This dissertation addresses the problem of racial stratification of the Latino community in the United States from the theoretical position of critical race theory. Racial stratification for Latino residents and Latino immigrants is possible in the everyday through a series of practices that allow for persons of the community to contribute to the proliferation of race in American society by rendering race very difficult to address politically. The theoretical analysis of friendship as a form of moral aesthetics in the works of Aristotle, Kant, and Rousseau allows for a theory of race that addresses the invisibility and the transcendence of race constitutive of American society and, therefore, constitutive of the racial stratification of the Latino community in the United States. In this theoretical development, race is thought as an aesthetic of both the citizen and the immigrant subjects or, in other words, as a race-aesthetics. McKnight's (2010) theory of the conditionality of race, Hall's (New Ethnicities 1996, Race, Articulation, and Societies Structured in Dominance 1996) theories of cultural representation and hegemonic domination, Gilroy's (1995) theory of Black Atlantic counterculture, and Mills' (1997) theory of the hegemony of the racial contract are critically engaged and expanded with the theory of the race-aesthetic. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries)


Directive 1999/31/EC requires that biowaste with more than 3% organic content isn't accepted for landfilling directing toward more efficient use of biological material from the landfill. Myriophyllum spicatum is an aquatic weed which grows on every continent except Antarctica and it is noted for its capability to cause different problems, so its growth must be controlled. Utilization of bio-waste in the bioeconomy can be achieved with biosorption. In this study was investigated M. spicatum/alginate (5:1) biosorbent (MsA) for the removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions. MsA was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The batch equilibrium was expressed by 5 isotherms and Redlich-Peterson isotherm model provided the best fit with the experimental data. Since, alginate-immobilized M. spicatum beads have superb Pb(II) uptake 200 mg/g they are appropriate cost-effective, environmental friendly biosorbent with potential application for continuous flow reactors. Managing and processing bio-waste must be deployed and integrated to meet the requirements of the sustainability. Keywords : bioeconomy, biosorption, aquatic weed, Myriophyllum spicatum, alginate, lead, Environmental sustainability


Over the past two decades, management of newly diagnosed glioblastoma has undergone significant evolution. While surgery has long been a mainstay of management for this disease, and while radiotherapy has a proven survival role, initial efforts at radiotherapy dose escalation, use of radiosurgery, brachytherapy, and altered fractionation did not improve patient survival. Recently, multiple modality therapy integrating maximal safe resection, postoperative radiation, and new systemic therapies have resulted in improved patient outcomes compared with older regimens utilizing surgery and postoperative radiation alone. Numerous trials are currently underway investigating the combination of surgery, radiation, and systemic therapy with targeted agents to find ways to further improve outcomes for adults with glioblastoma.


Introduction Unhealthy lifestyles may hinder bariatric surgery outcomes. This non-randomized controlled study aimed to evaluate the effects of an integrated post-operative exercise-based educational and motivational program in improving behaviors, quality of life, anthropometric features, cardiorespiratory and physical fitness in bariatric patients respect to the only surgical intervention. Methods A group of adult sedentary bariatric patients chose to attend a 12-month exercise program integrated with diet education and motivational support, or to receive usual care. Dietary habits, binge eating disorder, physical activity, obesity-related quality of life, Body Mass Index, waist and hip circumference, VO2max, strength and flexibility were assessed at the start and at the end of the study in both groups. Results On a total of 82 patients enrolled, follow-up measures were obtained from 28 (85.7% females, mean age 38.2±8.7) and 42 (71.4% females, mean age 40.2±9.5) patients included in the intervention and control group, respectively. All the behavioral and physical outcomes improved significantly in the participants to the intervention, while the control group showed lesser changes, especially regarding quality of life and physical fitness. Conclusions Notwithstanding the self-selection, these results suggest that a timely postoperative behavioral multidisciplinary program for bariatric patients may be effective in establishing healthy behaviors which can lead to better surgery outcomes.


Cellular transport systems are sophisticated and efficient. Hence, one of the ultimate goals of nanotechnology is to design artificial transport systems rationally. However, the design principle has been elusive, because how motor layout affects motile activity has not been established, partially owing to the difficulty in achieving a precise layout of the motile elements. Here, we employed a DNA origami platform to evaluate the two-dimensional (2D) layout effect of kinesin motor proteins on transporter motility. We succeeded in accelerating the integration speed of the protein of interest (POI) to the DNA origami transporter by up to 700 times by introducing a positively charged poly-lysine tag (Lys-tag) into the POI (kinesin motor protein). This Lys-tag approach allowed us to construct and purify a transporter with high motor density, allowing a precise evaluation on the 2D layout effect. Our single-molecule imaging showed that the densely packed layout of kinesin decreased the run length of the transporter, although its velocity was moderately affected. These results indicate that steric hindrance is a critical parameter to be considered in the design of transport systems.


This essay is written for a Festschrift to commemorate Jurgen Backhaus's contributions to political economy on the occasion of his retirement from the University of Erfurt. Jurgen is a penetrating and wide-ranging scholar from whom I have learned much since we first met in 1974. It would be easy to write a book to commemorate the numerous paths of influence and insight I have received from Jurgen. But I have only this paper through which to offer my commemoration and I have chosen a topic that arose at our very first meeting. That topic was the debate between Joseph Schumpeter and Rudolf Goldscheid regarding different approaches to the discharge of Austria's public debt at the end of the First World War and the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. That point of departure leads quickly into a consideration of divergent approaches to the theory of public finance, and particularly the conceptualization of capital accounts for political entities and the place of political presuppositions within a theory of public finance.


From the dichloromethane extract of Ulex airensis three new isoflavonoids, ulexin C (1), ulexin D (2), and 7-O-methylisolupalbigenin (3), were isolated and characterized by spectroscopic methods. Ulexin D (2) was also identified from the dichloromethane extract of Ulex europaeus ssp. europaeus. Together with these new metabolites, 18 compounds of previously known structures were isolated and identified from both species. The antifungal activity of these compounds was tested against Cladosporium cucumerinum by a bioautographic TLC assay.


Power plants constitute roughly 40% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the United States. Climate change science, air pollution regulation, and potential carbon trading policies rely on accurate, unbiased quantification of these large point sources. Two US federal agencies—the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency—tabulate the emissions from US power plants using two different methodological approaches. We have analyzed those two data sets and have found that when averaged over all US facilities, the median percentage difference is less than 3%. However, this small difference masks large, non-Gaussian, positive and negative differences at individual facilities. For example, over the 2001–2009 time period, nearly one-half of the facilities have monthly emission differences that exceed roughly ±6% and one-fifth exceed roughly ±13%. It is currently not possible to assess whether one, or both, of the datasets examined here are responsible for the emissions difference. Differences this large at the individual facility level raise concerns regarding the operationalization of policy within the United States such as the recently announced Clean Power Plan. This policy relies on the achievement of state-level CO2 emission rate targets. When examined at the state-level we find that one-third of the states have differences that exceed 10% of their assigned reduction amount. Such levels of uncertainty raise concerns about the ability of individual states to accurately quantify emission rates in order to meet the regulatory targets.


The kinetic fundamentals of enzyme and enzymatic system regulation are discussed. The use of modern computers for analysis and modeling of the process is a qualitatively new approach to studies in this field at the present stage. Basic biokinetic equations, regularities and kinetic specific features of the processes in multienzymatic systems are considered. The kinetic behaviour of a multienzymatic system for prostacyclin and thromboxane synthesis is analyzed by way of example. The capacity of the system for maintaining constant concentrations of these physiologically active substances is shown to be its most valuable characteristic. The problems and prospects of developing a quantitative theory of enzyme and enzymatic system regulation are scrutinized.


Critically ill patients are at high risk for developing acute renal failure (ARF). The prevention of ARF is of outmost importance in order to improve the increased morbidity and mortality associated with ARF. Unfortunately, there is lack of adequate endogenous markers that can identify renal dysfunction early - this hampers timely application of measures to prevent further renal damage. The use of exogenous markers of renal function is not only time-consuming but also expensive, and therefore can not be used on a regular basis in the intensive care unit. Both the presently used endogenous and exogenous markers are not reliable during continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) because these markers are removed by the therapy itself impeding early detection of recovering of renal function. Cystatin C has been proposed as an alternative endogenous marker of renal function for more than 15 years. In this manuscript we review the literature on the role of cystatin C as marker for renal function, focusing on the critically ill patient. Serum cystatin C concentrations have been found to relate to renal impairment and suggest that cystatin C is more sensitive to detect mild decreases in GFR. Cystatin C could be an important tool both to recognize early renal dysfunction and to identify renal recovery while on CRRT in the critically ill patient, however, we are in need of more studies.


We present the results of a years monitoring study (September 2002 to September 2003) of temperature and chemistry from both lake water and ostracods (bivalved Crustacea) from Lake Huacarpay (Lucre Basin), in the Cusco region of Peru. The project was carried out to provide a modern baseline for Holocene palaeoenvironmental reconstructions based on sequences obtained from a series of lakes in the high Andes of SE Peru. Terrestrial palaeoenvironmental reconstructions are often based on the chemical composition (e.g. [delta]18O, [delta]13C, Mg/Ca) of ostracod valves in lacustrine sediments. In controlled experiments, several authors have investigated the chemical composition of ostracod valves in relation to separate environmental parameters such as temperature or salinity. However, these relationships have only been established for a limited number of ostracod taxa. Hence, this monitoring study was carried out to determine the link between the chemical composition of ostracod valves and environmental parameters in their natural habitat. Water and ostracod samples were taken monthly from the northern side of Lake Huacarpay (71 4324"W; 13 3636"S; 3100 m a.s.l.), adjacent to a reed marsh, dominated by Typha dominguensis vegetation; water temperature was recorded every hour using a StarmonMini temperature logger. The climate of the research area is strongly seasonal: most precipitation falls between December and March, while dry and cold conditions (causing occasional freezing at night) occur from May-August. The chemical composition of the monthly water samples has been analysed, while the taxonomy of the ostracods is currently being resolved. Almost all measured major and trace elements show a clear annual trend with highest values between September and December. Stable oxygen isotopes in at least one common species of ostracod roughly follow this pattern. This is the first study of its kind from Peru integrating ostracod chemistry and annual temperature variability, and such investigations will be invaluable for interpreting palaeoecological records from this area.


Resistance monitoring has been used to follow structural changes during electromigration in aluminum films. Two stages of migration were found, the first corresponding to gross mass transport, the second to void growth and stripe failure. An activation energy for the first stage was determined to be 0.5–0.6 eV from change‐in‐rate, change‐in‐temperature tests, indicating boundary diffusion. Transmission electron microscopy showed voids existing in areas of thinned aluminum. Corollary work on aluminum stripes on NaCl substrates showed nonadhesion to be a strong contributor to void formation, suggesting the possibility that the thinned regions were caused by hot spots at sites of nonadhesion.


Aim: To study the association of cognitive function with subclinical hypothyroidism in elderly. Materials and Methods: It's a cross-sectional, case-control study of 103 patients (≥65 years) who met the criteria for subclinical hypothyroidism. Similarly 103 age, sex and education-matched healthy controls were taken. Serum TSH, free T3 and free T4 were measured. Cognitive functions were assessed by using Folstein Mini Mental Examination (MMSE) and clock drawing test. Results: Out of the 103 diagnosed subclinical hypothyroidism cases, cognitive impairment (by MMSE) was found in 33 (30.9%) while it was present in only 15 (14.54%) out of 103 controls (P = 0.003), cognitive impairment (by CDT) was present in 32 patients (31.06%) out of 103 cases while it was present in 26 patients (25.24%) out of 103 controls (P > 0.05, insignificant). Mean TSH of subclinical hypothyroidism with cognitive impairment was 7.67 ± 1.22 mIU/liter and without cognitive impairment was 6.47 ± 0.98 mIU/liter (P value = 0.0001, significant) Conclusions: Prevalence of cognitive impairment was significantly higher in subclinical hypothyroidism as compared to controls. Presence of cognitive impairment correlated with the level of TSH; as TSH increased cognitive function declined.


Abstract. Subseasonal forecasts of opportunity (SFOs) for precipitation over
southwest Asia during January–March at lead times of 3–6 weeks are
identified using elevated expected forecast skill from a linear inverse
model (LIM), an empirical dynamical model that uses statistical
relationships to infer the predictable dynamics of a system. The expected
forecast skill from this LIM, which is based on the atmospheric circulation,
tropical outgoing longwave radiation, and sea surface temperatures, captures
the predictability associated with many relevant signals as opposed to just
one. Two modes of variability, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and
the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO), which themselves are predictable
because of their slow variations, are related to southwest Asia
precipitation SFOs. Strong El Niño events, as observed in 1983, 1998,
and 2016, significantly increase the likelihood by up to 3-fold of an SFO 3–4 and 5–6 weeks in advance. Strong La Niña events, as observed in 1989, 1999, 2000, also significantly increase the likelihood of an SFO at those same lead times. High-amplitude MJO events in phases 2–4 and 6–8 of greater than one standardized departure also significantly increase the
likelihood of an SFO 3–4 weeks in advance. Predictable atmospheric
circulation patterns preceding anomalously wet periods indicate a role for
enhanced tropical convection in the South Pacific convergence zone (SPCZ)
region, while suppressed convection is observed preceding predictable dry
periods. Anomalous heating in this region is found to distinguish wet and
dry periods during both El Niño and La Niña conditions, although the atmospheric circulation response to the heating differs between each ENSO phase.


This study employs the Caputo-Fabrizio fractional derivative to determine the model of fractional-order RC circuits with arbitrary voltage input which can be widely used in a variety of electrical systems. Analog circuit implementation of fractional-order RC circuits defined by Caputo-Fabrizio fractional derivative is presented and verified by comparing with the model proposed in this work. For the purpose of judging whether the fractional-order model defined by the Caputo-Fabrizio derivative is practical, the comparison experiments are carried out. By using Laplace transform, the analytical solutions of fractional-order RC circuits based on the Caputo-Fabrizio derivatives with constant and periodic voltage sources are deduced. Fractional-order model of RC circuits with arbitrary input are also calculated using the convolution formula. The correctness of the derivation of the model using the Caputo-Fabrizio derivative is verified. Through discussing the impedance model of capacitor in frequency domain, the analog realization of fractional capacitor based on the Caputo-Fabrizio derivative is derived. The fractional-orders of the RC circuits models defined by the Caputo and Caputo-Fabrizio fractional derivatives are fitted respectively through repeated charging and discharging experiment data. The fractional-order models based on the Caputo and Caputo-Fabrizio derivatives, and the integer-order model are all compared with the experiment data.


Anacardic acid (6-pentadecylsalicylic acid, AA), a natural compound isolated from the traditional medicine Amphipterygiumadstringens, has been reported as potential antitumor agents in various cancers including prostate cancer (PC). However, the effects and mechanism of AA on the radiosensitivity of prostate cancer remains unknown. The results indicated that AA exhibited strong antitumor activity in PC cell lines, either as a single agentor in combination with radiation. AA significantly induced the downregulation of H2AX and p-H2AX expression, increase of cell apoptosis and decreasing of cell invasion, which were reversed by overexpressed H2AX. These results suggest that AA sensitize prostate cancer cells to radiation therapy by repressing H2AX expression.


The efficacy of muzolimine (BAY g 2821) in doses of 30 or 60 mg/day was studied over an observation period of 4 weeks in 48 patients with mild to moderate heart failure (NYHA stage 2 or 3) in a biometrically planned, multicentre study. Eleven of these patients were excluded from the evaluation of efficacy for various reasons. All 37 patients who remained (23 men and 14 women; mean age 59.6 years, mean body weight 73.8 kg) were treated throughout with one tablet per day (30 mg). A marked improvement of the symptoms of cardiac insufficiency was observed in these 37 evaluated cases in the course of the treatment period. At the end of the study body weight was reduced by 1.8 kg, heart rate fell from 84 to 75 beats/min and blood pressure decreased from 154/88 to 145/85 mm Hg on average. The laboratory parameters tested failed to show any clinically abnormal alterations. Twelve of 48 patients complained of side effects (dizziness, headaches, vomiting, nausea), these developing largely in the first 2 weeks and being transient in character. To summarize, it can be stated that patients with chronic heart failure (NYHA 2 and 3) can be effectively treated by muzolimine monotherapy.


Sir, We have read with great interest the recent manuscript of Choi et al. (1) regarding reduction of the incidence of the oculocardiac reflex (OCR) by ketamine compared with propofol when combined with sevoflurane for anesthesia maintenance in children undergoing strabismus surgery. The study is of special interest as children are prone to the occurrence of the OCR (2). We are the first that have described the central stimulation of the trigeminocardiac reflex (TCR) – of which the OCR is a part – in 1999 (2, 3) and we are one of the first that have warned from the potential severe side effects of ketamine – an antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate-type excitatory amino acid receptor – regarding changes in the cerebral blood flow (4). In the past several pharmacological substances (e.g. gallamine, atropine) have been discussed to more or less prevent the occurrence of OCR during eye surgery (2, 5), but no substance alone demonstrated complete absence of the OCR. Even so there is experimental evidence that an N-methyl-D-aspartic acid mechanisms is involved in both the inhibitory and the excitatory responses of putative rostral ventrolateral medulla presympathetic neurons to vagal afferent stimulation (6) that react to ketamine, the authors demonstrate in an impressive manner that ketamine can not totally prevent the TCR. For the special case of the OCR during eye surgery, intravenous atropine sulfate that blocks the peripheral muscarinic receptor at the heart in combination with retrobulbar xylocaine hydrochloride that block the conduction at ciliary ganglion on the afferent limb of the OCR is effective to completely prevent the occurrence of TCR during strabismus surgery (7). These current results do therefore not justify the routine use of ketamine in childrens' anesthesia only to prevent TCR. The potential usefullness of ketamine is much smaller, especially in strabismus surgery, than the potential harmful side effects. There is therefore a need of more research to better understand the underlying mechanism of the TCR and to prevent this reflex in different surgical procedures. B. J. Schaller


Abstract During the 1940s, the diversion of 55% of the workforce to wartime production, the induction of over 10 million young men into the armed forces, and the entry of millions of female, young, and elderly workers into the workplace subjected the labor force to large shocks. Also during the 1940s, the wage distribution compressed sharply and the returns to education fell. This paper uses wage changes between occupations to link wartime labor market shocks to the decline in the return to education and the decline in wage inequality. Wartime production favoring semi-skilled labor and the occupation-biased nature of the draft combined to compress both the lower and upper tails of the male wage distribution and the upper portion of the female wage distribution.


We consider dynamic optimization models the structure of which (functional, equations, constrains) can be changed at time depending on control strategy. The main problem is a choice of optimal structure and a strategy which provides an optimal transition from one structure to another. The problem under discussion is connected with modelling global changes in economic mechanism (for example, a transition from Centralization to Market), radical technological innovations and so on. In deterministic case these problems are nonconvex and nonsmooth. We propose general approach to such models based on their stochastic approximations and obtain a stochastic programming problem with controlled measure. This approach is illustrated by economic dynamic model with endogenous innovations.


The contentious discourse around world literature tends to stress the 'world' in the phrase. This volume, in contrast, asks what it means to approach world literature by inflecting the question of the literary. Debates for, against, and around 'world literature' have brought renewed attention to the worldly aspects of the literary enterprise. Literature is studied with regard to its sociopolitical and cultural references, contexts and conditions of production, circulation, distribution, and translation. But what becomes of the literary when one speaks of world literature? Responding to Derek Attridge's theory of how literature 'works', the contributions in this volume explore in diverse ways and with attention to a variety of literary practices what it might mean to speak of 'the work of world literature'. The volume shows how attention to literariness complicates the ethical and political conundrums at the centre of debates about world literature.


Life-long observations on mortality and pathology at death were carried out on groups of mice irradiated with 250 kV X-rays or exposed to a 400 MeV neutron beam, both directly and after attenuation corresponding to the maximum dose build-up region, at comparable dose-rates. Doses up to 84 rad of 400 MeV neutrons and up to 200 rad of X-rays showed no effect on the longevity of the animals, which suggest an upper limit to the r.b.e. for life-shortening of approximately 2-5. Similar conclusions were drawn from the data on all types of leukemias. For all other neoplasms, the age-specific death-rate showed a similar shortening of the latency times for groups of mice irradiated with 0-84 rad of 400 MeV direct neutrons and 0-400 rad of X-rays, also suggesting an upper limit to the r.b.e. slightly higher than that previously indicated for life-shortening. No definite effect was observed after exposure to the attenuated neutron beam at the doses used in these experiments.


As the National Hockey League (NHL) has made concerted efforts in recent years to expand into the Sunbelt region of North America, its teams still face tremendous challenges to building up their fan bases. Adopting a qualitative research protocol, this study explored the phenomenon of NHL fandom formation in the Sunbelt region. Research findings revealed key patterns and trends that influenced individuals to become fans of NHL teams in this strategic region of growth. A discussion of socialization into fandom was developed based on the themes and assertions derived in the study, which suggested that the fan community would play a significant role in fan identity formation and be a major driving force in the league's market penetration into new marketplaces. The findings offer practical implications for teams to build and expand their fan bases and also provide a foundation for future quantitative investigations.


Digital Subtraction Angiography is commonly affected by artifacts due to the patient movements during the acquisition of the images without and with the contrast medium. This paper presents a preliminary study on an angiographic and angio-tomographic technique based on the quasi-simultaneous acquisition of two images, obtained using two different filters at the exit of an X-ray tube. One of the two filters (K-edge filter) contains the same chemical element used as a contrast agent (gadolinium in this study). This filter absorbs more radiation with energy just above the so called K-edge energy of gadolinium than the radiation with energy just below it. The other filter (an aluminium filter in this study) is simply used to suppress the low-energy contribution to the spectrum. Using proper calibration curves, the two images are combined to obtain an image of the contrast agent distribution. In the angio-tomographic application of the proposed technique two images, corresponding to the two filter types, are acquired for each viewing angle of the tomographic scan. From the two tomographic reconstructions, it is possible to obtain a three-dimensional map of the contrast agent distribution. The technique was tested on a sample consisting of a rat skull placed inside a container filled with water. Six small cylinders with 4.7 mm internal diameter containing the contrast medium at different concentrations were placed inside the skull. In the plain angiographic application of the technique, five out of six cylinders were visible, with gadolinium concentration down to 0.96%. In the angio-tomographic application, all six cylinders were visible, with gadolinium concentration down to 0.49%. This preliminary study shows that the proposed technique can provide images of the contrast medium at low concentration without most of the artifacts that are present in images produced by conventional techniques. The results encourage further investigation on the feasibility of a clinical implementation of the technique.


ABSTRACT In western countries, large residential complexes comprising retirement villages and care facilities have become synonymous with specialised housing for older people, but gerontology has tended to view retirement villages and care facilities as separate and different spaces. By researching these spaces separately, gerontology's examination of the development of residential complexes and older people's housing has been hindered. This paper explores the geographies of residential complexes in south-east Queensland, Australia, by employing data from a larger study that utilised Lefebvre's spatial framework, social space. Its specific focus is Lefebvre's concept of representations of space, part of the triad of social space. The paper outlines how the professional knowledge of designers, planners and policy makers shape and frame the place of older people in contemporary society. The findings indicate that professional knowledge is characterised by contradictions, and that business interests sustain stereotypes of older people as either ageless or dependent. Furthermore, spaces designed for older people reinforce historical legacies of separation from the community. This form of built environment can thus be seen as both a cause and effect of ageism. Generally, the lack of attention by gerontology to these spaces has hampered discussion of alternatives for older people's housing in Australia and, importantly, the development of responsive urban and social planning.


The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of a pulmonary rehabilitation programme (PRP) in relation to the intensity of exercise training achieved during PRP in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). We performed a retrospective analysis on 92 COPD patients (FEV1% 54) who participated in a PRP between 2007 and 2009. All subjects did an outpatient training exercise programme lasted 2 months. The training sessions were 20 and each session consisted in 30 min of cyclergometer exercise associated with 30 min of upper limb exercise. Before and after the PRP the following measurements were done: the exercise tolerance by 6MWT and cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET), upper and lower limb endurance (ULE;LLE), MRC, MIP and MEP, quality of life by SGRQ. Patients were divided into two groups based on the achievement (Group 1) or not (Group 2) of high intensity training, meaning the intensity of 75% of Wmax reached in CPET pre PRP, sustained for as long as 25 - 30 minutes for 8 final sessions of the PRP. After PRP,changes from baseline were signiicant for all measurements in Group 1, but not in Group 2. Therefore, reaching and maintaining high intensity of exercise training is associated with better results obtained by PRP in COPD patients.


Cross-cultural comparison of attitudes using rating scales may be seriously biased by response styles. This paper deals with statistical methods for detection of and correction for extreme response style (ERS), which is one of the well-documented response styles. After providing an overview of available statistical methods for dealing with ERS, we argue that the latent class factor analysis (LCFA) approach proposed by Moors (2003) has several advantages compared to other methods. Moors' method involves defining a latent variable model which, in addition to the substantive factors of interest, contains an ERS factor. In LCFA the observed ratings can be treated as nominal responses, which is necessary for modeling ERS. We find strong evidence for the presence of ERS and, moreover, find that the groups differ not only in their attitudes but also in ERS. These findings underscore the importance of controlling for ERS when examining attitudes in cross-cultural research.


In aquatic systems, dissolved organic matter (DOM) constitutes a key component of the carbon cycle controlling the transport, speciation, bioavailability and toxicity of trace metals. In this work, we study the spatio-temporal variability of the MO in terms of both quality and quantity from upstream to downstream the Parisian conurbation. Urban discharges which are the main source of allochthonous organic matter into the Seine at low water periods were also investigated. The DOM collected was fractionated according to polarity criteria into five fractions: hydrophobic, transphilic, hydrophilic acid, hydrophilic basic and hydrophilic neutral. Due to urban discharges a strong enrichment in the hydrophilic (HPI) fraction was observed for downstream sites. This hydrophilic fraction presented stronger binding capacities for copper than hydrophobic fraction from less urbanized site (upstream from Paris) and than Suwannee river fulvic acid (SRFA). Furthermore, biotests highlighted a significant copper bioavailability decrease in presence of hydrophilic DOM.


A rapid plasmid isolation procedure for Clostridium perfringens and C. absonum is described. The ratio of culture volume to lysis buffer volume was found to be crucial for efficient plasmid isolation. The method can be scaled up, without difficulty, for large-scale plasmid preparation.


This paper addresses the problem of analyzing the perturbation of state-space approaches to signal modeling. Principal component techniques have been used in many algorithms involving frequency estimation and system identification. It is shown that in many instances the performance of these principal component based approaches is far better than that of classical methods. However, most of the performance evaluations of these methods are based on simulation results only. In this paper, the perturbation of the parameter estimate for a single sinusoid signal corrupted with noise is studied analytically using a power method.


To optimize conditions for retroviral-mediated transfer of a recombinant gene to hepatocytes, the pMNSM-Tk-lacZ vector, which we had constructed to express the bacterial beta-galactosidase gene, was transduced to rat hepatocytes under various conditions, and the expression of beta-galactosidase activity was examined by cytochemical staining. Compared to the hepatocytes of adult rats, those of newborns were about 50-100 times more sensitive to transduction with the beta-galactosidase gene in vitro. The sensitivity was high in the newborn hepatocytes when the virus was infected on days 1 and 2 after initiation of culture. However, the sensitivity to infection did not correlate with the DNA synthetic activity. The gene transfer was feasible not only to hepatocytes in monolayer culture but also to those in spheroid culture. The spheroidal aggregates containing hepatocytes transduced with the beta-galactosidase gene could be transplanted into the spleen of syngenic adult rat, although the expression was very low.


Introduction General hospital emergency departments (GHEDs) are notoriously overcrowded. This is caused, in part, by ineffective referrals, that is to say referrals that do not require medical examination or other interventions in the context of a general hospital. This study aims to investigate the contribution of psychiatric referrals to this issue, to identify potential determinants of these referrals and offer means to reduce them. Materials and methods Retrospective data were collected from psychiatric admission files within a GHED of a tertiary-care city hospital over a 1 year period. Two experienced clinicians separately reviewed each file to determine rationale of referrals according to predetermined criteria. Results A total of 2,136 visits included a psychiatric examination, 900 (42.1%) were determined "effective," and 1,227 (57.4%) were deemed "potentially ineffective." The leading causes for potentially ineffective referrals to a GHED were psychiatric illness exacerbation (43.4%), and suicidal ideations (22%). Most referrals (66.9%) were initiated by the patient or their family, and not by a primary care physician or psychiatrist. Conclusion More than half of the psychiatric referrals did not necessarily require the services of a general hospital, and may be more suitable for referral to a dedicated psychiatric facility. Ineffective referrals to the GHED pose a burden on general hospital resources, and may be less effective for the psychiatric patients. This calls for clear guidelines for the provision of optimal emergency treatment for mental-health patients.


is the matter with you'?" "What else can you expect, sister, as long as this liquor shop remains in our village. My husband has started drinking a tot, there is no food in the house; when I protest he beats me up. So how can you expect me to look any better, sister?" THIS was the gist of the song that over two dozen women of Ferozepur Bangar and neighbouring villages, located in Kharkauda block of Sonepat district in Haryana, were singing when this writer went there early in the morning on November 10. Several other women, shouting aniti-iiquor slogans and singing similar songs, joined them later.


In this paper, by means of a new recursive algorithm of non-tensor-producttyped divided differences, bivariate polynomial interpolation schemes are constructed over nonrectangular meshes firstly, which is converted into the study of scattered data interpolation. And the schemes are different as the number of scattered data is odd and even, respectively. Secondly, the corresponding error estimation is worked out, and an equivalence is obtained between high-order non-tensor-product-typed divided differences and high-order partial derivatives in the case of odd and even interpolating nodes, respectively. Thirdly, several numerical examples illustrate the recursive algorithms valid for the non-tensor-product-typed interpolating polynomials, and disclose that these polynomials change as the order of the interpolating nodes, although the node collection is invariant. Finally, from the aspect of computational complexity, the operation count with the bivariate polynomials presented is smaller than that with radial basis functions. AMS subject classifications: 65D05


and it is that those so obtained were than those obtained iodometric were used. See 'The Iodometric Determination of Sulfur and the Sulfites,' 6 Thomsen's is 71080. 7 This agrees derived from some preliminary investigations by M. dall on and water Mass. Inst. Tech., Boston, 1912) obtained and Bichowsky complete investigation out higher temperatures (private communication).


This paper presents the modeling and control design for a wind energy conversion scheme using induction generators. The scheme consists of a three-phase induction generator driven by a horizontal axis wind turbine and interfaced to the utility through a double overhead transmission line. A static VAr compensator was connected at the induction generator terminals to regulate its voltage. The mechanical power input was controlled using the blade pitch-angle. Both state and output feedback controllers are designed using MATLAB software to regulate the generator output. From the simulation results, the response of closed loop system exhibited a good damping and fast recovery under different type of large disturbances.


Observations of a Pc 5 micropulsation event, using the Wick half of the new SABRE auroral radar, are presented. During a 3-hour period in the early morning of September 18, 1981, a train of pulsations were recorded. Analysis revealed that there were three main events, rather than one continuous disturbance. The first event appeared as a perturbation of only one or two cycles, extending throughout the latitude of the viewing area. It was also visible in the STARE region, but the perturbation drift velocity was in the north-south direction as opposed to the east-west perturbation drift of a more conventional, toroidal mode field line resonance. The second disturbance was an isolated, one-cycle perturbation, also visible throughout both SABRE and STARE viewing areas and also having a dominant north-south velocity component. Finally, a very localized monochromatic event, lasting five cycles or more, with a period of about 5 min, was recorded. The characteristics of the third event were found to be consistent with those predicted by field line resonance theory. 18 references.


In this paper, a class of Bow-tie unit cell on FR4 substrate is designed and investigated to be used in implementing a single-layer broadband Reflectarray Antenna (RA). In the analyzing step, two different parameters (length and angle) of the grounded Cross Bow-Tie (CBT) are varied to obtain the phase diagrams. Various degrees of freedom in the CBT structure are very helpful in designing a broadband RA. In the antenna design procedure, an efficient phase synthesis technique is applied to minimize the adverse effects of frequency dispersion causing by the differential space phase delay at different frequencies. This technique optimizes the metallic CBTs arrangement on the aperture of RA, and reduces the dependency of RA design to the CBT's phase variation. Consequently, combination of the CBT's phase behavior and the phase synthesis technique leads to designing a broadband RA with a good frequency response. In addition to, the Side Lobe Level (SLL) of the resultant RA is reduced remarkably. For validation of the obtained numerical results, an RA is designed and fabricated in 8.7~12.3GHz frequency bandwidth. The measurements show 27.03 dB as a maximum gain value at 10.2 GHz with a 1.5dB gain bandwidth of 34%. It is also shown that the implemented RA exhibits a reduced SLL (<-18dBi) within its operating bandwidth.


A case is presented of prolonged survival following multiple thoracotomies performed for metastatic adrenal cortical carcinoma that was refractory to other treatment modalities. In selected patients with isolated metastases to the lungs, repeated surgical resection may offer the only possibility for cure or extended palliation.


This introduction explains the reasons behind this Special issue and discuss the organization and content of it. The difficulty of a genuine dialogue and understanding between economics, law and humanities, seems to be due not only to the fragmentation of reflections on man, but to a real 'conflict of anthropologies'. What kind of conceptions of man and human values are presupposed by and / or privileged by economics, law, economic approaches to law and social sciences? How and when do these conceptions come into conflict within and between disciplines? How do these conceptions of man and his values influence the conceptions of economics, law and institutions, and vice versa, how do these last conceptions influence the former? What are the normative, regulatory and practical implications of assuming an anthropological and / or axiological perspective instead of another? This Special issue aims at exploring the possibility of finding a common ground for discussion between economics, law and humanities, through the analysis and comparison of both the conceptions of man, human action and values assumed by economics, law and humanities, and their normative implications. The contributions to this Special issue and its organization are outlined at the end of this introduction.


Abstract Pheochromocytomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors of the adrenal gland, whereas any extra-adrenal tumor with similar histology is designated as paraganglioma. These tumors have a very high rate of germline mutations in a large number of genes, up to 35% to 40%, frequently predisposing for other tumors as well. Therefore, they represent a phenomenal challenge for treating physicians. This review focuses on pheochromocytomas only, with special attention to gross and microscopic clues to the diagnosis of genetic syndromes, including the role of succinate dehydrogenase subunit A and subunit B immunohistochemistry as surrogate markers for genetic analysis in the field of succinate dehydrogenase subunit gene mutations.


Laboratory studies evaluated the gas collection efficiencies and particle transmission efficiencies of 1-, 3-, 5-, and 8-channel denuders under simulated atmospheric conditions with the goal of combining an annular denuder–filter pack (AD-FP) system with a newly developed inertial classification. The multichannel denuders having large surface areas were considered for this AD-FP system since the inertial classification system operates at a flow rate of 40 L/min. Gas collection efficiency was measured with phosphorous acid–coated denuders targeted on ammonia gas. Particle transmission efficiency was measured for ammonium sulfate particles. The denuder-coating procedure and the method for extracting the multichannel denuders are described in detail. Gas collection efficiencies for the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 8-channel denuders were 96.3, 98.6, 98.2, and 98.3% (1-ch < 5-ch, 8-ch, and 3ch), respectively. The extraction efficiency was greater than 96% for all but the 8-channel denuder (92%). The particle transmission efficiencies for the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 8-channel denuders at 40 L/min were 97.3, 97.4, 94.7, and 93.4% (8-ch < 5-ch < 1-ch and 3-ch), respectively. These results indicate that a 1- or 3-channel denuder can be effectively used in this AD-FP system at a flow rate of 40 L/min.


Self-oscillators have the advantages of actively harvesting energy from external steady environment, autonomy, and portability, and can be adopted as an engine to drive additional working equipment. The synchronous behavior of self-oscillators and passive oscillators may have an important impact on their functions. In this paper, we construct a self-oscillating system composed of a passive oscillator and an active liquid crystal elastomer self-oscillator powered by steady illumination, and theoretically investigate the synchronization of two coupled oscillators. There exist three synchronous regimes of the two coupled oscillators: static, in-phase, and anti-phase. The mechanisms of self-oscillations in in-phase and anti-phase synchronous regimes are elucidated in detail by calculating several key physical parameters. In addition, the effects of spring constant, initial velocity, contraction coefficient, light intensity, and damping coefficient on the self-oscillations of two coupled oscillators are further investigated, and the critical conditions for triggering self-oscillations are obtained. Numerical calculations show that the synchronous regime of self-oscillations is mainly determined by the spring constant, and the amplitudes of self-oscillations of two oscillators increase with increasing contraction coefficient, light intensity, and spring constant, while decrease with increasing damping coefficient. This study deepens the understanding of synchronization between coupled oscillators and may provide new design ideas for energy harvesters, soft robotics, signal detection, active motors, and self-sustained machinery.


Abstract Reconstruction of the craniosynostosis deformity is a relatively safe operation with low overall complication risks. Despite expected risk of significant blood loss, life-threatening bleeding is relatively rare, and there is a low incidence of reported deaths in the literature. Several modalities have been described for perioperative mitigation of blood loss and transfusion requirements. Due to the low overall risk of life-threatening bleeding and circulatory collapse, it is judicious that any potential causes of such unusual but potentially significant fatal bleeding complication be evaluated and reported to increase awareness for craniofacial surgeons treating these conditions. In this report and literature review, the authors present a highly unusual patient with significant bone bleeding and circulatory collapse in a metopic craniosynostosis patient with guanine nucleotide-binding protein alpha stimulating (GNAS) mutation; perform a literature review regarding bleeding diathesis in craniosynostosis patients with GNAS mutations; and suggest guidelines to potentially prevent mortality in such patients.


Motivated by load balance issues in parallel calculations of the phylogenetic likelihood function, we recently introduced an approximation algorithm for efficiently distributing partitioned alignment data to a given number of CPUs. The goal is to balance the accumulated number of sites per CPU, and, at the same time, to minimize the maximum number of unique partitions per CPU. The approximation algorithm assumes that likelihood calculations on individual alignment sites have identical runtimes and that likelihood calculation times on distinct sites are entirely independent from each other. However, a recently introduced optimization of the phylogenetic likelihood function, the so-called site repeats technique, violates both aforementioned assumptions. To this end, we modify our data distribution algorithm and explore 72 distinct heuristic strategies that take into account the additional restrictions induced by site repeats, to yield a 'good' parallel load balance. Our best heuristic strategy yields a reduction in required arithmetic operations that ranges between 2% and 92% with an average of 62% for all test datasets using 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 CPUs compared to the original site-repeat-agnostic data distribution algorithm.


Enhancement of productivity in the field of manufacturing production is of very great importance to an organization's ability to compete and make profits over time. An organization which fails to efficiently utilize its resources in creating value for its customers will not survive in the competitive business environment of today. Key performance indicators are found to affect the productivity of manufacturing organizations, but quality and productivity plays main part in establishing Total Quality Model (TQM). This will be discussed in this work, with special emphasis on processes and equipment in respect of "Evolution of Performance in Manufacturing Organization". At the same time there will be thorough investigation on used terms like "Productivity and how to improve with respect to Quality" .The benefits have been highlighted. The quality control aspects e.g. error free manufacturing process according to the specification have been discussed at length, which is the main concept of Total Quality Model. During the implementation phase of quality concepts, the sorting techniques have been adopted and suggested in the environment of manufacturing company. The 'Analysis of study' has been discussed to summarize the whole paper.

 Key words: Productivity, quality, Total Quality Model, manufacturing company, process.


Photocatalytic degradation of toxic organic compound in water, soil and air by semiconductor catalysts such as TiO2 and ZnO have received much attention over the last two decades. However, the low quantum yield, easy agglomeration and difficult post-separation of these inorganic catalysts limit their application for large-scale applications. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are the latest class of ordered porous solids that being intensively studied as a novel class of hybrid inorganic–organic material with ultrahigh porosity, enormous internal surface areas, together with the extraordinary tailorability of structure, dimension, size and shape. Recently exploring performance of MOFs as a new nanophotocatalyst is attracting interest of researchers working on the fields of chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science and others. Although the photocatytic application of MOF materials is still at the early stage compared with the other applications of them such as gas storage, separation, biomedical application and heterogeneous catalysis, the currently available results have demonstrated that the design and construction of MOFs for photocatalyst functionality is very active. The present review aims to introduce MOF materials, the synthesized methods and highlights the progress attempts for using them as a nanophotocatalyst for degradation of pollutants.


Licorice is a traditional medicine commonly used in China and many other countries. Over the last 50 years, the structure and pharmacological effects of coumarin compounds in licorice have been investigated. However, a comprehensive review of the literature summarizing current trends is currently lacking. Thus, the aim of the present review is to provide an up-to-date summary of the scientific literature regarding the pharmacological effects of coumarin compounds in licorice, thereby laying the foundation for further research and optimal utilization of licorice. We retrieved 111 articles on the coumarin components of licorice and their potential pharmacological effects, based on titles, keywords, and abstracts from databases (including PubMed and Web of Science). Glycycoumarin, isoglycycoumarin, licoarylcoumarin, licopyranocoumarin, glycyrin, isotrifoliol, glycyrol, and glycyrurol have been investigated for their anticancer, hepatoprotective, antispasmodic, immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties, and use as therapeutic agents in metabolic syndrome, thereby demonstrating their potential for clinical applications. Future research should further explore the pharmacological mechanisms of action of coumarin compounds, including their antibacterial activities. Investigations into the pharmacological activities of different glycycoumarin isomers might open new research frontiers.


Education has been enrolled as a component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, but in fact it should be more than that. Urban pests are so intrinsically related to human life and habits that we can always find where, when and how people (or costumers) can act helping to change urban pest presence, density or damage / impact. This paper aims at discussing some examples to highlight that environmental education may be the key factor, leaving less weight to the other components of the IPM. An analysis was made based on some manuscripts from the last six Proceedings of the International Conference on Insect Pests in the Urban Environment, and some personal experiences. From pests such as head lice to black flies, or from the vector of dengue to bats, rats or mites, what can be indicated is the need for more research on education, for a better control success in the future.


Certain leguminous trees in the genus Sesbania Scop. are well known for their high forage value as well as commercial products like fuel-wood and gum. They are a rich protein source for livestock, particularly in lean periods and also improve the soil fertility because of their nitrogen fixing capacity. Seedlings of these trees have been found to be severely damaged or sometimes killed by Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid et White) Chitw., but information about possible resistance to M. incognita among Sesbania species is lacking. Therefore, the present studies were made to screen 18 available cultivars, belonging to 8 species of Sesbania, against M. incognita and to determine the influence of M. incognita on the growth of S. grandiflora Poir. at different inoculum levels.


Mice deficient in RNA‐dependent protein kinase (PKR–/–) or deficient in PKR and a functional 2′,5′‐oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS) pathway (PKR/RL–/–) are more susceptible to genital herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV‐2) infection than wild‐type mice or mice that are deficient only in a functional OAS pathway (RL–/–) as measured by survival over 30 days. The increase in susceptibility correlated with an increase in virus titre recovered from vaginal tissue or brainstem of infected mice during acute infection. There was also an increase in CD45+ cells and CD8+ T cells residing in the central nervous system of HSV‐2‐infected PKR/RL–/– mice in comparison with RL–/– or wild‐type control animals. In contrast, there was a reduction in the HSV‐specific CD8+ T cells within the draining lymph node of the PKR/RL–/– mice. Collectively, activation of PKR, but not of OAS, contributes significantly to the local control and spread of HSV‐2 following genital infection.


Aortic stenosis is the most common type of valvular heart disease. Aortic stenosis is characterized both by progressive valve narrowing and the left ventricular remodeling response that ensues. In aortic stenosis, therapeutic decision essentially depends on symptomatic status, stenosis severity, and status of left ventricular systolic function. Imaging is fundamental for the initial diagnostic work-up, follow-up, and selection of the optimal timing and type of intervention. Noninvasive imaging has played a pivotal role in enhancing our understanding of the complex pathophysiology underlying aortic stenosis, as well as disease progression in both the valve and myocardium. The present review provides the application of multimodality imaging in aortic stenosis.


The role of IL-6 in the pathogenesis of pituitary adenomas is unclear, as tumor biology is difficult to study in primary culture. We have shown here that the human pituitary cell line HP75 synthesizes IL-6 mRNA and expresses and secretes IL-6 (6167 +/- 56 pg/ml/72 h for 30,000 cells). IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) mRNA was identified by in situ hybridization and RT-PCR. Exogenous IL-6 in low dose (1 ng/ml) stimulated, whereas higher doses (100 ng/ml) inhibited, growth. This diverse effect occurs in other cell types as a result of receptor down-regulation. Cell growth was inhibited by IL-6-blocking antibody (76 +/- 6.5% inhibition; P < 0.0001). This demonstrates that IL-6 is an important growth regulator in HP75 cells, having an autocrine growth stimulatory effect under basal conditions. IL-1alpha and dibutyryl cAMP stimulated and dexamethasone inhibited IL-6 secretion; however, bacterial lipopolysaccharide, forskolin, and cholera toxin had no effect. This implies that there is a defect in the control of IL-6 secretion. Soluble IL-6R was not detected, but soluble gp130 receptor was present in the conditioned medium. Stimulation of cleavage of soluble IL-6R from the membrane-bound IL-6R could not be induced by phorbol ester or dexamethasone. Whether IL-6 has a similar effect in human pituitary adenomas requires further investigation.


Time outdoors is always well spent. It raises the spirits, sparks the imagination and, as research increasingly shows, measurably improves our physical and mental wellbeing. Rhythms of Nature celebrates this fundamental relationship with the natural world, and considers some ways we might rediscover it. After a career in conservation, Ian Carter moves to a secluded farmhouse tucked away in the low hills of mid-Devon between Exmoor and Dartmoor. Here he tries new approaches to exploring the local countryside. He learns the edible species, follows streams (wherever they may lead) and slips unseen through private estates. He experiments with rewilding the garden, goes on night-time rambles and watches the changing seasons in super high definition. Following on from the author's acclaimed Human, Nature, this engaging and thought-provoking book offers simple suggestions for how to enliven a sense of wonder in our surroundings. A paean to the 'neglected' and untidy places that can enrich our lives, it will appeal to anyone wishing to develop a deeper connection with wildlife or who has a desire to seek out the wilder corners of our landscape.


Generally regarded as one of the most influential factors in the human history, religion has frequently been used as a strong political force by the ruling pundits. In the hands of retrogressive elites, religion has often been operated as an aggressive tool to subdue the voices of the common. In the recent political history of the subcontinent, the aforementioned political role of religion can hardly been overemphasized. Made on the rhetoric of Islam, Pakistan has frequently identified herself as Islam ka Qilla (fortress of Islam) since the very inception till date. Such a monolithic approach of religion has substantially shaped the individual and collective socio-political consciousness of people in Pakistan. Driving the country's contemporary sensitivities, the politics of religion pivots Pakistani society. The contemporary English fiction in Pakistan largely represents the cultural issues, deeply rooted in religion. Tehmina Durrani, one of the most acclaimed Pakistani novelists, frequently writes about the religiosity and the status of women in Pakistan. Setting against this socio-political preference of religion in Pakistani society, it is proposed that Tehmina Durrani's Blasphemy can be read as a critique of the retrogressive roles of clergy and aristocracy in Pakistan. Highlighting Pakistan's patriarchal and religious society, it is contended that Blasphemy is a realistic representation of the wretched conditions of women. Investigating the politics of religion in Pakistan's rural setting, the paper foregrounds Tehmina's bold stance on issues of women in the harsh social conditions caused by the nexus of retrogressive clergy and oppressive feudal aristocracy.


Platelets are intimately involved in the events leading to cardiac ischemia through their release of bioactive substances, aggregation, and support of procoagulant reactions at sites of atherosclerotic plaque formation and rupture. This review article will focus on what is currently known about the regulation of thrombin generation on the surface of activated platelets, and how it relates to thrombus formation.


Lone Star Archaeological Services, under the direction of Alton K. Briggs, conducted archaeological investigations in the vicinity and under the Sales Museum preceding the Sales Museum expansion project. The work was carried out between July 1991 and April 1993 under Texas Antiquities Committee permit number 1033 with Briggs serving as the Principal Investigator. Following the completion of the fieldwork, Briggs submitted several draft reports in order to fulfill permit requirements. The Texas Historical Commission rejected the draft reports and the permit lapsed into default. In 2003, the Center for Archaeological Research acquired the collection of artifacts recovered during the project and a fraction of the notes generated by the project. This report summarizes the results of the analysis conducted on the collection and describes the excavation results as they can be reconstructed based on the information available to the CAR staff. All artifacts collected during this project and all projectassociated documentation is permanently curated at the Center for Archaeological Research according to Texas Historical Commission guidelines.


This research discussed about the implementation of Readers' Theater in teaching reading comprehension. The objective of the research was to find out whether or not the Readers' Theater affects on the students' reading comprehension. This research applied pre-experimental method consisting of eight meetings. The students were given a pre-test, then they were treated by applying Readers' Theater, and finally, they were given a post-test. The data were collected through reading test. The result of the data analysis showed that there was difference between the students' score in pre-test and post-test. It was proved by the mean score in post-test (6.58) was higher than the mean score in the pre-test (5.5). Moreover, the result of test of significant analysis indicated that the implementation of Readers' Theater affected the students' reading comprehension.


. In this paper, we obtain the interior gradient estimate of the Hessian quotient curvature equation in the hyperbolic space. The method depends on the maximum principle.


TCZ is a monoclonal antibody against Interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R) which is used for relieving inflammation and reducing mortality in COVID-19 patients. Safety and efficacy of Tocilizumab (TCZ) in Covid-19 pneumonia is uncertain yet. In this study, we aimed to determine clinical outcomes in patients treated with TCZ.In this study we aimed to share our retrospective results which we had obtained from patients with COVID-19 diagnosis received TCZ.We performed a retrospective case control study between May and August 2020 in Turkey. We compared outcomes in patients who received TCZ with those who did not. Death in hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) requirements were evaluated as endpoints. Demographic data, comorbidities, additional treatment, treatment side effects, laboratory and clinical results were retrospectively assessed. There are no significant differences between groups according to age, gender and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI).12 (27.3%) patients died in standard group and eight (18.6%) patients died in TCZ group (p=0.150).Days of staying in the hospital were eight days in standard treatment group and 12 days in TCZ group (p=0.03). 10 of 43 patients in TCZ group were admitted to ICU. MV support was needed in 8 of these patients. 18 of 44 patients (40.9%) within the standard group were admitted to ICU and 12 patients (27.3%) were intubated (p=0.125,p=0.480). Significant IL-6 decrease was not observed post treatment in TCZ group according to pretreatment period (p=0.60). Significant decreases were examined in CRP and ferritin values through TCZ treatment. However, D-dimer and thrombocyte values increased.TCZ may not be an effective treatment for reducing ICU requirement, to prevent intubation or death, for shortening period for staying in hospital. The patients should be followed up closely for possible thrombosis because of increased D-dimer and thrombocytes with TCZ treatment.[1]Sharma A, Tiwari S, Deb MK, Marty JL. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-Cov-2): A global pandemic and treatment strategies. IntJ Antimicrob Agents. 2020 Aug; 56(2):106054.[2]Singhal T. A rewiev of coronavirus Disease-2019(COVID-19). Indian J Pediatr. 2020 Apr;87(4):281-286.[3]Mehta P, McAuley DF, Brown M, Sanchez E, Tattersall R.S, Manson J.J. COVID-19: consider cytokine storm syndromes and immunosuppression. Lancet. 2020;395(10229):1033-[4]Teijaro J.R. Cytokine storms in infectious diseases. SeminImmunopathol. 2017;39:501–503.[5]Zhang Y, Li J, Zhan Y, Wu L, Yu X, Zhang W et al. Analysis of Serum Cytokines in Patients with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Infect Immun 2004 Aug;72(8):4410-4415.[6]Zhang C, Wu Z, Li JW, Zhao H, Wang GQ. Cytokine release syndrome in severe COVID-19: interleukin-6 receptor antagonist tocilizumab may be the key to reduce mortality. Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2020 May; 55(5):105954.[7]Xu Z, Shi L, Wang Y, Zhang J, Huang L, Zhang C et al. Pathological findings of COVID-19 associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Lancet Respir Med. 2020;8(4):420–2[8]Fu B, Xu X, Wei H. Why tocilizumab could be an effective treatment for severe COVID-19? J Transl Med 18,164 (2020).[9]Guaraldi G, Meschiari M, Cozzi-Lepri A, Milic J, Tonelli R, Menozzi M et al. Tocilizumab in patients with severe COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet Rheumatol. 2020 Aug;2(8):e474-e484.[10]Gupta S, Wang W, Hayek S.S, Chan L, MathewsK.S, Melamed M.L et al. Association Between Early Treatment With Tocilizumab and Mortality Among Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19. JAMA Intern Med. 2021 Jan1;181(1):41-51.[11]Campochiaro C, Della-Torre E, Cavalli G, De Luca G, Ripa M, Boffini N et al Efficacy and safety of tocilizumab in severe COVID- 19 patients: a single-centre retrospective cohort study. Eur J Intern Med. 2020 Jun;76:43-49.None declared


Objective: Betaine (trimethylglycine) is a naturally-occurring osmolyte and methyl donor with reported effects on liver metabolism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and the effects of betaine administration to metabolic risk factors in Asian males. Methodology: Twenty Japanese males (30-59 years) with mild fatty liver were enrolled in this blinded, placebocontrolled, randomized, parallel trial to assess the effects of 3 g of daily betaine for 12 weeks on safety and metabolic biomarkers. Selection criteria included fatty liver disease, as assessed by an abdominal ultrasonogram (US), the practice of moderate alcohol consumption, liver performance status and body mass index (≤27). Abdominal computed tomography (CT) as well as blood and urine sampling were performed before and after the intervention period. Results: No differences in the degree of hepatic steatosis or in the occurrence of adverse events were observed between the groups. Compared to the placebo group, the betaine group showed a significant increase in plasma betaine (P<0.0001) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (P<0.05) concentrations. Conclusion: Low-dose betaine supplementation to subjects with mild fatty liver disease is safe and well tolerated. Betaine increased plasma HDL which may reflect the favorable effects of betaine on liver function-related metabolic metabolism in Asian population.


We refer to the recent article by Kong et al. (1) on 'Deep vein thrombosis in stroke patients admitted to a rehabilitation unit in Singapore' published in the International Journal of Stroke, which concluded that lower limb deep vein thrombosis was uncommon in stroke patients in Singapore. The prevalence of 9% as reported in the cohort of Singaporean stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation was uncommon by Western standards, but consistent with studies performed in Asian populations. Venous thromboembolism in Asian patients after stroke is well recognised to be less common when compared with Caucasian populations. In a recent review (2) the prevalence of venous thromboembolism after stroke ranged from 4 8% to 45% in Asian studies. This was lower when compared with Caucasian populations, where the prevalence varied from 11% to 80%. Thus, the low prevalence of poststroke deep venous thrombosis in Singapore is only true in relation to Western populations. We would also like to highlight a similar study among Asians, on the poststroke prevalence of deep vein thrombosis in patients admitted for stroke rehabilitation from Thailand(3). This study observed a prevalence of 6%, a lower prevalence rate than the figure observed by Kong et al. (1), but consistent with the reported literature. Interestingly, on multivariate analysis, swelling above or below the knee based on circumference measurement was found to be the only significant variable for the presence of deep venous thrombosis. We believe that a prevalence of 6–9% of poststroke deep venous thrombosis is clinically significant. In Asia, the condition is often wrongly perceived to be uncommon and is therefore neglected. Poststroke venous thromboembolism prophylaxis demands more emphasis in Asian clinical practice. One possible approach is to initiate a hospital-wide venous thromboembolism risk assessment, followed by prophylactic anticoagulation and other nonpharmacological methods in the presence of additional risk factors (2).


According to a 2010 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 48% of all nonfatal injuries from occupational assaults and violent acts occur in healthcare and social service settings. A recent increase in workplace violence has been noted causing a heightened awareness among nurses. Information is scarce both in the literature and in healthcare settings regarding the proper steps to take in the event that violence occurs and de-escalation techniques for aggressive behavior do not work. Nurse leaders should prioritize time to become involved in developing and implementing workplace violence policies including offering education for nurses to deal with aggressive behaviors and violent acts and, learn de-escalation techniques.


As an addition to a study of myalgia of the head which we have published elsewhere,1we wish to present this report of a syndrome of myalgia of which a fairly extensive search of the literature has failed to furnish a description. This syndrome we wish to designate "myalgia of the pharynx." While this syndrome often is associated with myalgia elsewhere, it may occur independently, and when it does, it may present a puzzling diagnostic problem. Patients who have myalgia of the pharynx present themselves with the complaint of a severe sore throat, marked pain on swallowing and occasional attacks of hoarseness. This complaint has been present for several months to several years. On inspection none of the usual signs of inflammation of the upper part of the respiratory tract are present, especially inflammation of the mucous membrane. The nasopharynx does not show any evidence of change, the laryngeal


Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 45, 2004

4599

This study aims to model hyperacute rejection (HAR) in a small animal as a potential therapeutic approach to cancer. Hyperacute rejection is a rapid immunological response mediated by the binding of natural antibodies and the consequent activation of the complement cascade leading to cell lysis. Solid organ xenotransplantation from pig to old World primate results in HAR due to recognition of the galactose(α1,3)galactose (αGal) epitope present on porcine endothelial cells by primate anti-αGal natural antibodies. The αGal epitope is synthesised by the enzyme (α1,3)galactosyl transferase ((α1,3)GT) that is absent in humans. The eventual therapeutic goal in humans of HAR mimicry would be to deliver the (α1,3)GT gene to tumour endothelial cells leading to vascular destruction. An (α1,3)GT ko mouse has been generated that, analogous with humans, does not express αGal on the cell surface and produces anti-αGal IgM. Serum titres of anti-αGal IgM can be increased by intraperitoneal immunisation with hypotonically lysed rabbit red blood cells. Murine complement is less potent than human complement and serum from immunised (α1,3)GT ko mice must be augmented with exogenous rabbit complement in order that in vitro cytotoxicity against αGal positive murine endothelial target cells is equivalent to that of human serum. The (α1,3)GT ko mouse has been crossed with a nude mouse to create a double knockout to allow the growth of xenografted human tumours. Subcutaneous co-injection of irradiated (α1,3)GT retrovirus producer cells with human tumour cells causes in vivo transduction with (α1,3)GT and consequent αGal cell surface expression. Pseudotyping of the retroviral envelope results in selective transduction of either the stromal or tumour cell compartment. In experiments in progress the intravenous administration of serum from immunised (α1,3)GT ko mice and rabbit complement is expected to cause lysis by HAR of αGal positive murine stromal cells in tumour bearing nude/ko animals. This is analogous with the hyperacute rejection of αGal positive hearts seen in immunised (α1,3)GT ko mice after the administration of rabbit complement in transplantation experiments. The effect of the destruction of a small number of stromal and vascular cells is expected to be amplified and cause the destruction of a larger number of tumour cells. This should be manifest as a reduction in the rate of tumour growth and in the histological disappearance of αGal positive areas in treated animals in comparison with untreated controls. The validity of hyperacute rejection mimicry as a therapeutic strategy for cancer is based on the assumption that individuals with cancer have adequate levels and function of anti-αGal antibodies and serum complement proteins. This is currently under investigation experimentally in a group of 50 individuals and data will be presented to address this question.


This paper presents the initial findings of a long-term study to examine whether the introduction of compulsory school science for pupils in UK schools in 1991 is effective in raising the general level of scientific literacy. The use of the term 'scientific literacy' in the literature is considered and a definition of the term as it is applied in this study is offered. The scientific literacy level of two groups of initial teacher training studentswith contrasting experiences of school sciencewas compared. Students completed a simple science test that had been originally written for 11-year-old children. The average test score of students who had experienced compulsory school science from the ages of 11 to 16 was found to be significantly higher (p = 0.014) than that of students for whom school science was optional at secondary level. The study also highlights specific areas of conceptual difficulty in basic science experienced by almost all of the students tested. Test questions relating to the circulatory system, light and sound produced very low scores from almost all students, regardless of their science background. The paper considers the implications of these findings for science teachers and policymakers in both the primary and secondary sectors.


Erythema ab igne (EAI) is a reticular, telangiectatic, pigmented dermatosis resulting from chronic exposure to heat that is insufficient to cause a burn. Clinically, EAI is diagnosed based on the distinctive cutaneous changes and overlapping distribution with thermal source exposure. The type of heat source causing EAI has historically shown a parallel change to technological progress. Historically EAI was commonly seen on the individuals working in front of coal stoves or sitting close to a fireplace whereas repeated application of heating pads, electrical blankets were common in recent past. Since the beginning of 21th century, reports of laptop induced EAI have increased. Nowadays, smart-phones take the place of laptop computers and are widely used. To the best of our literature search, there is no report of EAI induced by smart phones. Here, we report a case of EAI in the left palmar area of a 21 years old female patient for the first time. We suggest that the extended use of smart-phones might be considered as an unpredicted cause of EAI.


Modern children TV shows are heavily geared to engage children in learning new contents. Similar to any educational context, the transfer of knowledge in children TV shows is informed by three prominent psychological theories: behaviourism, cognitivism, and sociocultural theory. Much research about learning in children TV shows utilise psychological methods and theory that, for the most part, ignore the role of language as a discourse strategy and a semiotic resource that interact with learning. An episode of the children TV show Team Umizoomi, titled The Elephant Sprinkler, was selected as a point of departure to understand the relationship between communicative resources such as discourse strategies and semiotic sign system, on the one hand, and learning within the framework of three major psychological learning theories, on the other hand. Discourse analytical methods were used to process and analyse data. Results suggest that the episode heavily utilises discourse strategies and also the Peircean sign system theory that relates to sociocultural theory of learning. This research may be useful for scholars from diverse academic and professional areas that aim at education. Similarly, the findings may contribute positively to improve television productions for future children TV shows. This study faced limitations in terms of data selection as well as the lack of real target audience's reactions.


To reduce the metal belt's axial deflection of the metal belt continuously variable transmission(CVT) during the working process,the value of the axial deflection has been calculated by using numerical methods.The precision of two methods to calculate the deflection has been compared.A calculating method closer to the actual situation has been attained.According to the principle of conjugate curves,and with the involute generatrix of the metal belt as example,a solution to the generatrix of the pulley conjugated with it is obtained,and the relation between the pullys generatrix curvature and the pulleys generatrix contact strength is achieved.By changing the metal belt value of the design parameters,the state subject to force between the pulley and the metal belt can be improved.So as to ensure the whole metal belt level transmit in the process of speed changes.Theoretically,the axial deflection can be eliminated completely,and the life span of the metal belt and the reliability of the transmission,as well as the performance of the metal belt CVT can be greatly improved,so as to provide the references for the CVT design.


Colorectal cancer is a malignancy with high mortality. Huangqin Tea(HQT) can exert potential preventive and therapeutic effects on colorectal cancer. Flavonoids are the main compounds in HQT, but the pharmacodynamic material basis and mechanism are unclear. Network pharmacology and molecular docking were used to predict and analyze the targets and signaling pathways of HQT in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer. The active components of flavonoids in HQT were searched and screened out by literature review and FAFDrugs4. The related targets of active components were predicted by SwissTargetPrediction, STITCH, and TCMSP. Colorectal cancer-related genes were collected from OMIM, TTD, and GeneCards. The common targets were obtained as the potential targets of HQT in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer. Metascape was used for GO function enrichment and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses. Cytoscape was used to construct the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network and "component-target-disease-pathway" network to obtained and analyze core targets and key components. AutoDock Vina was used for molecular docking verification of key components and core targets. The results showed that apigenin, luteolin, wogonin, and baicalein were presumedly the key active components in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer, and core targets included TP53, AKT1, VEGFA, PIK3 CA, and SRC. The key KEGG signaling pathways mainly involved PI3 K-AKT, AGE-RAGE, p53, NF-κB, Wnt, Hippo, and calcium signaling pathways. Further molecular docking results showed that four key components showed strong hydrogen bonding ability with the five core targets. This study preliminarily reveals the pharmacodynamic material basis and potential mechanism of HQT in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer and provides a theoretical and scientific basis for the application of HQT.


Indentation techniques have proven to be effective to characterize the mechanical properties of materials. For the elastic deformation, the commonly used models are Hertz model and Sneddon model. However, neither of them works for indenting the spherical samples using the pyramid or conical indenter. Therefore, one modified Sneddon model has been developed to determine the Young's modulus of spherical samples from indentation results. In this study, the effects of sample diameter and indenter angles on indentation tests were investigated by finite element method (FEM). The empirical correction parameters in the new mathematical model were introduced based on dimensional analysis and determined by the numerical fitting to FEM results. Experimental tests with different conical indenters have demonstrated that the new model is capable to reliably determine the Young's modulus of the spherical samples. The new model can fill the gap of the contact mechanics and enrich the experimental solid mechanics for the interpretation of indentation results.


An investigation was undertaken to study the feasibility of sugarbeet cultivation under Bangladesh condition during winter season of 2009-2010. Seeds of 14 sugarbeet genotypes were sown in the experimental field of Horticulture Research Centre of BARI, Gazipur on 10 November 2009. Visible root swelling in all genotypes started between 36 and 40 days after sowing (DAS). Nine genotypes had white root colour while rest were red purple. Plant height varied from 26.8 cm to 55.0 cm at 165 DAS. Similarly, whole plant weight among the genotypes ranged from 0.76 kg to 1.60 kg. Mean root yield in all genotypes was 66.22 t/ha when harvested at 165 DAS, which was decreased to 56.29 t/ha at 180 DAS. However, the highest root yield was recorded from the genotypes SB001 (85.30 t/ha) closely followed by SB006 (84.40 t/ha) at 165 DAS. All the genotypes showed lower yield potential at 180 DAS compared to 165 DAS. Severe leaf shedding and drying up of the root in the later stage might be the reason for yield reduction. Nine genotypes had more than 10% sucrose and can be considered for sugar producing genotypes. Five genotypes had very less sucrose content in the root and can be useful for vegetable purpose. The genotypes SB001 and SB006 had comparatively high amount of sucrose (13.0%) in the root. The fungal disease Sclerotium root rot and the insect Spodoptera litura were found the most limiting factor for sugarbeet cultivation. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v37i4.14396 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 37(4): 721-728, December 2012


The authors present a framework for a transformation system which can transform a nonmonotonic logic-based specification language, FRORL, into various kinds of procedural language programs. They discuss how to handle nonmonotonic inheritance in FRORL. A matrix-based data flow and dependency analysis mechanism is established to find all the possible data transformation paths in a logic-based specification. An algorithm is proposed to adjust the execution sequence of a logic-based specification so that the functions included in the logic-based specification can be represented by a procedural language program.<<ETX>>


One of the most debated issues that European lawyers are tackling is the enforcement of fundamental rights in private law. Nonetheless, the intersection between inheritance law and fundamental rights is still neglected, due to the misleading idea of the static nature of the former. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether in Europe a nexus exists between the evolutionary patterns of inheritance law and fundamental rights. The article ascertains if and how the rules aimed at identifying the heirs have been influenced by the jurisprudence on fundamental rights, considering that those rights have emerged as leading factors in directing many legislative reforms. The paper then concludes by examining the possibility of a horizontal application of fundamental rights and, more specifically, if the will of the testator can be limited, somehow, by direct application of those rights, such as the principle of non-discrimination or the respect of private and family life.


ABSTRACT Background: The impact of cancer extends beyond treatment and evaluating the adverse psychological effects in survivors is important. We examined: (1) the relationship between diagnosis, relapse, and subjective well-being using a short and a holistic measure of well-being, including comparisons between our sample and established norms; (2) if reported physical symptoms were related to components of subjective well-being; and (3) if increased psychological flexibility predicted overall subjective well-being. Methods: In total, 316 survivors completed online questionnaires to assess cancer, physical health (Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale-R; ESAS-R), subjective well-being (Comprehensive Inventory of Thriving; CIT; Satisfaction with Life Scale; SWLS) and psychological flexibility (Comprehensive Assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). Results: Relative to ESAS-R cut-points (Oldenmenger et al., 2013), participants reported only moderate levels of tiredness and slightly elevated drowsiness, depression, and anxiety; participants reported more problems with psychological health. SWLS scores were lower than published norms (M = 18.23, SD = 8.23) and a relapse was associated with the lowest SWLS scores (M = 16.95, SD = 7.72). There were differences in thriving between participants and age-matched norms (Su et al., 2014). Participants reported lower community involvement, respect, engagement with activities, skill mastery, sense of accomplishment, self-worth, self-efficacy, autonomy, purpose, optimism, subjective well-being, and positive emotions coupled with higher loneliness and negative emotions. In regression analysis, two components of psychological flexibility, Openness to Experience, t = 2.50, p < 0.13, β = −0.18, and Valued Action, t = 7.08, p < 0.001, β = −0.47, predicted 28.8% of the variability in total CIT scores, beyond the effects of demographic and disease characteristics and reported physical symptoms. Conclusion: Cancer is an isolating experience, with the adverse psychological effects that impact subjective well-being continuing after the cessation of physical symptoms. Specific components of psychological flexibility may explain some variability in thriving beyond disease characteristics and may inform psychological intervention after diagnosis.


"It begins with a stone falling, in the silence, vertically, immobile. It is falling from a great height, a meteor, a massive, compact, oblong block of rock, like a giant egg with a pocked, uneven surface." The opening sentence of "La Belle Captive" introduces a dreamworld where the conventions of the traditional novel have been overthrown. Objects move through space without regard to laws of nature, characters move through the text in a maddening complex of events. Published in 1975, Alain Robbe-Grillet's nouveau roman is illustrated with 77 paintings by Rene Magritte. Robbe-Grillet uses Magritte's paintings as pretexts for the novel, letting them generate themes for an imaginary discourse that parallels their imagery, glosses them, contradicts them.Simultaneously, he comments on Magritte's paintings while taking advantage of them to parade his own favorite themes: play, eroticism, subversion. Robbe-Grillet gives us a plot that frustrates expectations yet shares his pleasure with the mysterious and poetic in Magritte's art, and with the cultural myths that painter and novelist both parody. The book includes a critical essay by novelist and translator Ben Stoltzfus on the pictorial and linguistic affinities between Magritte and Robbe-Grillet. Stoltzfus explores the image of the beautiful captive not only in her mythical and erotic dimensions, but also as a metaphor for the artistic process.


An abortion that occurs spontaneously is known as a miscarriage. Various effectors associated with abortion such as Genetic and uterine anomalies, Endocrinopathy, immunological dysfunctions, infectious agents, environmental contaminants, psychogenetic elements, and endometriosis. Maternal infections considered the main reason for pregnancy wastage in females with Bad Obstetric History (BOH). Candida albicans is a dimorphic fungus that can grow as yeast or filamentous cells and considered one of the limited species of the Candida genus that cause humans candidiasis. It is an opportunistic fungus that responsible for mucosal infections in the mouth and genital tract. Excessive growth of C. albicans will follow with Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). The incidence of VVC combined with chronic recurrent candidiasis is high in pregnancies than in healthy women. Several scientific researches showed the significance of VVC as an inducer of abortion, candida chorioamnionitis, subsequent preterm delivery, and immunosuppression.


Roger D. SELL: Introduction: The new interdisciplinarity. SECTION I Literature as 'special' and 'ordinary'. Henry WIDDOWSON: Old song that will not declare itself: on poetry and the imprecision of meaning. Nils Erik ENKVIST: Context. SECTION II How readers of literature work towards meanings. Peter STOCKWELL: To be or not to be a phagocyte: procedures of reading metaphors. Michael TOOLAN: On recyclings and irony. Adrian PILKINGTON: Against literary reading conventions. Tony BEX: The relevance of genre. SECTION III Writers and readers within sociocultural history. Alison TATE: Bakhtin, addressivity, and the poetics of objectivity. Guy COOK: Contradictory voices: a dialogue between Russian and Western European linguists. Irma TAAVITSAINEN: Characters and English almanac literature: genre developments and intertextuality. Ingrid TIEKEN-BOON VAN OSTADE: Eighteenth-century letters and journals as evidence: studying society through the individual. SECTION IV Literature in the lives of readers. Ineke BOCKTING: Light in August and the issue of unreliability. Willie van PEER: Emotional functions of reading literature. Roger D. SELL: Literary gossip, literary theory, literary pragmatics.


to fight the kill with the aid of Greenpeace and their boat Rainbow Warner. Sue Flint provides an insight into the events that led up to the local confrontation and the successful plans which eventually foiled the hunters. The book does not present an emotional stand, but pleads for a more informed basis for decisions involving thousands of animals whose ecology is very little understood. The real reasons for opposing the kill were not well known by the general public, and Sue Flint redresses the balance in her very readable account. It is no mean tribute to Selkie and Greenpeace that there was no further kill in 1979 and that the Government has been forced to examine the so-called management plan and consultation procedures with voluntary wildlife bodies. SUSAN JOY


Chromobacterium violaceum forms cyanide as a secondary metabolite with glycine as the precursor and methionine as a stimulator. As the metabolism of glycine and methionine are interrelated by the provision of carbon-one units for the tetrahydrofolate pool by the activities of serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) and glycine cleavage enzyme (GCE), we have investigated the regulation of formation and activity of these enzymes by C. violaceum. The synthesis of SHMT was unaffected by growth under conditions of high cyanogenesis (on a medium containing glutamate, glycine and methionine) or low cyanogenesis (on glutamate alone), nor was its synthesis affected by addition of potential end-products of carbon-one metabolism to the growth medium. The activity of GCE was very low, less than 1% of the activity of SHMT, irrespective of the growth conditions. This suggests that nearly all the carbon-one units for the tetrahydrofolate pool are supplied by the activity of SHMT; this could lead to excess formation of glycine and might explain the role of cyanogenesis. The activity of SHMT was competitively inhibited by glycine and cysteine.


The University of Southern California and its collaborative research partner, Fakespace Labs, are participating in a number of research programs to invent and implement new forms of display technologies for immersive and semi-immersive applications. This paper briefly describes three of these technologies and highlights a few emerging results from those efforts. The first system is a rear projected 300 degree field of view cylindrical display. It is driven by 11 projectors with geometry correction and edge blending hardware. A full scale prototype will be completed in March 2006. The second system is a 14 screen projected panoramic room environment used as an advanced teaching and meeting space. It can be driven by a cluster of personal computers or low-cost DVD players, or driven by a single personal computer. The third is a prototype stereoscopic head mounted display that can be worn in a fashion similar to standard dust protection goggles. It provides a field of view in excess of 150 degrees.


Ultrasonic sonar systems are commonly used for obstacle location in robotics and autonomous navigation applications. When irregular objects have to be located, optimal algorithms for time-of-flight (TOF) estimation, like cross correlation, might be unreliable since complex reflecting surfaces can destroy phase coherence during the duration of the echo. Direct threshold methods acting on the envelope are equally inaccurate. This paper proposes a simple digital processing technique, called selective normalization, that works with the signal envelope and robustly determines the differential TOF (DTOF) of the ultrasonic echoes received by two or more nearby transducers. It is empirically demonstrated that this method improves the positioning accuracy of nonpointlike objects.


My research was concerned with knowledge and skills involved in teaching piano in Malaysia by new graduates. The research question that guided the study is: What are the knowledge and skills that new piano teachers need to teach a quality music program successfully in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia? In responding to this question I uncovered a sequence of problems faced by beginning and established piano teachers. From my research findings, I am developing a guidebook entitled Searching for answers in piano teaching to assist practising and prospective private piano teachers. This guide covers a range of issues and problems on piano teaching. In this paper I will discuss studio teaching, teaching knowledge and skills, basic foundation and some common piano faults, teaching programs, significance of sight-reading and profits of practice.

My research was concerned with knowledge and skills involved in teaching piano in Malaysia by new graduates. The research question that guided the study is: What are the knowledge and skills that new piano teachers need to teach a quality music program successfully in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia? In responding to this question I uncovered a sequence of problems faced by beginning and established piano teachers. From my research findings, I am developing a guidebook entitled Searching for answers in piano teaching to assist practising and prospective private piano teachers. This guide covers a range of issues and problems on piano teaching. In this paper I will discuss studio teaching, teaching knowledge and skills, basic foundation and some common piano faults, teaching programs, significance of sight-reading and profits of practice.