Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL

Estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-α) is localized in the nuclei of approximately 3-7% of normal resting breast epithelial cells with a higher proportion in lobular cells than in ductal. This number is significantly increased in atypical ductal hyperplasia, ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), pure intraductal carcinoma, and intraductal carcinoma with invasive duct carcinoma. Despite having this information for last 15 years, it is still uncertain how ER-α is activated in the nuclei of breast epithelial cells. CCN5/WISP-2, a member of the CCN (Cysteine-rich61/Connective Tissue Growth Factor/Nephroblastoma overexpressed) family of growth factors, is becoming an increasingly important focus in breast cancer research. CCN5/WISP-2 is a two-faced signaling molecule and plays differently in breast carcinogenesis under different micro-environmental setups. Our previous studies have shown that the transcriptional and translational activation of the WISP-2/CCN5 gene is a characteristic of estrogen receptor positive non-invasive breast tumor cell lines. Expression of the WISP-2/CCN5 gene was virtually undetected in non-transformed mammary epithelial cells. Moreover, multiple studies suggest a fine tune between CCN5 signaling and ER-α pathways, but this has not yet been fully elucidated. The main objective of this work was to establish the effect of excessive activation of CCN5 on the ER-α signaling. To do so, we generated a tri-transgenic inducible mouse model that overexpresses CCN5 under the Doxycycline (dox) environment. After the confirmation of the conditional expression of CCN5 in a mammary-specific and dox-dependent manner, morphology as well as the status of ER-α was evaluated. We found that induced expression of CCN5 by Dox in breast epithelial cells significantly increased ER-α expression and activity along with no morphological changes. Collectively, these studies indentify CCN5 as a regulator of ER-α in breast epithelial cells in a tri-transgenic mouse model.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1314. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1314


To determine the relationship between the presence of actinomyces in adenoid/tonsillar tissue and hypertrophy, and to investigate seasonal changes in frequency of actinomycosis in adenoidectomy/tonsillectomy materials. In this retrospective study, the data of 175 patients who underwent adenoidectomy/tonsillectomy between January 2016 – December 2018 were examined. After the exclusion of patients with immunosuppression, malignancy or without adequate medical data,158 patients were included to the study. Age, sex, adenoid/tonsil diameter and date of appointment were recorded. In our study, Actinomycosis was found in 44(28%) of 158 patients. Whilst there was no significant relationship between the presence of actinomycetes colonization and sex or date of appointment, increasing age was positively correlated with actinomycetes colonization. No relationship between actinomycetes colonization and hypertrophy was found. Besides, actinomycosis was found to be more prevalent in right and bilateral tonsillar tissues. Actinomyces can be found in adenoid/tonsils independent of hypertrophy and sex, and it shows a positive correlation with increasing age. It tends to be found in the right tonsil or bilateral tonsils more frequently.


Background: Studies of suicide prevention gatekeeper trainings (GKT) show temporary enhancements in short-term behavioral outcomes and limited enhancements in intermediate behavioral outcomes. Aims: We aimed to examine the impact of two training enhancements (role-play and booster) on intermediate GKT outcomes. Method: The study used a factorial randomized controlled design to assign participants to one of four groups. Three indicators of gatekeeper behavior at 6-month follow-up were the primary outcomes of interest. We used propensity score-based techniques to address observed imbalances. Results: At 6 months, among participants assigned to role-play, a significantly larger proportion of those assigned to booster performed identifications and referrals followed by a notification to the referral source, and followed by escorting the youth to the resource. Limitations: While observed imbalances were addressed, unobserved differences may persist. The validity of self-reported indicators to measure actual behavior remains unknown. Conclusion: Results suggest that active learning strategies can, in combination, enhance the effectiveness of trainings. The strategies seem to increase the comprehensiveness of gatekeeper behaviors.


The optimal superposition of the harmonic oscillator shell model configurations for the six nucleon nuclei ground state description is obtained. It has been shown that only one such superposition is possible. This result is in the complete accordance with the experimental observations stating that in the six nucleon system there is only one bound state.


The article discusses similarities and differences of Lesbian/Gay politics and culture in German-speaking countries and in the USA and surveys recent non-fiction German-language publications, documenting widespread cultural borrowing and a keen interest in historical research. A new genre, the "merged anthology," juxtaposes the pioneering work of non-German writers/activists in translation with original German contributions on related themes. Recent scholarly works provide a historical survey of Lesbian literature and document the existence of Lesbian subcultures in the GDR, in Switzerland in the 1930s and 1940s, and in Germany during the Third Reich. Analysis of the specifically German situation demonstrates the intrinsic connection between homophobia, racism, and institutionalized violence by the State. (JC)


A vertical hybrid turbine commonly consists of a Darrieus and Savonius rotor where the Savonius is inside Darrieus turbine. This paper describes the experimental study of hybrid Darrieus-Savonius wind turbines by variation in Savonius blade height. In this case, the effect of the blade height of the Savonius blade was studied experimentally in a subsonic wind tunnel. The effect of the height of a Savonius blade relative to that of Darrieus called blade height ratios δ was investigated to know the hybrid turbine performance. The performance is represented by power and torque coefficient. The result shows that the hybrid turbine with height ratio greater than unity δ = 1.4 gives the highest power CP = 0.20 and torque coefficient CT = 0.129. It is investigated that the torque and the power coefficient have a higher value than that of Darrieus turbine, in which the increase in power and torque coefficient are 48% and 29%, respectively. This hybrid wind turbine with a blade height ratio greater than unity can be considered as an important variable in the wind turbine construction.


A lumped parameter thermal analysis of permanent magnet motor by considering real driving duty cycle is presented. As driving motors of electric vehicle, permanent magnet motors exhibit high efficiency and high power density. However, they are susceptible to suffer irreversible demagnetization and insulation failure of coils under severe thermal condition. Therefore, it is essential to accurately evaluate heat losses and precisely predict temperature distribution in driving motors under the real driving duty cycle. In this paper, an improved core loss model is employed and implemented by using finite element method. The thermal behavior of the driving motor is analyzed by means of lumped thermal parameter method. A test bench has been set up to measure the temperature distribution in the driving motor. The calculation and experiment results are compared and discussed.


This paper draws on data from questionnaires and participant discussion posts on WebCT to show how native and non-native English speaking student teachers explore the topic of peer feedback. Engaging in peer feedback for their own draft papers provides student teachers an opportunity to gain experience, then reflect on their experience and consider it in light of course readings and discussions. The data show that participants' comments revolve primarily around an initial lack of confidence in their own and their peers' ability to offer useful feedback; the difficulties of offering criticism without negatively affecting social relationships; and, knowing what to comment on as well as how to formulate the comments. Findings show that both native and non-native English speaking participants share the same concerns. They also show that connecting experience with development provides valuable learning opportunities for the participants.


BACKGROUND
Platelet transfusion plays a critical role in the supportive treatment of acute leukaemia patients who receive chemotherapy and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). There are few studies assessing appropriateness of platelet transfusion in this population. An audit was conducted to determine how appropriately platelets are transfused in acute leukaemia patients at a tertiary care health institution.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
A six-year retrospective audit was conducted in acute lymphoblastic (ALL) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients in an Academic Centre. Episodes were assessed as either appropriate or inappropriate based on guidelines from the British Society for Haematology (BSH). Pre-transfusion platelet count, transfusion indication, World Health Organization (WHO) bleeding score, and antibiotic use were all documented.

RESULTS
Overall, 745 platelet transfusion episodes in 154 patients were audited. The proportion of episodes appropriately indicated according to BSH guidelines was 75.3%. Paediatrics and Internal Medicine had the lowest and highest proportion of appropriateness by department at 63.9% and 86.8%, respectively. The best alignment to guidelines was found on the wards (82.3%). Inpatient cases were significantly better indicated (p=0.002), whereas therapeutic and HSCT-related transfusions were not. The majority of inappropriate transfusions had a pre-transfusion count >20×109/L without a valid justification (45.1%), whereas appropriate episodes were mainly accounted for by a pre-transfusion count <10×109/L (69%).

DISCUSSION
The 25% rate of inappropriate platelet transfusion in acute leukaemia patients underscores the learning needs of physicians, particularly those in training, regarding adequate use of platelets in haematologic malignancies to optimise its utilisation and patient outcome.


OBJECTIVE
To examine surgeon career phase and its association with surgical workload composition and outcomes of surgery.

DESIGN
Cross-sectional study.

SETTING
The study used data from calendar years 2004 through 2006 from 4 Florida general surgeon (GS) cohorts determined by years since board certification.

PARTICIPANTS
American Board of Surgery-certified GSs regardless of subspecialty (n = 1187) performing 460 881 operations on adults 18 years or older.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Workload composition based on the Clinical Classification System, complications identified by patient safety indicators, and in-hospital mortality. Poisson regression with robust error variance estimated adjusted rate ratios (RRs) for complications and mortality.

RESULTS
Compared with late-career surgeons, the rate of complications from cardiovascular procedures was higher for surgeons in the early-career phase (RR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.06-1.44) and the late middle-career phase (1.18; 1.02-1.37). The mortality rate for cardiovascular procedures also was higher for early-career surgeons (RR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.04-1.46). For digestive procedures, early-career surgeons had lower complication rates than late-career surgeons (RR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.75-0.99).

CONCLUSION
Late-career GSs perform both better and worse compared with early-career GSs, relative to their workload composition and proportional surgical volume. Factors such as training and case complexity may contribute to these career-phase differences.


The structure of (Li,Na,K)(Nb,Ta,Sb)O3 piezoelectric ceramics was thoroughly studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy for samples with different compositions and sintered for different times. A linear relationship is evidenced between the tetragonality ratio derived from XRD and the Raman shift. The Raman stretching modes are used to demonstrate the correlation of the structure and the piezoelectric properties of the materials, and to calculate the effective ionic displacement causing the piezoelectric polarization. The methodology proposed here offers invaluable insight into the nondestructive Raman analysis of perovskite structures based on the potassium sodium niobate systems, which are not amenable by studies of diffraction or other spectroscopic techniques. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


OBJECTIVE
To study in series the p16 protein expression on the rat brain tumor induced transplacentally by ENU.

METHODS
The p16 protein expression was determined with immuno-histochemistry stain on the offspring's brain at their 60, 90, 120, 150 days after birth.

RESULTS
(1) p16 proteins were expressed in all of the brain samples in the 60-day group; occasionally negative in the 90-day group; partly expressed in the 120-day group; significantly less expressed in the 150-day group. (2) The rate of expression in the tissue around tumor was higher than that in the tumor. (3) The p16 protein was mainly orientated in the nuclear of cell and sporadically orientated in the cytoplasm.

CONCLUSION
(1) It shows the p16 protein expression decreases with the increase of tumor incidence in the rat brain, which accompanies the start and development of the induced tumor. So we speculate that the dysfunction of p16 gene is one of the factors related to tumor incidence in this animal model. (2) The p16 protein is mainly orientated in the nuclear of cell and sporadically orientated in the cytoplasm.


Utilizing Bacchi's poststructuralist approach, "What's the problem represented to be?," we critically examine how the "problem" of drug use in prison is represented within a key initiative—the Identified Drug User program (IDUP)—of prison drug policy in one Australian jurisdiction. We use two data sources for our analysis: interview transcripts of recently incarcerated young men (aged 19–24) with histories of injecting drug use and selected prison drug policy and program documents. We examine how the "problem" of drug use in prison is problematized within the IDUP and question commonly accepted ways of thinking that underpin the program. We explore the discursive and subjectification effects of problem representations which produce young men as "rational" and "choosing" and, at the same time, as "untrustworthy" and "deserving of punishment." We highlight how these effects have consequences for young men's connections to family while incarcerated which can work against the very issues the IDUP is trying to address. We make two claims in particular: that the IDUP produces harmful effects for young men and their families and that the harmful effects produced are, paradoxically, those the IDUP aims to avoid. Our analysis offers insights into how drug use in prison could be thought about differently, including suggestions that might reduce at least some of its adverse effects.


Since the 1980s, Latin America has experienced unprecedented violence, which expresses itself in a major increase in homicide rates. After exploring different forms of violence and discussing the impoverishment which affects the region, the authors suggest that the spread of violence and crime is influenced by forces of global and local transformation which cause that violence to transcend national boundaries while reflecting the particular characteristics of each locality's culture and social organization. Through an analysis of five related processes: (1) changes in the drug economy; (2) proliferation of firearms; (3) similarity of cultural patterns of violence; (4) generalized fear among the population; and (5) citizen support for retaliation and extralegal violence (the latter in dangerous rapid expansion), the authors conclude by asserting that the appropriation of violence and its implacable logic of escalation can only lead to reciprocal annihilation. The strengthening of the state and the restoration of the rule of law comprise the necessary alternative for defending people's integrity and regaining freedom in the city.


Cell death in the endodermal region of the digestive tract of the blood-feeding leech Piscicola geometra was analyzed using light and transmission electron microscopes and the fluorescence method. Sexually mature specimens of P. geometra were bred under laboratory conditions and fed onDanio rerio. After copulation, the specimens laid cocoons. The material for our studies were non-feeding juveniles collected just after hatching, non-feeding adult specimens, and leeches that had been fed with fish blood (D. rerio) only once ad libitum. The fed leeches were prepared for our studies during feeding and after 1, 3, 7, and 14 days (not sexually mature specimens) and someweeks after feeding (the sexually mature). Autophagy in all regions of the endodermal part of the digestive system, including the esophagus, the crop, the posterior crop caecum (PCC), and the intestine was observed in the adult non-feeding and feeding specimens. In fed specimens, autophagy occurred at very high levels—in 80 to 90 % of epithelial cells in all four regions. In contrast, in adult specimens that did not feed, this process occurred at much lower levels—about 10 % (esophagus and intestine) and about 30 % (crop and PCC) of the midgut epithelial cells. Apoptosis occurred in the feeding adult specimens but only in the crop and PCC. However, it was absent in the non-feeding adult specimens and the specimens that were collected during feeding. Moreover, neither autophagy nor apoptosis were observed in the juvenile, non-feeding specimens. The appearance of autophagy and apoptosis was connected with feeding on toxic blood. We concluded that autophagy played the role of a survival factor and was involved in the protection of the epithelium against the products of blood digestion. Quantitative analysis was prepared to determine the number of autophagic and apoptotic cells.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical performance of class II restorations made using pure ormocer and methacrylate composites in a period of 24 months, using a split-mouth double-blinded randomized design.

METHODS AND MATERIALS
Thirty patients received two class II restorations (n=60) performed with different composites: GrandioSO (methacrylate, nanohybrid) and Admira Fusion (pure ormocer, nanohybrid). The universal adhesive system (Futurabond M+) was applied in all restorations using the self-etching mode. The composites were placed by the incremental technique. The restorations were evaluated using the FDI World Dental Federation criteria after 7 days and 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively.

RESULTS
After 24 months, 23 patients attended the recall and 46 restorations were evaluated. Fisher's statistical analysis (5%) showed no difference between the materials. One pure ormocer restoration and one methacrylate restoration presented small fractures. Only one tooth suffered a fracture of the remaining tooth structure. Admira Fusion presented, respectively, 100%, 95.66%, and 100% of acceptable performance in general scores for esthetic, functional, and biological properties. GrandioSO presented, respectively, 100%, 91.31%, and 95.66% of acceptable performance in the same scores.

CONCLUSION
After 24-month follow-up, nonsignificant differences between the tested composites was detected. Both materials provided acceptable clinical performance in class II restorations.


Abstract It is generally agreed that in photojournalism pictures come first. However, also the short verbal texts that accompany them play a crucial role, as they lead readers among the different signifieds of the image. A multimodal discourse analysis of captions will aptly consider both the linguistic elements that appear within the verbal discourse and the image-text relation. The interconnectedness of captions and pictures has lately been defined as a "loop," a view which blurs the traditional distinction between anchoring and relaying processes theorized by Barthes. The association of the relaying function with comics, however, seems to establish an interesting point of contact between photojournalism and pop art. Captions actually show the tension between "high" and "low" culture, the former being traditionally identified with the word and the latter with the image. While in the heyday of photojournalism captions were made necessary by the poor quality of the photographs, they soon began to provide an abstractive summary of the story told by the picture. This selective process involves interpretation. For this reason, captions can be ethically misleading and even legally controversial forms of discourse, for instance when they are used instrumentally to convey a specific point of view. In photojournalism dealing with crime cases, in particular, captions may display a sensationalist and populist view of justice, thus articulating the thoughts of public opinion supported by the newspaper's stand. My case study focuses on the caption that accompanied the photo portraying Perry Smith and Richard Hickock while leaving the courtroom on March 29, 1960. The two murderers – who have become famous after the publication of the documentary novel In Cold Blood – had just been sentenced to death by hanging. As reported by Capote, the caption that appeared in the Kansas newspaper read "The Last Laugh?" Starting from this case, the present work will try to investigate the complexity of captions as multimodal forms of discourse.


The Morality-Agency-Communion (MAC) model of respect and liking suggests that traits linked with morality are important for respect and liking; traits related to competence or assertiveness are important for respect and traits related to warmth are important for liking. However, tests of this model have tended not to consider traits related to immorality, incompetence, lack of assertiveness or coldness. This study addressed this issue by utilizing a within-subjects design in which participants were required to rate their respect and liking for individuals with specific trait types across four categories (moral; competence; assertiveness; and warmth) at three levels (positive, negative and neutral). The central tenets of the MAC model were supported for 'positive' traits (morality, competence, assertiveness and warmth). However, for 'negative' traits (immorality, incompetence and lack of assertiveness), individuals were similarly not liked and not respected. Individuals who were cold were respected more than liked. The findings of this study extend the MAC model by indicating that the amount that individuals are respected versus liked depends not only on trait type but also whether a trait is positive or negative.


Surfactant proteins (SPs), designated SP-A, SP-B, SP-C, and SP-D, play an important role in surfactant metabolism and host defense mechanisms in the lung. This study investigates expression of the different SP types in human nasal mucosa and cultured normal human nasal epithelial (NHNE) cells and whether the expression of SP mRNA is influenced by the degree of mucociliary differentiation. RT-PCR was performed with mRNA from cultured NHNE cells and nasal mucosa. Immunohistochemical staining for SPs was performed on nasal mucosa specimens. Western blot analysis was performed on cell lysates from cultured NHNE cells. SP-A2, SP-B, and SP-D mRNAs were expressed in normal NHNE cells and human nasal mucosa. SPs were localized in ciliated cells of the surface epithelium and serous acini of the submucosal glands. SP-A, SP-B, and SP-D proteins were expressed in cultured NHNE cells. The degree of mucociliary differentiation influenced expression of the SP gene. We demonstrate that SP-A, SP-B, and SP-D are expressed in human nasal mucosa and cultured NHNE cells. Further study of the functional role of SPs in the upper airway is required.


ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Simple appendectomy with a complicated appendicitis diagnosis could prove difficult, sometimes requiring extended resection. Hence, we aimed to compare two procedures that are preferred for extended resection, ileocecal resection, and right hemicolectomy, in terms of patients' demographic data, preoperative laboratory values (white blood cell [WBC], Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio [N/L], C-reactive protein [CRP]), operation times, postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, and 1-month mortality rates. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent extended resection with the diagnosis of complicated appendicitis in our clinic from February 2015 to December 2020. We divided the patients into two groups those who underwent right hemicolectomy and those who underwent ileocecal resection. RESULTS: Among the 55 patients who underwent extended resection with the diagnosis of complicated appendicitis, 32 (58.1%) underwent right hemicolectomy and 23 underwent ileocecal resection (41.8%). The groups did not differ statistically significantly in terms of demographic characteristics, preoperative laboratory values (WBC, N/L, CRP), Clavien–Dindo classification scores, mean hospital stay, or 1-month mortality rates (p>0.005). However, there was a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of operation time (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Ileocecal resection is a safe procedure for patients diagnosed with complicated appendicitis who are scheduled for extended resection.


This essay aims to contribute to current anthropological debate on space and place, analysing in two instances of festival performance how, on the one hand the politics of appropriation of space contributes to the configuration of power relations, and how on the other hand, participants in these festivals engage individually and collectively with physical space(s) to create places which they experience as meaningful in terms of identity and belonging.


Religious tourism is tourism for the purpose of visiting religious places, traveling for the purpose of worshiping holy places of faith or participating in religious rituals. In order to practice religious tourism, a tourist must be familiar with the culture and religion of the holy place he is about to visit. The report presents information on Christianity and Islam and religious tourism on the territories of Bulgaria and Syria. Famous religious sites are indicated with useful information about them. The report included a call for people of different faiths to be more united.


The CoRoT faint stars channel observed about 163 600 targets to detect transiting planetary companions. Because CoRoT targets are faint (11< r <16) and close to the galactic plane, only a small subsample has been observed spectroscopically. We describe the latest classification scheme used to derive the spectral type of CoRoT targets, which is based on broadband multi-colour photometry. We assess the accuracy of this spectral classification for the first time. We find that the classification method performs better for stars that were observed during the mission-dedicated photometric ground-based campaigns.The luminosity class is wrong for less than 7% of the targets. Generally, the effective temperature of stars classified as early type (O, B, and A) is overestimated. Conversely, the temperature of stars classified as later type tends to be underestimated. This is mainly due to the adverse effect of interstellar reddening. We find that the median error on the effective temperature is less than 5% for dwarf stars classified with a spectral later than F0, but it is worse for earlier type stars, with up to 20\% error for A and late-B dwarfs, and up to 70% for early-B and O-type dwarfs. Similar results are found for giants, with a median error that is lower than 7% for G- and later type giants, but greater than 25% for earlier types. Overall, we find an average median absolute temperature difference |Delta Teff| = 533+\-6 K for the whole sample of stars classified as dwarfs and |Delta Teff| = 280+\-3 K for the whole sample of giant stars. The corresponding standard deviation is of about 92+\-5 K for dwarfs and 304+\-4 K for giants. Typically for late-type stars, this means that the classification is accurate to about half a class.


We consider an infinite server queue into which customers arrive according to a Cox process and have independent service times with a general distribution. The model is motivated by a linear feed-forward gene regulatory network, in which the rate of protein synthesis is modulated by the number of RNA molecules present in a cell. The system can be modelled as a nonstandard tandem of infinite server queues, in which the number of customers present in a queue modulates the arrival rate into the next queue in the tandem. We first study second order statistics of the equilibrium queue length by making a simplifying assumption on the service time distribution. We then establish a Large Deviations Principle for this queueing system in the asymptotic regime in which the arrival process is sped up, while the service process is not scaled.


This work intends to compare the Real Options methodology and the Uncertainty Situation Strategic Approach (SILVEIRA, 1993; 2006) in relation to how they deal with the value of flexibility in real assets investments. The methodological proposal is detailed in a comparative exercise with the aid of two case studies, performed by the Real Options approach, by Copeland & Antikarov (2001). Both cases deal with sequential decisions about expansion, abandonment or continuity regarding investment projects. The cases were reinterpreted and represented by political variables and scenarios temporally set, in agreement with Silveira (1993, 2006). The resulting payoffs from each strategy are discounted cashflows, submitted to minimax decision criteria. Through uncertainty modeling, advantages and disadvantages of both methodologies are pointed out, considering the current development stage of the assets market in Brazil, when compared to the markets and institutional environment from where the Real Options methodology was originated. This work ratifies the methodological research relevance regarding the investments flexibility value under higher uncertainty situations.


This paper describes the design and development of the Adaptive Modeling System. This system models how a user accesses a relational database management system in order to improve its performance by discovering use access patterns. In the current system, these patterns are used to improve the user interface and may be used to speed data retrieval, support query optimization and support a more flexible data representation. The system models both syntactic and semantic information about the user's access and employs both procedural and rule-based logic to manipulate the model.


This study was to investigate whether working in conditions of elevated concentrations of mine gases (CO2, CO, CH4, DMS) and dust may result in oxidative stress. Coal miners (n=94) from the Velenje Coal mine who were arranged into control group and three groups according to a number of consecutive working days. 8-isoprostane as a biological marker of oxidative stress was measured in exhaled breath condensate (EBC). Miners who worked for three consecutive days had higher 8-isoprostane values in EBC compared to the control group. Gas/dust concentrations and exposure time of a single/two day shift seem too low to trigger immediate oxidative stress.


Single crystal fiber (SCF) is a hybrid laser architecture between conventional bulk laser crystals and active optical fibers allowing higher average powers than with conventional crystals and higher energy than with fibers in pulsed regime. The pump beam delivered by a fiber-coupled laser diode is confined by the guiding capacity of the SCF whereas the signal beam is in free propagation. In this paper, we study the pump guiding in the SCF and give an overview of the results obtained using SCF gain modules in laser oscillators and amplifiers. We report about up to 500 μJ nanosecond pulses at the output of a passively Q-switched Er:YAG SCF oscillator at 1617 nm. High power experiments with Yb:YAG allowed to demonstrate up to 250 W out of a multimode oscillator. High power 946 nm Nd:YAG SCF Q-switched oscillators followed by second and fourth harmonic generation in the blue and the UV is also presented with an average power up to 3.4 W at 473 nm and 600 mW at 236.5 nm. At 1064 nm, we obtain up to 3 mJ with a nearly fundamental mode beam in sub-nanosecond regime with a micro-chip laser amplified in a Nd:YAG SCF. Yb:YAG SCF amplifiers are used to amplify fiber based sources limited by non-linearities such as Stimulated Brillouin Scattering with a narrow linewidth laser and Self Phase Modulation with a femtosecond source. Using chirped pulse amplification, 380 fs pulses are obtained with an energy of 1 mJ and an excellent beam quality (M2<1.1).


Abstract. During lithospheric extension, localization of deformation often occurs along structural weaknesses inherited from previous tectonic phases. Such weaknesses may occur in both the crust and mantle, but the combined effects of these weaknesses on rift evolution remains poorly understood. Here we present a series of 3D brittle-viscous analogue models to test the interaction between differently oriented weaknesses located in the brittle upper crust and/or upper mantle. We find that crustal weaknesses usually express first at the surface with the formation of graben parallel to their orientation; then, structures parallel to the mantle weakness overprint them and often become dominant. Furthermore, the direction of extension exerts minimal control on rift trends when inherited weaknesses are present, which implies that present-day rift orientations are not always indicative of past extension directions. We also suggest that multiphase extension is not required to explain different structural orientations in natural rift systems. The degree of coupling between the mantle and upper crust affects the relative influence of the crustal and mantle weaknesses: low coupling enhances the influence of crustal weaknesses, whereas high coupling enhances the influence of mantle weaknesses. Such coupling may vary over time due to progressive thinning of the lower crustal layer, as well as due to variations in extension velocity. These findings provide a strong incentive to reassess the tectonic history of various natural examples.


2-(2-Pyridyldithio-3-butenyl) glycosides react with carbohydrate-based thiols in a two-step process involving sulfenyl transfer followed by desulfurative 2,3-allylic rearrangement, promoted by either triphenylphosphine or silver nitrate, to give novel saccharide mimetics. In an alternative embodiment of the same chemistry anomeric thiols are coupled with carbohydrates derivatized in the form of 2-(2-pyridyldithio-3-butenyl) ethers. This new method of glycoligation does not require protection of hydroxyl groups and is compatible with the presence of acetamides, azides, trichloroethoxycarbamates, and thioglycosides. Variations on the general theme enable the preparation of mimetics of reducing and nonreducing oligosaccharides as well as of nonglycosidically linked systems.


Corrugated waveguide with sinusoidal shape has long been used as slow wave structure (SWS) in backward wave oscillators (BWOs). Alternative SWSs with arbitrary geometries such as trapezoidal and semi-circular have drawn the attention of the researchers recently to be used as interaction regions in BWOs. In this work, the zero and non-zero beam dispersion characteristics of the axisymmetric transverse magnetic (TM) modes of semi-circularly and trapezoidally corrugated SWS (SCCSWS and TCSWS) have been studied numerically. The effect of variation of the electron beam parameters such as beam energy, current and radius on space charge wave modes (SCWM) and temporal growth rate (TGR) has also been investigated rigorously. The simulation results provide detail information regarding the unstable region where the resonant interaction occurs which is the requirement for microwave generation.


In an article entitled "Social Origins of the Authoritarian State in the Arab East," Khaldoun Hasan al-Naqeeb has investigated the various reasons that prevented the Arabs from achieving longsought-for "national aspirations" for more than half a century. Among the many reasons, al-Naqeeb ascribes this inability to achieve such a common goal to the military regimes that came to power in the 1950s and 1960s. These regimes, he claims, monopolized the sources of authority and social power and completely eliminated "all democratic institutions and freedoms under the pretext of reform'."1 Their sluggish performance and their failure to meet the socioeconomic demands of their subjects, in addition to the widespread corruption in the public and government sectors, led to growing discontent among the people.2 The dissatisfaction was in turn reflected in the literatures of these countries since intellectuals and literary figures believed in the risky, yet necessary role of the writers as leaders and "guides" of their people.3 Thus, in his article "The Masks: Design of Reality and Dream," Abdul Fattah Kalaagy comments on the unanimity of issues expressed by Arab playwrights of different countries in their dramatic works. He remarks that most contemporary Arab playwrights deal more or less with the same social and political issues which have recently become the "daily bread of the Arabs." This, he states, has turned their many voices into one "loud and far-reaching" voice.4 In a similar claim, Momena al-Awf, discussing the works of the Syrian playwright Saadallah Wannus (1941-97), identifies Wannus's thematic concerns as reflecting very common issues reverberating in the Arab world: "repression of freedom, tyranny of authority and conflicts among top officials for higher governmental posts," among many others.5 And Abdullah Abu Heif makes the statement that the theater of Wannus is more preoccupied


Relevance. An urgent problem of environmental protection is, first of all, research aimed at improving the air of roads, especially in the North Caucasus, where resorts and recreation centers are concentrated. The main sources of air pollution are industrial enterprises and motor vehicles. The annual increase in vehicles is alarming for air pollution along the roadway, affecting human health In order to expand the assortment of plants on highways with a hyper accumulative ability to sorb air toxicants, plant seeds from families of nightshade, cruciferous, asteraceae, legumes and cereals were sown on strips 3-4 m along the highway. Aim. Expanding the assortment of plants on roadsides that have the ability to absorb air toxicants. Methods. On the roadsides, mixtures of plant seeds were sown that were capable of absorbing chemicals from the air (nightshade, cruciferous, asteraceae, legumes and cereals). Solanaceous plants have the ability to absorb cadmium compounds, legumes and cereals (haze) adsorb heavy metals, cruciferous ones capture arsenic and mercury from the air. Then these herbs were left for several years for self-renewal. Results. The analysis of the sorption ability of plants accumulating heavy metals has been carried out; phytoindicators have been identified that can reduce the toxicity of air and soil. The selected composition of the phytocenosis can significantly reduce the air toxicity of roads. Representatives of these species of families are not mowed, leaving them to resume growth using seeds that crumble in early June. Plants of the nightshade family, which sorb more cadmium, should have an advantage, while plants with lowered leaves absorb arsenic and mercury more. The results of the work showed that in order to reduce chemicals along highways, sow plants with hyperaccumulative properties from the family of nightshade, cruciferous, aster, asteraceae, cereals and legumes in the complex.


Autonomous agents face the challenge of coordinating multiple tasks (perception, motion planning, controller) which are computationally expensive on a single onboard computer. To utilize the onboard processing capacity optimally, it is imperative to arrive at computationally efficient algorithms for global path planning. In this work, it is attempted to reduce the processing time for global path planning in dynamically evolving polygonal maps. In dynamic environments, maps may not remain valid for long. Hence it is of utmost importance to obtain the shortest path quickly in an ever-changing environment. To address this, an existing rapid path-finding algorithm, the Minimal Construct was used. This algorithm discovers only a necessary portion of the Visibility Graph around obstacles and computes collision tests only for lines that seem heuristically promising. Simulations show that this algorithm finds shortest paths faster than traditional grid-based A* searches in most cases, resulting in smoother and shorter paths even in dynamic environments.


Purpose Oral trials, otherwise known as swallow trials or tasters, are widely used in dysphagia management. However, to date, no studies have investigated the effectiveness of oral trials or outlined how the approach is utilized in everyday practice. This article aims to start a dialogue regarding this much-used but little-evidenced dysphagia intervention by exploring three main aspects to (a) identify the patient demographics and environments in which oral trials are used in hospital, (b) explore clinical decision making around the approach, and (c) consider clinical implications around current findings and future areas for research. Method A cross-sectional examination of 118 patients on the dysphagia caseload of a United Kingdom-based inpatient speech and language therapy team was conducted. Statistical analysis explored demographic differences between oral trials groups and the rest of the dysphagia caseload. Results Twenty-three of 118 (19.5%) individuals on the caseload were or had been on oral trials during admission. Individuals in the oral trials group were significantly more likely to have a neurological diagnosis than the full oral intake group (78.3% vs. 30.5%, p < .001). There was a lack of uniformity in oral trials recommendations, and the rationale behind quantity and types of diet or fluids offered was unclear. Conclusions This study begins to evidence the use of a dysphagia therapy not previously explored within existing literature. It highlights the wide use of oral trials within the hospital trust observed. Based on current evidence, it would be difficult for clinicians to know how to implement oral trials as an intervention. Further research is required both to explore the effectiveness of this approach and also to develop a consensus within practice around how, why, and when oral trials are offered. This would ensure an equitable and effective service is offered and would ensure a high standard of evidence-based practice within dysphagia management.


The social networks such as Facebook, Line or Wechat recommend the friends for the users based on user's personal data such as common contact list or mobility traces. However, outsourcing users' personal information to the cloud for friend matching will raise a serious privacy concern due to the potential risk of data abusing. In this study, we propose a novel Scalable and Privacy-preserving Friend Matching protocol, or SPFM in short, which aims to provide a scalable friend matching and recommendation solutions without revealing the user's personal data to the cloud. Different from the previous works which involves multiple rounds of protocols, SPFM presents a scalable solution which can prevent honest-but-curious mobile cloud from obtaining the original data and support the friend matching of multiple users simultaneously. We give detailed feasibility and security analysis on SPFM and its accuracy and security have been well demonstrated via extensive simulations. The result show that our scheme works even better when original data is large.


When the empire of Annam, by the treaty of June 5, 1862, ceded to France the three eastern provinces of Cochinchina, France acquired several new neighbors in the Far East. From 1862 on, she was constantly occupied by her political and economic relations with these neighbors. She was led inexorably by her will to protect her conquest to further and further territorial expansion. The first result of her policy was the establishment of a protectorate over Cambodia in 1863. The next consequence was the annexation of the three remaining provinces of Cochinchina in 1867.The third logical step in her Far Eastern progress was an arrangement with Siam in 1867 by which the latter recognized her protectorate over Cambodia at the price of territorial concessions. A further advance was registered in 1874 by the establishment of a French protectorate over Annam.


Cell mediated as well as humoral immune response was evaluated in 14 lyme arthritis patients. Significant decrease of T cells percentage was observed in comparison to normal values. It was related particularly to CD4+ subset and resulted in significant decrease of CD4+/CD8+ ratio. Statistically significant increase of B cells percentage was accompanied by elevated concentrations of immunoglobulin M, complement components C3 and C4. Immunoglobulins A and G, as well as circulating immune complexes remained on the normal level. These results indicate suppression of cellular and activation of humoral immune response in patients with Lyme arthritis.


Abstract This numerical paper presents the effects of viscous dissipation on both hydrodynamic flow behavior and thermal flow characteristics of fluid included in rheological polymer flow analysis. The shear rate dependence of the viscosity is modeled using a modified form of the Cross constitutive equation, while the density changes are modeled using the modified Tait state of equation. The Navier-Stokes equations are solved in a sequential, decoupled manner with energy conservation equations using a finite volume method based fluid flow solver. Hydrodynamic and thermal boundary layer developments in an asymmetric sudden expansion for different velocity and melt flow injection temperature boundary and geometry conditions are determined under the influence of viscous dissipation effects and the results are compared with each other to measure the relative effects of viscous dissipation on the interactions of these layers for a commercial polymer melt flow, namely polypropylene (PP). The numerical results demonstrate that proposed mathematical and numerical formulations for viscosity and density variations including viscous heating terms lead to more accurate representation of the polymer melt flow and heat transfer phenomena in plane channels or mold cavity associated with a sudden expansion.


Elastic and inelastic neutron scattering measurements hav e been performed on powder and single-crystal samples of orthorhombic CeRu 2Al 10. The order forming belowT0 = 27 K was identified as a long-range antiferromagnetic state with the wave vector k = (1,0, 0). The magnetic spectral response in the ordered phase, measured on powder, is characterized by a spin gap and a prono unced peak at 8 meV, whose Q dependence suggests a magnetic origin. Both features are suppressed wh n temperature is raised to T0, and a conventional relaxational behavior is observed at 40 K. This peculiar spi n dynamics is discussed in connection with recent magnetization results for the same compound.


The fundamental underpinnings of the well‐known Bernoulli's Equation, as used to describe steady state two‐dimensional flow of an ideal incompressible irrotational flow, are typically described in terms of partial differential equations. However, it has been shown that the Cauchy Integral Theorem of standard complex variables also explain the Bernoulli's Equation and, hence, can be directly used to model problems of ideal fluid flow (or other potential problems such as electrostatics among other topics) using approximation function techniques such as the complex variable boundary element method (CVBEM). In this article, the CVBEM is extended to include Laurent Series expansions about singular points located outside of the problem domain union boundary. It is shown that by including such negatively powered complex monomials in the CVBEM formulation, considerable power is introduced to model potential flow problems. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 28: 573–586,2012


In electric power systems, microwave relay stations are employed to exchange information using electromagnetic radio waves to control the systems. Some microwave relay stations are built on tops of mountains, which causes a high incidence of lightning strikes to microwave towers, and the lightning strikes may result in disturbances of microwave radio equipment. To protect microwave radio equipment from lightning, it is required to analyze surge phenomena in microwave relay stations and evaluate the effectiveness of lightning protection methodologies. Nowadays, the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method to solve Maxwell's equations directly, has been widely and successfully applied to the surge analysis of three-dimensional structures and grounding structures. In this study, setting up a reduced-scale microwave relay station model with a microwave tower of 10 m height, we calculate the distribution of lightning impulse currents in the model and compare the calculated results with measured ones for validation. Secondly, we calculate the magnetic fields inside the microwave relay station in the case of direct lightning strikes to the microwave tower to study the effect of the layout of the microwave relay station and the effectiveness of the reinforcing bars used for grounding. Keywords-lightning surges; microwave relay stations; FDTD


Until now, comparative studies in the vocative of the two languages have been carried out in the context of simple sentences. However, in real life complex sentences are used more than simple sentences in spoken and written language. So, a complex sentence with adverbial clause of time has been specially considered on the example of the Mongolian language, that including complex sentences shows unique features of the vocative. If a complex sentence has two different subjects, it appears by nominative case in the clause sentence of Korean and Turkish; but it appears by vocative clause in the clause sentence of Mongolian; sometimes it appears by the zero subject. The main importance of this study is to clarify and explain this reason from the point of view of grammar and identity. When we do this, research, aimed to be as a language usage for bilingual students and to the teaching teachers. We have reviewed the special usage of the vocative in the three languages based on the imperative characteristic of the verb to be transitive. This characteristic is manifested in the subjective of complex sentences with an adverbial clause of time in the Mongolian language, but in the objective of simple sentences in the Turkish and Korean languages. This is due to the fact that is not the primary function of vocative case adjective to transitive verb and it is due to the fact that it serves as an auxiliary suffix that highlights the subject and intensifies the tone of speech. As seen from suffix of vocative in the three languages, it is necessary to learn to understand and use it in relation to human attitudes in addition to the rules of linguistics, that relates with both transitive or intransitive verb for to eliminate the prejudice that verb with suffix of vocative case is commands to only transitive verbs. We are considering that is possible, it can be explained by the characteristics of human attitudes and relationships that is not from the point of view of grammatical whether to get a vocative in subjective in the clause sentence of a complex sentences.


We investigate the asymptotic behavior of random paths on a graded graph which describes the subword order for words in two letters. This graph, denoted by Z, has been introduced by Viennot, who also discovered a remarkable bijection between paths on Z and sequences of permutations. Later on, Gnedin and Olshanski used this bijection to describe the set of Gibbs measures on this graph. Both authors also conjectured that the Martin boundary of Z should coincide with its minimal boundary. We give here a proof of this conjecture by describing the distribution of a large random path conditioned on having a prescribed endpoint. We also relate paths on the graph Z with paths on the Young lattice, and we finally give a central limit theorem for the Plancherel measure on the set of paths in Z.


This paper describes our system participating in the SemEval-2017 Task 7, for the subtasks of homographic pun location and homographic pun interpretation. For pun interpretation, we use a knowledge-based Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD) method based on sense embeddings. Pun-based jokes can be divided into two parts, each containing information about the two distinct senses of the pun. To exploit this structure we split the context that is input to the WSD system into two local contexts and find the best sense for each of them. We use the output of pun interpretation for pun location. As we expect the two meanings of a pun to be very dissimilar, we compute sense embedding cosine distances for each sense-pair and select the word that has the highest distance. We describe experiments on different methods of splitting the context and compare our method to several baselines. We find evidence supporting our hypotheses and obtain competitive results for pun interpretation.


Most literature to date on the use of rapid Legionella tests have compared different sampling and analytical techniques, with few studies on real-world experiences using such methods. Rapid tests offer a significantly shorter feedback loop on the effectiveness of the controls. This study involved a complex of five factories, three of which had a history of Legionella contamination in their cooling water distribution system. Multiple sampling locations were utilised to take monthly water samples over 39 months to analyse for Legionella by both culture and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Routine monitoring gave no positive Legionella results by culture (n = 330); however, samples were frequently (68%) positive by qPCR for Legionella spp. (n = 1564). Legionella spp. qPCR assay was thus found to be a good indicator of cooling tower system health and suitable as a routine monitoring tool. An in-house qPCR limit of 5000 genomic units (GU)/L Legionella spp. was established to trigger investigation and remedial action. This approach facilitated swift remedial action to prevent Legionella proliferation to levels that may represent a public health risk. Cooling tower operators may have to set their own action levels for their own systems; however, in this study, 5000 GU/L was deemed appropriate and pragmatic.


Plants have evolved a number of mechanisms to protect themselves against environmental stresses. For example, in response to potentially harmful levels of UV light plants can accumulate flavonoids which, among other functions, act as UV-protective pigments. Chalcone synthase (CHS) is the key enzyme which commits the phenylpropanoid pathway to flavonoid biosynthesis. As the expression of CHS and other flavonoid biosynthesis genes is controlled by UV/blue light in higher plants, these genes provide ideal subjects for investigation of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in coupling UV/blue photoreception to transcription. To investigate the signal transduction processes concerned with the induction of CHS expression by UV/blue light, the effects of specific agonists and inhibitors were examined in a photomixotrophic Arabidopsis cell suspension culture. This cell culture behaves similarly to mature Arabidopsis leaves in the light regulation of CHS. That is CHS transcript levels are induced by UV-B and UV-A/blue light but not phytochrome. Moreover, experiments with a hy4 mutant cell suspension culture demonstrate that the effects of UV-B and UV-A/blue light on CHS expression are mediated by separate detection systems, the latter involving the CRY 1 photoreceptor. Pharmacological studies with Arabidopsis cell culture indicate that the UV-B and UV-A/blue phototransduction processes require cellular calcium. The inhibitors used suggest that an intracellular pool of calcium may be involved. However, the artificial elevation of cytosolic calcium using an ionophore is insufficient on its own to stimulate CHS expression. Similarly, in preliminary experiments with transgenic Arabidopsis containing cytosolic aequorin, no significant rapid increase in calcium is observed in response to either UV-B or UV-A/blue light. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed. The UV-B induction of CHS expression appears to involve calmodulin because it is strongly inhibited by the antagonist W-7. In contrast, W-7 has little, if any, effect on the UV-A/blue response, indicating that the UV-B and UV-A/blue light signal transduction pathways regulating CHS are, at least in part, distinct. Further evidence shows that both pathways involve protein phosphorylation and require cytoplasmic protein synthesis. The involvement of chromophore excitation, ion fluxes and heterotrimeric G proteins in UV/blue light signal transduction have also been investigated. From the above pharmacological experiments, it is evident that the UV-B and UV-A/blue phototransduction pathways are distinct from the phytochrome signal transduction pathway regulating CHS expression in other species. Support for this conclusion comes from the observation that activators/inhibitors of phytochrome signalling have no effect on CHS expression in the Arabidopsis cell culture. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).


A new type of intermembrane junctions in the rat cardiomyocytes is described: intermitochondrial junctions. These junctions are characterized by the maximal rapprochement or tight going of some regions of both the outer membranes of neighboring mitochondria, accompanied by a prominent local increase in the inner and outer membrane densities simultaneously with some increase in the electron density of intermembrane spaces. Examination of serial sections has shown that the cardiomyocyte mitochondria are connected by these junctions to make the unite system. Besides, contacts of the mitochondrial outer membrane with plasma membrane are described in the gap junction zones.


In order to determine the outcome and associated chromosomal and structural anomalies in fetuses diagnosed in utero as having a congenital diaphragmatic hernia, we reviewed 48 consecutive cases referred to our regional Fetal Diagnostic Unit between 1988 and 1995. All babies were delivered in units with appropriate neonatal resuscitation facilities. Thirteen babies [34 per cent of those tested, confidence interval (CI) 19–49 per cent] had karyotypic abnormalities. Three had trisomies but the other nine had more complex karyotypic abnormalities including translocations, deletions, and marker chromosomes. Twenty‐one fetuses (44 per cent, CI 30–58 per cent) had additional ultrasound abnormalities which affected the heart in ten cases (21 per cent). Overall, 13 babies survived (27 per cent, CI 14–40 per cent). In babies with normal chromosomes and no additional structural abnormalities the survival rate was 50 per cent (CI 25–75 per cent). Poor outcome was not predicted by early gestation at diagnosis, the hernial contents, or the presence of polyhydramnios. We conclude that parents should be counselled about prognosis with information derived from series of prenatally diagnosed diaphragmatic hernias. The investigations offered should include a detailed ultrasound examination, particularly of the heart, and karyotyping by fetal blood sampling.


Analytical approximate stationary solutions of solitary waves in a graded-index slab waveguide, are found for Type I second harmonic generation (SHG) processes, ignoring the usual assumptions that the linear and nonlinear effects occur separately in each transverse direction. We compare our results with those available in the literature and show how our model can depict accurately the influence of the nonlinearity on the phase constant. The analytical results are also validated by the numerical integration of the governing equations.


Recent studies have shown strong associations between chronic exercise and improved spirometric values. Building on these findings, we investigated whether habitual lifetime exercise influences six-minute walk test performance (6MWT) in subjects with at least 10 pack-years smoking history. The 6MWT was chosen for its correlation with performance on activities of daily living and predictive value for inactivity, morbidity and mortality in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) versus spirometric values, which are less adept at predicting functional status. Because COPD is a global cause of disability, therapeutic measures that delay symptom-induced immobility are more cost-effective versus late-stage interventional therapies. Among 49 subjects, we compared lifetime exercise assessed with a validated physical activity questionnaire with six-minute walk distances (6MWD). The American College of Sports Medicine's (ACSM) recommended exercise levels (30 minutes/day, 1000 kcal/week) were used as a benchmark. Among subjects with spirometry-determined lung obstruction (n = 21), those who have not met at least half of ACSM guidelines (500 kcal/week) were classified as "Inactive," while others were "Active." A significant difference in 6MWD was found between Inactive and Active subjects: (1123.86ft vs. 1468.25ft, STDev = 210.07 vs. 240.25, p = 0.0045). This difference was not found in subjects without lung obstruction. Pack-years was a significant covariate: subjects who smoked less walked farther distances. No relation was found between exercise and predicted FEV1%. In summary, our case-control study suggests that meeting even half of ACSM exercise guidelines could improve functional status in smokers if habitual exercise is adopted early in life.


amounts to an antipolitics. He is particularly sceptical of protestors' refusal to outline alternatives or reforms to contemporary modes of governance and their focus on repeated public rejections of the status quo. Yet, while Krastev opens the text by suggesting that he 'does not strive to classify the protests or to figure out how to judge their success or failure' (p. 2), he is unwilling to take seriously the possibility that the categories of democratic institutions may not be up to the task of explaining contemporary protest movements. His own reduction of protestors to a libertarian middle class requires the rejection of other ways of imagining political dissent. Krastev's commitment to the power of elections to 'mesmerize' (p. 34) and construct political alternatives deeply informs his assessment of the protests, which he reads as merely disruptive and ultimately inconsequential. Nonetheless, the text offers a compelling, if not altogether convincing, assessment of the relationship between contemporary protests and democratic institutions that will be of interest to scholars of social movements, democratic theory and liberal institutionalism.


Current models and concepts are introduced and used to characterize the physical properties of homogeneous, small molecule, surfactant solutions such as the critical micelle concentration (cmc), aggregation number, degree of ionization of ionic aggregates and the interactions that determine the size and shape of aggregates, various mesophases such as spherical and rodlike micelles, lamellar, vesicular, bicontinuous, and reverse micelles, and the chemical reactivity in surfactant solutions. Surfactant aggregation is a spontaneous process and a delicate balance of forces governs the size and shapes of the structures at equilibrium. Aggregation is driven by the hydrophobic effect, the minimization of surfactant tail-water contact by transfer of the tail of the surfactant unimer from water to the aggregate core with the concomitant release of water of hydration, and an increase in the entropy of the system. Balance is provided by a combination of electrostatic, ion-specific, and hydration interactions in the interfacial region of the aggregates. Two models are generally used to interpret surfactant aggregation and solution properties, the more generally applied pseudophase model and the mass action model. For example, pseudophase models provide a comprehensive interpretation of micellar effects on chemical reactivity. A major unsolved problem is developing a general interpretation of ion-specific effects, as exemplified by the Hofmeister series on surfactant aggregate properties. The ion-pair hydration model represents one potential solution.

Keywords:

surfactant;
unimer;
micelle;
microemulsion;
vesicle;
cmc;
balance-of-forces;
ion-specific effects;
aggregation number;
hydrophobic effect;
hydration;
packing parameter;
catalysis;
cooperativity, Hofmeister


This doctoral thesis is concerned with rapid solidification of AB5 materials suitable for electrochemical hydrogen storage. The primary objective of the work has been to characterise the microstructure and crystal structure of the produced AB5 materials as a function of the process parameters, e.g. the cooling rate during rapid solidification, the determination of which has been paid special attention to.The thesis is divided in to 6 parts, of which Part I is a literature review, starting with a short presentation of energy storage alternatives. Then a general review of metal hydrides and their utilisation as energy carriers is presented. This part also includes more detailed descriptions of the crystal structure, the chemical composition and the hydrogen storage properties of AB5 materials. Furthermore, a description of the chill-block melt spinning process and the gas atomisation process is given.In Part II of the thesis a digital photocalorimetric technique has been developed and applied for obtaining in situ temperature measurements during chill-block melt spinning of a Mm(NiCoMnAl)5 hydride forming alloy (Mm = Mischmetal of rare earths). Compared with conventional colour transmission temperature measurements, this technique offers a special advantage in terms of a high temperature resolutional and positional accuracy, which under the prevailing experimental conditions were found to be +/- 29 K and +/- 0.1 mm, respectively. Moreover, it is shown that the cooling rate in solid state is approximately 2.5 times higher than that observed during solidification, indicating that the solid ribbon stayed in intimate contact with the wheel surface down to very low metal temperatures before the bond was broken. During this contact period the cooling regime shifted from near ideal in the melt puddle to near Newtonian towards the end, when the heat transfer from the solid ribbon to the wheel became the rate controlling step.In Part III of the thesis the changes of the crystal structure and the grain structure of La0.60Ce0.29Pr0.04Nd0.07Ni3.37Co0.79Mn0.25Al0.74 with increasing cooling rate during chill-block melt spinning are described. Totally, the material was rapidly solidified at 9 different cooling rates. The grain structure, crystallographic texture and the lattice parameters were studied by means of electron microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. Additionally, the density of the rapidly solidified materials was measured by a gas pycnometer. All these properties were found to change with increasing cooling rate. The grain size decreased continuously with increasing cooling rate and was in the range of 1-5 μm. The strength of the crystallographic texture first increased and then decreased with increasing cooling rate. Transmission electron microscopy studies revealed that the grains contained a large amount of crystallographic twins and that the solidification morphology changed from cellular to plane front at a cooling rate during solidification of approximately 6·104 Ks-1. The unit cell volume and the density followed the same pattern with increasing cooling rate and decreased within each solidification morphology, but at the cooling rate from which the morphology changed, both these parameters suddenly increased. The identical variations in the unit cell volume and the density is explained by formation of excess lattice vacancies during rapid solidification.In Part IV of the thesis rapid solidification of the materials La0.60Ce0.27Pr0.04Nd0.09Ni4.76Sn0.24 and LaNi4.76Sn0.24 at 7 different cooling rates are described. The materials were analysed by means of electron microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction. The grain structures of both alloys were found to be in the nanometer range, and the grain sizes were almost invariant with increasing cooling rate. Furthermore, the lattice parameters of these materials were almost unaffected by increasing cooling rate. However, elemental line scans showed that the tin containing materials were not chemically homogeneous after chill-block melt spinning. The tin and nickel level fluctuated in an opposite manner, and the origin of these fluctuations is possibly due to inhomogeneities in the master alloys produced prior to rapid solidification.Part V of the thesis deals with the effect of heat treatment of the rapidly solidified materials presented in Part III and IV. The first material was heat treated at 400°C and the latter two at 1000°C and 900°C respectively. Electron microscopy investigations showed that the grain structure of the first material remained unchanged during the heat treatment while the latter two were subject to sincere grain growth. The inhomogeneities were removed during the heat treatment, and X-ray powder diffraction showed that the lattice constants were changing towards equilibrium values during the heat treatment. Furthermore, the density variations in the rapidly solidified material in Part III were removed by the heat treatment. This change and the change of the lattice parameters were probably due to annihilation of excess lattice vacancies during the heat treatment.Finally, in Part VI of the thesis the measured variations in the lattice parameters with increasing cooling rate are compared with the electrochemical hydrogen storage properties of the materials, which has been studied in a parallel work. It is shown that the hydrogen storage capacity and the absorption pressure of the material in Part III are controlled by the unit cell volume and hence the cooling rate during solidification.


The synthesis of polyurethanes (PURs) from oligoetherdiol, two low molecular diols, castor oil and 4,4′-Methylenebis(cyclohexylisocyanate) is described. These polymers are characterized by measurements of the mechanical bulk and surface properties, preliminary investigation of compatibility with human blood and calcification in static conditions. The critical surface energy of synthesized PURs is similar to the critical surface energy of natural surfaces. Material-induced hemolysis and the changes of platelet counts in blood samples after contact with PURs are very low. Static seven-weeks-calcification testing in a synthetic calcification fluid did not indicate calcification by optical density measurements and by visual inspection and computer image processing of the X-ray films for PURs with and without castor oil.


Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of independent directors and ownership structure on voluntary disclosures of Vietnamese listed firms. Design/methodology/approach - Year-ending 2008 annual report disclosures of 45 Vietnamese listed firms are analyzed. Voluntary disclosure is measured using a Vietnamese Disclosure Index adapted from prior literature. Descriptive and inferential statistics ( Findings - The results indicate that the level of voluntary disclosure among Vietnamese listed firms is relatively low (24.23 per cent). There are higher levels of disclosure relating to director and senior management details but far lower in regards to social issues. State ownership and managerial ownership are negatively and positively related to the extent of voluntary disclosure respectively. Moreover, bigger firms are found to be positively associated with voluntary disclosure. Research limitations/implications - The results of this study are limited to one year – 2008 – and thus, could be biased as disclosures can change over time. Practical implications - Vietnamese regulators should focus on strengthening the regulations governing the level of corporate communication in firms with high state ownership as well as encouraging more disclosure of non-financial information to strengthen its market information transparency. Originality/value - This study is one of the first examining the level of corporate voluntary disclosure practices among Vietnamese listed firms. Evidence from this study extends the existing voluntary disclosure literature on emerging economies whilst providing valuable insights to Vietnamese policy makers in the process of developing and improving its financial reporting regulatory framework.


Automated Floor Drilling Equipment (AFDE) have been used at Boeing for drilling floor panel, galley, lavatory and other holes in Boeing planes. New controller and drill spindle designs made it possible to redesign the AFDE as a self-contained unit with on-board CNC, custom operator interface, RF network and more compact drill spindles for increased robustness and versatility.


Indonesia is a country that is ranked 4 (four) in the world, so it cannot be denied that the problem of waste is a complex problem faced by the Government, waste is one of the biggest problems that are often encountered by people in other parts of the world, waste itself is a leftover from activities and activities. human consumption, which has been wasted and has no economic value anymore. Garbage is a problem faced in almost all parts of the world. Seeing the many waste problems that occurred, the Padangtegal Traditional Village built a Compost House as a form of the Village's concern for the waste problem. This study aims to examine environmental pollution by the traditional village of Padangtegal, Ubud District. The method used is empirical legal research. This research uses a statutory approach and is carried out by examining and studying laws or other regulations such as awig-awig and pararem in accordance with the issues in question, in which the norms are hierarchically arranged in the arrangement of legal norms. Sources of data in this study are primary data and secondary data. The results of the study indicate that the implementation of waste management in the Padangtegal Traditional Village has been running well according to applicable regulations and in its implementation the Padangtegal Traditional Village manages waste management independently through management.


A method for coding arbitration numbers in distributed arbitration schemes as used in Futurebus is proposed. The method is based on minimising the number of level changes in the arbitration process and allows one to reduce the arbitration time considerably. An algorithm for the construction of optimal codes for specified arbitration delay and number of arbitration lines is given.


Experimental observations and theoretical considerations have shown that a large part of the Universe is made of Dark Matter particles; this has currently motivated a large experimental effort to investigate them by direct detection approaches. In particular, several techniques are developed. A short review of those that use target at temperature above 77 K is summarized, with particular care to the approaches able to offer a suitable model-independent signature. Some perspectives will also be mentioned.


Electrical impedance is usually defined in terms of alternating-current steady-state values of current and voltage. When network problems are approached using the Laplace transformation, impedance takes on a different character, as now both transient and steady-state currents and voltages are considered. It is therefore useful to develop a general expression for impedance in the form of a time domain operator. This operator is a rational function in powers of the differential operator D=d/dt. One can then show that the phasor and Laplace transform expressions for impedance are compatible.


Sequential learning is a fundamental function of an intelligent agent. This technical report introduces a model of sequential learning, which is interpretable through Non-Axiomatic Logic. The learning procedure includes three steps, hypothesizing, revising, and recycling, and can work under the Assumption of Insufficient Knowledge and Resources. Although there are limitations for the current design, the model has been proven effective in some simple cases.


Truncated-matrix multipliers offer significant reductions in area, power, and delay, at the expense of increased computational error. These tradeoffs make them an attractive choice for many signal processing systems such as FIR filters. This paper presents a method for shifting coefficients that significantly reduces the error in systems that use truncated-matrix multipliers. This method allows further reductions in area, power, and delay while maintaining the overall accuracy of the system.


Acupuncture is a kind of medical treatments applied a puncture technique on the particular spots to treat the disease. The treatment influences the reflex system, autonomic nerve, neuroendocrine, neurohumoral, and central nerve system which will stimulate the balance of yin and yang. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of acupuncture therapy toward changes in blood pressure in the elderly with hypertension. It's a pre experimental research using 73 the population are. There were 40 respondents obtained with quota sampling technicque. The data collected through three times of treatment. Wilcoxon Range test show α =0,05 p value 0.00 for systolic is and 0.003 diastolic is. thus, it could be concluded that there was a significant effect of acupuncture treatment with changes in blood pressure in the elderly with hypertension. Based on the study result, acupuncture can be used as one of complementary treatment for hypertension.


Background : It has long been shown that chronic conditions are usually accompanied by psychosocial disorders. Fibromyalgia (FM) is not an exception in this regard. The aim of this study is to evaluate the mental health in FM patients. Methods : In an analytic-descriptive setting, patients with diagnosis of FM were inquired according to general health questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) and severity of pain was inquired based on visual analogue scale (VAS). Somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, social dysfunction and severe depression were assessed. Results : One hundred female patients with mean age of 44.66±11.34 years were enrolled. According to GHQ-28, 55% of the patients with FM have suffered from psychological abnormalities. The prevalence of suspected psychological disorders, were 68 % in "somatic symptoms", 18% in "depression" and "anxiety and insomnia" and 53% in "social dysfunction". There were a significant positive correlation between VAS and level of somatic symptoms, social dysfunction and severe depression. Conclusion : This study showed that a considerable portion of patients with FM may suffer concurrently from psychological disorders. The probability of these diseases increases with the severity of pain, hence effective pain reducing policies may be useful in providing a better quality of life.


Daunorubicin (DNR), an antibiotic-antimetabolite, was used as an adjunct to standardized partial-thickness filtration surgery in 21 rabbits to determine its effects on that surgery. Postoperatively, one of the eyes of each rabbit received subconjunctival injections of DNR 25 micrograms or 50 micrograms, while the fellow eyes received only diluent, daily for 2 to 14 days. Bleb survival, fistula patency, the thickness of the subconjunctival connective tissue, and postoperative complications were investigated. The filtration blebs lasted significantly longer (P < .005), the rate of fistula closure was significantly lower (P < .005), and the subepithelial connective tissue was much looser and thicker in the experimental eyes than in the control eyes. Corneal toxicity occurred more frequently in the eyes treated with the higher-dose DNR than in those treated with the lower dose and in the control eyes.


This report describes a man with known metastatic disease who presented with bilateral upper extremity weakness. The cause was discovered to be symmetrical cerebral metastases.


The year 2020 marks the twentieth anniversary of the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution ("UNSCR") 1325, the most important moment in the United Nations' efforts to achieve world peace through gender equality. Over the past several decades, the international community has strengthened its focus on gender, including the relationship between gender and international peace and security. National governments and the United Nations have taken historic steps to elevate the role of women in governance and peacebuilding. The passage of UNSCR 1325 in 2000 foreshadowed what many hoped would be a transformational shift in international law and politics. However, the promise of gender equality has gone largely unrealized, despite the uncontroverted connection between treatment of women and the peacefulness of a nation.

This Article argues for the first time that to achieve international peace and security through gender equality, the United Nations Security Council should transition its approach from making recommendations and suggestions to issuing mandatory requirements under Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter. If the Security Council and the international community believe gender equality is the best indicator of sustainable peace, then the Security Council could make a finding under Article 39 with respect to 'a threat to the peace'—States who continue to mistreat women and girls pose a threat to international peace and security. Such a finding would trigger the Security Council's mandatory authority to direct States to take specific actions. In exercising its mandatory authority, the Security Council should organize, support, and train grassroots organizations and require States to do the same. It should further require States to produce a reviewable National Action Plan, detailing how each State will implement its responsibilities to achieve gender equality. The Security Council should also provide culturally sensitive oversight on domestic laws which may act as a restraint on true gender equality.


Abstract Background Data on the reliability of the Ki-67 index and grading calculations from endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) are controversial. We aimed to assess the accuracy of these data compared with histology. Methods Cytological analysis from EUS-FNA in patients with suspected PanNETs (n = 110) were compared with resection samples at a single institution. A minimum of 2000 cells were considered to be adequate for grading. Correlation and agreement between cytology and histology in grading and Ki-67 values, respectively, were investigated. Secondary outcomes included the diagnostic performance of EUS-FNA. Results EUS-FNA samples were adequate for PanNET diagnosis and PanNET grading in 98/110 (89.1 %) and 77/110 (70.0 %) patients, respectively; thus, 77 samples were adequate for comparing cytology vs. histology. There were 67 (62.0 %), 40 (36.4 %), and 1 (0.9 %) patients with a final diagnosis of G1, G2, and G3 tumors, respectively. EUS-FNA grading was concordant with surgical pathology in 81.8 % of patients; under- and overgrading occurred in 15.6 % and 2.6 %, respectively. The overall level of agreement for grading was moderate (Cohen's κ = 0.59, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.34 – 0.78). Spearman's rho for Ki-67 in tumors ≤ 20 mm and > 20 mm was strong and moderate, respectively (rho = 0.68, 95 %CI 0.47 – 0.83; rho = 0.59, 95 %CI 0.35 – 0.75). The Bland – Altman plot showed that the Ki-67 values were comparable and reproducible between the two measurements. Conclusions Although they were not available for a significant number of patients, grading and Ki-67 values from cytology correlated with histology moderately to strongly.


Eleven Neogene outcrops (seven of the Miri Formation and four of the Seria Formation) from Brunei Darussalam are described. Detailed stratigraphic columns are presented with special emphasis on the sedimentary sequences, providing insights into the depositional environments. The rocks are comprised mostly of sandstone, claystone and a mix of both lithologies, and are piled up in cycles of coarsening upward successions, which are here interpreted as parasequences. Most sections are characterized by abundant and diverse sedimentary structures, reworked fossiliferous deposits and organic fragments such as ambers and wood remains. Certain beds are rich in fossils: among the macrofossils, the most common are bivalves, gastropods and followed by fish remains (teeth and otholiths), crustaceans, corals and echninoderms, which are abundant at specific locations. Among the microfossils, the most common are foraminifera, which are mostly dominated by either rotaliids or textulariids; the most common genera are Ammonia, Elphidium and Trochammina. Porcelaneous and planktonic foraminifera are rare. Ostracods are also found. Ichnofossils are quite abundant in all sections but are represented mostly by Ophiomorpha and Thalassinoides. In view of the observations, the sections are interpreted as evidence of shallow-marine conditions, in which wave, fluvial and tidal actions strongly influenced the depositional environment. In a few cases, deposition of sediment seems to reflect the transition from wave-dominated to tide-dominated conditions. Our findings indicate that in such shallow marine deposits, the interpretation of sediment type and sedimentary structures alone cannot indicate one specific sedimentary environment, but such observations should include palaeontological evidence to generate more accurate palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. Lastly, our results are discussed in relation to the sedimentary evolution of the region.


Summary:Adolescents may especially need social and emotional help. They're learning how to handle new demands in school and social life while dealing with new, intense emotions (both positive and negative), and they're increasingly feeling that they should do so without adult guidance. Social and emotional learning (SEL) programs are one way to help them navigate these difficulties.SEL programs try to help adolescents cope with their difficulties more successfully by improving skills and mindsets, and they try to create respectful school environments that young people want to be a part of by changing the school's climate. In this article, David Yeager defines those terms and explains the changes that adolescents experience with the onset of puberty. Then he reviews a variety of SEL programs to see what works best with this age group.On the positive side, Yeager finds that effective universal SEL can transform adolescents' lives for the better. Less encouragingly, typical SEL programs—which directly teach skills and invite participants to rehearse those skills over the course of many classroom lessons—have a poor track record with middle adolescents (roughly age 14 to 17), even though they work well with children.But some programs stand out for their effectiveness with adolescents. Rather than teaching them skills, Yeager finds, effective programs for adolescents focus on mindsets and climate. Harnessing adolescents' developmental motivations, such programs aim to make them feel respected by adults and peers and offer them the chance to gain status and admiration in the eyes of people whose opinions they value.


Deltamethrin is a member of pyretroids with a potent effect on parasites. It is a very effective compound having the general characteristics of this group in a synthetic dibromo pyrethroid structure. Deltamethrin has a wide range of usage particularly in agriculture, preventive medicine programs, farm and pet animals. In the studies on toxicity, results were characterized by cholinergic effects, and no evident chronic toxic effect was observed in 2 years of feeding studies on rats. Although it is reported by EPA and FDA that it has no particular toxic effect, these findings are not in accordance with the results of genotoxicity studies. The result of the genotoxicity studies changes according to the live material used, the application route and dose of the compound. In the present study, genotoxicity of delthamethrin at the doses of 50, 100, 200 mg/kg/bw was investigated by in vivo micronucleus test. Deltamethrin was given to the mice intraperitoneally in 10% tween 80 with the doses presented above. To the positive control group, Mitomycin C, which is a mutagen agent, prepared in saline was given in 2 mg/kg/bw doses. At the 48th h after the application, by collecting bone marrow, blood and spleen samples, the formation of micronuclei in erythrocytes and splenocytes was investigated microscopically. In deltamethrin treatment groups, micronuclei frequency was determined and the results were found statistically significant when compared with negative control group (P<0.001). The micronuclei numbers obtained from different tissue samples of the same animal were also statistically significant (P<0.001). Particularly in the highest dose group, results were similar to the positive control group. According to these results, it was determined that in acute toxic dose deltamethrin showed genetic toxicity on somatic cells of mice.


Unlike many sports, cricket balls for use in 1 class matches in the UK must pass a testing regime described in a British Standard. Various work has investigated the aerodynamic ('swing') properties of cricket balls and some has been carried out examining the dynamic properties of balls during impacts with the pitch and bat. However, very little research is known to have been published on the cores of cricket balls, the construction of which can vary widely from traditional wound centres to composite moulded ones. This paper describes elements of a study carried out to compare certain material properties of the cores of all the balls licensed for use in UK 1 class cricket with those of traditionally manufactured centres. Results show that certain types of construction can lead to 17% variation in hardness along the principal axes. These hardness variations were also apparent when complete balls were tested. Materials and Science in Sports Edited by F.H. (Sam) Froes IMS (The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society), 2001 134 Introduction The exact origins of the sport of cricket are uncertain although mentions of a game resembling cricket appear around 1300AD in southern England. Much of cricket's development has been lost or never recorded, but by the second half of the 18th Century crowds of up to 20,000 were watching certain games and high stakes gambling was involved [1]. Initially, the rules varied depending upon in which part of the British Isles the game was being played, but in 1788 the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) laid down a code of laws that was adopted throughout the game. The MCC is still the custodian of laws relating to cricket around the world [1,2]. The ball is covered by Law 5, which specifies the tolerances for circumference (22.4 22.9 cm) and mass (155.9 163 g), but does not specify any other characteristic [3]. In the late 1970s, the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB), the Cricket Council and leading ball manufacturers joined forces to develop, along with the British Standards Institute (BSi), a standard for cricket balls used in the British Isles. The latest version of the standard was published in 1995 and consists of a sequence of 8 tests that determine various aspects of the ball such as seam height, hardness and wear resistance [4]. For use in 1st Class Cricket in the UK, a ball must obey both Law 5 and pass the British Standard. Other national cricket boards around the world, such as the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), have their own standards that balls must meet for use in their countries. In the past, research into cricket balls has concentrated upon the effect of swing that is seen during the deliveries of certain bowlers [5, 6]. Other work has been carried out on the interaction of the ball with the pitch [7]. Much work has also been carried out on the general dynamics of sports balls such as golf balls, baseballs and tennis balls (e.g. [8] and [9]). However, no work is known to have been published on cricket ball cores. This paper describes aspects of work carried out during the summer of 2000 on behalf of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which was formed in 1997 from a merger of the TCCB and National Cricket Association.


The Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) is a message-oriented
transport protocol supporting arbitrarily large user messages. This
document adds a new chunk to SCTP for carrying payload data. This
allows a sender to interleave different user messages that would
otherwise result in head-of-line blocking at the sender. The
interleaving of user messages is required for WebRTC data channels.
Whenever an SCTP sender is allowed to send user data, it may choose
from multiple outgoing SCTP streams. Multiple ways for performing this
selection, called stream schedulers, are defined in this document. A
stream scheduler can choose to either implement, or not implement,
user message interleaving.


The suitability of hemp fibres as green support material for immobilization of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans cells in ferrous iron bio-oxidation process was investigated. A series of experiments were carried out in shake flasks and bioreactor for both cell immobilization and iron bio-oxidation. In flask experiments, five successive batch colonization cycles resulted in 6-fold increase in ferrous iron bio-oxidation rate. Evaluation of immobilized cells activity through two approaches as wet and dry storage demonstrated the higher activity of wet stored bacteria than dry ones after a period of two months. The dry stored bacteria lost almost all their activities after eight weeks. Whereas, the activity of wet stored samples was 30% at the same time. In bioreactor experiments, use of a packed-bed bioreactor with hemp fibres, the maximum ferrous iron bio-oxidation rate of 2.46 kg m-3 h-1 was obtained at dilution rate of 3.97 h-1, and retention time of 0.25 h. Our experimental results could pave a new platform for the application of hemp fibre as an inexpensive and environmentally friendly support material in bacterial cell immobilization, especially in ferrous iron bio-oxidation process using acidophilic bacteria.


Abstract To shed light on tattoo bias in the hospitality industry, two studies were conducted in the context of employee selection. The first study that examined tattoo bias in the context of selecting entry-level managers in a hotel setting demonstrated a negative tattoo bias, which did not differ by candidate gender. The second study that examined tattoo bias in the context of selecting restaurant employees found a negative tattoo bias when evaluating candidates for guest contact positions but not for non-guest contact positions. Interestingly, there was a gender effect, whereby hiring managers preferred females with tattoos relative to males.


The long-term use of chemical N fertilization may have a negative impact upon soil fertility and quality. On the contrary, organic fertilization is considered a sustainable development agricultural strategy. However, the remediation effect of organic fertilization on agroecosystems remains unclear. This study was conducted in a long-term (1979–2020) field experiment to investigate the influence of organic and chemical fertilizers on the soil microbiome assembly processes. The experiment consisted of six treatments: chemical N fertilization (N), double N fertilization (N2), organic fertilization (M), organic and N fertilization (MN), double organic and N fertilization (M2N2), and unfertilized control. The chemical N fertilization (N and N2) treatments significantly decreased soil microbial diversity, as well as soil pH, compared to the Control treatments (p < 0.05). MN and M2N2 treatments increased microbial diversity compared to that of N and N2 treatments. The combination of organic and chemical N fertilizer recovered the decreased microbial diversity to the level of the Control and M treatments, but the application of double organic fertilizer (M2N2) still showed a significantly lower microbial diversity than that of the Control and M treatments. From the results of the microbial community assembly processes, it was found that environmental filtering was induced by N fertilization, while organic fertilization developed a stochastic process and mitigated the role of environmental filtering in the community assembly process. An ecological network analysis showed that the decrease in Acidobacteria in organic fertilization treatments played a key role in mitigating the soil acidification induced by 40-year chemical N fertilization. It indicated that organic fertilizer could mitigate the decrease in soil fertility induced by chemical N fertilization. Higher environmental filtering effects in M2N2 than those in MN treatments suggested that the mitigation effect of organic fertilizer was weakened when double chemical N fertilization was applied in black soils. These results are helpful for a unified understanding of the ecological processes for microbial communities in the development of sustainable agriculture.