The empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is the core of the Hilbert–Huang transform (HHT). In HHT, the EMD is responsible for decomposing a signal into intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) for calculating the instantaneous frequency and eventually the Hilbert spectrum. The EMD method as originally proposed, however, has an annoying mode mixing problem caused by the signal intermittency, making the physical interpretation of each IMF component unclear. To resolve this problem, the ensemble EMD (EEMD) was subsequently developed. Unlike the conventional EMD, the EEMD defines the true IMF components as the mean of an ensemble of trials, each consisting of the signal with added white noise of finite, not infinitesimal, amplitude. In this study, we further proposed an extension and alternative to EEMD designated as the noise-modulated EMD (NEMD). NEMD does not eliminate mode but intensify and amplify mixing by suppressing the small amplitude signal but the larger signals would be preserved without waveform deformation. Thus, NEMD may serve as a new adaptive threshold amplitude filtering. The principle, algorithm, simulations, and applications are presented in this paper. Some limitations and additional considerations of using the NEMD are also discussed.


Abstract. Impact-focused studies of extreme weather require coupling of accurate simulations of weather and climate systems and impact-measuring hydrological models which themselves demand larger computer resources. In this paper, we present a preliminary analysis of a high-performance computing (HPC)-based hydrological modelling approach, which is aimed at utilizing and maximizing HPC power resources, to support the study on extreme weather impact due to climate change. Here, four case studies are presented through implementation on the HPC Wales platform of the UK mesoscale meteorological Unified Model (UM) with high-resolution simulation suite UKV, alongside a Linux-based hydrological model, Hydrological Predictions for the Environment (HYPE). The results of this study suggest that the coupled hydro-meteorological model was still able to capture the major flood peaks, compared with the conventional gauge- or radar-driving forecast, but with the added value of much extended forecast lead time. The high-resolution rainfall estimation produced by the UKV performs similarly to that of radar rainfall products in the first 2–3 days of tested flood events, but the uncertainties particularly increased as the forecast horizon goes beyond 3 days. This study takes a step forward to identify how the online mode approach can be used, where both numerical weather prediction and the hydrological model are executed, either simultaneously or on the same hardware infrastructures, so that more effective interaction and communication can be achieved and maintained between the models. But the concluding comments are that running the entire system on a reasonably powerful HPC platform does not yet allow for real-time simulations, even without the most complex and demanding data simulation part.


By applying the methodology of transdisciplinary studies, this work examines the phenomenon of Narcissism and narcissistic artistic character in the autobiography of Salvador Dali "I am the genius" (The Secret World of Salvador Dali), in the paining "The Metamorphosis of Narcissus", and in Dali's original poetry through the prisms of mythology, psychoanalysis and psychosexuality by constructing of the narcissistic character (artistic "Persona") as a model for identity strategies in contemporary art practices. The text is analysing some of Dali's unique personality characteristics and creative and personal expression, with a special insight into his childhood and the term of narcissistic personality structure according to Sigmund Freud, also analysing the key-role of Gala Dali. The text includes some postulates of the art movement of Surrealism that Dali applied in his work, from the "Surrealism Manifesto" and the Surrealism practices. In a case study, the text analyses the painting "Metamorphosis of Narcissus", its content, symbolism, style and visual elements. A possible influence of Sigmund Freud is described, and Dali's original method of "Critical Paranoia" is elaborated. The closing sections are describing the fascinating dimensions of the personality cult that Dali and his narcissistic character reached in the last years of his life. A special focus is made on the musealisation of Dali - his numerous museums and bequests, memorials and collections, the founding of which has contributed to the building of a permanent monument to the artist and finally to the establishment of his status of a mythical personality - the "Dali" brand.


Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is one of the commonest injuries in athletes as about 80% of all surgeries performed on the knee ligaments are allocated to ACL. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a rehabilitation period on muscle torque, proprioception and range of motion after ACL reconstruction. 9 male athletes (mean age 28.77±5.2 years) who had ACL reconstruction surgery using a hamstring graft participated in this study as the sample. After physiotherapy, muscle torque and proprioception were measured using the Biodex isokinetic dynamometer (system 3) and range of motion was assessed by manual goniometer. Paired samples t test was used to analyze the data. The results of this study showed that the injured knee of patients had significantly lower mean torque in extensor than the uninjured knee (P≤0.05). No significant difference was observed in range of motion between the injured and uninjured knee (P≥0.05). Only one patient had higher error of proprioception in the injured knee than uninjured knee. Although the patients had lower error of proprioception in their injured knee, no significant difference was observed (P≥0.05). It can be concluded that although rehabilitation after ACL surgery was not able to improve strength in the injured knee, it could improve range of motion and proprioception in knee joint.


Mamey sapote ( Pouteria spp., Sapotaceae) is a tree fruit of economic and cultural importance in South Florida, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. This study is among the first to analyze genetic variability among cultivated selections of mamey sapote. The Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP) technique was used to estimate levels of genetic diversity in the germplasm collections of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and University of Florida. Although the collections overall represent a low level of genetic diversi- ty, higher levels of genetic diversity were found among selec- tions from Central America. This indicates future plant collection in that region could capture greater genetic diversi- ty. This information can be applied to the management and ex- pansion of the germplasm collections by identifying duplicate selections, mislabeled plants, and locating geographical areas for future collection.


Greater Glasgow Health Board's strategy for the development of community mental health services includes the establishment, over a 7-year period, of multi-disciplinary community mental health resource centres throughout Glasgow. An evaluation of the first phase of the development was carried out in three resource centres. This focused on three key themes: the establishment of multi-disciplinary teams, targeting of those with the most severe illnesses and the participation of users in the care process. The evaluation exercise comprised five substantive elements: analysis of the clinical database; interviews with staff within each of those centres, interviews with representatives of key external agencies associated with each centre; a survey of general practitioners; and a survey of the views of clients, their carers, their key workers, and their general practitioners (GPs). Clients were generally very satisfied with the services and felt that the resource centres met all their mental health needs. Although the majority of current centre cases had severe mental illnesses and those with the more severe conditions had the highest contact rates there was evidence that in the absence of a clear framework for referral the centres were also providing services for those with less severe illnesses. Despite a wish by centre staff to move towards modes of working less dominated by health professionals and more inclusive of other resources and especially of clients themselves, these goals remained to be achieved: there was a lack of clarity in the definition of the appropriate target groups for the centres; access to crisis support was regarded as problematic; the concept of multi-disciplinary team working had yet to be fully realized with evidence suggesting that some psychiatrists working in the resource centres had not embraced many aspects of the new approach to service delivery including a focus on the severely ill; and progress towards the ideal of active client involvement had been slow.


Methods This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 105 cardiac patients. They were randomly divided into three groups: peppermint essential oil (n = 35), lavender essential oil (n = 35), and control (n = 35). Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) was used to collect data. The intervention was performed for 7 nights. Before and after the intervention, the questionnaire was completed by all patients. In each intervention group, patients inhaled 3 drops of lavender or peppermint essential oils. In the control group, patients inhaled 3 drops of aromatic placebo. Results The results showed the average fatigue decreased in the study groups. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups of lavender and peppermint in terms of mean fatigue after the intervention. However, there was a statistically significant difference between lavender and control groups (P < 0.001), as well as peppermint and control groups (P < 0.001). Conclusion Aromatherapy with peppermint and lavender essential oils can reduce the fatigue of cardiac patients, so the use of these fragrances is recommended.


In next-generation wireless networks, provisioning of IP-based network architecture and seamless transmission services are very important issues for mobile nodes. For this reason, a mobility management mechanism to support global roaming is highly regarded. These technologies bring a broader life by using a global roaming account through the connection of multiple devices or technology to mobile users; they also provide real-time multimedia services. This paper presents a comprehensive performance analysis of fast handover for hierarchical mobile IPv6 (F-HMIPv6), hierarchical mobile IPv6 (HMIPv6), Proxy Mobile IPv6 (PMIPv6), and fast Proxy Mobile IPv6 (FPMIPv6) using the fluid-flow model and random-walk model. As a result, the location update cost of the PMIPv6 and FPMIPv6 is better than that of HMIPv6 and F-HMIPv6. These results suggest that the network-based mobility management technology is superior to the hierarchical mobility management technology in the mobility environment.


Abstract During mechanical disintegration of the rock, for mining works are used also roadheaders. Roadheaders, in comparison with disintegration by blasting operations can without interuption, and works changes with one machine, dissolve, load and at the same time mine disintegrated rock. These electro-hydraulic machines cause no harmful vibrations and are ideal for mining coal and other soft rock minerals. Mechanical mining is safer, protects the rock environment, allows mining without further breaks, allows you to achieve a higher level of daily progress and also saves work. The analysis of occupational accidents in the Slovak Republic shows that it is necessary require from employees increased attention in any work activity and attention in the work performed (mainly work in handling material, objects and burdens). In the underground coal mines further attention needs to be paid to securing hazardous areas, it is necessary to proceed in such a way as to prevent as much as possible the fall of rock as much as possible Underground roads require modification and equipment in accordance with regulations. It is necessary to follow health and safety instructions mentioned in operating and maintenance documentation. Correction of some deficiencies is ordered by a decision of the Mining Office. Most measures are aimed at adhering to technological discipline, to complement operating documentation, to prevent rock falls, to equip some machinery and transport equipment, to work procedures for handling loads, to maintenance of mining works and for explosion and anti-vapor prevention. In this article, we assess the safety risks of two roadheaders for coal mining works in Slovak conditions. Pairwise comparisons of the criteria of selected roadheaders were used to determine the safety risks, as well as taking into account the risks and safety measures according to the mixed methods following to the standard.


We report a heterodyne receiver using a superconducting NbN hot electron bolometer (HEB) integrated with a tight winding spiral antenna as mixer and a distributed feedback (DFB) terahertz quantum cascade laser (QCL) operating at 3.42 THz as local oscillator. The aim is to demonstrate the readiness of both devices for the detection of OH lines at 3.5 THz in a real instrument. We show that the improved single-spot beam of the terahertz QCL can easily pump the HEB mixer. We measured a double sideband receiver noise temperature of 2100 K at the optimum local oscillator power of 290 nW. This noise temperature can be further reduced to 1100 K if we correct the loss due to the use of an uncoated lens, and the losses of the window and the air. Therefore, the combination of a HEB and such a DFB QCL can in principle be used to detect an OH line at 3.5 THz. However, a high input power of several watts, which is needed to operate the QCL in a liquid-helium cryostat, poses a big challenge to the receiver stability.


To investigate teachers' perceptions and actions regarding the psychological and counselling needs of their pupils, we collected data from 258 teachers in primary and secondary schools. The teachers' reports revealed significant differences between teachers in the two educational settings, in almost all the issues investigated. Secondary school pupils were described as more troubled by various issues and more in need of individual counselling in school than their primary school counterparts. Secondary school teachers are approached mainly with issues associated with school lives, whereas primary school pupils request more help on personal and family matters. Secondary school teachers report having less time, perceiving their involvement with their pupils' emotional life as less central to their task, and believing that their own attitudes and characteristics influence their relations with their pupils. Primary school teachers, presumably being part of a school organizational culture that legitimizes greater involvement with pupils, nurture their relationships with their pupils and make it easier for pupils to approach them, making greater use of classroom activities and specific methods intended for this purpose. While some of these findings could be explained in terms of the developmental differences between primary and secondary school pupils, it is suggested that the differential impact ofthe environment in the two types of schools affects teachers' roles and intentions in dealing with their pupils' emotional lives and needs.


The purpose of this study is to identify current trends in hip-hop fashion in korea and how they are influenced by musical characteristics of female hip-hop. This study considers the relationship between female hip-hop music and their fashion through the history of hip-hop. Data has been collected and analyzed from broadcastings, performances, music videos, and album jackets of female musicians who appeared in the cable television program 'Unpretty Rapstar' by MNET during two seasons in 2015. "Unpretty Rapstar" is the first program to focus on the music and fashion of female Korean hip-hop musicians. For the theoretical review, this article examines books and journal articles, which provide insight into the history and formation of hip-hop. It also analyzes the hip-hop styles of female musicians in Korea through Hiphopplaya.com, an Internet site specializing in hip-hop. the results of the analysis of the fashion of female Korean hip hop musicians is as follows: The characteristics of the styles of female hip-hop artists come out of Glam Style, which emphasizes femininity, but is also composed of a practical and dynamic street casual style. Most of the clothes are skinny jeans and sweat suits with vertical and slim-fit silhouettes or stadium jackets and jersey jackets with oversized silhouettes. The main colors of these outfits are prominently yellow and red with darker grayish tones, but also include natural achromatic colors.


This interdisciplinary work focuses on the interest of a new auto-encoder for supervised classification of live cell populations growing in a thermostated imaging station and acquired by a Quantitative Phase Imaging (QPI) camera. This type of camera produces interferograms that have to be processed to extract features derived from quantitative linear retardance and birefringence measurements. QPI is performed on living populations without any manipulation or treatment of the cells. We use the efficient new autoencoder classification method instead of the classical Douglas-Rachford method. Using this new supervised autoencoder, we show that the accuracy of the classification of the cells present in the mitotic phase of the cell cycle is very high using QPI features. This is a very important finding since we demonstrate that it is now possible to very precisely follow cell growth in a non-invasive manner, without any bias. No dye or any kind of markers are necessary for this live monitoring. Any studies requiring analysis of cell growth or cellular response to any treatment could benefit from this new approach by simply monitoring the proportion of cells entering mitosis in the studied cell population.


This paper turns around the key concern that it has become almost impossible to imagine a form of the future that is neither a prolongation of what already exists nor its apocalyptic demise. In trying to find ways of reconceiving the future in a more productive fashion, the paper relies heavily on Fredric Jameson's work. Jameson worries that the traditional realist novel, which has featured so prominently in discussions of 'literature' in the field of organization studies, has committed itself far too readily to what he terms 'ontological realism': the deliberate confusion of that which is meaningful with that which exists. He therefore explores the potential of Science Fiction (SF), and in particular radical SF from the 1960s and 1970s, for figuring a break with a hollowed-out present. This is achieved, for example, by transforming our own present into the past of something yet to come. It is as if Walter Benjamin's angel of history would stand in an imaginary future with its face turned back towards our present. Such revelatory time-slips find their clearest expression in the novels of Philip K Dick, and it is to them that this paper will turn when working through some concrete examples.


HREE live poultry viruses-fowl pox, Rous sarcoma and Newcastle diseasehave been employed experimentally at the Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Maryland, iin studies designed to test their action on parthenogenesis in eggs of Beltsville Small White (BSW) turkeys. Each of the viruses was found to have an enhancing influence on cells of parthenogenetic origin (OLSEN 1956, 1961; OLSEN and POOLE 1962 and unpublished observations). The same viruses, however, on being inactivated with beta-propnolactone and subsequently used to inoculate virgin BSW turkeys, had no affect on the level of macroscopic observable parthenogenesis in unfertilized eggs ( OLSEN 1962). Selective breeding has likewise been shown to be an effective method of increasing the predisposition for parthenogenesis in BSW turkeys. Between 1952 and 1963, the average level of parthenogenesis in turkey eggs at this station increased from 16.7% to over 40%. The most significant increase came in numbers of embryos, from a level of 0.2% in 1952 to about 12% in 1963 (OLSEN 1965). All turkeys were routinely vaccinated each year for fowl pox on reaching 6 to 8 weeks of age and again at 30 t o 32 weeks. The relative importance of roles played by genetic factors and fowl pox virus, especially in embryo production and hatched parthenogens, remains obscure. It was most aesirable, therefore, that a series of breeding tests be initiated whereby two genetically similar populations of turkeys would be selected for a high and/or low incidence of parthenogenesis, one group of birds in the presence of fowl pox virus, the other in the presumed absence of this virus. A cooperative study dlesigned to obtain information on the respective roles of genetic factors and fowl pox virus in parthenogenesis was initiated in 1961 with Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.


Large woody debris (LWD) significantly influences the structure and function of small headwater streams. However, what it contributes to geomorphic function depends on where it is located relative to the stream channel. We quantified LWD abundance and tested for associations among decay, position, orientation and function classes in 21 streams near Hinton, Alberta, Canada. LWD was more frequent (64.0 ± 3.3 LWD 100 m−1) in streams in the Alberta foothills than it was in small streams in mountain, coastal, broadleaf deciduous and boreal forests, likely due to the narrow channel widths and low capacity of our study streams to transport logs downstream. LWD volumes were greater in coastal streams than in the Alberta foothills, likely due to differing tree sizes and decay rates. LWD morphology changed significantly as logs decayed and transitioned to different position and orientation classes. LWD in decay classes I and II were longest, most commonly in the bridge and partial bridge position classes, oriented perpendicular to stream flow, suspended above the channel and contributing least to stream geomorphic functions. LWD length and volume (but not diameter) decreased as decay advanced, making logs less stable. LWD in decay classes III and IV were strongly associated with partially bridged, loose, and buried position classes. They were more commonly diagonal or parallel to stream flow and contributed to bank stability, sediment retention, debris jams and riffle and pool formations. These results have been integrated into a conceptual model of LWD dynamics that provides a framework for future research on the mechanisms and rates of LWD recruitment, decay, transport and function. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The massive increases in fuel prices over the last years have however, made any scheme not requiring fuel appear to be more attractive and to be worth reinvestigation. In considering the atmosphere and the oceans as energy sources, the four main contenders are wind power, wave power, tidal and power from ocean thermal gradients. The renewable energy resources are particularly suited for the provision of rural power supplies and a major advantage is that equipment such as flat plate solar driers, wind machines, etc., can be constructed using local resources and without the advantage results from the feasibility of local maintenance and the general encouragement such local manufacture gives to the build up of small scale rural based industry. The key factors to reducing and controlling CO2, which is the major contributor to global warming, are the use of alternative approaches to energy generation and the exploration of how these alternatives are used today and may be used in the future as green energy sources. Even with modest assumptions about the availability of land, comprehensive fuel-wood farming programmes offer significant energy, economic and environmental benefits. These benefits would be dispersed in rural areas where they are greatly needed and can serve as linkages for further rural economic development. Self-renewing resources such as wind, sun, plants and heat from the earth can provide clean abundant energy through the development of renewable technologies. Virtually all regions of the world have renewable resources of one type or another. Research and development investments in the past 25 years in renewable technologies development has lead to important advances in performance and resulting cost effectiveness. Renewable resources currently account for about 9%-10% of the energy consumed in the world; most of this is from hydropower and traditional biomass sources. Wind, solar, biomass and geothermal technologies are cost effective today in an increasing number of markets and are making important steps to broader commercialisation. The present situation is best characterised as one of very rapid growth for wind and solar technologies and of significant promise for biomass and geothermal technologies. Each of the renewable energy technologies is in a different stage of research, development and commercialisation and all have differences in current and future expected costs, current industrial base, resource availability and potential impact on energy supply. This article discusses the potential for such integrated systems in the stationary and portable power market in response to the critical need for a cleaner energy technology. Anticipated patterns of future energy use and consequent environmental impacts (acid precipitation, ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect or global warming) are comprehensively discussed in this paper. Throughout the theme, several issues relating to renewable energies, environment and sustainable development are examined from both current and future perspectives.


Objective This scoping review provides an overview of the existing literature on biomarkers of exposure from electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use and identifies gaps in existing knowledge. Data sources We searched two international databases (PubMed and Web of Science) to identify relevant studies published from August 2013 to February 2021. Data selection Studies were included if they assessed and compared biomarkers of exposure between exclusive ENDS users, non-users, exclusive cigarette smokers, dual users of ENDS and cigarettes or cigarette smokers who switch to ENDS. Data extraction and synthesis Of the 5074 studies identified, 188 studies met criteria and were selected for full-text screening. Of these, 27 studies were selected for inclusion and data extraction. Conclusions Consistent, although limited, evidence shows that exclusive ENDS users have elevated levels of biomarkers of certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs; eg, acrylamide and acrylonitrile), metals (eg, cadmium and selenium) and propylene glycol compared with non-users; however, evidence for biomarkers of other toxicants (eg, acrolein, benzene and chromium) is mixed. Biomarkers of most VOCs are lower in ENDS users compared with cigarette smokers, and cigarette smokers who switch to ENDS consistently show reductions in VOC biomarkers. Evidence comparing metal exposures from exclusive ENDS use, cigarette smoking and dual use is mixed and depends on the metal. ENDS and e-liquid characteristics as well as use patterns may be associated with elevated exposure to VOCs and metals. Additional rigorous, controlled studies can assess biomarker exposures from ENDS use and inform the overall risk–benefit of ENDS use for different user populations.


Abstract The concept of recovery entered the lexicon of the mental health services in the 1980s following the publication of a series of studies and personal narratives which demonstrated that the course of mental illness was not always one of inevitable deterioration and that people diagnosed with severe mental illness could reclaim or recover meaningful lives. For a long time, recovery was not thought possible by many family members, service providers and researchers. However globally, specific policy and clinical strategies are being developed to implement recovery principles although key questions remain. In fact, the possibility of recovery is still debated by some. In this paper, we include information about the recovery model and the medical model; we provide evidence for recovery and document changes in mental health practices and policies incorporating recovery as the guiding principle. We also attempt to address the debate as to whether recovery is an evidence based practice. We propose that evidence based practice should be complementary to value-based and narrative-based practices and we suggest an integrative model that maximises the virtues and minimises the weaknesses of each practices (see Figure 1).


The goal of this research is to apply reinforcement learning methods to real-world problems like scheduling. In this preliminary paper, we show that learning to solve scheduling problems such as the Space Shuttle Payload Processing and the Automatic Guided Vehicle (AGV) scheduling can be usefully studied in the reinforcement learning framework. We discuss some of the special challenges posed by the scheduling domain to these methods and propose some possible solutions we plan to implement.


On-body communication is of increasing interest for a number of applications, such as medical-sensor networks, emergency-service workers, and personal communications. This paper reviews 60 GHz on-body communication and its benefits and challenges. Two novel low profile high gain, end-fire wearable antennas are then described. They are promising candidates for on-body channels at 60 GHz. The first one is a conventional printed Yagi array, which gives up to 17 dB gain and 6 GHz bandwidth. The other is a substrate integrated waveguide Yagi antenna which also gives 15 dB gain. Because these two antennas have different polarization, they can be used to investigate 60 GHz on-body channels in future work.


Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, Western Australia Email: email@example.com Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is often used in management of critically ill neonates. Assessment of outcomes including long-term neurodevelopment in this high-risk population is important. Methods: This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess the demographic characteristics, indications for ECMO, survival, and outcomes of all neonates who needed ECMO in our institute between Jan 2011 and July 2017. Cases were identified from our database and data was collected from patient charts. Results: A total of 14 neonates were treated with ECMO mainly for respiratory failure unresponsive to conventional modalities including high-frequency ventilation and inhaled nitric oxide [Congenital cardiac defect (n=5), congenital diaphragmatic hernia (n=3), severe persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) with meconium aspiration syndrome (n=2), severe PPHN with respiratory failure (n=2), hydrops fetalis (n=1) and viral myocarditis (n=1)]. The overall survival to discharge was 64%. The median (range) gestation, birth weight, age at commencement, and duration of ECMO was 38.5 (34-41) weeks, 2895 (2150-3720) grams, 53(10-285) hours and 86.5(0.2160) hours respectively. The minimum and maximum oxygen index (OI) before commencement of ECMO were 17(4.7-27.5) and 51.5(5-79.3) respectively. On assessment by Griffith Motor developmental scale (ER) at 12 months on 4 children, 2 had mild to moderate motor delay and 2 were normal. One infant, who was not formally assessed, had mild motor delay on clinical assessment. Conclusions: ECMO was successful in achieving survival to discharge in 64% of critically ill neonates referred soon after failing to respond to at conventional modalities.


This essay discusses The Hunger Games and Winter's Bone as feminist novels which contain main characters portrayed as superkids. Initially, gender studies and a feminist approach are presented as a background to discussing the novels from a feministic perspective. A discussion about the phenomenon of superkids is also presented in order to analyse the chosen novels against that theme. The conclusion reached is that both novels include a main character who meets the definition of a superkid. Both books also show clear signs of feminism. Finally, a discussion about why these books are excellent to use in school is raised.


Epinephrine and TRH independently release TSH from rat anterior pituitary cells in primary monolayer culture (ED50, 11 and 5 nM, respectively; maximum responses, 80% and 110%, respectively). The effects of these compounds together are additive, even at concentrations at which each is maximally effective alone. Dopamine inhibited basal and epinephrine-stimulated TSH secretion by 25 +/- 5% (+/-SE; ED50, 50 +/- 9 nM in each case). Somatostatin was effective against epinephrine-stimulated, but not basal, TSH secretion (80 +/- 4% inhibition; ED50, 1 +/- 3 nM). The data show that epinephrine is a potential regulator of TSH secretion by its own action and via its interactions with TRH, dopamine, and somatostatin.


Pulmonary arteriovenous fistula is a rare disease. To the best of our knowledge, prenatal diagnosis of a fistula between the left pulmonary artery and the left pulmonary vein has not been described in the medical literature. We report a case of the prenatal diagnosis of a left pulmonary artery-to-pulmonary vein fistula, followed by successful neonatal surgical repair.


With the increasing use of novel exploitation techniques in modern malicious software it can be argued that current intrusion detection and intrusion prevention systems are failing to keep pace. While some intrusion prevention systems have the capability to detect evasion techniques they all fail to detect novel unknown exploitation techniques. Traditional proxy approaches have failed to protect the universe of discourse that a network enabled service can be engaged in as they view all information flows of the same type in a uniform manner. In this paper we propose a micro-proxy architecture that utilizes reverse engineering techniques to identify a valid universe of discourse for a network service. This valid universe of discourse is then applied to validate legitimate transactions to a service. Thus in effect, the micro proxy implements a default deny policy via the analysis of the application level discourse.


Measured by volume, North America's largest hydraulic fracturing operations have been conducted at Fenton Hill, New Mexico to create geothermal energy reservoirs. In the largest operation 21,000 m/sup 3/ of water were injected into jointed granitic rock at a depth of 3.5 km. Microearthquakes induced by this injection were measured with geophones placed in five wells drilled into, or very close, to the reservoir, as well as 11 surface seismometers. The large volume of rock over which the microearthquakes were distributed indicates a mechanism of hydraulic stimulation which is at odds with conventional fracturing theory, which predicts failure along a plane which is perpendicular to the least compressive earth stress. A coupled rock mechanics/fluid flow model provides much of the explanation. Shear slippage along pre-existing joints in the rock is more easily induced than conventional tensile failure, particularly when the difference between minimum and maximum earth stresses is large and the joints are oriented at angles between 30 and 60 degrees to the principal earth stresses, and a low viscosity fluid like water is injected. Shear slippage results in local redistribution of stresses, which allows a branching, or dendritic, stimulation pattern to evolve, in agreement with the patterns of microearthquakemore » locations. These results are qualitatively similar to the controversial process known as ''Kiel'' fracturing, in which sequential injections and shut-ins are repeated to create dendritic fractures for enhanced oil and gas recovery. However, we believe that the explanation is shear slippage of pre-existing joints and stress redistribution, not proppant bridging and fluid blocking as suggested by Kiel. 15 refs., 10 figs.« less


Accounting has changed radically in China over the last 30 years, a transformation which is associated with one of the most astonishing episodes of economic development witnessed in modern times. Most researchers of accounting in China focus their attention on contemporary business accounting or identify challenges for the future. This article takes a different perspective. First, it investigates accounting changes in the Chinese public sector. It explores how public sector accounting has been involved in the process of modernizing the state bureaucracy. Second, the article takes a historical viewpoint and attempts to understand the changes in public sector accounting regulation which have taken place in recent decades. We identify various streams of regulation and waves of policy outputs over time. Four main phases of continuity and change are also located, providing a framework in which future researchers may analyze accounting developments in the post-Open Door period. We define these phases as: restoration, revision, innovation and maintenance.


This paper presents experimental data using estimated approach to determine some mechanical properties of epoxy matrix based composites. For this reason, the epoxy matrix was combined with the powdered materials obtained from different parts of the juniperus drupacea seeds. In order to obtain a homogeneous structure ultrasonic mixing technique was preferred. The Taguchi method is an alternative way to characterize complex composite structures, to come from above the problems and to investigate the effects of test parameters-factors by performing a few experiments. In the study, the L9 Taguchi orthogonal array has been preferred. Based on some production conditions; bio-reinforcement material has lowered the average hardness value to 4.22 and formed a more soft structure in addition to improving the tensile strength value by 46% compared to the neat sample. Parametric study showed that; the most important parameter affecting hardness and tensile strength are the mixing time and reinforcement ratio, respectively.


Multimodality evoked potentials (EPs) or three types of EPs--auditory brainstem response (ABR), somatosensory evoked potential (SEP), and visual evoked potential (VEP)--were recorded in 51 cases of traumatic intracranial hemorrhage within 3 days after injury. In order to assess these EPs, five EP grades were constructed, from normal, Grade I, to highly abnormal, Grade V. Furthermore, an EP pattern classification was devised to integrate the respective EP grades. Namely, PA, consisting of all three EPs within Grades I-III; PB, composed of one type of EP or both ABR and VEP at Grades IV and V; PC, consisting of both SEP and VEP at Grades IV and V; PD, comprising both ABR and SEP at Grades IV and V; and PE, covering all three EPs at Grades IV and V. PA signifies "no severe damage," PB, "localized damage," PC, "severe cerebral damage," PD, "severe brainstem damage," and PE, "severe diffuse damage." The results when compared with computed tomography (CT) findings were as follows: 1) The size of hematoma correlated with the SEP grade in 16 cases of acute epidural hematoma; a hematoma diameter of 17.5 mm was the threshold value at which SEP abnormalities developed. Eleven patients who underwent surgical removal of the hematoma showed "no severe damage," and the outcome was good. 2) In 13 cases of acute subdural hematoma, six cases revealed "severe cerebral damage" or "severe diffuse damage." In such cases, the degree of damage was not related to the hematoma size, and the outcome was very poor. 3) In 13 cases of a solitary contusional hemorrhage, only one case revealed "severe diffuse damage" and subsequently died.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


SUMMARY: Nine strains of Agrobacterium produced extracellular cyclic (1→2)-β-d-Glucan. Most of the strains produced an octasaccharide repeating-unit of succinoglycan. Mutant strains of Agrobacterium sp. and mutant strain 10C3K derived from Alcaligenes faecalis var. myxogenes, producing curdlan without succinoglycan or with a slight amount of succinoglycan, produced only cyclic (1→2)-β-d-Glucan. Cyclic (1→2)-β-d-Glucan was shown by paper chromatography and methylation analysis to be composed of two components without other glucosidic linkages. These were confirmed to be heptadecaose and octadecaose by field desorption mass spectrometric analysis.


Herein we describe the design and biological evaluation of a novel antitumor therapeutic platform that combines the most favorable properties of small-molecule drug conjugates (SMDCs) and antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). Although the small size of SMDCs, compared to ADCs, is an appealing feature for their application in the treatment of solid tumors, SMDCs usually suffer from poor pharmacokinetics, which severely limits their therapeutic efficacy. To overcome this limitation, in this proof-of-concept study we grafted an α-amanitin-based SMDC that targets prostate cancer cells onto an immunoglobulin Fc domain via a two-step "program and arm" chemoenzymatic strategy. We demonstrated the superior pharmacokinetic properties and therapeutic efficacy of the resulting Fc-SMDC over the SMDC in a prostate cancer xenograft mouse model. This approach may provide a general strategy toward effective antitumor therapeutics combining small size with pharmacokinetic properties close to those of an ADC.


Eddy currents, being of either positive or negative nature, have recently gained more and more importance in their positive aspects. New devices that may be called "eddy current based" have been worked out in recent years. This paper intends to present a quite new application of eddy currents which is an electromagnetic pump of novel design. The pump can be employed to transport liquid sodium for the Fast Breeder Reactor or other conducting materials, like melted metals. Eddy currents are used here for two pur‐poses: the first one is the typical usage to create electromagnetic force (as in tube‐type linear motors or conventional electromagnetic pumps) while the second one is just newly invented. Normally, in linear motors or conventional electromagnetic pump the air gap is relatively big which makes the leakage flux increase. Then the electromagnetic force is strongly reduced. To overcome this negative influence of the air‐gap, i.e. to minimize the leakage flux a conducting plate of special structure is inserted into the exciting coil. The first idea of it was given by K. Bessho for high magnetic field generation. Although the purpose of the application presented here is different from the initial one the idea is common and it is likely to be used for other purposes too. The basic features of the pump resulting from both numerical and experimental investigations are presented in the paper.


Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconducting fibers have been successfully prepared by means of the laser-heated pedestal growth method. The superconductivity of the fiber sample is closely related to the composition of source material, the power of focused laser beams, the pull rate of growing fiber, and the condition of post-annealing. The typical size of samples is 150μm × 30mm. The onset of transition was 118K, and zero resistance was 85K. The majority phase in the fibers is the 85K (2-2-1-2) phase of the Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O materials. Samples are stable and reproduceable.


We propose a new mechanism for the self-guiding of ultra-intense sub-picosecond laser pulses in gaseous media. It can be realized via optical field ionization by a laser pulse as it propagates inside an expanding cylindrical shock wave launched into ambient gas by a decayed plasma filament. In experiments, the filament was created in a hydrogen jet by a low energy femtosecond laser pre-pulse line focused with axicon lens. We demonstrated ionization-assisted guiding in structures with diameter as small as 14 μm and up to 3.5 mm long. The intensity reached 5 × 1017 W/cm2 in a single mode propagating for more than 100 Rayleigh lengths.We propose a new mechanism for the self-guiding of ultra-intense sub-picosecond laser pulses in gaseous media. It can be realized via optical field ionization by a laser pulse as it propagates inside an expanding cylindrical shock wave launched into ambient gas by a decayed plasma filament. In experiments, the filament was created in a hydrogen jet by a low energy femtosecond laser pre-pulse line focused with axicon lens. We demonstrated ionization-assisted guiding in structures with diameter as small as 14 μm and up to 3.5 mm long. The intensity reached 5 × 1017 W/cm2 in a single mode propagating for more than 100 Rayleigh lengths.


The ubiquitous enzyme Ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (RuBisCO) fixes atmospheric carbon dioxide within the Calvin-Benson cycle that is utilized by most photosynthetic organisms. Despite this central role, RuBisCO's efficiency surprisingly struggles, with both a very slow turnover rate to products and also impaired substrate specificity, features that have long been an enigma as it would be assumed that its efficiency was under strong evolutionary pressure. RuBisCO's substrate specificity is compromised as it catalyzes a side-fixation reaction with atmospheric oxygen; empirical kinetic results show a trend to tradeoff between relative specificity and low catalytic turnover rate. Although the dominant hypothesis has been that the active-site chemistry constrains the enzyme's evolution, a more recent study on RuBisCO stability and adaptability has implicated competing selection pressures. Elucidating these constraints is crucial for directing future research on improving photosynthesis, as the current literature casts doubt on the potential effectiveness of site-directed mutagenesis to improve RuBisCO's efficiency. Here we use regression analysis to quantify the relationships between kinetic parameters obtained from empirical data sets spanning a wide evolutionary range of RuBisCOs. Most significantly we found that the rate constant for dissociation of CO2 from the enzyme complex was much higher than previous estimates and comparable with the corresponding catalytic rate constant. Observed trends between relative specificity and turnover rate can be expressed as the product of negative and positive correlation factors. This provides an explanation in simple kinetic terms of both the natural variation of relative specificity as well as that obtained by reported site-directed mutagenesis results. We demonstrate that the kinetic behaviour shows a lesser rather than more constrained RuBisCO, consistent with growing empirical evidence of higher variability in relative specificity. In summary our analysis supports an explanation for the origin of the tradeoff between specificity and turnover as due to competition between protein stability and activity, rather than constraints between rate constants imposed by the underlying chemistry. Our analysis suggests that simultaneous improvement in both specificity and turnover rate of RuBisCO is possible.


Oestrus and calving records of Anatolian buffaloes were analyzed to investigate influence of climatic conditions on oestrus occurrence and postpartum period. Oestrus records showed a seasonal pattern concentrated between July and September which is the warmest period of the year. Likewise, more than half (52.7%) of the total calvings occurred between May and August. Month of calving significantly influenced the length of calving to first oestrus interval and open period (P < 0.01). The average length of open period was significantly shorter in autumn and summer calvers compared to those calved in spring and winter (P < 0.05) during long days. The humidity rate was negatively correlated with both calving to first oestrus interval and open period (P < 0.05). In conclusion, exposure to high environmental temperatures around 20 degrees C exerted no suppressive influence on ovarian activity in Anatolian buffaloes. Although humidity rate (P < 0.05) and ambient temperature (P < 0.01) was found to be correlated with the duration of postpartum period, day length might be the main factor regulating reproductive biorhythm and postpartum events in Anatolian buffalo cows.


Records of 132 consecutive patients with multiple musculoskeletal injuries were examined for the purpose of assessing the relationship between the length of time from injury to the operative stabilization of major fractures and the incidence of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). To be included in the study patients had to have had at least two major long-bone fractures and a Hospital Trauma Index-Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 18 or higher. Early operative fracture stabilization (STAB) is defined as an operation in the first 24 hours postinjury at which the majority of fractures were stabilized without leaving a spine, pelvis, or femur fracture unstable. A stepwise logistic regression was performed on the data. The dependent variable was the presence or absence of ARDS. The independent variables were age, sex, number of injuries, days to first surgery, early operative fracture stabilization (STAB), units of blood the first week, and ISS and its major components: RESP, ABD, CV, EXT, NS, and SSQ. The two independent variables selected as significant by this procedure were STAB and ISS. For the overall data set, a delay in orthopedic surgery (greater than 24 hours) is associated with a five-fold increase in the incidence of ARDS (p less than 0.001). For the more severely injured patients (ISS greater than 40), the comparable rates are 17% with early surgery and 75% with delayed surgery (p less than 0.001). A Chi-square test for association between ARDS and STAB adjusting for changes due to ISS grouping is significant (p less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The extent to which the prescription of oral contraceptives is escaping the control of physicians and being dictated by public attitudes independent of medical considerations is presented; at the same time the behavior of physicians who prescribe the drugs simply because they are requested to do so without knowing their composition and effects and without taking into consideration the individual condition of each patient is deplored. After a brief review of available oral contraceptives and their possible side effects and contra indications the precautions that should be taken in their use and the examinations and tests to which patients should be subjected before pres cribing and during treatment are described. While these drugs are useful and often harmless the dangers of their indiscriminate use by patients and physicians ignorant of their effects are emphasized.(AUTHORS MODIFIED)


Investigators from Erasmus University Hospital in Belgium and Gustave-Dron Hospital and Roger-Salengro Hospital in France studied the clinical and neuroradiologic characteristics of cerebral sinovenous thrombosis (CSVT) in neonates and children.


Biodiversity and food chain length each can strongly influence ecosystem functioning, yet their interactions rarely have been tested. We manipulated grazer diversity in seagrass mesocosms with and without a generalist predator and monitored community development. Changing food chain length altered biodiversity effects: higher grazer diversity enhanced secondary production, epiphyte grazing, and seagrass biomass only with predators present. Conversely, changing diversity altered top-down control: predator impacts on grazer and seagrass biomass were weaker in mixed-grazer assemblages. These interactions resulted in part from among-species trade-offs between predation resistance and competitive ability. Despite weak impact on grazer abundance at high diversity, predators nevertheless enhanced algal biomass through a behaviourally mediated trophic cascade. Moreover, predators influenced every measured variable except total plant biomass, suggesting that the latter is an insensitive metric of ecosystem functioning. Thus, biodiversity and trophic structure interactively influence ecosystem functioning, and neither factor's impact is predictable in isolation.


Compliance is often used to describe a situation in which a child completes instructions from adults, and low levels of compliance are a common teacher concern. We conducted a descriptive assessment that showed that compliance was relatively stable for individual children, variable across children, and positively correlated with age. The impact of six antecedent variables (proximity, position, physical contact, eye contact, vocal attention, and play interruption) on compliance was assessed for 4 children. Next, the effects of three-step prompting were assessed alone, in combination with the antecedent variables, and at different integrity levels for 2 children. Results of the experimental analyses showed that compliance gradually increased with the addition of each antecedent variable for 2 of the 4 children. Three-step prompting in combination with the six antecedent variables increased compliance for the remaining 2 children, and high compliance levels were maintained until treatment integrity was decreased to 20% of full strength. The utility of this naturalistic compliance assessment is discussed, as are the relevant experiences that give rise to acceptable levels of compliance in preschool classrooms.


The aim of this study is to determine whether there were significant differences students' performances amongst conceptual, algorithmic and graphical questions tests in selected topics. One hundred 12th grade students participated in this study. In order to address research questions. The conceptual, graphical and algorithmic questions tests were used in topics of solubility, chemical calculations, chemical equilibrium and radioactivity. Students' performances in each test were analyzed with one-way ANOVA and statistical analysis pointed to statistically significant differences amongst each of three test scores (p < 0.05) in favour of algorithmic questions test. Further analyses were utilized to compare one type of questions test with others. From these comparisons, it was found the independence of the conceptual dimension, the algorithmic dimension and the graphical dimension. It was concluded that the compe-tence in each type of questions may be independent of other types of questions.


The academic study of human rights since the 1948 UN Declaration has flourished considerably, a process that has increasingly involved a variety of disciplines from the legal, social, and human sciences including traditional and critical legal studies, political science, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, history, psychology, economics and environmental sciences. Despite the claim and desire to make the study of human rights truly interdisciplinary, much work is still needed in examining the contribution that particular disciplines can make to understanding key issues in the field. Within political science, normative and empirical studies seek to establish the rational, cultural, and structural foundations for human rights, their possible relationships with democracy, and the key factors that help explain the global variation in their protection. The field of comparative politics has much to contribute to this important area of research both in substantive and methodological terms. Comparative politics fits well with the theory and practice of human rights because it is based upon the cross-cultural comparison of individual nation states in an effort to explain and understand the different ways in which


Habitat use and movements of juvenile (<3 yr old) Critically Endangered smalltooth sawfish Pristis pectinata were studied in the Peace River nursery in southwest Florida to estimate the size of a known nursery hotspot (high-use area). A total of 23 smalltooth sawfish were tagged during the peak recruitment period of April and May 2014 and tracked until the end of September 2014 using passive acoustic monitoring. Active tracking was also used to estimate positions of individuals relative to the shoreline and major habitat types. During the day, sawfish <1500 mm stretch total length (STL; n = 11), representing <1-yr-old fish, and those between 1504 and 1881 mm STL (n = 12), representing ≥1-yr-old fish (1 to 3 yr old), remained along the northern shoreline of the river, in a protected cove. The younger age class remained closer (<25 m) to redmangrovedominated shorelines than did the older age class. At night, both age classes moved further away from the shoreline and away from the protected cove; the older individuals made the longest excursions (~5 km), toward the southern shoreline of the river. The discovery of these regular diel movements led to the expansion of the boundaries of the single recognized nursery hotspot in the Peace River, which was previously defined solely on daytime catch data. If another layer of protection is needed in the hotspots relative to other areas within the sawfish critical habitat, then defining the boundaries of the hotspots has implications with respect to management plans, federal permitting activities, and restoration opportunities.


It is well-known that a peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase cyclophilin A (CyPA) is incorporated into Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) particle. The proteome analysis of the purified HIV-1 strain LAV-1 (HIV-1(LAV-1)) reveals that three isoforms of CyPA with an isoelectric point (pI) of 6.00, 6.40, and 6.53 are inside the viral membrane and another isoform with a pI of 6.88 is outside the viral membrane; and that the CyPA isoform with a pI of 6.53 is N-acetylated. The mechanisms that permit the redistribution of CyPA with a pI of 6.88 on the viral surface have not yet been clarified, but it penetrates the viral membrane after budding.


ABSTRACT Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a neuroendocrine peptide hormone that has potent anti-inflammatory activities. VIP signaling through its receptor VPAC1 on T cells leads to reduced proliferation and a reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion. We report here that inhibition of the VIP pathway with a peptide antagonist significantly enhances a T-cell-dependent, autologous anti-leukemia response in murine models of acute myeloid leukemia and T lymphoblastic leukemia. Subcutaneous administration of the VIP antagonist, VIPhyb, resulted in reduced tumor burden and significantly enhanced survival (30–50% survival) over vehicle-treated controls (0–20% survival). The T cells in mice treated with VIPhyb expressed lower levels of the co-inhibitory PD-1 and secreted higher levels of IFNγ. Furthermore, T cells from VIPhyb-treated survivors were protective against C1498 following adoptive transfer. These data highlight the potential for the VIP pathway as a novel target for immunomodulation in settings of hematological malignancies.


BY J. N. WILKIKSOK, Preetdent State Normal Scbool, Emporia, Kansas, The Iibrarlau should be estimated on the basis of ability to teach. 'Too frequentiy, the Iibrarian's work is estimated as people estimate the work of a janitor. Tbe low vlew holds the librarian responslble mainly for such things as keeping the books in their place and keeping alI the dust. These things are, of course, Important, but only as they contribute to the real end of the Iibrarian's work, which is the teachlng of the reader. Teaching is the highest function of the human being, and the conscious giving of instruction Is the activity that most dlsttngutsaes man from the otner animals. He who creates and stimulates a desire for knowledge, aud places that knowledge in tbe reach of the seeker. school says the elementary school teacher should also have lived In a college atmosphere. The progreuive normal school olfers a college atmosphere, haa a eollqe atmosphere, will not brook or tolerate any other atmosphere. What person In the world needs veraatUlty, culture, accuracy of judgment and scholarship. more than the teacher of the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades? It Is a fight to the finish. The progressive normal school demands a sound education. a college education If yon please for every professional teacher. It demands just as good scholaTshlp for the elementary teacher as for the high school teacher; just as good pro· fessional preparation ior the high school teacher as for the elementary teacher. There Is mischief brewing In education. Each teachers' college or school of education In the unlverslty nowusuallv conducts a teachers' bureau called .. committee on positious nnd recommendatlons,' One member of the bureau travels about. He is called the high school Inspector.". His business Is to look ont for vacancies in the high school. fill them with university graduates if possible, and to point the hlcli school graduates and all other people to the uulverslty, The progressive normal school resents tbI. Inter. rnoddllng and dictation. It calls for a 'square deal, It offers and requires nmple scholarship for teachers in all grades of public schools, Several of the progressive normal schools of the middle "'est offer acndemlc courses covering stx., seven, and eight reara, They admit rugged, young rural school teachers who have llttle .academtc preparation above the eighth grade; but tbese rugged, forceful people from the rural schools have much of promise. They are, In many states, the main stay of the public scnoo:s. Wherever the normal schools have made high echoJI graduation the condltlon of entrance, there the normal schools ha ve become female seminaries and have ceased to have predominating Influence in tbe public schools. Yery few boys who graduate from typical high schools .ever expect to become teachers. Yery few of them ever will become teachers. Therefore if the normal schools make high school gradnation the condition of admission, mnscullnity Is further reduced In the teach. ing corps of our country. The progressive normal school does not yield to the dictation of any other Institution. It stands for p:slttve, aggressive, and constructive policy. Progressive normal school men do not believe that It Is the t.mction of the normal school to cater very much to current demands and rasblons. They do not sit In idle complacency when they have copied, commended, and disseminated the practices and ideals of educattonal theorists, past and present. The)' seek to create Ideais, to set up standards, to conduct experiments, and to exemplify the best attainable practices in school education. July 25.1907 JOURNAL OF EDUCATION STATUS OF NORMAL SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED STATES.


We report results from a deep polarization imaging of the nearby radio galaxy 3C 84 (NGC 1275). The source was observed with the Global Millimeter VLBI Array (GMVA) at 86 GHz at an ultra-high angular resolution of 50μas (corresponding to 250Rs). We also add complementary multi-wavelength data from the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA; 15 & 43 GHz) and from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA; 97.5, 233.0, and 343.5 GHz). At 86 GHz, we measure a fractional linear polarization of ∼ 2% in the VLBI core region. The polarization morphology suggests that the emission is associated with an underlying limbbrightened jet. The fractional linear polarization is lower at 43 and 15 GHz (∼ 0.3 − 0.7% and < 0.1%, respectively). This suggests an increasing linear polarization degree towards shorter wavelengths on VLBI scales. We also obtain a large rotation measure (RM) of ∼ 105−6 rad/m in the core at &43 GHz. Moreover, the VLBA 43 GHz observations show a variable RM in the VLBI core region during a small flare in 2015. Faraday depolarization and Faraday conversion in an inhomogeneous and mildly relativistic plasma could explain the observed linear polarization characteristics and the previously measured frequency dependence of the circular polarization. Our Faraday depolarization modeling suggests that the RM most likely originates from an external screen with a highly uniform RM distribution. To explain the large RM value, the uniform RM distribution, and the RM variability, we suggest that the Faraday rotation is caused by a boundary layer in a transversely stratified jet. Based on the RM and the synchrotron spectrum of the core, we provide an estimate for the magnetic field strength and the electron density of the jet plasma.


Environmental Management Accounting (EMA) has received increasing interest in recent years and has been regarded as an efficient way to deal with environmental issues and economic performance of organizations. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between institutional factors and EMA practices, and the challenges in implementing EMA practices. A survey-based method was used, and data were collected from 100 listed manufacturing companies in Sri Lanka, using questionnaires and other relevant documents. The results suggest normative pressure as a strong antecedent for implementing EMA practices. It also revealed that managerial barriers are the most prominent challenge in implementation. This study provides a new contribution to address the paucity of EMA research from a developing country perspective. Keywords: Environmental management accounting, institutional factors, implementation challenges, Sri Lanka


The BCL6 transcriptional repressor is required for development of germinal center (GC) B-cells and diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL). The BCL6 BTB domain corepressor interaction is an important mediator of BCL6 actions and a potential therapeutic target. BTB point mutations that disrupt corepressor recruitment inactivate BTB domain repressor function. A similar effect can be achieved using specific BCL6 BTB groove binding peptides or small molecules. Although BCL6 can recruit multiple corepressors, its transcriptional repression mechanism of action in normal and malignant B-cells is unknown. In this study we addressed the question of how BCL6 mediates transcriptional repression in normal and malignant B-cells through its association with SMRT or NCOR corepressor complexes. We combined extensive genomic binding (ChIP-seq) analysis of BCL6, its corepressors SMRT and NCOR and epigenetic chromatin patterns both in DLBCL and in primary human GC B-cells, with functional and biochemical experiments performed in vitro, in cell-based assays and in vivo to reveal the biological and transcriptional mechanism of BCL6. We find that in B-cells, virtually all SMRT/NCOR binding sites overlap with BCL6 binding sites indicating that in these cells BCL6 uniquely sequesters SMRT/NCOR complexes from other factors to mediate cell specific functions. Interestingly, these BCL6-SMRT/NCOR complexes preferentially localize at B cell enhancers. Moreover, BCL6-SMRT/NCOR complexes can inactivate these enhancers by deacetylating H3K27. The SMRT/NCOR-dependent H3K27 de-acetylation is mediated by HDAC3 and opposed by p300 histone acetyltransferase. Furthermore, we show that BCL6 BTB targeted inhibitors may reverse the enhancer silencing effect by disrupting the association of BCL6 with SMRT/NCOR complexes. Taken together these results point to an enhancer "toggling" mechanism that might provide the basis for B-cells to undergo rapid transcriptional changes in response to environmental cues. This mechanism might be particularly relevant to the shuttling of B-cells from the dark to the light zone during affinity maturation facilitating the rapid on/off gene expression changes necessary for this transition. For example genes associated with BCL6-SMRT/NCOR enhancers were highly downregulated in the dark zone compared to the light zone and they were also significantly enriched in genes upregulated by CD40 signaling which occurs in the light zone during B-cell activation by Tfh cells and disrupts the association of BCL6 and SMRT/NCOR. In summary we describe a novel mechanism of enhancer regulation. Reversible enhancer toggling may be critical for dynamic modulation of the BCL6 transcriptional program during the GC reaction as well for the therapeutic effects of BCL6 inhibitors. This mechanism is likely a general biological phenomenon that applies to enhancer regulation in a variety cell types and tumors. Citation Format: Katerina Chatzi, Yanwen Jiang, Chuanxin Huang, Paul Zumbo, Srividya Bhaskara, Alexander D. MacKerell, Jr., Fengtian Xue, Christopher E. Mason, Scott W. Hiebert, Leandro Cerchietti, Vivian J. Bardwell, Olivier Elemento, Melnick Ari. A biochemical basis for toggling enhancers from the active to poised state in B-cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Chromatin and Epigenetics in Cancer; Jun 19-22, 2013; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(13 Suppl):Abstract nr B14.


Abstract Working memory (WM) allows goal-relevant information to be encoded and maintained in mind, even when the contents of WM are incongruent with the immediate environment. While regions of heteromodal cortex are important for WM, the neural mechanisms that relate to individual differences in the encoding and maintenance of goal-relevant information remain unclear. Here, we used behavioral correlates of two large-scale heteromodal networks at rest, the default mode (DMN) and frontoparietal (FPN) networks, to understand their contributions to distinct features of WM. We assessed each individual's ability to resist distracting information during the encoding and maintenance phases of a visuospatial WM task. Individuals with stronger connectivity of DMN with medial visual and retrosplenial cortex were less affected by encoding distraction. Conversely, weaker connectivity of both DMN and FPN with visual regions was associated with better WM performance when target information was no longer in the environment and distractors were presented in the maintenance phase. Our study suggests that stronger coupling between heteromodal cortex and visual–spatial regions supports WM encoding by reducing the influence of concurrently presented distractors, while weaker visual coupling is associated with better maintenance of goal-relevant information because it relates to the capacity to ignore task-irrelevant changes in the environment.


Literature reports about Norovirus outbreaks, especially in hospitals, have accumulated in the past years, including patients and health workers.This report describes a small outbreak by Norovirus which occurred in USC Urology with unusual clinical-epidemiological features.The clinical course was unusual, as it presented no vomiting and duration of diarrhoea was unusually long (4-6 days) with the lack of involvement of health workers.The search for the virus was done with immunoassay method RIDASCREEN 2a generation on 11/19 patients (58%) with gastroenteritis symptoms, and 3/11 samples (27%) were positive. The molecular investigation by RT/PCR with diagnostic primers JV12 and JV13 on the polymerase region, carried out at the Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Rome, gave negative results while the RT/PCR using primers GIISKR and GIISKF, which amplify a fragment of the capsid region, was positive in 4/11 samples (36%) showing a correlation of 2/4 samples (50%) with RIDASCREEN immunoassay test. Our observations confirm the usefulness of immunoassay tests and the need to extend the molecular methods using different diagnostic primers. In outbreaks of gastroenteritis the microbiologist should consider the detection of Norovirus in diagnostic routine, as a positive result requires prevention measures to avoid also the spreading by droplets when vomiting is present.


The UK's heat sector accounts for about a fifth of national CO2 emissions, and the government's advisory Committee on Climate Change has been highly critical of efforts to decarbonise it. In a recent report it recommends that new homes should not be connected to the gas grid from 2025. Instead, it says, they should be built on systems such as heat networks, where a group of buildings are linked to a central energy source through underground pipes. The promise of heat networks, also known as district heating systems, is that they can provide greener heating to many homes or businesses at once and may be cheaper and more reliable than alternatives. The UK's first district heating scheme was built in Pimlico in the 1950s to funnel waste heat from Battersea Power Station to thousands of homes and businesses. Heat networks grew in popularity and some councils bought into them enthusiastically, particularly for social housing. But the idea never gathered steam the way it did in parts of Europe, particularly the Nordic countries, Germany and the Netherlands, and fizzled out in the latter part of the 20th century.


In 2013 the responsibility for school governance and funding has been transferred from local governments to a central government agency in Hungary. The key objectives of this reform, as stated by policy makers, was to mitigate interjurisdictional inequalities in education. This paper explores whether the reform had an equalizing effect on education resources on the one hand, and student achievement on the other. First, we estimate elasticities of per-student school expenditures to average income in municipalities. The results reveal a substantial equalization of school resources: before the reform rich municipalities had spent significantly more on education than poor ones, while after the reform no difference in school spending can be detected. Second, we ask whether the equalization of resources had an effect on inequalities in student achievement. Student achievement is measured by test score in grade 6 and grade 8. The results show no equalization in this respect, suggesting that inequalities in school quality were hardly affected by the reform. JEL codes: I22, I24, H37


The aim of this work was to determine
the structural characteristics of the condensed tannins isolated from the
aqueous extract of black spruce (Picea
mariana Mill) bark. This is the first report on the structural
characterization of condensed tannins from black spruce bark. The condensed
tannins from the hot water extract prepared from Picea mariana bark were isolated by column chromatography on
Sephadex LH-20 media. In this study, UV-visible and 13C-NMR spectroscopic techniques, along with pyrolysis-gas
chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and liquid chromatogramphy analyses were applied to determine the
structural characteristics of black spruce bark tannins. We have confirmed for
the first time the presence of methoxylated B-rings in the flavanol units of
condensed tannins from black spruce bark, which could be regarded as further
contribution to the chemotaxonomy of the genus Picea. The methoxylation of Norway spruce bark condensed tannins have been demonstrated previously.


Solar radiation is the set of electromagnetic radiation emitted by the Sun. The Sun behaves almost like a black body which emits energy according to Planck's law at a temperature of 6000 K. The solar radiation ranges goes from infrared to ultraviolet. Not all the radiation reaches Earth's surface, because the ultraviolet wavelengths, that are the shorter wavelengths, are absorbed by gases in the atmosphere, primarily by ozone.


Abstract: We investigated how variability in physicochemical properties influenced photosynthetic parameters and the phytoplankton community in the shallow coastal waters of the Adriatic Sea (Gulf of Trieste), where local rivers greatly influenced the dynamics of the system. During the study period (May 2009–July 2010), high sea-surface temperatures in summer, freshwater inputs and precipitation influenced the stability of the water column and the distribution of major nutrients. Redundancy analysis showed a significant effect of total inorganic nitrogen, silicate and salinity on the distribution of the surface phytoplankton community. The modest chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration exhibited higher variability [coefficient of variation(C.V.) = 60–69%] compared with the photosynthetic parameters. Among them, photosynthetic capacity (PBmax) showed smallest variation (C.V. =37–45%) and no significant vertical or temporal variability was observed. PBmax significantly correlated with temperature, although indirect control by other environmental factors should not be overlooked. During the stratified period, significant vertical differences were observed in photosynthetic efficiency [αB: 0.009 and 0.014 mg C (mg Chl a)−1 h−1 (μmol photon m−2 s−1)−1 at the surface and 15 m, respectively] and in the light saturation index (Ek: 270 and 172 μmol photon m−2 s−1 at the surface and 15 m, respectively), revealing photoacclimation in the communities. Both parameters also tended to be different in the more homogenous water column during winter. Using a ratio between available light and Ek, this study demonstrated light-limited photosynthesis for the greater proportion of the water column, drawing attention to the vertical variability in αB that could, if disregarded, have a significant effect on the assessment of depth-integrated primary production.


Blue-emitting thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) polymers are still in demand for high-efficiency display materials. Through-space charge transfer (TSCT) strategy is promising for keeping color purity of blue-emitting polymers with non-conjugated main chains. It is, however, hard to synthesize copolymers with well-dispersed donors or acceptors utilizing traditional polyethylene backbones via radical polymerization. Herein, two series of blue-emiting polysiloxane with TADF properties, random and order-controlled copolysiloxanes, were succsuccfully designed and synthesized and their photophysical properties were investigated and compared in detail. All of them display short prompt and delay fluorescence lifetimes, very fast reverse intersystem crossing (RISC) rate of 107 s-1 . Compared with random copolysiloxanes, acceptors are well seperated by donors for order-controlled copolysiloxanes, whcih exhibit the faster RISC processes and the higher photoluminescence quantum yield. Therefore, the order-controlled architecture provides a guide for improving light-emitting efficiency of TSCT-type TADF polymers. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Echoing Hobbes' seventeenth century classic liberal scepticism about global justice, recently articulated for the twenty-first century by Thomas Nagel, the political philosopher A.G.A. Bello once remarked that "[a] world government, of whatever form, must … remain a dream or an ideal" and for that reason he regarded the idea of global justice a fanciful chimera. This essay is a non-empirical consideration of how to sustain as a working ideal the notion of economic justice as negotiable in the global arena. The essay explores deductively the normative tenability of creating a forum to develop global justice consensually, as the outcome of deliberation and compromise through cultural diversity. This is a concept paper to apply globally the lessons carried within post-colonial efforts at democratic governance indigenous to West African (e.g. pre-colonial Ghana) traditions of peacekeeping diplomacy and effective stewardship. In contrast, the current framework of international human rights and justice presupposed in the global arena is structured and sustained by the same neo-liberal logic of self-interest that justifies the covert authority of an elite minority wholly occupied with mega-capital accumulation. It is argued here that an African presence is essential in forming any agency to express the contemporary effort of developing distributive and retributive principles of global justice. The reasons provided here not only are historical, practical, and circumstantial, but also conceptual. I will try to show that a chief obstacle to realising universal norms of good governance is that the political culture dominating the global arena just cannot grasp the basics. Key words: global economic justice, Thomas Nagel, Hobbesian scepticism,  indigenous African governance, consensual democracy, international law, transnational corporate social responsibility


The leptocephalus of Uroconger Iepturus was first described by Nair in 1946
and its occurrence was later recorded from the Gulf of Mannar (Nair, 1948).
The present collection consists of several leptocephali and elvers of different
sizes, the majority of which was collected from Versova (vide Introduction,
Nair and Mohamed, 1960). All the stages described here were taken from
the collection made on the 9th January 1954. Most of the larvae in the
collection were edentulous and showed high variation in the preanal myotome
number and the latter character was also found to vary in the few
toothed larvae present in the collection.


Rheological studies on the 1971 M ount Etna lavas indicate they underwent rapid transition from Newtonian to non-Newtonian fluids near their point of emission and that the non-Newtonian regime may be coincidental with high mechanical energy/low heat energy regime further from the boccas. Darcy's equation quantifies the surface roughness of channels using the Chezy coefficient and is plotted against Reynolds number on a Stanton diagram. The relation is linear, and the critical value Re0 is not exceeded, proving wholly laminar flow. The lava underwent a divergent, twin spiral motion involving two dimensional laminar flow. Convergent, twin spiral motion occurred only where lava passed through a constriction at a relatively high velocity.


Analytic and numerical results of the Euler-Bernoulli beam model with a two-parameter family of boundary conditions have been presented. The co-diagonal matrix depending on two control parameters ( k 1 and k 2 ) relates a two-dimensional input vector (the shear and the moment at the right end) and the observation vector (the time derivatives of displacement and the slope at the right end). The following results are contained in the paper. First, high accuracy numerical approximations for the eigenvalues of the discretized differential operator (the dynamics generator of the model) have been obtained. Second, the formula for the number of the deadbeat modes has been derived for the case when one control parameter, k 1 , is positive and another one, k 2 , is zero. It has been shown that the number of the deadbeat modes tends to infinity, as k 1 ! 1 þ and k 2 ¼ 0. Third, the existence of double deadbeat modes and the asymptotic formula for such modes have been proven. Fourth, numerical results corroborating all analytic findings have been produced by using Chebyshev polynomial approximations for the continuous problem.


Pigments precipitated from chromate post-galvanic solutions in emulsion systems Studies were conducted on the production of chromium(III) silicates, the green pro-ecological pigments. The pigments were precipitated from sodium silicate and chromium(III) sulphate solutions in the system of two emulsions prepared in hexane in the presence of a non-ionic surfactant as an emulsifier. The chromium(III) sulphate represented a reduction product of chromate(VI) compounds present in post-galvanic wastes. The reduction agent involved metanal in an acidic medium. The obtained products were subjected to a comprehensive physicochemical analysis, their dispersive and morphological properties were determined. The precipitated green products exhibiting intense colour, were uniform and their particles manifested a low tendency to form agglomerate structures.


• Nine children with inflammatory myopathy were studied for evidence of cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Seven patients had clinical childhood dermatomyositis (CDM), one had mixed connective-tissue disease, and one juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, but all had evidence in the biopsy specimen of muscle inflammation. Blood was simultaneously taken from age- and sex-matched controls. After separation on a Ficoll-Hypaque column, monocytes and mixed lymphocytes from each subject were added to monolayers of human skeletal muscle cells for intervals up to 72 hours. The monolayers were washed and incubated with amino acid hydrolysate labeled with carbon 14. After washing, the myocytes were harvested, solubilized, and measured for 14 C uptake. The counts per minute per milligram of protein were directly proportional to muscle cell viability. There was no substantial difference in the viability of myocytes exposed to either monocytes or mixed lymphocytes from patients or controls.


The introduction of African indigenous music to a generalist primary teacher education course transcended both cultural differences and personal inadequacies of students. It provided a cohesive bond for promoting the learning of music that is aptly represented by the African concept of masakhane (building together). This research demonstrated the effectiveness of Africa music for promoting cross-cultural music education, thereby providing a worthy model for implementation in other teacher education programs. According to findings from a questionnaire survey and interviews, students reported they were able to more effectively engage with, know, create, perform, teach and experience music through African rather than just the Western music. This experience provided students with new musical knowledge, understandings and skills as well as giving them insights into another musical tradition and culture. Students also perceived Indigenous African music as a source of motivation, interest and enjoyment, thereby promoting their creativity and musical learning. As global citizens, we need to embrace diversity and change not only in our immediate teaching contexts but also in broader educational policy. This curriculum clearly enhanced the effectiveness of music within a teacher education course and by extension has the potential to contribute to a greater professional and public good in education.


It was demonstrated that two species of paramagnetic dinitrosyl iron complex (DNIC) with neocuproine form under the following conditions: in addition of neocuproine to a solution of DNIC with phosphate; in gaseous NO treatment of a mixture of Fe(2+) + neocuproine aqueous solutions at pH 6.5-8; and in addition of Fe(2+)--citrate complex + neocuproine to a S-nitrosocysteine (cys-NO) solution. The first form of DNIC with neocuproine is characterized by an EPR signal with g-factor values of 2.087, 2.055, and 2.025, when it is recorded at 77K. At room temperature, the complex displays a symmetric singlet at g = 2.05. The second form of DNIC with neocuproine gives an EPR signal with g-factor values of 2.042, 2.02, and 2.003, which can be recorded at a low temperature only.The revealed complexes are close to DNIC with cysteine in their stability. The ability of neocuproine to bind Fe(2+) in the presence of NO with formation of paramagnetic DNICs warrants critical reevaluation of the statement that neocuproine is only able to bind Cu(+) ions. It was suggested that the observed affinity of neocuproine to iron was due to transition of Fe(2+) in DNIC with neocuproine to Fe(+). In experiments on cys-NO, it was shown that the stabilizing effect of neocuproine on this compound could be due to neocuproine binding to the iron catalyzing decomposition of cys-NO.


Statistical data base covered more than 8000 sale transactions of apartments in the city of Cracow. The presented analysis of this data consists of five parts: - trends in the price of 1 m2 for the whole city and separately in four districts. Different functions have been fit to the price time series, and then they were used for forecasting purpose; - regression analysis of the influence of area, location, and submarket type on the price; spatial analysis of the price on the primary and secondary markets; - search for the theoretical model of time-constant price distribution; - cluster analysis of apartments sold. // Different approaches allowed to analyze the Cracow real estate market from different perspectives. The observed growth of prices until 2007 could be described by an exponential function which cannot serve as forecasting tool since some turning point is clearly observed recently. There are significant differences in prices in districts of Cracow. Some other important factors have been also found. The apartments are not a homogenous set. Five groups have been found by cluster analysis. These groups can be characterized also by some outside attributes which were not applied for clustering.


A fuzzy obstacle avoidance controller is designed for an autonomous vehicle. The controller is given the capability for obstacle avoidance by using negative fuzzy rules in conjunction with traditional positive ones. Negative fuzzy rules prescribe actions to be avoided rather than performed. A rule base of positive rules is specified by an expert for directing the vehicle to the target in the absence of obstacles, while a rule base of negative rules is experimentally determined from expert operation of the vehicle in the presence of obstacles. The consequents of the negative-rule system are codified into a chromosome, and this chromosome is evolved using an evolutionary algorithm. The resulting fuzzy system has far fewer rules than would be necessary for an obstacle avoidance controller using purely positive rules, while in addition retaining greater interpretability.


The importance of intermediation between communities primarily engaged in research production and those primarily engaged in practice is increasingly acknowledged, yet our understanding of the nature and influence of this work in education remains limited. Accordingly, this study utilizes case study methodology and aspires to understand the activities and signature product (the Marshall Memo) of a particularly influential mediator of current educational research, news, and ideas: Mr. Kim Marshall. The article also examines the memo's meaning to subscribing educators. Data analyses suggest subscribers greatly appreciate several aspects of the memo, which was found to draw from a wide range of source material that varies in terms of its research centredness and its practical implications.


We have previously demonstrated that low-energy extracorporeal cardiac shock wave (SW) therapy improves myocardial ischemia through enhanced myocardial angiogenesis in a porcine model of chronic myocardial ischemia and in patients with refractory angina pectoris. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms for the SW-induced angiogenesis remain unclear. In this study, we thus examined the effects of SW irradiation on intracellular signaling pathways in vitro. Cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with 800 shots of low-energy SW (1 Hz at an energy level of 0.03 mJ/mm(2)). The SW therapy significantly upregulated mRNA expression and protein levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). The SW therapy also enhanced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (Erk1/2) and Akt. Furthermore, the SW therapy enhanced phosphorylation of caveolin-1 and the expression of HUTS-4 that represents β1-integrin activity. These results suggest that caveolin-1 and β1-integrin are involved in the SW-induced activation of angiogenic signaling pathways. To further examine the signaling pathways involved in the SW-induced angiogenesis, HUVECs were transfected with siRNA of either β1-integrin or caveolin-1. Knockdown of either caveolin-1 or β1-integrin suppressed the SW-induced phosphorylation of Erk1/2 and Akt and upregulation of VEGF and eNOS. Knockdown of either caveolin-1 or β1-integrin also suppressed SW-induced enhancement of HUVEC migration in scratch assay. These results suggest that activation of mechanosensors on cell membranes, such as caveolin-1 and β1-integrin, and subsequent phosphorylation of Erk and Akt may play pivotal roles in the SW-induced angiogenesis.


Abstract : The complexity of Peace Support Operations (PSO) requires that a wide variety of aspects and possible effects be considered. Unlike traditional analysis of combat operations, the analysis of PSO aims at avoiding conflict situations, where losses or injuries are to be minimized for all participants involved. Election scenarios in a homogeneous (Sunni) and a heterogeneous (Sunni, Shiite/Kurd) populated representative Iraqi town are developed to evaluate and gain insights on the proposed military tactics, techniques and procedures for the PSO, which may affect the outcome of the election. An agent-based modeling platform designed specifically for PSO is used to model the evolving behavior of civilian individuals and their influences on the emerging behavior of groups. An efficient experimental design, with excellent space filling and orthogonality properties, is employed to gather data from the simulation over a broad variety of scenarios. The voter participation rates, escalation among civilians, and civilian-military interactions are the primary measures of effectiveness. The results indicate that several military measures contribute to a successful election. These include the execution of security control regions, the deployment of election booths intended to calm the crowd and encourage voter participation, and attempts to quell unrest by seeking the cooperation of civilian leaders. Factors such as soldiers' rules of engagement, civilian fear and anger personalities and their variability also play important roles in the escalation or deescalation of civilian behavior.


A total of 110 samples of the blood serum, obtained from persons with inflammatory diseases of the urogenital tract and with disorders of the reproductive function were examined by the aggregate-hemagglutination reaction for antigens of the 3d and 8th serotypes, U.u., belonging, respectively, to biovars Parvo and T-960. Antigens U.u. of the 3d, 8th or of both serotypes were detected in 75 (68.18%) of the studies samples. There were no antigens U.u. of the 3d or 8th serotypes in 35 (31.82%) samples. Antigens of biovars Parvo and T-960 were detected at an approximately identical frequency rate. Besides, the mentioned antigens were found in almost one half of blood sera positive to the U.u. samples (48%). No significant differences between the concentrations of antigens Parvo and T-960 were detected in the blood serum samples in case both of them were found in one sample or only one ureaplasma serovar was found in a sample.


The effect of the amount of hydrolyzed WPI (h-WPI) in WPI-based films on the technofunctional properties and structure of the films has not hitherto been systematically researched. The main objective of this study was therefore to explore the quantitative and qualitative molecular interactions and structures of these films. Different buffer systems were used for the solubility studies to obtain information about the qualitative molecular interactions. Swelling studies were performed to provide qualitative statements about the WPI network. In addition, the cross-linking density (CLD) of the WPI-based films was derived from the swelling tests. The measurements showed that increasing the h-WPI content decreases the CLD significantly. The CLD values of films with 0% and 50% h-WPI content were  mol cm−3 and  mol cm−3. The study indicates that noncovalent interactions have more influence on barrier properties than the cross-linking density through disulphide bonds. In general, the results of the swelling tests correlated with the solubility studies.


Abstract Objective.—To study the scope of clinical activities and the postoperational attitudes of mental health professionals responding emergently to a mass urban evacuation. Methods.—Eleven mental health care providers participating in a reception team for medical evacuees after Hurricane Katrina were asked to complete a survey seeking data regarding cases encountered, psychopharmacologic interventions, and mental health support for evacuated medical personnel. Participants rated their levels of agreement with statements characterizing various aspects of the clinical experience. Results.—Nine of 11 providers returned surveys, for a response rate of 82%. Among 35 evacuees requiring immediate psychiatric consultation, acute stress disorder and dementia, equally represented among these cases, accounted for half the diagnoses. Medication interventions were relatively uncommon. Consultants provided mental health support to 14 evacuated medical professionals. Although somewhat uncertain about their role, psychiatric consultants strongly agreed that they would be willing to serve in future disaster operations of this type. Conclusions.—In major disasters, psychiatric consultants are likely to play a critical role in providing emergency mental health services for both medical evacuees and evacuated medical professionals.


Objectives To test the hypothesis that serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels are elevated in patients with bacterial meningitis and remain within normal limits in patients with abacterial meningitis. Design Prospective case series. Setting Tertiary care center. Patients A total of 30 patients (13 men and 17 women) with a mean age of 52 yrs, having acute bacterial (n = 16) or abacterial (n = 14) meningitis. Interventions Blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples. Measurements and Main Results Patients with abacterial meningitis were younger and had a shorter hospital stay. Of 16 patients with bacterial meningitis, 14 were in a septic condition at admission, but only 5 of 14 patients with abacterial meningitis were in a septic condition at admission. At discharge, 12 patients were without symptoms, 9 patients were moderately disabled, and 9 were severely disabled. No patient died. At admission, PCT, C-reactive protein, white blood cell and cerebrospinal fluid leukocyte counts, and cerebrospinal fluid protein and lactate levels were higher and the serum/cerebrospinal fluid glucose quotient was lower in patients with bacterial meningitis as compared with those with abacterial meningitis (p < .001). PCT was the variable with the highest specificity for bacterial infections (100%), but there were false-negative findings in five patients with bacterial meningitis (a sensitivity of 69%). Persistently elevated or increasing PCT levels after 2 days were associated with an unfavorable clinical course. Conclusions Our results indicate that PCT is a useful additional variable for distinguishing bacterial from abacterial meningitis. In patients with abacterial meningitis, PCT levels do not increase even in cases of viral sepsis. Elevated PCT levels indicate a bacterial origin with high specificity, but false-negative results can occur.