PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore the role of continuous learning and the mitigation or elimination of knowledge barriers affecting information technology (IT) assimilation in the health-care sector. Most of the problems with IT assimilations stem from a poor understanding of the nature of suitable information, the lack of trust, cultural differences, the lack of appropriate training and hierarchical bureaucratic structures and procedures. To overcome these barriers, this study provides evidence that a continuous learning process can play a part in overcoming some of the obstacles to the assimilation of IT.Design/methodology/approachThis study investigates how a continuous learning environment can counteract the presence of knowledge barriers, and, along with such an environment, can, in turn, facilitate IT assimilation. The study uses ADANCO 2.0.1 Professional for Windows and involves the collection and analysis of data provided by 210 health-care end users.FindingsThe study provides evidence in support of the proposition that continuous learning may facilitate the assimilation of IT by health-care end users through the mitigation of knowledge barriers (e.g. lack of trust or resistance to change). The mitigation of these barriers requires the gathering and utilization of new knowledge and knowledge structures. The results support the hypothesis that one way in which this can be achieved is through continuous learning (i.e. through assessing the situation, consulting experts, seeking feedback and tracking progress).Research limitations/implicationsA limitation of the study is the relatively simple statistical method that has been used for the analysis. However, the results provided here will serve as a preliminary basis for more sophisticated analysis which is currently underway.Practical implicationsThe study provides useful insights into ways of using continuous learning to facilitate IT assimilation by end users in the health-care domain. This can be of use to hospitals seeking to implement end user IT technologies and, in particular, telemedicine technologies. It can also be used to develop awareness of knowledge barriers and possible approaches to mitigate the effects of such barriers. Such an awareness can assist hospital staff in finding creative solutions for using technology tools. This potentially augments the ability of hospital staff to work with patients and carers, encouraging them to take initiative (make choices and solve problems relevant to them). This, in turn, allows hospitals to avoid negative and thus de-motivating experiences involving themselves and their end users (patients) and improving IT assimilation. This is liable to lead to improved morale and improved assimilation of IT by end users (patients).Social implicationsAs ICT systems and services should entail participation of a wide range of users, developers and stakeholders, including medical doctors, nurses, social workers, patients and programmers and interaction designers, the study provides useful social implication for health management and people well-being.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to a better understanding of the nature and impacts of continuous learning. Although previous studies in the field of knowledge management have shown that knowledge management procedures and routines can provide support to IT assimilation, few studies, if any, have explored the relationship between continuous learning and IT assimilation with particular emphasis on knowledge barriers in the health-care domain.


In the present research work effort has been made to study the tribological behavior of dual particle size (DPS) and triple particle size (TPS) of Al2O3 reinforced Al-MMCs (prepared by vacuum moulding process). The study started with selection of the component for industrial application. The study highlights the effect of reinforcement in form of DPS and TPS on mechanical and metallurgical properties of Al- Al2O3 MMCs. The input parameters of process are composition of MMC, vacuum moulding silica sand grain size, vacuum pressure and component volume. The study highlights the percentage contribution of different input parameters on micro hardness, dimensional accuracy and wear properties of Al- Al2O3 MMCs.


The time-variable air flow pattern inside hard disk drives (HDDs) was analyzed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and experimental flow visualization. The existence of a rotating polygonal flow pattern inside an actual HDD was directly confirmed both through simulation and experiment for the first time. Even though earlier studies reported time-invariant polygonal flow pattern inside fully shrouded co-rotating disks, we found that the polygonal flow pattern varied its polygonal number repeatedly with time in not fully shrouded actual HDD. Triangular, tetragonal, pentagonal, and hexagonal flow patterns were observed both in simulation and experimental visualization. We also observed peaks in the power spectrum density of the simulated air velocity and these corresponded to the polygonal flow patterns. It was also found that each of these frequencies basically coincides with the frequency expected by the relation between the polygonal number and the vortex frequency which has been reported by earlier studies using fully shrouded co-rotating disks.


A two-dimensional vertical-cavity surface emitting laser array is expected to be a key device for parallel lightwave transmission and optical interconnection systems. This paper analyzes the number of channels in a two-dimensional vertical-cavity surface emitting laser array, from the viewpoint of the electric power consumption and the light-output. Dependence of the number of channels on several parameters is examined. It was found that high slope efficiency and low electrical resistance lead to a large number of channels, and the contribution of threshold reduction is small if the threshold current is of the order of 100 µ A or less. It is also shown that if each channel is composed of plural elements, the number of channels increases.


A method for systematic scanning of the neonatal brain with real-time ultrasound is described, and the linear array is compared with mechanical sector scanners. Anatomical landmarks recognised on axial, coronal, and parasagittal scans are verified by comparison with brain slices at necropsy. A prospective study of 50 infants admitted consecutively to the neonatal unit at this hospital showed intraventricular haemorrhage in 18 (36%). These 18 infants included 10 (43%) out of 23 of birthweight less than or equal to 1500 g, and 3 (27%) out of 11 of birthweight 1501-2000 g. An unexpected feature was the recognition of intraventricular haemorrhage in 5 of the 13 infants greater than 2000 g birthweight. On sequential daily scans intraventricular haemorrhage was diagnosed most often in the first 2 days of life and abnormal ventricular echoes persisted for up to 12 days thereafter. Late development of hydrocephalus was recorded in 2 infants. Real-time ultrasound provides the neonatologist with a practical method for diagnosis and monitoring of intracranial lesions in the ill neonate and is a valuable, non-invasive, and safe tool for studying the pathophysiology of neurological handicap in infancy.


Intermittent streams and rivers account for over half of the world's waterways and yet they are still vastly understudied compared to permanent streams and rivers. Wichita State University Biological Field Station: Youngmeyer Ranch presents an opportunity to study intermittent streams and stream pools across 1902 hectares of Flint Hills tall grass prairie ecosystems. We used a freely available satellite imagery program (Google Earth Pro©) to map and provide an initial inventory of streams, intermittent stream pools, and cattle ponds. We also used historic images to create connectivity (percent of downstream length with water) and hydroperiod indices (number of years out of four that pools held water). In total, we mapped 58.2 km of major (2nd to 3rd order) and minor (1st order) streams, and 13 cattle pond impoundments on the property. We used a systematic random sample to select a subset of seven stream reaches (out of 83) within the property for on-the-ground surveys of intermittent stream pools. Within selected streams, a subset of 117 stream pools were sampled in the summer of 2020 and data was collected on the average stream pool width, max depth, length, volume, and biological communities. Stream pools averaged 6.5 ± 9.7 m3 (mean ± SD) in volume, 12.50 ± 9.3 m in length, 2.97 ± 1.7 m in width, and 0.38 ± 0.26 m in depth. Stream and stream pool permanence varied widely across the landscape with pools holding water 3.2 ± 0.8 out of the four years with high resolution satellite imagery. We provided an initial baseline of aquatic systems at Youngmeyer Ranch and characterized representative intermittent stream pools in the Flint Hills and the Great Plains. We also demonstrated the viability of using Google Earth Pro© for mapping and taking inventory of aquatic systems without proprietary software or on-site access.


The present study examined the differential predictive accuracy of seven Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory alcoholism scales and two drug abuse scales across both sex and race in a sample of 171 alcoholic inpatients. Results demonstrated considerable variance among these scales in their ability to predict alcohol and other drug use, expectancies, and consequences. The predictive accuracy within scales also varied across four sex-race subgroups. Although five of the nine scales predicted a variety of relevant external criteria for black male alcoholics, only three of these were predictive for black women. Only one scale retained its predictive utility for white male alcoholics; none related to external criteria above chance rate for white alcoholic women. Implications of these findings for clinical assessment and future research are discussed.


Titanacyclopentadienes, prepared from [Cp2TiBu2] and either two equivalents of an alkyne or a diyne, were treated with PMe3 (3 equiv) at 50 °C for 3 h and then with azobenzene at room temperature for 12 h to give 4,5,6-trisubstituted indene derivatives with the loss of one substituent in good yields. This reaction contrasts sharply with our previously reported reaction for the formation of 4,5,6,7-tetrasubstituted indene derivatives without the loss of substituents by the treatment of titanacyclopentadienes with azobenzene without PMe3. (13)C NMR spectroscopy of the product derived from a (13)C-enriched complex revealed that the five carbon atoms originating from a Cp ligand were arranged linearly in the trisubstituted indene derivatives, in contrast to the 4,5,6,7-tetrasubsituted indene derivatives, in which the corresponding five carbon atoms are arranged in a ring.


This study investigated test item bias and Differential Item Functioning (DIF) of West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in chemistry. The major objective was to examine how WASSCE items in chemistry function differentially with respect to gender and location. In Aba education zone of Abia, 50 secondary schools were purposively selected, stratified by gender and location. A total of 675 SS III students were selected. The Chemistry Achievement Test had 50 items. Maximum Likelihood Estimation in the BILOG MG Computer programme was used to answer the two research questions. The result indicated that out of the 50 items, 16% showed moderate evidence of DIF by gender. For location, DIF was detected for 46% of the items. Therefore, chemistry items in WASSCE have a fairly substantial degree of DIF especially with respect to location. It was recommended that DIF analysis be applied in test development to use less biased items.


The association between glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) and glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1) null polymorphisms and oral cancer is not consistent across studies, and data on their interaction with smoking in oral cancer are lacking. The authors systematically searched PubMed and SciVerse Scopus for case-control studies examining the association between null genotypes of theGSTM1 andGSTT1 genes and oral cancer. Twenty-eight case-control studies published in English were identified. Summary odds ratios were derived via random-effects models. The summary odds ratio for the GSTM1 null genotype was 1.43 in Asians (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14, 1.78; P< 0.01, I 1⁄4 73%) and 0.98 in Caucasians (95%CI: 0.76, 1.28; P1⁄4 0.91, I 1⁄4 0%). Case-only analysis of 6 studies (552 cases) showed an inverse multiplicative interaction between GSTM1 null polymorphisms and smoking (ever/high levels of smoking vs. never/low levels) (odds ratio (OR) 1⁄4 0.51, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.82; P 1⁄4 0.01, I 1⁄4 34%). TheGSTT1 null genotypewas not significantly associated with oral cancer in Asians (OR1⁄4 1.07, 95%CI: 0.82, 1.38; P1⁄4 0.63, I 2 1⁄4 65%) or Caucasians (OR1⁄4 1.04, 95%CI: 0.41, 2.65; P1⁄4 0.93, I 2 1⁄4 55%). In conclusion, the GSTM1 null genotype may be associated with a higher risk of oral cancer in Asians but not in Caucasians, and this effect may be modified by smoking status. The GSTT1 null genotype may not be associated with oral cancer.


Mitotic stamen hair cells of Tradescantia virginiana (cv. Zwanenburg Blue) become arrested in metaphase following a 30-min treatment with 10 to 100 microM nifedipine, a Ca2+-channel entry blocker. The time interval between nuclear envelope breakdown and anaphase onset in untreated cells is approximately 33 min +/- 4 min; nifedipine extends this "metaphase transit time" beyond 70 min. Nifedipine can be photoreversed in situ by exposure to 365 nm light. UV illumination inactivates the drug, its inhibitory effect on Ca2+ is abolished, and cells arrested in metaphase enter anaphase within 3 to 18 min of UV exposure if CaCl2 is present in the medium. The interval between UV illumination and anaphase onset is inversely related to the extracellular concentration of CaCl2. If CaCl2 is not added to the medium, the interval between UV exposure and anaphase onset is usually longer than 18 min. The sole addition of 100 microM CaCl2 to the medium is insufficient to reverse nifedipine inhibition; unless the cells are exposed to UV light, anaphase will not commence. The threshold concentration of free Ca2+ for rapid anaphase onset (less than 10 min after UV photoreversal) is between 1 and 10 microM. These results suggest that an influx of Ca2+ from the extracellular medium to the cytosolic compartment is necessary for normal progression from metaphase to anaphase and that this influx may serve as a trigger for chromosome separation.


We analyze a semi-explicit time discretization scheme of first order for poroelasticity with nonlinear permeability provided that the elasticity model and the flow equation are only weakly coupled. The approach leads to a decoupling of the equations and, at the same time, linearizes the nonlinearity without the need of further inner iteration steps. Hence, the computational speed-up is twofold without a loss in the convergence rate. We prove optimal first-order error estimates by considering a related delay system and investigate the method numerically for different examples with various types of nonlinear displacement-permeability relations.


OBJECTIVES
This study was designed to examine the influence of heating and pressure application timing for thermoplastic soft materials on formability during the thermoforming process.

METHODS
Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and a high shock-absorbing material (Hybrar) were used. Five specimens (20 x 10 x 4 mm) were heated to temperatures of 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, and 200 degrees C and then placed under a 4 N static weight with an indentation tip. The forming capability index (FI) was evaluated by rating the shape, size, and surface texture changes of the indentation tip reproduction in specimens using specially developed scales. The suitable temperature range for forming (STF) was determined by FI. Heat-holding capability of the two materials was also evaluated by the temperature changes in the cooling process using a digital thermometer. Timing of air pressure application was examined with the time-dependent change in negative pressure among three types of forming machines.

RESULTS
STF of the EVA (80-120 degrees C) was lower than that for Hybrar (140-160 degrees C). The time required to reach the lower limit of the STF was statistically different between the two materials (EVA: 41 seconds, Hybrar: 13 seconds) (p < 0.05). The maximum negative pressure (MNP) of the three forming machines ranged from -12 to -60 cmHg and time to reach the temperature, 5-60 seconds.

CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that heating conditions for each type of sheet material should be predetermined by the STF. Forming process should be performed with the high MNP before reaching the lower limit of the STF.


Muscular atrophy is one of disease by the loss of skeletal muscle mass. So, by the loss in muscle often causes rapid muscle atrophy and the occurs during injury and illness its causes immobilization in spinal muscle mass. Usually, the impact factor of the nervous system in musculoskeletal is caused by aging, immobility, malnutrition, medication and even the range of injuries disease impact by the nervous system. To meet the needs needed by the loss of skeletal, we need high total antioxidant from herbal medicine as multifunctional potentially prevention of muscular atrophy condition. Antioxidants are agents that can slow down or prevent oxidation process and protect cells system from the damage of cell by the loss skeletal in muscle mass. One of herbal medicine is Abelmoschus manihot L. Medik From Palu of central Sulawesi as a possible multifunctional prevention of Muscular Atrophy, where the total antioxidant value is 3,45 mg/mL.


This research study will analyze the flourish and outcomes of the sharing economy nowadays. The sharing economy has raised controversy in our society, rising significant importance on ecological and economic matters, thus it is imperative to evaluate its total effects. It is intended to discover the issues of the sharing economy model and its impacts towards sustainability and economic development. Who is being benefited by the sharing economy? A broad and deep analysis and breakdown of the structure involved by the sharing economy was made in order to clarify the overall positive and negative effects of such a model. Upon the examination of the influences and drivers of the sharing economy concerning the economy, society and ecology, awareness and insights of sustainable and economic enhancements are built. A distinctive perspective of the sharing economy is obtained based on evaluations of the relevant evidence collected.


Self-reliance is an ability to choose various choices to achieve a better quality of life. The self-reliance can be grown by counselling, that is an education process to people behaviour. One of government program conducted counselling activity in its target attainment is Rural Income Generation Project (RIGP), or in Indonesia called Pembinaan Peningkatan Pendapatan Petani-Nelayan Kecila (P4K) project. This project aims to empower the small fishermen and farmers, including the fish farmer, in order to increase their ability to be free from poorness, develop their self-reliance and participation in decision making and rationally cultivation. The aim of the research are: 1) process of P4K project 2) counselling process to fish farmer 3) fisheries cultivation 4) fish farmer characteristic 5) the self-reliance level of fish farmer; and also 6) relation among fISh farmer characteristic with their autonomous level. Result of this research indicate that project in Muktisari Village started by the year 1979 and is still be executed for cooperation among Unit Penyuluh Pertanian(UPP), Bank Rakyat Indonesia ( BRI) and P4K participators. Target attainment of P4K project done through counselling and credit loan gift. Counselling process take place good enough with suitable enough frequency, method and items and also the competence extension agent. Fish and shrimp cultivation in Muktisari Village are still managed traditionally. Internal characteristics consist of age, formal education levels, sum of family member, counselling motivation, cultivating experience, cosmopolitan level, social status, counselling perception, cultivation income andsertification of ownershif. Eksternal characteristic consisted of cultivation facilities support. group dynamics, institute support, counselling performance and sum of loan. The fish farmer characteristic in Muktisar  Village are relativelly uniform. Independence level of fish farmer in this research location is at a medium level. there is a medium ability in chosen commodity type, accessing cultivation facilities and comprehend market, low ability in determine price and look for information. and have been had high ability in work along. fish cultivation technical and -credit payment. Internal characteristic that has signifficant effect to fish farmer independence level are counselling motivation. cultivating experience. counselling perception, earnings. ownership of fix resource, group dynamics. counselling performance and sum of loan.


This study focused on analysis of spatio-temporal distribution of endangered European bison in Poloniny National Park (PNP). The main aim of the study was to analyse bison territory during both winter and the vegetation season for the whole period of reintroduction to show differences in occurrence at different altitudes, slopes and aspects as well as relationships between them during seasons and changes in territory utilization during 3-year periods. The animals change their habitat requirements according to actual season. Bison visit higher altitudes and steeper slopes mainly during the summer. During winter, bison remain in the valleys of displaced villages and feed on apple orchards and supplementary hay. The population is conservative in their territory and it still visits the same area.


As stated in UU No. 14, 2005 and PP No. 74, 2008 that teachers as proffessional educator have to possess four competences, namely: pedagogic, proffessional, character, and social. However the condition in Indonesia is not like that. In general, they are in low category, specifically in pedagogic and proffessional. Those conditions happen in biology teachers and other teacher subjects. Then the aim of this study is to observe the profile of biology teachers especially their proffessional competence pasca sertification in Surakarta residance. The population of this study is all biology teachers (332 persons) that have rechieved sertification through direct, portofolio, and PLPG program. Purposive random sampling is used to get 116 teachers. Data are collected by depth interview, documentation, and test, then the collected data are analysed by descriptive qualitative. The result shows that the profile of proffessional competence of biology teachers can be grouped into three: low, middle, and high. The teachers are low in: concept implementation, using tool of measurements, biology experiment planning, using the result of reflection, self reflection, understanding the principles and theories of savety work, doing action research, and understanding the steps of biology experiement correctly. The teachers are middle in: understanding the objective of the study, creative and innovative in implementing and developing science of biology nad correlated sciences, undesrtanding thinking process of biology, using symbolic language, undesrtanding standard competence, and understanding the scoupe of biology. They are high in: understanding the structure biology science and its correlation, selecting the material, cooking the material creatively, understanding the concepts, laws, and biology theories, undesrtanding the history of the natural science, specifically biology, understanding the basic competence of the subject or topic, updating their knowledge from many sources, and rationally qualitatively and quantitatively in understanding the process and biology law.


Increasing evidence suggests that activation of complement by AP contributes an important protective mechanism in early defense against bacterial invasion, before effective antibody levels are established. Since this is particularly important in children, we undertook a survey of AP in 83 normal children, ages 3 days to 15 years (x̄ = 54 months). There were approximately equal numbers of males and females, blacks and whites, and all children were free of fever and intercurrent infection. C3, Factor B, properdin,1 and β1H were quantitated by radial immunodiffusion with monospecific antisera; hemolytic function of AP was monitored by lysis of glutathione-treated human erythrocytes with inulin activated serum (N. Engl. J. Med. 286:180, 1973). Data were compared to normal adults. There was a wide range of values when compared to adults except for C3.


New therapeutic options for refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) include trifluridine/tipiracil (TAS-102) and regorafenib. However, the optimal chemotherapeutic regimen for use of each agent beyond the second line for patients with mCRC remains unclear and various factors may influence treatment decision. Available efficacy data suggest treatment with either trifluridine/tipiracil or regorafenib may be appropriate as both can extend patient survival. Thus, the safety profiles of each agent, along with patient performance status, are likely to determine treatment choice. The safety profiles of trifluridine/tipiracil and regorafenib are markedly different: higher levels of non-haematological adverse events such as fatigue, diarrhoea, hypertension and hand-foot skin reaction are reported with regorafenib, while haematological events such as neutropaenia are more common with trifluridine/tipiracil. In general, neutropaenia is a manageable treatment-related toxicity, while hand-foot skin reaction can be troublesome for patients, affecting their ability to carry out everyday activities and get on with their lives, while also affecting treatment adherence. Thus, the occurrence of any potential adverse effects and patient adherence should be closely monitored at each clinic visit. As quality of life is an important issue for patients with mCRC, it is important to balance extended survival and the likely quality of this extended life. Likewise, discussing possible side effects along with treatment expectations with patients can greatly facilitate adherence to therapy, and ultimately improve patients' quality of life and eventual clinical outcomes.


Education and Training for the Oil and Gas Industry: Localising Oil and Gas Operations, Volume Four in the Getenergy series will set out the case for localising the oil and gas operations within hydrocarbon-producing countries. The focus of this final Volume in the series will be to explore the value of engaging with local suppliers, local talent and other local stakeholders in the exploration and production of oil and gas resources. Specifically, we will set out an agenda around which operators and service companies can coalesce and that highlights the ways in which smart, targeted investments in education, training and local infrastructure can create a new way of doing business, particularly in developing or emerging energy economies. Getenergy Intelligence have developed a unique tool to evaluate the potential cost benefits of localisation for any given project. This volume lays out the rationale, methodology and processes we have developed to successfully map out localisation and implement strategic capacity development for oil and gas operations. The significant cost benefits of localisation have been recognised by a number of major oil and gas companies, but localisation is still an aspect of doing business that is poorly understood by much of the global industry. In the first section of this book, the authors provide the rationale for localisation and layout the core reasons for developing the tool. In the second section, the tool is described and the exact methodology is explained. In the final section the authors provide three case studies, demonstrating the tool in action and showing how we are able to measure the cost effectiveness and wider value of a coherent approach to localisation.Three detailed case studies exploring the benefits of localising the oil and gas workforceA rigorous economic rationale for localisation of oil and gas projects. Explores how localisation (and investment in local education, training and talent within that) is at the core of a successful oil and gas business in the 21st centuryMethods of implementing a strategy to educate and train local people in order to meet the core business needs around individual oil and gas projects


We have proposed and experimentally demonstrated a novel scheme to realize polarization-insensitive all-optical upconversion for single-channel or wavelength-division multiplexing signals. This scheme is based on the copolarized-pump four-wave mixing effect in nonlinear media. The copolarized pump is generated by using optical carrier suppression in an external intensity modulator; therefore, the two pumps are always parallel and phase locked. This scheme has some unique advantages for the integration between optical transport networks and radio-over-fiber systems, such as a polarization-insensitive, low-frequency bandwidth requirement for optical and electrical components, and high wavelength stability.


This paper investigates the reasons for and implications of the recent merger between three of the largest unions in the retail finance sector, creating UNIFI. Recent union mergers have been explained by environmental changes adversely affecting membership and finances. These prompt leaders to consider merger as an appropriate organizational solution. Mergers are successfully concluded when leaders are able to overcome internal resistance and develop acceptable outcomes. We examine whether these factors are sufficient to explain how the merger between the national banking union and two large company-based staff unions was concluded, given longstanding institutional rivalry.


Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. The majority of MS patients have a relapsing–remitting course with progressive neurological disability that accumulates over the years. Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIg) has demonstrated benefit in the treatment of some patients with relapsing–remitting MS. Concerns about adverse events of IVIg, mainly acute renal failure and thromboembolic events have been raised in the medical literature. We examined the adverse events profile of IVIg treatment in a large cohort of 293 relapsing–remitting MS patients treated with an initial loading dose of IVIg (0.4 g/Kg body weight/day, for 5 consecutive days) and additional booster dose infusions (0.4 g/Kg body weight/booster dose, every 6 weeks) as a maintenance treatment. A total of 9281 IVIg infusions were administered within a mean treatment period of 3.8 ± 3.5 years (3 months–10 years). The main adverse event during the loading dose period was headache, occurring in 12.6% of the patients. The annual rate of any adverse event during the IVIg maintenance period was 4.4% during the first year and had a trend to decrease with every passing year of treatment. Adverse events during the loading dose did not predict adverse events during the maintenance phase. No severe adverse events were recorded. We conclude that IVIg is a safe therapy in MS either for short or for long-term periods.


Progesterone receptor (PR) activity is highly regulated by post-translational modifications. Rapid immunoprecipitation mass spectrometry of endogenous protein (RIME) analysis identified O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) transferase (OGT) as a PR-interacting protein. OGT catalyzes the addition of N-acetylglucosamine sugar moieties to serine/threonine residues in order to coordinate several cellular processes—including transcription, metabolism, and cell fate. Further investigation revealed that PR is O-GlcNAcylated, and enhanced OGT activity subsequently decreases PR protein stability. Interestingly, PR-expressing breast cancer cells display lower OGT levels in comparison to PR-null counterparts, suggesting that PR may govern its own O-GlcNAcylation or that of other key regulatory proteins. Our lab previously identified a phosphorylation site at Ser-81 in PR that potentiates the expression of PR proliferative target genes. Phosphorylation and O-GlcNAcylation are known to compete for the same residue substrates; and our preliminary data suggests that PR O-GlcNAcylation may also alter its transcriptional activity for a subset of target genes. While the role of PR in breast cancer progression is well characterized, the overall effect of protein O-GlcNAcylation within these tumors remains highly controversial. Collectively, our data supports a potential regulatory mechanism wherein OGT serves to restrain PR function in early PR+ tumors; whereas those that have lost PR expression may exhibit the elevated pro-tumorigenic OGT activity previously associated with more advanced breast cancers. As such, the continued study of O-GlcNAcylation with respect to PR stability, phosphorylation, and transcriptional activity may lead to a clearer understanding of these effectors and their contribution to breast cancer progression. Citation Format: Gloria Trinca, Merit Goodman, Lauren Workman, Jason Carroll, Clive D'Santos, Chad Slawson, Christy R. Hagan. Coregulation of progesterone receptor and O-GlcNAc in breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1818.


Rationale Despite available therapies, patients with connective tissue disease-associated PAH (PAH-CTD) have a poor prognosis. The global phase III GRIPHON study (NCT01106014) enrolled 1,156 patients including 334 with PAH-CTD. Compared with placebo, selexipag reduced the risk of the primary composite outcome of morbidity/mortality up to end of treatment by 41% (hazard ratio [HR] 0.59; 99% CI: 0.37–0.96) among patients with PAH-CTD. We examined the effect of selexipag vs placebo in the PAH-CTD subgroups: PAH associated with systemic sclerosis (PAH-SSc), systemic lupus erythematous (PAH-SLE) and mixed CTD (PAH-MCTD). Methods Patients (18–75 years) were randomised 1:1 to placebo or selexipag. HRs (95% CI) were calculated using Cox regression models to determine the effect of selexipag vs placebo on morbidity/mortality. Results Of the 334 patients enrolled with PAH-CTD, 170 had PAH-SSc, 82 PAH-SLE, and 47 PAH-MCTD; CTD sub-classification was not reported in 35 patients. Across the subgroups, the majority of patients were female (84–99%) and were receiving an endothelin receptor antagonist, a phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitor or both at baseline (73–83%). In the PAH-SSc, PAH-SLE and PAH-MCTD subgroups, the mean (SD) age was 60.0 (10.6), 39.0 (11.3) and 48.0 (14.7) years, respectively, and 65%, 33%, and 45% were in WHO functional class III, respectively. Selexipag reduced the risk of morbidity/mortality events by 44% (HR 0.56; 95% CI: 0.34–0.91) in PAH-SSc, 34% (HR 0.66; 95% CI: 0.30–1.48) in PAH-SLE, and 53% (HR 0.47; 95% CI: 0.15–1.48) in PAH-MCTD (Figure). The treatment effect was consistent across the subgroups (interaction test indicated no heterogeneity; p = 0.6737). By the end of study, 22 PAH-SSc, 7 PAH-SLE and 3 PAH-MCTD patients in the placebo, and 17 PAH-SSc, 4 PAH-SLE, 8 PAH-MCTD patients in the selexipag group had died. Common prostacyclin-associated side effects observed with selexipag in PAH-CTD patients generally occurred at a similar incidence to PAH-non-CTD patients and within the PAH-CTD subgroups. Conclusion GRIPHON included the largest randomised cohort of patients with PAH-CTD to date. The treatment effect of selexipag on time to first morbidity/mortality event was consistent across the subgroups, suggesting that selexipag is an effective therapeutic option in these difficult-to-treat patients. Please refer to page A270 for declarations of interest in relation to abstract S109. Abstract S109 Figure 1


The pandemic has made wearing masks commonplace, prompting researchers to investigate their effects on interpersonal perception. Findings indicate masks obstruct face identification and expression recognition, with lower face cues being most affected. When judging attractiveness, masks can enhance the appeal of less attractive faces, but reduce the appeal of more attractive faces. Trust and speech perception outcomes are inconclusive. Future studies could focus on individual differences in how masks influence our perception of others.


ECB President Draghi's Jackson Hole speech in August 2014 arguably marked a new phase of unconventional monetary policies (UMPs) in the euro area. This paper examines the market impact and tranmission channels of this new wave of UMPs using a modified event study framework. They are found to have a more prominent impact on inflation expectations and exchange rates compared to the earlier UMP announcements. The impact on bank equity, however, is less significant in part due to narrowing profit margin in a low interest rate environment; and the marginal effect on sovereign spread compression has diminished. By extracting components of monetary policy shocks from the yield curve, we find that the traditional signaling channel of the monetary policy transmission continued to play an important role, but the portfolio rebalancing channel became more important in the new phase. Spillovers to non-euro area EU countries (the Czech Republic, Denmark, Poland, and Sweden) are transmitted mainly through the portfolio rebalancing channel, largely affecting sovereign yields and exchange rates.


This thesis proposes the potential for thealogical ethics, defining them as based in three key concepts: immanent divinity, interconnection and the web of life, and different constructions of power. These three concepts are explored through an in depth engagement with a seminal publication from four key thealogians, Carol Christ, Melissa Raphael, Paul Reid-Bowen and Starhawk. The concepts are interrogated for their ethical implications including discussion on a thealogical problem of evil, the Goddess' influence in the world, and the web metaphor as a positive model within thealogical ethics. Additionally, Gaia theory and Chaos theory is adapted to and explored within a thealogical framework. The ethical framework arrived at is then applied to the issue of graduate employment and the notion of a "thealogically friendly" career is delineated. Furthermore, this thesis offers and experiments with the idea of a thealogical methodology as based in critique of the subjective/objective binary, active promotion of the creative and subjective voice, embodied thought and politically aware scholarship.


While the Charlie Hebdo attacks unleashed a highly distinctive national debate within France, that debate also serves to throw into sharp relief the deepening tensions generated by increasingly complex relationships between the state and religion across much of Europe, not least due to the arrival of immigrant minority faiths wishing to advance claims in what is widely assumed to be 'secular' public space. After reviewing these tensions, the article distinguishes five current European responses to them and proposes a model of 'principled pluralism' as a theologically defensible option. The original theological roots of such a model are outlined and six indicative contemporary practical implications proposed.


Physical concept modeling and pre-manufacturing prototyping of ship hulls are becoming more and more important due to the strong need for better quality ships, for optimization of the global performance, and for involving the customers in the development process. Physical models are typically scale models, which are used during and after design for various purposes such as shape presentation, arrangement investigation, and hydrodynamic testing. Due to their large size, single piece prototyping of ship hulls is usually not possible. The large-scale models have to be decomposed to manufacturable elements, for example, segments, layers and sectors. This paper presents a genetic algorithm-based decomposition for two specific manufacturing technologies: free-form thick-layered object manufacturing and three-axis high-speed milling. The fabrication tools used in these technologies require an unobstructed access to the cut surface. The proposed segmentation technique allows decomposition of the CAD model of a ship hull into manufacturing segments. The decomposition has been considered a non-gradient optimization problem, for which the developed genetic algorithm can be applied effectively. Examples for segmentation to support FF-TLOM and TA-HSM are presented.


Management and Leadership Innovations, vol. 38 of Advances in Librarianship presents techniques, cases and theoretical papers on how libraries and other non-profit organizations can achieve sustainability through application of the UN's Agenda 21, how to interview candidates through non-traditional and interactive processes to assess 'soft skills' needed to join a team, how a model was developed to ensure successful school libraries, and how academic libraries can provide leadership in sustaining and preserving their surrounding communities' history and culture. It also offers chapters on the utility of gossip in management, how to provide mindful leadership within an organization, and how to identify and manage levels of stress and burnout. The volume presents a case study of how a library altered the skill sets of subject librarians to function in teams using a matrix approach in order to better serve clients. Another innovation is represented by a chapter on staff development and service through participation in a community of practice. Also included is a chapter on service design a relatively new concept of service design which is critical in improving user/customer satisfaction and patronage.


How do students apply systems thinking to make sense of a computational model of crowd evacuation? We developed a participatory simulation in which users play the role of evacuees that move through a narrow passageway. This simulation demonstrates that when exceeding a certain speed, moving through narrow bottlenecks, is more likely to create clogs, leading to a slower passing rate. The participatory simulation was introduced in a lesson about school evacuation in a group of 9th graders. Their explanations of crowd evacuation, were compared to a similar group of 9th graders who learned the same ideas in a lecture without using the simulation. We found that using the simulation did not improve students' system thinking about crowd evacuation compared to lecture-based instruction. About 80% of the students in both groups suggested partial/incomplete explanations of the inverse relationship between the desire to move faster as individuals and the opposite consequence of slower evacuation. Interviews with students revealed that some of them perceived the simulation scenario to be different from the organized and coordinated evacuation drills that they partook. Others, were engrossed in their own experiences as evacuees, that obscured their ability to relate the motion of individual evacuees and the overall evacuation rate of the crowd. In a second study, we examined whether prior learning of a different emergent process (spread of a disease) with a computational model, can prepare students for learning the counterintuitive phenomenon of crowd evacuation. We found that introducing a participatory simulation of the spread of a disease in a different group of 9th graders, increased their appreciation of the evacuation simulation as a learning tool, and consequently–their explanations. We conclude that computational models have the potential to enhance systems thinking, but their affordances depend on prior preparation for learning with other complex systems models.


To evaluate better the physicochemical characteristics of human fat digestion, a method was developed which allowed characterization of the bile acid-lipid mixed micelles of the aqueous phase of post-prandial duodenal fluid. Duodenal fluid was collected after a 36-g fat breakfast for two 90-min periods and for 60 min after i.v. cholecystokinin and was ultracentrifuged at 15,400,000 g-min. The aqueous phase was isolated, passed through a 200-nm filter, and the mixed micelles were concentrated by an ultrafiltration procedure using a 1.5-nm filter. The 1.5-nm retentate was eluted from Sepharose 6B columns with 1.5-nm filtrate for both preequilibration fluid and eluent. 1.5-nm filtrate approximated the monomer concentrations. Each sample was assayed for bile acid, fatty acid, lecithin, lysolecithin, protein, cholesterol, and counterions (pH, Na+, K+, Ca2+). Constituents were concentrated only on the 1.5-nm filter. On gel permeation chromatography, coincident peaks were observed for bile acid, fatty acid, lysolecithin, and cholesterol; and were eluted with a Kav range of 0.50-0.68 (corresponding to a Stokes radius of 2.3-3.5 nm). An average density of 1.25 and coincident peaks of bile acid and fatty acid were found for the mixed micelles on sucrose density gradients. The regression lines of micellar fatty acid, lysolecithin, and cholesterol vs. bile acid gave a stoichiometry of 1.4 mol fatty acid, 0.15 mol lysolecithin, and 0.06 mol cholesterol for each mole of bile acid. Mixed micelles were homogeneous in composition. These results provide direct evidence for the existence of the postprandial mixed micelle and describe several of its physicochemical properties.


This study empirically examines the effect of Internet access on services export diversification. A panel dataset containing 131 countries is analyzed over 1995-2014 and shows that greater access to the Internet is positively associated with services export diversification.T his outcome applies to both high-income and developing countries, and particularly to least developed countries (LDCs) among developing countries. Additionally, the effect of Internet access on services export product diversification translates to countries' level of innovation, merchandise exports, including export product concentration and size of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows.T hese findings highlight the need for developing digital infrastructure and regulations that would facilitate access to the Internet, particularly in developing countries.T he international community must focus on developing countries, particularly LDCs, by helping them to develop the requisite digital infrastructure and regulations to better participate in international trade, especially through greater series export diversification.


The adenosine triphosphate-based chemotherapy response assay (ATP-CRA) is a chemosensitivity test that offers the potential of selecting cancer treatments based on the responsiveness of individual tumors. We report a case of 47-yr-old male, presented with sigmoid colon cancer with multiple liver and peritoneal metastases, in which there was a complete response for the primary colon cancer after administration of preoperative chemotherapy selected by ATP-CRA. Oxaliplatin was the most sensitive drug based on the ATP-CRA where the specimen obtained by ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsy was used. After twelve cycles of oxaliplatin-capecitabine chemotherapy, abdominopelvic computed tomography revealed marked shrinkage of the liver metastases and positron emission tomography showed no uptake of 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose (FDG) either in the liver or peritoneum except localized uptake in the sigmoid colon. The patient underwent an anterior resection and radiofrequency ablation of the liver metastases, which resulted in a macroscopic curative resection of the cancer cells. Histological examination revealed no residual cancer cells in the resected specimen of the sigmoid colon. This result suggested that preoperative chemotherapy chosen by ATP-CRA may be useful for treating advanced colon cancer with unresectable liver and peritoneal metastases.


The purpose of this study was to examine the induction process for beginning teachers in Catholic schools. Data were collected from 100 teachers using a survey that addressed teachers' level of confidence in the pedagogical, religious, and managerial dimensions of teaching. The results of the study indicated that the induction experiences of beginning teachers in Catholic schools were similar to those of beginning teachers elsewhere. However, there is a need for the development and implementation of a systematic process of teacher induction that consciously meets the needs in the religious dimension for beginning teachers.


We consider the problem of estimating the occupancy level in buildings using indirect information such as CO2 concentrations and ventilation levels. We assume that one of the rooms is temporarily equipped with a device measuring the occupancy. Using the collected data, we identify a gray-box model whose parameters carry information about the structural characteristics of the room. Exploiting the knowledge of the same type of structural characteristics of the other rooms in the building, we adjust the gray-box model to capture the CO2 dynamics of the other rooms. Then the occupancy estimators are designed using a regularized deconvolution approach which aims at estimating the occupancy pattern that best explains the observed CO2 dynamics. We evaluate the proposed scheme through extensive simulation using a commercial software tool, IDA-ICE, for dynamic building simulation.


Flannery O'Connor's The Violent Bear it Away and Cormac McCarthy's The Road are both deeply religious works of fiction that explore the sacramental mystery that lies at the heart of Christianity, especially as characterized by the Eucharist. In this paper, I argue that O'Connor and McCarthy both illuminate the moral and existential implications of the Eucharist through their account of the fundamental human desire for communion with the sacred. For them this communion is necessarily embodied, with the Eucharist as a site of divine enfleshment that invites the participants to experience the fullness of bodily existence.


We present a theoretical investigation of reactive and non-reactive collisions of Li and Rb atoms with C2− molecular anions at low temperatures in the context of sympathetic cooling in hybrid trap experiments. Based on accurate potential energy surfaces for the singlet and triplet states of the Li– C2− and Rb– C2− systems, we show that the associative electronic detachment reaction is inefficient but that it occurs with a large rate for collisions involving excited states of either Li/Rb or C2− . We also investigate rotationally inelastic collisions in order to explore the cooling of the translational and rotational degrees of freedom of C2− in hybrid ion-atom traps. The effect of micromotion is taken into account by considering Tsallis distributions of collision energies. We show that the translational cooling occurs much more rapidly than rotational cooling and that the presence of excited atoms leads to losses of anions on a timescale comparable to that of rotational cooling.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this article is to discuss an evidence-based algorithm that can be implemented by the primary care physician in his/her daily clinical practice for the treatment of patients with neuropathic pain conditions.

METHOD
A treatment algorithm for neuropathic pain was formulated on the basis of a review of 105 high-quality, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials. The number needed to treat (NNT) and number needed to harm (NNH) were used to compare the safety and effectiveness of current treatments for neuropathic pain syndromes. Most of the clinical trials reviewed in the analysis assessed tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and antiepileptic drugs (AEDs).

RESULTS
TCAs had the lowest NNT followed by opioids and AEDs, such as gabapentin and pregabalin. The nature of the retrospective calculation of the NNT and NNH involves obvious limitations because of the pooling of studies with different experimental designs and outcomes.

CONCLUSION
Patients presenting with neuropathic pain are becoming a more frequent occurrence for the primary care physician as the population ages. Evidence-based treatment options allow for the most efficient and effective pharmacotherapy regimen to be implemented.


The increase in the number of users and the development of their needs towards multimedia services with quality of service expectations set challenges to mobile radio network operators whose spectral resources are limited. A judicious resource allocation policy will limit call dropping due to handovers and improve bandwidth allocation between users, taking into account factors related to QoS expectations. QoS acceptance is defined by the SLA contract specifying the parameters of the different levels of acceptance. At global level, new call or handover call acceptance is based on a collective and consensual decision between the different participating networks. Such a consensus aims to take a consistent decision to reserve resources according to one of the levels of service predefined by the caller SLA and then to allow the caller to renegotiate the level of service QoS according to traffic load fluctuation, or to negotiate new resources for new applications requested during the session. The consensus algorithm is parametrized in accordance with the network configuration and take account of QoS constraints such as: new call blocking probability, handovers dropping probability, channels utilization rate...These parameters are deduced by applying Markovian chain with two dimensions. It is adopted to model the different service classes which negotiate the network.


The effects of beta and alpha-adrenergic stimulation in amphibian superfused hearts and ventricular strips were studied. Superfusion with 3 x 10(-8) M isoproterenol produced a positive inotropic effect, as detected by a 92 +/- 24% increase in the maximal rate of contraction (+T) and a positive lusitropic effect characterized by a decrease in both the ratio +T/-T (23 +/- 5%) and the half relaxation time (t1/2) (19 +/- 4%). The mechanical behavior induced by the beta-agonist was associated with an increase in the intracellular cAMP levels from control values of 173 +/- 19 to 329 +/- 28 nmol/mg wet tissue. Hearts superfused with 32P in the presence of isoproterenol showed a significant increase in Tn 1 phosphorylation (from 151 +/- 13 to 240 +/- 44 pmol 32P/mg MF protein) without consistent changes in phosphorylation of C-protein. In sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane vesicles, no phospholamban phosphorylation was detected either by beta-adrenergic stimulation of superfused hearts or when phosphorylation conditions were optimized by direct treatment of the vesicles with cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and [gamma 32P] ATP. The effect of alpha-adrenergic stimulation on ventricular strips was studied at 30 and 22 degrees C. At 30 degrees C, the effects of 10(-5) to 10(-4) M phenylephrine on myocardial contraction and relaxation were diminished to non significant levels by addition of propranolol. At 22 degrees C, blockage with propranolol left a remanent positive inotropic effect (10% of the total effect of phenylephrine) and changed the phenylephrine-induced positive lusitropic effect into a negative lusitropic action.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Enterococci are common cause of hospital acquired infection and have become progressively more resistant to antibiotic. Among the 13 Enterococcus species ninety percentage of Enterococcal infection are due to Enterococcus faecalis .E. faecalis is a causative agent for nosocomial infection. The present study was carried out to asses the changing trends in antibiotic susceptibility of Enterococcus species isolated from clinical samples from Gulbarga region.122 samples were collected from various hospitals and diagnostic centers in Gulbarga region. The clinical isolates were identified by Facklam and Collins conventional method. The susceptibility tests were done against vancomycin, ampicillin, oxacillin, rifamycin, ciprofloxacin, tobramycin, gentamycin, teicoplanin and streptomycin by Kirby bauer method. MIC of resistant E. faecalis isolates were determined by NCCLS method. In our study, E. faecalis strains found to be 50% multi-drug resistant and the resistance was more in case of vancomycin antibiotic. The E. faecium isolates showed high resistance to gentamycin and streptomycin among the few MDR strains. E. durans were susceptible to all the antibiotic expect streptomycin and E. gallinarium were found susceptible to all antibiotics. The MIC's determined of the 12 strains, showed the prevalence of HLAR and HLGR among the E .faecalis isolates. The present study reveals for the first time emergence of vanocmycin resistant enterococci from this part of world and indicates the magnitude of antibiotic resistance in and around the study area. .


Free radicals, you can't live with them and you can't live without them. Appreciation is growing that free radicals and related oxidants are ubiquitous and that they are involved in common pathways that lead to tissue damage from a wide variety of insults. Some combination of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are implicated in an array of neuro-degenerative diseases (including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease) and in many other human health problems ranging from the toxicity of some xenobiotics to cataractogenesis, carcinogenesis, atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, ischemia/reperfusion injury, cancer, and the aging process itself. This has created the impression that all free radicals are highly reactive and highly damaging to biological systems—in short, all bad. But a more informed examination of the chemistry of free radicals and related oxidants reveals a wide range of unique advantages they may have as regulators of normal physiological functions and as components in information processing in the brain. Furthermore, some ROS and RNS have biochemical properties that permit a role in intercellular communication, operating in the extracellular microenvironment, in a "parasynaptic" manner. Nitric oxide (NO•), superoxide (O2• ̈), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) have all been demonstrated to be what was once thought of as nontraditional messengers. However, the paradigm is shifting to view them as rather common messengers (Sun and Oberley, 1996; Nathan, 2003; Garthwaite, 1991).


Results of an experimental and analytical investigation of the compressive strength of unidirectional boron-epoxy composite material are presented. Observation of fiber coordinates in a boron-epoxy composite indicates that the fibers contain initial curvature. Combined axial compression and torsion tests were conducted on boron-epoxy tubes and it was shown that the shear modulus is a function of axial compressive stress. An analytical model which includes initial curvature in the fibers and permits an estimate of the effect of curvature on compressive strength is proposed. Two modes of failure which may result from the application of axial compressive stress are analyzed - delamination and shear instability. Based on tests and analysis, failure of boron-epoxy under axial compressive load is due to shear instability.


ABSTRACT The polymorphism at amino acid 17 of quinolone resistance-determining region of GyrA has been stated with a potential role in fluoroquinolone susceptibility in different mycobacterial species. However, no study has provided dependable evidence so far. Here, we verified that gene-edited Mycobacterium abscessus mutants bearing Ser/Gly at this position were more susceptible to fluoroquinolones than their parent strain and the revertant that supports mycobacteria containing Ser/Gly at this position were more susceptible to fluoroquinolones than those containing Ala. IMPORTANCE Fluoroquinolones (FQs) play a key role in the treatment regimens against tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections. However, there are significant differences in the sensitivities of different mycobacteria to FQs. In this study, we proved that this is associated with the polymorphism at amino acid 17 of quinolone resistance-determining region of Gyrase A by gene editing. This is the first study using CRISPR-associated recombination for gene editing in Mycobacterium abscessus to underscore the contribution of the amino acid substitutions in GyrA to FQ susceptibilities in mycobacteria. Fluoroquinolones (FQs) play a key role in the treatment regimens against tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections. However, there are significant differences in the sensitivities of different mycobacteria to FQs. In this study, we proved that this is associated with the polymorphism at amino acid 17 of quinolone resistance-determining region of Gyrase A by gene editing. This is the first study using CRISPR-associated recombination for gene editing in Mycobacterium abscessus to underscore the contribution of the amino acid substitutions in GyrA to FQ susceptibilities in mycobacteria.


The photo-oxidation of n-propyl formate (initiated by chlorine atoms) was studied in the presence of NO2, and the products were identified. The Cl atom attack to the molecule occurs in four sites, leading to the formation of formic acid, carbon dioxide, dicarbonylic products, nitrates, peroxy propionyl nitrate (CH3CH2C(O)OONO2, PPN), and a new peroxynitrate, peroxy formyl propyl nitrate (CH3CH2CH2OC(O)OONO2, PFPN). To characterize bulk quantities of the PFPN, its synthesis was carried out by the photolysis of mixtures of CH3CH2CH2OC(O)H, NO2, Cl2, and O2. After purification, its infrared spectrum and thermal stability were determined. The main infrared absorption bands and their corresponding cross sections are 796, 1219, 1302, 1741, and 1831 cm(-1) (1.16, 3.11, 0.88, 2.42, and 1.34 × 10(-18) cm(2) molec(-1), respectively). Thermal decomposition was studied as a function of pressure from 6.0 to 1000 mbar at 298 K, and the activation energy was determined between 293 and 304 K at total pressures of 9.0 and 1000 mbar (Ea = 98 ± 3 and 110 ± 2 kJ/mol, respectively). The atmospheric thermal lifetimes were obtained from kinetic parameters.


Due to the low cost and the scaling capability of Si substrate, InAlN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) on silicon substrate have attracted more and more attentions. In this paper, a high-performance 50-nm-gate-length InAlN/GaN HEMT on Si with a high on/off current (Ion/Ioff) ratio of 7.28 × 106, an average subthreshold swing (SS) of 72 mV/dec, a low drain-induced barrier lowing (DIBL) of 88 mV, an off-state three-terminal breakdown voltage (BVds) of 36 V, a current/power gain cutoff frequency (fT/fmax) of 140/215 GHz, and a Johnson's figure-of-merit (JFOM) of 5.04 THz∙V is simultaneously demonstrated. The device extrinsic and intrinsic parameters are extracted using equivalent circuit model, which is verified by the good agreement between simulated and measured S-parameter values. Then the scaling behavior of InAlN/GaN HEMTs on Si is predicted using the extracted extrinsic and intrinsic parameters of devices with different gate lengths (Lg). It presents that a fT/fmax of 230/327 GHz can be achieved when Lg scales down to 20 nm with the technology developed in the study, and an improved fT/fmax of 320/535 GHz can be achieved on a 20-nm-gate-length InAlN/GaN HEMT with regrown ohmic contact technology and 30% decreased parasitic capacitance. This study confirms the feasibility of further improvement of InAlN/GaN HEMTs on Si for RF applications.


OBJECTIVE
The natural history of sporadic vestibular schwannoma (VS) is unpredictable, as tumors may or may not grow and can even spontaneously regress. A spontaneous VS shrinkage MRI-based pattern has been proposed with either a scalloped tumor aspect in the cerebellopontine angle or the appearance of a CSF-filled space surrounding the intracanalicular (IC) tumor within an enlarged canal. The authors of this retrospective study aimed to describe the evolution of sporadic VSs with radiological signs of VS regression and to identify prognostic factors for tumor shrinkage.

METHODS
All MRI scans obtained during patient follow-up were reviewed for extracanalicular (EC) and IC size and tumor characteristics. Volumetric measurements were performed on the first and last MRI scans. Shrinkage was considered to have occurred if the tumor size had decreased by ≥ 2 mm in its largest diameter and/or if the volume had decreased by ≥ 20%. Audiometric data were also collected.

RESULTS
Among 512 patients under observation for sporadic VSs, 66 (13%) had at least one radiological sign of VS regression and 31 of these (6% overall) had confirmed tumor shrinkage. The mean follow-up was 4 ± 2.5 years. One radiological sign was present on initial MRI in 58% of patients and appeared during the follow-up period in the remaining 42%. Two groups were identified: 31 patients (47%) demonstrated progressive tumor regression during follow-up, and tumors in 35 patients (53%) remained stable once signs of regression were identified (assuming a stabilized regression). The prognostic factors for VS regression were as follows: EC VS extension (p = 0.02), cystic lesion (p = 0.002), and central necrosis (p = 0.02). The mean pure-tone average (PTA) was 43 ± 26.2 dB at the time of diagnosis and 53 ± 28.3 dB at the last visit (p < 0.0001). Among patients with an observed tumor shrinkage, ∆PTA was lower if the inner ear signal on the high-resolution T2-weighted image had improved (-3 ± 8.9 dB, n = 11) than if the inner ear signal had not improved (-10 ± 6.9 dB, n = 20) (p = 0.02) between the initial and last MRI scans.

CONCLUSIONS
Spontaneous shrinkage of sporadic VSs could be suspected based on two radiological aspects that are indicative of VSs in progressive or stabilized regression and is an additional argument for the conservative management of these tumors. During follow-up, recovery from a reduced to a normal cochlear fluid MRI signal is a good indicator for hearing preservation.


Software industry oriented education faces more challenges than traditional research and discipline oriented education.To meet these challenges,the Learning by Doing teaching pattern plays an important role in the software industry oriented education.Practice and experience in the teaching of Master of Software Engineering(MSE)students in the Software School of Sun Yat-sen University are presented in the paper.From our viewpoint of MSE education,the success comes from a good trade-off between Learning by Doing lectures and theoretical lectures.Furthermore,feedback and communication are critical and requisite for the successful application of Learning by Doing teaching pattern.


The annual What's Hot, What's Not in Literacy Survey has helped to define the literacy agenda and highlight topics receiving attention in the field over the last 15 years. The ebb and flow of the field of literacy often shifts with changes in legislation, policy, and curricula. As a result, what was formerly hot may subsequently receive less attention or even fall off the list entirely. Some topics that were once on the list never received the attention that some educators believed they deserved. This article examines the background behind previously hot issues and other topics that were on the list but never considered hot.


A variety of pathways exist to transmit biological signals. One mechanism used for the regulated control of cell growth and differentiation is through the transduction of signals resulting from the binding of soluble polypeptide growth factors to their cognate receptors. The specificity of growth factor action is mediated by the interaction of ligand with cognate receptors which can lead to exquisite control in a tissue- and developmental-specific manner. In addition, individual receptors on the cell surface can form complex assemblies with other receptor/signal transduction molecules that potentially lead to additional levels of signal transmissions. Biological signaling by peptide ligands can be mediated through the enzymatic activation of the receptor resulting in the triggering of a defined biochemical pathway. Ultimately, a mitogenic or differentiation signal is delivered to the nucleus, completing the biological action of the growth factor. The biochemical mechanisms of signal transduction by the p185 neu/c-erbB-2 growth factor receptor and the subsequent physiological responses are the topics of this review. Study of the p185 growth factor receptor has helped to illustrate the functional role of receptor homo- (and hetero-) dimerization in enzyme activation and, in malignant cells, the detrimental results of structural mutations or aberrant gene expression which may effect this dimerization. The ability of one type of growth factor receptor to affect the activity of another (as illustrated by the p185/epidermal growth factor receptor heterodimeric complex) is likely to be a common regulatory feature of growth factor receptor action. The nomenclature to be used in this review will refer to the oncogenic mutated form of the rat protein as 'p185neu', the proto-oncogenic rat protein as 'p185c-neu' and the human form as 'p185c-erbB-2'. The term 'p185' will be used to refer to any type of protein, regardless of the source.


The question of whether higher–lifetime income households save a larger fraction of their income was the subject of much debate in the 1950s and 1960s, and while not resolved, it remains central to the evaluation of tax and macroeconomic policies. We resolve this long‐standing question using new empirical methods applied to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, the Survey of Consumer Finances, and the Consumer Expenditure Survey. We find a strong positive relationship between saving rates and lifetime income and a weaker but still positive relationship between the marginal propensity to save and lifetime income. There is little support for theories that seek to explain these positive correlations by relying solely on time preference rates, nonhomothetic preferences, or variations in Social Security benefits. There is more support for models emphasizing uncertainty with respect to income and health expenses, bequest motives, and asset‐based means testing or behavioral factors causing minimal saving rates among low‐income households.


A black phosphorus (BP)-based drug delivery system for synergistic photodynamic/photothermal/chemotherapy of cancer is constructed. As a 2D nanosheet, BP shows super high drug loading capacity and pH-/photoresponsive drug release. The intrinsic photothermal and photodynamic effects of BP enhance the antitumor activities. The synergistic photodynamic/photothermal/chemotherapy makes BP-based drug delivery system a multifunctional nanomedicine platform.


The 0.2-5/x particle size fraction of montmorillonite from three sources was equilibrated with various solutions at room temperature. After 3-4 yr, kaolinite was found in some of the samples that were supersaturated with respect to kaolinite, but not in any of the undersaturated samples or in the original montmorillonite. X-ray diffraction analysis of the precipitated kaolinite showed no interlayer expansion of glycerated, oriented samples. Random powder samples indicated a poor crystallinity. The thermal stability of the precipitated material was indistinguishable from that of crystalline kaolinite. The electron microscope did not reveal any distinctive sizes or shapes. Equilibration behavior of several samples defined a single kaolinite solubility line at or above which kaolinite apparently begins to precipitate. The solubility line is equivalent to a standard free energy of formation (AG) of -904.2 kcal per mole of kaolinite. This represents highly crystalline kaolinite. The stability of kaolinite actually precipitated at room temperature probably depends upon precipitation conditions. Thus kaolinite stability could range from poorly crystalline up to the equivalent of the kaolinite solubility line at which initial precipitation begins.


Hong Kong has generally been regarded as a socially homogenous city predominately populated by ethnic Chinese. Ethnic minorities are usually absent in public discourse and ethnic relations are generally considered harmonious in the city. However, despite the lack of an institutionalized form of racism in Hong Kong, ethnic tensions do exist in the everyday life among individuals. This study is concerned about the everyday level of ethnic relations in Hong Kong. It reveals how ethnic relations are dealt with by both ethnic minorities and the local Chinese people residing in the city. In particular, the way in which ethnic boundary is constantly reproduced and negotiated by the two parties in their everyday life is examined. The South Asian communities, including the Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese and Sri Lankan communities, are selected as the target in this study because they are the largest groups of ethnic minorities and they have a long history of settlement in Hong Kong. Furthermore, by revealing the ways in which ethnic boundary can be negotiated, it is argued that there is potential for ethnic minorities to open up alternative meanings of the social category of "Hong Konger".


in adult and child contacts of infective hepatitis in the U.S.A. but was ineffective in serum jaundice. In one experiment the convalescent serum of a patient infected with a known strain of serum jaundice virus failed to neutralize that same virus. Treatment of either infective hepatitis or so-called serum hepatitis has, for the most part, been ineffective. The only treatment that has given any promise whatever has been the intravenous injection of protein hydrolysate. Since we cannot detect these viruses, inactivation is the main safeguard in order to avoid them. The icterogenic agents concerned pass through Seitz filters and are not inactivated by heating at 56°-60 C. for half an hour or by the usual bacteriostatic or bactericidal chemicals used for preserving sera, such as phenol, tricresol, or merthiolate. Recent work has shown that irradiation of serum or plasma with a particular unit of ultra-violet light under satisfactory conditions may be capable of inactivating any icterogenic or other virus present.'5 This procedure is being adopted, as equipment becomes available in the U.S.A., Canada, and England, as a routine treatment forpooled human serum or plasma which is to be used for transfusion or other therapy or prophylactically against certain infectious diseases.


Recent work on emotions in politics has the potential to help us understand what the explosion of new media sources means for the strategies politicians use and the information citizens receive. Past theories find anxiety to increase information seeking, but have divergent expectations for a separate emotion common in politics: anger. In a new type of field experiment, I induce feelings of anger and anxiety and passively measure the effects on information seeking. Across three studies, I find anger to increase information seeking to a large degree – substantially increasing web users' proclivity to click through to a political website. The results suggest that anger can mobilize and speak to psychological incentives for political communication, under some conditions, to employ angry rhetoric.


The economic and statistical analysis of the bank's deposit portfolio by the structure of deposits has been performed. An algorithm for grouping deposits by type of client, amount, maturity and interest rate is proposed and tested. A technique is proposed for analysing the influence of the type of forming factors: the amount, term and interest rate on the change in the number of dividends on a bank deposit. The influence of each type of deposit on the overall increase in interest payments is determined. The purpose of the article is to improve the methodological approach to the effective management of the bank's deposit portfolio using the economic and statistical analysis of the structure of deposits. A study of the literature shows that insufficient attention is paid to the formation of an optimal deposit portfolio of the bank. The relevance of the article lies in need to use the mathematical apparatus to optimise the process of managing the borrowed funds of customers. The tendency of changes in the amounts of balances, volumes of inflow and subsidence of deposits of corporate clients and individuals in the bank is analyses. The methodology for grouping deposits by amounts, interest rates, and investment terms has been improved, which allows structural positioning changes in the total amount of the bank's deposit portfolio. A technique is proposed for studying the influence of factors on the structure of deposits in a bank. The methodology of index factor analysis has been improved to study the structure of deposits in the bank. For the analysis of cash flows, the average storage period and average deposit balances for a certain period are determined. The index of average duration of use of a variable composition deposit is calculated. The economic effect for the bank from increasing the terms of attracting financial resources is calculated. A set of indicators has been proposed for assessing the effectiveness of managing customer funds raised. The study is based on a combination of statistical and economic-mathematical methods of analysis, a system-structural approach (systematisation, grouping and ranking, analysis of time series, scientific abstraction). Presented various marketing tricks that bank depositors may meet. The developed methodological provisions of a statistical study of the structure of deposits can be used in modelling and forecasting the results of financial institutions. Practical recommendations allow us to give an objective assessment of the state of the resource base of the bank in terms of effective management of funds of individuals and corporate clients.


We began our research on worldwide cases of marine ecosystem-based management (MEBM) assuming that we would find exemplars that could be used to create a model process, but those exemplars proved elusive. There is no single way to advance MEBM; rather, there are multiple ways to incorporate an MEBM perspective into management. We observed many places where people were trying to advance ecosystem considerations in decision making, following different paths, responding to different issues, and employing different strategies. All were steadfast in their insistence that they were still trying to figure it out. Yet their efforts reveal valuable insights about the critical factors that enable and sustain an MEBM process.


Recent advances in domain adaptation show that deep self-training presents a powerful means for unsupervised domain adaptation. These methods often involve an iterative process of predicting on target domain and then taking the confident predictions as pseudo-labels for retraining. However, since pseudo-labels can be noisy, self-training can put overconfident label belief on wrong classes, leading to deviated solutions with propagated errors. To address the problem, we propose a confidence regularized self-training (CRST) framework, formulated as regularized self-training. Our method treats pseudo-labels as continuous latent variables jointly optimized via alternating optimization. We propose two types of confidence regularization: label regularization (LR) and model regularization (MR). CRST-LR generates soft pseudo-labels while CRST-MR encourages the smoothness on network output. Extensive experiments on image classification and semantic segmentation show that CRSTs outperform their non-regularized counterpart with state-of-the-art performance. The code and models of this work are available at https://github.com/yzou2/CRST.


Abstract Superfluidity and Bose-Einstein condensation are usually considered as two closely related phenomena. Indeed, in most macroscopic quantum systems, like liquid helium, ultracold atomic Bose gases, and exciton-polaritons, condensation and superfluidity occur in parallel. In photon BoseEinstein condensates realized in the dye microcavity system, thermalization does not occur by direct interaction of the condensate particles as in the above described systems, i.e. photon-photon interactions, but by absorption and re-emission processes on the dye molecules, which act as a heat reservoir. Currently, there is no experimental evidence for superfluidity in the dye microcavity system, though effective photon interactions have been observed from thermo-optic effects in the dye medium. In this work, we theoretically investigate the implications of effective thermo-optic photon interactions, a temporally delayed and spatially non-local effect, on the photon condensate, and derive the resulting Bogoliubov excitation spectrum. The calculations suggest a linear photon dispersion at low momenta, fulfilling the Landau's criterion of superfluidity . We envision that the temporally delayed and long-range nature of the thermo-optic photon interaction offer perspectives for novel quantum fluid phenomena.


This study developed composition-plastic media with woodchips and plastic as main materials, and examined the performance of media. Compared to the existing commercial media, the media had similar performance in removal efficiency and microbes attaching characteristic, and was evaluated that they are distinguished from economic side. Performance test of media was conducted to examine the removal capacity of toluene and hydrogen sulfide in a gas stream by using a lab-scale biotrickling filter systems packed with them. At a volumetric loading of with inlet concentration 260 ppm and empty bed residence time (EBRT) 42s, the toluene removal efficiency was shown over 90%, and the maximum elimination capacity of toluene in the biotrickling filter was . Effective co-treatments of and Toluene were observed in the lab-scale biotrickling filters. The maximum elimination capacity of was . Up to 100 ppm, the concentration of did not have an effect on toluene removal efficiency, but the removal efficiency of toluene decreased with increasing inlet concentration.


Trailers carry large containers to various destinations in the world. These are manually locked on to trailers as they move through these long distances. Security mainly refers to the safety of a state, organization, property, and individuals against criminal activity. The study was made to analyze the existing trailer locks and the insecurity being experienced currently. The study also focused on creating a background to building an automated lock system for auto-mobiles. Findings showed that there are various container types like the General Purpose containers, the Hard-Top containers and the Open-Top among others. Similarly, the twist locks were the ones revised for this study. The study also discussed the weaknesses of the twist locks, most especially the non-notification on unsecured locks. This causes leads to accidents and wastage of lives and property. The study finally proposed an automated lock system to overcome these weaknesses to some good extent.


In this paper, we report on the design of a protocol for transparent, location-independent access in mobile systems. The protocol, termed by us Mobile Client/Server Protocol (MCSP) is an implementation of a communication layer on a mobile host and a stationary machine within the wireline network, and provides middleware functionality. The MCSP supports communication services through the client/server paradigm to transaction-oriented applications distributed between the mobile and a set of service and information brokers. To support the mobile and the wireless environment, a surrogate process is created within the fixed network to perform operations on behalf of the mobile within the fixed network. The MCSP then loosely couples the communicating entities, thus reducing the overhead associated with handoffs and disconnects, so characteristic of the mobile environment. Of particular interest is the application of the MCSP to location-based services, for example, the Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems [1].


Nitrofurantoin is widely used for UTI prophylaxis. Long-term use is known to be able to cause serious adverse effects including pulmonary and hepatic toxicity. The prevalence of nitrofurantoin-induced pulmonary injury is on the increase again as the drug regains popularity as a urinary antiseptic. We describe a previously healthy 83-year-old woman who presented to our emergency department in January 2012 with progressive dyspnoea since 2 weeks. This was not preceded by cough. She had no fever, wheezing, chest pain, or sputum production. She was a 50 pack-year ex-smoker. She had no previous exposure to tuberculosis or industrial chemicals. However, she suffered from recurrent symptomatic urinary tract infections. On examination she appeared dyspnoeic. She was afebrile and normotensive with respiratory rate of 31 per minute and oxygen saturation was 91% while receiving supplementary oxygen at a flow of 5 liter per minute. Respiratory examination revealed fine inspiratory crackles throughout both lungs. Arterial blood gas showed hypoxia with paO2 5.4 kPa (without oxygen suppletion), paO2 8.3 kPa (with 5 liter/min oxygen suppletion) and complete compensation of respiratory acidosis with pH 7.37, and PaCO2 6.9 kPa on 5 liter oxygen suppletion with base excess 2.9 mmol/l. Chest x-ray showed diffuse bilateral interstitial infiltrates. Initial treatment with co-amoxiclav was initiated. CT scanning of the chest showed widespread ground-glass appearance in both lungs with organising pneumonia. A diagnosis of nitrofurantoin-induced interstitial lung disease (NIILD) was suspected. Nitrofurantoin was subsequently stopped and prednisone treatment at 30 mg OD was initiated. Follow-up chest X-ray showed marked improvement.


In this article, we study the fundamental solution of the operator $\oplus _{m}^{k}$, iterated $k$-times and is defined by$$\oplus _{m}^{k} = \left[\left(\sum_{r=1}^{p} \frac{\partial^2} {\partial x_r^2}+m^{2}\right)^4 - \left( \sum_{j=p+1}^{p+q} \frac{\partial^2}{\partial x_{j}^2} \right)^4 \right ]^k,$$ where $m$ is a nonnegative real number, $p+q=n$ is the dimension of the Euclidean space $\mathbb{R}^n$,$x=(x_1,x_2,\ldots,x_n)\in\mathbb{R}^n$, $k$ is a nonnegative integer. At first we study the fundamental solution of the operator $\oplus _{m}^{k}$ and after that, we apply such the fundamental solution to solve for the solution of the equation $\oplus _{m}^{k}u(x)= f(x)$, where $f(x)$ is generalized function and $u(x)$ is unknown function for $ x\in \mathbb{R}^{n}$.


From the earliest days of the British settlement of Australia, India and the crown colony of Ceylon were a familiar part of the colonists' world. As Margaret Steven has noted the first links made by the new colony were with India. When supplies ran short, as they often did, ships from Calcutta brought grain, foodstuffs, spirits, clothing and live animals. India provided a lifeline for the new settlement. Many trading and shipping connections then developed creating an increasing flow of administrators, merchants, army personnel, clergy and tourists between the Indian subcontinent and Australia. Australians constantly heard about the conditions of life in India along with its scenic marvels, architecture, philosophies, mysteries and climate. Australia's Indian connection was to remain strong for much of the nineteenth century.


Affine inverse eigenvalue problems are usually solved using iterations where the object is to diminish the difference between a set of prescribed eigenvalues and those calculated during iteration. Such an approach requires a scheme for pairing the eigenvalues consistently throughout the iterative process. There appears to be no obvious criterion for such pairing for problems with complex eigenvalues. Consequently the methods previously proposed in the literature are restricted to symmetric eigenvalue problems with real eigenvalues. Real eigenvalues can be paired using their natural increasing order. This paper presents a new Newton's iteration based method where the subject of iteration is the affine coefficients set. With the new method proposed the non-symmetric inverse eigenvalue problem, with inherent complex eigenvalues can be solved, as well as problems associated with symmetric pencils of high order. An immediate application presented in the paper deals with the reconstruction and passive control of damped vibratory systems.


In the past fifteen years the New Social History has rediscovered the American Civil War, a subject traditionally left to military historians, and one that haunts the popular imagination. New approaches and new questions concerning the war and home fronts, have revolutionized the study of the war period. Today the categories of gender, class and race throw new light on old and new documentary material with often striking results.


During the past quarter century, lawyers have become strangely comfortable with descriptions of our government's structure that would, to an untutored ear, speak contradiction. We are quite satisfied to say that governmental powers are separate and shared, departments distinct and overlapping, functions autonomous and interdependent. We have settled into these contradictions as we would a roomy chair: talking this way is no longer controversial but taken for granted, uttered with a knowing wink, perceived as the starting point of sophisticated analysis. A not "entirely separate," but "entirely free," set of departments is the only way we can think about the separation of powers anymore. Indeed, the Supreme Court has even managed to convince itself that these "cancelling quotations" best describe historical understandings.Exhausted by this discourse of cancellation, we cling to reminders of the importance of the separation of power. On a regular basis, we invoke Madison's words from The Federalist that "[t]he accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many,...may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny." Repeated so often, however, the words have almost lost their meaning. If we step back and repeat them, we find Madison's statement oddly exaggerated. We live in a world in which the very "tyranny" Madison decries has become banal: daily, the departments each perform legislative, executive, and judicial functions without inspiring the slightest public outcry against "tyranny."This article argues that these fragmentary and contradictory understandings depend upon a partial, but serious, misunderstanding of the very idea of separated powers. Every time we use the term "separation of powers," we invoke a common, yet tacit, narrative of power--a narrative constructed upon the idea of legal authority: we imagine the executive, judicial, and legislative powers divided and neatly arranged among the departments. In this article, the author explores the implications of a different narrative of power, one based on the idea that power is as much constituted by the political relationships the Constitution creates as by the legal authority it bestows. She argues that the separation of political power is as, if not more, vital to the continued separation of our governmental institutions as the separation of any particular function or the allocation of any particular legal authority.


For SUAV is required to have the capacity of VTOL and fast forward flight, the SUAV development program has decided to adopt the tiltrotor mechanism which includes helicopter and turboprop mechanisms. From the engine point of view, the key engine parameters such as engine operating mechanism, engine control scheme, the dynamics characteristic of power train, engine intake/exhaust concept, and engine installation requirements should fulfill the requirements of the two different mechanisms, helicopter and turboprop. And for the maximum efficiency of the rotor, rotational speed for the two modes are 20% different, the power train shall find a way to make it so. Meeting these specific requirements for the tiltrotor mechanism, this research begins with a conventional OTS(off-the-shelf) turboshaft engine survey and minimizes engine modification to develop an economical propulsion system. The engine technical review has been performed on the basis of those requirements and capabilities.


Large diameter YBa2C u3OX levitators have been fabricated using seeded melt processing. Two types of levitators have been produced: single-domain, obtained using flat NdBa2Cu30x seeds, and five-domain, obtained using cubic NdBa2Cu30x seeds. The difference in these two types of levitators can be attributed to differences in nucleation and solidification processes. In particular, the nucleation of multiple (five) domain levitators may be related directly to the crystallography of the cubic seeding crystals which also exhibit a multiple-domain structure. Single-domain levitators are produced, by seeding with plate-like seed crystals which are composed of a single domain. Subsequent growth of the levitator is dominated by anisotropic solidification. Using these types of seeds, we developed a dual-seeded melt textured growth process for the production of bulk bicrystals which are useful for studies of grain boundary transport behavior.


ABSTRACT Finely textured, calcitic, terrigenous clastic rocks of the type Escondido Formation (Rio Grande section) afford perhaps the most complete sphenodiscid ammonite succession in North America. Documented superposition in the type section cannot be reconciled with the established Maestrichtian ammonite zonation for south Texas and northern Mexico. A new zonation is proposed that should provide a clearer basis for biostratigraphic correlation with sphenodiscid-bearing sections elsewhere. Terrigenous clastic rocks previously referred to the Escondido Formation crop out in the eastern part of the Sabinas Coal Basin in northern Coahuila. In terms of facies and depositional style, these rocks bear more similarity to the Parras Shale-Difunta transition to the south than to the type Escondido. The lower part of the proposed zonal scheme can be recognized in the eastern Sabinas Coal Basin; the upper part is not expressed there because of facies change and missing section. If the ammonite zones have chronostratigraphic value, then, during the Maestrichtian, the Sabinas Coal Basin, was the site of far greater subsidence and sediment accumulation than the upper Rio Grande Embayment.


We report first-epoch circular polarization results for 133 active galactic nuclei in the MOJAVE program to monitor the structure and polarization of a flux limited sample of extra-galactic radio jets with the VLBA at 15 GHz. We found strong circular polarization ($\geq 0.3$%) in approximately 15% of our sample. The circular polarization was usually associated with jet cores; however, we did find a few strong jet components to be circularly polarized. The levels of circular polarization were typically in the range of $0.3-0.5$% of the local Stokes-$I$. We found no strong correlations between fractional circular polarization of jet cores and source type, redshift, EGRET detections, linear polarization, or other observed parsec-scale jet properties. There were differences between the circular-to-linear polarization ratios of two nearby galaxies versus more distant quasars and BL Lac objects. We suggest this is because the more distant sources either have (1) less depolarization of their linear polarization, and/or (2) poorer effective linear resolution and therefore their VLBA cores apparently contain a larger amount of linearly polarized jet emission. The jet of 3C 84 shows a complex circular polarization structure, similar to observations by Homan & Wardle five years earlier; however, much of the circular polarization seems to have moved, consistent with a proper motion of 0.06$c$. The jet of 3C 273 also has several circularly polarized components, and we find their fractional circular polarization decreases with distance from the core.