Log-house is an ancient construction technology based on the superposition of linear timber logs, connected to the orthogonal walls by a system of carvings, notches and corner joints. Due to the fact that this solution is widely used in constructions located in seismic or windy areas, the in-plane behaviour of walls represents an attractive research topic. In this paper, major outcomes of a Finite-Element (FE) numerical investigation carried out on single corner joints currently in use for log-house buildings are discussed under different loading conditions (i.e., in-plane lateral and vertical compressive loads), including parametric analyses to capture the key aspects of their typical structural response. Careful consideration is paid for the elastic stiffness of such joints, being of primary interest for design purposed. At the same time, a linear analytical formulation is presented, with the aim of providing a simple but useful tool in support of design, and especially to estimate the maximum lateral displacement/resistance for a given log-house wall when subjected to in-plane lateral forces. There, the intrinsic mechanical features of corner joints and related aspects are properly considered (i.e., static friction phenomena, as well as the presence of small gaps, etc.). The analytical model, in addition, takes advantage of the numerically predicted joint stiffness values, being dependent on several parameters. As shown, rather good agreement is obtained between the FE model output, the analytical predictions and past reference experimental/numerical results available in the literature for full-scale log-house walls under in-plane lateral loads, hence suggesting the potential of the proposed approach. In conclusion, possible Force-Preload-Displacement (FPD) charts are presented, to act as simplified tools for preliminary design considerations.


The complexity of modern systems is reflected in a proportionate increase in the complexity of their design and verification. Formal analysis methods are of particular interest because they provide the mathematical foundation necessary for rigorous analysis; successful formal analysis of a system provides a high level of assurance of correctness and conformance with specifications. Unfortunately for a number of reasons, formal analysis techniques have failed to scale to large systems. In traditional engineering disciplines, decomposition and component-based design activities have contributed substantially to effective design of large systems. Consequently, this paper presents some proof obligations that perform partial correctness checks on hierarchically designed systems. Since the obligations are applied locally, they avoid the state explosion associated with formal analysis of a large system. The obligations represent initial steps towards the goal of decompositional verification of designs.


An experimental investigation was made of the formation of negative Br- ions in an HgBr2—He mixture used as the active medium in the earlier studies of the HgBr laser. The rate constant of the formation of Br- was (14–7)×10-11 cm3 c-1 in the range of E/N from 2×10-17 to 4×10-16 V cm2. A comparison of these results with our earlier theoretical data revealed a relationship between the products Br- and Br, e of the processes of excitation of the B2Σg+1/2+ state of the HgBr* molecules in a gas-discharge plasma formed from a nHgBr2-He mixture (with the degree of ionisation not exceeding 10-6). The electron excitation of the HgBr* molecules, resulting in the formation of Br-, occurred mainly at low values of E/N (below 3×10-17 V cm2); an increase in E/N reduced the fraction of Br- (compared with Br, e) and for E/N=4×10-16 V cm2, this fraction was ~1%.


A liberal amount of acrylamide (AA) is produced as a result of frying or baking foods in high temperatures, and individuals take certain amounts of AA everyday by consuming these food items. Pregnant women are also exposed to AA originating from food during pregnancy and their fetus are probably affected. The rats were divided into five different groups: control (C), corn oil (CO), vitamin E (Vit E), AA, and Vit E + AA, with eight pregnant rats in each group. On the 20th day of pregnancy, fetuses were removed and brain tissues of fetuses were examined for biochemical and histological changes. AA caused degeneration in neuron structures in fetal brain tissue and caused hemorrhagic damages; dramatically decreased brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels; increased malondialdehyde, total oxidant capacity levels; and decreased reduced glutathione and total antioxidant capacity levels (p < 0.05). On the other hand, it was determined that the Vit E, a neuroprotectant and a powerful antioxidant, suppressed the effects of AA on fetal development and fetal brain tissue damage for the above-mentioned parameters (p < 0.05). It is recommended to consume food containing Vit E as a protection to minimize the toxic effects of food-oriented AA on fetus development due to the widespread nature of fast-food culture in today's life and the impossibility of protection from AA toxicity.


The current study examined the role of informal supports in predicting resilience among families of children with autism spectrum disorder. Participants included 153 caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder, who were between the ages of 2 and 18 years (M = 10.45; SD = 4.32). Caregivers completed a measure of satisfaction with informal supports as well as the Family Resilience Assessment Scale-autism spectrum disorder. After controlling for demographic factors and child behavioural problems, regression analyses revealed that satisfaction with informal supports significantly predicted family resilience. The findings highlight the importance of specifically strengthening informal support networks when providing services and interventions to families of children with autism spectrum disorder to foster the family's resilience. Lay abstract The study of resilience among individuals with disabilities and their families represents a paradigmatic shift from a deficits orientation towards a more holistic and contextualized approach focused on strength and adaptation. The current study investigated whether informal supports could help improve families' capacity for resilience. We recruited 153 caregivers of children aged between 2 and 18 years who all had a diagnosis of autism. Participants were asked to complete surveys assessing resilience in their families as well as their satisfaction with informal supports (e.g. friends and family). Families more likely to report higher satisfaction with their informal support networks demonstrate greater resilience. The results suggest that informal social supports are a valuable resource for families in strengthening their capacity for resilience. The findings may help inform the development of interventions and services that work collaboratively and innovatively with families and their social networks to provide assistance and support in meaningful and effective ways.


Abstract Background: Membranous glomerulopathy is a common complication of renal allograft. However, its incidence and prognosis are not well defined, because an undetermined number of them pass undiagnosed under the generic epigraph of chronic allograft nephropathy. Materials and methods: To assess the diagnostic refinement supplied by electron microscopy to conventional light and immunofluorescence procedures the authors reviewed 17 cases of electron microscopy-confirmed membranous glomerulonephritis in kidney allograft. In addition, they searched for other features of graft injury, particularly lesions associated with alloimmune reaction, in order to evaluate the contribution of each lesion to the long-term outcome of the allograft. Results: In 4 of the 17 cases of their series the diagnosis of membranous glomerulopathy was made by electron microscopy. In addition, in 5 samples, lesions of chronic alloimmune rejection were present (in 4 cases the diagnosis was based on electron microscopy findings). At the end point of the study, 3 of the 5 patients with chronic alloimmune injury were in dialysis, 1 had died with functioning allograft, and the fifth suffered severe renal failure but was not in dialysis. On the other hand, 3 of the 12 patients without evidence of alloimmune injury had returned to the dialysis program. Conclusions: Electron microscopy is a useful tool in the assessment of renal allograft pathology and can provide additional morphological features of prognostic relevance.


A regimen comprising of fludarabine, cytarabine, G-CSF and gemtuzumab ozogamicin (FLAG-GO) has been our frontline treatment regimen for patients with core binding factor acute myelogenous leukemia (CBF-AML) and among 50 patients with median follow up of over 3 years, this regimen resulted in overall survival (OS) and relapse free survival (RFS) of 78% and 85% respectively. This is clearly better than our historical data with idarubicin and cytarabine based regimens (Borthakur et al. JCO. Vol 28, No 15 suppl; 2010:6552). After withdrawal of GO from the market, it has been substituted by low dose idarubicin at 6 mg/m2 on days 3 and 4 in induction and in one post remission cycle during cycles 3-6 (FLAG-Ida). So far 38 patients have been treated with FLAG-Ida (median follow up 1 year) with all patients achieving complete remission. The current report is part of the planned analysis to ensure that patient outcomes have not been compromised by the change in regimen.

Univariate and multivariate (MVA) Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify association of the clinical variables with overall survival (OS), event free survival (EFS) and time to relapse (TTR). Event is defined as death from any cause or relapse. Treatment regimen (FLAG-GO or FLAG-Ida) were included as variables in the analysis. Apart from relevant clinical variables, reduction in fusion transcript ratio (in reference to ABL gene transcript compared to that at diagnosis) at time points 1 month (≥3 log reduction yes/no) and 3 month (≥3 log reduction yes/no) and presence of any mutation (RAS, KIT, FLT3 yes/no) were also added as variables. Stepwise backwards selection method was used to remove variables that did not remain significant in the multivariate model (p ≥ 0.15).

T(8;21) is the cytogenetic abnormality in 52% of all 88 patients. Median age of all patients is 51 (range, 19-78 years) and 48% are female. Median time to 3 log reduction in transcript ratio was 1 month (range, 1-22 months). Complete remission rate with or without platelet recovery has been 98% with 2 induction deaths.

Kaplan-Meier analysis showed OS ([Fig.1][1]), EFS and TTR were not significantly different FLAG-GO and FLAG-Ida regimens. By MVA, OS, EFS and TTR are not different among these regimens (p > 0.5). Three log or more reduction in transcript ration at 1 month was associated with better OS (p=.03) and EFS (p=.008) (not TTR) in MVA. Presence of KIT, RAS or FLT3 gene mutation did not impact outcomes studied.

In conclusion, replacing GO with low dose idarubicin in a front-line FLAG regimen does not seem to compromise the excellent outcomes with such a regimen in CBF AML.

![Figure][2]

Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

 [1]: #F1
 [2]: pending:yes


Avian eggshell pigmentation may provide information about a female's physiological condition, in particular her state of oxidative balance. Previously we found that female house wrens (Troglodytes aedon Vieillot, 1809) with lighter, less-maculated, and redder ground-colored shells were older and produced heavier offspring than females laying darker, browner eggs. The strong pro-oxidant protoporphyrin is responsible for this species' eggshell pigmentation, so differences in pigmentary coloration may be related to eggshell protoporphyrin content and reflect female oxidative balance and condition during egg-formation. Therefore, we tested the assumption that egg-surface coloration is related to the amount of protoporphyrin in the shell matrix. We analyzed digital photographs of eggs to determine maculation coverage as a measure of the overall ground coloration of the egg and its red-, green-, and blue-channel pixel values. Pigments were then extracted from these same eggs and analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography. There was a strong, positive relationship between eggshell redness and protoporphyrin content of eggshells, but no relationship between percent maculation and protoporphyrin content. Thus, when older, larger females deposit more protoporphyrin in their eggshells, this may reflect a tolerance for high levels of circulating protoporphyrin or an effective mechanism for off-loading protoporphyrin into the eggshell matrix.


Cognitive impairments and neurodegeneration in aging are linked to disrupted brain energy metabolism. We address this experimentally challenging problem with a computational molecular model that provides mechanistic insights and therapeutic predictions. This model encompasses key enzymes, transporters, metabolites, and other important factors, enabling the investigation of over 66,000 molecular interactions within and across cellular and subcellular compartments of neurons, glia, and blood vessels. During aging, action potential generation is primarily impaired due to reduced expression of the Na+/K+-ATPase pump and diminished ATP supply. The metabolic system loses flexibility, hindering its ability to effectively respond to stimuli or adapt to molecular damage. Astrocytes may defer to neuronal energy stability at their own expense. We identified potential strategies for rejuvenating the aged brain including supplying nutritional factors to the blood, increasing the NADH cytosol-mitochondria shuttle capacity and the expression of Na+/K+-ATPase. Transcription factor analysis implicated the estrogen related receptor alpha (ESRRA) as having the highest potential impact on aging, suggesting that dysregulated energy metabolism may be a transitional state between healthy aging and neurodegenerative disorders, rather than a hallmark of aging. This high-fidelity model serves as a foundation for future research on aging and cognitive health. Highlights (Comprehensive, data-driven molecular model) The study presents a detailed molecular model of the metabolic system in young and old rodent neocortex, examining over 66,000 molecular interactions within neurons, glia, and blood vessels. (Aging impacts action potential generation) Findings show that the aging brain experiences impaired action potential generation, primarily due to compromised functionality of the Na+/K+-ATPase and reduced ATP supply. (Loss of metabolic flexibility) The study reveals that the metabolic system loses flexibility as a consequence of aging, hindering its ability to effectively respond to various stimuli. (Strategies for restoring youthful state) Potential strategies for rejuvenating the aged system include supplying specific factors to the blood, increasing the expression of key elements, and blocking detrimental components. (Importance of transcription factors) The analysis underscores the critical role of transcription factors, such as ESRRA, in affecting the function of enzymes and transporters involved in metabolic processes, providing a foundation for future research on age-related changes in brain function and cognitive health.


Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are useful for discovering genotype-phenotype associations but are limited because they require large cohorts to identify a signal, which can be population-specific. Mapping genetic variation to genes improves power, and allows the effects of both protein coding variation as well as variation in expression to be combined into "gene level" effects. Previous work has shown that warfarin dose can be predicted using information from genetic variation that affects protein coding regions. Here, we introduce a method that improves the predicted dose by integrating tissue-specific gene expression. In particular, we use drug pathways and expression quantitative trait loci knowledge to impute gene expression—on the assumption that differential expression of key pathway genes may impact dose requirement. We focus on 116 genes from the pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) pathways of warfarin within training and validation sets comprising both European and African-descent individuals. We build gene-tissue signatures associated with warfarin dose, and identify a signature of eleven gene-tissue pairs that significantly augment the International Warfarin Pharmacogenetics Consortium dosage-prediction algorithm in both populations. Our results demonstrate that imputed expression can improve dose prediction, in a population-specific manner.


For over a decade, WHERE IT HURTS has provided a straightforward and accessible introduction to sociology for students of health and welfare studies. In this completely revised and expanded edition Cherry Russell and Toni Schofield once again deal with key areas of sociology (such as class, gender, race and ethnicity, age, work, the state) and grounding theory and concepts in real issues, to demonstrate how sociology WORKS in a specific application - health and health care. Students for whom sociology is part of a health or welfare-related course (nursing, medicine, related therapies, social work and administration) will find this a lively and thought-provoking text. But in its style and content, it responds equally well to the demands of ALL beginning students in sociology for a clear and relevant introduction to the critical tradition.


Cervical cancer is initiated by infection with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). The viral E6 and E7 oncogenes are required for the initiation of cervical epithelial cell immortalization, but do not suffice to cause cervical cancer. Human oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes with altered activity in cervical carcinoma have been recognized, but none of these appears to be an absolute precondition for the development of the cancer. To examine the contribution of chromosomal aberrations to the development of cervical carcinoma, we used an in vitro model system consisting of primary keratinocytes (K) and papillomavirus transformed keratinocytes from early (E) and late (L) passages and from benzo[a]pyrene treated L cells (BP). Using DIGMAP software we compared alterations in gene expression as a function of chromosomal location. SKY chromosomal painting confirmed that the alterations identified by DIGMAP include gross chromosomal aberrations. Nearly half of the transcripts that were significantly reduced or increased in BP cells mapped to chromosomal regions showing coordinate changes in expression. These included transcripts involved in previously characterized phenotypic changes involved in transformation, such as the switch from apoptosis to necrosis and the reduction in cap-dependent translation. The global chromosomal changes that occurred during transformation are highly correlated with the phenotypic changes in HPV transformed keratinocytes. Our data are consistent with the theory that global chromosomal change is a necessary step in the process of cervical transformation.


Sexual differentiation of inflorescences and flowers is important for reproduction and affects crop plant productivity. We report here on a molecular study of the process of sexual differentiation in the immature inflorescence of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). This species is monoecious and exhibits gender diphasy, producing male and female inflorescences separately on the same plant in alternation. Three main approaches were used: small RNA-seq to characterise and study the expression of miRNA genes; RNA-seq to monitor mRNA accumulation patterns; hormone quantification to assess the role of cytokinins and auxins in inflorescence differentiation. Our study allowed the characterisation of 30 previously unreported palm MIRNA genes. In differential gene and miRNA expression studies, we identified a number of key developmental genes and miRNA-mRNA target modules previously described in relation to their developmental regulatory role in the cereal panicle, notably the miR156/529/535-SQUAMOSA PROMOTER-BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) gene regulatory module. Gene enrichment analysis highlighted the importance of hormone-related genes, and this observation was corroborated by the detection of much higher levels of cytokinins in the female inflorescence. Our data illustrate the importance of branching regulation within the developmental window studied, during which the female inflorescence, unlike its male counterpart, produces flower clusters on new successive axes by sympodial growth.


Empirical studies suggest that globalization (FDI and international trade) has been greatly affected by the COVID-19 and related anti-pandemic measures imposed by governments worldwide. This paper investigates the impact of globalization on intra-provincial income inequality in China and the data is based on the county level. The findings reveal that FDI is negatively associated with intra-provincial inequality, intra-provincial inequality increases as the primary industry sector (agriculture) declines. The result also finds that the increase in inequality stems not from the development in the tertiary or secondary industry sectors per se, but the unevenness in the distribution of these sectors.


Introduction: Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a chronic and degenerative illness with a long trajectory involving multiple physical, cognitive, and emotional changes. In contrast to the holistic approach of palliative care, medical visits for PD patients tend to focus primarily on physical symptoms. Little attention may be paid to the psychosocial effects of PD, such as relational satisfaction and emotional and spiritual well-being of both patient and family. As illness advances, dependence on others occurs; in many if not most cases, the spouse is the primary caregiver. While research has been conducted to examine burden of care for PD spouses, the literature reveals little on mutuality, which concerns the quality of the relationship. Method: This study was conducted with spousal caregivers of PD patients with advanced illness at Hoehn & Yahr stages 4 and 5. Twelve caregiving spouses to partners with advanced PD participated in a single face-to-face semi-structured interview in this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology study. van Manen's approach to data analysis and writing for hermeneutic phenomenology was utilised, incorporating the four lifeworld existentials of spatiality, temporality, corporeality, and relationality. Results: Participants' challenges to mutuality included limited enjoyable shared activities, living with a "stranger", little fun, and resentment about PD. Loss of identity, ambiguous loss, and searching for meaning are challenges for caregiving spouses caring for an advanced PD partner; nevertheless most participants want to be with their spouse. Conclusion: Understanding how PD affects the marital relationship is crucial for health professionals to provide a palliative approach to both partners living with this unwelcome "intruder" in their lives.


Treatment of 1-(2-phenylselenoethyl)-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine (15) with tributyltin hydride affords only the product of reduction, demonstrating the reluctance of the 5-hexenyl radical 9 to undergo ring closure. When the nature of the radical is modified, either by introduction of an ester group at C4 or via its quaternary ammonium salt, cyclization occurs readily; while the radical 52 gives an excellent yield of 1-methyl-1-azoniabicyclo[3.2.1.]octyl bromide (55) uncontaminated with the product of reduction, the bicyclic product from 21 is accompanied by some reduced material. Production of the unwanted alkene can be eliminated in the latter by recourse to the quaternary ammonium ester 1-(2-bromoethyl)-4-carbethoxy-1-methyl-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridinium bromide (35) which, when exposed to tributyltin hydride, affords a 1:1 endo/exo mixture of 4-carbethoxy-1-methyl-1-azoniabicyclo[3.2.1]octyl bromide (37) exclusively. These results support the demonstration of the powerful polar effect of an ester function when attached to the double bond of a 5-hexenyl system, a property which can be exploited in the case of the radical 58. Treatment of the precursor, 1-(2-bromoethyl)-3-carbethoxy-1-methyl-3-pyrrolinium bromide (60), with tributyltin hydride generates 58 which is found to cyclize with high regioselectivity, affording a convenient high-yielding synthesis of the endo/exo isomers of 3-carbethoxy-1-methyl-1-azoniabicyclo[2.2.1]heptyl bromide 57. The isomeric bicyclo[2.2.1]heptyl ester 63 was not detected. These observations are in accordance with predictions based upon frontier molecular orbital considerations.


In the Surgical Department of the Städtisches Krankenhaus München-Harlaching, 7 malformations of the lung in the shape of intralobar or extralobar sequestration were found among 1150 lung resections. Preoperative diagnosis caused no difficulty, even when angiography was dispensed with. In two cases a coincidence with other deformities was demonstrated. Deviations from the usual differentiation between intralobar and extralobar sequestration were found repeatedly with regard to location and vascular supply. All the 7 patients affected were cured by resection therapy.


Tag signal detection is one of the key tasks in ambient backscatter communication (AmBC) systems. However, obtaining perfect channel state information (CSI) is challenging and costly, which makes AmBC systems suffer from a high bit error rate (BER). To eliminate the requirement of channel estimation and to improve the system performance, in this paper, we adopt a deep transfer learning (DTL) approach to implicitly extract the features of channel and directly recover tag symbols. To this end, we develop a DTL detection framework which consists of offline learning, transfer learning, and online detection. Specifically, a DTL-based likelihood ratio test (DTL-LRT) is derived based on the minimum error probability (MEP) criterion. As a realization of the developed framework, we then apply convolutional neural networks (CNN) to intelligently explore the features of the sample covariance matrix, which facilitates the design of a CNN-based algorithm for tag signal detection. Exploiting the powerful capability of CNN in extracting features of data in the matrix formation, the proposed method is able to further improve the system performance. In addition, an asymptotic explicit expression is also derived to characterize the properties of the proposed CNN-based method when the number of samples is sufficiently large. Finally, extensive simulation results demonstrate that the BER performance of the proposed method is comparable to that of the optimal detection method with perfect CSI.


A general and efficient methodology has been developed to analyze dimensional variations of a welded assembly, taking into account of weld distortion. Weld distortion is generally probabilistic because of the random nature of welding parameters such as the welding speed, maximum welding temperature, ambient temperature, etc. The methodology is illustrated by a very simple example of two perpendicular plates fillet-welded to each other. Two steps comprise the methodology: establishment of a weld distortion database and tolerance analysis using the database. To establish the database, thermoelastoplastic finite element analyses are conducted to compute the weld distortion for all combinations of discrete values of major welding parameters. In the second step of tolerance analysis, the weld distortion retrieved from the database is taken into account in addition to the dimensional tolerances of the parts. As a result of such an analysis, sensitivities of the assembly's dimensional variations to the part tolerances and weld distortion are obtained, which could provide a guideline for improving dimensional quality of the assembly.


This paper discusses the urban injustices of New Labour's "new urban renewal", that is the state-led gentrification of British council estates, undertaken through the guise of mixed communities policy, on the Aylesbury estate in Southwark, London, one of the largest council estates in Europe. In this particular case of post-political planning I show how the tenant support for the regeneration programme was manipulated and misrepresented and how choices were closed down for them, leaving them ultimately with a "false choice" between a regeneration they did not want or the further decline of their estate. I look at what the estate residents thought/think about the whole process and how they have resisted, and are resisting, the gentrification of their estate. I show revanchist and post-political practices, but ultimately I refuse to succumb to these dystopian narratives, very attractive as they are, for conflict/dissent has not been completely smothered and resistance to gentrification in and around the Aylesbury is alive and well. I argue that we urgently need to re-establish the city as the driver of democratic politics with an emancipatory agenda, rather than one that ratifies the status quo or gets mired in a dystopic post-justice city.


ABSTRACT Ren, L.; Belton, T.J.; Schuster, R., and Enache, M., 2017. Phytoplankton index of biotic integrity and reference communities for Barnegat Bay–Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey: A pilot study. In: Buchanan, G.A.; Belton, T.J., and Paudel, B. (eds.), A Comprehensive Assessment of Barnegat Bay–Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey. A pilot study was carried out to quantify season-salinity-specific phytoplankton reference communities and to develop a phytoplankton index of biotic integrity (P-IBI) for Barnegat Bay–Little Egg Harbor (BB-LEH) estuary, using approaches similar to those for the Chesapeake Bay. Synchronized phytoplankton and water-quality data collected between August 2011 and August 2013 from the Barnegat Bay Water Quality Monitoring Program were used as calibration data set. The results showed that one-fifth of samples were from the least-impaired habitat condition, with low turbidity and low concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and orthophosphate (PO4). Nearly 60% of samples were from undesirable conditions with poor water clarity and excess nutrients. Phytoplankton reference communities, in comparison with communities in impaired conditions, were characterized with low concentrations of chlorophyll a (Chl a), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP), low Chl a/C ratio, low summer picoplankton biomass, and high spring and summer dissolved oxygen. Thirty-four metrics were evaluated for their ability to discriminate between the least-impaired and impaired habitat conditions. Nine phytoplankton metrics and three physiological and chemical metrics, which showed strong discriminatory ability, were selected, and different combinations of these metrics were used to create phytoplankton indices for spring and summer mesohaline and polyhaline zones in BB-LEH. The current P-IBI was able to correctly classify 64–100% for spring samples and 68–88% for summer samples in the calibration data set. Our work is the first attempt to develop a P-IBI for this region. The calculated reference communities and P-IBI, though constrained because of limited data availability, were region specific and intended to facilitate water-quality assessment and management efforts in BB-LEH. The differences of TN and TP between the least-impaired and impaired conditions in most of season-salinity zones suggested that dual reduction of N and P are necessary to control eutrophication in BB-LEH. Further work on the refinement of the P-IBI is underway as additional phytoplankton and water-quality data are being collected and assessed.


In mammals, interacting transcriptional / post-translational feedback loops involving 'clock genes' and their protein products control circadian organisation. These genes are not only expressed in the master circadian clock of the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) but also in many peripheral tissues where they exhibit similar but not identical dynamic to that seen in the SCN. Among these peripheral tissues, the pars tuberalis (PT) of the pituitary expresses clock genes. We show here that the PT of the rat, like that of other rodents, rhythmically expresses Per1. We also report rhythmic expression of another clock gene, Cry1. The peak of Cry1 mRNA expression occurs during the night concomitantly with rising blood plasma melatonin concentrations. Using an acute injection paradigm, we demonstrate that Cry1 expression is directly induced by melatonin in the PT. Melatonin injection at the end of the subjective day also affects Per1 expression, leading to diminished mRNA levels. These data support the existence of a time-measurement model in the PT based on direct opposite actions of melatonin on Per1 and Cry1 expression.  2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Theme: Neural basis of behaviour Topic: Biological rhythms and sleep


This article draws attention to Thomas Aquinas' under-appreciated development of the doctrine of the atonement. I argue that Thomas' pursuit of the 'fittingness' of the passion yields an exceptional grasp of the multiplicity of effects accomplished by Christ's death. To defend this thesis, I explore the methodology underlying Thomas' approach to the atonement, contrasting it with that of Anselm. I then follow the implications of Thomas' methodology in his stance toward the diverse atonement theories of his day. In conclusion, I briefly note the significance of Thomas' method and conclusions for contemporary debates concerning the efficacy of Christ's passion.


The angular momentum balance is solved numerically for a size 29 mm CarboMedics prosthetic heart valve. The lift force is estimated from potential flow theory, while the drag force is estimated from the lift force and a blunt body empiricism. Buoyancy and gravitational effects are calculated based on the assumption of homogeneous leaflets. Other assumptions include uniform flow, negligible friction at the pivot axis, negligible viscous damping and fluid inertance, and a symmetry flow condition. Oscillations are predicted in the opening dynamics in the range of 2-25 Hz, for flow rates through one-half of the orifice in the range of 0.1-10.0 l/min. The frequency of these oscillations is dependent upon the orientation of the leaflet in relation to the gravitational field and the magnitude of the flow rate. In vivo and in vitro measurements by other investigators demonstrate similar effects of gravity and flow rate, with flutter frequencies of the order of 10-100 Hz. Excitation frequencies, based on vortex shedding, are estimated to be of the order 2-200 Hz, for the range of flow rates of the theoretical model. These results suggest that the natural frequency of this rotational second order system may, in theory, be a contributing factor to the flutter observed in bileaflet cardiac valve prostheses. The clinical significance of this finding is yet to be established.


PURPOSE
Alcohol (EtOH) affects the electro-oculogram (EOG) in ways very similar to light, although the two agents act on the RPE through different routes. Are the EOGs to light and to alcohol affected similarly in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and age-related maculopathy (ARM)?

METHODS
Standard eye movements and recording of EOGs were used. After 26 minutes of baseline recording in darkness, subjects were either exposed to 30 cd/m(2) light or drank 226 mg/kg alcohol (7.1% vol/vol) in water.

RESULTS
In 17 patients with ARM and AMD (aged 67-86 years; mean, 77), the light-EOG was slowed in comparison to normal, and the voltage changes were somewhat reduced. The mean reduction in the alcohol-EOG (EtOH-EOG) was much greater. The reduction was equal in the two eyes, regardless of uniocular foveal impairment. Some EtOH-EOG loss occurred in patients with minor fundus changes and no loss of acuity, but the loss was greater in patients with "wet" or "dry" ARM and AMD. Grading of RPE changes correlated with the decrease in EtOH-EOG responsiveness, but not with light-EOG responsiveness.

CONCLUSIONS
EtOH- and light-EOGs are affected differentially. In ARM, even with minor fundus changes, patients appear to have a general abnormality in the RPE. The alcohol response abnormality is correlated to the fundus appearance, but not with age. These results provide further evidence that EtOH acts by a pathway different from that governing the action of light. These results support histologic and other evidence that in ARM there is a functional barrier between the choroid and the RPE-retina.


In 966 patients who had undergone surgery and who had been suffering from squamous cell carcinoma, tumour recurrence occurred in 16.8% of the cases. In almost 70% of these cases, recurrence was seen in the first two years following treatment. 15% of the patients died of the carcinoma. Compared with the patients who had stayed alive, post-mortem examination of the patients who had died of carcinoma revealed in 65.5% of the patients an immature squamous cell carcinoma, in 37.7% a dissociated tumour growth, in 21.7% penetration of the tumour into the lymph vessels, and in 62.1% penetration into the blood vessels. Macrometastases in the area of the regional lymphatic nodes were seen in 45.2%. In the surviving patients, the percentage of immature carcinomas was 47.4%, whereas dissociated tumour growth was seen in 18.7% and penetration into the lymph or blood vessels in 5.8 and 14.1% of the cases, respectively. Macrometastases in the area of the regional lymphatic nodes were seen in 11.8% of the cases. In woman patients with an early recurrence of tumour, or in women who had died of the carcinoma, mostly immature carcinomas, tumour penetration into vessels, and macrometastases in regional lymphatic nodes were observed.


Over the past few years there has been a large investment in information and communication technologies applied in the teaching/learning process. In this context the response systems appear as an innovative tool associated with different methods and strategies. Response systems are technological products designed to support communication and interactivity, generating enormous potential when applied in the teaching/learning process. The student motivation increases when this technology is used leading to a greater participation and consequently to a better and faster acquisition of concepts. Collaborative and cooperative attitudes between student/student, student/teacher and student/class are increased when response system are used in the context of the classroom. The use of response systems and their implications for the teaching/learning process are some of the challenges that teachers are facing nowadays as a driving agent in the implementation of this technology at school. This article examines the use of response systems in the student's learning/teaching process, exploring their use in a Portuguese school.


A bacterium(strain ycsd03) capable of growing with p-chlorophenol(p-CP) as sole carbon and energy sources was isolated from rhizosphere soil in phragmites wetland by using the enrichment culture contaminated with p-CP concentration gradient of 20, 40, 80, 120, 160 and 200 mgldrL-1. Morphology, physio-biochemical characteristics and phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA sequence indicate that strain ycsd03, which is Gram-positive, facultative aerobic and mobility and the shape of its single cell is pole, clearly belongs to Bacillus licheniformis. The optimal initial p-CP concentration, degradation temperature and pH value for satisfactive degradation were about 120 mgldrL-1, 30degC and pH7.0, for 4d in minimal medium culture fluids at vaccination of 10%. Growth of strain ycsd03 cells was inhibited by p-CP at the concentration up to 200 mgldrL-1. The biodegradation of p-CP by ycsd03 cells had a cutty lag phase at initial concentrations more than 40 mgldrL-1 while no lag phase at concentrations less than 40 mgldrL-1. Results could offer useful information for the application of strain ycsd03 in bioremediation or the control of p-chlorophenol -polluted environment.


We determine the masses and pseudoscalar decay constants of D and
$\mathrm{D}_\mathrm{s}$ mesons employing lattice QCD with
non-perturbatively ${\cal O}(a)$ improved Wilson quarks and a tree-level
Symanzik-improved gauge action.
Our analysis is based on the large-volume $\nf=2+1$ ensembles using open
boundary conditions, generated within the CLS effort.
The status of results presented here covers two lattice spacings,
$a\approx 0.0854$ fm and $a\approx 0.0644$ fm, and pion masses varied from
420 to 200 MeV.
We also report on our implementation of distance
preconditioning for the calculation of heavy quark propagators and discuss
the impact of the resulting accuracy improvements on the extraction of charmed
meson masses and decay constants.
This is part of a continuing analysis by the RQCD and ALPHA Collaborations,
aiming at a stable continuum extrapolation using several lattice spacings.
To extrapolate to the physical masses, we follow both,
the \mbox{$(2\ml+\ms)=\mathrm{const.}$} and the $\ms=\mathrm{const.}$ line in
parameter space.


This paper presents the modeling of a voice coil motor (VCM) used for the auto-focusing control of a digital camera in applications to high-performance mobile phones. The force constant and its associated back EMF constant of a VCM can be highly nonlinear with the mechanical structure. Conventional modeling technique using the derived flux distribution based on geometrical structure is quite involved and impractical to identify its equivalent parameters. A modeling procedure for a specially designed VCM is developed based on its mechanical structure and used material by using an electromagnetic simulation software - the Ansoft's Maxwell 2D. An iterative optimal design process is then proposed to maximize the force constant of the VCM with a specified volume. Simulation results with experimental verification are given to illustrate that the proposed design procedure can achieve a satisfactory performance.


We propose a new collimator geometry, the hybrid parallel-slant hole geometry (HPS), to improve sensitivity for SPECT imaging with large field of view (LFOV) gamma cameras. A HPS collimator has one segment with parallel holes and one or more segments with slant holes. The collimator can be mounted on a conventional SPECT LFOV system that uses parallel-beam collimators, and no additional detector or collimator motion is required for data acquisition. The parallel segment of the collimator allows for the acquisition of a complete data set of the organs-of-interest and the slant segments provide additional data. In this work, simulation studies of an MCAT phantom were performed with an HPS collimator with one slant segment. The slant direction points from patient head to patient feet with a slant angle of 30/spl deg/. We simulated 64 projection views over 180/spl deg/, and we modeled nonuniform attenuation effect. Images were reconstructed using an OSEM algorithm that incorporated the hybrid geometry. Sensitivity to the cardiac region of the phantom was increased by approximately 50% when using the HPS collimator compared with a parallel-hole collimator. No visible artifacts were observed in the reconstructed images and the signal-to- noise ratio (SNR) of the cardiac walls was improved. Compared with collimators with other geometries, using a HPS collimator has the following advantages: (a) significant sensitivity increase, (b) a complete data set obtained from the parallel segment that allows for artifact-free image reconstruction, and (c) no additional collimator or detector motion. This work demonstrates the potential value of hybrid geometry in collimator design for LFOV SPECT imaging.


Using a quasi-experiment with the pre-/post-test control group design, the present study investigated whether flipping an advanced pre-calculus class would lead to a statistically significant gain in the learning of conic sections for high school students. The subjects were 50 11th graders (n=50), who were equally divided into two groups. The treatment group (n=25) learned conic sections via the flipped classroom model, while the control group (n=25) was taught the same topic traditionally via the didactic approach. The intervention comprised flipping mathematics class with four video-assisted lessons and notetaking. All subjects were pre-tested on their prior knowledge on conic sections before starting the experiment and post-tested after intervention. The results of the post-test indicated statistically significant difference between the mean score of the treatment group and that of the control group, reflecting the effectiveness of the flipped instruction. Participants enjoyed the intervention.


Miss McCormick's recent book, which explores and evaluates points of similarity and difference in the diagnostic casework process and the philosophy of the thirteenth century Dominican, St. Thomas Aquinas, is a contribution to social work literature in that it touches profoundly upon fundamental principles as these relate to the human being. Some of the author's conclusions and illustrations of the conjunction of diagnostic casework and Thomistic concepts do not always ring true. There are times when they seem very far afield. This fact, however, does not negate entirely what the author has tried to achieve, since her task is a formidable one indeed. Although Miss McCormick presents, in an orderly and thoughtful manner, Thomistic principles as these relate to human personality, the correspond. ing analyses of current casework practice fail, in many instances, to be integrated into the broader context of her thesis. St. Thomas, in formulating philosophical principles and in clarifying ethical values toward the goal of personal integration and happiness, produced those generalizations and rational concepts which remain today the great contribution of his genius. Miss McCormick has presented quite clearly and with insight these concepts of St. Thomas as they pertain to man's quest for happiness both here and hereafter. Although the rational in human action toward well-being is a value without question, and the caseworker undoubtedly needs the ability to generalize and to deduce, in his capacity as a helping person he cannot always function effectively with his clients on an intellectual level alone. It is true, as Miss McCormick points out, that order, clarification, and interpretation have their valued places in working toward realistic goals, and the responsibility for self-chosen goals must have the highest place of honor in the worker-client relationship. The caseworker, on the other hand, usually does not function in so well ordered a world. The client whose early life has been warped by painful experience and early deprivation cannot always reshape his life through intelligent direction alone, even within the framework of a professional relationship. Reintegration of healthy forces in the personality often comes slowly and sometimes can be only partial. As the client uses his right to make choices, the caseworker must respect these choices as well as the integrity of the person even though they may not bring to the person what one might wish for him. Miss McCormick, in evaluating the concepts of Freudian psychoanalysis which underlie much of 327


L2 speakers of Nigerian English in parts of northeastern Nigeria occasionally insert an alveolar coronal stop [t] or fricative [s] following another alveolar coronal pre-pausally and phrase-internally. The article discusses this typologically unusual phenomenon for the Nigerian English of speakers whose L1 is the Adamawa language Bena (ISO 639-3: yun). I also consider comparable cases of word-final consonant epenthesis in several other varieties of English, both the so-called New Englishes and Inner Circle varieties, and provide an account of the details of epenthesis with respect to which they differ. At first sight, hypercorrection of the tendency for word-final consonant cluster simplification in Bena English may seem an obvious explanation. However, I argue that hypercorrection alone falls short of explaining the observed pattern. In addition, we need to call on phonetic properties of Bena L1 such as pre-pausal glottalisation and lengthening of consonants to be able to account for both the actuation of the hypercorrection and the phonologisation of the epenthesis. Although the availability of a clear phonetic explanation makes this sound pattern conceivable as a natural rule, its typological rarity in non-contact lects highlights the positive bias induced by hypercorrection as a necessary part of the mix in creating the conditions for a reanalysis.


Blockchain technology is rapidly growing and can in the near future disrupt industries such as finance, cyber security, and political voting systems. The interest in the phenomenon has increased the past years, and as a result, more research within the field has emerged as a natural outcome. Previous research has to a large extent focused on technical and legal issues facing the technology. In contrast, this study aims to fill the research gap by bringing insight to the field of governance within public blockchain open source software (OSS) communities, whereas the most well-recognized blockchain projects, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum are OSS. Therefore, the following research question has been set to direct this study; Which governance mechanisms are expressed within public blockchain communities? By analyzing previous research on governance mechanisms within OSS, a theoretical framework was constructed. The framework was based on well-recognized OSS community literature and consists of six governance mechanisms. The similarities and differences between OSS communities and blockchain OSS communities are identified through the use of the theoretical framework. Moreover, by analyzing forum and blog posts on online communities where contributors communicate regarding development and visions of the researched community and platform. On those communities, by-products from communications has been left as digital traces, which is analyzed by conducting a methodology referred to as trace ethnography. Furthermore, an exploratory approach was included in this study, allowing the researchers to explore beyond the scope of the framework. The framework was used as a foundation for this study, and resulted in findings showing that several governance mechanisms are similar to those in OSS communities, whilst others differed. Five of the mechanisms were found to be similar to those in the framework. However, the sixth mechanism involving leadership differed from OSS communities since the community decide which road to follow. This does not make it autocratic, or democratic, since the contributors have an option to support the version of protocol they believe will prevail. Lastly, initiative-based progress is presented as an extended mechanism, and an implication from this study. This is due to it instigating a flexible and progressive approach towards rapidly developing a collaborative project within blockchain OSS communities.


New trends in advanced solar cells technologies regarding the conversion efficiency increasing and cost drop are analysed. In order to overcome the conversion efficiency Shockley-Queisser limitations new types of solar cells were developed (based on the third and fourth generations). A global vision in modeling and simulation of advanced solar cells was considered. High opportunities in PV modules and systems are based on new adhesive solutions for PV modules, development of PV ribbon products and spectral corrections for PV performance modelling, reliable solar radiation database and progressive integration of PV systems in electricity market. Modelling and simulation of photovoltaic systems represent an essential task for their integration in current power applications. A comprehensive analysis of the most interesting software packages used for simulation of a Photovoltaic Park is achieved and commented for future development.


Abstract : This Visual System Design Report is provided in response to Data Item A003 of Contract No. N61339-75-C-0009 for the Aviation Wide-Angle Visual System (AWAVS). The overall objective of the Design Report, together with the Configuration, Facilities, Math Model and Design Analysis Reports is to present a total picture of the design and development engineering functions, and the implementation of these functions to achieve the characteristics and performance for the visual portion of the AWAVS/VTFS system as required by AWAVS NAVTRAEQUIPCEN Specification 212-102. The primary purpose of the Visual Design Report is to provide, as clearly and concisely as possible, all required design information relative to AWAVS Visual hardware systems, elements, and components. Each of the major areas shown in the Master Block Diagram, are treated separately in the various detail block diagrams. Each of the interfaces, e.g., electrical, mechanical, and optical, is defined in terms of its function, design features, and implementation. In this respect, the contents of DID S-0003, dated 6 October 1971, has been used as a guideline in generation of the material presented herein. An analysis of the design and development of each AWAVS subsystem has also been included in this report, however, only to the extent that such analysis differs from (or has evolved from) the one given in the Design Analysis Report NAVTRAEQUIPCEN 75-C-0009-A001.


ABSTRACT As traditional international trophy hunting destinations are becoming less accessible due to hunting restrictions and regulations, new destinations are entering the scene, such as the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, located in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan has grown to be one of the top destinations for international trophy hunting of argali Ovis ammon and ibex Capra sibirica, both of which are in danger of extinction. Empirically, the article draws on a case study from the largest region in Kyrgyzstan, At-Bashy, and 395 questionnaires with local inhabitants from 5 villages, and 1 interview with an international trophy hunting tour operator. In this article, the impacts of trophy hunting as a tourism practice in a rural context is discussed in terms of its sustainability and through the opinions of the local inhabitants. In sum, the negative impacts of trophy hunting in At-Bashy seem to overrule the positive ones, and in its current form it is not sustainable. The local inhabitants report about a decrease in argali and ibex during the last years; they receive basically no economic benefits from hunting tourism; and not surprisingly, 70% of the population rejects the further development of the industry in its current shape.


We used simulation to investigate robust designs and analyses for detecting trends from population surveys of Alaska harbor seals. We employed an operating model approach, creating simulated harbor seal population dynamics and haul-out behavior that incorporated factors thought to potentially affect the performance of aerial surveys. The factors included the number of years, the number of haul-out sites in an area, the number and timing of surveys within a year, known and unknown covariates affecting haul-out behavior, substrate effects, movement among substrates, and variability in survey and population parameters. We found estimates of population trend were robust to the majority of potentially confounding factors, and that adjusting counts for the effects of covariates was both possible and beneficial. The use of mean or maximum counts by site without covariate correction can lead to substantial bias and low power in trend determination. For covariate-corrected trend estimates, there was minimal bias and loss of accuracy was negligible when surveys were conducted 20 d before or after peak haul-out attendance, survey date became progressively earlier across years, and peak attendance fluctuated across years. Trend estimates were severely biased when the effect of an unknown covariate resulted in a long-term trend in the fraction of the population hauled out. A key factor governing the robustness and power of harbor seal population surveys is intersite variability in trend. This factor is well understood for sites within the Prince William Sound and Kodiak trend routes for which at least 10 consecutive annual surveys have been conducted, but additional annual counts are needed for other areas. The operating model approach proved to be an effective means of evaluating these surveys and should be used to evaluate other marine mammal survey designs.


Purpose: Insights regarding the results of interdisciplinary communication about patient care are limited. We explored the perceptions of intensivists, junior physicians, and nurses about patient care directly after the interdisciplinary rounds (IDRs) in the intensive care unit (ICU) to determine mutual agreement. Methods: A single-center survey study adapted from Pronovost "daily goal sheet" was performed in the ICUs for adults at a university medical center. Participants were intensivists, junior physicians, and ICU nurses. This survey, consisting of 14 items, was obtained directly after IDRs. Descriptive statistics of 90 observations of 30 discussed patient plans were computed. The internal consistency of the survey was measured by Cronbach α. Results: Differences between the hypothesized agreement of 90% and the saturated agreement revealed significant differences in 12 of the 14 items between the 3 groups of ICU care providers. Results of the differing agreement between intensivist and junior physicians or ICU nurses and between ICU nurses and junior physicians revealed that intensivists tend to agree more with ICU nurses than they do with the junior physicians. Internal consistency showed α = .74. Conclusions: The recommendation of IDRs without mutual agreement in important aspects of patient care hampers safety in daily practice. This study demonstrates that a survey to determine this agreement between the intensivists, junior physicians, and ICU nurses has low agreement, as measured directly after the IDRs.


At the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, all higher education institutions had to abruptly migrate from face-to-face mode of learning to virtual learning. Students and faculty members were thrown into the process of acquainting themselves with a fully virtual system. How prepared were institutions, faculty members, and students for the abrupt and massive transition to online learning? The study examined the faculty and students' perspective of online learning during COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the study examined the perceptions of faculty and students on the preparedness of higher education institutions for online teaching and learning. The study also determined the perceptions of staff and students towards online education, constraints, and opportunities. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted at a public university in Kenya. A semi-structured interview was conducted on a total sample of 36 respondents; 24 students and 12 faculty members to capture unique, idiosyncratic and whole individual viewpoints. A conventional Content Analysis was done to determine words or concepts within the transcripts. The findings showed that the study institution, faculty members, and students were unprepared for the immediate and massive shift to online teaching and learning and had challenges using virtual technologies for teaching and learning during the lockdown. These challenges ranged from insufficient or lack of internet bandwidth, training, increased teaching and learning workloads to limited time for interactions. Based on the findings, the study suggests significant implications for higher education institution leaders, policymakers, faculty, and students. The study contributes to the existing literature by analyzing the perceptions of faculty and students about the preparedness of institutions, faculty, and students on the abrupt shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.


textabstractOver the past decades we have witnessed an increasing divide between academic research in quantitative marketing and practice. In this address I review potential sources leading to this increased divide as well as solutions that have been suggested in the literature to bridge academics and practitioners. Many of the reasons leading to the divide are structurally inherent in the way academic institutions operate. However, the solutions I review involve both academic institutions and individual researchers aiming to increase the impact of their research on practitioners.


A patient dosimetry system using MOSFET technology (Thomson and Neilson Electronics Ltd, Canada) is evaluated for entrance surface dose measurements in diagnostic radiology. The system sensitivity for the standard MOSFET detector coupled to a high sensitivity bias supply was measured to be 1 mV mGy-1. Response of a new high sensitivity dosemeter was measured to be 3 mV mGy-1. The minimum detectable entrance surface dose at which a single measurement can be made with less than 25% total uncertainty at the 95% confidence level was estimated to be 4 mGy for the standard dosemeter and 1.5 mGy for the new high sensitivity dosemeter. The dosemeters were found to be linear with absorbed dose in air, linear with dose rate and reproducible, although they showed some energy dependence across the diagnostic energy range. The system is also compared with thermoluminescent dosimetry (TLD) as a tool for the measurement of entrance surface dose in diagnostic radiology. MOSFET detectors are considered to have advantages over TLD dosemeters with the instant readout of entrance surface dose. These dosemeters do have the disadvantage that they are visible in radiographs, they have a finite shelf life and can only accumulate absorbed dose up to a limiting value after which the dosemeters can no longer be used.


Quantum dots (QDs) are colloidal fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals with exceptional optical properties. Their widespread use, particularly in light-emitting diodes (LEDs), displays, and photovoltaics, is questioning their potential toxicity. The most widely used QDs are CdSe and CdTe QDs, but due to the toxicity of cadmium (Cd), their use in electrical and electronic equipment is now restricted in the European Union through the Restriction of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS) directive. This has prompted the development of safer alternatives to Cd-based QDs; among them, InP QDs are the most promising ones. We recently developed RoHS-compliant QDs with an alloyed core composed of InZnP coated with a Zn(Se,S) gradient shell, which was further coated with an additional ZnS shell to protect the QDs from oxidative surface degradation. In this study, the toxicity of single-shelled InZnP/Zn(Se,S) core/gradient shell and of double-shelled InZnP/Zn(Se,S)/ZnS core/shell/shell QDs was evaluated both in their pristine form and after aging in a climatic chamber, mimicking a realistic environmental weathering. We show that both pristine and aged QDs, whatever their composition, accumulate in the cytoplasm of human primary keratinocytes where they form agglomerates at the vicinity of the nucleus. Pristine QDs do not show overt toxicity to cells, while aged QDs show cytotoxicity and genotoxicity and significantly modulate the mRNA expression of proteins involved in zinc homeostasis, cell redox response, and inflammation. While the three aged QDs show similar toxicity, the toxicity of pristine gradient-shell QD is higher than that of pristine double-shell QD, confirming that adding a second shell is a promising safer-by-design strategy. Taken together, these results suggest that end-of-life degradation products from InP-based QDs are detrimental to skin cells in case of accidental exposure and that the mechanisms driving this effect are oxidative stress, inflammation, and disturbance of cell metal homeostasis, particularly Zn homeostasis. Further efforts to promote safer-by-design formulations of QDs, for instance by reducing the In and Zn content and/or implementing a more robust outer shell, are therefore warranted.


Due to the ability to support a wide range of applications and to involve infrastructure elements, connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) technology has played an important role in the development of cooperative intelligent transport systems. Thus, with the available sensing system, CAVs can perceive the surrounding environment. Indeed, due to the involvement of CAVs, communication of vehicles to other related devices using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication plays critical roles. This paper summarizes the research and development trends when proposing driving models, with a particular attention to highway on-ramp merging scenarios. The challenges and future research directions are also presented.


Since the emergence of Things Fall Apart to now, Nigerian writers have always resorted to pictorial depiction of what readers can deem as verifiable in their narratives via various realistic aids and indices. But with the appearance of Ben Okri's narratives on the modern Nigerian literary landscape, this seeming concrete and smooth running literary conditionality appears to have been ruptured. This article attempts to describe Ben Okri's poetics as regards the setting of his narratives by detailing what artistic strategies enabled him to align himself with tradition in the portrayal of realistic setting, on one hand, and enhanced his deviation from this by creating fantastical out-of-this-world scenes in works bestriding the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, on the other. It also teases out what peculiar impress characters tend to make on setting and setting on characters. Curiously, this piece discovers that as Okri's genius matures, he appears to judge conventional setting important in so far as it is artistically agreeable with and supportive of the dominant imagery figured by major characters. This article hopes to further conventional theories of setting in Nigerian narratives by declaring that for the first time in modern Nigerian narratives, the magical, the improbable, the fantastical, the visionary, the prophetic, and the realism-oriented tend to emerge in Okri's corpus, in a way tremendously at variance with what is obtainable in Nigerian myths, legends, and folktales.


Summary-Electrical signals induced in semiconductor devices by a high-resolution scanning electron beam have been used to determine the boundaries of doped (p or n) regions, even when these boundaries lie beneath passivating oxide layers, or beneath evaporated metal leads. The uniformity of planar junctions lying beneath the device surface can also be ascertained by this method, and the junction depth can be estimated by comparing measurements made at different electron-beam voltages. The spatial resolution of this technique is limited by the penetration and scattering of electrons in the device material; these scattering effects are discussed, and representative micrographs showing resolutions of a few microns are presented, as well as various quantitative measurements related to the method. I. INTRODUCTION


We report two patients who underwent orbital exploration yielding the diagnosis of sclerosing orbital pseudotumor. The presenting symptoms were exophthalmos, visual loss, abnormal ocular mobility, and ocular pain. Computed tomographic (CT) scans showed masses in the orbital apex. Steroids were ineffective. Orbital pseudotumor is a heterogeneous diagnostic category of lymphoid infiltrations of the orbit with a wide spectrum of pathological conditions and intraorbital locations. The clinical presentation typically includes the sudden onset of pain, diplopia, lid edema, and exophthalmos. Visual loss is uncommon. Most cases resolve spontaneously or respond to steroid treatment. Although fibrosis may be a prominent histological finding, the literature contains little information concerning its significance. We discuss the evidence for considering the sclerosing pseudotumors to be a significant variant with unique clinical behavior. Although features suggestive of pseudotumor were present in our case, the presence of visual loss and an apical mass shown on the CT scan led to the presumptive diagnosis of tumor and exploratory operation. Neurosurgeons should be aware of this entity as a cause of visual loss and orbital mass. Proper suspicion may in some cases permit transorbital biopsy and avoid craniotomy, inasmuch as operation is of no therapeutic benefit in this disease.


Cotton is a crop with a high economic value, usually sprayed with large amounts of pesticides to control pests and diseases. Ramularia spot is a foliar disease that cause early defoliation and can compromise cotton yield; however, there is a need of information about the interaction of cultivars and plant height as a tool to improve ramularia control and increase yield. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the interaction between plant height, cultivar, and fungicides applied to the severity of the leaf spot and cotton yield. The experiment was carried on during the 2014/15 crop season in ChapadA£o do Sul, MS, Brazil. A randomized complete block design in a 2 A— 3 A— 3 factorial scheme was used, where the factors were plant heights (1 and 1.5 m), cultivar (FMT 701, FM 975, and FM 944) and type of fungicide (Negative control , FT1, and FT2). The fungicidal treatments consisted of sequential sprays of different fungicides, including the triazole, strobilurin, and carboxamide groups, recommended to farmers. The cultivar FM 975 showed greater ramularia spot progress curve when grown at 1 m height and without fungicide spray. The fungicides were efficient in reducing the severity of the ramularia spot and their use in shorter plants (1 m) increased yield. The cultivar FM 975 had the highest total yield.


We have performed immunohistochemical studies of mortalin in normal and tumor human brain sections. In normal brain sections, the expression was seen mainly as being confined to neurons. Normal astrocytes showed undetectable expression of this unique member of the heat shock 70 protein family. Three grades of astrocyte tumors (low-grade astrocytoma, anaplastic astrocytoma, and glioblastoma), however, showed an increasing number of mortalin-positive cells. Other types of brain tumors, such as meningiomas, neurinomas, pituitary adenomas, and metastases, also showed elevated levels of mortalin expression compared to those in the normal brain. Mortalin has earlier been reported to have differential intracellular distribution in normal and transformed cells in vitro. Therefore, we substantiated the present study with immunofluorescence localization of the protein in normal and glioblastoma cells. The observations indicated that the tumors might be expressing a nonpancytosolic mortalin. An increase in number of mortalin-positive cells with malignant progression of brain tumors and its correlation with Ki-67 (a cell proliferation marker)-positive cells further suggested an involvement of nonpancytosolic mortalin(s) in malignant transformation of cells in vivo.


Abstract #1045 Background:There are reasons to believe that beside dominant inheritance of breast cancer other modes of inheritance as recessive inheritance ought to exist. Studies have however failed to find recessive inheritance.Patients developing lobular carcinoma who often show multifocal and bilateral presentation could be a candidate phenotype for such a recessive disorder. Further a previous hypothesis suggests that lobular carcinomas develop from a more mature breast tissue later in reproductive life than f.i. tumours of ductal origin. Therefore lobular carcinomas ought to present at a later age and breast cancer without other cancer sites would be the predominant tumour occurring in such families.
 Objective: To study breast cancer patients and relate their type of family history (vertical, horizontal or combined) to tumour histology and then especially the number of lobular carcinomas in relation to age at presentation in order to possibly identify a recessive phenotype for breast cancer.
 Material and methods: Two different sets of patients have been used. First from a consecutive series of breast cancer patients(n=1682) seen at the Department of Oncology, University Hospital, Lund between 1980-2002, randomnly seen by one physician, a comprehensive standardized family history was taken. Family history was classified into 4 groups; vertical (sister-sister), horizontal (mother-daughter), combined or none. Family history was related to whether the patient had developed lobular carcinoma and the age at tumour presentation (≤50 years or above 65 years). Secondly in patients with ≥4 malignant tumours of which at least one is a breast cancer, n=67, (identified through the population based cancer registry) extended family trees were used and related to the tumour histology of the proband (lobular cancer or not).
 Results: Patients with a horizontal family history (sister-sister) had more lobular carcinomas (18.8%) compared with the other groups (11.3%), p=0.05. The relationship was strongest for patients with disease above 65 years of age (31% lobular carcinoma for horizontal vs 10.9% for the others), p=0.0003, but not significant for disease presentation below age 50.
 Conclusion: A horizontal family history (sister-sister) was significantly associated with lobular carcinoma developing at higher ages. These type of families may be the phenotype for studies of recessive genes in breast cancer, while in patients with multiple tumours of various types lobular carcinoma is not associated with a horisontal family history. This indicates that the possible phenotype for a recessive disorder encompassing lobular carcinoma should exhibit breast cancer as the only tumor type in the family. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 1045.


INTRODUCTION
Although typhoid fever is confirmed by culture of Salmonella Typhi, Widal test is widely used in India but little information exists about its reliability.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We examined the performance of Widal test in our hospital for diagnosis of typhoid fever in children. Hundred consecutive pediatric in-patients for whom, the Widal test was requested were grouped into four categories: widal positive and clinically consistent with typhoid fever (Group 1; n=42), widal negative but clinically consistent (Group 2, n=12), widal positive but not clinically consistent (Group 3, n=12) and widal negative and also not clinically consistent (Group 4, n=34). The results were analyzed by the test performance criteria, namely, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) using culture-confirmed typhoid fever cases as the "true positives".

RESULTS
We found that 7/100 patients had culture-proven typhoid fever. Using a cut off ≥ 50 for O agglutinins or ≥100 for H agglutinins, the Widal test gave a sensitivity of 71.43%, specificity of 47.31%, and a positive predictive value of 09.25% and a negative predictive value of 95.65%.

CONCLUSION
The Widal test is an easy, inexpensive and relatively non-invasive but is not reliable in our set up because of a low PPV. There is a need for a more efficient rapid diagnostic test for typhoid fever.


SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITYBidding wars are breaking out in academe as prestigious institutions vie for the top researchers in high-profile areas of physics and astronomy. The accelerating pace of mobility threatens to destroy small groups that universities have carefully built up in emerging subfields--sometimes before the Princetons and Harvards saw the trend. Others think the aggressive recruiting actually has benefits, as it spreads ideas around and encourages collaboration.


The aim of the paper is an analysis and comparison of the two constructs Brand Engagement and Brand Experience. Through a brief survey of the literature the paper shows that brand engagement involves and dwells the consumers, and not only the consumer, in the world of brands. On the other hand brand experience is a construct that moves the marketing from an orientation to the market to an orientation to the client and the paper shows briefly how this experiential marketing works.Finally, the comparison shows that there is a special relation between these two terms and that the brand experience contains the brand engagement.We can simply place the brand engagement out of Aaker's Pyramid and put it in the brand experience module. Precisely the brand engagement is related with the Relate, the fifth brand experien ce module of the experiential marketing.


Context. We present a purely-radiative hydrodynamical model of the κ-mechanism that sustains radial oscillations in Cepheid variables. Aims. We determine the physical conditions favourable for the κ-mechanism to occur inside a layer, with a configurable conductivityhollow. We complete nonlinear direct numerical simulations (DNS) that initiate from these most favourable conditions. Methods. We compare the results of a linear-stability analysis, applied to radial modes using a spectral solver, and a DNS, which is developed from a high-order finite difference code. Results. We find that by changing the location and shape of the hollow, we can generate well-defined instability strips. For a given position in the layer, the amplitude and width of the hollow appear to be key parameters to vary to attain unstable modes driven by the κ-mechanism. The DNS, starting from the favourable conditions, confirm both the growth rates and the structures of linearly-unstable modes. Nonlinear saturation is produced by intricate couplings between excited fundamental mode and higher damped overtones.


Social Media applications are recently widespread and popular method of engagement among undergraduate students and instructors in Saudi Arabia. However, the extreme use of these sites has raised concern on their impact on the students' academic performance and generally learning. This study investigated perceptions of undergraduate students, enrolled in Education College at King Faisal University in Saudi Arabia, toward social media usage. In addition, it examined the relationship of students' usage purpose as well as usage period with their academic performance (cumulative GPA). This study also sought to establish the most popular applications that students preferred. For the purposes of data collection, questionnaires were distributed and 132 undergraduate students (56 Male & 76 female) enrolled in the current study. Data were analyzed and results indicated that there were general positive perceptions toward using social media for academic purposes. Additionally, results showed that there was a statistical significant relationship between the purpose of social media usage and students' academic performance in favor of personal purposes while there were no relationship found regarding educational and occupational purposes. Findings also revealed that there were no statistically impact of students' usage period of social media on academic performance. WhatsApp and Twitter were the most preferred social media options used among students whereas Wiki, Facebook and LinkedIn were the lowest options reported. The findings of this study can be used to recommend the effective ways of incorporating social media into learning activities without affecting students' performance. It can also be used to propose ways of assisting students maintain a balance between social and academic activities. Implications and recommendations for further research are discussed.


An exponential growth in elderly population reflects a proportional increase in recourses that are unaffordable and unsustainable to the economy. This rapid demand for health services and long-term care not only leads to non-financial implication like shortage of manpower and long waiting time, but this also creates a large burden on health and related services in the public sector. Involving the private sector to provide better and more efficient facilities and services and to encourage innovation will enhance productivity, speed up project and service delivery, and increase opportunities for investment in health. This chapter examines existing problems within health care systems in aging populations such as Hong Kong, explores the advantages and challenges of Public Private Partnership (PPP), identifies successful factors in establishing PPPs models, reviews the PPP projects in Hong Kong and elsewhere and recommends methods in promoting PPP in health and long-term care as sustainable solutions.


Knowledge discovery in databases (KDD) was defined as the non-trivial process of identifying valid, potentially useful and ultimately understandable patterns in data [1]. Knowledge discovery is considered as the overall process of discovering while data mining refers to the applications of algorithms for extracting patterns from data. In this paper, a prototype of a KDD system, refer to as the Knowledge Explorer (KE), has been developed. KE is an interactive and task-driven knowledge discovery system. It has a friendly human-oriented interface and some powerful mining tools. The basic process of discovering and the logical scheme of KE are introduced. Five components of KE, including the database, the domain knowledge hierarchies, the discovery task editor, data mining tools and the reporter of discovered knowledge, are discussed. Examples are given to illustrate how KE deals with a specific discovery task. Transactions on Information and Communications Technologies vol 19 © 1998 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3517


Using a chimeric primer consisting of the nucleotide sequence derived from the HIV-1 envelope gene coding for the second conserved region of gp120, and the highly conserved sequence derived from the human immunoglobulin gene coding for the VHIII domain, it has been identified in sera of AIDS patients HIV-1 field isolates carrying the complete and active Chi recombination hot spot (GCTGGTGG). The recombination between the HIV-1 gene coding for the central portion of gp120 and the bacterial gene coding for the clp protease was also demonstrated in vivo. These results point out serious concern that vectored AIDS vaccine candidates carrying the HIV-1 env gene on viral and bacterial vectors could become the source of potentially new infectious diseases rather than an effective instrument for AIDS prevention.


According to classical Christian doctrine, the human body is not a container for the soul but its "form". In defending a form of this view, I suggest that the resurrected body of Christ represents the truth of human flesh. In the light of the resurrected and glorified body of Christ, who still bears his wounds, death can be understood as the loss of something irreplaceable and therefore mourned as a horrific deprivation of life; that is, because eternal life consists in the vision of God by our whole selves, and not just a separated soul, a proper Christian anthropology that began in some sense with the glorified body of Christ as the "truth of the physical" might suggest a very different biomedical practice than that with which we are familiar, which often proceeds from a methodological materialism underwritten by a dualistic metaphysics.


Guide on public sector reform, administration and management. Unfortunately, licensed resources are available to only World Bank and IMF staff with an institutional user ID and password.


This paper investigates the design and performance of hybrid sequential and nonsequential acquisition schemes for direct-sequence spread-spectrum (DS/SS) systems in the presence of multiple-access interference. Carrier phase and chip boundary information are not available at the time of acquisition. Simulation results show that the sequential scheme significantly outperforms the nonsequential scheme. For a DS/SS system using the sequential acquisition scheme, the acquisition-based capacity is evaluated and compared with the post acquisition-based capacity. Results show that for certain values of processing gain the system capacity is limited by the acquisition-based capacity.


Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials evaluating the selective cholesterol absorption inhibitor ezetimibe have demonstrated that the drug is safe and effective, both as monotherapy and in combination with several statins. Placebo-controlled phase 2 studies of 8 and 12 weeks' duration established that ezetimibe monotherapy achieved maximum cholesterol lowering at doses between 10 and 20 mg daily. Additional dose-scheduling studies demonstrated that evening dosing was only slightly more effective than morning dosing, and that the drug could be taken with or without food without any impairment in efficacy. These studies also showed that ezetimibe was well tolerated, with side effects no different from those seen with placebo. Short-term, early phase 2 studies evaluating the coadministration of ezetimibe and a number of different statins found that coadministration was safe, that ezetimibe did not alter the pharmacokinetics of the statins or vice versa, and that the reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were complementary, with the degree of cholesterol lowering seen with ezetimibe monotherapy maintained when it was given in combination with a statin. These studies indicate that combination therapy with ezetimibe and a starting dose of a statin produces a reduction in cholesterol levels equivalent to that seen with an 8-fold higher statin dose. Larger, long-term phase 3 trials confirmed the efficacy and safety of the 10-mg dose and also demonstrated that ezetimibe monotherapy is an excellent alternative for patients who cannot tolerate statins.


In 2002, the Urban Institute established the Reentry Mapping Network (RMN), a partnership of jurisdictions throughout the country that are engaged in mapping and analyzing prisoner reentry and community data to help inform local policies and practices. This report describes the methods underlying the RMN so that other jurisdictions can learn from these experiences and replicate their efforts in the interests of crafting more effective and successful reentry strategies at the community level. These experiences learned are derived from the three RMN partners funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ): Washington, DC, Winston-Salem, NC, and Milwaukee, WI.


Equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) is an effective process to produce materials with increased mechanical properties and no change of billet size. In the present paper the experimental and finite element analysis results of ECAP investigation were obtained. The influ- ence of die geometry and friction condition on irregularity of shear strain field in the cross section of the billet and therefore on mechanical properties distribution was studied. ECAP was shown to be always characterized by irregular shear strain distribution. Depending on die geometry and friction condition that irregularity could be reduced.


A set of points W in Euclidean space is said to realize the finite group G if the isometry group of W is isomorphic to G. We show that every finite group G can be realized by a finite subset of some R n, with n < |G|. The minimum dimension of a Euclidean space in which G can be realized is called its isometry dimension. We discuss the isometry dimension of small groups and offer a number of open questions.


This paper presents a general methodology for the conversion of the sequential evolutionary algorithms into parallel evolutionary algorithms using MPI. The methodology is showed by applying it to a combinatorial optimization problem well-known as Water Distribution Networks. Also a comparison of two parallelization approaches is done, showing the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. The implementation of this parallel algorithm reduces the necessary time to obtain good solutions for NP-Complete problems as Water Distribution Networks.


The quantum fluctuations of horizons in Robertson-Walker universes and in the Schwarzschild spacetime are discussed. The source of the metric fluctuations is taken to be quantum linear perturbations of the gravitational field. Lightcone fluctuations arise when the retarded Green's function for a massless field is averaged over these metric fluctuations. This averaging replaces the delta-function on the classical lightcone with a Gaussian function, the width of which is a measure of the scale of the lightcone fluctuations. Horizon fluctuations are taken to be measured in the frame of a geodesic observer falling through the horizon. In the case of an expanding universe, this is a comoving observer either entering or leaving the horizon of another observer. In the black hole case, we take this observer to be one who falls freely from rest at infinity. We find that cosmological horizon fluctuations are typically characterized by the Planck length. However, black hole horizon fluctuations in this model are much smaller than Planck dimensions for black holes whose mass exceeds the Planck mass. Furthermore, we find black hole horizon fluctuations which are sufficiently small as not to invalidate the semiclassical derivation of the Hawking process.


Brucellosis is a worldwide human and animal infectious disease, and the effective methods of its control are immunisation of animals by vaccination and elimination. Brucella abortus S19 is one of the popular vaccines with virulence in the control of cattle Brucellosis. In the present study, allelic exchange plasmids of wzm and wzt genes and partial knockout mutants of wzm and wzt were constructed to evaluate the resulting difference in virulence of B. abortus S19. PCR analysis revealed that the target genes were knocked out. The mutants were rough mutants and they could be differentiated from natural infection by the Rose Bengal plate and standard agglutination tests. The molecular weights of lipopolysaccharides of the Δwzm and Δwzt mutants were clustered between 25 and 40 kDa, and 30 and 35 kDa separately, and were markedly different from those in B. abortus S19. The virulence of B. abortus Δwzm and Δwzt was decreased compared with that of B. abortus S19 in mice. All these results identified that there were several differences between the wzm and wzt genes on lipopolysaccharide synthesis and on the virulence of B. abortus.


Nineteen genotypes of bunch groundnut were grouped into nine clusters. HPS (Hand picked aad selected seeds) groundnut genotypes were clustered into different clusters though the character kernel weight was not included. It revealed that the presence of morphological differences between HPS types and other genotypes. The clusters II Vs IX, II Vs VIII and I Vs IX were divergent clusters. Hence genotypes in these clusters namely, TNAU 364, TNAU 390, VRI 2, TNAU 385 (Cluster I), TNAU 412 (Cluster 11), TNAU 387 (Cluster VIII) and TNAU 407 (cluster IX) couId be crossed among themselves to produce wider segregation among the progenies. The cluster VI showed superiority for pod yield, matured pods and reproductive efficiency. The characters namely total number of flowers, primary and secondary branches contributed more towards total divergence. Hence selection could be practised for these characters because of the presence of more variability.


In this work we demonstrate that the field emission characteristics of disordered Si-doped diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films depend not only on properties of the conductive clustered sp2 phase and the insulating sp3 matrix (or sp2/sp3 ratio) but also on the presence of Si–Hn and C–Hn species in the film. The presence of such species reduces the hardness of the film and simultaneously enhances the field emission performance. A turn on electric field (ETOF) of 6.76 V/µm produced a field emission current density of ∼0.2 mA/cm2, when an electric field of ∼20 V/µm was applied. The Fowler–Nordheim (FN) tunneling model is appropriate to explain the field emission mechanism only within limited range of the current density. However, it is found that there is an apparent crossover between space charge limited current (SCLC) and the Frenkel effect due to impurities incorporated during the fabrication of Si-DLC films. This combined effect (SCLC + Frenkel) allows for the emission of electrons from the top of the reduced barriers due to the formation of comparatively soft DLC:Si films. The emission also occurs through tunneling from one conductive cluster (sp2 C=C) to another separated by an insulating matrix (sp3 C–C) after reducing the effective depth of a trap on application of high electric field.


This chapter discusses the common angle to all contributions of this book. All share the understanding that intellectual property (IP) must be treated as a complex adaptive system (CAS). We examine IP structures, collaborations, distribution models and law-making in order to show the complex and interdependent relationships in which IP operates. This focus on IP as a complex adaptive system is necessary in order to address the problem of the "Valley of Death": many inventions developed in the laboratory or research institutes are not brought to the market, arguably due to the complex relationships that lie at the heart of innovation. We discuss complex adaptive systems as applied to IP and the phenomenon of the "Valley of Death" as the embedding of the following chapters.


Lesions of Meckel's cave are extremely uncommon and difficult to diagnose. The symptoms and signs are variable, and the lesions may not appear on routine roentgenographic or computed tomographic examination. A patient with a small epidermoid tumor of Meckel's cave that was diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging is herein reported. The epidermoid appeared as a low-intensity mass on the T1-weighted image and as a high-intensity mass on the T2-weighted image. Coronal sections defined the anatomic relationship to the trigeminal nerve. Preoperative recordings of the trigeminal sensory evoked response may be predictive of postoperative recovery of neurological deficits. Furthermore, intraoperative recording was extremely useful in avoiding inadvertent neurological injury. Review of the literature confirms the rarity of this lesion and the usefulness of magnetic resonance imaging in diagnosing it, although based on a limited number of cases.


The problem of elder drivers experiencing impariments that diminish their driving abilities raises serious concerns for public health and safety. Although this is an important health problem, existing state practices are inadequate in several respects and impose unnecessary negative social, economic, health, and psychological consequences for many of the elder drivers whose driving privileges are restricted or terminated.This article uses the approach of Therapeutic Jurisprudence to examine these issues by focusing attention on the antitherapeutic consequences of existing rules and practices. Therapeutic jurisprudence provides a useful complement to public health strategies for dealing with these issues. We seek to balance the public health needs of the community with the desire to minimize the negative consequences that existing practices pose on the psychological wellbeing of elder drivers and their families. We propose a comprehensive solution based on the Social Ecology of Health model augmented by principles and approaches of therapeutic jurisprudence. This model, which we call the Safe Driving Center, combines screening and assessment, remedial/rehabilitation interventions, education and training, individual and family counseling, and a comprehensive community-based approach for dealing with the problem preventatively. Whenever possible, the center will seek to persuade impaired elder drivers voluntarily to cease or restrict their driving by offering inducements and alternative transportation solutions.


2. STUDY SITES Abstract A method is presented for the mapping of wind speed over the ocean using satellite (ERS-2 SAR, ENVISAT ASAR) and airborne (E-SAR) synthetic aperture radars. Impacts of a large offshore wind farm on the local wind climate are described quantitatively from the radar measurements. Of particular interest is the magnitude and extent of wakes (i.e. regions of reduced wind speed and high turbulence intensity). Results indicate that wind speed reductions in the order of 1 m s occur and that wind speed recovers to match the free stream velocity over a downstream distance of ~10 km. This is the minimum spacing that should be recommended between large offshore wind farms in order to limit shadowing and reduced power production. An array of 80 wind turbines are operating at Horns Rev in the North Sea, Denmark (http://www.hornsrev.dk/). The spacing between individual turbines is 560 m and the distance to shore is 16-20 km. Another wind farm consisting of 72 turbines is located at Nysted in the Baltic where turbines are spaced with 867 m in the east-west direction and 481 m in the north-south direction. The distance to shore is 10-13 km. All turbines have a total height of 110 m above mean sea level.


Objectives. The longitudinal oscillations of a vertical rod of a continually discrete system with kinematic seismic disturbances in the form of a stationary random process are considered.Method. A method for determining the variance of the output process of displacements, using the representation of the input random process as a sum of harmonic deterministic perturbations, is proposed and implemented.Result. The dependence function of the dispersion of displacements on the longitudinal coordinate is determined. Longitudinal vibrations of vertical rods near the epicenter of earthquakes are dangerous for their strength and stability. The methods of finite differences and coordinate descent allow you to create universal algorithms and computer programs that easily solve complex spectral problems.Conclusion. To date, research on random vibrations of buildings and structures, as well as regulatory documents, has been devoted to horizontal seismic effects and transverse bending vibrations caused by them. Examples indicate the need to expand the scope of research with the inclusion of other types of vibrations: combinations of longitudinal with transverse, angular, torsional, parametric, etc. This design can be easily adapted to vibrations of rods of variable cross section, to vibrations of continually discrete rods.