One problem of the Big Bang model is the dominance of matter over antimatter in the Universe. The Standard Model prediction for the ratio of baryons over antibaryons deviates from the astrophysical observations by eight orders of magnitude. To explain this discrepancy a strong CP or T-violation must be found. A possible discovery of a T-symmetry violation in the system of baryons would be a strong indication for the existence of physics beyond the Standard Model.
At the Cooler-Synchrotron COSY-Julich, using a polarized proton beam and a tensor polarized deuterium target, we can measure an unique true (T-odd, P-even) null observable Ay,xz. This will serve as a new test of the T-symmetry violation in a baryonic system. In order to measure the forward scattering amplitude, the TRIC experiment is conceived as an internal transmission experiment in the storage ring with a storage-cell, fed by a tensor polarized deuteron beam of the PAX atomic beam source. By flipping the spin of beam or target a possible T-symmetry violation reveals itself by different total cross-sections and therefore by a different decrease of the intensity of the circulating beam in the ring. Thus, for the TRIC experiment COSY will serve as an accelerator, storage ring, detector, and ideal zero degree spectrometer.


International migration is increasing and Europe is no exception with immigrants accounting for more than 10% of the total European Union population in 2014. One pressing issue is tobacco use in immigrants as they may use tobacco differently from the natives of the hostcountry and this could result in differing tobacco‐related cancers (TRC) risks compared to those in the natives. However very little is known about tobacco use, a major avoidable cancer cause, and TRC in immigrants in Europe. The overall objective of this thesis was to investigate tobacco use and risk of TRC in immigrants. The aims were to: explore tobacco use and its determinants in immigrants in France (TOBAMIG pilot study), compare the burden of TRC between immigrants and natives in Denmark, put these results into context with current knowledge, and give guidance on how to set up a study on tobacco use and cancer risk in immigrants in France using the experience from the TOBAMIG pilot study. In the TOBAMIG pilot study information on tobacco use and its determinants was collected from a mixed sample of immigrants, suggesting a large‐scale study was in principle feasible, but modifications from the TOBAMiG approach were to be made. In Denmark, the overall TRC rate in immigrants was lower than that of the natives; however, large differences were observed by cancer‐site and by country of origin, suggesting that among other factors the smoking patterns from the immigrant's country of origin have a primary role in the burden of TRC. Finally, with regard to a large‐scale study in France, two study designs are proposed, depending on the quantity of information sought, to better understand tobacco use in immigrants and risk of TRC


The aim of this article is to examine and contribute to the existing body of knowledge on gendered rural ageing by exploring, from a lifecourse perspective, the pivotal role of social relationships in shaping the quality of life for rural women at mid-life and beyond. Quality of life is examined in relation to the contributing factor of social relationships, and the article further explores concepts that intersect with social relationships to influence quality of life, including those of place, work, and health. As part of the examination of social relationships, complementary concepts of social inclusion and exclusion, social isolation, and loneliness are also explored. Findings from qualitative interviews with 25 women in rural Ireland aged 45–65 years, together with grounded theory analysis, suggest that the quality of life experienced by rural women at mid-life is primarily influenced by the presence, absence, and quality of social relationships experienced with family, friends, and other members of the community. Although a number of influencing factors contribute to perceived quality of life, meaningful social connectivity takes precedence. In considering life beyond middle-age, rural women envisage social inclusion as playing an increasingly vital role in shaping their ageing and their quality of life. perspectives on ageing amongst mid-life


A Level II materials balance was performed on benzene. Data are reported for benzene production from petroleum by four processes (catalytic reformation, toluene dealkylation, toluene disproportionation, and isolation from pyrolysis gasoline) for production from coal during coking. Amounts of benzene consumed for the synthesis of eight direct derivatives (ethylbenzene, cumene, cyclohexane, nitrobenzene, maleic anhydride, mono- and dichlorobenzene, alkylbenzenes, and biphenyl) and exports are presented. These uses constitute approximately 99 percent of total benzene usage. Nonconsumptive uses (solvents and pesticide component) are also tabulated. Releases due to each of the above processes are reported or estimated where possible using published and unpublished data. In addition, releases due to indirect production (refinery operation, coke oven operations, oil spills, non-ferrous metals manufacturing, ore mining, wood processing, coal mining, and two phases of the textile industry) are presented. Production of benzene as a component of gasoline and releases due to all phases of gasoline use are estimated. Locations of sites with high levels of benzene releases due to production and use are tabulated: the major 'hotspots' are Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Houston/Galveston, Texas; Midland, Michigan; and Puerto Rico. The uncertainty ranges of all numbers used or derived in this report are evaluated when possible andmore » tabulated. Data gaps are evaluated and general recommendations are presented. The results of the report are summarized in two figures: the Environmental Flow Diagram for benzene in Appendix A, and the Materials Balance Flow Diagram in the Executive Summary.« less


The bandwidth upgrade required in short-reach optical communications has prompted the need for detection schemes that combine field reconstruction with a cost-effective subsystem architecture. Here we propose an asymmetric self-coherent detection (ASCD) scheme for the field reconstruction of self-coherent (SC) complex double-sideband (DSB) signals based on a direct-detection (DD) receiver with two reception paths. Each reception path consists of a photodiode (PD) and an analog-to-digital converter for the detection of a part of the received optical signal that experiences a different optical transfer function via the configuration of an optical filter. We derive an analytical solution to reconstructing the signal field and show the optimal filter response in optimizing the signal SNR. Further, we numerically characterize the theoretical performance of a specific ASCD scheme based on a chromatic dispersion filter and validate the principle of the ASCD scheme in a proof-of-concept experiment. The ASCD scheme approaches the electrical spectral efficiency of coherent detection with a cost-effective DD receiver, which shows the potential for high-speed short-reach links required by edge cloud communications and mobile X-haul systems.


The expression of glutathione transferase pi (GST pi) was studied in leukemic cells from 60 patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia at diagnosis and at progressing stages of the disease. A polyclonal rabbit antibody to human placental GST pi coupled with peroxidase antiperoxidase staining was used for immunodetection of GST pi on sections of routinely fixed bone marrow clots. All patients had received induction therapy based on an anthracycline and a standard dose of ara-C. The expression of GST pi at diagnosis was significantly correlated with response to induction therapy, duration of first remission, and overall survival. Twenty-nine of 36 samples of bone marrow from patients that entered complete remission (CR) following primary induction therapy showed a low expression, whereas nine of 16 sections from patients with resistant disease showed a high expression of GST pi (P less than or equal to 0.03). Of 40 sections that showed a low expression of GST pi, 29 (73%) were taken from patients that achieved a CR, whereas 12 of 19 sections that showed a high expression of the enzyme were from patients with resistant disease or that entered CR only after additional therapy (P less than or equal to 0.02). The median duration of first CR was 18.2 mo for patients whose cells showed a low expression of GST pi compared with 6.7 mo for those that entered CR in spite of a high expression of the enzyme (P less than or equal to 0.005). Of cells from ten patients that at the time of study were in a continuous first CR, none expressed high concentrations of GST pi. The expression of GST pi remained rather constant in most patients as the disease progressed to clinical resistance. At relapse there was no significant correlation between the expression of GST pi and treatment results but, of ten patients that entered a second CR or achieved a partial remission, only one showed a high expression of the enzyme. We conclude that there was a significant correlation between the expression of GST pi at the time of diagnosis and the subsequent treatment results and that GST pi is a useful marker for clinical resistance to cytostatic drugs in acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia.


Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) is an important trophic link within Arctic marine food webs and is likely to experience diet shifts in response to climate change. One important tool for assessing organism diet is bulk stable isotope analysis. However, key parameters necessary for interpreting the temporal context of stable isotope values are lacking, especially for Arctic species. This study provides the first experimental determination of isotopic turnover (as half-life) and Trophic Discrimination Factors (TDF) of both δ13 C and δ15 N in adult polar cod muscle. Using a diet enriched in both 13 C and 15 N, we measured isotopic turnover times of 61 and 49 days for δ13 C and δ15 N, respectively, with metabolism accounting for >94% of the total turnover. These half-life estimates are valid for adult polar cod (> 3 years) experiencing little somatic growth. We measured TDFs in our control of 2.6 ‰ and 3.9 ‰ for δ13 C and δ15 N, respectively, and we conclude that applying the commonly used TDF of ~1 ‰ for δ13 C for adult polar cod may lead to misrepresentation of dietary carbon source, while the use of 3.8 ‰ for δ15 N is appropriate. Based on these results, we recommend that studies investigating seasonal shifts in the diet of adult polar cod sample at temporal intervals of at least 60 days to account for isotopic turnover in polar cod muscle. Although isotopic equilibrium was reached by the fish in this study, it was at substantially lower isotope values than the diet. Additionally, the use of highly enriched algae in the experimental feed caused very high variability in diet isotope values which precluded accurate calculation of TDFs from the enriched fish. As a result of the challenges faced in this study, we discourage the use of highly enriched diets for similar experiments and provide recommendations to guide the design of future isotopic turnover experiments. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Kolhapur is presently generating construction and demolition waste to the tune of aprox.900 tons annually and these figures are likely to double fold in the next 2 years.Concrete has been seen as a resource in developed countries. Works on recycling have emphasized that if old concrete has to be used in second generation concrete, the product should adhere to the required compressive strength. Literature survey reveals that compressive strength primarily depends upon adhered mortar, water absorption, Los Angeles abrasion, size of aggregates, strength of parent concrete, age of curing and ratio of replacement, interfacial transition zone, moisture state, impurities present and controlled environmental condition. Some of the studies have suggested the mix design procedure for recycled aggregates in concrete, yet a simple and Environment effective method of using demolished concrete, taking into account % adhered mortar and thus calculating mix composition needs to be developed. This project deals with the review of the existing literature work for the use of recycled concrete as aggregates in concrete in respect of mainly the compressive strength and proposes an approach for use of recycled concrete aggregate without compromising the strength.


H. Fischer and Zerweck (9) were the first to recognize the increased urinary excretion of coproporphyrin in cases of pernicious anemia during relapse. Traces of coproporphyrin occur regularly in the normal urine and evidence was presented in Part I of this communication which strongly suggests that the normal urine porphyrin is coproporphyrin I. There is no evidence that this is formned in the bone marrow of the normal individual, rather, the studies of Borst and K6nigsd6rffer (29) are against this view. Van den Bergh's experimenital evidence suggesting that coproporphyrin may be formed in the liver has been discussed in Part II. Recently coproporphyrin has been identified in the erythroblasts and megaloblasts of pernicious aniemiiia marrow by Borst and K6nigsd6rffer (29). The reason for this formation of coproporphyrin in the marrow is unknown. Duesberg (23) has assumed it to be simply another evidence of reversion of the pernicious anemia marrow to an embryonic type, since the erythroblasts of normiial emiibryonic marrow regularly contain coproporphyrin according to Borst and K6nigsd6rffer (29), and since coproporphyrin is regularly present in meconium, Garrod (11), Gtinther (12). On the other hand, H. Fischer and Hilmer (30) were able to isolate coproporphyrin I from ordinary brewer's yeast, the amount being greatly increased after autolysis. It was conceivable that the marrow cells in pernicious anemia were to be regarded as cells laboring under abnormal or deficient living conditions, the coproporphyrin being formed for an unknown function in the same way that the yeast cell fornms it under abnormiial con(litions. A further possibility was that the coproporphyrin excreted in pernicious anemia corresponided to aetioporphyrin III, in other words, to hemoglobin, as Grotepass


Novelty and impact are key characteristics of the scientific enterprise. Classic theories of scientific change distinguish among different types of novelty and emphasize how a new idea interacts with previous work and influences future flows of knowledge. However, even recently developed measures of novelty remain unidimensional, and continued reliance on citation counts captures only the amount, but not the nature, of scientific impact. To better align theoretical and empirical work, we attend to different types of novelty (new results, new theories, and new methods) and whether a scientific offering has a consolidating form of influence (bringing renewed attention to foundational ideas) or a disruptive one (prompting subsequent scholars to overlook them). By integrating data from the Web of Science (to measure the nature of influence) with essays written by authors of Citation Classics (to measure novelty type), and by joining computational text analysis with statistical analyses, we demonstrate clear and robust patterns between type of novelty and the nature of scientific influence. As expected, new methods tend to be more disruptive, whereas new theories tend to be less disruptive. Surprisingly, new results do not have a robust effect on the nature of scientific influence.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

Background: Amphiregulin is a ligand for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) shares common signal pathways and forms a heterodimer with EGFR. In this study, we investigated the effect of amphiregulin on trastuzumab therapy in HER2-positive breast cancer.

Methods: We analyzed serum amphiregulin levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from baseline serum samples obtained from HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer patients who received first-line trastuzumab plus taxane chemotherapy. In addition, in vitro experiments were performed to elucidate the biologic mechanism of clinical findings related to amphiregulin using SK-BR-3 and BT-474 cell lines.

Results: Between October 2004 and July 2009, a total of 50 women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer were consecutively enrolled. The median age was 47 years (range, 27-72 years). Eighteen patients (36.0%) received weekly paclitaxel plus trastuzumab, 24 patients (48.0%) tri-weekly paclitaxel plus trastuzumab, and 8 patients (16.0%) tri-weekly docetaxel plus trastuzumab. Among 43 patients with measurable lesions, the response rate (RR) was 76.7%. The median follow-up duration was 29.2 months (range, 0.7-63.3 months). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 17.6 months (95% confidence interval (CI), 13.4-21.9 months). The median overall survival (OS) was 47.0 months (95% CI, 35.3-58.6 months). The median serum amphiregulin level was 1.0 ng/mL with a maximum level of 4.4 ng/mL. Patients with high serum amphiregulin levels (≥0.5 ng/mL) had significantly shorter PFS (p=0.018) along with a tendency toward lower RR (p=0.237) and shorter OS (p=0.529) than the others. The in vitro colony forming assay demonstrated that the addition of amphiregulin resulted in increased proliferation of both SK-BR-3 and BT-474 cells. In addition, the anti-proliferative effect of trastuzumab was decreased in the presence of amphiregulin in both SK-BR-3 and BT-474 cells. The Western blot analysis showed that amphiregulin increased the phosphorylation of Akt and its downstream molecules in both SK-BR-3 and BT-474 cells. In addition, in the presence of amphiregulin, sustained phosphorylation of Akt and its downstream molecules was observed after trastuzumab treatment in both SK-BR-3 and BT-474 cells.

Conclusions: High serum amphiregulin levels (≥0.5 ng/mL) predicted disease progression after first-line trastuzumab plus taxane chemotherapy in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Amphiregulin promoted the proliferation of HER2-positive breast cancer cells in vitro and induced trastuzumab resistance by activating PI3K/Akt pathway. Our results suggest that the measurement of serum amphiregulin levels by ELISA may provide additional information for the clinical outcome of trastuzumab-based chemotherapy in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.

Citation Format: Ji-Won Kim, Young Seok Joung, Ahrum Min, Hyun-Jin Nam, Jee Hyun Kim, Seock-Ah Im, Kyung-Hun Lee, Jin-Soo Kim, Tae-Yong Kim, Sae-Won Han, Yoon Kyung Jeon, Do-Youn Oh, Tae-You Kim, In Ae Park. Amphiregulin confers trastuzumab resistance by activating PI3K/Akt pathway in HER2-positive breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2386. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2386


EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Jane Brookes Ward manager (paediatric medical), Nottingham Children's Hospital, Nottingham Geraldine Cunningham Associate director of culture change, Barts Health NHS, London Paul Edwards Head of practice development, Bupa UK Care Services, Leeds Naomi Elliott Director of international initiatives, school of nursing and midwifery, Trinity College Dublin Paul Labourne Assistant nurse director, Powys Teaching Health Board Anastasia Mallidou Assistant professor, school of nursing, University of Victoria BC, Canada Ada ter Maten Nurse researcher, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Healthcare, Netherlands Niall McCrae Lecturer at the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London Jane Naish Associate director of nursing, Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, Surrey Natasha Phillips Assistant chief nurse, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and visiting research fellow, National Nursing Research Unit, King's College London Elaine Strachan-Hall Clinical director of Healthcare at Home and registered nurse on South Warwickshire Clinical Commissioning Group's governing body Helen Ward Associate professor in non-medical prescribing, London South Bank University Frances Wong Professor and associate dean, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China Haiou Xia Professor at the school of nursing, Fudan University, China


Active packaging, a new technology concept in the field of food packaging, has been introduced in recent years in order to provide quality and safety, as well as extend the shelf life of food products. Antimicrobial (AM) agents can be incorporated directly into the active packaging and migrate in a controlled manner to the headspace between the food and the package, inhibiting bacteria growth on the food surface. Naturally derived AM agent, such as essential oils (EOs), has received considerable attention for food preservation purposes, because of their effective AM activity against various bacteria and fungi. In the present study, AM active film systems based on polypropylene/polyamide blends, montmorillonite nanoclays, and thymol EO were produced to investigate the feasibility of controlling the release rate of thymol from food packaging systems. Selective localization of thymol in a specific phase in the system that derives from thermodynamic affinity was assumed to be useful in controlling its migration rate from the film to the headspace. EO retention in the film under two different time conditions was measured by spectroscopic analysis. The release rate of EO was determined using Gas chromatography technique and analyzed by diffusion model approach. Inhibition of bacterial growth was periodically tested for Listeria and Escherichia coli bacteria. This study confirms the thermodynamic affinity of polyamide phase with thymol that has a positive effect in retaining the EO. Results show controlled AM behavior of the active packaging films, based on various blend compositions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


ABSTRACT Background: Screening tools have been recommended for use in aged care to improve the detection and treatment of depression. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a program for the routine implementation of the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia in Australian facilities, to determine whether use of the instrument by nurses led to further monitoring of depressive symptoms, medical referral, and changes in treatments prescribed for depression. Methods: A file review was completed for 412 participants out of a total of 867 older people (47.5%) who resided in ten aged care facilities. The review examined Cornell Scale assessment data, medication charts, medical history, nursing progress notes, and resident care plans. Nursing staff who administered the Cornell Scale to each participant were also interviewed, and ten facility managers took part in an interview to determine barriers to the effective implementation of the instrument. Results: The Cornell Scale had been administered to 46.8% of the sample in the previous 12 months, with 25% of these participants scoring 9–13 and 27% scoring 14 and above. Less than one third of the residents with high scores were monitored by the staff following the assessment. Only 18% of residents with high scores were referred for further assessment of depression, while 10% received a treatment change. Conclusions: The absence of a protocol for responding to high Cornell Scale scores limited the potential of this program to result in widespread improved treatment of depressed older people. The use of the Cornell Scale by aged care nurses with limited training raised concern.


Abstract Purpose: To compare the image quality of modern 3 D and 2 D sequences for dedicated wrist imaging at 3 Tesla (T) MRI. Materials and Methods: At 3 T MRI, 18 patients (mean age: 36.2 years) with wrist pain and 16 healthy volunteers (mean age: 26.4 years) were examined using 2 D proton density-weighted fat-saturated (PDfs), isotropic 3 D TrueFISP, 3 D MEDIC, and 3 D PDfs SPACE sequences. Image quality was rated on a five-point scale (0 – 4) including overall image quality (OIQ), visibility of important structures (cartilage, ligaments, TFCC) and degree of artifacts. Signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) of cartilage/bone/muscle/fluid as well as the mean overall SNR/CNR were calculated using region-of-interest analysis. ANOVA, paired t-, and Wilcoxon-signed-rank tests were applied. Results: The image quality of all tested sequences was superior to 3 D PDfs SPACE (p < 0.01). 3 D TrueFISP had the highest combined cartilage score (mean: 3.4) and performed better in cartilage comparisons against 3 D PDfs SPACE in both groups and 2 D PDfs in volunteers (p < 0.05). 3 D MEDIC performed better in 7 of 8 comparisons (p < 0.05) regarding ligaments and TFCC. 2 D PDfs provided constantly high scores. The mean overall SNR/CNR for 2 D PDfs, 3 D PDfs SPACE, 3 D TrueFISP, and 3 D MEDIC were 68/65, 32/27, 45/47, and 57/45, respectively. 2 D PDfs performed best in most SNR/CNR comparisons (p < 0.05) and 3 D MEDIC performed best within the 3 D sequences (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Except 3 D PDfs SPACE, all tested 3 D and 2 D sequences provided high image quality. 3 D TrueFISP was best for cartilage imaging, 3 D MEDIC for ligaments and TFCC and 2 D PDfs for general wrist imaging. Key points: • 3 D TrueFISP is recommended for cartilage imaging of the wrist at 3 T. • 3 D MEDIC is recommended for ligaments and TFCC. • Robust 2 D PDfs should be used in routine protocols. 3 D sequences may be added depending on the clinical question. • 3 D PDfs SPACE is currently inferior. Citation Format: • Rehnitz C, Klaan B, von Stillfried F et al. Comparison of Modern 3D and 2D MR Imaging Sequences of the Wrist at 3 Tesla. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2016; 188: 753 – 762


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce the social and scientific rationale for book clubs, whose members read wordless books together, and give examples of storytelling with picture books in libraries and other community settings for people with intellectual disabilities and autism.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors consider the impact of book clubs reading picture books without words, alongside an understanding of the underlying neuroscience (see Table I for search strategy). The authors compare differences in the neuroscience of information and emotion processing between pictures and words. Accounts from book club facilitators illustrate these differences in practice.

Findings

Many readers who struggle with reading and comprehending words, find pictures much easier to understand. Book clubs support community inclusion, as for other people in society. A focus on visual rather than word literacy encourages successful shared reading.

Research limitations/implications

No research has been published about the feasibility and effectiveness of wordless books in community book clubs or shared reading groups. There is very little research on the impact of accessible materials, despite a legal requirement for services to provide reasonable adjustments and the investment of time and resources in developing storylines in pictures, or "translating" information into easy read formats.

Practical implications

Book clubs whose members read picture books without words are growing in number, especially in public libraries in the UK. Expansion is dependent on funding to pay for training for librarians and volunteer facilitators.

Social implications

There is a shortage of fully accessible activities for adults with intellectual disabilities in mainstream community settings with a primarily social purpose.

Originality/value

To the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper describing the theory and impact of wordless book clubs for people who find pictures easier to understand than words.


Objective. To determine whether growth in the number of pharmacy graduates and newly accredited schools from 2000 to 2009 were larger in states with fewer pharmacists per population age ≥ 65 years. Methods. States were aggregated into quartiles based on rank-ordered ratios of in-state pharmacists per 100,000 population aged ≥ 65 years. Quartiles were then compared with respect to the number of new graduates. Results. The mean cumulative number of graduates was highest in the first quartile of states (those with the greatest need for pharmacists) and lowest in the fourth quartile of states. States with the greatest need for pharmacists had the lowest positive growth in number of pharmacists per population ≥ 65 years. The majority of new schools in 2009 were located in states with relatively low numbers of pharmacists. Conclusion. The growth in new pharmacy graduates created by expansion in schools as well as in graduates per school helped states meet demand between 2000 and 2009. However, tremendous variation remains in the number of graduates as well as the number of pharmacists across states. The quartile framework is useful for assessing the number of new pharmacy graduates based on pharmacists per population ratios. Based on current dynamics in the supply and demand of pharmacists, frequent monitoring is recommended.


OBJECTIVES
The occurrence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and the possible relatedness between human and animal isolates were investigated among veterinary staff and hospitalized animals in a referral small animal hospital in the UK.

METHODS
A total of 300 swab samples were taken from nasal and oral mucosae of 78 veterinary staff, 45 dogs, 12 cats and from 30 environmental surfaces. Staphylococci were isolated by selective enrichment and characterized by biochemical tests and antimicrobial disc susceptibility testing. MRSA isolates were genotypically confirmed by PCR and typed by PFGE.

RESULTS
MRSA was isolated from 14 staff (17.9%), four dogs (9%), and three environmental sites (10%) yielding a total of 28 MRSA isolates. PFGE analysis revealed that most MRSA isolates were indistinguishable (56%) or closely related (26%) to EMRSA-15, one of the two epidemic MRSA strains dominant in UK hospitals. Like EMRSA-15, the predominant strain isolated from staff, dogs and environmental sites was resistant to fluoroquinolones in addition to all beta-lactams.

CONCLUSIONS
The study provides evidence of EMRSA-15 mucosal carriage in veterinary staff and hospitalized dogs, with the risk of MRSA carriage in veterinary staff being significantly higher than reported for the UK healthy community. EMRSA-15 was predominant in the hospital environment, including humans, dogs, and inanimate objects, but the mode by which the strain was introduced and spread remains uncertain.


Evolutionary psychologists have suggested that indirect aggression during adolescence is a strategy to compete with same-sex peer rivals for resources, status, and mating opportunities. We collected survey data on 143 young adults to determine retrospectively, the amount of indirect aggressive behavior they perpetrated and the amount of indirect victimization they experienced in middle school and high school. We also collected information about reproductive opportunities such as age at first sexual intercourse and number of lifetime sex partners to determine whether aggression or victimization could be used to predict measures of reproductive opportunity. We performed a principal components analysis to develop factors from 16 aggression and victimization variables. Results indicate that females who reported indirect aggression toward peers had earlier ages at first sexual intercourse and females who were more victimized in adolescence experienced later ages at first sexual intercourse. We discuss these results in terms of intrasexual competition and evolutionary theory.


Abstract : The analysis of the experimental data available at the IDG which may be applicable to the problem of the detection and identification of nuclear explosions by modern hydroacoustic methods is represented. These data includes some results of observations of nuclear explosions at the Novaya Zemlya test site; results of measurements of HE with weights to 100 kg at a shallow reservoir; explosions of deep water bombs and mines; modeling of explosions of small charges of HE including underwater explosions in cavities filled by air. On the basis of the analysis of the experimental data it was shown that methods of hydroacoustic control can be used for the detection and identification of nuclear explosions, which were conducted near bottom or the free surface of water, above water and at reservoir's coast including underground explosions. Application of high sensitive hydrophones established near the bottom of sea with low level of noise, existence of sound channels with small attenuation favor this inspection. From nuclear explosions conducted in confined reservoirs similar to the Bay of Chernaya, hydrophones can received signals in open sea from seismic waves before shock waves in water. These tests shows strong reducing effect of the bottom and free surface of the reservoir on the acoustic efficiency. Thus, it is necessary to conduct a special investigation for determining the advantages and disadvantages of the methods of hydroacoustic control respective to different methods. Special acoustic source function was developed which allows to determine parameters of acoustic signal at large distances before the acoustic wave comes into sound channel. Acoustic signals from various sources of natural and artificial origin: HE, impact of meteorites, earthquakes, tsunami and so on are used for identification of nuclear explosions.


A phlebotomist's words and actions play a crucial role in success of a blood draw and in providing a supportive patient experience. This study examined use of comfort measures during a pediatric blood draw. The phlebotomist's use of soft words, positioning, distraction, coaching/support were observed with sixty children between 3-14 years of age during a blood draw. The level of fear /anxiety before and during the blood draw was recorded by an RA. The child's level of fear/anxiety was observed and reported by the parent/caregiver after the procedure. Comfort measures provided by phlebotomists, the parent/caregiver's report of their child's usual response, and the parent's level of fear with needles were compared. Comfort measures were offered inconsistently across age groups. Distraction was the most frequent measure (85%), followed by coaching/support (72%). Positioning was used more often with younger children (42%) than with older children (7%). Despite the high use of comfort measures, many children (56%) had levels of 2-4 fear/anxiety. The paren t/caregiver often predicted their child's level of fear/ anxiety. Phlebotomists can benefit from interdisciplinary collaboration opportunities and developmentally appropriate education, including comfort measures, to mitigate patients' pain and fear. Given the importance of creating a positive patient-family centered environment, introductions, and interactions to build a trusting rapport are crucial. Additionally, this research highlighted the importance of self-advocacy by pediatric patients and families. When providers ask and listen, and children are brave enough to share their voice...the human experience will improve on all sides.


Sex steroids have a significant effect on skeletal biology in men, with reduced levels being associated with lower skeletal bone mass and cortical thickness. The purpose of this study was to determine if sex steroids are associated with periodontitis and tooth loss in a cohort of 1210 older dentate men followed for 3 years. Periodontal measures included attachment loss, pocket depth, gingival bleeding, and number of teeth. Baseline serum testosterone and estradiol were measured by radioimmunoassay. Severe periodontitis was common at baseline (38%), and progression occurred in 32% of the cohort. Incident tooth loss occurred in 22% of the cohort. Testosterone, estradiol, and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations were not related to baseline periodontal status or number of teeth. Moreover, there was no relationship between sex steroid levels and periodontitis progression or incident tooth loss. Although periodontitis, progression of periodontitis, and tooth loss are common in older men, they were not associated with sex steroids.


The present interview offers an annotated dialogue with Dr. Daniel L. Scha -cter, in which we had the chance to learn about his findings, his current studies, in their implications for memory and cognition. Dr. Schacter is cu -rrently William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. With more than 40 years of professional experience in research on cognition, Dr. Schacter has published over 400 articles, many in top scientific journals, and some have been cited thousands of times. For his multiple theoretical and empirical contributions to the field of psychology, Dr. Schacter recently received the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions.


Chlorination is the most widely used method for disinfecting water for human consumption. While the chlorinated water travels through a distribution system, the concentration of free residual chlorine (FRC) declines depending on the natural water characteristics. This study investigated FRC decay in two types of water sources – ground and surface water – with varied concentrations of organic compounds. The travel time variable depended on water consumption patterns of both distribution systems which attend low density populations and their initial project needs. Based on mathematical simulation techniques of water quality models, the study also investigated the effects of water temperature and total organic carbon (TOC) on the kinetic constants (kb) of chlorine decay. Results show that travel time in the most critical locations in the water networks and the minimum disinfectant concentrations required at the entry points were 40 hours and 0.27-0.28 mg L-1 at Vale dos Pássaros housing complex, and 144 hours and 0.30-0.36 mg L-1 at Terras Alphaville housing complex.
Keywords: disinfection, TOC, water quality.


Francois Delaporte's Chagas Disease chronicles Brazilian medicine's encounter with a disease, an insect, and a history of discovery. Between 1909 and 1911, Carlos Chagas described an infection (pathogenic trypanosome), its intermediate host, and the illness that he believed it caused, parasitic thyroiditis. Chagas's work did not lack significance: the disease that came to share his name would be one of Latin America's most serious endemic diseases. However, the clinical identification of the disease through "Romana's sign" (a palpebral edema or swelling of the eyelid) some decades later marked a transformation in the general medical knowledge of the disease and its basis altogether. Not only was the disease entity that Chagas had described shown to be a nosological illusion, but twenty-five years of scientific controversy turned out to have been based on a misunderstanding. The continued use of the term "Chagas's Disease" even after Cecilio Romana's discovery thus refers to a fundamental ambiguity. Delaporte dispels this ambiguity by re-examining the various discoveries, dead ends, controversies, and major epistemological transformations that marked the history of the disease--a history that begins with the creation of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro and ends in the forests of Santa Fe in northern Argentina. Delaporte's study shows how an epistemological focus can add depth to the history of medicine and complexity to accounts of scientific discovery.


Objectives Risk of infections in patients with solid cancers and bone metastases (BM) and the subsequent impact on prognosis is unclear. We examined the risk of infections among patients with cancer diagnosed with BM and the subsequent impact of infections on mortality. Design Population-based cohort study. Setting Danish medical databases holding information on all hospital contacts in Denmark. Participants Adult patients with solid cancers and BM between 1 January 1994 and 30 November 2013. Outcome measures In the risk analyses, the outcome was time to hospitalisation for common severe infections, pneumonia, sepsis and urinary tract infections. In the mortality analysis, we used Cox regression to compute HRs of death, modelling infection as time-varying exposure, stratifying for primary cancer type and adjusting for age, sex and comorbidities. Results Among 23 336 patients with cancer and BM, cumulative incidences of common severe infections were 4.6%, 14.0% and 20.0% during 1 month, 1 year and 10 years follow-up. The highest incidence was observed for pneumonia, followed by urinary tract infections and sepsis. Infection was a strong predictor of 1 month mortality (adjusted HR: 2.1 (95% CI 1.8 to 2.3)) and HRs increased after 1 and 10 years: 2.4 (95% CI 2.3 to 2.6) and 2.4 (95% CI 2.4 to 2.6). Sepsis and pneumonia were the strongest predictors of death. Results were consistent across cancer types. Conclusion Patients with cancer and BM were at high risk of infections, which was associated with a more than twofold increased risk of death for up to 10 years of follow-up. The findings underscore the importance of preventing infections in patients with cancer and BM.


Blood purification by adsorption of excessive biomolecules is vital for maintaining human health. Here, inspired by kidney self‐purification, which removes a number of biomolecules with different sizes simultaneously, hierarchical molecular‐imprinted inverse opal particles integrated with a herringbone microfluidic chip for efficient biomolecules cleaning are presented. The particle possesses combinative porous structure with both surface and interior imprints for the specific recognition of small molecules and biomacromolecules. Additionally, the presence of the herringbone mixer largely improve the adsorption efficiency due to enhanced mixing. Moreover, the inverse opal framework of the particles give rise to optical sensing ability for self‐reporting of the adsorption states. These features, together with its reusability, biosafety, and biocompatibility, make the platform highly promising for clinical blood purification and artificial kidney construction.


This paper reports potential contributions of parametric arrays in underwater sonar and biomedical imaging. The parametric array presents the opportunity to use a relatively small device made with high performance, high cost PMN-PT single crystal to produce a low frequency beam in underwater sonar. Additionally, the directional beam has potential applications in medical strain imaging used to detect pathological tissue changes indicative of cancer. The paper also aims to help address the relative lack of published data regarding the technique of parametric generation since its inception in the 1950s. An outline of the design, fabrication and characterisation process required to develop devices for parametric array generation is presented, together with a performance evaluation of two such devices, one with a flat radiating surface and one focused. The ease with which this technique can be employed with modern instrumentation suggests that it is viable for commercial implementation with PMN-PT single crystal material even in the highly cost-competitive underwater sonar market. Our findings also support the proposition that the parametric acoustic field mimics that of an end-fire array providing directional, low frequency excitation desirable in strain imaging.


Objective: This article has the purpose of reflecting on violence against women of gender performed in the familial spaces, especially the connection between gender subordination of inside the family environment and the vulnerability to such kind of violence. Results: History shows subordination of gender and violence against women interlaced and affirmed through the construction of gender in societies. The women form a group and continuously which is violated by several means, such as physical, oral, and sexual abuses and aggressions from partners or ex-partners, relatives, friends, unknown people, public institutions or by the State. Conclusion: For the health services to be prepared for the diseases and injuries deriving from the domestic violence is essential to understand women's vulnerability to violence an indicator of the social inequities and inequalities that surpasses the concept of risk.


Blood pressure is possible to diagnose a disease associated with blood pressure and judgment the current health of patients. Automatic blood pressure monitor capable of measuring a blood pressure easily in hospital and at home have become spread. In this study, we developed the blood pressure simulator (BPS) that can test the arm-type automatic blood pressure monitor that is commonly used in hospital. BPS is to produce a pressure similar to the pressure wave generated in the human blood using a servo disk motor. Then, using the silicon tube, it implements the situations such as human blood vessels, and to output the generated pressure waveform. Simply the BPS`s phantom put on the cuff and it is able to simulate blood pressure. So anyone can quickly test the blood pressure monitor within one minute and it is possible to shorten the test time required for the automatic blood pressure monitor. In Performance test, the trends and the standard deviation of the values measured in the BPS is similar to the value of the measured pressure from people with normal blood pressure. Thus, the development BPS showed a possibility of taking into account the actual blood pressure measurement environment simulator.


Quality assurance in the care of breast-feeding women and their nursing infants also applies to drugs administered during delivery and puerperium. Large variations among hospitals may indicate that drug use is irrational. A survey comparing the extent of drug sales from the hospital pharmacy to maternity wards in eight Norwegian hospitals was performed in 1992 and the results were compared with data from 1988. The purpose was to examine whether the drug use was "baby-friendly" with regard to the following criteria; proven efficacy for the indication; no effect on milk ejection, milk production and interaction with infant; minimal transfer of drug to milk. Large variations were found among hospitals in the case of some oxytocic drugs. High use of oxytocin as nasal spray and metylergometrine as tablets may indicate unnecessary use of drugs. A large decrease (89%) in the use of hypnotics was found from 1988 to 1992, which may indicate previous irrational use of these drugs. Pethidine as pain relief during delivery remained stable during this period, and was received by 40-60% of women giving birth. None of the drugs given to the mothers was assessed to represent a risk to the breast-fed infant. In general, drug use in maternity wards had decreased during the last four years and, with some exceptions, appeared to be more baby-friendly.


A case of a 46-year-old woman with schizophrenia who was treated with risperidone and followed up for 1 year is reported. She was genotyped as a CYP2D6 poor metabolizer (PM): CYP2D6-4*/*6, which was confirmed by a dextromethorphan (DM) test (metabolic ratio = 5.8). Genotypes of ABCB1 (MDR1) were 2677TT and 3435TT. Because risperidone is CYP2D6 and P-glycoprotein substrate, the patient might have been expected to accumulate risperidone and suffer from significant side effects. However, the patient tolerated the drug extremely well. Plasma concentration of risperidone was 73.2 nmol/L and of 9-OH-risperidone was below the limit of quantitation (6.1 nmol/L). Target range of risperidone plus 9-hydroxyrisperidone is 50-150 nmol/L. During the follow-up, patient was continuously taking 3 mg/day of risperidone. Plasma levels of risperidone and 9-OH-risperidone were 70.2 and 18.1 nmol/L, respectively. We repeated a DM test, metabolic ratio was 3.6, thus confirming that the patient remained a PM. Psychopathology was assessed with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and stable remission of illness was achieved over the stated period. No adverse effects were observed or reported by the patient. We conclude that PM phenotype for CYP2D6 does not necessarily have clinical significance in regard to risperidone treatment. DM and risperidone are both CYP2D6 and P-glycoprotein substrates and significant interactions might occur with both drugs, in parallel with the possible impact of ABCB1 and CYP2D6 polymorphic gene variants.


INTRODUCTION: Physiotherapists in Irish hospitals with critical care units deliver physiotherapy services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There is a perceived lack of consistency in the level of clinical competence, required skills and content of training between hospitals, compounded by the absence of a national policy, procedure or clinical framework for physiotherapists working in critical care. The study aimed to identify the minimum standards of clinical practice expected of physiotherapists working in critical care settings in Ireland. METHODS: A modified Delphi technique was used to survey a panel of senior and clinical specialist physiotherapists working in critical care units in Ireland to obtain consensus of items. The questionnaire of 214 items was completed over three rounds. Items were determined 'Essential/Not Essential/Unsure' by participants. Items that did not reach consensus were included in the subsequent round with additional items suggested by participants. RESULTS: 25/46(54%) physiotherapists completed the first round, with 17 and 13 completing round 2 and round 3 respectively. A total of 220 items were included, 120 of which were deemed essential for a minimum standards of independent clinical practice in Irish critical care units. Fifty-six items were considered not essential while consensus was not reached on 44 items. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified 120 items of knowledge and clinical skills considered essential as a minimum standard by physiotherapists working in Irish critical care units. Further discussion is required to determine how these results can be applied to guide clinical practice for physiotherapists working in critical care in Ireland.


This paper describes a 3D acquisition system capable of simultaneously capturing an entire room-sized volume with an array of commodity depth cameras and rendering it from a novel viewpoint in real-time. The system extends an existing large-scale capture system with a volumetric measurement integration and rendering engine that has been adapted for use with a fixed array of cameras. New techniques are explored to improve image quality, decrease noise, and reduce the number of required depth cameras while preserving support for a fully dynamic scene.


The extant vernacular literature of the Anglo-Saxons bears witness to a profound
and widespread interest in the inner domain of human experience, as can be seen in the
great variety of vocabulary relating to inner faculties and processes and in the diversity
of recurring fonnulas, expressions and metaphors depicting the inner life. This thesis
examines the remarkably innovative conceptions and expressions of the inner self which
we find in a number of Cynewulfian and Alfredian texts.
Part One of this thesis considers the diverse approaches to matters of soul, mind
and self in a number of disciplines in order to introduce the relevant tenninology and
accompanying critical controversies. In Chapter One, I argue for a definition of the
inner self as the centre of agency, experience and identity and consider the way in which
attention to the inner domain is a useful henneneutic tool for the analysis of
anthropological and psychological ideas in the Western intellectual tradition. Chapter
Two introduces the relevant Old English vocabulary in reference to divergent critical
approaches and the persistent difficulties which we face when trying to analyse AngloSaxon
anthropological and psychological ideas in tenns of a rigid soul-body or spiritmatter
dualism. Chapter Three examines how attention to the inner domain allows us to
appreciate the diversity of vernacular accounts of psychological workings and of
differing anthropological schemata in Old English literature.
In Parts Two and Three, I examine a number of texts, both in poetry and prose,
which explore the inner self in reference to larger ideas about human nature and human
purpose and which engage with the implications of Latin Christian anthropological
ideas. In Part Two, Chapters Four. Five and Six examine Cynewulfs Christ II, Juliana
and Elene respectively. with particular emphasis on the way in which the poet underpins
his didactic instructions with of human nature, human types and individual characters. In Part Three, Chapters Seven
and Eight explore the systematic approach to psychological and anthropological ideas in
the Alfredian 'philosophical' works, namely the Consolation and Soliloquies.
respectively. In all of these case studies, I focus on the way in which the internal
coherence of ideas in the texts (and in the respective canons) informs the authors'
constructions of interiority and in doing so illustrate that a philosophical approach to
both poetic and prose texts allows a wider appreciation of innovative thought and
expression relevant to human and personal identity in the Anglo-Saxon perioddetailed explorations of the human condition in accounts


Author(s): Jew, Corey J | Advisor(s): Hicks, James W | Abstract: Over the past two decades, global aquaculture production has seen significant growth, particularly in Vietnam with the use of air-breathing fishes. However, the sudden economic importance of air-breathing species, such as Pangasianodon hypophthalmus, has resulted in a significant knowledge gap surrounding their basic biology. A fundamental understanding of how these animals work and how they interact with their environment is vital for the establishment of data-driven policies and best practice and essential for optimizing their growth and production. The aim of this work is to provide the aquaculture industry with the knowledge base necessary to fulfill it's potential in improving food security and meeting the sustainable development goals of our planet in the 21st century and beyond.The content of this dissertation consists of several studies characterizing different aspects of adapting, both behaviorally and physiologically, to aquatic hypercapnia and are as follows: Chapter 1 explores the effect on pulmonary respiration when brachial CO2 exchange is disrupted either though aquatic hypercapnia or forced emersion in Polypterus lapradei. Chapter 2 compares how air-breathing is used differently in three Vietnamese aquaculture species when encountered with aquatic hypoxia and hypercapnia. Chapter 3 investigates the role of ecophysiology on the use of air-breathing in the avoidance behaviors to either hypoxia and hypercapnia in Po. lapradei and Pa. hypophthalmus. Chapter 4 uses blood stress bioindicators to assess if hypercapnia levels in Pa. hypophthalmus aquaculture ponds represent a significant physiological challenge. We found Pa. hypophthalmus does not respond from a respiratory, behavioral, or blood biomarker perspective when exposed to levels of hypercapnia typically found in aquaculture (34 mmHg CO2). This demonstrates the extreme tolerance of Pa. hypophthalmus to aquatic hypercapnia acquired though millions of years of evolution to its natural environment, as well as suggest a lack of potential benefit for regulating CO2 in aquaculture ponds. Much of this research focuses on P. hypophthalmus due to its central role in aquaculture, yet several other air-breathing fish species were used as a comparative approach to investigate how uniquely evolved respiratory systems respond differently. My hope is that that is work can provide scientific data informing the impact of hypercapnia in aquaculture practices, and at the same time, demonstrate the diversity of evolutionary solutions to an environmental challenge that exist among a fascinating group of organisms, the air-breathing fishes.


Attenuation relations are presented for peak ground accelerations (pga) and 5% damped acceleration response spectra in New Zealand earthquakes. Expressions are given for both the larger and the geometric mean of two randomly-oriented but orthogonal horizontal components of motion. The relations take account of the different tectonic types of earthquakes in New Zealand, i.e., crustal, subduction interface and dipping slab, and of the different source mechanisms for crustal earthquakes. They also model the faster attenuation of high-frequency earthquake ground motions in the volcanic region than elsewhere. Both the crustal and subduction zone attenuation expressions have been obtained by modifying overseas models for each of these tectonic environments to better match New Zealand data, and to cover site classes that relate directly to those used for seismic design in New Zealand codes. The study used all available data from the New Zealand strong-motion earthquake accelerograph network up to the end of 1995 that satisfied various selection criteria, supplemented by selected data from digital seismographs. The seismographs provided additional records from rock sites, and of motions involving propagation paths through the volcanic region, classes of data that are sparse in records produced by the accelerograph network. The New Zealand strong-motion dataset lacks records in the near-source region, with only one record from a distance of less than 10 km from the source, and at magnitudes greater than M w 7.23. The New Zealand data used in the regression analyses ranged in source distance from 6 km to 400 km (the selected cutoff) and in moment magnitude from 5.08 to 7.23 for pga, with the maximum magnitude reducing to 7.09 for response spectra data. The required near-source constraint has been obtained by supplementing the New Zealand dataset with overseas peak ground acceleration data (hut not response spectra) recorded at distances less than 10 km from the source. Further near-source constraints were obtained from the overseas attenuation models, in terms of relationships that had to be maintained between various coefficients that control the estimated motions at short distances. Other coefficients were fitted from regression analyses to better match the New Zealand data. The need for different treatment of crustal and subduction zone earthquakes is most apparent when the effects of source mechanism are taken into account. For crustal earthquakes, reverse mechanism events produce the strongest motions, followed by strike-slip and normal events. For subduction zone events, the reverse mechanism interface events have the lowest motions, at least in the period range up to about Is, while the slab events, usually with normal mechanisms, are generally strongest. The attenuation relations presented in this paper have been used in many hazard studies in New Zealand over the last five years. In particular, they have been used in the derivation of the elastic site spectra in the new Standard for earthquake loads in New Zealand, NZS 1170.5:2004.


This paper examines some aspects of the usefulness of interactive tabletop systems, if and how these impact collaboration. We chose creative problem solving such as brainstorming as an application framework to test several collaborative media: the use of pen-and-paper tools, the ''around-the-table'' form factor, the digital tabletop interface, the attractiveness of interaction styles. Eighty subjects in total (20 groups of four members) participated in the experiments. The evaluation criteria were task performance, collaboration patterns (especially equity of contributions), and users' subjective experience. The ''aroundthe-table'' form factor, which is hypothesized to promote social comparison, increased performance and improved collaboration through an increase of equity. Moreover, the attractiveness of the tabletop device improved subjective experience and increased motivation to engage in the task. However, designing attractiveness seems a highly challenging issue, since overly attractive interfaces may distract users from


Some studies have been conducted to cross-culturally adapt the paper-based methods and instruments of ergonomics to minimize the accuracy discrepancy when utilized by non-English speakers, including Indonesians. However, no comprehensive reports are available on the paper-based methods and instruments in ergonomics adapted to the Indonesian versions. Hence, a systematic literature review was conducted to fill the gap. The review focused on understanding the adaptation approach, validity, and reliability of the methods and instruments. The literature review found six papers that reported adapted methods and instruments in ergonomics, including Rating Scale Mental Effort, System Usability Scale, User Experience Questionnaire, Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire, Chatbot Usability Questionnaire, and me CUE 2.0 Framework. The adaptation approach to determine the Indonesian versions of the methods and instruments followed partial or complete stages of cross-cultural adaptation guidelines. It was found that several adapted instruments were valid, with the levels being "excellent" to "good." Furthermore, the reliability assessment indicated that several instruments have Cronbach alpha values ranging from 0.7 to 0.8, indicating that some of the adapted versions were reliable. Since limited methods and instruments were adapted to Indonesian versions, cross-cultural adaptation attempts have to be continued to ease the ergonomics implementations in Indonesia.


Due to the growing interest of investors in intra-day trading it is necessary to pay even more attention to the analysis of the microstructure of financial markets. This article analyses the behaviour of the exchange rate EUR/USD at short intervals. The base aim of this paper is to verify the possibility to reach the above average return through automated trading systems based on technical analysis. In the case that, the selected strategies will be achieved above average profits, it is possible to reject the efficient market hypothesis in its weak form. Otherwise, it can be argued that it could not disprove the hypothesis of efficient market in a very short time intervals and movement of the exchange rate EUR/USD is not predictable.


A model of the water-holding characteristics of soil is needed to develop a systematic method for determining the value of organic C in soil. In the United States, available water-holding capacity (AWC) in soil is that water retained in soil between field capacity and the permanent wilting point; these limits are approximated by that water retained between two energy limits: −1500 matrix potential (hygroscopic and micropore water) and about −33 kPa matrix potential (capillary rise). The General Energy Model for Limited Systems (GEMLS) was used to describe the effects of clay, silt, and organic matter on the AWC limits. The U. S. national soil inventory database (more than 100,000 entries) was segmented into narrow ranges of organic C content and silt content. The data from each subset were plotted as a function of soil clay content. Because of an apparent matrix transition effect, two complementary GEMLS functions were used to describe the −33 kPa and −1500 kPa water content as a function of soil clay, silt, and organic C contents. The model used six parameters (two function coefficients, two energy coefficients, and two critical clay contents), and required an initial manual fit of the models to the data subsets (about 100 ± 20 observations). Criteria for acceptance were uniform and homogenous distribution of the model residuals, absence of a detectable trend in the residual distribution, zero error sum, and maximal R2. The primary energy coefficients were correlated with silt content. After the initial manual fit, the data were subjected to analysis using the SAS PROC MODEL procedure and a variable energy coefficient. Subsequent analyses indicated a complex relationship between the energy coefficients and the soil organic C content. A 1% increase in soil organic carbon causes a 2 to >5% increase in soil AWC depending on the soil texture.


Transportation problems can be used in managing shipments straightforwardly from the supply point to the demand point. More recently, there has been widespread interest in applying transportation problems to optimize the fuzzy number systems. The ability to distinguish and make use of particular structures is a significant factor in the efficacious application of optimization models. In this paper, fuzzy methods of hexagonal are used to solve transportation problems when the demand and destination are uncertain. The most important findings of this paper are reaching the optimum transportation cost minimization through magnitude hexagonal fuzzy numbers. The results verified that the optimal transport plan of the company succeeded in minimizing the total cost to 1222$. The outcomes of this paper can be optimized by particle swarm optimization as a future trend.


A biosorbent was prepared from the cellulose fibers found in rice straw through cationic modification. The effects of the dosage, pH, contact time, and initial concentration of lemon yellow dye were explored. The static adsorption results showed that cationic modification drastically improved the adsorption capacity of straw cellulose fiber. The maximum equilibrium adsorption capacity value was 137.6 mg/g and the highest removal reached 99%. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model was a good fit for the adsorption process, together with the Langmuir isotherm model. The adsorption reaction was spontaneous, and the adsorption process was an exothermic reaction, which was shown by the thermodynamic model. As the adsorption time became longer, the effluent concentration became larger until reaching equilibrium. The time was 420 min. After desorption using a dilute NaOH solution, the maximum adsorption capacity was still 36.1 mg/g and the maximum removal still reached 36.2%. The parameters calculated from the Yoon-Nelson model have a good fit with the experimental data. In short, cationic straw cellulose fiber is an effective and easy to prepare biosorbent. This work offers a new method for dye wastewater purification and solves the effective utilization of rice straw resources.


Bile flow and bile acid secretory rate in rate in rats with interruption of the enterohepatic circulation had a biphasic decay with the second slower slope less marked for bile flow. A direct relationship between both parameters was observed in these animals. by knowing the choleretic efficiency of bile acids calculated from the regression line, the total bile acid output and the volume of bile collected, the fraction of bile produced by other way than bile water carried by bile acids was estimated. This fraction was found to be about 65 percent of the total bile formed.


Neurotoxic effect of BHC, the organochlorine pesticide in Heteropneustes fossilis has been studied exposing at the dose concentrations of 1 ppm, 5 ppm and 10 ppm in lab aquarium for 96 hours over a period of one year. The results showed the behavioural abnormalities in different exposure concentrations such as dysfunction of endocrine gland, excretion of mucus, dispigmentation, sign of restlessness, erratic swimming with rapid jurkey movement, spiralling and convolution showing severe effect in central nervous system. Therefore an attempt has been made for monitoring of BHC residues viz. alpha, beta, gamma isomers in the brain tissue exposed to different sublethal concentrations using Gas liquid chromatography. The mean values of isomers were found to be 1.587 microg/gm for 1 ppm, 2.993 microg/gm for 5 ppm and 3.78 microg/gm for 10 ppm test group. Severe behavioural abnormalities were recorded at high dose concentration of pesticides with higher accumulation of pesticide residues in brain tissue.


This article is related to the recently initiated discussion on mechanisms of charitable giving and the lack of research on the mix of those mechanisms. On the basis of a comprehensive and interdisciplinary literature review in the area of blood donation management (1970–2010), the authors found that pure altruism, respectively altruistic values, is very often seen as the most important mechanism for giving blood the first time and, moreover, for building blood donor loyalty. This study argues that more knowledge on the mix of mechanisms in blood giving is needed. Therefore, this research examined the impact of altruistic values and the donors' satisfaction with the treatment on blood donor loyalty. Using survey data of the German Red Cross (N = 2149), the authors found that the impact of satisfaction with the treatment on blood donor loyalty is higher compared with altruistic values. Consequently and as one managerial implication, satisfaction measurement and management systems should be reflected more critically by blood donation centres in order to increase blood donations in the future. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The kinetics of the reaction of hydroxyl radicals with HBr, important in atmospheric and combustion chemistry, has been studied in a discharge flow reactor combined with an electron impact ionization quadrupole mass spectrometer in the temperature range 235-960 K. The rate constant of the reaction OH + HBr → H2O + Br (1) was determined using both a relative rate method (using the reaction of OH with Br2 as a reference) and absolute measurements, monitoring the kinetics of OH consumption under pseudo-first-order conditions in excess of HBr. The observed U-shaped temperature dependence of k1 is well represented by the sum of two exponential functions: k1 = 2.53 × 10-11 exp(-364/T) + 2.79 × 10-13 exp(784/T) cm3 molecule-1 s-1 (with an estimated conservative uncertainty of 15% at all temperatures). This expression for k1, recommended for T = 240-960 K, combined with that from previous low temperature studies, k1 = 1.06 × 10-11 (T/298)-0.9 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 at T = 23-240 K, allows to describe the temperature behavior of the rate constant over an extended temperature range 23-960 K. The current direct measurements of k1 at temperatures above 460 K, the only ones to date, provide an experimental dataset for use in combustion and volcanic plume modeling and an experimental basis to test theoretical calculations.


A rising core body temperature (Tc) during strenuous physical activity is a leading indicator of heat-injury risk. Hence, a system that can estimate Tc in real time and provide early warning of an impending temperature rise may enable proactive interventions to reduce the risk of heat injuries. However, real-time field assessment of Tc requires impractical invasive technologies. To address this problem, we developed a mathematical model that describes the relationships between Tc and noninvasive measurements of an individual's physical activity, heart rate, and skin temperature, and two environmental variables (ambient temperature and relative humidity). A Kalman filter adapts the model parameters to each individual and provides real-time personalized Tc estimates. Using data from three distinct studies, comprising 166 subjects who performed treadmill and cycle ergometer tasks under different experimental conditions, we assessed model performance via the root mean squared error (RMSE). The individualized model yielded an overall average RMSE of 0.33 (SD = 0.18)°C, allowing us to reach the same conclusions in each study as those obtained using the Tc measurements. Furthermore, for 22 unique subjects whose Tc exceeded 38.5°C, a potential lower Tc limit of clinical relevance, the average RMSE decreased to 0.25 (SD = 0.20)°C. Importantly, these results remained robust in the presence of simulated real-world operational conditions, yielding no more than 16% worse RMSEs when measurements were missing (40%) or laden with added noise. Hence, the individualized model provides a practical means to develop an early warning system for reducing heat-injury risk. NEW & NOTEWORTHY A model that uses an individual's noninvasive measurements and environmental variables can continually "learn" the individual's heat-stress response by automatically adapting the model parameters on the fly to provide real-time individualized core body temperature estimates. This individualized model can replace impractical invasive sensors, serving as a practical and effective surrogate for core temperature monitoring.


A photovoltaic-hydrovoltaic-coupled carbon-based, all-inorganic Cs0.91Rb0.09PbBr3 perovskite solar cell achieved a peak power conversion efficiency of 9.40% under one sun illumination and a maximum voltage of 0.39 V and current of 1.40 μA in a flowing vapor atmosphere.


The existence of two radii of each charged particle – a geometric and electrokinetic radii, is supposed. The mathematical relationship between them in the four possible combinations of an ion and its counterion is analyzed: (i) at equal geometric radii and, in absolute values, equal valencies; (ii) at equal geometric radii and, in absolute values, different valencies; (iii) at different geometric radii and, in absolute values, equal valencies; (iv) at different geometric radii and, in absolute values, different valencies. One of the equations worked out can be used to define the relationship between the geometric and electrokinetic radii of a polyion. All the equations are used in working out precise calculations.


Artificial surfactant therapy in hyaline membrane disease started in 1980 (Fujiwara). We used it in 10 children with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and in 12 newborns suffering from massive aspiration syndrome (MAS). In ARDS, indication was PEEP > or = 8 cmH2O, PaO2 < or = 9 kPa with FiO2 > or = 0.6. Results were rapid. A steady improvement of PaO2 was obtained in 24 hours, generally after a single administration. Three children needed additional doses. In MAS (n = 12) with PaO2 > or = 70 mmHg for FiO2 > 0.6, improvement was obtained very rapidly. Only one newborn received a second dose of surfactant 12 hours after the first one. In MAS as in ARDS all children survived.


Aim It has been suggested that enhancement of amoxicillin or clarithromycin concentration at the gastric tissue may improve the anti-Helicobacter pylori effect of these drugs. This could be achieved by allowing the drug to remain longer in the stomach using dried hydrogels. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of an H. pylori eradication regimen including both amoxicillin and clarithromycin hydrogels. Methods Design: prospective clinical trial. Patients: with peptic ulcer or functional dyspepsia. Intervention: 7-day rabeprazole-amoxicillin-clarithromycin regimen. In addition, amoxicillin and clarithromycin hydrogels were administered twice daily during the 7 days. The polyionic complex hydrogel was prepared with Chitosan and polyacrylic acid. Outcome: H. pylori eradication was defined as a negative 13C-urea breath test 8 weeks after completing therapy. Results Forty patients were included. One patient did not return for follow-up. Ninety percent of the patients took all the medications correctly. Per-protocol and intention-to-treat eradication rates were 74% (95% CI=58%–86%) and 70% (55%–82%). Mild adverse effects were reported in 4 (10%) patients (diarrhea in 3, and nausea/heartburn in 1). Conclusions Although dried polyionic complexes could serve as suitable candidates for amoxicillin and clarithromycin site-specific delivery in the stomach, its addition does not increase the eradication efficacy of the generally prescribed proton pump inhibitor plus amoxicillin and clarithromycin regimen.


Antimicrobial resistant bacteria are widespread in aquatic environments. The aim of the present study was to obtain information on the occurrence of bacteria with antimicrobial resistance in seawater surrounding Antarctic stations. Escherichia coli strains were isolated from seawater. The samples were collected from sites distributed around the sewage outfalls of seven Antarctic stations. Antibiotic susceptibility patterns were determined with the disk diffusion method using different groups of antibiotics: penicillins, carbapenems, aminoglycosides, quinolones, tetracycline, phenicols and trimethoprim. Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 was used as the control for the susceptibility tests. A total of 216 samples were analysed. Escherichia coli were detected in 58 % of the samples. The highest bacterial counts were found in seawater surrounding the sewage outfalls. However, the bacterial counts decreased rapidly with increasing distance from the outfall. Seventy strains isolated were studied to determine antibiotic susceptibility. The strains studied showed resistant to 16 out of the 17 antibiotics tested. Thirty-six strains were susceptible to all the antibiotics tested Thirty-four were resistant to at least one antibiotic, 12 were multidrug resistant and 20 showed resistant to Ampicillin. Finally, the presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) was determined in two strains studied The presence of bacteria with antimicrobial resistance in the Antarctic environment is indicative of how widespread the global antibiotic resistance situation has become.


Hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication is reported in both tumour and non-tumour tissue in a case of hepatocellular carcinoma. Viral replication was established by showing the presence of minus strand HCV RNA by PCR amplification, after excluding residual reverse transcriptase activity of Taq polymerase. No minus strand was found in serum derived virion RNA. PCR amplified products from both tumour and non-tumour parenchyma were sequenced in the 5' non-coding region and shown to be identical. The genotype of this Indonesian patient was found to be 1b (or II), the most prevalent type in the Far East.


The purpose of this clinical study was to evaluate, through clinical and radiographic parameters, the 2-year implant survival and success rates of single, narrow, immediately loaded implants (3.1-mm diameter) placed in fresh extraction sockets or healed sites in the anterior region. A total of 16 patients were treated with 16 narrow single implants in fresh extraction sockets and healed sites, and restored immediately with temporary crowns. After 3 months, the implants were finally restored with screw-retained or cemented lithium disilicate crowns. Implant success and survival rates were both 100% due to stable marginal bone levels and shallow probing pocket depths after 2 years of follow-up. Within the limits of this clinical study, narrow 3.1-mm dental implants can be used successfully as a minimally invasive alternative in healed sites with a thin bone crest and in the presence of a reduced interdental space. Provided that stability of soft and hard peri-implant tissues were obtained in postextraction sites of mandibular incisors and maxillary lateral incisors with immediate provisional restoration, the 2-year results can be successfully maintained over time.


We proposed and examined a learning organization framework in higher education within an international context. Using a sample of 687 employees in the UK and Vietnam, we tested the relationships between personal mastery, mental models, team learning, shared visions and systems thinking with their antecedents and outcomes. Our findings support the suggested learning organization model. As predicted, these five variables partially mediate the relationship between the antecedents and outcomes. We also found that employees in a collectivist culture were more likely to be committed to the process of becoming learning organizations compared with those from an individualistic culture.


ABSTRACT As related research in political psychology shows, election results affect the emotions of individuals, although most studies report about a short-term effect that disappears in one or two weeks. This paper investigates whether election results influence the general mood, the happiness of individuals in the long run. The analysis uses the European Social Survey data from 30 European countries between 2002 and 2015. Regression models suggest that voting for and being attached to an incumbent party increases happiness, while ideological closeness to the government does not. Moreover, the interaction effects show that the closer people feel to their preferred party, the larger the happiness gap becomes between government and opposition supporters. This trend, however, does not hold in case of opposition supporters, whose happiness level is not alternated by the closeness of the attachment. These results prove that partisan motivations are in action in the non-political sphere of life too, and they complement former evidence about an intense short-term effect of winning the elections on voters' happiness. By testing and confirming the effects of the most widely used explanatory variables of happiness on a large cross-national sample, the paper contributes to general happiness research as well.


Thyroid dysfunction can compromise physical capacity. Here, we analyze the effects of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism on maximum swim time in rats subjected to acute forced swimming, as an indicator of anaerobic capacity. Animals were forced to swim against a load (5% of body weight) attached to the tail and were killed 48 hours after the last test. Hyperthyroid rats were treated with thyroxine (50 mug/100 g body weight, i. p. for 7 days). The hypothyroid group received 0.03% methimazole in the drinking water for 4 weeks. Thyroid state was confirmed by alterations in serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and liver mitochondrial glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase (mGPD) activity. Hyperthyroid rats presented significantly lower visceral fat mass (VFM) and higher food intake (p<0.05) with unchanged body weight. Maximum swim time (MST), glycogen content (skeletal muscle and liver), and leptin levels were lower while corticosterone was higher (p<0.05). In hypothyroid rats body weight was lower (p<0.05), without changes in VFM. Tested at 7-day intervals, MST was lower for tests 2, 3, and 4 (p<0.05). Muscle glycogen was higher in extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus (p<0.05), without changes in liver. Serum corticosterone was lower, while leptin was higher (p<0.05). These results suggest that in hyperthyroid and hypothyroid rats, thyroid hormones together with corticosterone and/or leptin may impair exercise capacity differently through its known effects on glycogen metabolism.


Space-borne gravitational wave observatories like the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) and those beyond, which may utilize a Modular Gravitational Reference Sensor (MGRS), greatly benefit from precise knowledge of the mass center location and moment of inertia tensor of the test mass prior to launch. The motion of the mass center of a drag-free test mass, which follows a pure geodesic, must be inferred from measurements of the surface. Therefore, knowledge of the mass center is critical for calibration of the cross-coupling between rotational and translational degrees of freedom. Together with the moment of inertia tensor, the mass center can also provide an estimate of the material density inhomogeneity to quadratic order, and the gravitational potential to second order, which improves modeling of self gravitation forces. These benefits, which are independent of the test mass shape, motivate the development of three new techniques for improving mass center and moment of inertia measurements beyond the current state of the art. A static pendulum is proposed to determine the mass center of a cubic test mass to ∼ 1 μm by measuring the equilibrium position with the cube in up to 24 different orientations relative to the pendulum platform. Measuring the natural frequency of a dynamic torsion pendulum can determine both the mass center and moment of inertia tensor of arbitrarily shaped objects to ∼ 5 μm and 1 part in ∼ 104 respectively. The velocity modulation technique for measuring the mass center of a sphere has raised the bar in precision to ∼ 150 nm, a factor of 20 improvement over the work presented at the LISA 6th symposium. This new technique involves rolling the sphere down a set of parallel rails to spectrally shift the mass center offset information to the rolling rate frequency, in order to avoid the 1/f noise that typically prevents other techniques from achieving precision below 1 μm.


The interaction between humans and an NAO robot using deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) is presented in this paper based on an innovative end-to-end pipeline method that applies two optimized CNNs, one for face recognition (FR) and another one for the facial expression recognition (FER) in order to obtain real-time inference speed for the entire process. Two different models for FR are considered, one known to be very accurate, but has low inference speed (faster region-based convolutional neural network), and one that is not as accurate but has high inference speed (single shot detector convolutional neural network). For emotion recognition transfer learning and fine-tuning of three CNN models (VGG, Inception V3 and ResNet) has been used. The overall results show that single shot detector convolutional neural network (SSD CNN) and faster region-based convolutional neural network (Faster R-CNN) models for face detection share almost the same accuracy: 97.8% for Faster R-CNN on PASCAL visual object classes (PASCAL VOCs) evaluation metrics and 97.42% for SSD Inception. In terms of FER, ResNet obtained the highest training accuracy (90.14%), while the visual geometry group (VGG) network had 87% accuracy and Inception V3 reached 81%. The results show improvements over 10% when using two serialized CNN, instead of using only the FER CNN, while the recent optimization model, called rectified adaptive moment optimization (RAdam), lead to a better generalization and accuracy improvement of 3%-4% on each emotion recognition CNN.


We compute the D0-brane tension in string field theory by representing it as a tachyon lump of the D1-brane compactified on a circle of radius R. To this aim, we calculate the lump solution in level truncation up to level L = 8. The normalized D0-brane tension is independent on R. The compactification radius is therefore chosen in order to cancel the subleading correction 1/L2. We show that an optimal radius R* indeed exists and that at R* the theoretical prediction for the tension is reproduced at the level of 10?5 . As a byproduct of our calculation we also discuss the determination of the marginal tachyon field at R?1.


Effects of external Ca2+ concentration reduction on the amplitude and time course of K+ contractures were studied in single muscle fibres. The resting potential, effective resistance, threshold for the Na current, action potential and K+-induced depolarizations did not change when 1.8 mM Ca2+ was replaced by 3 mM Mg2+ (3--6 microM Ca2+). Identical results were obtained after the addition of 5 mM EGTA (less than or equal to 10(-9) M Ca2+; Ca-free saline). The rate of tension development during the initial phase of K+ contractures was independent of external Ca2+ while the amplitude, the duration, and the time constant of spontaneous relaxation decreased progressively as Ca2+ concentration was diminished. The activation curve shifted by 3--5 mV towards more positive potentials while the inactivation curve shifted by 16--18 mV in the opposite direction and both curves became steeper in Ca-free saline. External Ca2+ may play a role in excitation--contraction coupling during K contractures either via the inward Ca current or via specific interactions between external Ca2+ ions and the coupling mechanism or both.


We fabricated a 50-mm-long ZnO-doped quasi-phase-matched LiNbO ridge waveguide by employing the direct bonding and dry etching techniques. We obtained a second-harmonic generation conversion efficiency of 2400%/W and a second-harmonic output power of 148 mW with a pump power of 160 mW. We demonstrated 1.55-m-band wavelength conversion based on a cascade scheme. A parametric conversion gain of 5 dB was successfully achieved.


The solubilities of 30 1:1 electrolytes in butan-1-ol are reported. Combination of these data and ion-pair association for the electrolytes in butan-1-ol yield solubility (ion-activity) products from which free energies of solution of the ionic species M++ X– have been calculated. Using the corresponding data in water, the free energies of transfer of M++ X– from water to butan-1-ol are obtained.Single-ion free energy of transfer values for 12 cations and 5 anions were calculated by using Parker's convention. These results are compared with those obtained previously for transfer to methanol, ethanol and propan-1-ol.For the single ions, an increase in the free energy of transfer is observed along the series of alcohols. The hydrophobic ions, however, do not show a regular pattern with regard to their free energy of transfer.Single-ion partition coefficients from pure water to the pure solvent have been calculated, and the implications of these data on the extraction of M++ X– from water to butan-1-ol are discussed.


: Additive Manufacturing techniques allow the production of complex geometries unattainable through other traditional technologies. This advantage lends itself well to rapidly iterate and improve upon the design of microwave photonic devices, which are structures with intricate, repeating features. The issue tackled by this work involves compounding a high-dielectric constant material that can be used to produce 3D topological structures using polymer extrusion-based AM techniques. This material was ABS based, and used barium titanate ceramic as the high-dielectric compound of the composite, and involved the use of a surfactant and a plasticizer to facilitate processing. Initial small amounts of material were compounded using an internal batch mixer, and studied using polymer thermal analysis techniques, such as thermogravimetric analysis, rheometry, and differential scanning calorimetry to determine the proper processing conditions. The production of the material was then scaled-up through the use of a twin-screw extruder system, producing homogeneous pellets. Finally, the thermoplastic composite was used with a screw-based, material extrusion additive manufacturing technique to produce a slab for measuring the dielectric constant of the material, as well as a preliminary 3D photonic crystal. The real part of dielectric constant of the composite was measured to be 12.85 in the range of 10GHz to 12GHz, representing the highest dielectric constant ever demonstrated for a thermoplastic AM composite at microwave frequencies. The dielectric loss tangent was equal to 0.046, representing a low-loss dielectric.


DOI: 10.17014/ijog.4.1.11-20 Several outcrops were studied to identify sedimentary facies and to analyze permeability distribution, through which an outcrop analogue for upper shoreface reservoirs can be established. Four facies were identified: upper shoreface, lower shoreface, offshore transition, and tidal ones. Stratigraphic correlation of eleven outcrops indicates that the upper shoreface sandstone is generally clean, well sorted, parallel, and planar cross laminated. The sand becomes thinner and pinches out to the northwest where the mud proportion increases within the sand. Muddier sand was deposited in a relatively low energy upper shoreface setting. The thickness of the upper shoreface reservoir sand generally is 5 m. It decreases to zero over approximately 1.3 km as the sand pinches out to the northwest. To the northeast, the thickness also decreases to 4 m over approximately 4 km. Permeability values are more variable laterally than vertically. The permeability distribution has an obvious relationship to the sedimentary facies and is mainly controlled by the proportion of mud and bioturbation. As the sand pinches out in the northwest, permeability decreases from 590 md to 97 md over 1 km. To the northeast, permeability also decreases to 152 md over approximately 4 km where the sand becomes highly bioturbated. These values indicate that the sands are of good to very good reservoir quality. It appears that there are no major barriers to the lateral flow of fluid within the upper shoreface sandstone.


Since conventional superconductivity is mediated by phonons, their role in the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity has been considered very early after the discovery of the cuprates. The initial consensus was that phonons could not produce transition temperatures near 100 K, and the main direction of research focused on nonphononic mechanisms. Subsequent work last reviewed by L. Pintschovius in 2005 showed that electron-phonon coupling in the cuprates is surprisingly strong for some phonons and its role is controversial. Experiments performed since then identified anomalous behavior of certain Cu–O bond-stretching phonons in cuprates as an important phenomenon that is somehow related to the mechanism of superconductivity. A particularly big advance was made in the study of doped . This work is reviewed here.


Shortcut Methods for Complex Distillation Columns: Part 1 -Minimum Reflux This two-part paper presents in detail the theory for calculating via shortcut methods the minimum reflux conditions and the number of stages and feed tray location for ordinary and thermally coupled columns. Nonadjacent key components are permitted. In this paper, part 1, the approximations made to estimate minimum reflux are similar to earlier methods such as those by Underwood and Colburn. However, some novel manipulations lead to particularly simple equations requiring only a few minutes to use, particularly for ordinary distillation columns. Several example problems demonstrate that the method compares favorably with these other approaches.


By embedding slots into a rectangular patch a triple-band slotted monopole antenna fed by a coplanar waveguide (CPW) with two asymmetrical ground planes can be obtained. The designed antenna, which, including the ground plane, is only 9×20 mm2, can excite resonant modes at 2.43, 5.23 and 7.14 GHz bands with measured impedance bandwidths of 14.4, 8.2 and 16.7%, and average antenna gains of ≥2.4, 4.7 and 6.7 dBi, respectively. The antenna is very compact and suitable for 2.4/5.2 GHz WLAN operations.


Background The search for biomarkers in spondyloarthritis is of great interest because of their diagnostic and prognostic role in the treatment of these diseases.In recent years cartilage has been shown to be a major target organ in spondyloarthritis. Cartilage degradation causes type II collagen fragments to be released into the bloodstream and these are then excreted in urine and can be used as biomarkers of cartilage destruction.In other diseases of the joints, elevated levels of urinary CTX-II (C-telopeptide fragments of type II collagen) have been associated with progression of radiological damage. Objectives To compare the level of urinary CTX-II in patients with early-stage spondyloarthritis with urinary levels in healthy people of similar age and gender. To analyze the association between patient variables and diagnosis at 3 years of follow up. Patients We included 68 patients aged <45 years, followed for at least 3 years by our department, and presenting at least one the following data suggestive of spondyloarthritis: inflammatory back pain, asymmetrical arthritis especially in lower limbs, enthesitis, dactylitis raquialgia or arthralgia, plus one of the following; psoriasis, IBD, anterior uveitis, family history of spondyloarthritis, radiographic sacroiliitis, HLA-B27 Methods Urine samples were taken from all patients attending for the first time with suspected early spondyloarthritis. Urinary excretion of CTX-II was determined by immunoassay (ELISA) (ng/ml).We also determined CTX-II urinary excretion in a healthy control group (n=25) of similar age and sex. Because urinary levels were not normally distributed, all data were transformed into logarithms for analysis. Association analysis was performed with the following variables at 3 years: final diagnosis, HLA-B27, spondyloarthritis axial/peripheral ASAS, early involvement of large joints (hips, knees), presence of extra-articular manifestations (anterior uveitis, psoriasis) and anti-TNF therapy. Results Urinary excretion of CTX-II in patients presenting for the first time with suspected early SA was significantly higher than in the healthy control group matched for age and sex (p<0.001). At 3 years follow up, the levels of urinary CTX-II in these patients were significantly higher in those who had predominantly peripheral involvement (spondyloarthritis peripheral ASAS) versus axial involvement, developed early large joint involvement and, due to high clinical activity and functional deficits (BASDAI and BASFI), required biological treatment. We found no association with HLA B27 or the presence of extra-articular manifestations. Conclusions Urinary excretion of CTX-II in patients with early spondyloarthritis may be a prognostic biomarker since in our series it was associated with peripheral involvement and early large joint involvement, and the need for biological treatment in the first three years of follow-up. Disclosure of Interest None Declared