Introduction: A surge of sexual interest occurs around puberty and continues through adolescence. Heightened adolescent sexuality may be caused by a number of factors, including bodily changes, sexual hormones, social forces, and rehearsal for adult gender roles. The main objective of the present study is to understand the patterns and trends of adolescent students' sexual behaviour in Tanzania. Methodology: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted and 550 secondary school students (13 to 19 years old) were recruited by using a multistage random sampling technique from Tanzania's secondary schools. The data collection tool was a structured questionnaire. Data were analysed by using SPSS software package version 16. Results: More than one third (40.2%) of the participant students had experienced intercourse with mean age 17.2±1.8 years and one sixth (17.6%) of the participants had multiple sexual partners. The mean age for hugging, kissing and breast fondling was significantly younger when compared to the sexual intercourse. Most (78.5%) of the students had used contraceptives but the frequency of contraception was less than half (48.6%) "always". The main reasons beyond sexual debut were "just for fun" (37%) and "peer pressure" (27.6%). A male student was 1.46 times more likely to have had intercourse than a female. Parental education was the most significant association with sexual debut of adolescents and the odds ratio indicates that sexual intercourse among students is decreasing with the increasing of parental education. Conclusion: A relatively high sexual intercourse has been recorded and risky sexual behaviour also existed among the respondents. Hence, there is a need to promote specific intervention programmes built upon those factors which are associated with an increased likelihood for early sexual debut and risky sexual behaviour.


Colloidal gold nanoparticles protected with alkanethiolate ligands called monolayer protected gold clusters (MPCs) are synthesized and subsequently incorporated into film assemblies that serve as adsorption platforms for protein monolayer electrochemistry (PME). PME is utilized as the model system for studying electrochemical properties of redox proteins by confining them to an adsorption platform at a modified electrode, which also serves as a redox partner for electron transfer (ET) reactions. Studies have shown that gold nanoparticle film assemblies of this nature provide for a more homogeneous protein adsorption environment and promote ET without distance dependence compared to the more traditional systems modified with alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers (SAM). In this paper, MPCs functionalized with hexanethiolate ligands are synthesized using a modified Brust reaction and characterized with ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and proton (¹H) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). MPC films are assembled on SAM modified gold electrode interfaces by using a "dip cycle" method of alternating MPC layers and dithiol linking molecules. Film growth at gold electrode is tracked electrochemically by measuring changes to the double layer charging current of the system. Analogous films assembled on silane modified glass slides allow for optical monitoring of film growth and cross-sectional TEM analysis provides an estimated film thickness. During film assembly, manipulation of the MPC ligand protection as well as the interparticle linkage mechanism allow for networked films, that are readily adaptable, to interface with redox protein having different adsorption mechanism. For example, Pseudomonas aeruginosa azurin (AZ) can be adsorbed hydrophobically to dithiol-linked films of hexanethiolate MPCs and cytochrome c (cyt c) can be immobilized electrostatically at a carboxylic acid modified MPC interfacial layer. In this report, we focus on the film protocol for the AZ system exclusively. Investigations involving the adsorption of proteins on MPC modified synthetic platforms could further the understanding of interactions between biomolecules and man-made materials, and consequently aid the development of biosensor schemes, ET modeling systems, and synthetic biocompatible materials.


Aim: To evaluate and compare the quality of root canal filling performed by junior and senior undergraduate students attending College of Dentistry at King Khalid University (KKUCOD). Materials and methods: A total of 460 radiographs of teeth treated by two different levels of students were eligible for the study. Undergraduate students under the close supervision of endodontists following KKUCOD endodontic protocol performed all randomized controlled trial (RCTs). Three different examiners independently evaluated the radiographs after 4 weeks training with endodontists on radiographic analysis with the good interexaminer agreement. The quality of root canal filling was evaluated in regard to length, density, taper and encountered procedural errors during treatment having the final outcome as either acceptable or not-acceptable root canal filling. Results: The percentage of root canal obturation with adequate length of was 57% for lower-level students and 69.3% for higher-level students. A higher proportion of students in lower-level performed obturation with inadequate density compared to higher-level students. Inadequate tapering was significantly more in lower-level student. Considering tooth type, overall RCT quality was similar in anterior and premolars between different student levels while it was significantly inadequate in molars among lower-level students. Conclusion: The quality of root canal filling was satisfactory compared to other similar studies in Saudi Arabia. Teaching crown-down technique and rotary instrumentation training are recommended. Finally, Molars and multirooted premolars should be referred to specialists. Clinical significance: It is highly important to closely monitor undergraduate students in performing RCTs to increase the quality of treatment. This will increase the success of treatment performed by general practitioners, reduce a load of referral to specialists and decrease the long waiting lists in dental service centers in Saudi Arabia.


Among the evaluation techniques based upon group queries (e.g. focus group), brainstorming does not enjoy particular consideration. This might be the result of its origin and development within organizational and managerial domains, traditionally focused more on "idea production" (and problem solving) than on idea analysis within the context of evaluational and social research. This paper presents a development of classical brainstorming, which is quite useful to evaluation, where the traditional idea-producing step is followed by group analysis and exploration of the shared evaluand-specific semantic space. This evaluational brainstorming is the result of a shared understanding of the evaluand by different stakeholders, who can now ascertain their goals and draw cognitive maps to guide subsequent methodological choices and data gathering requirements.


This article explores the interplay between image and reality in the Thai seafood industry's humanitarian engagements with migrant labour. Revisiting Aihwa Ong's notion of 'worlding' and Peter Jackson's discussion of the 'Thai regime of images', it examines the situated, informal interactions between migrant rights NGO s, fishing companies and state officials in the Thai port city of Samut Sakhon, on the outskirts of Bangkok. Through ethnographic case studies, this analysis illuminates the 'invisible worldings' that regulate spaces of migrant workforce from behind the scenes. As I show, migrant labour NGO s operate in a context-sensitive play of appearances and disappearances, humanitarian aid and migrant forced labour, and need to navigate local hierarchies of power in the service of Thailand's international 'image' (phap-lak). It is argued that 'invisible worldings' sustain Thailand's ongoing leadership in the fish trade and, concomitantly, the Thai military government's cosmetic attempts to rebuild global reputation amid growing international scrutiny.


A calculation of the medium- and low-energy part of the electronic distribution is described, together with its indirect comparison to experimental results. The study deals with a plasma created by a proton beam (2 MeV, approximately 2 mu A cm-2) impinging on a Ne (about 10 Torr) target, with N2 impurities. Microwave measurements of electronic density and effective collision frequency agree satisfactorily with calculations using a theoretical distribution function.


Background: Actinobacillosis in adult horses is rare, and is often associated with infection due to Actinobacillus equuli subsp. equuli, which is a commensal organism inhabiting the oral cavity of healthy animals. It is an opportunistic pathogen, and the infection usually occurs secondary to another primary disease or due to predisposing factors such as pre-existing lesions, mainly in the oral cavity. Infection may be associated with peritonitis, bacterial endocarditis, pneumonia, enteritis, infectious periorchitis, abortion, and septicemia. This paper aims to describe the clinical, microbiological, and pathological aspects of actinobacillosis in the oral cavity of a horse. Case: A case of actinobacillosis has been reported in a 22-year-old gelding Quarter Horse. According to the owner, the animal presented with progressive weight loss during the previous three months, and leakage of food from the oral cavity. Examination of the oral cavity revealed sharp enamel overgrowths, which had been corrected during a previous dental procedure. However, five days after the procedure, the animal developed halitosis. Ceftiofur sodium (4.4 mg/kg intramuscularly, every 24 h) was prescribed; two days after the commencement of antimicrobial therapy, the animal presented with sialorrhea, bilateral submandibular lymphadenomegaly, protrusion of the tongue, edema of the base of the tongue, cheeks, and gums, in addition to black-colored sores and scales in the oral mucosa, particularly affecting the base of the tongue and gums. Samples from ulcerative lesions found at the base of the tongue and gums were collected using sterile swabs, and culture and antibiogram were requested. Microbiological culture led to the growth of small colonies measuring less than 5 mm in diameter, that were non-hemolytic, slightly whitish in color but non-opaque, smooth and bright in appearance. These were identified as gram-negative rods on microscopy, and further characterized as Actinobacillus equuli subsp. equuli based on the phenotypic and biochemical findings. The antibiogram revealed sensitivity of the organisms to cephalothin and doxycycline, intermediate sensitivity to amoxicillin, and resistance to florfenicol, metronidazole, clindamycin, and sulfazotrim. The complete blood count revealed anemia with a reduction in hemoglobin (10.1 g/dL) and hematocrit (27.9%), neutrophilia (10.670 x 103 /mm3), and lymphopenia (330 x 103 /mm3). Decrease in serum albumin (2.0 g/dL) and alkaline phosphatase (91 IU/L), and increase in globulin (4.9 g/dL), aspartate aminotransferase (361 4 IU/L), and urea (123.8 mg/dL) were noted on biochemical analyses. Two days after the onset of acute clinical signs, the animal died; necropsy revealed severe, subacute, fibronecrotic glossitis associated with myriads of basophilic bacteria. Discussion: This report describes an infection of the oral cavity by Actinobacillus equuli subsp. equuli following a dental procedure, a finding compatible with the opportunistic nature of these bacteria. The presence of enamel overgrowths resulted in the formation of traumatic lesions on the oral mucosa and tongue that favored colonization of the bacteria. The case of equine glossitis reported in this study had a similar clinical presentation to the classic actinobacillosis in cattle, also known as "wooden tongue", an infection caused by Actinobacillus lignieresii; common symptoms in cattle include oral edema, sialorrhea, and dysphagia.


Amorphous carbon films with sp3 bonded carbon fractions over 70% are deposited by pulsed laser deposition. However, the optical bandgap obtained from optical transmittance and spectroscopic ellipsometry analysis shows the values to be below 1.0 eV. A wide range of measurements such as electron energy loss spectroscopy, visible Raman, spectroscopic ellipsometry, optical transmittance, and electrical characterization are performed to elucidate the bonding configurations that dictate microstructural, optical and electrical properties, and their linkage to band structure changes. It is found that stress-induced electronic localized states play an important role in the physical properties of the films deposited. The optical bandgap is shown not to be a good measure of the electrical bandgap, especially for high electric field conduction in these tetrahedral amorphous carbon films.


Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) actuator which is efficient as a flow controller unexpectedly changes the radar cross section (RCS) of a target. Because plasma generated by DBD can attenuates electromagnetic wave, numerical investigation of 3-D RCS is required to analyze the effect of the plasma actuator on flying vehicles. Simplified plasma modeling is utilized to describe inhomogeneous distribution of DBD plasma. The calculated RCS diagram shows good agreement with experiments. The effect of DBD in monostatic RCS is totally different as the observation plane is changed. It shows notable distortion in the plane which is perpendicular to electrode array while overall pattern is still obviously maintained in parallel plane. It is due to the asymmetry from the electrode arrangement of the actuators and inhomogeneous plasma distribution. 3-D analysis is essential to comprehend the effect of DBD plasma in RCS in order to analyze the dissimilar change in various observation planes.


A new quaternary ammonium heteropolyoxotungstant (cat.C) is prepared and characterized. And the cat.C also is an reaction-controlled phase-transfer catalyst. The catalytic system of O-2/EAHQ (2-ethylanthrahydroquinone)/cat.c is used for the epoxidation of propylene. Under the optimal conditions, the yield of propylene oxide based on EAHQ is 84.1%, the selectivity for propylene oxide based on propylene is 99.8% and the conversion of propylene based on EAHQ is 84.3%. The cat.c precipitates after the epoxidation reaction for easy separation. The cat. C is stable enough to be recycled three times without any loss in selectivity.


The issue of cutoff error in conventional dynamic matrix control algorithm (DMC) can be solved by modifying the shifting matrix when applied to integrating processes, but the system will reach a different steady state if the process encounters a continuous and constant disturbance. Based on the modified shifting matrix, a novel error correction method is introduced to compensate for the process state, which will be regulated gradually and recovered to its steady set-point finally. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can guarantee good tracking performance and disturbance rejection simultaneously.


Amyloid beta-peptides (Abeta) aggregate during Alzheimer's disease contributing to the development of the pathology. At micromolar concentration Abeta is toxic and accumulates in neurons and in the vasculature. However, Abeta is found at nanomolar concentrations in the plasma of healthy individuals and is also produced by endothelial cells. Here, we investigate the dual role exerted by Abeta(1-40) on endothelial cell functions. Coronary vascular endothelial cells were utilized to study whether Abeta affects endothelial cell growth and its action was compared with the effect of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2). In a range from 5 to 100 nM, Abeta(1-40) concentration-dependently increased cell growth, whereas higher concentrations of Abeta(1-40) reduced cell number compared to control. At nanomolar concentration of the peptide Abeta(1-40) also stimulated FGF-2mRNA expression and protein production, which was negatively affected by micromolar concentration of the peptide. The dual role observed on endothelial cell growth, was mediated by FGF-2 biodisponibility. In fact, neutralizing anti-FGF-2 antibody inhibited Abeta(1-40)-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation at 50 nM. 5 muM inhibited ERK1/2 activation over control and this was reflected by diminished cell growth which was recovered by exogenous FGF-2 administration. These results suggest that low Abeta concentrations stimulate endothelial cells to acquire an angiogenic phenotype through interaction with endogenous FGF-2 and induction of its synthesis. In contrast, accumulation of Abeta results toxic for endothelial cells and at these concentrations Abeta peptide looses its ability to prime FGF-2 cycle. This may be a fundamental pathological event which might contribute to the worsening of the pathology.


A new accurate method for reconstructing the arrival direction of an extensive air shower (EAS) is described. Compared to existing methods, it is not subject to minimization of a function and, therefore, is fast and stable. This method also does not need to know detailed curvature or thickness structure of an EAS. It can have angular resolution of about 1 degree for a typical surface array in central regions. Also, it has better angular resolution than other methods in the marginal area of arrays.


This paper examines patron-client politics in the context of democracy and governance in Nigeria with special focus on the first phase of the Fourth Republic, 1999-2007. The paper, which is essentially based on study of secondary source of data, revealed that the politics is neither historically new nor peculiar to Nigeria. Its evidence abounds in older democracies, emerging democracies and even authoritarian regimes. In Nigeria, its evidence abounds in the pre-colonial political system through the colonial era to the previous civil administrations in the country since independence. The paper revealed that pecuniary motivation and the deployment of primitive tactics to settle political scores make the patron-client politics a unique phenomenon in the recent political history of the country. The paper further reveals that the contemporary practices of patron-client politics negate the fundamental values and principle of democracy and governance. The plausible explanation adduced for the influx and changes in the patron-client politics include structural character of the Nigerian state which creates large stakes for the control of state power and other factors such as political decay, weak party structure and discipline, imperial presidency, political immaturity and lack of political charisma among office seekers.


Midgut volvulus can rarely present with acute chylous peritonitis. Common etiologies for chylous ascites need to be excluded before this diagnosis is made. Correction of the volvulus and peritoneal lavage suffice as treatment.


This research inquiry is firmly situated within the field of artistic research, where new knowledge about
and within practice is gained. There are two equally weighted submission components: one being a series
of sound files containing recordings of four recent Australian works for solo viola and related sonic data;
the other this exegesis, which provides a context for understanding and unpacking the interpretive
decisions housed in the recordings. The four works included in the research are: Liza Lim Amulet (1992),
James Rushford Untitled (2012), Helen Gifford Desperation (2014) and Lisa Illean Cranes (2016, revised
2017). With each work, a particular experience stood out: learning, commissioning, performing, and recording
a work. These became sites for investigation; problems to solve, choices to decipher, and musical decisions
to consider.
Analysis from the performer's perspective became the potential medium through which the research
could be expressed. Recent musical analysis literature that attempts to express elements of the score in
the context of performance are limited in their ability to capture certain aspects of the performance by
their abstract relationship to the site for analysis. In response to this gap in the literature, a goal of this
research is to facilitate discourse on performance analysis and present a model of analysis that speaks to
processes of the performer. This research argues that performance analysis is to be enacted by the
performer, expressing their knowledge and experience of the score in the performance context.
Specifically, a performance analysis of Lisa Illean's Cranes (2016-17) in this exegesis is an embodied analysis
that examines knowledge of the score that can only be to known to the performer through performing
the score in real time.
Examining creative processes undertaken by the performer as they work towards an interpretation reveals
the ways in which the performer controls, manipulates and theorises elements of the score towards a
performance. Further to this, the performer is in constant negotiation through their relationship with their
instrument, the score, the composer, and the performance context. This can often lead to questions on
how to navigate issues of authority and authenticity in a performance practice, as the performer
determines what gives their practice meaning. When these experiences are contextualised and enter a
reflective space, hierarchies are observed, strategies are developed, and greater understanding is gained.


A new problematic dasycladale is described as Hirundoporella dachsteinensis nov. gen., n. sp. from the Upper Triassic bedded Dachstein Limestone of Mount Dachstein, Austria. It is characterized by individualized phloiophorous laterals, open at the ends and secondary laterals of low number arising in the middle part of the primaries. Nothing is known about the obviously thin and poorly calcified main-axis and the overall arrangement of the primaries. The microfacies is represented by a wackestone composed to about 70 % of dismembered laterals of Hirundoporella dachsteinensis n. sp.


Background: Most recent genome-wide studies on the CpG island methylation in colorectal cancer (CRC) have led to the discovery of at least 3 distinct methylation clusters. However, there remains an uncertainty whether the CRC clusters identified in these studies represent compatible phenotypes. Methods: We carried out comprehensive genome-scale DNA methylation profiling by Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation27 of 21 DNA pools that represent 84 CRC samples divided according to their high-, intermediate-, and low-methylation epigenotypes (HME, IME, and LME, respectively) and 70 normal-adjacent colonic tissues. We have also examined the relationship among 3 epigenotypes and chromosomal gains and deletions (assessed by Comparative Genomic Hybridization) in a group of 100 CRC samples. Results: The HME subgroup showed features associated with CpG island methylator phenotype – high (CIMP-high) including methylation of specific CpG sites (CpGs) as well as significantly lower mean number of chromosomal imbalances when compared with other epigenotypes. The IME subgroup displayed the lowest number of methylated CpGs (717 vs. 2,399 and 2,679 in HME and LME, respectively) and highest mean number of chromosomal imbalances when compared with HME (P, 0.001) and LME (P, 0.004). A comparison between the methylation profiles of 3 epigenotypes revealed more similarities between the HME and LME (1,669 methylated CpGs overlapped) than HME and IME (673 methylated CpGs overlapped). Conclusion: Our results provide evidence that IME and LME CRCs show opposite features to those that have been previously attributed to CIMP-low and CIMP-0 CRCs. Impact: These discrepancies should be considered when interpreting the data from a particular epigenotyping method. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 22(2); 201–8. ©2012 AACR.


The aging process affects all body tissues including the brain and different hormones reduced with age in mammals. This research was performed to study the effects of hormonal changes during the aging process on neurogenesis in the hippocampus. The female Wistar rats were divided into five groups including prepubertal, pubertal in metestrus phase, pubertal treated with 17β-estradiol, post-pubertal in metestrus phase and post-pubertal treated with 17β-estradiol. The groups received 50 μg/kg 17β-estradiol subcutaneously daily injections for 7 days. Groups in metestrus phase were detected in based on the observed cells in the vaginal smear. The results revealed that cell proliferation along with 17beta-estradiol injection in the CA1 region of hippocampus was increased and cell proliferation in the adult group was significantly higher than the after puberty group.


The transcription factor NF-κB is a key regulator of the cellular inflammatory and immune response. Therefore, components of the NF-κB-activating signaling pathways are frequent targets for antiinflammatory agents. This study shows that the sesquiterpene lactone parthenolide inhibits a common step in NF-κB activation by preventing the TNF-α-induced induction of IκB kinase (IKK) and IKKβ, without affecting the activation of p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase. Parthenolide impairs NF-κB-dependent transcription triggered by expression of TNFR-associated factor-2, mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase (MEKK1), and NF-κB-inducing kinase. This compound also prevents activation of both IKKs and DNA binding of NF-κB induced by MEKK and NF-κB-inducing kinase. Parthenolide targets a component of the IκB kinase complex without directly inhibiting IKKα, IKKβ, or MEKK1. Therefore, this sesquiterpene lactone could serve as a lead compound for the development of antiinflammatory remedies and is suitable as a molecular tool, allowing the dissection of TNF-α-derived signaling pathways leading to the activation of NF-κB, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and p38.


PURPOSE
Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) of adolescents and adults are very sensitive to systemic treatment. The exquisite chemosensitivity of these cancers has been attributed to a high level of wild-type P53.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
To clarify the role of P53 in treatment sensitivity and resistance of TGCTs, we performed immunohistochemistry and Western blotting analysis on a series of 39 fresh-frozen primary TGCTs before therapy (unselected series). In a series of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded TGCTs of patients with fully documented clinical course, including treatment-sensitive (n = 17) and -resistant (n = 18) tumors, P53 status was assessed by immunohistochemistry and mutation analysis. In addition, the involvement of MDM2, a P53 antagonist, was investigated by immunohistochemistry, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and in situ hybridization.

RESULTS
Immunohistochemistry demonstrated absence of staining for P53 in 36%, 41%, and 17% of the unselected, responding, and nonresponding TGCTs, respectively. Of the positive TGCTs, most tumors, ie, 49%, 41%, and 33%, showed 1% to 10% positive nuclei. This overall low level of P53 was confirmed by Western blotting. Mutation analysis revealed only one silent P53 mutation in one of the responding patients. All embryonal carcinomas were homogeneously positive for MDM2, encoded by the full length mRNA, while a heterogeneous pattern was found for the other histologic components. Amplification of MDM2 was detected in one out of 12 embryonal carcinomas.

CONCLUSION
Although our results are in line with previous findings of the presence of wild-type P53 in TGCTs, they show that a high level of P53 does not relate directly to treatment sensitivity of these tumors, and inactivation of P53 is not a common event in the development of cisplatin resistance.


The inertial measurement unit and ultra-wide band signal (IMU-UWB) combined indoor positioning system has a nonlinear state equation and a linear measurement equation. In order to improve the computational efficiency and the localization performance in terms of the estimation accuracy, the federated derivative cubature Kalman filtering (FDCKF) method is proposed by combining the traditional Kalman filtering and the cubature Kalman filtering. By implementing the proposed FDCKF method, the observations of the UWB and the IMU can be effectively fused; particularly, the IMU can be continuously calibrated by UWB so that it does not generate cumulative errors. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated through numerical simulations, in which FDCKF was compared with the federated cubature Kalman filter (FCKF) and the federated unscented Kalman filter (FUKF), respectively.


Purpose. To report a case of medication-resistant acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) treated successfully by corneal crosslinking (CXL). Methods. A 26-year-old male with medication-resistant AK underwent a standard CXL procedure with local anesthesia, followed by central corneal epithelial debridement, application of riboflavin 0.1%, and UV-A irradiation. Results. The patient experienced a dramatic symptomatic improvement within 24 hours. At two months, keratitis was healed with a semitransparent paracentral scar that did not affect visual acuity. Conclusions. Our experience, considered in the context of recent studies, suggests that CXL may be an option for selected patients with medication-resistant AK and corneal melting. CXL allows patients to avoid emergency keratoplasty and experience rapid symptomatic relief.


Discrete deep targets are a significant challenge for most surface-based geophysical techniques, even when considering high property contrasts. In general, surface-based geophysical methods lose lateral and vertical resolution with depth as a result of the limited acquisition geometry and increased signal attenuation. The former can be overcome through use of cross-borehole methods, but lateral localization is still needed for optimal borehole placement. As such, a relatively small, deep void located near the maximum depth of investigation (DOI) is very unlikely to be detected. Yet, secondary features associated with these voids can be exploited for enhanced detection performance. When voids are located below the groundwater table, a significant amount of dewatering and pumping is required to make them a functional passageway. This dewatering not only removes water from the void space but also the surrounding formation, resulting in a much larger, if more diffuse, secondary target: an induced groundwater table gradient. Many geophysical sensing methods are sensitive to subsurface moisture content. We have implemented a 2D joint-petrophysical mixing model (JPM), using inverted electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and inverted seismic refraction models to sense changes in the groundwater table gradient. Our results are validated using the depth to bedrock, groundwater-surface water information, ground-penetrating radar, and time-domain reflectometry methods. Our initial proof of concept is applied to a shallow area with a significant soil moisture gradient, through different surface soil types and bedrock. The 2D JPM results are used to generate an estimate of air, moisture, and matrix percent fractions in the investigation area, providing a clear delineation of the groundwater surface and associated gradient. This refined hydraulic gradient estimate can then be used to laterally locate a void at or below the DOI of ERT and seismic refraction.


This paper presents the acoustical design, fabrication and evaluation of a 96-element 3.2 MHz phased-array ultrasound transducer for echocardiography probe utilizing Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-30%PbTiO3 (PMNPT) single crystal. The transducer consisted of a 1-3 PMNPT/epoxy composite with two quarter wave matching layers and a backing. The pulse-echo performance and echo amplitude of our prototypes are found to be superior to a similarly constructed lead zirconate titanate (PZT) array. The increased transducer bandwidth offers significant performance advantages, particularly in penetration and resolution.


BACKGROUND
Auranofin is an oral gold compound used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis RA. The use of auranofin has declined in the past few years, perhaps due in part to conflicting results from different studies.

OBJECTIVES
To estimate the short-term efficacy and toxicity of auranofin for the treatment of (RA) SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE up to December 1998, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CCTR) version 4, 1998, and the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group Specialized Register. A hand search was also done of the reference lists of the trials retrieved from the electronic search.

SELECTION CRITERIA
All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs) comparing auranofin against placebo in patients with RA DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: The methodological quality of the trials was assessed using a validated assessment tool (Jadad 1996). Rheumatoid arthritis outcome measures were extracted from the publications for the 6-month endpoint. The pooled analysis was performed using standardized mean differences (SMDs) for joint counts, pain and global assessments. The weighted mean difference (WMD) was used for ESR. Toxicity was evaluated with pooled odds ratios for withdrawals and adverse reactions. A chi-square test was used to assess heterogeneity among trials. In the presence of heterogeneity, random effects models were used. Otherwise, the data was pooled assuming fixed effects.

MAIN RESULTS
A statistically significant benefit was observed for auranofin when compared to placebo for tender joint scores, pain, patient and physician global assessments and ESR. The SMD between treatment and placebo was -0.39 (95% CI -0.54, -0.25) for tender joint scores, -0.08 (95% CI -0.22, -0.07) for swollen joint scores, and the WMD was -4.68 (95% CI -6.59, -2.77) for pain scores and -9.85mm (95% CI -16.46, -3.25) for ESR. Withdrawals from adverse reactions were 1.5 times higher in the auranofin group OR = 1.52 (95% CI 0.94, 2.46) but this result was not statistically significant. Patients receiving placebo were three times more likely to discontinue treatment because of lack of efficacy than patients receiving auranofin: OR=0.31 (95% CI: 0.21, 0.44).

REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS
Auranofin appears to have a small clinically and statistically significant benefit on the disease activity of patients with RA. The beneficial effects appear to be modest compared to drugs such as methotrexate or parenteral gold. Its effects on long term health status and radiological progression are not clear at this time.


Abstract Although case-based methods are not new to teacher education, research that explores how cases develop teacher candidate dispositions is uncharted. This study used three disposition domains—intellectual, cultural, moral—as a heuristic to examine how 30 teacher candidates were inclined to think through a teaching situation presented in a case study. Three candidates are presented who exemplified patterns for calling on the domains. Teacher candidates readily identified aspects of difference between the teacher in the case and her students and thus suggested strategies to facilitate instruction and develop the teacher-student relationship. Few recognized assumptions related to their worldviews and values. For these candidates, an inverse relationship existed between awareness and assumptions. Furthermore, the match or mismatch between the background of the candidate and that of the teacher or students in the case seemed to influence the candidate's awareness and thus provide avenues for future research.


We live in a 'global village', face global climate changes, global financial downturns and global epidemics, and need global policies. So what is Global Health ?

Global Health has grown out of public health and international or tropical health. Whereas public health is largely focussed on preventive care and is usually within a country or a community, and international health is mainly about the health problems of low income or middle income countries and the binational assistance given to them. Global Health deals with those health issues that may affect many countries, irrespective of their level of development. It includes both clinical and preventive health care and goes beyond the traditional health specialities to include a wider range of disciplines such as economics, biomedical engineering, city planning, social science and policy making. It addresses problems such as epidemics (eg, HIV, influenza) and also health issues resulting from urbanisation, climate change, tobacco use, micronutrient deficiencies, and other challenges to well-being (figure 1).

Figure 1
Global influences on health.

Global refers to the breadth of the problem rather than a geographical location. Global Health adopts a philosophy of mutual respect, making use of real partnerships through which experience and knowledge are pooled to the benefit of all parties. It is not a one-way flow of ideas and effort.1 Above all, Global Health is premised on the need for universal and equitable provision of healthcare.

Nations are interdependent economically. Travel and rapid communications have changed the exposure to environments and diseases that influence the health of peoples. All paediatricians should be …


The paper explores the relationship between constructions that include emotion nouns and the metaphorical conceptualization of emotions in Czech. It focuses on selected nouns that denote negative emotions (anger: vztek, zlost, hněv, amok; fear: strach, uzkost, panika; dislike: nelibost, nechuť), verbs that take these nouns as subjects or objects (and to some extent on other types of verbal complementation). Similarities and differences were found in the preferred types of construction for the given emotions, in the repertoire of verbs in these constructions, and in associated metaphors. However, the results can only partially be explained by metaphorical processes and by semantic factors such as the intensity or "activity" of the emotion. The research uses valency theory and a cognitive approach to language and is based on data from the synchronic corpus of written Czech SYN2015.


In the wake of OSHA's bloodborne pathogens regulation requiring employer-provided apparel for healthcare employees, numerous companies are rushing to capture the market, while others are stepping back for fear that the market is too difficult to serve. Both groups need to reassess their positions. These guidelines adapted from TRSA publications should help get you and your employees up to speed on what it takes to serve the healthcare market.


Several avian and mammalian c-type lysozymes were chromatographed on chelated (to iminodiacetate) and immobilized transition metal ions (Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+ and Zn2+) under a variety of experimental conditions. The varied affinity of evolutionary variants of the lysozyme family for chelated metal ions, IDA-M(II), can be rationalized primarily in terms of the presence, multiplicity and microenvironments of histidine residues. The chromatographic resolution of some of these closely related proteins attests to the analytical power of immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography.


Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) transcription is regulated through cAMP-protein kinase A-dependent mechanisms that involve multiple transcription factors including the cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB) family members. Classically, binding of phosphorylated CREB to cis-acting cAMP-responsive elements (5'-TGACGTCA-3') within target gene promoters leads to recruitment of the coactivator CREB binding protein (CBP). Herein we examined the extent of CREB family member phosphorylation on protein-DNA interactions and CBP recruitment with the StAR promoter. Immunoblot analysis revealed that CREB, cAMP-responsive element modulator (CREM), and activating transcription factor (ATF)-1 are expressed in MA-10 mouse Leydig tumor cells, yet only CREB and ATF-1 are phosphorylated. (Bu)2cAMP treatment of MA-10 cells increased CREB phosphorylation approximately 2.3-fold within 30 min but did not change total nuclear CREB expression levels. Using DNA-affinity chromatography, we now show that CREB and ATF-1, but not CREM, interact with the StAR promoter, and this interaction is dependent on the activator protein-1 (AP-1) cis-acting element within the cAMP-responsive region. In addition, (Bu)2cAMP-treatment increased phosphorylated CREB (P-CREB) association with the StAR promoter but did not influence total CREB interaction. In vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated CREB binding to the StAR proximal promoter is independent of (Bu)2cAMP-treatment, confirming our in vitro analysis. However, (Bu)2cAMP-treatment increased P-CREB and CBP interaction with the StAR promoter, demonstrating for the first time the physical role of P-CREB:DNA interactions in CBP recruitment to the StAR proximal promoter.


Three essential models have to be managed to form a virtual enterprise: business, resources, and process models. We focus particularly on resolving the third model's problems. Virtual enterprise processes are composed of activities distributed over different organizations. Some activities have to be done by several participants in different organizations and need mechanisms to support these interactions, while maintaining the privacy of information. This paper presents the synchronization point concept, which provides support for distributed participants' interconnection and coordination. Its data repository and action manager helps human interactions and decision making in cross-organizational applications. It also allows dynamic process definition as requested for cooperative process management.


Importance Statin medications are widely prescribed for cardiovascular risk reduction. Myalgia and rhabdomyolysis are well-recognized adverse effects of statins, and they resolve with the cessation of statin therapy. Idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM) is a heterogeneous group of autoimmune myopathies that may also be associated with statin use. Recently, statin-associated autoimmune myopathy has been recognized as a distinct entity with the presence of specific autoantibodies against hydroxymethylglutaryl–coenzyme A reductase, which results in a necrotizing myositis that does not resolve with cessation of statin therapy and requires treatment with immunosuppressive agents. Objective To examine the association between histologically confirmed IIM and current exposure to statin medications. Design, Setting, and Participants Population-based case-control study using the South Australian Myositis Database of all histologically confirmed cases of IIM diagnosed between 1990 and 2014 in patients 40 years or older (n = 221) and population-based controls from the North West Adelaide Health Study (n = 662), matched by age and sex in a 3:1 ratio of controls to cases. Data analysis using conditional logistic regression was performed from June 1, 2016, to July 14, 2017. Exposures Current statin medication use. Main Outcomes and Measures Unadjusted and adjusted (for diabetes and cardiovascular disease) odds ratios and 95% CIs for likelihood of inflammatory myositis. Results A total of 221 IIM cases met the inclusion criteria with a mean (SD) age of 62.2 (10.8) years, and 132 (59.7%) were female. Statin exposure at the time of IIM diagnosis was 68 of 221 patients (30.8%) and 142 of 662 matched controls (21.5%) (P = .005). There was an almost 2-fold increased likelihood of statin exposure in patients with IIM compared with controls (adjusted odds ratio, 1.79; 95% CI, 1.23-2.60; P = .001). Similar results were observed when patients with necrotizing myositis were excluded from the analysis (adjusted odds ratio, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.29-2.86; P = .001). Conclusions and Relevance In this large population-based study, statin exposure was significantly associated with histologically confirmed IIM. Given the increased use of statins worldwide and the severity of IIM, increased awareness and recognition of this potentially rare adverse effect of statin exposure is needed.


A key part of learning to program is learning to understand programming error messages. They can be hard to interpret and identifying the cause of errors can be time-consuming. One factor in this challenge is that the messages are typically intended for an audience that already knows how to program, or even for programming environments that then use the information to highlight areas in code. Researchers have been working on making these errors more novice friendly since the 1960s, however progress has been slow. The present work contributes to this stream of research by using large language models to enhance programming error messages with explanations of the errors and suggestions on how to fix them. Large language models can be used to create useful and novice-friendly enhancements to programming error messages that sometimes surpass the original programming error messages in interpretability and actionability. These results provide further evidence of the benefits of large language models for computing educators, highlighting their use in areas known to be challenging for students. We further discuss the benefits and downsides of large language models and highlight future streams of research for enhancing programming error messages.


Abstract. As part of the Fire Lab at Missoula Experiments (FLAME) in 2006–2007, we examined hygroscopic properties of particles emitted from open combustion of 33 select biomass fuels. Measurements of humidification growth factors for subsaturated water relative humidity (RH) conditions were made with a hygroscopic tandem differential mobility analyzer (HTDMA) for dry particle sizes of 50, 100 and 250 nm. Results were then fit to a single-parameter model to obtain the hygroscopicity parameter, κ. Particles in freshly emitted biomass smoke exhibited a wide range of hygroscopicity (individual modes with 0


This paper examines the performance of several source separation systems on a speech separation task for which human intelligibility has previously been measured. For anechoic mixtures, automatic speech recognition (ASR) performance on the separated signals is quite similar to human performance. In reverberation, however, while signal separation has some benefit for ASR, the results are still far below those of human listeners facing the same task. Performing this same experiment with a number of oracle masks created with a priori knowledge of the separated sources motivates a new objective measure of separation performance, the Direct-path, Early echo, and Reverberation, of the Target and Masker (DERTM), which is closely related to the ASR results. This measure indicates that while the non-oracle algorithms successfully reject the direct-path signal from the masking source, they reject less of its reverberation, explaining the disappointing ASR performance.


This study empirically investigated the relationship between brand promotion and customer loyalty of telecommunication firms in Port Harcourt. A cross sectional survey of 60 customers was derived and copies of questionnaire were administered to gather data which was analyzed using Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient from which the formulated hypotheses were tested. The outcome of the analysis shows that bonus package and repeat purchase seems to have the highest positive correlation amongst the variables understudied. It was concluded that brand promotion has positive relationship with customer loyalty among telecommunication firms in Port Harcourt with an influence of organizational culture. Consequently, the study recommended amongst others that telecommunication firms should invest more in creating bonus packages if they wish to increase loyalty as studies show that bonus package has highest correlation with repeat purchase.


Drug residues in beef have been reported internationally. These include antimicrobials, anti-inflammatories, growth promotants, parasiticides and insecticides. The main factors associated with residues are animal age and use, and failure to observe withdrawal time for regular or extra-label use. Public health concerns include toxic and anaphylactic reactions, and development of drug-resistant strains of bacteria. The maximum residue level (MRL) is the current standard for residues in food adopted by the Codex Committees of the Food and Agriculture Organisation and World Health Organisation, but is not universally accepted or standardised. Detection of residues at slaughter is a critical point in residue control. Several live animal tests are available, but these vary in reliability and usage. After slaughter, tissues sampled and tests used are more uniform. To prevent international trade barriers associated with drug residues in beef, the following conditions should be implemented: standardisation of testing methods used to detect drug residues; standardisation of methods for determining MRLs; establishment of active surveillance programmes to monitor residues.


Syrup of ipecac is widely used following accidental drug overdosage in children. Proof of its efficacy, however, in reducing the risk of poisoning is limited. We prospectively studied the effect of early v late induction of emesis by ipecac in 50 children younger than 5 years of age with accidental acetaminophen poisoning. The mean estimated ingested dose was 165 mg/kg, and all patients vomited within 15 to 255 (mean 78) minutes postingestion. Although the predicted four-hour plasma acetaminophen concentration was 97 +/- 4 micrograms/mL (mean +/- SEM, calculated on the basis of the estimated ingested dose), the measured four-hour plasma acetaminophen concentration was 34 +/- 5 micrograms/mL (P less than .01). To assess the efficacy of early v late ipecac-induced emesis, we used the ratio of measured to predicted four-hour acetaminophen plasma concentration. The ratio of the measured to predicted four-hour level increased as the delay in time to vomiting increased (r = .60, P less than .001). Ipecac syrup was administered more promptly when available in the home than when obtained from a pharmacy or a medical facility (26 +/- 8 v 83 +/- 13 minutes postingestion, respectively; P less than .001) and vomiting occurred earlier (49 +/- 9 v 103 +/- 12 minutes postingestion; P less than .01). Although the mean estimated doses ingested were greater in patients who received ipecac syrup at home, their four-hour plasma acetaminophen concentrations were lower. These data suggest that prompt administration of ipecac syrup results in a greater reduction in plasma acetaminophen concentrations in potentially toxic overdosages in children.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Introduction Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is one of the most important pathogens in cystic fibrosis (CF). Although there is a wealth of data about the prevalence of chronic PA infection, there is a paucity of evidence about the incidence of new PA infection. Methods The SPACE (Sensitivity and specificity of PA detection using the hydrogen Cyanide concentration of Exhaled breath) study investigated if exhaled breath hydrogen cyanide is an early marker of PA infection in children with CF. Breath samples, clinical data and microbiology samples were collected at each out-patient appointment from a large cohort of children with CF who had not isolated PA for >12 months. This abstract reports the PA acquisition data. Results 233 children were followed for a median of 2.0 (1.7–2.3) years. The median (IQR) age was 8.0 (5.0–12.2) years. 71 children isolated PA during the study period. The incidence rate (95% CI) of new PA infections was 0.15 (0.10–0.22) cases per patient year for those that had never previously isolated PA and 0.19 (0.13–0.27) cases per patient year for those that had been free from PA for >12 months. This rate varied between 0.08 (0.04–0.18) and 0.28 (0.14–0.49) cases per patient year at the 8 recruiting centres. 42% of children were asymptomatic at the time of PA acquisition. The median (IQR) number of antibiotic courses per patient year varied between the centres: 0.6 (0.2–1.3) to 3.6 (3.1–4.2) for oral and 0.0 (0–0) to 0.4 (0–1.2) for intravenous. Conclusions This is the first prospective study to report the incidence of new PA infection in a large cohort of children with CF, considered to be free of PA airway infection. Incidence rate was higher in children who had isolated PA previously. The variation between centres is not easily explained and needs further investigation. Acknowledgments We would like to thank the Principal Investigators, research nurses and co-ordinators at each of the recruiting centres as well as the children and their families.


This article presents an investigation into capacity building, at the community level, in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Men's Groups and Sheds. As safe men's spaces, Men's Groups and Sheds represent an ever-growing social, and health and well-being community service across Australia. The study is qualitative and employs 'yarning circles' (focus groups), semi-structured interviews and observations to gather data from 15 Groups/Sheds involving 45 men from urban, regional and remote communities. We found that capacity building is primarily about securing relationships between Group Leaders/Shed Co-ordinators and Government services. Capacity building establishes links to services such as Centrelink, Medicare, Department of Housing, Probation and Control, and positive outcomes such as Indigenous men securing housing and Centrelink payments. Capacity building results in better health outcomes and, educates and empowers men to improve their social, cultural, emotional and economic well-being. It helps men to better connect with family and community. The current research paves the way for countries worldwide to explore the conceptual and empirical approach of capacity building applicable to other Indigenous [and non-Indigenous] Men's Groups/Sheds. We recommend feasibilities studies, on approaches to capacity building in Indigenous Groups/Sheds, be carried out within urban, regional and remote regions across the country.


Pre-filtering is a critical step in 3-D segmentation of the blood vessel and its display. This paper presents the local effect of window/level over the 3-D scale-space approach for filtering the white blood angiographic volumes and its implementation issues. The raw MR angiographic volume is first converted to an isotropic volume, and then the window/level is automatically adjusted slice by slice and a composite volume is generated. Then, 3-D edges are generated using the separable Gaussian derivative convolution with known scales. The edge volume is then run by the directional processor at each voxel where the eigenvalues of the 3-D ellipsoid are computed. The vessel score per voxel is then estimated based on these three eigenvalues which suppress the non-vasculature and background structures, yielding the filtered volume. The filtered volume is ray-cast to generate the maximum intensity projection images for display. The performance of the system is evaluated by computing the mean, variance, SNR and CNR images. We compare the filtering results with and without the usage of the local effect of window/level over 3-D scalespace ellipsoidal filtering. We show that the automatic window/level is effective in detecting small vessels which are otherwise difficult to extrapolate them. The system was run over 20 patient studies from different parts of the body such as: brain, abdomen, kidney and knee/ankle. The computer program takes around 150 seconds of processing time per study for a study for a data size of 512 512 194, which includes the complete performance evaluation.


Experimental data show a number of plateaus of varying widths in the magnetic-field dependence of the electron-spin-polarization for fractional quantum Hall states. We have calculated the magnetic-field dependence of the spin-polarization using a new theory. We start by adopting the Landau gauge and ignoring Coulomb interactions between electrons; then we construct single electron states in equally spaced orbitals. For a number of filling factors we have examined the many-electron states with electron configurations having minimum classical Coulomb energy. The residual Coulomb interactions in each many-electron state produce spin-exchange-forces. We have solved the eigenvalue problem of the interaction Hamiltonian composed of nearest neighbor spin-exchange-interactions. From the eigenvalues we have calculated the magnetic-field dependence of the spin-polarization. Our results are in good accord with the magnetic-field dependence in experimental results, including the number and shape of the plateaus.


In an effort to evaluate the relative contributions of sequence, ion binding, and hydration to the thermodynamic stability of nucleic acids, we have investigated the melting behavior of a double hairpin and that of its component single hairpins. Temperature-dependent UV absorption and differential scanning calorimetry techniques have been used to characterize the helix-coil transitions of three deoxyoligonucleotides: d(GTACT5GTAC), d(GCGCT5GCGC), and d(GCGCT5GCGCGTACT5GTAC). The first two oligomers melt with transition temperatures equal to 28 and 69 degrees C, respectively, in 10 mM dibasic sodium phosphate at pH 7.0. The Tm's are independent of strand concentration, strongly indicating the presence of single-stranded hairpin structures at low temperatures. The third oligomer, with a sequence corresponding to the joined sequences of the first two oligomers, melts with two apparently independent monomolecular transitions with Tm's of 41 and 69 degrees C. These transitions correspond to the melting of a double hairpin. In the salt range of 10-100 mM in NaCl, we obtain average enthalpies of 24 and 38 kcal/mol for the transitions in the single-hairpin molecules. Each transition in the double hairpin has an enthalpy of 32 kcal/mol. In addition, dtm/d log [Na+] for the transitions are 4.1 and 4.7 degrees C for the single hairpins and 12.6 and 11.2 degrees C for each transition in the double hairpin. The differential ion binding parameter between the double hairpin and that of the sum of single hairpins is roughly equal to 1.1 mol of Na+ ions/mol of double hairpin and is consistent with an increase in the electrostatic behavior of the stem phosphates of this molecule.


A low-complexity probabilistic data association (PDA) multi-user detection algorithm is derived for space-time block coded multi-user systems, which can enhance the capacity of communication system by introducing co-channel users. Considered synchronous co-channel multi-users, each one is equipped with two transmit and two receive antennas, and then extended to multiple receive antennas to improve the performance. The simulation results show that the detection algorithm can reduce the intersymbol interference (ISI) greatly, and the system performance can get much improvement by using this strategy, which is very important for enlarging the communication capacity.


Concerns about food security under climate change motivate efforts to better understand future changes in crop yields. Process-based crop models, which represent plant physiological and soil processes, are necessary tools for this purpose since they allow representing future climate and management conditions not sampled in the historical record and new locations to which cultivation may shift. However, process-based crop models differ in many critical details, and their responses to different interacting factors remain only poorly understood. The Global Gridded Crop Model Intercomparison (GGCMI) 5 Phase II : 2 : experiment, an activity of the Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP), is designed


Distance perception in virtual reality is reviewed, and investigated in a series of experiments. In experiment 1, the systematic underestimation of distance found in virtual reality displays was investigated. This investigation used a video camera mounted on a head-mounted display to compare a photorealistic "virtual" world to monocular viewing of the real world with restricted field of view and unrestricted viewing. In experiment 2, the use of angular declination from the horizon as a cue to distance was investigated in virtual reality using a virtual world with a variable horizon line height. Subjects performed both a verbal estimation task and a visually directed action task. Subject data were fit to power function models to avoid issues of linear underestimation. In experiment 3, distance perception in indoor and outdoor virtual environments was investigated, using the same tasks as experiment 2. Experiment 1 found significant distance underestimation in the head-mounted display condition, but not in either of the real-world viewing conditions. This suggests that neither restricted field of view, nor level of graphical detail are responsible for the distance underestimation found in virtual reality. Experiment 2 found similar performance between the two tasks, and significantly higher power function exponents when the horizon line was lowered. This supports declination from the horizon as a cue to distance, and is consistent with a theory of distance perception suggesting the two tasks use the same underlying representation of distance. Experiment 3 found similar performance between both tasks in the outdoor environment, but a significantly larger mean verbal exponent than motor exponent in the indoor condition. This dissociation between verbal and motor performance suggests that there might be some fundamental difference between the two tasks, or between the two environments used.


New stories and images are necessary to bolster an ethical inquiry of climate change and mobilize climate action. But what form should such stories take? In this essay, I argue that speculative fiction can make public the climate crisis, not only as a calamity of the physical environment but also as a predicament of the cultural environment—of the systems of representation through which society has related to complex environmental issues among their various actors and in the vast scales of time and space. The essay amplifies the environmental uncanny to produce a speculative fiction that grapples with something as indescribable as climate change. In conclusion, "Of Oil and Ice," a geostory, casts an iceberg as a planetary protagonist and relates its trajectory as it migrates from the Antarctic ice shelf to a glass of water in the Persian Gulf.


Structural changes in peripheral nerves were studied sequentially in mutant diabetic mice. Axonal changes were found in both myelinated and unmyelinated fibers, the outstanding early change being the development of honeycombed Schwann cell-axon networks followed by axonal atrophy in both myelinated and unmyelinated fibers. In the late stages of the diabetic syndrome, this axonopathy was accompanied by secondary corrugated myelin breakdown. The changes, indicative of a primary axonal degeneration, are comparable to findings in human diabetic neuropathy for which this seems a suitable experimental model.


A characteristic selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) discontinuation syndrome appears to exist. It is usually mild, commences within 1 week of stopping treatment, resolves spontaneously within 3 weeks, and consists of diverse physical and psychological symptoms, the commonest being dizziness, nausea, lethargy and headache. SSRI reinstatement leads to resolution within 48 h. A transient stage of serotonin dysregulation appears central to causation with pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic differences accounting for the variation in incidence between the SSRIs. Discontinuation reactions are clinically relevant due to the associated morbidity, the potential for misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment and because they may impair future antidepressant compliance. To minimize incidence, SSRIs, like other antidepressants, should be withdrawn gradually Provisional diagnostic criteria for the SSRI discontinuation syndrome are proposed. Prospective studies are required to investigate the syndrome, particularly its effects on patient care.


In recent years, there has been a rhetorical shift from 'deficit' to 'dialogue' and 'engagement' in UK policy and institutional discourse about science communication. Past efforts to reduce public scientific literacy deficits have been overshadowed by calls for dialogue between scientists, science communicators and non-scientists. However, it is unclear how this rhetorical shift has translated into a real change in the guiding principles and practices of UK science engagement. This study investigates reported practices and discourse of UK science engagement practitioners from a variety of professional backgrounds. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered using questionnaires and focus groups. The analysis employed a theoretical lens informed by Bourdieu's theory of practice, Irwin's taxonomy of first (deficit), second (dialogue) and third (contextual) 'orders' of engagement and theoretical conceptualizations of social change from cultural psychology and sociology. Results suggest that participating practitioners' reported experience was predominately first order, although current definitions and discussions of engagement by a small number of practitioners indicate some limited acceptance of dialogue-oriented thinking. Such potential movement from past practice to current thinking is highly contingent however, not least because so few practitioners had experienced second- or third-order engagement. The implications of these findings are explored both in terms of understanding patterns in UK science engagement and what they portend for Bourdieu's theory of practice and social change.


The large computational cost, the curse of dimensionality and the multidisciplinary nature are known as the main challenges in dealing with real-world engineering optimization problems. The consideration of inevitable uncertainties in such problems will exacerbate mentioned difficulties as much as possible. Therefore, the computational intelligence methods (also known as surrogate-models or metamodels, which are computationally cheaper approximations of the true expensive function) have been considered as powerful paradigms to overcome or at least to alleviate the mentioned issues over the last three decades. This chapter presents an extensive survey on surrogate-assisted optimization (SAO) methods. The main focus areas are the working styles of surrogate-models and the management of the metamodels during the optimization process. In addition, challenges and future trends of this field of study are introduced. Then, a comparison study will be carried out by employing a novel evolution control strategies (ECS) and recently developed efficient global optimization (EGO) method in the framework of uncertainty-based design optimization (UDO). To conclude, some open research questions in this area are discussed.


This report provides an important contribution to our understanding of the relationship between public housing participation and employment outcomes in Australia. It has been made possible through the availability of a unique dataset. The state Department of Housing and Works (DHW) manages public housing programs in Western Australia through their public housing agency. For the purpose of this project, DHW extracted a confidentialised data set from its administrative records of all people who entered the wait list for public housing from January 1999 onwards, including records on their subsequent public housing tenancies until November 2005. The wide array of socio-demographic and income variables in the data allows the construction of income and employment profiles from the date of first appearance on wait lists, through entry into public housing to the most current recorded income and employment situation.


Wireless sensor networks can be employed in a wide range of applications such as disaster management, combat field surveillance and homeland security. Sensors in such applications are deployed in mass and are usually constrained in the amount of available onboard energy. This paper presents ARCH, a distributed medium access arbitration of multi-radio-channel based sensor networks. ARCH is an energy efficient, scalable and collision free MAC layer protocol that combines frequency and time division principles for medium sharing. To achieve scalability sensors are partitioned into cells. One of the sensors in a cell is designated as a cell-head. ARCH employs a distributed algorithm for arbitrating channels among cells to enable simultaneous non-interfering data collection. Intra-cell transmissions are scheduled by the cell-head using the assigned channel. Cell-heads aggregate the gathered data and forward it over inter-cell-head paths to the base-station. The base-station assigns distinct channels to the independent branches of the inter- cell routing tree. Data transmission and reception on a branch is further scheduled in depth-first ordering. ARCH allows nodes to stay in the sleep mode for the longest duration and avoids collisions and thus it minimizes energy consumption and boosts the robustness of the network operation. The performance of ARCH is validated through simulation.


To observe the effects of Fu's subcutaneous needling (FSN) and acupuncture treatment on the mitochondrial structure and function of the skeletal muscle tissue of rats with sciatica. Forty Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into control, model, acupuncture, and FSN groups (10 each) according to a random number table. The control group was left untreated. Rats in the FSN group were treated with FSN once every 2 days for three times, respectively (days 1, 3, 5, and 7), to cooperate with reperfusion approach. The acupuncture group was treated at the same timeline as that of the FSN group. Changes in the mechanical pain threshold, mitochondrial ultrastructure, mitochondrial citrate synthase (CS) activities, mitochondrial respiratory chain complex II, and mitochondrial COX- I protein expression in the skeletal muscle of rats treated with different treatments were compared with those of the model group. The pain thresholds of the rats were remarkably higher after FSN treatment and acupuncture, and the pain threshold of the FSN group was higher than that of the acupuncture group. Compared with the control group, the mitochondria of the model group had a damaged ultrastructure, were arranged in a disorganized manner, accumulated under the basement membrane, and appeared vacuolated with autophagosomes. The state of mitochondria in the FSN group was close to that in the control group and was remarkably better than that in the acupuncture group. The activities of mitochondrial CS and respiratory chain complex II in the skeletal muscle of the treated rats decreased compared with the control group (p < 0.05), and their levels were better in the FSN group than in the acupuncture group (p < 0.05). FSN treatment for 1 week considerably improved the pain thresholds and improved the skeletal muscle mitochondrial ultrastructure and mitochondrial function in rats with sciatica.


In next-generation enterprises it will become increasingly important to retrieve information efficiently and rapidly from widely dispersed sites in a virtual enterprise, and the number of users who wish to do using wireless and portable devices will increase significantly. We consider the use of mobile agent technology rather than traditional client-server computing for information retrieval by mobile and wireless users in a virtual enterprise. We argue that to be successful mobile agent platforms must coexist with, and be presented to the applications programmer side-by-side with, traditional client-server middleware like CORBA and DOOM, and we sketch a middleware architecture for doing so. We then develop an analytical model that examines the claimed performance benefits of mobile agents over client-server computing for a mobile information retrieval scenario. Our evaluation of the model shows that mobile agents are not always better than client-server calls in terms of average response times; they are only beneficial if the space overhead of the mobile agent code is not too large or if the wireless link connecting the mobile user to the fixed servers of the virtual enterprise is error-prone.


Software test environments (STEs) provide a means of automating the test process and integrating testing tools to support required testing capabilities across the test process. Specifically, STEs may support test planning, test management, test measurement, test failure analysis, test development and test execution. The software architecture of an STE describes the allocation of the environment's functions to specific implementation structures. An STE's architecture can facilitate or impede modifications such as changes to processing algorithms, data representation or functionality. Performance and reusability are also subject to architecturally imposed constraints. Evaluation of an STE's architecture can provide insight into modifiability, extensibility, portability and reusability of the STE. This paper proposes a reference architecture for STEs. Its analytical value is demonstrated by using SAAM (Software Architectural Analysis Method) to compare three software test environments: PROTest II (PROLOG Test Environment, Version II), TAOS (Testing with Analysis and Oracle Support), and CITE (CONVEX Integrated Test Environment).


Presented is the use of a reflectarray-based structure in order to enhance the radar cross-section (RCS) of a flattened dihedral corner reflector. Phase-shifting cells are printed on the panels of the reflector to steer the reflected beam so that a retrodirective radiation is obtained. An experimental validation is given at 9 GHz.


Nowadays, the number of products and also of architectural projects, qualified as "sustainable", is ever more growing. Following this trend, architectural design may exploit the use of (eco) materials and components to promote a project as sustainable even without considering its impact on the environment; This can be defined as architectural greenwash. This paper considers the case of green envelopes with the aim to evaluate if these can be defined as sustainable design practice. Green envelopes provide environmental advantages together with the suggestion to a green aesthetics par excellence. In fact, the integration of vegetation in urban fabric plays an important role in improving ecological and environmental conditions of (and in) cities, although systems can have a high environmental burden. This paper aims to answer the question: Is greening the building envelope a sustainable design practice? To do so, the paper provides a literature review which includes the main research developed regarding environmental burden, benefits and LCA (life cycle assessment) calculations of green envelopes.


The issue of congestion management in distribution networks by considering a methodology for generation curtailment due to voltage constraints is addressed. The curtailment is based on the contribution of generators to the constraints as quantified by voltage-sensitivity factors. It has been shown that generation curtailment following a simple proportionality rule is not efficient and some alternatives, which give a more efficient outcome, have been proposed. Influence of network losses on the curtailment rules has also been shown. The considerations have been illustrated using two simple 11 kV networks


With the volume of available genomic data increasing at an exponential rate, we have unprecedented ability to address key questions in molecular evolution, historical demography, and epidemiology. Central to such investigations is population genetic inference, which seeks to quantify the genetic relationship of two or more individuals provided a stochastic model of evolution. A natural and widely-used model of evolution is Kingman's coalescent (Kingman, 1982), which explicitly describes the genealogical relationship of the individuals, with various extensions to account for complex biological phenomena. Statistical inference under the coalescent, however, remains a challenging computational problem. Modern population genetic methods must therefore realize a balance between computational efficiency and fidelity to the underlying model. A promising class of such methods employ the conditional sampling distribution (CSD).The CSD describes the probability of sampling an individual with a particular genomic sequence, provided that a collection of individuals from the population, and their corresponding sequences, has already been observed. Critically, the true CSD is generally inaccessible, and it is therefore necessary to use an approximate CSD in its place; such an approximate CSD is ideally both accurate and computationally efficient. In this thesis, we undertake a theoretical and algorithmic investigation of the CSD for coalescent models incorporating mutation, homologous (crossover) recombination, and population structure with migration.Motivated by the work of De Iorio and Griffiths (2004), we propose a general technique for algebraically deriving an approximate CSD directly from the underlying population genetic model. The resulting CSD admits an intuitive coalescent-like genealogical interpretation, explicitly describing the genealogical relationship of the conditionally sampled individual to the previously sampled individuals. We make use of the genealogical interpretation to introduce additional approximations, culminating in the sequentially Markov CSD (SMCSD), which models the conditional genealogical relationship site-by-site across the genomic sequence. Critically, the SMCSD can be cast as a hidden Markov model (HMM), for which efficient algorithms exist; by further specializing the general HMM methods to the SMCSD, we obtain optimized algorithms with substantial practical benefit. Finally, we empirically validate both the accuracy and computational efficiency of our proposed CSDs, and demonstrate their utility in several applied contexts.


Background: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are among the top causes of morbidity and mortality in both hospitalized and ambulatory patients worldwide. The Pharmacovigilance Programme of India was initiated with the goal that the benefits of drugs should outweigh the risks.

Aim and Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze and evaluate the incidence and the patterns of ADRs from reports collected at our ADR monitoring center (AMC).

Materials and Methods: A total of 187 suspected ADR forms which were submitted to our AMC were evaluated for demographics, reporting department, causative drug(s), and organ system involvement. Causality, severity, and preventability assessments were also carried
out.

Results: Most ADRs (43.31%) were found in the 31–60 years age group, with health centers (63) reporting the maximum number followed by the dermatology department (34). The leading causal therapeutic class of drugs was anti-infective agents (36.73%) followed by antiparasitic products (14.79%). Skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders (47.39%) and gastrointestinal disorders (26.04%) were the organ systems with most ADRs. In causality assessment, the probable cases had a higher incidence (78.57%) than the possible (21.42%) ones. Based on the severity, most of the reactions were categorized as moderate (83.95%), 14.97% were mild, and only 1.06% were severe. Most of the ADRs were not preventable (99.5%).

Conclusion: Despite most ADRs being not preventable, regular awareness programs should be conducted and a system of rewarding those who consistently report ADRs may be implemented. This will increase reporting and also improve patient safety.


HVAC systems are of critical importance in ensuring passengers' thermal comfort inside the car cabin as well as safety requirements for defogging functions. These systems involve various components and subcomponents such as blowers, thermal exchangers or actuators, with a wide range of well-known technologies and also new ones on recently introduced innovative products.Currently, within established electrification trends worldwide, the HVAC system is becoming the most important embedded system that can induce major contribution of noise and vibration. These NVH issues can emerge through different transfer paths inside the car cabin possibly causing significant discomfort to passengers.During developments, the NVH issues are mastered and contained by both suppliers according to internal requirements and OEMs according to specifications. However, OEM specifications are mainly defined by overall noise levels and improvements over the years are generally consisting of reducing these specified levels. Furthermore, some HVAC NVH issues may not be well detected when using regular NVH metrics. This raises concerns about the limitations of the regularly used metrics in ensuring specification compliance and, above all, in depicting a subjective assessment at component level.Throughout a statistical analysis of HVAC systems population, this paper first focuses on the discrepancies between the data provided by traditional NVH metrics and subjective evaluations. Then, a deeper analysis involving psychoacoustic metrics provides a relevance overview of the applied metrics depending on the encountered issues and compared to a subjective assessment. Finally, from a responsibility perspective, these findings raise questions about the relevance of regular metrics used by OEMs and the right way to handle HVAC NVH topics nowadays.


Lowering down the chip temperature is becoming one of the important design considerations, since temperature adversely and seriously affects many of design qualities, such as reliability, performance and leakage power of chip, and also increases the packaging cost. In this work, we address a new problem of thermal-aware module binding in high-level synthesis, in which the objective is to minimize the peak temperature of the chip. The two key contributions are (1) to solve the binding problem with the primary objective of minimizing the 'peak' switched capacitance of modules and the secondary objective of minimizing the 'total' switched capacitance of modules and (2) to control the switched capacitances with respect to the floorplan of modules in a way to minimize the 'peak' heat diffusion between modules. For (1), our proposed thermal-aware binding algorithm, called TA-b, formulates the thermal-aware binding problem into a problem of repeated utilization of network flow method, and solve it effectively. For (2), TA-b is extended, called TA-bf, to take into account a floorplan information, if exists, of modules to be practically effective. From experiments using a set of benchmarks, it is shown that TA-bf is able to use 10.1degC and 11.8degC lower peak temperature on the average, compared to that of the conventional low-power and thermal- aware methods, which target to minimizing total switched capacitance only ([18]) and to minimizing peak switched capacitance only ([16]), respectively.


We study charge fluctuations within the statistical hadronization model. Considering both the particle yield ratios and the charge fluctuations we show that it is possible to differentiate between chemical equilibrium and non-equilibrium freeze-out conditions. As an example of the procedure we show quantitatively how the relative yield ratio {lambda}/K{sup -} together with the normalized net charge fluctuation v(Q)= / constrain the chemical conditions at freeze-out. We also discuss the influence of the limited detector acceptance on fluctuation measurements, and show how this can be accounted for within a quantitative analysis.


Nasal route is highly promising for the delivery of drugs exerting local effects in the nose or for therapeutic molecules having systemic or CNS effect. This is attributed to the fact that the nasal epithelium is highly vascularized and permeable, which ensures rapid absorption of the drug. The limitation of short residence time of the formulations in the nose and poor bioavailability of hydrophilic drugs could be overcome by the inclusion of transfersomes. Transfersomes are ultra-flexible lipid bilayer vesicles that have the ability to penetrate the skin. It consists of at least one inner aqueous compartment, which is surrounded by a lipid bilayer with specially tailored properties resulting from the incorporation of "edge activators" into the vesicular membrane. Its ability to cross the membranes has been intensively studied as a result of their elasticity. It enhances the penetration of most of the low as well as high molecular weight drugs. Can be evaluated by entrapment efficiency, vesicle shape, size and diameter; etc. The use of transfersomes carrier results in delivery of high concentration of active agents through the nose, regulated by system composition and their physical characteristics. Thus, this novel technique has got a great potential for overcoming current problems faced by the conventional techniques. However, the attention to study the effect of transferosomes elasticity on brain delivery by the nasal route has not been yet studied.


Objectives.The relative magnitude of the public health gains from preventing smoking initiation versus encouraging cessation or avoiding relapse in different ages and genders is estimated and compared. Methods.Health gains are defined as the predicted increase in Quality-Adjusted Life-Years (QALYs) to the US population during a century. To estimate QALYs, we developed the Tobacco Policy Model. The model simulates a 10% reduction in the annual probability of initiation versus a 10% increase in cessation versus a 10% reduction in relapse in males and females in six age groups: 10 to 19, 20 to 29, 30 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59 and 60 to 69. Results.Among youth and young adults, reducing initiation yields far more QALYs than encouraging cessation or averting relapse. In middle-aged adults, cessation yields the most QALYs, followed by averting relapse and reducing initiation. In the oldest age group, averting relapse yields the most QALYs followed by cessation and reducing initiation. In general, increasing cessation and reducing relapse is more beneficial in males than in females whereas reducing initiation is more beneficial in females. Conclusions.The relative value of preventing initiation, encouraging cessation, and averting relapse differs by age and gender. Reducing initiation in youth is likely to offer the largest public health impact during the next century.


sequential detection of the viral DNA from experimentally infected and to confirm the detection of viral DNA from the fins of sampled in ABSTRACT —We investigated the applicable organ to detect DNA of cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3), the causative agent of koi herpesvirus disease (KHVD). CyHV-3 DNA was detected at the highest positive rate in the caudal fin among several organs including gills, kidney and spleen of the fish sequentially sampled after experimental exposure to the virus. Moreover, CyHV-3 DNA was detected in the caudal and pectoral fins of all dead fish collected in a natural KHVD case. Since fins are an easily accessible organ, they can be an applicable organ for PCR-based diagnosis of KHVD in clinical fish.


The combination of chin trauma and bleeding from the ear should alert the physician to the possibility of a mandibular fracture. Not all hemotympanums represent basilar skull fractures, especially when they occur in association with chin trauma. Diagnosis of mandibular condylar fractures or temporomandibular joint disruptions can be very difficult. A high index of suspicion and a proper choice of imaging modalities are necessary to ensure a timely diagnosis.


One of the goals in the development of large scale electronic structure methods is to perform calculations explicitly for a localised region of a system, while still taking into account the rest of the system outside of this region. An example of this in surface physics would be to embed an adsorbate and a few surface atoms into an extended substrate, hence considerably reducing computational costs. Here we apply the constrained electron density method of embedding a Kohn-Sham system in a substrate system (first described by P. Cortona\cite{1} and T.A. Wesolowski\cite{2}), within a plane-wave basis and pseudopotential framework. This approach divides the charge density of the system into substrate and embedded charge densities, the sum of which is the charge density of the actual system of interest. Two test cases are considered. First we construct fcc bulk aluminium by embedding one cubic lattice of atoms within another. Second, we examine a model surface/adsorbate system of aluminium on aluminium and compare with full Kohn-Sham results.


We present the case of a patient with renal cell carcinoma treated preoperatively with sorafenib. Complete resection of the left renal mass measuring 7.2 × 6.6 cm seemed to be difficult at diagnosis because of large renal hilar lymph nodes. With a short period of sorafenib administration, marked shrinkage of the renal mass and lymphadenopathy was observed after the patient experienced fulminant hepatic failure and a severe hand–foot skin reaction. Two‐dimensional computed tomography revealed 60%, 78% and 84% reduction in the primary renal tumor, lung metastatic nodules and lymph nodes, respectively. Tumor shrinkage allowed for complete resection of the left kidney and the lymphadenopathy. Pathological findings revealed that over 90% of the renal tumor was substituted by necrotic fibrotic tissue and that the residual neoplastic component was diagnosed as clear cell carcinoma. The lymph nodes that were resected were negative for malignancy. At 6 months after radical nephrectomy, a new computed tomography scan revealed no evidence of disease with the disappearance of lung nodules.


Observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) are crucial components of our understanding of cosmology. Modern high resolution, ground-based CMB survey instruments provide important information about the mass and energy content of our present Universe and the high-energy physics of the Big Bang. In this work we present several aspects of our work on the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), a 6m telescope in Northern Chile that observed the CMB in three millimetre wavelength bands from 2007–2010. We begin with a description of the Multi-Channel Electronics readout system, an important component of the data acquisition systems for ACT and several other CMB observatories. The system provides room-temperature electronics and software for controlling and reading out arrays of Transition Edge Sensor bolometers via a cryogenic time-domain multiplexing system. We next present our measurement of the ACT point spread function, or beam, using observations of Solar System planets. An accurate understanding of the beam and its covariant error is essential for interpretation of astrophysical and cosmological signal in the ACT data. We then use our understanding of the beam and the instrument calibration to measure the brightness temperatures of Uranus and Saturn at millimetre wavelengths. Precise measurements of planetary brightnesses provide convenient calibration sources for other observatories at these wavelengths. Finally we present a sample of galaxy clusters detected in the ACT maps. We develop a new approach for the analysis of Sunyaev-Zeldovich signal that incorporates a model for the typical cluster pressure to better understand selection effects and evaluate cluster masses. Addressing the current level of systematic uncertainty in the overall mass calibration of clusters, we explore the cosmological constraints obtained when calibrating the mass relation based on pressure profile measurements from X-ray data and from models that take different approaches to the cluster physics. Ultimately we use dynamical mass estimates based on optical velocity dispersion measurements to obtain constraints on the amplitude of scalar fluctuations, the matter density, the Dark Energy equation of state parameter, and the sum of the neutrino mass species.


Objective: To describe the factors affecting male goat (buck) reproduction and the selection and management strategies to improve their reproductive efficiency.
Design/Methodology/Approach: By reviewing published information, the main factors that affect the reproductive capacity of bucks and some management strategies for their reduction were described. Emphasis was on the evaluation of seminal quality, libido, and the selection of sires to be used in the herd.
Results: Proper sire diet reduces age at puberty and improves testicular and seminal characteristics, as well as sexual behavior. The effect of seasonality can be improved by using melatonin implants and adequate nutrition.
Study Limitations/Implications: In goat production systems, bucks are important for the production of quality livestock and the products and byproducts from this species. Understanding the impact of environmental factors such as nutrition, seasonality, and physiological processes on the reproductive capacity of bucks promotes the establishment of management strategies to better understand what is important when selecting sires as sperm donors to improve product quality and to obtain greater herd production.
Findings/Conclusions: Adequate sire nutrition improves herd fertility. Seasonal reproduction affects the reproductive capacity of sires as sperm donors, yet there are management alternatives to reduce such seasonal effects on their reproductive performance.


Macro/micro porous silk scaffolds with nano-sized calcium phosphate (CaP) particles were developed for bone tissue engineering. Different amounts of nano-sized CaP particles 4, 8, 16 and 25% (CaP:silk fibroin, wt/wt) were generated into the highly concentrated aqueous silk fibroin solutions via an in-situ approach. Afterwards, the pure silk and silk/nano-CaP porous scaffolds were produced by a combination of salt-leaching/freeze-drying methods. Thermal gravimetric analysis results were able to demonstrated that the silk/nano-CaP scaffolds maintained 64–87% of incorporated CaP after salt-leaching. Dynamic mechanical analysis showed that storage modulus of the 16% formulation was significantly higher than all remaining groups. The porosity of silk/nano-CaP scaffolds assessed using Micro-Computed Tomography decreased from 79.8% to 63.6% with increasing CaP incorporated until 16%. By soaking the scaffolds in Simulated Body Fluid for 7 days, cauliflower-like apatite clusters were observed on the surface of both macro and micro pores of 16% and 25% formulations, which was not observed in 4 and 8% formulations. 16% silk/nano-CaP scaffolds were further chosen for in vitro cytotoxicity and biocompatibility assays. Both silk and 16% silk/nano-CaP scaffolds were non-cytotoxic and promoted cell adhesion and proliferation to a similar extent. These results indicated that the 16% silk/ nano-CaP scaffolds could be a good candidate for bone tissue engineering.


We present conductivity measurements of quasicrystalline AlPdRe ribbons in a wide range of temperature (20 mK–300 K), for icosahedral samples spanning a broad resistivity range (R = ρ4 K/ρ300 K from 2 to 209). We focus here on a detailed analysis of the temperature dependence of the conductivity σ(T) for the insulating samples (R>16). Three successive regimes are revealed as the temperature is increased to 300 K: a low temperature variable range hopping-like behaviour, followed by a Thouless regime and a high temperature critical regime. The temperature dependence of the inelastic scattering time found elsewhere by magnetoresistance data analysis accounts well for the change of curvature in σ(T) and the trends observed as R varies. The present results point to a similar behaviour between quasicrystalline AlPdRe samples and disordered systems close to the metal–insulator transition, in accordance with our previous analysis of the very low temperature insulating regime and of the finding of conductivity scaling laws.


We apply the functional variable method, exp-function method, and -expansion method to establish the exact solutions of the nonlinear fractional partial differential equation (NLFPDE) in the sense of the modified Riemann-Liouville derivative. As a result, some new exact solutions for them are obtained. The results show that these methods are very effective and powerful mathematical tools for solving nonlinear fractional equations arising in mathematical physics. As a result, these methods can also be applied to other nonlinear fractional differential equations.


This paper presents multidimensional context-aware principles for Enterprise Applications. The usage of information about the environment of an application, device or its user can enhance the functionality of applications. Information about the user as a subset of contextual information enables applications to cultivate a relationship with their human users, which allows individual support of individual users. This paper introduces a view to different dimensions of context. As contextual dimensions we define different aspects of the environment, which are independent of each other. Examples for contextual dimensions are the personality of the user, her location and the devices she carries. Another contextual dimension, which this paper presents in detail, is the way in which contextual information is determined. Hard context-awareness is the measuring of contextual information using hardware sensors, while soft context-awareness is the inference of knowledge based on a context-aware reuse of the information base. We present ways to combine data of different applications and infer contextual information out of this data. We view context-awareness from the perspective of Enterprise Applications and their special requirements. We present special characteristics of Enterprise Applications and how they influence the use of contextual information in enterprises.