When the cells of Synechocystis aquatilis are incubated in a medium without nitrogen, the degradation of pigments in the conditions of illumination occurs in two stages: (i) during the first day and (ii) after three days of the incubation. The degree of degradation increases with the intensity of illumination and correlates with the rate of cell death. The pigments are not degraded in the dark. When chlorotic cells are transferred to a medium containing nitrogen, their number increases stepwise by a factor of 1.2 after 7--8 hours and rises exponentially after 14 hours; the synthesis of phycocyanin starts after 7 hours and the synthesis of chlorophyll only after 12 hours when the chlorophyll-to-phycocyanin ratio reaches its normal value (1. 1).


Transmit antenna selection (TAS) has been known to be an effective technique to obtain the benefits of a multiple- input-multiple-output (MIMO) system while dramatically reducing the hardware complexity. In this paper, the bit and packet error performance of an IEEE 802.11n wireless local area network (WLAN) with TAS is investigated based on three measured MIMO-orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) correlated channels. The propagation scenarios under investigation include an atrium with and without line-of-sight (LoS), and a lecture theater with LoS. The simulation results reveal that TAS technique could dramatically improve the error performance of an IEEE 802.11n WLAN. For all the three measured channels, TAS could achieve a signal-to-noise (SNR) improvement by at least 6 dB. It is also found that the TAS technique could achieve a larger SNR improvement in a correlated MIMO-OFDM channel than in an i.i.d channel. Therefore, we prove in this paper that TAS is a powerful technique to further improve the error performance and enhance the range of an IEEE 802.11n WLAN.


Plasma cell dyscrasias appear to have a modestly increased incidence in patients with HIV and AIDS as determined by registry linkage studies. As with Hodgkin lymphoma in HIV patients, the presentation is often unusual and aggressive, and these tumors are commonly associated with Epstein-Barr virus. Little evidence suggests a link with Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus.


. The black hole model with a self-gravitating charged spherical symmetric dust thin shell as a source is considered. The Schroedinger-type equation for such a model is derived. This equation appeared to be a finite differences equation. A theory of such an equation is developed and general solution is found and investigated in details. The discrete spectrum of the bound state energy levels is obtained. All the eigenvalues appeared to be infinitely degenerate. The ground state wave functions are evaluated explicitly. The quantum black hole states are selected and investigated. It is shown that the obtained black hole mass spectrum is compatible with the existence of Hawking's radiation in the limit of low temperatures both for large and nearly extreme Reissner-Nordstrom black holes. The above mentioned infinite degeneracy of the mass (energy) eigenvalues may appeared helpful in resolving the well known information paradox in the black hole physics.


In this paper, we report on Na2FePO4F and Li2FePO4F, which are materials that are used as cathodes in batteries, using density functional theory with the LDA, LDA+U, GGA, or GGA+U approximations. Specifically, we study their crystal structure, electronic structure, and magnetic properties and provide similar information about the intermediate compounds LiFePO4F and NaFePO4F. Finally, the intercalation voltages of the corresponding batteries are calculated using various exchange-correlation approximations and conclusions are drawn about which one is the most suitable to use for the study of this class of materials.


Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) along with complex network is currently one of the most widely adopted techniques for detection of structural changes in neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's Disease (PD). In this paper, we present a digital image processing study, within the multi-layer network framework, combining more classifiers to evaluate the informative power of the MRI features, for the discrimination of normal controls (NC) and PD subjects. We define a network for each MRI scan; the nodes are the sub-volumes (patches) the images are divided into and the links are defined using the Pearson's pairwise correlation between patches. We obtain a multi-layer network whose important network features, obtained with different feature selection methods, are used to feed a supervised multi-level random forest classifier which exploits this base of knowledge for accurate classification. Method evaluation has been carried out using T1 MRI scans of 354 individuals, including 177 PD subjects and 177 NC from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) database. The experimental results demonstrate that the features obtained from multiplex networks are able to accurately describe PD patterns. Besides, also if a privileged scale for studying PD disease exists, exploring the informative content of more scales leads to a significant improvement of the performances in the discrimination between disease and healthy subjects. In particular, this method gives a comprehensive overview of brain regions statistically affected by the disease, an additional value to the presented study.


Pulmonary drug delivery is the preferred route of administration in the treatment of respiratory diseases and some nonrespiratory diseases. Recent research has focused on developing structurally stable high-dosage drug delivery systems without premature release. To maximize the deposition in the desired lung regions, several factors must be considered in the formulation. The special issue includes seven papers deal with aerosol-assisted fabrication of nanostructured particles, aerosol deposition, nanoparticles pulmonary exposure, and controlled release.


The importance, feasibility and method for measuring the photo-ionization cross-section of multi-charged ions using the RIKEN Electron Beam Ion Source (REBIS) is discussed. Specifically the cases for the 2 s and 1 s photo-ionization of Ar14+ is explored. It is concluded that such measurements are possible today and in future (3rd generation) synchrotron radiation facilities, and will be carried out upon modifications of the apparatus. Also described, is the first test of a PHOton Beam Ion Source using REBIS. It's potential advantage over other ion sources is that in the ion production mechanism photoionization the recoil ions obtain only near thermal energies to making ion beams with very low energy spread possible.


Increased flux through the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP) has been proposed as one mechanism by which hyperglycemia induces insulin resistance and complications associated with diabetes. Excess glucose entering the HBP is converted to UDP-GlcNAc, a sugar donor for the posttranslational glycosylation of Ser/Thr residues by O-linked N-acetylglucosamine monosaccharide (GlcNAc). This dynamic and reversible modification of cytosolic and nuclear proteins provides an alternative mechanism of protein regulation to phosphorylation. The purpose of this study was to assess whether increased O-GlcNAc modification of proteins precedes the development of glucose-induced insulin resistance in vivo. Methods In male Wistar rats, blood glucose was maintained at 10-12 mM by variable glucose infusion for 3 or 5 hours, after which blood glucose was returned to basal over 45 minutes by stepwise cessation of iv glucose. A 2-hour euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp (0.25 U/kg/hr) was then performed in these and saline-infused control rats. Insulin resistance was present in both muscle and liver after 5 but not after 3 hours of glucose infusion. Soluble protein, isolated from liver and gastrocnemius muscle of rats infused with saline or glucose for 3 or 5 hours, was separated by SDS-PAGE and transferred to nitrocellulose. Global protein O-GlcNAc modification was quantitated using an anti-O-GlcNAc antibody and normalized for protein loading using α-tubulin. Results Preliminary data suggest that in liver, but not in muscle, there is an increase in the global level of O-GlcNAc modification following 3 hours of glucose infusion. Analysis of the four most intense bands corresponding to O-GlcNAc modified proteins in the liver at 141 kDa, 130 kDa, 90 kDa, and 60 kDa showed an increase (range 20-500%) in the level of modification with glucose infusion. We found that the mean difference in protein modification between glucose- and saline-infused rats was borderline significant for the 141 kDa protein (p = .0751) and significant for the 90 kDa and 60 kDa proteins (p = .0479 and .0022, respectively) after adjusting for hour (3 vs 5) and accounting for correlation of repeated measures. Conclusions In an in vivo model of insulin resistance, a global increase in protein O-GlcNAc modification in liver precedes the development of insulin resistance.


We have combined multiple 100 W fiber lasers in a self organized manner so that they produce a coherent, high brightness output beam. We use lasers designed to avoid SBS, SRS and FWM limitations and use proper coupling between fibers to ensure in-phase output.


The present study was examined the effect of two IGRs (pyriproxyfen & chlorfluazuron) on the external bacterial flora isolated from the Pharaoh ant workersMonomorium pharaonis (L.). The Pharaoh ant workers were collected from three different cities in Cairo governorate. Different concentrations of 0.1%, 0.5%  & 1% pyriproxyfen and 0.001%, 0.01% & 0.1% chlorfluazuron were used.
Bacteria associated with Pharaoh ant workers (indoors & outdoors collected samples) were isolated before and after treatment with IGRs. It was found that, the external bacteria isolated from outdoors samples were less counted than those collected from indoors.The presence of some pathogenic bacteria was recorded. The used IGRs cause significant reduction in the count of bacteria in external isolates. Kinds of isolated bacteria were also affected by IGRs treatment and some kinds of them were disappeared in treated samples.


The reported investigation aims at systematizing the knowledge concerning the strength parameters (φ u and c u ) of clay-gravel and coarse-grained soils. The paper includes the description and results of laboratory tests of internal friction angle φ u and cohesion c u of clay-gravel soil mixtures, compacted by standard energy of Proctor method and sheared using the shear box test. The research was carried out using properly prepared mixes of various humidity of loam and segregated fluvial gravel (the grains sized < 5 mm). The strength formulas presented earlier in Russian papers were verified by calculations.


Abstract Davran, M.K., Darcan, N. and Budak, D.B. 2007. Gender role in the small ruminant sector in mountain area of Turkey. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 31: 93–95. To examine gender role of women in small ruminant sector in Taurus mountains of Turkey, data were collected in 10 villages by face to face interview with 100 women. Rural women living in Taurus mountains carry out a primary role in small ruminant activities but their productive work has been ignored and underestimated. They are working on an average 12.6 h a day and get help/support from children and particularly from girls in small ruminant activities. Division of labor in small ruminant activities is unfavorable to women and they have secondary position in decision making process. Accessibility to knowledge, technology, education, health and extension is very difficult for women due to low educational level and patriarchy; and the proportion of illiterate women is 66%. Women ignorant of their primary status and productive role in rural life, define themselves as housewife instead of farmer and do not like their job.


This brief describes the influence of switching conditions and a dynamic avalanche on the extraction of the charge-carrier plasma during the reverse-recovery period of p+-n--n+ diodes. The influence of the drift components and the diffusion components of the electron- and hole-current densities on the evolution of the plasma layer was investigated. The analysis shows that diffusion currents influence the plasma extraction process and can induce a change in the direction of the particle flux. Such a change in the particle flux may result in a longitudinal displacement of the plasma layer and significantly modify the reverse-recovery behavior. The results explain how a low on -state current density, a high circuit inductance, and the appearance of a dynamic avalanche will modify the reverse-recovery behavior.


In connection with the crisis increases the relevance of audit control in the Russian economy. Great influence on the modern accounting in Russia have been successfully carried out reforms and existing engineering mechanisms in the system of auditing controls. The article shows the different interpretations of the concept of "engineering", and discusses the methodology, methods and mechanisms of functioning of engineering mechanisms in the system audit trail, as well as the main directions of the use of accounting and auditing engineering and basic engineering of accounting tools of various kinds. Model instruments and statutory audit of engineering are used in a variety of processes, not only at the micro level, but also at the meso and macro levels. The article identified and grouped the main problems of further development of Russian accounting and reporting. Showing difficulties that do not allow to apply international auditing standards in full, as well as proposed solutions to these problems. As one of these solutions to the identified problems proposed accounting model for using engineering mechanisms in the audit. Keywords : Audit, Accounting, Engineering JEL Classifications : A20; L11


Abstract Thurber's needlegrass (Achnatherum thurberianum [Piper] Barkworth) is an important component of many sagebrush communities in the Intermountain West. Prescribed fall burning is often implemented in sagebrush plant communities to mimic historic wildfires, improve wildlife habitat, and increase livestock forage production. Burning is used because it shifts dominance from sagebrush to herbaceous vegetation. The effects of prescribed fall burning on Thurber's needlegrass are largely unexplored. The purpose of this study was to determine the response of Thurber's needlegrass to prescribed fall burning. A randomized block design was used, and each block consisted of a fall burned and unburned (control) Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subsp. wyomingensis [Beetle & A. Young] S. L. Welsh)–bunchgrass communities. Response variables measured in the first and second years after burns were Thurber's needlegrass community foliar cover and density, vegetative and reproductive biomass, photosynthetic rates, tissue carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content, and N (15N:14N) and C (13C:12C) isotope ratios. Density of Thurber's needlegrass in both postburn years and cover in the second postburn year were not different between treatments (P > 0.05), but cover was less in the burned than control treatment in the first postburn year (P  =  0.008). Carbon isotope ratios in Thurber's needlegrass differed between the burn (−25.9 ± 0.1 SE) and control (−26.3 ± 0.1 SE) treatments in the first postburn year (P  =  0.019). Nitrogen isotope ratios indicated nitrogen was more available in the burned than control treatment in both years (P < 0.05). Photosynthetic rates of Thurber's needlegrass were also generally greater in the burned than control treatment (P  =  0.045). Our results suggest burning altered the availability of resources to Thurber's needlegrass plants. Our results also suggest that prescribed fall burning is not detrimental to Thurber's needlegrass and, thus, can be used as a method to shift dominance from sagebrush to herbaceous vegetation.


The proposal of an early diagnosis of prostate cancer through mass screening with digital rectal examination (DRE), transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) and serum tumor markers remains controversial: there is no high risk population. No study has proven that mass screening reduces the mortality from prostate cancer. However, when clinical and biological data give arguments for the presence of a cancer, every patient requires a prostate biopsy. We have studied the Positive Predictive Value (PPV) of each test in a selected population: 200 men over 50 years of age in which rectal examination or PSA assay was suspicious were investigated. Without any reference to the prostate volume, we considered that the PSA level was "suspicious" when it reached 3 times the upper reference value, or 12 ng/ml. DRE was suspicious in 73%, comprising 50% with prostate carcinoma. PSA assay was suspicious in 65%, comprising 61% with prostate carcinoma. 88% of cancers had a suspicious DRE or PSA assay. TRUS was suspicious in 89%, comprising 45% with prostate carcinoma. Ultrasound guided core biopsies were performed in each case, and allowed a positive diagnosis in 42% of cases, whereas bilateral fine-needle cyto-aspirates were positive in 87% of histologically proven carcinomas. Cytology alone was positive in 3 patients with negative biopsies. Both results show that the PPV of a suspicious DRE associated with an elevated PSA level is 84%. An increased PSA level is correlated with a cancer in 61%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Aroma inhalation therapy has traditionally been used not only in alternative medicinal treatment but also in psychotherapy. In the first stage of the study, the in silico molecular binding affinity of the major ingredients of Smart-Wave (SW) on the active site of the odorant-binding protein (OBP) was compared with that of citrate anions. The binding affinity of the chemical mixture formula of the ma- jor ingredients of SW on the OBP was relatively higher than that of citrate anions. In addition, nasal inhalation of SW had a positive effect upon changes in brain waves. Eighteen healthy volunteers par- ticipated in the experiment. The study consisted of measurements of the brain's meditation level re- cordings in the pre- and post-SW inhalation periods as compared with negative (EV) and positive (HB) control groups. After SW inhalation, all the subjects stated that they felt "fresher" and that the SW trial group had significantly changed the brain's meditation in a positive way. SW inhalation also converted EV-induced unstable brain meditation wave patterns into more stable patterns. Collectively, the results of this empirical study strongly suggest that the SW mixture activates the OBP and con- trols the mental state by regulating brain waves. The results provide scientific evidence that the SW formula has potential as an effective mental-stress controller.


Along with the increased anthropogenic load on landscapes, which consists of ecological damage, the rate of destruction and extinction of biological species (and sometimes even entire ecosystems) is also growing. Therefore, the most important task of the study is to substantiate the systems of specially protected natural areas, which together must contain all the landscape diversity. It is important to realize that the system of protected areas will be effective when it is a single network integrated into the life of the local community, providing not only the exclusion of areas from economic turnover but also the organization of rational, scientifically sound economic activities to form a cultural landscape. Thus, it is necessary to investigate and generalize the mechanisms that form the landscape and ecological foundation for the organization of regional systems of protected areas for their further effective use in the organization of specially protected natural areas, which became the purpose of this study. This article provides recommendations for the organization of regional systems of specially protected natural areas and specific conditions of their landscape and ecological exploitation for the conservation of biodiversity.


Links have recently been established between measures of educational attainment and both verbal and visuo-spatial aspects of working memory. Relationships have also been identified between specific executive functions—shifting, updating, and inhibition—and scholastic achievement. In the present study, scholastic attainment, shifting, updating, inhibition, and verbal and visuo-spatial working memory were assessed in 11- and 12-year-old children. Exploratory factor analysis identified two executive factors: one associated with updating functions and one associated with inhibition. Updating abilities were closely linked with performance on both verbal and visuo-spatial working memory span tasks. Working memory was closely linked with attainment in English and mathematics, and inhibition was associated with achievement in English, mathematics, and science. Domain-specific associations existed between verbal working memory and attainment in English, and between visuo-spatial working memory and attainment in English, mathematics and science. Implications of the findings for the theoretical analysis of executive functioning, working memory and children's learning are discussed.


A laser powder bed fusion process operating at elevated temperatures is introduced capable of fabricating crack-free and dense intermetallic titanium aluminide alloy specimens as well as demonstrator components using a base plate heating up to 900 °C and a unique heating system of the uppermost powder bed layer up to 1200 °C. Two so-called 4th generation alloys, TNM and TNM+, were used for this study. The microstructure and its evolution during subsequent heat treatments were investigated and explained by employing scanning electron microscopy, hardness testing, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and thermodynamic equilibrium calculation. Selected specimens were subjected to creep tests at 750 °C. The microstructures after processing consist of extraordinarily fine lamellar γ-TiAl/α2-Ti3Al-colonies with globular γ and βo-TiAl grains for both the TNM and TNM+ alloy, exhibiting a microstructure gradient from the last consolidated powder layer down to the starting layer due to cellular reaction, which increases the amount of globular γ and βo at the boundaries of the γ/α2-colonies. During annealing in proximity to the γ-solvus temperature, banded microstructures might form, as the α-grain size is only partially controlled by heterogeneously distributed γ/β-phase, which stems from the process-related Al loss. Additionally, the occurrence of thermally-induced porosity is investigated. Optimizing the microstructure to a homogenized, almost fully lamellar microstructure, involved annealing in the β-single phase field region and led to improved creep properties. Finally, TNM demonstrator components with complex geometries, such as aero engine blades and turbocharger turbine wheels, are fabricated by employing the novel laser powder bed fusion process.


This working paper introduces the concept of Trade in Value Added (TiVA) and presents an initial analysis of TiVA for selected regional ESCAP economies. The paper introduces Global Value Chains (GVCs) and issues for the measurement of trade statistics due to proliferation of GVCs. It further presents the TiVA estimation methodology, as defined in the literature, and provides an overview of the data requirements for estimation. The paper reviews current initiatives on regional/international IOTs and TiVA analysis, and availability of data in the Asia-Pacific region. The Paper concludes with a TiVA analysis of selected regional ESCAP economies that are available in the current data sources. The paper has been prepared under the Regional Programme on Economic Statistics (PRES) and we hope it will support the efforts of statistical offices in the region to improve related statistics.


Variscan folds and magnetic anomalies of the Central Iberian Zone (Iberian Massif) delineate an orocline similar in size to the Ibero-Armorican arc but of opposite sense of curvature. Its core is occupied by the Galicia-Tras-os-Montes Zone, formed by allochthonous terranes which include the suture of the Rheic Ocean. The West-Asturian-Leonese Zone is also bent by the arc but neither the Ossa-Morena, nor the the South Portuguese zones are involved. The orocline, for which the name of Central Iberian arc is proposed, explains the width of the Central Iberian Zone by duplication of a strip half its present width. It also explains the structural position of the allochthonous terranes, and opens new insights for correlations with the rest of the Variscan belt, specially with the Armorican Massif, whose central domain may represent the continuation of the southern branch of the Central Iberian arc, detached by late Variscan strikeslip tectonics. The relative age of the two arcs of the Iberian ssif and the possible origin of the Central Iberian arc are discussed.


This book poses the question: Can a private company be
managed using the same criteria as a publicly traded company, basing its
decisions on the same financial tools? The answer is yes, and the main
objective here is to describe a basic dynamic valuation model through which
senior managements can determine the "market" value of a company at any moment.
In other words, although these companies remain private, the management model
proposed in the book makes their decision-making process as rigorous and professional
as if they were listed companies, by using appropriate financial tools that
serve as the main support in the decision-making process. The model also
encourages the use of different risk management tools to analyze some of the
variables that affect value, so that after establishing the allowed movement
ranges (risk map), hedging or mitigation mechanisms can be implemented. The
objectives outlined in this book are relevant for management practice since
they seek to promote a systematic, orderly, documented, and value-oriented
decision-making process.


BphA3, a Rieske-type [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin component of a biphenyl dioxygenase (BphA) from Pseudomonas sp. strain KKS102, was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. Two crystal forms were obtained from the same conditions. The form I crystal belongs to space group P2(1)2(1)2, with unit-cell parameters a = 26.3, b = 144.3, c = 61.5 A, and diffracted to 2.45 A resolution. The form II crystal belongs to space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 26.2, b = 121.3, c = 142.7 A, and diffracted to 2.8 A resolution. A molecular-replacement calculation using BphF as a search model yielded a satisfactory solution for both forms.


Summary: Advanced crashworthiness simulations need accurate knowledge and selection of both material models and corresponding parameters. These material model parameters are usually extracted from mechanical tests and are based on idealized assumptions. However, in some cases, these assumptions overestimate the material strength. Inverse methods are then good alternatives to automatically tune the model parameters. Constitutive model parameter identification is a non-linear optimization process. In this study, experimentally obtained material behaviour is used to predict the approximate material model parameters. Finite element model of a NHTSA 214 side impact Movable Deformable Barrier (MDB) is created by using honeycomb materials. The simulations are conducted by using a non-linear explicit dynamics numerical solver, LS-DYNA. The numerical response of the barrier model is then used as an input for the numerical optimization scheme. Considering the highly non-linear behaviour of the honeycomb material, a quadratic response surface methodology is used, where D-optimal point selection scheme is employed for the response surface approximation.


Six different secalonic acids were tested for cytostatic activity against cultured mouse leukaemia L1210 cells. Secalonic acids B and E showed rather weak activity but the other four isomers showed quite strong activity, especially secalonic acids A and D which were slightly more active than adriamycin. The chemically rearranged 2,4'-dimer of secalonic acid A showed almost the same activity as the naturally isolated 2,2'-dimer, but the activity of the 4,4'-dimer was much stronger than that of both the 2,2'-dimer and adriamycin. Interestingly, in a mouse bone marrow stem cell assay, secalonic acids F and G showed almost the same toxicity as adriamycin, but secalonic acids A and D showed rather weak toxicity. Similarly, the 2,2'-dimer of secalonic acid A showed almost the same toxicity as adriamycin, but the toxicity of the 2,4'- and 4,4'-dimers was weaker than that of the 2,2'-dimer and also that of adriamycin.


This study examined proximal traits as mediators of the relationships between distal traits and leadership effectiveness. Specifically, we examined goal orientation, leadership self-efficacy, and motivation to lead (MTL) as antecedents of leadership effectiveness, after controlling for the Big Five personality traits. We tested our hypotheses with a sample of 100 leaders of four-person teams performing a manufacturing task in a laboratory setting. Consistent with expectation, leadership self-efficacy partially mediated the relationships between learning goal orientation and Affective-Identity MTL as well as Social-Normative MTL, after controlling for the Big Five. Noncalculative MTL related significantly to averaged team member ratings of leadership effectiveness, after controlling for both the leader's and the team member's personality. These results help aid in our understanding of why leader traits relate to leadership effectiveness.


This study aimed to determine the levels of and perhaps relationship, if any, between job satisfaction, life satisfaction, work-life conflict, perceived stress and wellbeing in retail workers in Ireland. The study also aimed to investigate the possible influence of demographic variables such as gender and age. A self-developed online questionnaire using standardised measurement scales was distributed to colleagues and employees of McCabes Pharmacy. One hundred questionnaires were completed (75 female participants and 25 male participants). A mixed method; specifically a quantitative, mixed quasi-experimental, within subjects, correlational research design was used. The overall results reported a substantial higher level of Work-Life Conflict than LifeWork conflict among retail workers in Ireland. Analysis showed the demographic variable gender had a significant difference on both Work-Life Balance and Job Satisfaction however the male or female factor showed no significant difference in relation to Life Satisfaction, Perceived Stress and Wellbeing. Perceived Stress noted a statistical significance among the demographic variable of age. The current study revealed a positive correlation between Job and Life Satisfactions and Wellbeing and Work-Life Balance. A negative correlation between Work-Life Balance and Job Satisfaction, Work-Life Balance and Life Satisfaction, and Life-Satisfaction and Wellbeing, was also discovered. Regression analysis revealed that only Job Satisfaction was a significant predictor of Work-Life Balance.


In this paper, we develop optical and electronic systems for photoinduced force microscopy (PiFM) that can measure photoinduced forces under low temperature and ultrahigh vacuum (LT-UHV) without artifacts. For our LT-UHV PiFM, light is irradiated from the side on the tip-sample junction, which can be adjusted through the combination of an objective lens inside the vacuum chamber and a 90° mirror outside the vacuum chamber. We measured photoinduced forces due to the electric field enhancement between the tip and the Ag surface, and confirmed that photoinduced force mapping and measurement of photoinduced force curves were possible using the PiFM that we developed. The Ag surface was used to measure the photoinduced force with high sensitivity, and it is effective in enhancing the electric field using the plasmon gap mode between the metal tip and the metal surface. Additionally, we confirmed the necessity of Kelvin feedback during the measurement of photoinduced forces, to avoid artifacts due to electrostatic forces, by measuring photoinduced forces on organic thin films. The PiFM, operating under low temperature and ultrahigh vacuum developed here, is a promising tool to investigate the optical properties of various materials with very high spatial resolution.


We report two cases of rapidly fatal hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) that presented as Reye's syndrome (RS). The patients were referred to our hospital because of altered level of consciousness with hyperammonemia and hypoglycemia. The first patient, a 24-month-old girl (Case 1), died soon after arrival and was clinically diagnosed as having RS, but a diagnosis of HLH was established on the basis of autopsy findings. The other patient, a 4-month-old boy (Case 2), was diagnosed as having HLH in view of the bone marrow findings on admission, but immunosuppressive therapy failed to prevent a rapidly fatal course. Marked hypercytokinemia was found in both patients, and liver pathology demonstrated panlobular microvesicular steatosis of hepatocytes, resembling that in RS. Mononuclear cell infiltration with hemophagocytosis in the liver was evident in case 2, but not in case 1. In both cases, hypercytokinemia was thought to have caused mitochondrial dysfunction, resulting in RS-like microvesicular steatosis of hepatocytes. HLH is an important differential diagnosis of children presenting with RS-like picture.


Despite being considered one of the most economically successful countries in Latin America, Chile is marked by high levels of social inequality. Women working in the agricultural and fish-farming sectors are particularly marginalised, and often work in unacceptable conditions, with little opportunity to challenge exploitative practices or to influence political decisions. This paper describes Oxfam GB's strategies to increase women's leadership and participation in economic and political sectors. It looks at the impact of these strategies and presents lessons learned.


SUMMARY:

 The article explores the role of history in constructing contemporary processes in post-socialist Mongolia. The main focus of the article is on the figure of Chinggis Khan, in particular upon its role in the new Mongol nationalism and in the self-identification of Mongols. The author argues that the image of Chinggis Khan supplements other elements of Mongol nationalism, such as the "classic" script, Buddhism and shamanism, and "The Secret History of the Mongols." The traditional seasonal celebration of "naadam" now includes references to Chinggis Khan and the Chingisids. The author also points to differences in the perceptions of Chinggis Khan among various Mongol-speaking peoples, such as Buryats, Kalmyks, and Mongols of China, and to the historical figure's importance in securing a "greater Mongolian sentiment." In the 20th century, the cult of Chinggis Khan was reflected in contested memorial sites (alleged to be the tomb of the hero) in Mongolia proper and in China, where the cult is commercialized. Exploring historical developments in the self-identification of Mongol-speaking societies, the author discusses the transition from a sense of identity to modern nationalism. According to the author, the emergence of a greater transnational Mongol identity depended on the existing cultural community. Finally, the author explores the conflict between notions of Mongol identity built on exclusively ethic grounds (centered on Khalkha) and the notions of "greater Mongol identity" focused on the figure of Chinggis Khan, pastoral nomadism, and shamanism.


RATIONALE
Several studies have shown that the occurrence of wheezing illnesses during the first year of life is associated with lower levels of lung function shortly after birth and before any respiratory illness. It has been suggested that reduced lung function early in life predisposes infants to wheezing during viral respiratory infections, but the association between neonatal lung function and subsequent confirmed viral infections has never been investigated.

OBJECTIVES
To study the influence between neonatal lung function and the occurrence of human rhinovirus (HRV)-associated wheeze.

METHODS
In a prospective birth cohort study, infants were followed from birth through the first year of life with daily questionnaires about respiratory symptoms. Neonatal lung function was performed within the first 2 months of life. Nose and throat swabs were collected during episodes with respiratory symptoms. Polymerase chain reaction was used to detect single HRV infections.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
In 176 of the 202 infants (87%) with a single HRV infection, valid lung function measurements were obtained. The risk of wheeze was 1.49 times higher for each SD increase of airway resistance. The adjusted risk (corrected for possible important confounders) for wheeze was 1.77 (95% confidence interval, 1.16-2.69; P = 0.01) times higher for each SD increase of airway resistance. Maternal smoking during pregnancy was independently associated with wheeze (odds ratio 4.42; 95% confidence interval, 1.27-15.5; P = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that total lung resistance is clearly associated with HRV-associated wheeze. Moreover, HRV-associated wheeze might be the first sign to recognize infants with reduced neonatal lung function.


This paper analyzes factors that affect candidates' position-taking incentives in multicandidate and multiparty elections. Following Cox (1990), we define centrifugal incentives as those that motivate vote-seeking candidates to take more extreme positions relative to the center of the voter distribution. For a multivariate vote model that includes a Left-Right policy component, a party identification component and an unmeasured term that renders the vote choice probabilistic, we present theoretical and computer simulation results that quantify candidates' incentives to shift their policies away from the center in the direction of their partisan constituencies' mean policy preferences. Centrifugal incentives are found to increase with (1) the salience of policies and party identification, (2) the size of the candidate field, (3) the size of a candidate's partisan constituency, and (4) more extreme constituency policy preferences. Thus, ceteris paribus, candidates who represent large constituencies are motivated to present more extreme policies than are candidates who represent small ones.


We present an application of unsupervised machine learning – the self-organized map (SOM) – as a tool for visualizing, exploring and mining the catalogues of large astronomical surveys. Self-organization culminates in a low-resolution representation of the 'topology' of a parameter volume, and this can be exploited in various ways pertinent to astronomy. Using data from the Cosmological Evolution Survey (COSMOS), we demonstrate two key astronomical applications of the SOM: (i) object classification and selection, using galaxies with active galactic nuclei as an example, and (ii) photometric redshift estimation, illustrating how SOMs can be used as totally empirical predictive tools. With a training set of ∼3800 galaxies with zspec ≤ 1, we achieve photometric redshift accuracies competitive with other (mainly template fitting) techniques that use a similar number of photometric bands [σ (� z) = 0.03 with a ∼2 per cent outlier rate when using u ∗ band to 8 µm photometry]. We also test the SOM as a photo-z tool using the PHoto-z Accuracy Testing (PHAT) synthetic catalogue of Hildebrandt et al., which compares several different photo-z codes using a common input/training set. We find that the SOM can deliver accuracies that are competitive with many of the established template fitting and empirical methods. This technique is not without clear limitations, which are discussed, but we suggest it could be a powerful tool in the era of extremely large – 'petabyte' – data bases where efficient data mining is a paramount concern.


Abstract The current study analyzes Spanish present tense morphology with a focus on overregularization. It examines written production from two groups of English/Spanish bilingual children in a dual immersion setting, Spanish heritage language (SHL) speakers (n = 21) and Spanish second language (SL2) learners (n = 41), comparing them to age-matched (nine to ten years old) Spanish majority language children (n = 15). Spanish majority children show full mastery of present tense regular, stem-changing and irregular morphology. SHL children seem to have acquired mastery of regular inflectional morphology, but not of stem-changing morphology. SL2 children are significantly less accurate than both majority Spanish and SHL children in terms of both regular and irregular morphology. Evidence of overregularization, but not of irregularization, is provided for both SHL and SL2 children. The analysis of overregularization errors supports a variational approach (Yang, 2016) to acquisition, storage and access of morphology.


Advertisers and researchers use tools provided by advertising platforms to conduct randomized experiments for testing user responses to creative elements in online ads. Internally valid comparisons between ads require the mix of experimental users exposed to each ad to be similar across all ads. But that internal validity is threatened when platforms' targeting algorithms deliver each ad to its own optimized mix of users, which diverges across ads. We extend the potential outcomes model of causal inference to treat random assignment of ads and the user exposure states for each ad as two separate decisions. We then demonstrate how targeting ads to users leads advertisers to incorrectly infer which ad performs better, based on aggregate test results. Through analysis and simulation, we characterize how bias in the aggregate estimate of the difference between two ads' lifts is driven by the interplay between heterogeneous responses to different ads and how platforms deliver ads to divergent subsets of users. We also identify conditions for an undetectable "Simpson's reversal," in which all unobserved types of users may prefer ad A over ad B, but the advertiser mistakenly infers from aggregate experimental results that users prefer ad B over ad A.


The main goal of this work is to present a sustainable modified desalination scheme which incorporates a chemical conversion unit (CCU) that handles the reject brines exit the desalination unit. With the available technology, we have today this can change the paradigm of "waste product" into a "resource" aiming for the utilization of brine, as a feed stock for magnesium production plus other chemical products to take place. It is a chemical process that involves bubbling CO2 gas in "ammoniated" brine. The brine used contains about 25% NaCl and is obtained by concentrating the reject brine before entering the CCU. The proposed method, offers a vehicle to dispose reject brine and to utilize it, at the same time, to recover and extract valuable minerals found in these rejects. In the proposed method, ammonia used in the chemical conversion process is synthesized by using renewable hydrogen, obtained by water electrolysis. A preliminary process analysis of the proposed system is presented along with computational results. For one cubic meter of reject brine, 0.64 ton ammonium chloride (found in partially desalinated water) and 0.63 ton soda ash are produced, while 0.203 ton ammonia and 0.526 ton carbon dioxide are consumed. In addition, the recovery of MgCl2 from reject brine adds merits to the proposal.


In an underdense plasma a large-amplitude plasma oscillation may be produced by the beating of two external and colinear electromagnetic waves with a frequency difference approximately equal to the plasma frequency - plasma beat wave (PBW) resonant mechanism. The plasma oscillations are driven by the ponderomotive force arising from the beating of the two imposed electromagnetic waves. In this paper two pump electromagnetic waves with arbitrary transverse profiles have been considered. The plasma is described by using the three dimensional weakly relativistic fluid equations. The nonlinear plasma oscillation dynamics is studied by using the eulerian description, the averaging and the multiple time scale methods. Unlike the linear theory a strong cross field coupling between longitudinal and transverse electric field components of the plasma oscillation comes out, resulting in a nonlinear phase change and energy transfer between the two components. Unlike the one-dimensional nonlinear theory, the nonlinear frequency shift is caused by relativistic effects as well as by convective effects and electromagnetic field generated from the three dimensional plasma oscillation. The large amplitude plasma oscillation dynamics produced by a bunched relativistic electron beam with arbitrary transverse profile - plasma wake field (PWF) - or by a high power single frequency short electromagnetic pulse with arbitrary transverse profile - electromagnetic plasma wake field (EPWF) - may be described by means of the present theory.


The influence of mechanical deformation on critical current has been studied, in order to assess the effect of sample handling on the current carrying capabilities of Bi-2223/Ag tapes. Transport critical current was measured at 77 K using a criterion. The effect of progressive bending of the tapes on grain connectivity and flux pinning were investigated by measuring against H. It was observed that bending can affect weak and strong links to a different degree. Damaged samples have a low , but often have a large critical current which is carried through strongly linked paths, compared to carried through weak links. The influence of tensile deformation on was also studied. was found not to degrade until the deformation of the tape approached its elastic limit.


The increasing incidence of melanoma and the poor responsiveness of disseminated disease to conventional treatments call for the development of new therapeutic approaches. Phenylacetate, a nontoxic differentiation inducer, can suppress the growth of other neuroectodermal tumors, i.e., gliomas, in laboratory models and in humans. This finding led us to explore the efficacy of phenylacetate and related aromatic fatty acids in melanoma. Phenylacetate and phenylbutyrate were found to a) induce selective cytostasis and maturation of cultured human melanoma cells, b) modulate the expression of genes implicated in tumor metastasis (type IV collagenase and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2) and immunogenicity (HLA class I); and c) enhance the efficacy of other agents of clinical interest, including retinoids, interferon-alpha, suramin, and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine. Reflecting on the phenotypic heterogeneity of melanoma, the degree of biologic alterations induced by phenylacetate/phenylbutyrate varied significantly among the tumor cell lines tested. Although losing invasive capacity and tumorigenicity in athymic mice, poorly differentiated cells exhibited only a marginal change in morphology, remained amelanotic, and resumed growth after treatment was discontinued. By contrast, treatment of melanoma cells that were in a more advanced stage of maturation resulted in profound alterations in cell growth, morphology, and pigmentation consistent with terminal differentiation. The in vitro antitumor activity was observed with nontoxic, pharmacologic concentrations of phenylacetate and phenylbutyrate, suggesting potential clinical use of these drugs in the treatment of melanomas.


Cesium lead halide nanocrystals are a new attractive material for optoelectronic applications since they combine the advantageous properties of perovskites and quantum dots. For future applications in optoelectronics and photovoltaics, an efficient energy and/or carrier exchange is a necessary condition. Here, we explicitly demonstrate nonradiative energy transfer for colloidal CsPbBr3 nanocrystals. Using timeresolved optical characterization of purposefully prepared batches of nanocrystals with different sizes, we identify the energy transfer which can be driven by the concentration gradient of excited nanocrystals as well as by the bandgap energy difference. The latter process moves the energy from smaller to larger nanocrystals and opens a possibility of directional streaming of the excitation energy in these materials. The observed energy transfer is enabled in the colloids by proximity of individual nanocrystals due to clustering.


Comparative analysis of photoluminescence (PL) and photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra of NiO poly- and nanocrystals in the spectral range 2-5.5 eV reveals two PLE bands peaked near 3.7 and 4.6 eV with a dramatic rise in the low-temperature PLE spectral weight of the 3.7 eV PLE band in the nanocrystalline NiO as compared with its polycrystalline counterpart. In frames of a cluster model approach we assign the 3.7 eV PLE band to the low-energy bulk-forbidden p-d (t1g(π)-eg) charge transfer (CT) transition which becomes the allowed one in the nanocrystalline state while the 4.6 eV PLE band is related to a bulk allowed d-d (eg-eg) CT transition scarcely susceptible to the nanocrystallization. The PLE spectroscopy of the nanocrystalline materials appears to be a novel informative technique for inspection of different CT transitions.


Elevated water tanks are commonly built with superstructure vessels that have a truncated conical shape. As a result of the inclination of the vessel's walls, the axisymmetric hydrodynamic pressure that is associated with vertical ground accelerations develops hoop and axial meridional stresses. The purpose of the current study is to establish a simple procedure that can be used to estimate the seismic forces acting on a conical tank subjected to vertical ground accelerations. The study is conducted using a numerical model that is based on a coupled finite-boundary element formulation previously developed for the analysis of this fluid-structure interaction problem. First, the numerical model is used to develop charts that can be used to identify the fundamental frequency of the axisymmetric vibrations of conical tanks. Then, an equivalent mechanical model in which the fluid mass is simulated as rigid and flexible mass components is developed. The parameters of the mechanical model are presented in chart ...


Treatment of suspension-cultured tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum var Xanthi) cells with cryptogein, a proteinaceous elicitor from Phytophthora cryptogea, induced a great stimulation of Ca2+ influx within the first minutes. Ca2+ influx is essential for the initiation of cryptogein-induced responses, since ethyleneglycol-bis([beta]-amino-ethyl ether)-N,N[prime]-tetraacetic acid or La3+, which block Ca2+ entrance, suppress cryptogein-induced responses such as extracellular alkalinization, active oxygen species, and phytoalexin production. Moreover, once initiated, these responses require sustained Ca2+ influx within the 1st h. A Ca2+ ionophore (A23187) was able to trigger an extracellular alkalinization but not the formation of active oxygen species and phytoalexins, even in the presence of cryptogein. Staurosporine, a protein kinase inhibitor that was recently reported to suppress cryptogein-induced responses (M.-P. Viard, F. Martin, A. Pugin, P. Ricci, J.-P. Blein [1994] Plant Physiol 104: 1245–1249), inhibited Ca2+ influx induced by cryptogein in a dose-dependent manner. These results suggest that protein phosphorylation followed by Ca2+ influx might be involved in the initial steps of cryptogein signal transduction.


Objectives: A recent randomized, controlled trial in chronic heart failure patients showed that NT-proBNP-guided, intensive patient management (BMC) on top of multidisciplinary care reduced all-cause mortality and heart failure hospitalizations compared with multidisciplinary care (MC) or usual care (UC). We now performed a cost-utility analysis of these interventions from a payer's perspective. Methods: Costs related to hospitalizations, ambulatory physician and nurse visits, and NT-proBNP testing for the three management strategies were acquired for both Austria (€) and Canada ($) and combined with the survival and quality of life data from the clinical trial for cost-effectiveness analysis. Data on long-term survival, costs, and quality-adjusted life-years (QALY) were extrapolated for a 20-year time horizon using a Markov model, which simulated the progression of disease through beta-blocker use, hospitalizations, and mortality. Results: BMC was the most cost-effective strategy as it was dominant (cost-saving with improved health outcome) over both MC and UC based on both Austrian and Canadian costs. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for MC relative to UC were €3,746 and $5,554 per QALY gained for Austrian and Canadian costs, respectively. The probabilities for BMC being the most cost-effective strategy were 92 percent at a threshold value of Austrian €40,000 and 93 percent at a threshold value of Canadian $50,000. Conclusions: NT-proBNP-guided, intensive HF patient management in addition to multidisciplinary care not only reduces death and hospitalization but also proves to be cost-effective.


Abstract Opioids are important in the management of pain in patients with cancer. Clinicians and patients are sometimes concerned about the effect of opioids on survival, which might decrease opioid prescription, compliance, and symptom control. We wanted to determine whether opioid analgesia was associated with shorter survival in adult patients with cancer. We systematically searched for studies that assessed the effect of regular systemic opioid analgesia on survival. We identified 526 unique records, with 20 articles meeting inclusion criteria. Thirteen end-of-life studies, including 11 very low-quality retrospective studies, did not find a consistent association between opioid analgesic treatment and survival; this evidence comes from low-quality studies, so should be interpreted with caution. Seven longer-term studies, including three randomised controlled trials and two prospective studies, were included. Six of these studies indicated that opioids were likely to be associated with a shorter survival. None of these studies were powered to assess the effect of opioids on survival as a primary endpoint. In view of this, no definitive conclusions can be made as to whether opioids affect survival in patients with cancer. These data suggest that while opioid analgesia does not affect survival at the end of life, in the context of longer-term treatment, higher-quality studies, with survival as a primary endpoint, are needed to confirm an independent association between opioid analgesia and shorter survival. An important limitation of research in this field is that the relationship between greater analgesic requirements and shorter survival may be mediated by painful progressive cancer.


Atomic ordering and decomposition of In x Ga 1−x As y P 1−y grown lattice matched on InP(001) is investigated with cross-sectional scanning tunnelling microscopy. The atomic composition of the quaternary material is analyzed at both the (110) and (110) cleavage surfaces, yielding two different decomposition effects on different length scales: a formation of columnar structures with widths amounting to some tens of nm and a CuPt-like ordering on the atomic scale.


Background Reports about longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC) mostly deal with rural-based LICs. Clinical clerkships usually take place in urban academic medical center (AMC). We need to explore how to implement LIC in urban AMC. Authors reviewed the existing literature focused on urban-based LIC (uLIC) to explore the features and challenges uLIC. 'Method Authors adopted the scoping review framework. Research questions were: (1) What are the characteristics of uLIC studies? (2) How did medical schools implement uLICs? (3) What were the challenges when implementing uLICs? and (4) What gaps exist in uLIC research? Authors reviewed 495 studies from an initial electric database search and selected 27 articles for inclusion, and extracted relevant data and organized the demographic information and details of the uLICs for each of medical school. Authors conducted a thematic analysis on the challenges of uLIC. Results Twenty-five papers were published in the United States. Urban-based LICs were evaluated by participants' responses (n=13) and students' learning outcome (n=10). One paper discussed obstacles of uLIC implementation. Fourteen papers were reported by two medical schools (Harvard Medical School, University of California San Francisco College of Medicine). The two medical schools reported student selection methods and six medical schools reported student assessment methods. Challenges related to LICs included preceptors' burden about LIC education, students' concern about academic achievement, students' inability to adapt to LICs, shortage of educational resources of AMC, and lack of understanding about LICs. Conclusion Research is needed to understand the long-term outcomes of uLICs and strategies to overcome challenges. Medical schools should prepare student support systems and faculty development programs to facilitate successful implementation of uLICs. Medical schools' and hospitals' resources and funding should be taken into careful consideration prior to implementing uLICs.


There are several reasons why universities in Africa should respond comprehensively to HIV/AIDS, but institutions across the continent are only slowly acknowledging these reasons. Despite the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the environments in which many universities operate, it does not appear that they have institutionalized a consistent response. Instead, there seems to be a tendency to treat the epidemic as a student or health issue, but not as something that must be integrated into a university's core operations of reflecting on issues affecting society, teaching, research, and community engagement. The paper argues for a radical change in institutional focus that would allow the university to use its full potential to get ahead of HIV/AIDS, in its own ranks and in the world it serves. For such change to be realized, institutions must focus on developing dedicated high-level university leadership and total management commitment.


Abstract A novel, highly specific, simple and rapid method for the determination of malondialdehyde (MDA), the routinely used marker for free radical generation in body fluids has been developed and evaluated. Serum samples from 30 healthy volunteers in heparin and 1,4-dithiothreitol-containing tubes stored at −80 °C were analyzed. The MDA-thiobarbituric acid complex was separated from interfering substances using HPLC. For the separation, reverse phase column MAC (4 × 250 mm, Biospher SI 120 PSI C18, particle size 7 μm) was used. The mixture of methanol and 8.3 mmol/l phosphate buffer, pH=7.2, (35:65, v/v) was used as mobile phase. The volume of serum samples injected on the column was 50 μl. The analyte was detected at 532 nm. Retention time of MDA-thiobarbituric acid complex was 4.9±0.1 min at the flow rate 0.7 ml/min. Excellent linearity was achieved. The intra- and interassay coefficient of variation was 7.3% and 8.8%, respectively. The recovery was 95.6% and the detection limit was 0.1 μmol/l. The validity of this method was proved by comparison with the spectrophotometric determination of MDA-thiobarbituric acid complex by the method of Yagi at three different wavelengths (485, 532 and 560 nm) with Allen's correction.


Chickens free of exogenous avian leukosis virus (ALV) infection, replicating endogenous ALV (Rous-associated virus-O), gs antigen, and chick helper factor were fully susceptible to induction of Marek's disease (MD) by ALV-free MD viruses. Dual infection with Rous-associated virus-2 and MD virus did not significantly alter the character of the MD lesions. Thus exogenous ALV infection was not requisite for MD virus-induced oncogenesis. Although participation of endogenous RNA tumor virus genes in MD lesion induction could not be excluded, expression of such genes in MD tumors as gs antigen was not established.


This study was conducted to investigate the effects of self-esteem, elderly abuse, and depression on suicidal ideation among elderly people with and without spouses. A descriptive correlation study design was used. The study established a convenience sample consisting of 451 elderly people older than 65 (233 with spouse and 218 without spouse) recruited from urban areas. SPSS Win20.0 was used for the descriptive analysis, t-test, Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis, and multiple-regression analysis. For the subjects with spouse, suicidal ideation had a significant positive correlation with emotional abuse, verbal abuse, and depression, and a significant negative correlation with low self-esteem. The main factors found to contribute to suicidal ideation were perceived health status (B=.155 and p=.012), low self-esteem (B=?.141 and p=.031), and emotional abuse (B=.340 and p=.001). For the subjects without spouse, suicidal ideation had a significant positive correlation with emotional abuse, verbal abuse, abandonment, and depression, and a significant negative correlation with low self-esteem. The main factor found to contribute most to suicidal ideation was depression (B=.173 and p=.047). The results of this study indicate that for elderly people with spouse, poor health, low self-esteem, and experience of emotional abuse place them at high risk for suicidal ideation, whereas for elderly people without spouse, depression was the primary factor that puts them at high risk. Thus, it is important to provide services to reduce suicidal ideation among elderly people.


Two in vitro tests, one to detect bacterial mutagenicity (Ames test) on Salmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100, and TA1535 and the other the primary DNA damage (SOS Chromotest) on Escherichia coli PQ37, were applied to determine the overall genotoxic activity of 12 pesticides (azinphos methyl, chlorothalonil, chlorphyriphos ethyl, chlorphyriphos methyl, λ-cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, cyprodinil, fenazaquin, fludioxonil, indoxacarb, iprodione and penconazol). These were detected by gas chromatography (GC) analysis with electron capture (ECD) and nitrogen phosphorus detection (NPD) in 18 samples of vegetables. Some extracts of vegetables, found positive for pesticides with GC, were subjected to the Ames test and SOS Chromotest to evaluate the possible antimutagenic and/or antigenotoxic effects of vegetable matrices. The same bioassays were also performed on the mixtures of pesticides found in these samples to evaluate whether interactions could occur between pesticides and be responsible for the possible antimutagenic and/or antigenotoxic effects of the contaminated matrices. Experiments were also carried out to compare the results found for contaminated vegetables with their content of antioxidant components. Significant differences in mutagenicity and genotoxicity were found among the pesticides selected for this study. Of the 12 pesticides tested, only azinphos methyl, cyprodinil, fludioxonil and iprodione were found to be positive for both S. typhimurium and E. coli. No mutagenic/genotoxic activity was found in the extracts of vegetables contaminated by pesticides. S. typhimurium TA1535 showed a strong positive mutagenic effect for the mixtures of pesticides while they were not able to induce the SOS system. The data concerning the content of polyphenols and the total reducing activity of the contaminated vegetables indicated high amounts of antioxidants that could explain the inhibitory effect on the activity of pesticides shown by vegetables.


This study evaluates the presence, location and production source of tetrodotoxin (TTX) in two species of pufferfish, Diodon histrix and Arothron hispidus, common to Hawaiian waters. Organs from each fish were analysed for TTX and used to isolate bacteria for evaluation of possible TTX production. Comparative analyses of extracts of fish and bacterial culture media were performed with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and a sodium channel specific bioassay. Bacterial cultivation experiments were performed in two different growth media and bacteria were identified through sequence homology of the 16S rRNA gene. Forty-two and forty-seven distinct strains were cultivated from D. histrix and A. hispidus, respectively. However, no commonality was found between the populations of bacteria isolated from the two fish. TTX was detected only in A. hispidus and was present in the flesh, pectoral fin and kidneys, as well as the skin slime. Sixteen of the forty-seven bacterial species isolated from A. hispidus were cultivated for further evaluation of TTX production. Among these sixteen bacterial species, Vibrio harveyi strains isolated from the skin slime and kidneys of A. hispidus were found to produce TTX, being the source of TTX produced in the pufferfish.


This correspondence deals with the problem of noise reduction for hands-free communications when two microphones are in use. We consider two methods usually adopted in the case of uncorrelated noises. The first one is based on the coherence function and the second on Wiener filtering. We propose to modify the previous methods by including a cross power spectrum estimation to take the presence of some correlated noise components into account. Objective results show a significant improvement in comparison with the basic structures.


Abstract Loneliness is a universal phenomenon, and its pain is intensified by a diagnosis of a terminal illness. The present study is an investigation of the coping strategies used by HIV/AIDS patients, by individuals diagnosed with cancer, and by the general population. Forty-three HIV/AIDS patients, 38 cancer patients, and 53 participants from the general population answered a 34-item questionnaire. Results indicated that with the exception of reflection and acceptance and religion and faith, those afflicted with HIV/AIDS cope with loneliness significantly differently from members of the other two groups. The findings of this exploratory study suggest that cancer patients and the general population do not differ in the ways they cope with loneliness.


Underutilized plant species has started changing the conception of plants by expanding the use well beyond from foods and fibers to rich source of medicinally important secondary metabolites. Bioactive compounds from natural sources are gaining importance as potential drug candidates towards many inflammatory conditions like Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). The focus of the present study has been centred to reveal the anti-inflammatory potential of an underutilized fruits of B. sapida. Further efforts towards its medicinal significance may provide relieve from symptoms of RA by reducing the side effects that are observed in available medications. Total 10 compounds in fruit crude methanol extract were identified and quantified by LC-MS/MS analysis followed by the agar well diffusion method for their anti microbial activity. Among all studied micro organism S. aureus was found to surmount the inflammation in RA through domain B of surface protein A (Staphylococcal surface protein A). Identified compounds (having anti-inflammatory properties) were scrutinized for their toxicity and quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) using lazer toxicity and Molinspiration servers respectively. Further, docking studies have been carried out between domain B and studied compounds using AutoDock. Out of 6 anti-inflammtory compounds, quercetin has been identified as the most potent compound in reference to its inhibitory constant (47.01) and binding energy (-5.90 kcal/mol) to bacterial protein. Our data suggest that methanol extract of B. sapida fruit posses medicinally significant anti-inflammatory compounds and thus justifies the use of this fruit as folklore medicine for preventing inflammation related diseases.


Abstract Reflecting on history of medicine and nursing in the Holocaust scaffolds professional identity formation. Students grapple with 1) nurses' active participation in identifying/killing patients with mental and physical disabilities, camouflaged as "euthanasia" or "mercy killing" of German citizens and others, preceding mass murder of Jews and others at death camps; 2) involvement in unethical, cruel experiments; 3) resistance narratives; and 4) relevance for contemporary nursing. Impact of a seminar/colloquium on historical knowledge and personal/professional relevance included reported increased historical awareness/knowledge and themes of nurse as patient advocate/judicious obedience, importance of ethics/values adherence, and value of art/reflective writing for processing experience.


Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease is a rare benign, condition of necrotizing histiocytic lymphadenitis. Presenting complaints of neck masses in association with non-specific systemic signs and symptoms prompt investigation towards the more common diagnoses. However, rarer conditions must still be considered especially when a patient's condition fails to abate. Herein I discuss a case of female patient who presented with a neck mass that was not attributable to the more common causes. A 28 year old lady presented with feverish feeling, weight loss and tender cervical lymph nodes. Initially tuberculous lymphadenitis was suspected but Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease was diagnosed after cervical lymph node biopsy. Symptomatic treatment was provided and an eventful full recovery was made.
Faridpur Med. Coll. J. Jan 2019;14(1): 50-53


: This article is inserted in the discussions of the "Educational practices and pedagogical supervision" axis and proposes a study about early childhood education as an area of activity and constitution of professional identity, based on speeches that became legitimate in the scenario of educational political reform. neoliberal, in the course of the 1990s. The history of the constitution of early childhood education and the valorization of these professionals occurred through a professionalization process, which sought the professional qualification of teachers responsible for the education and care of children aged 0 to 6 years. The theoretical study followed the qualitative approach, constituted through the literature review, which allowed the theoretical contextualization on the theme, based on the authors: Bujes (2002), Ceron, Santos and Dresch (2019), Costa, Santos and Dresch (2018), Kramer (2011), Kuhlmann Júnior (1998), Sartor, Grosch and Dresch (2020) among others. The analysis is based on a post-structuralist reading of the events aimed at problematizing the needs for teacher training and its effects on the process of professionalization of the teaching profession aimed at attending early childhood education. Especially with regard to the qualification process of these professionals, when imposing challenges and reframing their practices, when considering the singularities of early childhood education, based on the assumption of the impossibility of dissociating care and education.


This paper is about an aspect of philosophic life, showing, in the case of one Platonic dialogue in particular, that the texts that later Platonists employed in a quasi-scriptural capacity could influence their lives in important ways. The Cratylus was seen as addressing the question of how names could be regarded as 'correct', raising the role of the name-giver to the level of the law-giver. It begins with the question of how a personal name could be correct. The ancient text that offers us most evidence of the philosophic manipulation of proper names is Porphyry's Life of Plotinus, which makes it quite clear that the revision of individuals' names, and in particular the giving of a Greek name to those of non-Greek origins, had become a regular practice. The name, it seems, was intended to capture something of the actual nature of the individual in question. There is evidence that the practice goes back to the age of Lucian, and specifically to the circle of Numenius, whose own name is also that of a bird. His religious dialogue Hoopoe suggests that there was something special in bird-names; Lucian's Gallus reincarnates Pythagoras as a bird, while his Death of Peregrinus has the eponymous sham philosopher ultimately adopting a bird-name too. Curiously, the final name that Porphyry bears also closely recalls the name of a bird. This may be explained as the apt naming of one who rose to the highest philosophic vision in accordance with the 'flight of the mind' passage in Plato's Phaedrus.


The effect of business tax and regulation on growth, together with potential effects of government spending on education and R&D, is embodied in a model of a small open economy with growth choices. The structural model is estimated on post-war panel data for 76 countries and the bootstrap is used to produce the model's sampling variation for the analysis of panel regressions of growth. Statistical rejection can occur at either the structural or the growth regression stage. The models featuring government spending on education and R&D are rejected while that with business taxation is accepted.


Introduction
Computed Tomography of abdomen frequently shows bowel wall thickening with different grades and characteristic of thickening. The correlation of bowel wall thickening (BWT) with endoscopic findings is not well described in Indian population. Therefore we did this study to determine the correlation of BWT with endoscopic findings.

Methods
Its Prospective single center study with 85 Consecutive patients with age group more than 12 years with CT scan abdomen showing bowel wall thickening were included in the study. Colonoscopy was done subsequently within a span of 15 days with appropriate bowel preparation. Colonoscopic correlation was done in relation to site, degree and characteristic of thickening. Biopsies were taken at the site of visible abnormalities on endoscopy and from normal appearing mucosa in case of strong suspicious of disease.

Results
Total of 85 (37 men) consecutive symptomatic patients with colonic wall thickening on computed tomography underwent colonoscopy. The mean age group was 34.2 (SD±17.35) years. Endoscopy was normal in 20 patients (24%) and abnormal in 65 patients (76.5%). Patients with mild thickening were more likely to have normal endoscopy than those with moderate/severe thickening (19 versus 1 patient; p<0.001). The abnormality rate was similar across different bowel segments (left vs right side; 85.7% versus 76.5%, p< 0.57). Out of 65 patients with endoscopic abnormality, 41 (62.12%) had tuberculosis, 10 (15.16%) had malignancy. Most common cause of IC thickening was secondary to tuberculosis (n=40, 95.2%).

Conclusion
A proportion of patients with thickening on CT scan, especially mild, may have normal colonoscopy. Patients should be counseled about the same prior to colonoscopy. However, colonoscopy should be done to rule out abnormality even when CT shows mild thickening.


An integral component of the CAIRNS e-Lib project was an examination of interoperability problems caused in distributed Z39.50 union catalogues by variations in cataloguing and indexing practices in participant libraries. After consultation with the Cataloguing and Indexing Group in Scotland (CIGS), CAIRNS identified the nature of these issues in detail and then proposed short-term and long-term strategies for their amelioration. With the agreement of SCURL, CAIRNS published the 'CAIRNS Project recommendations for a cataloguing and indexing strategy for Scottish libraries' (CAIRNS Cataloguing and Indexing Working Group, 2000). Deliverable B3 of CC-interop builds on this work, establishing a set of recommendations for developing cataloguing and indexing practices to improve interoperability in distributed and centralised union catalogues. The report indicates a clear consensus among the cataloguing community for the adoption of prescriptive cataloguing guidelines by libraries contributing to union catalogues, helping local cataloguers to actively improve interoperability and raising awareness among senior management of the wider impact of local policy. There is general recognition that a union catalogue itself may become a component of a larger distributed union catalogue, and therefore development of cataloguing guidelines based on CAIRNS, as originally envisaged, would require a significant amount of work. Instead, the report proposes a number of recommendations for a wider, more active and co-ordinated approach to improving interoperability. The CAIRNS guidelines have been updated and references to the specific union catalogue removed, and may be used by other consortia as a basis for local development.


Composite materials, or at least materials that could be regarded as composites, are widespread in nature. This is, of course, a reflection of the many gains in 'efficiency' that can be made by integration of two or more constituents. Moreover, the development of artificial composite materials, for mechanical and/or other purposes, has benefited considerably from insights gained by examining bio-composites, and by their direct utilisation. The kingdoms of both plants (wood, grasses, straw, etc.) and animals (bone, skin, teeth, marine shells, corals, etc.) offer many examples of highly successful materials that are essentially composites. Their importance relates not only to lessons about structure–property relationships, but also to the issue of degradation and recycling. While the 'rotting' of wood is often regarded as its Achilles' heel, viable recycling strategies are increasingly required for all materials (and manufactured composites are often perceived as being unsatisfactory in this respect). It is clearly not appropriate in a book of this type to provide great detail about natural materials, or indeed about recycling, but a few of the main principles and issues involved are briefly summarised here.


We present a new measure of judicial ideology based on judicial hiring behavior. Specifically, we utilize the ideology of the law clerks hired by federal judges to estimate the ideology of the judges themselves. These Clerk-Based Ideology (CBI) scores complement existing measures of judicial ideology in several ways. First, CBI scores can be estimated for judges across the federal judicial hierarchy. Second, CBI scores can capture temporal changes in ideology. Third, CBI scores avoid case selection and strategic behavior concerns that plague existing vote-based measures. We illustrate the promise of CBI scores through a number of applications.


A controlled trial of betamethasone therapy was carried out in 282 mothers in whom premature delivery threatened or was planned before 37 weeks' gestation, in the hope of reducing the incidence of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome by accelerating functional maturation of the fetal lung. A total of 213 mothers were in spontaneous premature labor. When necessary, ethanol or salbutamol infusions were used to delay delivery while steroid or placebo therapy was given. Delay for at least 24 hours was achieved in 77% of the mothers. In these unplanned deliveries, early neonatal mortality was 3.2% in the treated group and 15.0% in the control subjects. There were no deaths with hyaline membrane disease or intraventricular cerebral hemorrhage in infants of mothers who had received betamethasone for at least 24 hours before delivery. The respiratory distress syndrome occurred less often in treated babies (9.0%) than in controls (25.8%), but the difference was confined to babies of <32 weeks' gestation who had been treated for at least 24 hours before delivery (11.8% of the treated babies compared with 69.6% of the control babies). There may be an increased risk of fetal death in pregnancies complicated by severe hypertension–edema–proteinuria syndromes and treated with betamethasone, but no other hazard of steroid therapy was noted.
 We conclude that this preliminary evidence justifies additional trials, but that additional work is needed before any new routine procedure is established.


Food insecurity is of heightened concern during and after natural disasters; higher prevalence is typically reported in post-disaster settings. The current study examines food insecurity prevalence and specific risk/resource variables that may act as barriers or advantages in accessing food in such a setting. Using a modified quota sample (n = 316), Hurricane Harvey survivors participated in face-to-face interviews and/or online surveys that assessed health, social and household factors, and sociodemographic characteristics. Using logistic regression analyses we find that social vulnerabilities, circumstantial risk, and social and psychological resources are important in determining the odds of food insecurity. Hispanic and/or Nonwhite survivors, renters, and those persons displaced during the natural disaster have higher food insecurity odds. Survivors with stronger social ties, higher levels of mastery, and a greater sense of connectedness to their community are found to have lower food insecurity odds. A more nuanced analysis of circumstantial risk finds that while the independent effects of displacement and home ownership are important, so too is the intersection of these two factors, with displaced-renters experiencing significantly higher odds than any other residence and displacement combinations, and particularly those who are homeowners not displaced during the disaster. Strategies for addressing differential risks, as well as practical approaches for implementation and education programming related to disaster recovery, are discussed.


This paper presents an intelligent guiding bulletin board system (iGBBS), which is based on vision-interactive and multiple key word-spotting technology. The system is aimed to provide different kinds of multimedia human-computer interaction (MMHCI) for users under different requirements. At first, a real-time front-view face detection using Harr-like features is used to decide when iGBBS should wake up and become interactive with the user. After system initialization, some feature points within the detected face area are going to be found. Then the orientation of user's head will be estimated via pyramidal Lucas-Kanade optical flow tracking. In addition, spotting the keyword from user's utterance with some related augmented reality responses would be provided as well. The performance of vision-interaction in iGBBS could be reached to 20 fps under Pentium IV 1G Hz PC. The error rate of multiple key word-spotting interaction in iGBBS is about 36.2% and people can get the right response in 2.76 times search averagely. With the comparison to the traditional guiding system, bulletin board, or other non-vision-based input devices system, such like gloves or markers, our system offers a simple, useful and economical solution for the realtime interaction between the user and computer


OCTOBER 110, Fall 2004, pp. 23–48. © 2004 October Magazine, Ltd. and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Should we put an end to projection at the end of this century, at the end of this millennium? The advent of technological innovation both in art and in communication— we must be determined to inscribe these two words in their reciprocal proximity and their irreducibility—suggests such a possibility. Projection arises from a little known history belonging to the fields of physics, of geometry, of optics, of psychology, of pictorial representation, of show business [spectacle]. In its shortest definition, the most ordinary dictionary relays the equivocal character of the word: the action of projecting images on a screen and the representation of a volume on a flat surface. Spectacle and geometry, fields of activity far from each other, are mixed in the same word. With the slide or the film, it is nonetheless a matter of a comparable result: a volume transferred to a surface, illusion and geometric codification, mirage and science. To the word project, common sense associates the words envision, imagine, premeditate, foresee, as much as eject, expel, throw, push. Put otherwise, words that evoke the activities of thought as much as of physical or bodily exertion. However, if we narrow our use of projection, this is tied to the luminous transport of images, and if at the same time we try to list the greatest possible number of categories of image without consideration of the field of application or their practical or symbolic use, we spontaneously perceive two great modes of achieving the image: material supports to which the image indissociable from this support adheres, and luminous projection slides for which a spotless (or not) screen intercepts ephemerally (or not) the ray.


.. A sequence of pneumonia-causing diseases from the Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) appeared in Wuhan, Hubei, China in December 2019. The outbreak of COVID-19 spread quite rapidly. Just as we write this report, almost two and a half million verified cases were reported globally, and almost 180,000 people died.1 Experience from China reveals that COVID-19 outbreaks can be brought under control within 3 months, with highly efficient touch tracking and case isolation.2 Healthcare staff are at the forefront of treatment for COVID-19 cases and have a very large chance of exposure to the infection.3 Cuts in disposable gear and COVID-19 awareness are triggering infections in healthcare workers.4 As of February 11, 2020, China has contaminated more than 1,700 health-care workers. In Italy, 2026 (9 percent) of the COVID-19 incidents happened in healthcare professionals (as of March 15).5 But, 31 medical teams containing more than 42,000 nurses and doctors sent by the Hubei from other provinces did not have a reported infection. It indicates that sufficient information about the transmission of disease and the use of protective equipment and procedures to manage infections is necessary to avoid the spread of infection among health care staff.


ABSTRACT We have developed a hexaplex PCR assay for rapid detection of the virulence and regulatory genes for cholera toxin enzymatic subunit A (ctxA), zonula occludens toxin (zot), accessory cholera enterotoxin (ace), toxin-coregulated pilus (tcpA), outer membrane protein (ompU), and central regulatory protein ToxR (toxR) in Vibrio cholerae and Vibrio mimicus. This hexaplex PCR proved successful in screening pathogenic-toxigenic and nonpathogenic-nontoxigenic V. cholerae and V. mimicus strains from both clinical and environmental sources.


As society becomes increasingly networked, both physically and virtually, so do human operations. This change exposes a unique subset of challenges and risks associated with the intersection of systems and the potential for cascading failure. Yet existing risk and resilience dependency models fail to accommodate these complexities, potentially exposing the capabilities that infrastructure systems enable to catastrophic failure. This paper builds on operational resilience (OR) theory, to develop a theoretical framework for developing resilience in physical and virtual networks, the networked OR framework. The authors argue that risk tolerance and resilience is developed through the concept of a projected tableau which is well situated in the broader network context. An overview of resilience, networks and OR is provided, with an explanation of the networked OR concept, a revised framework for developing resilience in networks and application to an emergency services network.


Japanese case particles are short words placed after nouns to denote the semantic roles of the preceding nouns. The Japanese case particle "de" (C) denotes particularly many roles, such as place, instrument and reason. The correspondence relationship between "de" and its Chinese translations is therefore complicated. This fact often causes mistranslation in Japanese-Chinese machine translation (MT). According to our small-scale experiments, the translation accuracy on "de" of two major online translation services are about 20% and 50%. In this paper we propose a method for translating the Japanese case particle "de" into Chinese, which determines the Chinese translation of "de" mainly by the semantic category of the noun preceding the particle. We implemented the method as pattern transfer rules on jaw/Chinese, a pilot Japanese-Chinese MT system. We evaluated the Chinese translations of "de" obtained by the method with 200 sentences from two sets of Japanese-Chinese parallel sentences, and got accuracy of 90% and 97%, respectively.


The effect of Mach number on the evolution of instabilities in the compressible mixing layer is investigated. The full time-dependent compressible Navier–Stokes equations are solved numerically for a temporally evolving mixing layer using a mixed spectral and high-order finite difference method. The convective Mach number Mc (the ratio of the velocity difference to the sum of the free-stream sound speeds) is used as the compressibility parameter. Simulations with random initial conditions confirm the prediction of linear stability theory that at high Mach numbers (Mc > 0.6) oblique waves grow more rapidly than two-dimensional waves. Simulations are then presented of the nonlinear temporal evolution of the most rapidly amplified linear instability waves. A change in the developed large-scale structure is observed as the Mach number is increased, with vortical regions oriented in a more oblique manner at the higher Mach numbers. At convective Mach numbers above unity the two-dimensional instability is found to have little effect on the flow development, which is dominated by the oblique instability waves. The nonlinear structure which develops from a pair of equal and opposite oblique instability waves is found to resemble a pair of inclined A-vortices which are staggered in the streamwise direction. A fully nonlinear computation with a random initial condition shows the development of large-scale structure similar to the simulations with forcing. It is concluded that there are strong compressibility effects on the structure of the mixing layer and that highly three-dimensional structures develop from the primary inflexional instability of the flow at high Mach numbers.


The marginalised research field of populism and religion has mainly focused on the positive aspects of how religion and populism can be combined with mutual benefits for both parties, whereas the critical potential and limitations that religion and theology pose to populist politics has often been overlooked. The following essay intends to contribute to the complex research area of religion and populism, by focusing on the negative side, that is, the incompatibilities of religion and theology with populism. It is suggested that the very nature of religious belief and theological convictions impose limits on their use in populist politics.


Implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a radical change in an organization. Some of the staff are willing to accept new challenges whereas others are not. Therefore, there is a gap between attitudes of the staff who would involve with the ERP systems and desired objectives of the system. Conducting different types of user training programs can improve communication with employees. It makes them to change their attitudes. This study focused on user attitudes and the effectiveness of training towards the ERP implementation in Sri Lankan Companies. The data collection was done through a series of structured interviews and a questionnaire from the five top recently ERP implemented companies in Sri Lanka. One-way ANOVA result shows the users' attitudes vary from different age groups and the education level of the employees. Further, findings reveal that attitudes have a positive impact depending on their income level and the number of years that they worked for the company. Based on the analysis it can be conclude that the way of training should change.


Delay estimation is a crucial task in digital circuit design as it provides the possibility to assure the desired functionality, but also prevents undesired behavior very early. For this purpose elaborate delay models like the Degradation Delay Model (DDM) and the Involution Delay Model (IDM) have been proposed in the past, which facilitate accurate dynamic timing analysis: Both use delay functions that determine the delay of the current input transition based on the time difference T to the previous output one. Currently, however, extensive analog simulations are necessary to determine the (parameters of the) delay function, which is a very time-consuming and cumbersome task and thus limits the applicability of these models. In this paper, we therefore thoroughly investigate the characterization procedures of a CMOS inverter on the transistor level in order to derive analytical expressions for the delay functions. Based on reasonably simple transistor models we identify three operation regions, each described by a different estimation function. Using simulations with two independent technologies, we show that our predictions are not only accurate but also reasonably robust w.r.t. variations. Our results furthermore indicate that the exponential fitting proposed for DDM is actually only partially valid, while our analytic approach can be applied on the whole range. Even the more complex IDM is predicted reasonably accurate.


Despite the tremendous growth in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), susceptibility induced static field inhomogeneity at air/tissue interface have limited the study of ventral brain regions engaged in object recognition and other processes. Furthermore, the spatial extent of fMRI activations in this region may be obscured by contribution of large vessels distant from the precipitating neural events. In this report, a diffusion weighted spiral-in image acquisition was employed to recover fMRI signal in the ventral brain during object recognition with high temporal resolution, as well as to suppress large vessel contributions. The combined methodology of the ventral signal recovery and vascular signal reduction can thus be advantageous for fMRI investigations at the statically inhomogeneous areas.


This paper discusses the nature of Angola`s disinflation strategy in recent years, with special emphasis on the most recent efforts by the Angolan authorities to stabilize the economy. Looking to the past, the paper stresses the costs of the disinflation strategy, as measured by the central bank sizable foreign exchange intervention and the increase in Angola`s external liabilities that unfolded in the process. The paper also notes that non-oil fiscal deficits have remained very large. Looking to the future, the paper stresses the pressing need to reduce demand pressures stemming from sizable government spending on wages and salaries, goods and services, subsidies, and other current transfers to the economy. The prescribed fiscal consolidation effort is viewed as critical to curtail the non-oil fiscal deficit, reduce inflation expectations on a lasting basis, and avoid further foreign borrowing on commercial terms, including loans collateralized by future oil revenues.


As a scientific and medical community, we are clearly in a position to take the next logical steps toward the ultimate goal to reduce progression to type 2 diabetes for our populations at risk. One can argue that we no longer need to debate on the incredible increase in obesity and in new cases of type 2 diabetes occurring worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 35% of U.S. adults aged 20 years or older may have prediabetes. When this statistic is applied to the entire U.S. population in 2010, it would suggest that prediabetic states exist in an estimated 79 million Americans aged 20 years or older (1). In addition, it is well recognized that because of both the associated comorbidities and complications and the costs associated with the care of the disease, diabetes will continue to represent one of the major health issues that we will face in the twenty-first century. Furthermore, there is no argument that the major factors contributing to the development of diabetes consist of lifestyle habits (i.e., physical inactivity and dietary intake) and obesity. It is now well documented that both lifestyle modification and metformin appear to be effective modalities in reducing the cumulative incidence of diabetes for at least 10 years (2–4). As such, evidence to date suggests that we are able to identify individuals in "prediabetic states" and that we can delay the progression to overt diabetes, at least as documented with intervention strategies tested in well-designed clinical trials. Thus, it appears that we are at a stage where we can begin discussions on implementing effective prevention strategies at a population-based level. In this regard, it is very timely that the American Diabetes Association (ADA), as part of its 2012–2015 Strategic Plan, will focus resources in the …


A layerwise finite element formulation developed for piezoelectric materials is used to investigate the displacement and stress response of a functionally graded piezoelectric bimorph actuator. The formulation is based on the principles of linear thermopiezoelectricity and accounts for the coupled mechanical, electrical, and thermal response of piezoelectric materials. The layerwise laminate theory is implemented into a linear beam element in order to provide a more accurate representation of the transverse and shear effects that are induced by increased inhomogeneities introduced through-the-thickness by using functionally graded materials. The accuracy of the formulation is verified with previously published experimental results for a piezoelectric bimorph actuator. Additional studies are conducted to analyze the impact of electric and thermal loads on the deflections and stresses in a bimorph actuator. Results of the study help demonstrate the capability of the layerwise theory to provide a more complete representation of shear effects that are no longer negligible even in thin piezoelectric beams. In addition, the effects of varying piezoelectric properties through-the-thickness of the beam are shown to provide additional benefits in minimizing the induced deformations and stresses.Copyright © 2003 by ASME