.Methods: Medical information, from multiple sources, of patients that required operative management for maxillofacial fractures over a 2-year period (2012-2014) were compared to those between (2014-2016). Data collected included age, gender, demographics, mechanism of injury, pattern of injury, treatment required, association with alcohol, time and place of injury, and long-term complications.Results: 145 maxillofacial fractures were operatively treated prior to the reforms compared to only 58 (p<0.001) post. Reported incidents occurring in the city significantly fell from 54 to 15 (p<0.001), with no change in peripheral locations. The operated cases associated with alcohol dropped post reforms (102/145 (70%) vs 33/58 (57%). The number of assaults related to 'king hits' significantly reduced from 30 (33%) to just 5 (19.2%).Conclusion: This study demonstrates a clear correlation with the reduction in maxillofacial trauma, alcohol and violence in a localised region of Sydney since the arrival of the lockout reforms. As such, it can provide guidance to other regions in Australia into the effects of such laws and its repercussions on patient care and service.


This paper presents a 107GHz LNA prototype using TSMC 65nm CMOS technology. It explores the limit of the CMOS technology by effectively optimizing the active and passive devices. An improvement of 1.6dB higher maximum stable/available gain (MSG/MAG) on the transistor is achieved around 110GHz by layout optimization and inductor neutralization technique. A high quality factor co-planar waveguide (CPW) transmission line is designed utilizing the slow-wave effect. A quality factor of 23.6 is demonstrated by EM-simulations while taken the consideration of satisfying the stringent layout design rules. Based on the optimization on the active and passive devices, a dual-stage LNA is designed, with a simulated power gain of 10.2dB and noise figure of 8dB at 107GHz, verified by chip-level EM-simulations. The power consumption is 28.2mW.


In 1995 95% of all Dutch renal dietitians attended the 2-day training course, which was a huge success. It was organised by three renal dietitians and one lecturer from the dietetics department of a teaching institution. After the course each participant received a certificate of attendance.


Scoliosis is a disorder that requires X-ray detection. Early detection is needed by patients with scoliosis. Based on information obtained through early detection, it will enable doctors to take the initial steps of treatment quickly. Determination of the spinal curve is the first step that serves to measure how severe the angle of the scoliosis curve. The angular severity of the scoliosis disorder can be calculated using the Cobb angle. Therefore, by estimating the spinal curve, we can also estimate the Cobb's angle. Based on the method from the previous study, the interobserver value can touch 11.8o with an error in the intraobserver measurement of 6o. Thus, during the Cobb Angle calculation process, subjective aspects are common and can still be tolerated today. But this aspect can also be the most frequent problem when using manual measurement methods by doctors. This study proposes an algorithm to measure the curve of the spine with computer-aided of X-ray images quickly with a error level error that is still within tolerance value. The data pre-processing process is carried out using Canny edge detection. The Fuzzy CMeans clustering algorithm (FCM) can detect the center point of the vertebral segment after segmentation of edge detection pre-processing. Formation of the spinal curve is done by the polynomial curve fitting method with the results of accuracy of 2.45o. Based on information on the spinal curve, the severity of the form of the scoliosis curve can be classified into four types, normal, mild, moderate and severe. Of the four levels, this system can be used to detect whether a person has scoliosis or not.


Abstract That Coleridge's famous annotations often contain some of his most penetrating critical insights, and often the seminal fragments of his more polished criticism, indicates, moreover, that this workshop is--at least for Coleridge-- the workshop of his best literary criticism. As part of this workshop process, he suggests three distinguishable but not divisible steps (to use his own terms): reading, understanding, and an accurate and functional use of language. The matrix of the three is language; and, for Coleridge, not only how a reader uses language but what language he uses determines, to a great extent, the quality of his reading.More that one hundred and fifty years before the structuralists and Philippe Sollers' announcement that "the essential question today is no longer that of the writer and the work ... but that of writing and reading," Coleridge had noted and was attempting to describe the complicated relationship between reading, language, and the critical understanding.


India's controversial anti-satellite test in 2019 provides the United States an opportunity to demonstrate leadership in preventing future debris-generating events. However, new international space laws or norms are unlikely. Instead, the United States could look to the international space law already in place, particularly the due regard principle contained within Article IX of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty (Article IX). Ignored throughout its history, Article IX's due regard principle has untapped potential. States, through their practice in the application of treaties, can shape the interpretation of treaty provisions in order to accommodate changing circumstances. The United States has experience in applying this approach to the space domain, having established practices to shape interpretations of the legal concepts of peaceful purposes and non-appropriation. If the United States seeks to lead an international effort to address the threat of orbital debris, then the due regard principle presents a possible tool well worth considering. This Article examines the potential of the due regard principle, the possibility of establishing a functional meaning, and some considerations involved in pursuing such a course of action. * John. S. Goehring (LL.M., McGill University, Institute of Air and Space Law; B.A., University of California, Berkeley; J.D., Tulane Law School) is a space and international law attorney for the Department of Defense. The opinions expressed in this Article are those of the author and do not reflect the position of the U.S. government or Department of Defense.


Introduction Family carers provide vital support for people with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) but caregiving can be very physically and mentally demanding. It is therefore crucial to ensure healthcare practitioners (HCPs) can provide timely support to carers fitting their individual needs. Currently there are no UK interventions for this. Aim To adapt an existing carer support needs assessment tool (CSNAT) intervention to support the needs and situation of family carers of people with MND. Methods Stages: Focus groups and interviews with 33 carers (14 bereaved 19 current carers) to capture support needs key points of change during patient's illness and main support services. Workshops with HCPs (N=17 recruited to date) and carer advisors (N=19) to inform materials and procedures for MND carer assessment and support. Results Stage 1: Carers' experience was one of dealing with a devastating diagnosis a constantly changing situation with heavy dependence on them as carers and with little consideration of their separate support needs. Carers' support needs mainly mapped onto CSNAT domains but MND carers may experience relationship issues warranting further consideration. Stage 2 will integrate HCP and carers' views on when where how and by whom MND carer assessment and support should best be provided. Conclusions Findings to be presented from Stages 1 and 2 will provide insights into how MND carers want to be assessed and supported. This will form the basis for an intervention to be tested in a future Stage 3 feasibility study. Funder Marie Curie Research Fund/Motor Neurone Disease Association


Blend microspheres of chitosan (CS) with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) were prepared as candidates for oral delivery system. CS/PVA microspheres containing salicylic acid (SA), as a model drug, were obtained using the coacervation-phase separation method, induced by addition of a nonsolvent (sodium hydroxide solution) and then crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA) as a crosslinking agent. The microspheres were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy. Percentage entrapment efficiency, particle size, and equilibrium swelling degree of the microsphere formulations were determined. The results indicated that these parameters were changed by preparation conditions of the microspheres. Effects of variables such as CS/PVA ratio, pH, crosslinker concentration, and drug/polymer (d/p) ratio on the release of SA were studied at three different pH values (1.2, 6.8, and 7.4) at 37°C. It was observed that SA release from the microspheres increased with decreasing CS/PVA ratio and d/p ratio whereas it decreased with the increase in the extent of crosslinking. It may also be noted that drug release was much higher at pH 1.2 than that of at pH 6.8 and 7.4. The highest SA release percentage was obtained as 100% for the microspheres prepared with PVA/CS ratio of 1/2, d/p ratio of 1/2, exposure time to GA of 5 min, and concentration of GA 1.5% at the end of 6 h. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009


There is an increasing merest ~n synchronization of chaotic outputs in separated laser systems because of IU porenrial ca?abiliry for secure communication. The techniques to accomplish the mode coupling beraeen two laser systems is classified into two groups: a mailer-slave c y p [ l ] and a mutually coupled ryvp[21. In the mater-slave type a pari of Ihe laser output in one laser system is injected info the other laser system uniduecrionally. whereas in the mutually coupled ~ p e two lasers are connected through one physical parameter (ex. electrical iield or wouiadon inwrsian). me former woe has been demonstrared mainlv in two seoarated laser Sy&mS. where= &e l a m type h a s b&n applied to many laser anayS. ' We compared the characteristics of these types of chamsynchronization for chaos generated in iwo HdYVOn microchip ihers. In micrachip lasers chaotic output is generated by "Ijection of frequencv-shifled feedback light that is scattered from a mating paper sheet with a Dopplei~frequency shift. We modeled ihree configuralions for synchronization as follows (Fig IJ: (a) unidirecrional optical coupling u,irh a n optical isolamr be%,ern WO identical chaotic laser S~Strml (called master~slave Wpe I). (b) unidirecrianal optical coupling with an oprical isolator &tween a chaooc laser and B &chaotic laser (called master-slave t y p 11). (c) mutually oprical c0;iplmg benveen IWO identical chaotic laser systems iculled mutunlly pled rype) When the coupling strength beween WO l a m system is increased, synchronization of ni.0 18ser ourput is achieved in the all ypes of Coupling. Figure 2 shows the maximum inlensiry e r " emLX = M a x [ ( I ~ ~ I ~ J / I ~ ] . where Ii is rhe tempoid output intensity of i-ih laser, plotted against the coupling strengths a, clear threshold of synchmnizarico appears fat the type iaJ and ic). The perfect synchronization /emaA = 01 is achieved in the ~ype (e) just above the rhreshold. whereas the l ice i a J still remains some enoh of smll i 0.01 above rhe threshold. In QTuG55


Background Erythropoietin (EPO) is indicated in the treatment of anaemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Purpose To determine the average dose of epoetin β and darbepoetin α required to achieve adequate levels of haemoglobin (Hb) in patients with CKD not yet undergoing dialysis and the rate conversion factor between the two EPOs. Material and methods Retrospective study. Patients included: stage 3 to 5 CKD who started treatment with EPO between January 2012–December 2012. Follow-up period: 6 months. Hb target range: 10.0 g/dL–12.5 g/dL. Data collected: sex, age, CKD stage; baseline, 3 and 6 months data analysis; type of EPO and posology. Data: medical and pharmacotherapeutic history (Farmatools). Results 81 patients. Median baseline characteristics: 59.3% men, age 73.8 years (30–88), stage 3 CKD (29.7%), 4 (57.8%) and 5 (12.5%); Hb 10.2 ± 1.2 g/dL; 63.0% had serum ferritin values >100 ng/ml. 40.7% received epoetin β (average weekly dose: 7,718.2 ± 6,155.7 IU) and 59.3% darbepoetin α (average weekly dose: 20.6 ± 10.3 μg). 46.9% (38/81) of patients changed EPO treatment: 71.1% (27/38) dosage. Hb level increased statistically significantly after 3 (1.5 g/dL average increase, p < 0.001) and 6 months of treatment (1.6 g/dL, p < 0.001); haematocrit level also did at 3 (4.8 g/dL, p < 0.001) and 6 months (5.1 g/dL, p < 0.001). After 3 months 53.1% of patients had Hb 10.0–12.5 g/dL. Average weekly dose to achieve Hb target range: 6,875.0 IU of epoetin β and 20.4 μg of darbepoetin α, which represent a relationship between the two doses of EPOs: 337:1. Conclusion EPO increased Hb and haematocrit baseline levels statistically significantly after 3 and 6 months of treatment. The relationship between the two doses of EPOs to achieve Hb target range (epoetin β: darbepoetin α) found in our study was different from the relationship described in the Summary of Product Characteristics (337:1 vs. 200:1 respectively). References and/or Acknowledgements Nefrología 2008;(Suppl 3):63–6 Nefrología 2012;32(2):221–7 No conflict of interest.


New electrochemical application using room-temperature ionic liquids (ILs) are introduced, such as lithium secondary batteries, electrochemical double layer capacitors, and novel types of electrical devices for sustainable and renewal energy society. ILs have so many combinations, owing to many cation/anion species. In this chapter, we introduce properties from fundamental (general and special physicochemical properties) to electrochemical applications of ILs. We also discuss importance of molecular design and application target of ILs.


Harmonic emission assessment in high-voltage networks with a number of renewable power plants (RPP) interconnected is challenging. A sound scientific methodology readily accessible to engineers is needed to validate the compliance to grid code requirement set by the distribution system operator. Harmonic phasors recorded coherently all over the network can cause an impractical volume of data. This study investigates the opportunity to improve existing methodologies by application of the prevailing angle in a harmonic phasor as an approach to significant reduction of data and then demonstrate the evaluation of grid compliance in a network with a number of RPP interconnected. It is shown that the unrelated dynamic nature of the different non-linear energy sources does compromise the practical application of the prevailing harmonic phase angle. It is then concluded that the dynamic nature of RPP necessitates continuous monitoring of grid code requirements on harmonic emission.


In recent years a variety of initiatives have been created with the aim of increasing the use of research in social care practice. This article reports findings from a one-year pilot research information service provided by the What Works for Children project. Taking note of the evidence from the research utilization literature, the service was set up to support social care practitioners in using research findings in their service-planning. An implementation officer worked with service-planners to identify areas where research could be helpful. Researchers provided responses to practitioners' questions by searching for, critically appraising and summarizing the relevant literature. This article looks at the practicalities of running such a service and discusses its potential for influencing research use. The pilot underlines the importance of some of the obstacles to using research, some of which our service was able to overcome. The gap between what practitioners want from research and what research provides is discussed. © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.


In this paper, we present a parallel implementation of a solution for the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP). TSP is the problem of finding the shortest path from point A to point B, given a set of points and passing through each point exactly once. Initially a sequential algorithm is fabricated from scratch and written in C language. The sequential algorithm is then converted into a parallel algorithm by integrating it with the Message Passing Interface (MPI) libraries so that it can be executed on a cluster computer. Our main aim by creating the parallel algorithm is to accelerate the execution time of solving TSP. Experimental results conducted on Beowulf cluster are presented to demonstrate the viability of our work as well as the efficiency of the parallel algorithm.


Abstract Without the use of appropriate recycling technologies, the growing amount of electronic waste in the world can be a threat to the development of new technologies, and in the case of improper waste management, may have a negative impact on the environment. This is due to the fact that this waste contains large amounts of valuable metals and toxic polymers. Therefore, it should be recycled in accordance with the assumptions of the circular economy. The methods of mechanical recovery of metals from electronic waste, including printed circuits, may be widely used in the future by waste management companies as well as metal production and processing companies. That is why, a well-known and easily applicable electrostatic separation (ES) method was used to recover metals from printed circuit boards. The grain class of 0.32 - 0.10 mm, obtained after grinding the boards, was fed to a separator. Feed and separation products were analyzed by means of ICP-AES, SEM/EDS and XRD. The concentrate yield obtained after electrostatic separation amounted to 32.3% of the feed. Its density was 11.1 g/cc. Out of the 91.44% elements identified in the concentrate, over 90% were metals. XRD, SEM observations and EDS analysis confirmed the presence of non-metallic materials in the concentrate. This relatively high content of impurities indicates the need to grind printed circuit board into grain classes smaller than 0.32-0.10 mm.


Changes in the spectral and photophysical parameters of a porphyrin derivative caused by placing the molecule in the vicinity of a spherical gold or core–shell gold-silica nanoparticle have been predicted using Mie theory. The simulations allow the optimization of the system with regard to maximum brightness enhancement. The results demonstrate that, in addition to fluorescence quantum yield and decay time, the spectral emission profile may also be modified by an appropriate choice of the nanoparticle parameters, such as gold core radius and shell thickness. Both emission intensity and shape are also dependent on the relative orientation of the molecular transition dipole moment with respect to the nanoparticle surface. PaPer


An experimental investigation was made of the reflection by a nonlinearity from gain saturation in the active medium of a TEA CO2 laser under degenerate four-wave mixing conditions. A new mechanism of relaxation of the response to such a nonlinearity was identified and processes with submicrosecond and subnanosecond relaxation times were found in CO2. The saturation intensities for these processes and the conditions for achieving high reflection intensities as a result of such a mixing were determined.


Goodpasture syndrome is a life‐threatening autoimmune kidney and pulmonary disease that is characterized by pulmonary hemorrhage, renal failure, and the presence of autoantibodies against glomerular basement membrane (GBM) by indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) techniques. In 1988, these antibodies were found to be specific for the noncollagen region of the α3 collagen IV chain. The antigen is characterized by a restricted tissue distribution occurring mainly in the kidneys and lungs. Specific enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) for anti‐GBM have now been developed for in vitro diagnostic use in the laboratory. Our objective in this study was to compare the results obtained using four different EIAs for detecting anti‐GBM IgG antibody with those using the standard IFA method using tissue from human kidney. Thirty‐two patients with suspected Goodpasture syndrome, and 10 control sera were included in the study. GBM EIAs were purchased from or donated by the following vendors: Scimedx Corporation (Denville, NJ), INOVA Diagnostics (San Diego, CA), The Binding Site (Birmingham, England), and Wieslab (distributed by DiaSorin, Inc., Stillwater, MN). Percent agreement, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated for each EIA as compared to IFA. The results were as follows: Binding Site: 83.3, 100.0, and 72.0%; Wieslab: 95.2, 94.1, and 96.0%; INOVA: 96.2, 100.0, and 92.3%; and Scimedx: 81.0, 100.0, and 68.0%. We conclude that the INOVA and Wieslab GBM IgG EIAs compared well with the standard GBM IFA method using tissue from human kidney. The Scimedx and Binding Site EIAs had eight and seven false‐positive results, respectively, when compared to GBM IFA using human kidney. The authors recommend conducting thorough evaluations of EIAs that screen for anti‐GBM antibody before their implementation in the clinical laboratory. We also recommend confirming GBM EIA‐positive sera by the standard IFA method using tissue from human kidney. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 16:143–145, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Under the headline of 'Japan Cool', popular culture from Japan has gained a significant role in the global market within the last decade. One of the concepts related to 'Japan Cool' is kawaii, meaning cute and sweet, both as a style and a lifestyle. Kawaii can be seen as visual trademarks in fashion, manga, animé, and many other parts of popular culture, as well as in visual arts by neo-pop artists such as Murakami Takashi and his associates. However, kawaii as a critical concept, has been flourishing in Japan since the 1980s, and has been the topic of sociological research that stresses the subversive and critical dimensions of the word. This article investigates how artworks can offer an ethnographic account of kawaii as a sign of ambiguity and thus signify important social currents in Japanese youth culture in the decade before 'soft power' became the agenda for official Japan.


A current problem in the world and Ukraine is the reconsideration of the methodological principles of democratic management of an educational institution. The article describes the results of the study of such principles by defining theoretical approaches and management practices at the level of educational institution, district, national and legislative. General scientific methods of research such as analysis, comparison, synthesis, induction, deduction are used in the article. The methodological foundations of democratic management of the educational institution, regardless of subordination, type and form of ownership, are analyzed. The philosophical essence and the depth of meaning of the concept «principles of democratic management of the educational institution» are determined. The purpose of the article is to highlight the philosophical studies of the management of the educational institution and to outline methodological approaches to defining key parameters of democratic management of the educational institution. The main problem is to find out the impact of the relationship and interaction between the state, society and the individual on the democratic nature of the educational system and to ensure the optimal coexistence of man and nature. The range of interpretations of the methodological bases of democratic management of the educational institution is identified. Emphasis is laid on the priority of its activities and stable development on a democratic basis. The regularities of the formation of methodological bases of democratic management of educational institutions are determined. Particular attention is paid to the importance of democratic management of educational institutions for the individual, society and the state.


In 1886, Newark City Hospital opened a training school for nurses in New Jersey. With the dawn of a new century women began to demand rights that had been denied them, and nurses too demanded changes in health care and higher education. For the first time, "On Duty" offers a highly readable account of the struggle for professional autonomy by New Jersey nurses and reveals how their political and legislative battles mirrored the struggle of women throughout the country to redefine their roles in society.


Millianism is the view that the semantic content of a proper name is its semantic referent. Empty names, names with no semantic referents, raise various problems for Millianism. To solve these problems, many have appealed to pragmatics, thus 'Pragmatic Millianism'. Pragmatic Millianism employs the relation of association between names and descriptions as well as some pragmatic processes to substitute empty names with descriptions associated with. The resultant content should account for the intuitions raised by utterances of sentences containing empty names. Here, I will try to argue against this picture: Names are associated with descriptions of different kinds in a number of ways. The complex nature of this relation is overlooked by Pragmatic Millianism. Neither the relation of association nor the pragmatic processes responsible for substituting a description or a cluster of descriptions for an empty name guarantee the fullness of what is pragmatically imparted. The moral is this: Regarding empty names, Pragmatic Millianism should be avoided.


Introduction: Reattachment of fractured tooth fragment is the contemporary minimal intervention concept. Aim: To compare the fracture resistance of three reattachment techniques in fractured endodontically treated incisors. Materials and Methods: Eighty maxillary central incisors were divided into four groups (n=20 each), where group A samples served as control. Remaining (n=60) crowns were sectioned experimentally, and after root canal treatment, in group B reattachment was done by placing palatal grooves and overcontouring. In group C, teeth were reattached by placing glass fiber posts and in group D, titanium posts were used. After thermocycling, fracture resistance evaluation was done by using universal testing machine and mode of failure was analysed under stereomicroscope. Statistical Analysis: The force required to fracture the tooth recorded in newtons was subjected to statistical analysis using one-way ANOVA and Tukey's multiple post-hoc test with a level of significance ᾳ=0.05. Results: Reattachment with titanium post reinforcement has shown higher fracture resistance, whereas palatal grooves with overcontouring has exhibited lowest resistance to fracture (p=< 0.05). Most of the favourable fractures occurred in the fiber post group. Conclusion: Reinforcement with titanium posts can significantly improve the fracture strength of reattached teeth and results in a favourable fracture mode.


True 3D reconstructions from fully 3D PET data can yield high-quality images but at a high computational cost. The 3D row action maximum likelihood algorithm (3D RAMLA) with 3D spherically-symmetric basis functions (blobs) has recently been modified to reconstruct multi-slice 2D PET data after Fourier rebinning (FORE) but still using 3D basis functions (2.5 D RAMLA). In this study both 2.5 D RAMLA and 3D RAMLA were applied to different patient and phantom PET data to assess their clinical performance. Whole-body scans acquired on the C-PET scanner were reconstructed with FORE+FBP, FORE+OSEM, and FORE+2.5 D RAMLA for various reconstruction parameters (blob radius and shape, relaxation parameter). The 3D Hoffman brain phantom scanned on the HEAD Penn-PET scanner was reconstructed with 3DRP and 3D RAMLA, as well as FORE+OSEM. The authors' results demonstrate improvement of the RAMLA compared to the popular reconstruction methods in terms of contrast recovery and noise, especially in regions of limited statistics.


Background—Cardiovascular magnetic resonance has provided important information on the diagnosis and risk stratification of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in adults; however, comparable data are absent for HCM in children. The study was performed to evaluate cardiovascular magnetic resonance characteristics in children with idiopathic HCM. Methods and Results—Cardiovascular magnetic resonance was performed in 71 consecutive children with idiopathic HCM (age, 12.8±4.1 years; 46 boys and 25 girls). The left ventricular (LV) parameters indexed by body surface area were calculated and compared with those in 71 healthy children (age, 13.1±3.3 years; 51 boys and 20 girls). Among those with HCM, concentric LV hypertrophy occurred in 9 patients (12.7%): in 2 children, it progressed into end-stage phase. The prevalence of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) was 73%, and the extent of LGE was 10.4±8.3% of LV mass. Children with HCM with LGE had greater LV mass indexed (112.7±57.9 versus 70.3±37.4 g/m2; P=0.025) but had no significant difference in maximal LV wall thickness indexed (19.4±6.3 versus 18.1±7.9 mm/m2; P=0.513). In addition, the hazard ratio of adverse events for the extent of LGE was 1.1 (P=0.004). The follow-up (2.4±1.6 years) demonstrated that LGE was associated with adverse events in children with HCM (log-rank; P=0.029). Conclusions—The prevalence and extent of LGE in children with HCM approximate to those in adults with HCM. Furthermore, children with HCM with LGE tend to have adverse events, and larger researches with longer follow-up are required.


With a computationally efficient approximation of the second-order information, natural gradient methods have been successful in solving large-scale structured optimization problems. We study the natural gradient methods for the large-scale decentralized optimization problems on Riemannian manifolds, where the local objective function defined by the local dataset is of a log-probability type. By utilizing the structure of the Riemannian Fisher information matrix (RFIM), we present an efficient decentralized Riemannian natural gradient descent (DRNGD) method. To overcome the communication issue of the high-dimension RFIM, we consider a class of structured problems for which the RFIM can be approximated by a Kronecker product of two low-dimension matrices. By performing the communications over the Kronecker factors, a high-quality approximation of the RFIM can be obtained in a low cost. We prove that DRNGD converges to a stationary point with the best-known rate of $\mathcal{O}(1/K)$. Numerical experiments demonstrate the efficiency of our proposed method compared with the state-of-the-art ones. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first Riemannian second-order method for solving decentralized manifold optimization problems.


Weak shale beddings are widely distributed in the overburden and reservoir of oil sand deposits and lead to reduced anisotropic shear strength. Understanding the shear strength of the overburden and the reservoir is important in risk assessment of slope stability in open-pit mining and caprock integrity of in-situ thermal recovery of oil sands while optimizing the production of bitumen.
 Due to the restrictions of computational efficiency, cells used for simulation cannot be smaller enough to capture the details of heterogeneity in the reservoir. Therefore, a robust and efficient upscaling technique is important for modeling the impact of heterogeneity on the deformation and failure of oil sands during mining and in-situ recovery. However, current analytical and numerical upscaling techniques cannot provide computationally efficient geomechanical models that consider the impact of inclined shale beddings on shear strength. Therefore, we propose a machine learning enhanced upscaling (MLEU) technique that leverages the accuracy of local numerical upscaling and the efficiency of machine learning techniques. MLEU generates a fast and accurate machine learning-based proxy model using an artificial neural network (ANN) to predict the anisotropic shear strength of heterogeneous oil sands embedded with shale beddings. The trained model improves accuracy by 12%-76% compared to traditional methods such as response surface methodology (RSM). MLEU provides a reasonable estimate of anisotropic shear strength while considering uncertainties caused by different configurations of shale beddings. With the increasing demand for regional scale modeling of geotechnical problems, the proposed MLEU technique can be extended to other geological settings where weak beddings play a significant role and the impact of heterogeneity on shear strength is important.


A 74-year-old man recently diagnosed with high-risk prostate cancer with high serum prostate specific antigen was referred to nuclear medicine for a technetium-99m-methylene diphosphonate (Tc-99m MDP) bone scan. On delayed three-hour anterior planar image, an unexpected round focus of intense uptake was found overlying the right orbit. Single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography localized the uptake to an ocular prosthesis. The hydroxyapatite composition of the ocular implant can be recognized by its bone-like density and its intense accumulation of Tc-99m MDP. Review of the patient's history revealed remote right eye evisceration secondary to a complication of cataract surgery, consistent with the findings.


This study evaluated the ability of prehospital providers who had no previous training in intubation, to use an Airtraq laryngoscope to intubate a manikin model of a Cormack and Lehane grade III/IV view. Volunteers attending the Australian College of Ambulance Professionals conference, Adelaide, in November 2006 received approximately 5 min of Airtraq training. First‐time intubation success rate was 26/33 (79%) (95% CI 61–91%); oesophageal intubation rate was 0/33 (0%) (95% CI 0–11%); median time to intubation was 17 s (IQR 10–25 s (range 5–30 s)); and median subject‐rated difficulty of use score was 21 out of a maximum of 100 (IQR 7.5–35.5 (range 1–65)). Pre‐hospital providers without previous laryngoscopy training achieved high first‐time intubation success rates when managing a model of a grade III/IV difficult intubation with an Airtraq laryngoscope. Users evaluated it as easy to use and achieved intubation within an acceptable breath‐to‐breath interval.


Methodologies for failure assessment frequently rely on historical failure modes, causes, and recommendations for prevention. Meanwhile, there are growing databases of narrative-based lessons that are under-utilized due to their size. Advances in natural language processing (NLP) enable unsupervised extraction of this knowledge. We present a methodology for (1) identifying relevant information using a TF-IDF classifier and (2) extracting knowledge for failure assessment using a hierarchical topic modeling approach, hierarchical Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). To interpret the extracted topics, we apply an automatic topic labeling technique using Pointwise Mutual Information (PMI) extraction. The methodology is applied to NASA's Lessons Learned Information System (LLIS), which is publicly available. Partitioned topics enable the extraction of three aspects: cause, failure, and recommendation, while a hierarchy enables organization into a taxonomy. The methodology is generalizable to databases containing narrative-style documents, while the results from the LLIS represent a summary of themes in the dataset, expressed in a format that can be linked to early design failure analyses.


The present investigation reports the importance of the S and R forms of fluoxetine, as an antidepressant with regards to the chirality taking different types of interactions associated with the neurotransmitter, serotonin. The goal of the present study is to provide predictions and to help experimental and theoretical studies toward understanding the chirality of fluoxetine in drug-ligand interaction, associated with serotonin-reuptake inhibitor drug design studies. Several different conformations for serotonin and fluoxetine complexes have been considered for quantum mechanical calculations. Both the S and R forms of fluoxetine associated with serotonin and fluoxetine complexes are found to be similar in total energy and binding energy values. The present study also supports the conformational effect of the 3-phenyl group of fluoxetine as stereo independent and is consistent with in vitro and in vivo data which indicates that the the eudismic ratio of fluoxetine enantiomers is near unity. The calculated highest stabilization energy values, binding energy values, both in the gas and aqueous phases at MP2/6-31+G*//B3LYP/6-31+G* identify the most possible stable conformer for the serotonin-fluoxetine complex.


We present updated results for anisotropy searches in the direction of the Galactic Center (GC) at energies in the ranges: 0.1<E<1 EeV and 1<E<10 EeV. We use data from the Pierre Auger Observatory up to March, 2007. Present analyzes are therefore based on a substantially larger data set than our previous published results. A limit on the flux coming from a hypothetical point-like neutron source at the GC for 1<E<10 EeV was imposed, and searches for extended excesses were also performed.


Micro-PIV system was employed to measure velocity fields of flow inside microchannels. The experiments were carried out for several microchannels of different width (100800μm) and different inlet configuration (round and rectangular shapes). In addition, the flow inside teflon capillary tube of 750μm inner diameter was visualized using an x-ray micro-imaging technique. The x-ray micro-PIV system utilizes the phase contrast particle images to measure invisible internal flow structure nonintrusively.


Primary Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) is a major cause of infertility, but its etiology remains poorly understood. Using whole-exome sequencing in a family with three cases of POI, we identified the candidate missense variant S167L in HSF2BP, an essential meiotic gene. Functional analysis of the HSF2BP-S167L variant in mouse showed that it behaves as a hypomorphic allele compared to a new loss-of-function (knock-out) mouse model. Hsf2bpS167L/S167L females show reduced fertility with smaller litter sizes. To obtain mechanistic insights, we identified C19ORF57/BRME1 as a strong interactor and stabilizer of HSF2BP and showed that the BRME1/HSF2BP protein complex co-immunoprecipitates with BRCA2, RAD51, RPA and PALB2. Meiocytes bearing the HSF2BP-S167L variant showed a strongly decreased staining of both HSF2BP and BRME1 at the recombination nodules and a reduced number of the foci formed by the recombinases RAD51/DMC1, thus leading to a lower frequency of crossovers. Our results provide insights into the molecular mechanism of HSF2BP-S167L in human ovarian insufficiency and sub(in)fertility.


Objective: Child restraint systems (CRS) are increasingly being designed to accommodate larger children and to mitigate side impact injuries. Little is known about the impact of CRS on the safety of other vehicle passengers due to limitations of existing crash databases. This study provides the first assessment of the seating positions occupied by child passengers and the relationship between CRS and other second-row passengers in a national sample of vehicles transporting children. Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted of data from the 2007–2009 National Survey of the Use of Booster Seats (NSUBS), a direct in-vehicle observational study of child passenger restraint use. Passengers riding in the same vehicle were identified and passenger position was determined. Vehicles with second-row child passengers were included in analyses of seat positions occupied by child passengers with and without CRS. Frequency counts for the different combinations of CRS and passengers in second rows were calculated. Results: Of the 17,065 vehicles observed in 2007–2009 NSUBS, 14,506 (85%) vehicles contained at least 1 child passenger in a second row that contained no more than 3 total passengers. Of these 14,506 vehicles, 55 percent contained a lone child passenger in the second row. A CRS was in use in 4656 (59%) of the 7949 vehicles with a lone child passenger in the second row compared to 4077 (62%) of the 6557 vehicles with multiple passengers in the second row (P < .001). A passenger was adjacent to a CRS within 1333 (33%) of the 4077 vehicles containing a CRS in the second row. There were 3 second-row passengers in nearly 1 in 5 vehicles containing a CRS in the second row. Conclusion: Adults and children not using CRS are frequently seated in vehicle second rows adjacent to a child restrained in a CRS. These findings should be used to inform the regulation, design, and testing of CRS and to determine the risks of larger CRS designs to other passengers seated in the same vehicle row relative to the benefits of the CRS for the passenger it restrains.


Abstract Objective: Speech signals that do not differ in intelligibility might differ in listening effort. This study aimed to investigate the effect of background noise on response time to intelligible speech. Design: We added various amounts of stationary noise to spoken digit triplets and measured the influence of noise on the response time for both an identification and an arithmetic task: Task 1 'identify the final digit in a triplet', and Task 2 'calculate the sum of the initial and the final digits in a triplet.' Study sample: Twelve normal-hearing participants with a mean age of 30.6 years (range: 28–44 years). Results: Response time increased with lower (i.e. worse) signal to noise ratios for both tasks, even for signal to noise ratios with almost maximum intelligibility (close to 100%). The response time during the arithmetic task was more affected by the noise than during the identification task, but the arithmetic task demonstrated higher variance. Conclusions: The response time to digit triplets reduces significantly for increasing signal to noise ratios, even where speech intelligibility is optimal. These differences in response time might be related to listening effort and as such might be used to evaluate hearing-aid signal processing at positive SNRs.


Considerable research has gone into investigating networking and operating system mechanisms to support the transfer and playout of stored continuous media, but there is very little information available about how users actually interact with such systems. Developing a user workload characterization can help in the design and evaluation of efficient CM resource allocation and access mechanisms. The authors developed an interactive Web-based, multimedia, client-server application, known as the Multimedia Asynchronous Networked Individualized Courseware, or MANIC, which streams synchronized CM (currently audio) and HTML documents to remote users. This article presents empirical and analytic characterizations of observed user session-level behavior (for example, the length of individual sessions) and interactive behavior (for example, the time between starting, stopping, and pausing the audio within a session). The data come from a full-semester senior-level course given by the University of Massachusetts to more than 200 students who used MANIC to listen to the stored audio lectures and to view the lecture notes.


Over the last several years, the issue of prisoner reentry has dominated the corrections literature, which should not be surprising considering the volume of ex-inmates who are returning to our communities each year. As a direct result of this nation's increased reliance on imprisonment as a response to criminal behavior, there are record numbers of individuals serving time in correctional facilities. Inmates face many challenges as they attempt to transition from the institution to the community. Securing suitable housing, finding employment, and addressing substance abuse and mental health problems present formidable obstacles to offenders as they attempt to reconnect with society.  At the same time, there is strong evidence to suggest that inmates are leaving confinement less prepared to face life in the community. As Petersilia (2001) noted, fewer programs, and a lack of incentives for inmates to participate in them, mean that fewer inmates leave prison having participated in programs to address work, education, and substance use deficiencies. One undeniable consequence of the imprisonment binge has been the release of record numbers of inmates, who have served longer sentences and are less prepared to face life in society. While these facts are in themselves concerning, prisoner reentry takes on a new level of significance when one considers the impact these returning inmates will have on their communities. As Travis et al. (2001) report, "nearly two-thirds of released prisoners are expected to be rearrested for a felony or serious misdemeanor within three years of their release," which "translate[s] into thousands of new victimizations each year." While public safety concerns are paramount, the consequences of prisoner reentry are not limited to fears of re-offending. Given evidence from available research studies, the impact of prisoner reentry has far reaching consequences, a fact which has not escaped the attention of either policymakers or academics. Over the last several years, this issue has received considerable attention. At the same time, this issue has become the focal point for many researchers, which has both increased our awareness of the consequences of this phenomenon, as well as guided policy makers in the development of new programs. It is upon this backdrop that this study sought to investigate the challenges facing prisoners as they return to the community after serving their sentences. A sample of 146 respondents comprising male and female recidivists at Kakamega and Shikusa Prisons in western Kenya were considered for the study. Research objective and hypothesis were formulated based on the study constructs. A standard questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents who were identified using purposive sampling technique. Both quantitative and qualitative data was collected and analyzed. Statistically quantitative data was analyzed using inferential statistics. Study findings revealed that that offenders face challenges during reentry and the time spent in prison was a statistically significant predictor of the reentry experience of offenders. Keywords: Prisoner, re-entry, community


Military transformation— "a process that shapes the changing nature of military competition and cooperation through new combinations of concepts, capabilities, people and organizations"—is on the minds and agendas of everyone dealing with the military. Many people talk about transformation; the two authors of this Defense Horizons have done something about it. In fact, they are among the few who have been responsible for shaping and implementing the concept. To get a better idea of what goes into this process, particularly the element of joint experimentation that is helping to identify and define the nature of change, Defense Horizons presents the views of two of America's leading military officers who have been involved in the process. Admiral Harold Gehman, the last commander of Atlantic Command (before it became Joint Forces Command, or JFCOM) and initiator of the Joint Experimentation Directorate, presents a framework for how experimentation can advance the goals of transformation and clarifies terms and relates them to the tasks at hand. He also considers the role of the joint experimentation process, uses historical analogies to identify the prerequisites for successful transformation, and gives examples of where earlier attempts have failed and why. Finally, he shows how joint experimentation can help achieve success in our current efforts by minimizing conditions that have brought about failure in the past. Moving from the theoretical basis established by Admiral Gehman to practice, Major General James Dubik, Director of the JFCOM Joint Experimentation Directorate, describes how the Joint Concept Development and Experimentation Campaign is an important catalyst for transforming military capability. He describes the "two-path strategy to innovation" being employed, involving Joint Prototypes and Joint Concepts and actionable recommendations. He leads the reader through how this process is working today to achieve transformation. Military Transformation and Joint Experimentation: Two Views from Above


Purpose The aim of this volumetric study was to evaluate the relationship between brain atrophy quantification in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and the progression of disability measured by neurological standardised tests. Material and methods Seventeen patients (mean age 40.89 years) with clinically definite MS and 24 control subjects (mean age 38.45 years) were enrolled in the study. Brain examinations were performed on a 1.5T MR scanner. Automatic brain segmentation was done using FreeSurfer. Neurological disability was assessed in all patients in baseline and after a median follow-up of two years, using EDSS score evaluation. Results In MS patients we found significantly (p < 0.05) higher atrophy rates in many brain areas compared with the control group. The white matter did not show any significant rate of volume loss in MS patients compared to healthy controls. Significant changes were found only in grey matter volume in MS subjects. At the follow-up evaluation after two years MS patients with deterioration in disability revealed significantly decreased cerebral volume in 14 grey matter areas at baseline magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compared to MS subjects without disability progression. Conclusions Grey matter atrophy is associated with the degree of disability in MS patients. Our results suggest that morphometric measurements of brain volume could be a promising non-invasive biomarker in assessing the volumetric changes in MS patients as related to disability progression in the course of the disease.


Plates and shells are very important parts of engineering structures. The performance of structures depends on accurate assessment of the behaviour of all such elements. Accurate valuations of the maximum load the structure can carry, along with the equilibrium path followed in elastic and inelastic range emphasize the importance of material non-linearity to understand the realistic behaviour of structures. Modelling elements in the inelastic range incorporating the theory of plasticity is complex and lengthy and demands for heavy computations. Elastic-Plastic (with or without strain hardening) is a trivial issue in modelling the material (for both uniaxial and multi-axial Von Mises criteria), in numerical procedures like FEM or in modelling using commercial software. ANSYS or ABAQUS contained already defined material subroutines for such behaviour. The objective of this study is to have better understanding how ABAQUS performs nonlinear analyses of plate under uniformly distributed load incorporating material nonlinearity. Two material behaviours are considered perfectly plastic and linear strain hardening. The results are validated with reference data from Owen & Hint on (1980) and results obtained from FEM numerical solution. The results are compared in terms of load deflection diagrams, first yield load, collapse load and plastic or yield flow. The effect of thickness and boundary conditions are also studied. ABAQUS results and numerical results are found to be in good agreements. The plastic flow patterns clearly depict the perfectly plastic and isotropic strain hardening behaviours and also follow the patterns given by Yield line analysis of slabs. The patters obtained from ABAQUS and numerical solutions are compared and found to be similar.


This study explored time estimation for a secondary event while the subjects were attentively engaged in a primary one. It also examined whether the perception of time is hemispherically lateralized as estimated by the dichotic listening technique. A tone of 500 Hz was delivered to either ear equally often while the subject was shadowing a recorded passage also presented to either ear. At the end of the tone, the subject estimated the tone's duration. There were three levels of shadowing demands, i.e., control, slow and fast, and four tonal durations, i.e., 6, 14, 27, 63 sec. Subjects tended to underestimate more the tonal duration when the primary task, i.e., shadowing the passage, was more demanding. No clearcut indication of hemispheric lateralization of temporal duration was found.


This study focuses on prediction of distortion behavior of multi-pass GMAW of structural offshore steel S460G2 + M using thermo-mechanical (TMM) and inherent strain (ISM) methods. In TMM, material properties including plasticity model were obtained from advanced material modeling software based on characterized elemental compositions and double ellipsoid heat source model is implemented. In ISM, residual plastic strain theory is developed based on initial strain value calculated in longitudinal and transverse direction. The predicted distortion and experiment values show an error margin within the range of 8% using TMM and 12% applying ISM with very low computation time.


This study focused on the use of fixed displacement pumps in parallel connection to control the velocity of a multi-chamber cylinder piston. The system's basic principle was to combine the discrete flow supply control of parallel pumps with the discrete effective area control of a multi-chamber cylinder to produce a speed control resolution high enough for accurate velocity tracking and positioning. Some throttling was used in the return line to control the system with overrunning loads.The properties of the system were tested with a 1-DOF boom mockup mimicking a medium-sized mobile machine boom. The test system revealed a feature that caused load acceleration to drop when the effective cylinder area was reduced during movement. Additionally, some delay was observed in accelerating the piston against the load force. These two system properties along with the discrete control method resulted in mediocre speed and position tracking in the system when movement was directed against the load force. The system was able to control restricting and overrunning loads as well as a large inertia mass with a low load force. The system's energy losses were low considering that no pressure accumulators were used, but the throttling losses in the return line and the lack of energy recuperation leave room for improvement.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


The purpose of this paper is to propose the way of computing conduction time series factors (CTSF) using numerical method. After the accuracy of the numerical solution procedure being verified, the method is applied to the wall type 24 and roof type 14 of ASHARE to find the conduction time series coefficients, so called conduction time series factors. The results agree well with the values presented in the ASHRAE handbook. The method proposed can be easily applied to find unknown CTSF for more complex structures. It provides information about the temperature changes at a given location and time, thus validity of generated CTSF can be checked easily.


Coup-proofing—that is, measures aimed at preventing military coups and ensuring military loyalty—has been a key feature of civil–military relations in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) states. Just as the MENA region has been one of the most coup-prone regions in the world, coup-proofing has been an essential instrument of regime survival in Arab countries. The most commonly found coup-proofing strategies in the region include (a) so-called "communal coup-proofing," involving the appointment of individuals to key positions within the military based on family, ethnic, or religious ties; (b) providing the military with corporate and/or private benefits in order to ensure its loyalty; (c) creating parallel military forces in addition to the regular military, so as to "counter-balance" the latter; (d) monitoring of the military through a vast internal security and intelligence apparatus; and (e) promoting professionalism, and thus political neutrality, within the military. The experiences of the "Arab Spring," however, have shown that not all of these strategies are equally effective in ensuring military loyalty during times of popular upheavals and regime crises. A common finding in this context has been that communal coup-proofing (or militaries based on "patrimonialism") creates the strongest bonds been the armed forces and their regimes, as evidenced by the forceful suppression of the popular uprising by the military in countries such as Syria, or by parts of the military in Libya and Yemen. By contrast, where coup-proofing has been based on the provision of material benefits to the military or on counterbalancing, as in Tunisia or Egypt, the armed forces have refrained from suppressing the popular uprising, ultimately leading to the downfall of these countries' long-standing leaders. A further lesson that can be drawn from the Arab Spring in terms of coup-proofing is that students of both military coups and coup-proofing should dedicate (much) more attention to the increasingly important role played by the internal security apparatus in MENA countries.


Background: International family-centered critical care guidelines recommend formal, structured communication to ensure that clinical decision making is informed by a shared understanding of diagnosis and prognosis and patient goals and preferences. Tools to facilitate these recommendations are limited. Objective: To examine the feasibility, acceptability, and utility of a standardized serious illness conversation (SIC) to guide communication between nonpalliative care trained providers and surrogates of critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients. Methods: After providers received training, including simulation, we implemented SIC in October 2018. A total of 11 hospitalist providers were eligible to perform SICs over the study interval. Providers met in person with surrogates of adult, mechanically ventilated patients in the medical intensive care unit within 48 hours of intubation. To determine acceptability, surrogates were surveyed 2 months after SIC completion, and providers were surveyed between June and July 2018. To determine feasibility and utility, two independent investigators reviewed SIC documentation and coded responses into categories. Results: Of 72 eligible patients, advanced care planning documentation was completed in 50 patients, including 36 SICs, for an advance care planning completion rate of 69% and an SIC completion rate of 50%. The average SIC was completed in 30 minutes, 3 days after intubation. Of the 19 surrogates surveyed, 95% found the SIC to be mostly or extremely worthwhile. Nine of 11 hospitalist providers completed the follow-up survey. Each of the nine providers who completed the survey found the guide valuable to patient care and easy to administer. The conversation yielded valuable information in terms of goals, fears, and worries; sources of strength; abilities critical to the patient; and understanding how much the patient would be willing to go through for the possibility of gaining more time. Conclusion: We found that implementation of a structured communication tool in the intensive care unit was feasible and acceptable to surrogates and providers; yet, fidelity to the timing and completion was modest. The tool appeared to yield valuable information for understanding the goals, fears, and care preferences of mechanically ventilated patients. Steps to increase fidelity, in accordance with family-centered care guidelines, are warranted.


How can the EU obtain legitimacy? On the basis of three logics of political integration we identify explicit strategies for how the legitimacy deficit of the EU can be remedied. The first strategy amounts to a scaling down of the ambitions of the polity-makers in the EU. It defines the EU as a problem-solving or special purpose organisation. Here the EU's own legitimacy is held to be dependent on its performance and on the legitimacy of the Member States. The second strategy emphasises the need to deepen the collective self-understanding of Europeans, and thus defines the EU as a value-based community in a cultural sense. In this case legitimacy derives from a shared cultural identity. These first two modes of legitimation have become increasingly problematic. The third strategy concentrates on the need to readjust and heighten the ambitions of the polity-makers so as to make the EU into a federal multicultural union founded on basic rights and democratic decision-making procedures. In this case legitimacy relies on a set of constitutional and communicative presuppositions which ensure public deliberation. How robust is such an alternative and how salient is it, as opposed to the other two strategies, in the process of integration? Paper to be presented to the NOPSA Triennual Conference, Aalborg 15-17.August, 2002 Workshop on "The Statehood and Democractic Legitimacy of the European Union".


Zincosilicalite MFI with various zinc contents (up to Zn/Si = 0.07) has been synthesized by hydrothermal crystallization. The samples with the Zn/Si ratio in the range 0.03-0.07 still show the crystalline structure of MFI, but they are less ordered and differ in properties from those with lower Zn contents. The mixtures with the Zn/Si ratios higher than 0.07 resulted in amorphous products or condensed crystalline phases (quartz). The introduction of Zn affected both the crystallization time and properties of the resulting products. Usually the higher Zn/Si ratio of the gel required a longer crystallization time. The zinc introduced affected the thermal template removal making it more difficult than for the zinc-free silicalite. The obtained zincosilicates were modified by ion-exchange with various cations. Contrary to zinc-free silicalite-1, they showed considerable catalytic activity in propan-2-ol decomposition and in cumene cracking. The activity usually increased with the Zn content up to the ratio Zn/Si = 0.03 and then decreased with rising Zn loading. It also depended on the cation introduced. The Cu-modifications resulted in dehydrogenation of propan-2-ol.


Pancreatic lipomatous hamartoma (PLH) is an extremely rare benign entity that forms a mass-like lesion. PLH lacks distinct features, and can be preoperatively misdiagnosed as a pancreatic tumor with lipomatous components, including pancreatic lipomatosis, lipoma, liposarcoma, and malignant tumors with fatty degeneration. Here, we report a case study of PLH in a 73-year-old male who presented with abdominal pain. Abdominal-enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 4.3×4-cm solid mass with a lipomatous component in the pancreatic head, and the mass displayed a centripetal pattern of contrast enhancement. The patient was preoperatively diagnosed with pancreatic liposarcoma, and subsequently underwent a pancreatoduodenectomy. The postoperative pathology and immunohistochemical analyses confirmed the diagnosis of PLH, which primarily contained mature adipocytes, small ducts, and a few well-preserved pancreatic acini. Although this disease is rare, we suggest that PLH should be considered during the differential diagnosis of pancreatic lesions with lipomatous components. Consideration of the potential for PLH disease might reduce the number of unnecessary resections.


weeks old. The organic phosphates and other complex organic constituents of human milk cannot be obtained Irom other sources without great difficulty, yet they are all important in the formation and development of bone and nerve. Cow's milk at its best is not easily digested by infants, bat as delivered at our homes it is often putrescent, and if we sterilize it we decompose the important organic constituents to which I have referred. Indeed, it is common knowledge that children fed on boiled milk sometimes develop scurvy. During the last twelve months I have weighed, measured, and examined upwards of 4,000 school children, most of them living in the slum district of our city. Not only are the majority of British slunm children rickety, but they are also tainted with scurvy. They are stale, they live on stale food, chiefly garbage. During the same period I have weighed. measured, and examined upwardi of I,ooo Jewish children born and bred in the same slum district. 'They are free from the taint of scurvy, and are superior in physical development. And why? Because most Jewish mothers suckle their children for twelve months and feed them on fresh and suitable food when they are weaned. I am at present giving breakfast and dinner on school days to ioo slum children, and their diet is arranged on antiscorbutic principles, and includes limejuice. There is plenty of evidence that improper food is more injurious to the wellbeing of children who survive their infancy than city life and overcrowding, and I submit that we should strenuously oppose the present wide tendency of mothers to avoid nursing infants at the breast, and that we should publicly and persistently agitate that some of the £30,o0,°000 now annually spent upon the mental culture of our school children be devoted to their physical development.-I am, etc., Headingley, Leeds, March 26th. WILLIAM HALL.


Research has been conducted on a magnetic induction gyroscope which is included in a class of instruments often referred to as nuclear gyroscopes. The magnetic induction gyroscope employs a set of magnetic fields of specified relative orientation, strength, and frequency applied to a sample of paramagnetic material. The theoretical studies that have been performed show that such a system is sensitive to the common rotation of the sample and the field generating structure, and that voltages proportional to the rotational velocity may be induced in a suitably located coil. This device offers the possibility of developing gyroscopic behavior with little mechanical complexity and with very low drift rates. A preliminary experiment has been performed which verifies the theoretical predictions.


Data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have revealed what may be the most distant shrouded black hole, which may have existed only 850 million years after the Big Bang, or approximately half a billion years earlier than the previous record-holder. The small, central region marked with a red cross in the main image—from the optical PanSTARRS survey— contains the quasar PSO167-13, which was first discovered with PanSTARRS. The left inset contains X-rays detected with Chandra from this region, with PSO167-13 in the middle. The right inset shows the same field of view as seen by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) of radio dishes in Chile. The bright source is the quasar and a faint, nearby companion galaxy appears in the lower left. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXO/Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile/F. Vito; Radio: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO); Optical: Pan-STARRS


Prdx1 is an important member of peroxiredoxins (Prdxs) regulating various cellular signaling and differentiation. Prdx1 confers an aggressive survival phenotype of cancer cells and drug-resistance, yet its role in hilar cholangiocarcinoma is not fully investigated. In present study, we detected the expression profile of Prdx1 in 88 hilar cholangiocarcinoma by tissue arrays and immunohistochemistry. Prdx1 level was down-regulated by specific Prdx1-shRNA in vitro and the possible mechanism was investigated. Overexpression of Prdx1 was observed in 53 of 88 cases (60.2%). Prdx1 expression was significantly associated with tumor invasion, nodal metastasis, advanced disease stage. Down-regulation of Prdx1 inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation of QBC939 cells and reduced the level of SNAT1 expression. Patients with Prdx1 overexpression had a shorter disease-free survival and overall survival than those without Prdx1 expression. Multivariate analysis showed that Prdx1 was an independent prognostic factor for patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma. The data indicate that Prdx1 may contribute to the development and progression of hilar cholangiocarcinoma, partially through regulating SNAT1 expression, and may be used as a biomarker in predicting the outcome of patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma.


Twin- roll casting of magnesium alloys is a rapidly solidifying process, which can directly produce thin strips from molten metal. In this paper, based on a pilot vertical type twin-roll caster, 3D models of twin-roll casting process were used for simulation of thermal flow and solidification on depending of casting speed, molten pool level and pouring temperature. The effect of side dams on thermal flow behavior was also considered. Based on the analyzed results, a proper concave slot nozzle was designed to compensate temperature variation across the width of strip. Comparing with parallel type slot nozzle, it can adjust temperature distribution along the roll width continuously by adopting proper concave curves, which is more flexible than rectification boards delivery system. Strips of magnesium alloy AZ31 were produced in the pilot caster with the concave slot nozzle. The experiments show that surface quality of as cast strip was improved by using the new type of nozzle.


Social networking systems (SNS's) such as Facebook are an ever evolving and developing means of social interaction, which is not only being used to disseminate information to family, friends and colleagues but as a way of meeting and interacting with "strangers" through the advent of a large number of social applications. The attractiveness of such software has meant a dramatic increase in the number of frequent users of SNS's and the threats which were once common to the Internet have now been magnified, intensified and altered as the potential for criminal behaviour on SNS's increases. Social networking sites including Facebook contain a vast amount of personal information, that if obtained could be used for other purposes or to carry out other crimes such as identity theft. This paper will focus on the security threats posed to social networking sites and gain an understanding of these risks by using a security approach known as "attack trees". This will allow for a greater understanding of the complexity associated with protecting Social Networking systems with a particular focus on Facebook.


The experiment was conducted during rabi season of 2017-18 at experimental block of Murjhad farm, College of Agriculture, Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh, India to evaluate yield and quality parameters of rabi season forage crops. The treatments consisted of four crops i.e. sole oat, sole makkhan grass, sole local rye and sole berseem in a randomized block design with seven replications. The analysis of data indicated that dry matter content, green fodder yield, dry fodder yield and digestible dry matter yield were highest in case of makkhan grass over other crops. At 3rd cutting, makkhan grass yielded significantly more green fodder yield compared to berseem and oat. The total dry fodder yield of makkhan grass was significantly increased by 33.35, 7.38 and 7.77 per cent, respectively over berssem, oat and local rye grass. Whereas, crude protein content, dry matter digestibility and crude protein yield was highest in berseem than other crops. Crude protein yield was increased 19.53, 52.23 and 28.71 per cent at 3 rd cutting and 15.32, 50.54 and 24.19 per cent at 4 th cutting in berseem crop over makkhan grass, oat and local rye grass, respectively. At 2 nd , 3 rd and 4 th cuttings, digestible dry matter yield from makkhan grass was significantly higher than other crops. K e y w o r d s


A self-stabilizing system is a system such that it autonomously converges to a legitimate system state, regardless of the initial system state. The local mutual exclusion problem is the problem of guaranteeing that no two processes neighboring each other execute their critical sections at a time. The process identifiers are said to be chromatic if no two processes neighboring each other have the same identifiers. Under the assumption that the process identifiers are chromatic, this paper proposes two self-stabilizing local mutual exclusion algorithms; one assumes a tree as the topology of communication network and requires 3 states per process, while the other, which works on any communication network, requires n 1 states per process, where n is the number of processes in the system. We also show that the process identifiers being chromatic is close to necessary for a system to have a self-stabilizing local mutual exclusion algorithm. We adopt the shared memory model for communication and the unfair distributed daemon for process scheduling.


We present an unusual case of a complete first branchial cleft fistula communicating between the external auditory canal and the skin near the angle of the mandible. CT and fluoroscopic fistulography were used to establish the presence and course of the tract and to assist in surgical planning. The embryology and classification of first branchial cleft anomalies are discussed, with emphasis on the impact of imaging.


Logosynthesis is an Energy Psychology technique and approach that was developed by Willem Lammers. Although Logosynthesis draws from various schools of psychology - especially Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and Transactional Analysis, as well as from the field of Energy Psychology it is essentially a trans-psychological technique or approach, as it is one of the few psychological approaches that explicitly integrate mind, body and spirit. Logosynthesis embodies elements of hypnotherapy, somatosensory focusing, cognitive therapy, depth psychology, energy therapy and ritual. It is meditative in the sense of facilitating an internally focused, intentional state, attending to one's internal reality as determining experience ‐ which permits a dissolving of the energetic structure of the problem. This results in more than a change in perception about the problem, and of oneself in relation to the problem; it is a change in one's experience of oneself. Like all Energy Psychology techniques, Logosynthesis can be used not just in psychotherapy, but also in coaching, and in self-treatment. It can also be used as a practice - like meditation - to systematically resolve energetically charged imprints from past experiences, including traumas. Regardless of the way it is used, the result is the resolution of negative patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving that interfere with our ability to be the best we can be, to feel the best we can feel, to reconnect with our true Self, or Essence. This article describes the technique, its distinguishing features and its application, as well as discussing broader aspects and implications of its hypothesized mechanisms. Three case examples are offered to illustrate both its application and its effectiveness.


To examine further the role of the enzyme glutamine synthetase in Dictyostelium discoideum we report here the effects of a specific glutamine synthetase inhibitor, methionine sulfoximine, on the growth and differentiation of this organism. Vegetative AX3 cells grown in the presence of methionine sulfoximine did not complete culmination in the normal time but were blocked at the finger stage. In these cells glutamine synthetase activity was almost completely abolished. However, methionine sulfoximine did not affect the level of glutamine synthetase mRNA, suggesting that there is no link between glutamine synthetase activity and mRNA transcription. Eventually glutamine synthetase activity reappeared and at the time culmination occurred. These results suggest that glutamine synthetase plays an important role in the assimilation of ammonia during the later stages of development in D. discoideum and that this assimilation is necessary for the completion of culmination.


This study established the sanitation stakeholder's preference for the most suitable type of sanitation technology for the informal settlement. Manual pit emptiers had formed a community-based organization that was supported by a container-based sanitation company. The container-based sanitation company supported the CBO pit emptiers through provision of a transfer station that had a septic tank for containment of liquid waste. The household users were grouped into three: households' tenants' toilets, landlords of households' toilets and caretakers or landlord representative of households' toilets. The study adopted descriptive case study research design that enabled collection and analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data in Mukuru Kwa Rueben and Mukuru kwa Njenga. Semi-structured questionnaires were used as primary collection tools, collection technique included observation, pictures, and in-depth interviews with stakeholders. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS Version 20.0, qualitative data was presented in a reported way. There is insufficient research on stakeholder preference in informal settlements. Although some studies have been conducted on slum sanitation, no published study has explored stakeholder preferences in sanitation technologies specifically in these study areas. The study will give baseline information on the sanitation preference of the stakeholders in Mukuru kwa Njenga and Mukuru kwa Rueben in Nairobi, Kenya.The study established that CBS service provision was the most preferred sanitation technology among 39.2% of the household tenants, 55% among the landlords, 40% caretakers. The results from this study can be applied by the container-based company providers operating and sanitation service providers in low-income high-density settlement for scaling up emptying practices and sanitation technologies.


Objective: To examine bilateral and ipsilateral peak torque values of quadriceps (Q) and hamstring (H) muscles in elite judokas. Methods: 16 elite male judokas were tested in concentric isokinetic strength of the quadriceps (Q) and hamstrings (H) muscles at 60° and 180° sec-1. Variables comprised average peak torque and the traditional H/Q, Q/Q, H/H ratios. Asymmetries between legs and differences between isokinetic muscle strength ratios were examined using paired t-tests and Cohen's d. Results: In right (Rs) and left (Ls) extremity peak torque values, no significant difference was found between 60° and 180° sec-1 angular velocities (p>0.05). In peak torque values between PLs and NPLs, significant difference was found only in extension (Ex) phase at 60° sec-1 angular velocity p=0.001). (Significance was identified between (Q/Q) and (H/H) muscle ratios at 60° sec-1 (p=0.029). No significant difference was found in ipsilateral strength ratios at 60° and 180° sec-1 angular velocity (p>0.05). Conclusions: The Ex knee strength of PLs was high, particularly at low angular velocities, leading to differences of bilateral asymmetry in the Q muscle group. Regarding ipsilateral strength ratios, there were no differences in the H and Q muscle groups at both angular velocities, indicating that both legs were similar in terms of ipsilateral asymmetry.


The term meaning of Fakr is poverty. As Sufism, the human being always knows himself in need of his creator. Fakrnames are both verse and prose works that examine the subjects of how a Sufi person and Sheikh should be. One of the two known works of Muhhamed Bin Abdullah Harabati, who was born in 1730 but whose date of death can not be determined, is Fakrname. There are two separate copies of the Fakrname. One of them is a work called Harabati Turki in Uzbekistan and the other is a detached work in the Scientific Academy of Kyrgyzstan. Arabic and Persian elements used by the society in accordance with the language structure of the period will be determined in this study on Kyrgyzstan copy and will be examined morphologically. When the Harabati Fakrname, which is our moving point, was examined, it was determined that the language features identified in the Chagatai Turkish were more or less used periodically. Due to the lack of studies in this field, we think that this study is important both for the Chagatai Turkish and for the fact that it will reveal which morphological elements from Arabic and Persian existed in the language at that time.


In many cases, the benefit to a consumer of a product increases with the number of other users of the same product. These demand interdependencies are referred to in the literature as positive demand externalities or network externalities. This paper examines the dynamic pricing behaviors of an incumbent and a later entrant, with special attention to the impacts of demand externalities, compatibility, and competition on prices and profits. Defining market power as the ability to price above a competitor without losing market share, we show how demand externalities and installed base combine to confer market power. We model optimal pricing as a differential game with the optimal price trajectory established as Nash open-loop controls. For a duopoly durable goods market with strong demand externalities, the results show an increasing price trajectory can be optimal. As expected, a new entrant is better off if its products are compatible with those of the incumbent, especially when demand externalities are strong and the installed base of the incumbent is large. Less intuitively, the incumbent as well may be better off agreeing on common standards. The comparison of monopoly and duopoly shows that under strong demand externalities and a small installed base, the incumbent profits from compatible entry.


Ion beam emission from a neon gas filled plasma focus device has been studied by using a fast response Faraday cup. The neon ion beam emission is found to be highly pressure dependant and it is maximum at a pressure of 0.3 Torr. The beam energy is found to be poly energetic ranging from 18 to 1000 keV with higher ion population below 180 keV at optimum operating pressure of 0.3 Torr. The maximum ion density at 0.3 Torr is estimated to be around 5 x 10 19 /m 3 . The neon ion beam with this characteristic of energy and density seems to be e ffective for testing material of interest in tokamak research.


Transition metal-free-ferromagnetism in diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS) is of much current interest in view of the search for more efficient DMS materials for spintronics applications. Our DFT results predict for the first time, that impurities from group1A (Li+, Na+, K+) doped on Y2O3 can induce a magnetic signature with a magnetic moment around 2.0 μB per defect at hole concentrations around 1.63  ×  1021 cm−3, which is one order less than the critical hole density of ZnO with ferromagnetic coupling large enough to promote room temperature ferromagnetism. The induction of room temperature ferromagnetism by hole doping with an impurity atom from group 1A, which injects two holes per defect in the system, implies that the recommendation of three holes per defect given in the literature, which puts a restriction on the choice of host material and the impurity, is not a necessary criterion for hole induced room temperature ferromagnetism. DFT simulations with the generalized gradient approximation (GGA), confirmed by the more sophisticated hybrid functional, Heyd–Scuseria–Ernzerhof (HSE06), predict that the magnetic moment is mostly contributed by O atoms surrounding the impurity atom and the magnetic moment scale up with impurity concentration which is a positive indicator for practical applications. We quantitatively and extensively demonstrate through the analysis of the density of states and ferromagnetic coupling that the Stoner criterion is satisfied by pushing the Fermi level inside the valence band to activate room temperature ferromagnetism. The stability of the structure and the persistence of ferromagnetism at room temperature were demonstrated by ab initio MD simulations and computation of Curie temperature through the mean field approximation. This study widens the choice of host oxides to tailor DMS for spintronics applications.


In order to evaluate an artificial insemination programme and reproductive efficiency of dairy herds in Uruguay, a survey was conducted with five dairy farms, utilizing a total of 768 lactating Holstein cows. Precision of oestrous detection was assessed by one milk progesterone sample taken on day of breeding and was 11.1%. Two additional samples taken at day 10 and 23 were used to confirm ovulation and early pregnancy. Accuracy of pregnancy estimation by milk progesterone was 70.4%. Reproductive efficiency was determined by the analysis of records. Average intervals from calving to first service were 101 days and to conception 132 days and these were affected by parity, body weight and body condition at calving, but not at breeding, or by milk production. Oestrous detection rates and pregnancy rates were 37.5 and 15.6%, respectively. It was concluded that losses in reproductive efficiency in dairy farms of Uruguay in a seasonal artificial insemination programme were mainly due to unobserved heats, rather than incorrect oestrous detection.


Firms often ask supervisors to appraise subordinates' potential to succeed in higher-level positions. These appraisals can take place within social and organizational contexts that emphasize improving the experiences of females in male-dominated settings. Using this context, we experimentally examine whether supervisors differentially interpret and use the same accounting information when appraising the potential of subordinates of different genders. We draw on attribution theory and research suggesting that a diversity emphasis sends two conflicting signals—females are less able than males, but more valuable from a diversity standpoint. We find that supervisors' beliefs about subordinates' abilities in their current positions are lower for female than male subordinates. While prior research suggests this should result in supervisors appraising female subordinates' potential as lower than males', we find the opposite. Our results suggest that firm efforts to improve the workplace experiences of females may do little to mitigate underlying gender stereotypes.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
To investigate the efficacy of two excimer laser techniques for recurrent corneal erosions (RCEs).

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Of 100 patients with RCEs not responding to common treatments, 50 received transepithelial (group 1) and 50 received subepithelial (group 2) treatment of 20 pulses of a 193-nm excimer laser (170 J/cm(2)). Postoperative follow-up occurred at 4 and 52 weeks. Outcome measures were frequency of RCEs, haze formation, and refractive changes.

RESULTS
At first follow-up, 7 patients (14%) in each group displayed recurrence. At second follow-up, 12 patients in group 1 (24%) and 10 patients in group 2 (20%) had RCE. Follow-up recurrence risk was 6% to 27% in both groups at 4 weeks and 13% to 38% in group 1 and 10% to 34% in group 2 at 52 weeks. The spherical equivalent remained unaffected in group 1, but a statistically significant change was observed in group 2.

CONCLUSION
Excimer laser treatment (transepithelial and subepithelial) of RCEs can be performed successfully on the intact epithelium without adjunct therapy or pain. The transepithelial technique is a simple and relatively painless way to reduce the rate of RCE and is equivalent to the well-established subepithelial treatment.