Lowering proteotoxicity is a potentially powerful approach for the treatment of neurological disorders, such as Parkinson's disease. The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a major mechanism that preserves the network maintaining cellular proteostasis. In the present study, we developed the screening strategy to discover compounds that significantly enhanced the activation of mitochondrial UPR (UPRmt) through increasing cardiolipin content. We identified that ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3) increased cardiolipin depending on cardiolipin synthase 1 (CRLS1) in both worms and in human neural cells. Using LiP-SMap (limited proteolysis-mass spectrometry) strategy, we identified GRB2 (growth factor receptor bound protein 2) as a direct target of Rg3 in human neural cells. Rg3 enhances the binding between GRB2 and TRKA, that transduces signals via phosphrorylation of ERK. We provide bioinformatic and experimental evidence that EVI1, the critical oncogenic transcriptional regulator in leukemia, binds to CRLS1 promoter region and stimulated CRLS1 expression and subsequently increased cardiolipin content in the presence of Rg3. In a Parkinson's disease mouse model, Rg3 restores motor function by protecting nigral dopaminergic neurons dependent on Grb2. Our data recapitulate the TRKA-GRB2-EVI1-CRLS1 axis in maintaining proteostasis in Parkinson's disease via UPRmt.


Part I of this study analyzed the effects of tilting pad bearing designs to reduce the stiffness of the bearings used in a process high-speed lightweight centrifugal compressor intended for a domestic refinery use. This was done in an attempt to enhance the robustness of its rotordynamic stability against possible aerodynamic cross-coupled stiffness. The bearing design variables reviewed were the clearances, LBPs, LOPs , and preloads. The results showed that there was practically no difference between the LBP and LOP designs in terms of the bearing stiffness, because the compressor rotor was lightweight and the bearings had relatively high preloads. Increasing both the machined and assembled clearances in bearing designs has resulted in the bearing stiffness being greatly reduced. In addition, it has been confirmed that an additional reduction in the bearing stiffness can be obtained for given fixed machined clearances by decreasing the preloads, i.e., by increasing the assembled clearances. Keywordsprocess compressor (프로세스 압축기), rotordynamic stability (로터다이나믹 안정성), effects of bearing design (베어링 설계의 영향), tilting pad bearing (틸팅 패드 베어링), reducing bearing stiffness (베어 링 강성 감소), bearing clearance (베어링 틈새)


To evaluate the potential value of nifedipine treatment for primary pulmonary hypertension, hemodynamic and scintigraphic measurements were made before and 15 to 30 minutes after nifedipine, 10 to 20 mg, was given sublingually to nine patients. Nifedipine treatment increased cardiac output (mean +/- SD, 3.6 +/- 1.7 to 5.3 +/- 2.8 L/min, p less than 0.001) and decreased mean aortic pressure (99 +/- 19 to 85 +/- 12 mm Hg, p less than 0.001) and total pulmonary and total systemic resistances (1605 +/- 787 to 1025 +/- 540 dyn X s X cm-5 and 2761 +/- 1557 to 1591 +/- 823 dyn X s X cm-5, respectively; p less than 0.005). Heart rate and mean pulmonary arterial pressure did not change significantly. Right ventricular end-diastolic volume decreased 10% (p = 0.01), end-systolic volume decreased 15% (p less than 0.01), and right ventricular ejection fraction increased 18% (p less than 0.05) in eight patients. After 4 to 14 months (mean, 7.3 +/- 3.8) of treatment with nifedipine, 40 to 120 mg/d, in six patients, cardiac output increased (3.6 +/- 2.0 to 5.0 +/- 1.8 L/min, p less than 0.01) and total pulmonary resistance decreased (1572 +/- 730 to 987 +/- 586 dyn X s X cm-5, p = 0.025), whereas pulmonary arterial pressure remained unchanged (59 +/- 23.2 to 55 +/- 28.6 mm Hg, p greater than 0.05) compared with baseline values. We conclude that nifedipine therapy may be useful in the chronic management of patients with primary pulmonary hypertension.


Objective. To investigate the association of hand osteoarthritis (OA) and concurrent hand and knee OA with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in the general population, and in patients consulting a rheumatology outpatient clinic. Methods. In the population-based Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity (NEO) study, participants were recruited from the greater area of Leiden, the Netherlands. In the Hand OSTeoArthritis in Secondary care (HOSTAS) study, patients with a rheumatologist's diagnosis of hand OA were recruited from a Leiden-based hospital. In both cohorts, hand and knee OA were defined by the American College of Rheumatology clinical criteria. In NEO, self-reported hospital-based specialist consultation for OA was recorded. Physical and mental HRQOL was assessed with normalized Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 scores. Associations were analyzed using linear regression, adjusted for age, sex, education, ethnicity, and body mass index. Results. Hand OA alone and concurrent hand and knee OA was present in 8% and 4% of 6334 NEO participants, and in 57% and 32% of 538 HOSTAS patients. In NEO, hand OA alone, and concurrent hand and knee OA, were associated with lower physical component summary (PCS) scores [mean difference −2.4 (95% CI −3.6, −1.3) and −7.7 (95% CI −9.3, −6.2), respectively] compared with no OA. Consulting a specialist was associated with worse PCS scores. In the HOSTAS cohort, mean PCS scores were lower than norm values (−3.5 and −7.9 for hand OA and combined OA, respectively). Mental HRQOL was not clinically relevantly associated in either cohort. Conclusion. Hand OA was associated with reduced physical, but not mental, HRQOL in the general population and hospital patients. Physical HRQOL was further reduced in hospital care, and with concurrent knee OA.


Iodide secretion across different regions of rat small intestine has been investigated in vitro using the standard Wilson-Wiseman technique. Net I- secretion was observed along the entire small intestine, being significantly higher in the central region. Anaerobic conditions, ouabain (2 mM) and Na+ free Ringer solution prevented net I- secretion, whilst both theophylline (1 mM) and carbachol (0,1 mM) enhanced the observed basal intestinal I- secretion. Furthermore, Ca2+-deprived bathing solutions significantly reduced intestinal I- secretion. Epithelial I- uptake from both mucosal and serosal sides was measured by using a Ussing-type chamber technique. The initial rate of I- uptake across the mucosal membrane was significantly higher in the central region than in the proximal part of rat small intestine. No significant differences were observed in the rate of I- uptake from the serosal side. These studies suggest that mucosal I- permeability might determine the direction of net I- intestinal transport and that cytosolic Ca2+ may be a physiological regulator of intestinal I- transport.


In 2003 Francisco de Oliveira published an article entitled "The Platypus" in which he makes some critical statements on the political conjecture of that historical moment. This article is full filled by a parallel between Darwinian evolutionism and the vision of the author on the contemporary Brazilian society. In doing such analogy, he incurred in a series of theoretical errors about the evolutionary theory. Those errors consist greatly in an inappropriate substitution between what has been known as "Social Darwinism" and the neo-Darwinist theory as comprehended by their own proponents. The present work identifies those errors and contextualize them into the neo-Darwinian theory. Besides, we show a historical portrait of the formation process of the evolutionary thinking in order to emphasize that the association between biology and social Darwinism is much more complex than it has usually been assumed.


New drill cores from the largest known impact structure in Europe, the relict of the Siljan meteorite crater, provide new possibilities to reconstruct Early Palaeozoic marine environments and ecosystems, and to document changes in sedimentary facies, sea level and palaeoclimate in Baltoscandia. The impact crater is an important target of the project "Concentric Impact Structures in the Palaeozoic" within the framework of the "Swedish Deep Drilling Program". Two core sections, Mora 001 and Solberga 1, have been analysed. The sedimentary successions of these core sections include strata of late Tremadocian through late Wenlock ages. Our preliminary studies show not only that several of the classical Palaeozoic units of Sweden are represented in the area, but also that other significantly different facies are preserved in the Siljan district. An erosional unconformity representing a substantial hiatus occurs between Middle Ordovician limestone and a Llandovery-Wenlock (Silurian) shale succession in the western part of the Siljan structure and suggests an extended period of uplift and erosion. This may be related to forebulge migration due to flexural loading by the Caledonian thrust sheet to the west. Thus, this part of Sweden, previously regarded as a stable cratonic area, presumably was affected by the Caledonian collision between Baltica and Laurentia.


A 59-year-old woman, who underwent uterectomy for uterine cancer in February 2000, was diagnosed having carcinomatous peritonitis with intractable ascites due to recurrent uterine cancer in November 2004. We conducted a peritoneovenous shunting at the right side of the abdominal cavity using the Denver peritoneovenous shunt system. A significant reduction in body weight and abdominal girth was seen during the follow up period. After 2 months, the intractable ascites was aggrayating. Because of the partition of the abdominal cavity by the greater omentum, the intractable ascites was dominant in the left side of the abdominal cavity compared with the right side. So we tried additional moreperitoneovenous shunting at the left side of the abdominal cavity using the Denver peritoneovenous shunt system. Finally, ascites and body weight were decreased. She was discharged from our hospital with a good quality of life. Double peritoneovenous shunt (Denver peritoneovenous shunt system) is a useful palliative treatment for intractable such as this case. Further experience and discussion are necessary to indicate this procedure.


MicroRNA (miRNA), about 22 nt in length, are small single-strand RNA discovered in recent years that universally exist in the genome of creatures. They control physiological and pathological processes through regulation of gene expression at either posttranscriptional or translational level. Hundreds of miRNA have been confirmed to express in ocular tissues, and function as important regulators in physiological processes, including development, differentiation, regeneration after injury, as well as control of circadian rhythms in the eye. On the other hand, miRNA also play a crucial regulatory role in the pathogenesis and development of several ocular diseases, such as neovascularization, autoimmune uveitis, retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, and retinoblastoma. The mechanistic study on miRNA and their targets in physiology and pathology of the eye will provide the theoretical basis from which novel molecular therapy to ocular diseases stems.


Glycosylated hemoglobins (HbA1) were measured in 23 nonpregnant women, 53 normal pregnant women, and 22 Class A diabetics; the results were 6.1 ± 0.7%, 5.8 ± 1.0%, and 7.0 ± 1.3% in the 3 groups, respectively. The decrease in normal pregnancy was insignificant, whereas the increase of HbA1 in Class A diabetics over the other 2 groups was statistically significant (P < 0.05). HbA1 did not correlate with maternal age, gravidity, or gestational age at the time of sampling. There was no difference in HbA, between whites and blacks [patients with sickle hemoglobin (HbS) were excluded] (P= 0.35), nor between primigrav-idas and multigravidas (P= 0.8). HbA, levels did not correlate with the birth weight ratios in either normal pregnancies (r= 0.06, P= 0.7) or in Class A diabetics (r= −0.4, P= 0.09). This is probably due to the long interval between HbA, determination and delivery (9.9 weeks).


Pyrimidine dimers are eliminated from DNA by a number of different mechanisms known as DNA repair. Photoreactivation, the reversal of the harmful effects of short wavelength radiation by subsequent exposure to longer wavelengths, is one such mechanism. In photoreactivation, the enzyme DNA photolyase utilises light in order to catalyse the cleavage of the cyclobutane ring of the pyrimidine dimer. The results of recent studies of E. coli DNA photolyase and model systems using techniques such as steady state and flash photolysis, time resolved fluorescence and photo CIDNP are surveyed. A mechanism is proposed for the in vitro reaction of E. coli DNA photolyase which involves photoreduction of the FAD radical cofactor followed by electron donation to the dimer from the excited singlet state of reduced FAD.


Abstract This article responds to the 2014 American Political Science Association Annual Conference's theme of "Politics After the Digital Revolution." It first gives a brief assessment of how the discipline of political science has reacted to the digital revolution. It then seeks to couch the putative revolution in Thorstein Veblen's theory of a "machine process" in order to recast it less as a discrete phenomenon to be dealt with by the discipline, but instead as part of an evolutionary process of social change that instils habits of mind of those who are subject to it, and who in turn, influence the machine process itself in a co-determinant manner. This article offers the synthesis of Veblen and the Frankfurt School to theorize how the digital revolution might be critically assessed in its evolutionary framework, and speaks towards an evolutionary critical theory for analysing political society beyond discrete events.


Orbital thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing is an important tool for characterizing geologic surfaces on Earth and Mars. However, deposition of material from volcanic or eolian activity results in bedrock surfaces becoming significantly mantled over time, hindering the accuracy of TIR compositional analysis. Moreover, interplay between particle size, albedo, composition and surface roughness add complexity to these interpretations. Apparent Thermal Inertia (ATI) is the measure of the resistance to temperature change and has been used to determine parameters such as grain/block size, density/mantling, and the presence of subsurface soil moisture/ice. Our objective is to document the quantitative relationship between ATI derived from orbital visible/near infrared (VNIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) data and tephra fall mantling of the Mono Craters and Domes (MCD) in California, which were chosen as an analog for partially mantled flows observed at Arsia Mons volcano on Mars. The ATI data were created from two images collected ~12 h apart by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument. The results were validated with a quantitative framework developed using fieldwork that was conducted at 13 pre-chosen sites. These sites ranged in grain size from ash-sized to meter-scale blocks and were all rhyolitic in composition. Block size and mantling were directly correlated with ATI. Areas with ATI under 2.3 × 10−2 were well-mantled with average grain size below 4 cm; whereas values greater than 3.0 × 10−2 corresponded to mantle-free surfaces. Correlation was less accurate where checkerboard-style mixing between mantled and non-mantled surfaces occurred below the pixel scale as well as in locations where strong shadowing occurred. However, the results validate that the approach is viable for a large majority of mantled surfaces on Earth and Mars. This is relevant for determining the volcanic history of Mars, for example. Accurate identification of non-mantled lava surfaces within an apparently well-mantled flow field on either planet provides locations to extract important mineralogical constraints on the individual flows using TIR data.


Background: Modified natural surfactants currently used for treatment of respiratory distress syndrome contain about 0.5–1% (w/w phospholipids) of each of the surfactant proteins SP-B and SP-C. The supply of these preparations is limited and synthetic surfactant preparations containing lipids and peptides are under development. Objectives: To investigate the potential of different concentrations of the SP-C analogue SP-C33 in 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine/1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol (68:31, w/w). Methods: Surface activity was evaluated in pulsating and captive bubble surfactometers and in immature newborn rabbits. Results: Preparations containing ≧1% SP-C33 achieve minimum surface tension <5 mN/m indicating good biophysical activity, and increase tidal volumes in premature rabbit fetuses to the same level as a modified natural surfactant preparation does. Alveolar patency at end expiration, as evaluated by measurement of lung gas volumes, histological assessment of alveolar expansion and determination of alveolar volume density, was lower in the animals treated with synthetic surfactant than in those receiving modified natural surfactant. Conclusions: These data suggest that SP-C33 is similarly efficient as the native peptide in improving surface properties of phospholipids mixtures and in increasing lung compliance in surfactant-deficient states, but that other components are needed to maintain alveolar stability at low airway pressures.


The paper presents the results of photoluminescence (PL) and Raman scattering studies of non-conjugated and bio-conjugated CdSe/ZnS core–shell quantum dots (QDs). The commercial CdSe/ZnS QDs used are characterized by color emission with maxima at 605–610 nm (2.03–2.05 eV). PL spectra of non-conjugated QDs are the superposition of PL bands related to exciton emission in the CdSe core (2.03–2.05 eV) and to hot electron–hole emission via defect states at the CdSe/ZnS interface (2.37 and 2.68 eV). QD conjugation was performed with biomolecules—the antihuman interleukin 10 antibody (antihuman IL10). The PL spectra of bio-conjugated QDs have been changed dramatically: only one PL band related to exciton emission in the CdSe core was detected in bio-conjugated QDs. To explain this effect a model has been proposed which assumes that the QD bio-conjugation process is accompanied by the recharging of acceptor-like interface states at the CdSe/ZnS interface. A comparative analysis of normalized PL spectra of non-conjugated CdSe/ZnS QDs with different intensities of interface state PL has confirmed the proposed electron–hole recombination model in QDs.


Adaptive plasticity allows organisms to cope with environmental change, thereby increasing the population's long-term fitness. However, individual selection can only compare the fitness of individuals within each generation: if the environment changes more slowly than the generation time (i.e., a coarse-grained environment) a population will not experience selection for plasticity even if it is adaptive in the long-term. How does adaptive plasticity then evolve? One explanation is that, if competing alleles conferring different degrees of plasticity persist across multiple environments, natural selection between lineages carrying those alleles could select for adaptive plasticity (lineage selection). We show that adaptive plasticity can evolve even in the absence of such lineage selection. Instead, we propose that adaptive plasticity in coarse-grained environments evolves as a by-product of inefficient short-term natural selection. In our simulations, populations that can efficiently respond to selective pressures follow short-term, local, optima and have lower long-term fitness. Conversely, populations that accumulate limited genetic change within each environment evolve long-term adaptive plasticity even when plasticity incurs short-term costs. These results remain qualitatively similar regardless of whether we decrease the efficiency of natural selection by increasing the rate of environmental change or decreasing mutation rate, demonstrating that both factors act via the same mechanism. We demonstrate how this mechanism can be understood through the concept of learning rate. Our work shows how plastic responses that are costly in the short term, yet adaptive in the long term, can evolve as a by-product of inefficient short-term selection, without selection for plasticity at either the individual or lineage level.


Pesticide adjuvants (PAs) denote the general term for auxiliaries in pesticide preparations except for the active components. Toluene, chloroform, and trichloroethylene are the three most commonly used PAs as organic solvents. The residues of the three chemicals in the process of production and application of pesticides may endanger the ecosystem. In the present study, the mutagenicity of toluene, chloroform, and trichloroethylene as well the mixture of the three chemicals was tested by the Salmonella typhimurium reverse mutation test (Ames test) with TA97, TA98, TA100, and TA102 strains in the system with and without rat liver microsomal preparations (S9). The four tester strains have been used for more than 40 years to detect mutagenic compounds in chemicals, cosmetics, and environmental samples. The mutagenicity was detected on tester strains in the separated experiment from the three chemicals. The addition of S9 decreased the mutation ratios of toluene to four strains, except for the TA100 strain, but increased the mutation ratios of chloroform to four strains except for the TA98 strain. Trichloroethylene caused positive mutagenicity to become negative on the TA102 strain. In the mixed experiment, positive effects were detected only on the TA102 strain in the absence of S9. The addition of S9 increased the mutagenicity except for the TA102 strain. The mixture of toluene, chloroform, and trichloroethylene showed antagonism in mutagenicity to tester strains, except for the TA102 strain without S9. However, the mixture showed a synergistic effect to tester strains after adding S9 except for the TA98 strain.


Scheduling preferences, derived under the assumption of expected utilitymaximization, can be used for measuring value of travel time variability.As an alternative to expected utility maximization, rank dependent utilityis chosen in this paper. Considering a flexible probability weighting forranked outcomes, two frequently applied scheduling models are derived,and estimated on a data set with specific travel time distributions. Optimisticrespondents are observed. Allowing for heterogeneity of schedulingpreferences improves the model performance significantly. We also foundevidence for valuing excessive travel time, which is not included in thetraditional scheduling model specifications.


Following the introduction of the influential 'doing' family perspective, an active understanding of parents has taken centre stage in sociological thinking on how families are constructed. However, this has not extended to children, and their roles as co-constructors of families have not received the same amount of attention. This article examines the practices children use to construct themselves as child of someone in relation to a parent. By locating children's practices within the 'doing' family perspective, the article identifies three levels of childhood in families – being child, doing child and reflecting child. The article shows how the three levels must be understood in relation to discourses on what it means to be a 'good' child of someone, as these moral questions influence what children come to do. The article draws on interviews with 39 children (aged 5–17 years) from two studies that explored children's family relationships in challenging family circumstances.


Agriculture–nutrition linkages (ANLs) have been increasingly investigated in the literature. However, nutritional returns and costs of household agricultural production practices (APPs) in semisubsistence settings are poorly understood. We fill these knowledge gaps using pooled cross‐section data sets in Tajikistan, where semisubsistence farming and undernutrition coexist despite relatively good agricultural infrastructure and education systems. Agricultural diversification, yield enhancement, production expansion are positively associated with various nutritional outcomes, particularly in areas with poor food market access. Decomposition exercises suggest that nutritional returns and costs of these APPs vary across households, and the adoption of APPs is driven by the expected nutritional returns. In Tajikistan, improving nutrition through household ANLs requires growing the smallholder agricultural sector in multiple dimensions, including diversification, intensification, and expansion, while also understanding better the pathways of ANLs and addressing bottlenecks at appropriate stages of such pathways.


GlaxoSmithKline has partnered with Exscientia to use artificial intelligence to develop small molecules against up to 10 drug targets. Exscientia seeks to use AI to design molecules with a desired balance of potency, selectivity, and pharmacokinetics. GSK will provide the firm with research funding and up to $42 million in milestone payments as molecules reach preclinical studies. In May, Exscientia joined with Sanofi to develop bispecific small molecules against metabolic diseases targets.


Although it is well known that cloud cavitation shows unsteady behavior with the growing motion of an attached cavity, the shedding motion of a cloud, the collapsing motion of the cloud shed downstream and a reentrant motion in flow fields such as on a 2-D hydrofoil and in a convergent- divergent channel with a rectangular cross-section, observations for the periodic behavior of cloud cavitation in a cylindrical nozzle with a convergent-divergent part, which is mainly used in an industrial field, have hardly been conducted. From engineering viewpoints, it is important to elucidate the mechanism of periodic cavitation behavior in a cylindrical nozzle. In this study, a high-speed observation technique with an image analysis technique was applied to the cloud cavitation behavior in the nozzle to make clear the mechanism of unsteady behavior. As a result, it was observed in the nozzle that the periodic behavior occurs in the cloud cavitation and pressure waves form at the collapse of clouds shed downstream. Also, it was found through the image analysis based on the present technique that the pressure wave plays a role as a trigger mechanism to cause a reentrant motion at the downstream end of an attached cavity.


In contrast to Norbert Elias' perception of the court as a "gilded cage", historians have, over a couple of decades, agreed on concepts of courts as specific social systems that can be visualised by a series of concentric circles around the ruler. Courtiers and officers were not only domesticated by the court ("Civilizing Process"), they were rather integrated in the mechanisms of decision-making. Therefore, courts can be defined as cultural and political nexuses: places where central power encountered the subjects (yet still belonging to different sort of elites, including noble and functional elites), and where power and resources were concentrated and redistributed. Courtiers and officers were integrated in a permanent process of interaction and redistribution in the surroundings of the ruler. Possible share in power and rule, promotion and admission to offices at court and in the chancery were accordingly regarded as a consequence of the ruler's grace on the one hand or, as the quasi-institutional practice and structure of governance on the other hand. Thus, individuals who had direct and specific access to the rulers or belonged to their inner circle (gaining their trust and establishing an intellectual and even physical proximity with them), were sometimes raised to a position that enabled them to accumulate resources and develop their own influence and power.


Asymmetric leg function is often an undesired side-effect in artificial legged systems and may reflect functional deficits or variations in the mechanical construction. It can also be found in legged locomotion in humans and animals such as after an accident or in specific gait patterns. So far, it is not clear to what extent differences in the leg function of contralateral limbs can be tolerated during walking or running. Here, we address this issue using a bipedal spring-mass model for simulating walking with compliant legs. With the help of the model, we show that considerable differences between contralateral legs can be tolerated and may even provide advantages to the robustness of the system dynamics. A better understanding of the mechanisms and potential benefits of asymmetric leg operation may help to guide the development of artificial limbs or the design novel therapeutic concepts and rehabilitation strategies.


Abstract Surface waves can produce large biases in estimates of turbulent shear stress obtained from single-sensor measurements of velocity if there is even a small uncertainty in the orientation of either the velocity sensor or the principal axes of the wave-induced velocity field. The wave-induced bias can be diminished substantially by differencing measurements obtained from two velocity sensors separated by a distance larger than the correlation scale of the turbulence but small in comparison to the inverse wavenumber of the surface waves. If the scale separation is sufficiently large, then minus the density times half of the covariance between horizontal and vertical velocity differences is a nearly wave-free estimate of the average of the turbulent shear stresses at the two sensors. A theoretical analysis determines the bias associated with this technique under simplified conditions, in which waves and turbulence are uncorrelated and the waves are weakly nonlinear and narrow-banded in both frequency...


This study examined the extent to which effortful control moderated the risk of internalizing or externalizing problems associated with high negative emotionality in a Dutch population sample of pre- and early adolescents (N = 1,922). Internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist, Youth Self-Report, and Teacher Checklist of Psychopathology. Temperament (effortful control, fearfulness, frustration) was assessed with the parent version of the Revised Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire. The effects of fearfulness and frustration appeared to be attenuated by high levels of effortful control. The associations differed between the two domains of mental health investigated: effortful control reduced the effect of fearfulness on internalizing problems and the effect of frustration on externalizing problems. The effects were stronger for externalizing problems and similar for preadolescent (age 11) and adolescent (age 13/14) outcomes.This research is part of the Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Participating centers of TRAILS include various Departments of the University of Groningen, Erasmus Medical Center of Rotterdam, University of Nijmegen, Trimbos Institute, and University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. TRAILS is financially supported by grants from The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (GB-MW 940-38-011, GB-MAG 480-01-006, ZonMw 100.001.001, and NWO 175.010.2003.005) and the Department of Justice (WODC), and by the participating centers.


Network topology has significant impacts on operational performance of power systems. While extensive research efforts have been devoted to optimization of network topology for improving various system performances, the problem of how to transition from the initial topology to the desired optimal topology requires study. To address this problem, we propose the concept of optimal topology transition (OTT). This aims to find the topology transition trajectory from an initial topology to a desired terminal topology, which optimizes certain transition performance and satisfies operational constraints. The OTT problem is further formulated as a mixed-integer program under certain assumptions. Next, we propose the formulation of transition-embedded topology optimization that is capable of optimizing network topology and its transition trajectory simultaneously. Considering the time complexity of directly solving the mixed-integer programs, an efficient problem-specific solution algorithm is developed. Finally, numerical studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed OTT and transition-embedded topology optimization models, as well as the superiority of the obtained optimal transition trajectories compared to ad hoc transition trajectories.


It is known that criminal investigation assistance systems that use face images are unreliable when profile images are queried. Although frontal facial recognition has matured, profile facial recognition is not yet well developed. To compensate for such unreliability, the use of ear recognition is a promising direction, as ear shapes are known to be unique and visible in profile images. However, the ear has a complex, three-dimensional concave shape. Thus, accurate ear identification is challenging when the angle of an ear image from a surveillance camera is different from that of images in an image database. Some studies (including our past work) have addressed this issue and improved the robustness of ear recognition against off-angle ear rotation. However, there is room for improvement in this area. To improve on our earlier work on single view-based ear biometrics, another estimation method for the camera angle of an ear image based on principal component analysis is examined in this study. Experimental results show that the proposed method can improve the accuracy of the estimation of the camera angle. In conjunction with this enhancement, the improvement in robustness against off-angle ear rotation is examined. Therefore, the proposed method improves the robustness of ear recognition by accurately calculating the camera angle of the image of the ear.


Huaihe River Basin is a unique region in China with high densities in both population and water projects (dams and floodgates) and is also subject to the most serious water pollution. It is a complicated water system, with a large number of tributaries, many inter-provincial rivers, and highly artificial river water control. Management of water projects regulating of river network require a series of professional analysis tools, which are closely related to the spatial modality and spatial distribution. In this paper, we apply GIS network analysis technology to water pollution tracing under water projects regulation, which establish digital river network model and integrate and manage water projects regulating related data resource. The study has put forward a water pollution management model as a GIS tool in the long-term water projects regulating process and pollution control plan for the Huaihe River Basin.


Purpose: To investigate and define the clinical results and prognostic factors affecting surgical outcome of the various etiologies of a cervical myelopathy. Materials and Methods: Forty-one cervical myelopathy patients, who underwent surgery from March 1997 to March 2004, were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were divided into three groups according to the cause, HIVD (10 cases, group A), OPLL (14 cases, group B), cervical spondylotic myelopathy (17 cases, group C). An anterior cervical discectomy and fusion was carried out on one or two segments in group A, and an expansive open-door laminoplasty was performed in groups B and C. The correlations between age, onset, preoperative JOA score, signal change in the cord on the T2 weighted image MRI, compression ratio, which are known etiologies of myelopathy, and the recovery rate according to causes were analyzed. Results: The mean preoperative and postoperative JOA score was 11.2 and 14.6 respectively. The mean recovery rate was 61.7%. There was no significant difference in the preoperative JOA score in each group (11.40 in group A, 11.93 in group B, 10.53 in group C). The recovery rate was ranked as follows: group A, B, and C (group A 75.98%, group B 61.39%, group C 53.61%) but the difference was not significant. Age, preoperative JOA score, signal change on T2WI MRI in group A (p < 0.05), age, preoperative JOA score in group B (p < 0.05), age, preoperative JOA score, signal change on T2WI MRI, compression ratio in group C (p < 0.05) were significant prognostic factors that influenced the recovery rate. Conclusion: There was no difference between the preoperative clinical symptoms and the surgical outcome according to the cause. The most significant prognostic factors affecting the results of surgery for cervical myelopathy were age, preoperative JOA score in each group. A specific prognostic factor in each group may exist, but a further evaluation is needed.


Low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) are a diverse group of depolymerized heparin preparations with molecular weights ranging from 1800 to 12,000 Da. Due to manufacturing differences, there are marked structural variations between LMWHs that exhibit distinct pharmacologic and biochemical profiles. Pharmacokinetic studies generally use indirect pharmacodynamic measures, particularly anti-Xa activity. Animal models have shown considerable variation between preparations in anti-Xa activity and other pharmacodynamic measures, including bioavailability and release of tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI). Each LMWH has a specific, assay-dependent pharmacokinetic profile, reinforcing the concept that each LMWH is a distinct, noninterchangeable, pharmaceutical product.


The purpose of this study was to describe the gracilis free-tissue transfer for soft-tissue coverage after surgical correction of severe clubfoot and other complex foot deformities in children older than 4 years. Requirements for success include complete correction of deformity, temporary Kirschner-wire fixation to maintain correction, experience in microvascular surgery, and close postoperative monitoring of the tissue transfer. Atrophy of the muscle transfer over the first year precludes the need for debulking procedures. This procedure was used in three children aged 4.5, 7, and 7.3 years with untreated or recurrent equinovarus foot deformities. Postoperatively, these children had flexible, pain-free, plantigrade feet with no donor-site complications. In conclusion, the gracilis free transfer appears to be a safe, effective, and reliable option to cover soft-tissue defects after the treatment of severe clubfeet in older children.


Since Spin Density Functional Theory was first proposed, but also recently, examples were constructed to show that a spin-potential may share its ground state with other spin-potentials. In fact, for collinear magnetic fields and systems with fixed magnetization, the mapping between potentials and ground states is invertible, provided the magnetization is not saturated and that spin-potentials are determined within a spin-constant. We complete the proof that the mapping is invertible also for non-collinear magnetic fields and systems with more than one electron. We then discuss the non-collinear exchange and correlation energy functional and suggest improvements.


BACKGROUND AND AIMS
Patients receiving home parenteral nutrition (HPN) deserve a high-quality and patient-centered care. Patient-centered care can be delivered only if the patient's priorities and concerns are known. Therefore, the aim is to identify the top 3 most important outcome indicators according to patients' perspectives and the differences between several centers, HPN regimen, and HPN experience.

METHODS
A questionnaire, based on previously developed outcome indicators, was translated into the mother tongue using forward-backward translation and distributed to adult HPN patients with benign disease in March 2013. To identify differences, a Kruskal-Wallis or Mann-Whitney test was performed with GraphPad Prism (significance level <.05) when applicable.

RESULTS
Nine centers over 8 countries (300 patients) participated. The top 3 outcome indicators for patients were (1) incidence of catheter-related infection (CRI), (2) survival, and (3) quality of life (QoL). Between the participating centers, significant differences on rating were found for 5 outcome indicators (catheter obstruction, .015; weight, .002; energy, .010; fear, <.001; and independence, .010). The independence outcome indicator (.050) was considered less important for experienced (>2 years HPN) vs less experienced patients. For this outcome indicator, patients' view also differed significantly based on number of HPN days per week (.0103).

CONCLUSION
A cohort of HPN patients identified incidence of CRI, survival, and QoL as the most important outcome indicators for their care; however, there were significant differences between the participating centers. For one outcome indicator (independence), there were significant differences based on experience and regimen.


ABSTRACT This study sought to validate the Japanese version of the Survey Work–Home Interaction – NijmeGen, the SWING, which assesses multi-dimensional work–family interaction by differentiating between the direction and quality of influence. We translated the SWING into the Japanese language, the SWING-J. A back-translation procedure confirmed that the translation was appropriate. A total of 2701 dual-earner parents with preschool children (1193 men and 1508 women) were surveyed. The complete questionnaire included the SWING-J, job and family domain variables, and well-being indicators. The reliability and factorial and convergent validity of the used measures were examined. As the results, four dimensions (i.e. work-to-family negative spillover, family-to-work negative spillover, work-to-family positive spillover and family-to-work positive spillover) were determined by an exploratory factor analysis. A series of confirmatory factor analyses suggested that the hypothesized four-factor model provided a reasonably good fit to the data. Convergent validity was generally supported by the expected correlations of work–family spillovers with the possible predictors and consequences. Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the four subscales of the SWING-J were satisfactory (0.75–0.86). The present study confirmed that the Japanese version of the SWING is an adequate tool to measure positive and negative spillover between working life and family life among Japanese workers.


The performances of two-stroke engine mainly depend on scavenging process. The geometry of the transfer ports, which govern the characteristics of scavenging process, is dominant design parameters in a loop scavenging type two stroke engine. In this study, the effects of the design parameters such as transfer port angles (AM1, AM2) and up-sweep angle (UPM) on the scavenging process are studied by Jante method and in-cylinder flow velocity measurements.
As transfer port angle(AM2) and up-sweep angle(UPM) increase, the magnitude of scavenging velocity is decreased. And the transfer port angle, AM1, gives heavy influence on the scavenging flow pattern while the transfer port angle, AM2, and up-sweep angle(UPM) give weak influence on it relatively. Therefore, in the design of transfer port, AM1 should be decided first in view of the scavenging flow pattern. And then, the scavenging flow velocity should be optimized by AM2 and UPM.


We present two robust and novel algorithms to model a 3D environment using both intensity and range data provided by an off-the-shelf stereo camera. The main issue we need to address is that the output of the stereo system is both sparse and noisy. To overcome this limitation,, we detect planar patches in the environment by region segmentation in 2D and plane extraction in 3D. The extracted planar patches are used not only to represent the workspace, but also to fill holes in range data. We also suggest a new planar patch based scan matching algorithm to register multiple views, and to incrementally augment the description of the 3D workspace in a sequence of scenes. Experimental results on real data show that planar patch segmentation and 3D scene registration for environment modeling can be robustly achieved by the proposed approaches.


Studies conducted by many researchers indicate high failure rate of projects of implementing ERP systems. To penetrate in global competition market, it seems necessary to carry out studies to assess organizational readiness prior to system implementation to identify weaknesses and strengths points of the organization. Furthermore, organizations should be agile to be able to respond to market changes fast and effectively to survive in competitive environment. ERP and agility are two important tools for achieving competitive advantages. The main goal of the present study was to identify and prioritize organizational readiness factors for implementing ERP based on organizational agility. In this study, along with extension of McKinsey 7S model (strategy, structure, systems, skills, style, staff, shared values) to 9S (7S+ self-evaluation and supportive factors) model, agility criteria were weighted and rated using group AHP with fuzzy logic approach; so that accountability, speed and flexibility have obtained the maximum score. The nine organizational readiness factors were ranked using integrated FAHP and TOPSIS method based on five criteria of agility. The framework was proposed to a real case of Shiraz distribution cooperative firms. Results showed that among the nine organizational dimensions based on agility, the two added to McKinsey dimensions (self-evaluation and supportive factors) are ranked in the first and fourth places. The proposed framework help the firms "to implement ERP system with agility approach" concentrate on effective empowerments and develop strategies based on their own priority.


Exocoelomic and amniotic fluids were obtained by selective puncture under ultrasound guidance in normal human pregnancies between 5 and 13 weeks of gestation. Evaluation of the protein patterns in the exocoelomic fluid showed qualitative and quantitative changes with advancing gestation. During the second month of gestation, three electrophoretic bands were found with mobility compatible with albumin, alpha 1-globulin and beta-globulin and composed of at least eight proteins including: pre-albumin, albumin, alpha-fetoprotein (alpha-FP), alpha 1-protease inhibitor, haptoglobin, ceruloplasmin, transferrin and immunoglobulin-G, as revealed by immunoblotting. Protein patterns obtained between 9 and 13 weeks were comparable in exocoelomic fluid and in maternal serum except for the presence of alpha-FP in the alpha 1-globulin band. At the same gestational age, protein electrophoresis of amniotic fluid revealed four bands corresponding to albumin, alpha-FP, haptoglobin and transferrin. Creatinine levels were significantly lower (P less than 0.01) in amniotic fluid than in exocoelomic fluid, and alpha-FP levels were similar in both exocoelomic and amniotic fluids. These results suggest that the exocoelomic fluid is a transudate of the maternal serum except for the presence of high levels of alpha-FP, that amniotic and exocoelomic cavities are separated by a non-permeable membrane and that the secondary yolk sac plays an important role in early protein synthesis and transfer.


Peptide neurotransmitters, as substance P or ATP, are released during inflammatiory processes by the nerve endings of sensory fibers. ATP is also released from the cytoplasm of damaged cells at the site of inflammation. It acts at the level of many P2X subtypes of purinoreceptors. The receptor for extracellular ATP named P2Z/P2X7 is selectively blocked by the periodate oxidized ATP (oATP). We have hypothesized that P2X subunits present on peripheral sensory nerve terminals, able to initiate a nociceptive signal, could be blocked by local treatment with oATP, so inducing pain relief. Male inbred Fisher rats weighing about 250 g were used. Unilateral inflammation into rat hind paw was induced by intraplantar injection of Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA). The following signs of inflammation, from 3 to 48 h after FCA injection, were detected: increased paw volume, increased paw temperature and hyperalgesia. The latter was evaluated using an algesiometric test wich measured the paw pressure threshold (PPT, expressed in g). We treated some rats, bearing paw inflammation by 12 h, with local injection of 56 μM oATP. We showed a significant reduction of hyperalgesia in treated rats (PPT = 190 ± 2.3 in inflamed paw of oATP treated vs. PPT = 60 ± 1.6 in inflamed paw of untreated rats, at 60 min following oATP innoculation). We showed also that treatment with oATP was more efficient than treatment with diclofenac in reducing local inflammatory pain (PPT expressed as percentage of the maximum possible effect = 60 ± 0.5, at 120 min following intraplantar administration of oATP, vs. 25 ± 1.9 at the same time following intraplantar administration of diclofenac). The use of polyclonal antibody anti P2X7 receptor to perform immunohistochemical analysis of inflamed tissue, showed a reduction of receptor expression at the level of nerve endings in sections obtained from rat paw treated with oATP with respect to sections obtained from untreated rats. Such an effect was independent on the recruitment of immunocytes in inflamed tissue. Our results demonstrate that ATP exerts a key role in the pathophysiology of peripheral inflammation and that oATP may be effective in treating inflammatory pain.


Classical molecular dynamics simulation is performed to estimate the diffusion coefficient of oxytocin in water at different temperatures, 288 K, 300 K, 313 K, 323 K, using GROningen Machine for Chemical Simulations (GROMOCS). The simulation is carried out using GROMOS43A1 force field and extended simple point charge (SPC/E) water model. The stability of the system is evaluated from energy profile of potential and kinetic energy, which assures well equilibrated molecular system. The self-diffusion coefficient of oxytocin and water is obtained from Einstein's relation and binary diffusion coefficient is obtained from Darken's relation. As temperature increases the diffusion coefficient also increases as per expectation. The diffusion coefficients of water from the present calculations agree well with the previously reported values, within the 10% of deviation. Furthermore, the activation energy has been studied using Arrhenius Plot.


Introduction Parenteral nutrition (PN) cost ∼£80 per day to provide. Wastage of PN is high due to sudden changes in the clinical condition of the patient, loss of venous access or for organisational reasons. In healthcare settings improvement in patient quality of care at low cost yet that also achieves savings in provision of patient care is imperative to increase the quality of care available to other patients. We undertook a quality improvement project to reduce PN wastage by 10% in 9 months. Method Quality Improvement (QI) project was carried out at a national Intestinal Failure Unit (IFU) to reduce waste in provision of in-patient PN. Using QI methodology we developed a SMART objective of reducing PN wastage by 10% in 9months. We drew up an appropriate driver diagram of primary and secondary drivers for PN wastage. We recorded reason for wastage and using a pareto chart determined the most likely cause of waste to target change. Using Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycles we activated a number of different strategies to reduce wastage. We mapped changes in the main 7 categories for waste using i-charts and g-charts. Balancing charts were also used to ensure that any intervention did not have a negative impact on quality provision of care on the IFU. We compared waste between IFU to Nutrition Support Teams in Salford and in Oxford. Results Baseline wastage over 12 weeks suggested 1000 bags per annum (p.a.) wastage. Using the following PDSA cycles we achieved a 39% reduction in PN wastage in 9 months, exceeding the proposed 10% and saving the unit ∼£35000. PDSA cycles used: Team awareness, regular highlighting of the problem, introducing it as a handover question, relabelling bags if not used whilst still within expiry date, stock rotation of stock bags, following a bag from fridge to patient, better coordination of discharge planning to prevent patients being at home when feed bags still available for them, splitting the fridge storage into days of the week so bags could be placed in correct day for each patient and if bags relabelled moved to the next available day, changing to standard bags during weaning process, taking patients off pre-ordering and changed to daily ordering to allow for altered discharge dates. Conclusion PN wastage is common and costly – in a high use unit ∼£90000 p.a. Using appropriate driver diagram, concurrent PDSA cycles and a motivated team high levels of cost savings are possible with resulting quality improvement in patient care. Disclosure of interest None Declared.


Using the tools and methods developed in [1] limit theorems are proven for the linear oscillator with random coefficients. The asymptotic behaviour of the moments is studied in detail. The technique presented in this paper can be applied to general linear systems with noise and is well suited for the investigation of stochastic beam dynamics in accelerators.


We present a performance comparison of risk-adjusted intraday trading strategies based on dynamic non-linear models using the more traditional Articial Neural Network, as well as Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Systems (ANFIS) and Dynamic Evolving Neuro Fuzzy Systems (DENFIS). The model selection process takes into account the risk-return measures together with exible position holding periods and a return band lter, employing a dynamic combination of moving average signals. Our results show that these models can be successfully applied to support intraday trading strategies, especially when considering constraints such as transaction costs and trading hours, which existing approaches in the literature do not account for.


It gives me quite extraordinary pleasure to have been asked to deliver the Jeffrey-Williams lecture of the Canadian Mathematical Society. The reasons are manifold. First of all Canada was my home for the most formative years of my life — from 16 to 23 — and was in fact the first country willing to take me on as an adopted son. I was of course born in Budapest, but in Europe the geographical accidents of birth are not taken seriously, rather I inherited my father's status and so managed to become stateless "by induction" so to speak.


Over the past 70 years, all states in the United States began to publicly subsidize kindergarten using state revenue. The variation in adoption dates across states allows for a unique opportunity to measure the effectiveness of the largest early education program implemented in recent history. The significant, immediate increase in the availability of kindergarten within a state is used to identify the effect of enrollment in kindergarten. Hispanic children, non-English speakers, children from immigrant households, and children of low socioeconomic status benefit the most from the increased availability of kindergarten. Hispanic children with access to kindergarten are 17% less likely to be below grade for their age and earn wages 5% higher as adults.


Techniques for mapping extended Kalman filters onto linear arrays of programmable cells designed for real-time applications are described. First, a general method for mapping a standard (nonsquare root) Kalman filter, where the columns of the covariance matrix are updated in parallel, is introduced. Next, a general method for mapping a factorized (square root) filter, where fast Givens rotations are used to triangularize the prematrix and where rotations of the rows of the prematrix are performed in parallel, is introduced. These mappings are used to implement an extended Kalman filter commonly used in target tracking applications on the Warp computer. The Warp is a commercially available linear array of 10 or more programmable cells connected to an MC68020-based workstation. The Warp implementation of the standard Kalman filter running on 8 Warp cells achieves a measured speedup of 7 over the same filter running on a single cell. The Warp implementation of the factorized filter running on 10 Warp cells achieves a measured speedup of 2. >


Abstract : This paper identifies, structures, and defines a list of cost elements that is intended to describe fully the life-cycle cost of any formal program, course, or device for individual training of DoD personnel, regardless of the conditions or assumptions imposed by the particular application or problem of interest. It was developed to satisfy a widely-recognized need for consistent, comparable, and credible evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of alternative methods of training. Training is a necessary and expensive activity needed to maintain military readiness. The Defense Science Board has recommended that cost-effectiveness evaluations of military training be performed to optimize the use of available training resources and to support investments in new training programs, equipment and technologies. The Board found that data needed to develop and evaluate training programs are inadequate; this perpetuates the weak position of training in competing for funds, and in demonstrating its value. Our review of the cost analyses in well over 100 studies of defense training was consistent with the Board's finding. This cost element structure was developed with reference to a number of authoritative and widely-used cost guides issued by and for the training and weapon systems communities of the Services and offices of the Secretary of Defense. It also incorporates many recommendations of reviewers involved in related functions and activities.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the effectiveness of adjuvant dexamethasone in preemptive analgesia for postoperative pain in patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This was an experimental, comparative, prospective and longitudinal study. It included 92 patients scheduled for elective abdominal surgery, who participated with prior informed consent. They were divided in two groups of 46 patients. For statistical analysis of results, we used descriptive statistics and Chi square and Student t.

RESULTS
92 patients were evaluated with an average age of 47 years; 15% corresponded to ASA I, 56% ASA II, and 21% ASA III. With the visual analog scale (VAS), it was possible to observe that the mean difference between the groups was 0.91; both groups showed a minimum of zero and a maximum eight points. In comparison, we obtained p < 0.05 at the first hour, second hour, and at 24 hours of VAS assessment.

CONCLUSION
Dexamethasone better controlled postsurgical pain and had adequate hemodynamic stability.


The direct and efficient transverse transmission line (TTL) method is used to analyse the unilateral fin-line resonators. Computational programs are developed in Fortran and Power Station MATLAB 5.0, and the results for the unilateral fin line resonator are presented for different parameters including substrate thickness, and length and width of the slot resonator, in 2D and 3D.


The main advances regarding the deep connections between probability and possibility measurement uncertainty representation (but not the propagation) over the last decade are reviewed. They concern the following: the definition of a possibility distribution equivalent to a probability of one from its whole set of dispersion intervals about one point for all of the probability levels, the bridges with the conventional dispersion parameters, the representation of a partial probability knowledge owing to a maximum specificity principle better than the maximum entropy principle, and also probability inequalities. The use of a possibility representation for common measurement situations such as the description of measurement results, measurand estimation, and expression of a priori uncertainty information is illustrated and then discussed in view of their use in further processing (propagation and fuzzy inference systems). The conclusion highlights the interests of the possibility approach and points out some remaining issues.


Background

Canine tick-borne diseases are important diseases with a worldwide distribution. In Thailand, the most important canine tick-borne diseases are ehrlichiosis, babesiosis and hepatozoonosis. The aim of this study was to determine the serum protein electrophoresis patterns and C-reactive protein levels associated with E. canis, B. canis or H. canis single infections.
Results

In dogs infected with E. canis, B. canis and H. canis single infections, the albumin levels and A/G ratios were significantly decreased, whereas β2-globulin levels were increased (P < 0.05). The γ-globulin level was significantly increased in E. canis and H. canis infections (P < 0.05). A monoclonal gammopathy pattern was observed in E. canis and B. canis single infections while β–γ bridging patterns and increased β- and γ-globulin fractions were found in H. canis single infections. The C-reactive protein level was increased in dogs with blood parasite single infections and may be related to the pathogenesis of the infection.
Conclusions

Serum protein electrophoresis patterns and C-reactive protein levels can be used to monitor health status and blood parasite problems in infected dogs.


Abstract This is an attempt to ensure an effective process for creating a barrier‐free environment. It is necessary, within the scope of the methodological procedure, to analyse the whole system, search for critical areas and eliminate or prevent them when applying basic and specific properties of the previously defined elementary items. An essential pre‐condition for creating an accessible built environment for everyone is knowledge of effective legislation and technical standards and successful application by all responsible persons.


Ever since Dr Leonard Bailey transplanted the heart of a young baboon into a human newborn with fatal hypoplastic left heart syndrome, there has been great public concern about the ethical issues involved in the highly experimental surgery. Among the many questions asked were: How much was known about this procedure? How much did the parents understand and how was their permission obtained? In the particular area of informed consent, the report by the investigative team of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) answers some questions but raises new ones. 1 In December 1984 members of the NIH's Office of Protection From Research Risks, an NIH legal adviser, and two nongovernmental consultants accepted Loma Linda University's (LLU) invitation to examine the university's decision to attempt the xenograft. After two days of discussions, the site visitors concluded that the review of the proposed procedure— which had included participation by the hospital


Agriculture is central to the Afghanistan's economy. It continues to be a strategic sector in the economic development of Afghanistan in terms of its potential for contributing to household income, food security, and rural employment. The sector is dominated by resource-poor small-scale subsistence farmers emphasising food security through own production. The recent policy changes to transform the sector from a subsistence to a self-sufficient market-led system have presented opportunities but posed challenges and created uncertainties. Empirical evidence is required to assess the status of the sector, the effect of policies, and to guide future interventions. The self-contained essays in this thesis attempt to address these emerging concerns by analysing small-scale farmers production efficiency, diversification strategies, and market participation decisions.

The first essay investigates farm-level Technical Efficiency (TE) and empirically assesses how adopting Crop Diversification (CD) strategies by farmers affect production efficiency. A parametric Stochastic Frontier (SF) technique is employed to estimate production efficiency as well as identify potential sources of (in)efficiency. Our analysis suggests that substantial inefficiencies exist; there is room to expand farm revenues by more than a quarter by applying improved farm management strategies (such as crop diversification) without having to resort to greater use of production inputs or adopting expensive production technologies. Adopting a diversified portfolio of crop production by farm households significantly improves production efficiency and farm revenues, but the data confirm the low level of diversity in crop production. Production function estimates exhibits Constant Returns‐to‐Scale (CRS) meaning that doubling production inputs would lead to an equivalent increase in output.

The second essay addresses low diversity in crop production by identifying drivers of diversity in crop production, with emphasis on the allocation of labour between farm and non-farm activities and access to off-farm income. Our findings show that a third of farmers do not diversify, and the majority that do grow only two or three crops. Our empirical results confirm that a significantly lower degree of diversification is found for farm households with higher off-farm income consistent with the hypothesis that allocation of farm labour away to non-farm activities decrease diversity due to negative labour effects, mainly because the opportunity cost of household labour is higher than the off-farm wages under imperfect markets implying non-separability between households' farm profits and off-farm earnings. Identification through instrumental variables confirms endogeneity in off-farm income revealing that unobserved factors such as risk-aversion behaviour of farmers drives household's decisions to diversify into both non-farm income and crop mix.

The third essay investigates factor market failures by testing separability in the household production and consumption decisions. Estimates of household labour demand rejects separability; labour demand decisions are strongly influenced by preferences and demographic compositions of household (endowments of labour) suggesting that there exist potential market failures in Afghanistan. Our analysis of input market participation reveals that the ownership of information and communication technologies and transport assets by the farm households, better access to roads, and proximity to permanent food markets, increase the likelihood of household's participation in factor markets. Transaction costs have critical implications for household's market participation and possibly causing market failures.


This paper argues that structural weaknesses may make private investment particularly sensitive to business confidence relative to other traditional investment drivers and global shocks. It gauges the importance of confidence over recent years in selected countries in Central America, including Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Using a vector error correction model to carry out the empirical work, a system representing global activity and the domestic economy, including a set of investment drivers (interest rates, unit labor costs, and confidence) is analyzed. The findings suggest that confidence has been, on average, the most important driver of investment in these countries, exceeded only by global factors. Since confidence, arguably, can be influenced by policymakers' decisions, structural reforms to improve the business climate and reduce uncertainty play an important role in promoting investment and economic growth.


It is the key to build a double-qualified faculty team with HVE characteristics according to the HVE requirements in higher vocational colleges.The paper puts forward some countermeasures and suggestions as to how to strengthen the construction of double-qualified faculty team according to its present problems in higher vocational colleges.


Insulin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) were prepared according to a solvent dilution method from O/W emulsions using isovaleric acid as organic phase. Insulin was derivatized with fluorescein isothyocianate (FITC) obtaining a fluorescent marker to be used in in vivo experiments. FITC-insulin and native insulin–loaded SLN were quite similar with regard to their mean sizes and encapsulation efficiency. SLN intestinal uptake was then investigated administering FITC-insulin loaded SLN on healthy male Wistar rats. Significant drug accumulation within intestinal lymphatic system was recovered, but the immune system seems to play an important role in SLN degradation: further studies are necessary to improve the results on blood glucose level.


BACKGROUND Given that adverse drug events result in extensive costs and healthcare resource utilization, the goal is to better understand drug-related emergency department (ED) visits so that programs can be implemented to improve the quality of health care. OBJECTIVE To (1) determine the incidence of drug-related ED visits at a large, tertiary care, Veterans Affairs hospital; (2) identify causes of these drug-related ED visits; (3) determine patient outcomes, healthcare resource utilization, and costs associated with these visits; and (4) determine the proportion of adverse drug reaction (ADR)–related ED visits that were spontaneously reported to the hospital's ADR reporting program. METHODS We conducted a retrospective electronic chart review of all patients who visited the ED during the second week of each month in 2003. Causes for drug-related visits were identified. ADRs in this study included side effects, drug allergies, and drug–drug interactions (DDIs) and were assessed using the Naranjo probability scale. RESULTS A total of 2169 patients were included in the study. Drug-related visits accounted for 12.6% of all ED visits. The main causes of drug-related visits were ADRs and nonadherence, which accounted for 33% and 19% of drug-related visits, respectively. Only 11% of these ADRs were spontaneously reported to the hospital's ADR reporting program. Thirty-five percent of drug-related visits led to hospitalizations, which resulted in an average length of stay of 9.3 days. The institution's total cost of drug-related visits was approximately $1.5 million over 12 weeks. CONCLUSIONS Many ED visits are drug related and often result in hospitalization and increased healthcare resource utilization. Only a minimal number of the ADRs resulting in ED visits are spontaneously reported to hospital ADR reporting programs.


This study analyzes immunologic markers to predict and diagnose tuberculosis-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (TB-IRIS) in HIV and TB coinfected adults who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Thailand. T helper 1 cytokines interleukin (IL)-2, IL-12, and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) levels in response to PPD and RD1 antigens were assessed prior to ART, at weeks 6, 12, and 24 of treatment, and at time of TB-IRIS. Of 126 subjects, 22 (17.5%) developed TB-IRIS; 14 (64%) subjects received steroid treatment and 3 (14%) received NSAIDs; none of the subjects died. Median interval between ART initiation and TB-IRIS development was 14 days. IFN-gamma, IL-2, and IL-12 responses did not differ between TB-IRIS and no TB-IRIS subjects (p > 0.05). More research into the immunopathogenesis of TB-IRIS and diagnostic potential of cytokine markers is warranted.


For public health safety, vaccines and other pharmaceutical products as well as the raw materials used in their manufacture need to be tested for adventitious virus contamination. The current standard of practice is to develop culture-based or polymerase chain reaction assays for the types of viruses one might expect based upon the source of reagents used. High-throughput sequencing technology is well-suited for building an unbiased strategy for the purpose of adventitious virus detection. We have developed an approach to automate curation of publically available nucleotide sequences, and have practically balanced the desire to capture all viral diversity while simultaneously reducing the use of partial viral sequences that represent the largest source of false positive results. In addition, we describe an effective workflow for virus detection that can process sequence data from all currently available High-throughput sequencing technologies and produce a report that summarizes the weight of sequence data in support of each detected virus.


The reporting of breath-alcohol measurements truncated to two decimal places is a form of computational error. The magnitude of the error can range from 0.000 to 0.009 g/210 L. The truncation error will follow a uniform distribution. A total of 500 breath-alcohol test measurements were evaluated to determine the distribution of the third digit. There are 10 possible discrete values for the third digit. The frequency of each third digit was found to range from 44 for the lowest to 57 for the highest. The data closely approximated the uniform distribution. To conform exactly with the uniform distribution, there would have to be 50 of each decimal value. Given that the third digit approximates the uniform distribution, one cannot attach a greater probability to a particular third-digit value as opposed to another.


Grain yield of rice is determined by genotype (G), environment (E), and interaction between genotype x environment (G x E). Variety can achieve its maximum yield potential if it is grown in suitable environments. This study was aimed to determine the adaptability and the yield stability of rice genotypes grown in different environments. Sixteen rice genotypes were tested using RBD in 16 sites during the wet season of 2010/2011, and dry season of 2011. The tested rice lines were developed for resistance to pest and diseases. The experiment unit was 4 m x 5 m of plot, plants were fertilized with urea, SP36, and KCl at rates of 250 kg/ha, 100 kg/ha, and 100 kg/ha, respectively. Variable observed was grain yield per plot. Combined analyses of variance showed that there was no lines yielded higher than did check variety Conde. The AMMI analysis showed that the largest variation was contributed by the environment factors (76.49%), genotype x environment interactions (17.55%), and the smallest was contributed by the genotypes (5.97%). Data exploration using boxplot method indicated that the low contribution of the genotype x environment interaction variance in this study was due to the high degree of similarity of yield potentials among the genotypes, and due to high similarity of environmental conditions of the sites.Based on the analysis of AMMI 2, lines B12743 - MR-18-2-3-8, IPB107-F-82-2-1, and Conde was each classified as widely adapted genotypes, while G8, IPB107-F-27-6-1, and BIO111-2-BC-PIR-3714, each was considered as genotype having a specific adaptation.


Background: Racial/ethnic minorities have a higher burden of stroke, but lower awareness and understanding of stroke and its risk factors. Our community–academic collaborative hosted a symposium in South Los Angeles to increase awareness about stroke, provide information on the Los Angeles Stroke Intervention and Research Program (SPIRP), and facilitate bidirectional communication between researchers and community stakeholders.Objectives: We discuss our partnered approach to increase stroke awareness, elicit community perspectives and perceptions about stroke prevention and research participation, and increase community involvement in research using a community engagement symposium (CES).Methods: We used a community-partnered participatory research (CPPR) conference framework to guide symposium planning, implementation and analysis. The morning session included clinical lectures, a panel of researchers describing LA SPIRP, and a panel presentation by stroke caregivers and survivors. In afternoon breakout sessions, attendees identified 1) community-based strategies to prevent stroke and 2) methods to increase recruitment of diverse populations in stroke research studies. Attendees were surveyed about stroke knowledge before and after the morning session. Data from breakout sessions were analyzed using content analysis and pile sorting to identify themes.Conclusions: We found that the CES based on CPPR principles was effective method to increase short-term stroke awareness and stimulate discussion about stroke research among community members and community stakeholders who serve racial/ethnic minorities.


This paper studies a dispersed information economy in which agents can exert costly attention to learn about an unknown aggregate state of the economy. Under certain conditions, attention and four measures of uncertainty are countercyclical: Agents pay more attention when they expect the economy to be in a bad state, and their reaction generates higher (i) aggregate output volatility, (ii) cross-sectional output dispersion, (iii) forecast dispersion about aggregate output, and (iv) subjective uncertainty about aggregate output faced by each agent. All these phenomena are prominent features of the U.S. data. When attention cost is calibrated to forecast survey data, the model generates countercyclical fluctuations in attention and uncertainty, consistent with untargeted moments from the data. Fluctuations in attention and uncertainty are higher-order properties of the model. A new method is developed to solve higher-order dynamics of the equilibrium under an infinite regress problem.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the attitudes, opinions and knowledge of Italian veterinarians regarding abdominal visceral pain in canine practice.

STUDY DESIGN
Prospective online survey.

METHODS
An online questionnaire was created on a Google Form spreadsheet and the weblink was circulated to Italian veterinarians on several mailing lists. The questionnaire, which was available between November 2012 and July 2013, comprised 18 closed, semi-closed and open questions divided into five sections (aetiology, recognition and assessment, drug choices for canine visceral pain, general knowledge about pain management and desire for further education, and demographic information).

RESULTS
A total of 527 responses to the questionnaire were completed. Pancreatitis (19%), gastroenteritis (17%) and gastrointestinal obstructions or foreign bodies (9%) were highlighted as the most frequent causes of abdominal visceral pain. Posture, gait and movement changes (32%) and physiological changes (31%) were commonly quoted for pain recognition and assessment. Most respondents (74%) did not use pain scoring systems. Pancreatitis and peritonitis were considered the most painful abdominal conditions. Opioids (40%), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (21%) and tramadol (20%) were cited as drugs for the management of visceral pain. A large percentage of respondents (97%) believed that their knowledge regarding pain management required improvement. There is practitioner interest for more continuing education in the subject. Most respondents were women (66%), aged between 25 and 40 years (57%). Internal medicine (56%), surgery (34%) and anaesthesiology (29%) were the main three speciality areas of interest in this study.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
This online survey represents the opinion of a small number of Italian veterinarians regarding the assessment and treatment of canine abdominal visceral pain. The results show that Italian veterinarians are aware of the main causes and clinical signs of canine visceral pain. Pain-scoring systems are not often used for the recognition and assessment of pain; however, according to these veterinarians, visceral pain is commonly diagnosed.


Social network is a buzzword which contributes in increasing number of customers and consumers thus companies are getting huge response from the market. Comparing with the traditional business, modern business is booming too fast but in some cases, they can't sustain for the longer period of time because competitors are not limited to the local areas only so do the consumers. Once a customer moves from one site to another site, it is difficult to back him/her to the previous track. In the analysis, Principal Axis Factoring has been used for variation explained and Principal Components Factoring for rotated component matrix. To justify the appropriateness of the study we run KMO and Bartlett's Test. Result showed that, positive word of mouth, branding, search engine category, product customization, interaction with the customers, effective SEO, trust play significant roles in this case. In fact, this paper aims at identifying the effect of Social Networks (SNs) and Google on the buying behavior of the consumers.


Accurate diagnosis of oral mucosal lichen planus (OMLP) is essential if appropriate management is to be instituted. Direct immunofluorescence microscopy (DIF) has facilitated the diagnosis of some dermatologic diseases with oral manifestations, but its use in the diagnosis of OMLP is less well documented. In the present study, 165 biopsies from consecutive cases for which a provisional diagnosis of OMLP was suggested clinically or on the basis of routine histopathologic, or DIF assessment were studied. In 27 cases the results of DIF were non-contributory. In 13 cases the diagnosis could only be established by DIF examination. Nine cases clinically diagnosed as OMLP were assigned to a different condition on the basis of routine histology and DIF. It was concluded that DIF was an integral step in the diagnosis of OMLP.


The opportunity to improve health care using existing scientific knowledge is immense. Much is known that is not being used in routine care, leading to a large gap between knowledge and practice. Collaborative improvement models bring health care professionals together to focus on this gap and to accelerate the pace of improvement in their organizations. This article describes one such model, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Breakthrough Series Collaborative model. Lessons are drawn to help inform future collaborative efforts that focus on the improvement of care. Pediatrics 1999;103:384–393; collaboration, quality of care, improvement, cooperation, outcomes. ABBREVIATIONS. MI, myocardial infarction; IHI, Institute for Healthcare Improvement; BTS, Breakthrough Series; ICU, intensive care unit; LGH, Lawrence General Hospital; CHW, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin; PICU, pediatric intensive care unit; NNE, Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group. "The problem before us is to exchange information. . . that there shall develop a final, cosmopolitan system of medicine which will combine the best elements to be found in all countries." —Charles H. Mayo, MD, 1930, Mayo Clinic "Our future as clinicians will depend on our ability to work together and to lead the continuous improvement of health care." —William Nugent, MD, 1996, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, DartmouthHitchcock Medical Center Collaboration—it literally means laboring together. The word raises visions of intention— people working together toward some worthy goal. There is a sense of purpose, of collegiality, of sweat, and of joint learning. The word feels like hard yet rewarding work. For most in health care, it feels familiar. A MEDLINE search on collaboration gives references on: 1) research collaboratives such as the AIDS Clinical Trial Groups, 2) interpersonal collaboration discussing the need for professionals to work together, and 3) improvement collaboratives where cross-functional teams from different departments or organizations join together to improve the care they provide. In this article, I will discuss the latter— using collaboration to improve health care quality, satisfaction, and finances. This article is about collaborative improvement methods that accelerate the rate of diffusion of existing science into clinical practice. It is about improving care based on what is already known using multi-institutional or multi-site work groups. The opportunity to do so is immense. Given the nature of clinical medicine, one would anticipate that collaboration is a central operating principle in our profession. Instead, health care is a study of contrasts regarding collaboration. On one hand, health care is steeped in collaborative experiences. As individuals, we often work closely together—physician and nurse, nurse and pharmacist, one physician and another consulting physician. Indeed, the very nature of caring implies a collaborative relationship between health professionals, patients, and their families. The full gamut of patient care is rarely achieved by a single individual acting alone. On the other hand, our difficulty with collaborative relationships is exemplified daily in Harvard's Center for Medical Simulation and other such simulated environments.1 The Center is a mock operating room where anesthesiologists, surgeons, and nurses come together to simulate patient care. Established scenarios are played out using a computerized patient and crises evolve that require intensive team interactions to resolve. Sessions are videotaped and subsequently reviewed by the caregivers. Failure is common—the "patient" frequently expires. When analyzing tapes of these sessions, it is clear that cooperation and collaborative behaviors are often lacking. Information is not shared; help is not requested (often pride prevents us from asking for help); communication skills are poor; anger is not uncommon. These experiences demonstrate the need for improved knowledge and use of cooperative and collaborative behaviors in health care. The Center also simulates critical care units, emergency departments, and other situations with similar results. Beyond the level of individual interactions, the necessary knowledge and opportunities for groups or organizations to work effectively together is also rare. To an extent, this construct is embedded in health care's culture. Physicians are generally trained to be fully independent in thought and action—they often do not view themselves as being dependent on others in the provision of care. Physician culture leads toward independent action, not toward group improvement activities where intensive sharing of information is the norm. They think and act in singular—my patient, my office, my actions. This insuFrom the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Boston, Massachusetts. Received for publication Sep 9, 1998; accepted Sep 9, 1998. Address correspondence to Charles M. Kilo, MD, MPH, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, 135 Francis St, Boston, MA 02215. PEDIATRICS (ISSN 0031 4005). Copyright © 1999 by the American Acad-


African economy in contemporary times is described as one that is highly dependent on the Global North for its sustenance despite, the enormous resources of the continent. This paper provides empirical evidence that African solutions remains better option to African problems. It employs the "False Paradigm Model" which is a variant of the Dependency theory. It also employ analytical tool in its investigation. It argues that despite the experimentation of external approach/strategies to development, African economies have not made meaningful progress in term of economic development. It suggests that African states must look inward for it developmental needs rather than on the Global North. The Asian Tigers (Newly Industrialized Countries) such as Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea among others were at the same level of underdevelopment in the sixties but have developed leaving African countries behind. It further argues that African states must address the issue of corruption, political instability, poverty, bad governance, seat tight leadership etc and embark on critical economic and political reforms that are people oriented that will address the weak state of private sector in Africa as well as good leadership style. Lastly, this paper argues that African states will not develop as long as they continue to depend of the Global North for it developmental needs African states will perpetually remain underdeveloped and indebted to the global North.


OBJECTIVES
Most studies of persistent post-surgical pain following thoracic surgery have focused on classic posterolateral thoracotomy in mixed surgical populations without systematic assessment of disease recurrence and other potential sources of pain. The purpose of this study was to examine patterns in the prevalence of persistent post-surgical pain following lung cancer surgery and to quantitatively assess the characteristics of persistent post-surgical pain and associated sensory changes.

METHODS
In May 2010, a sample of 702 patients undergoing lung cancer surgery from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2009 was asked to complete a mail distributed questionnaire. The questionnaire included the Brief Pain Inventory and questions on pain-associated characteristics, symptoms and sensory changes. Patients were enrolled according to the following criteria: (1) no additional surgical procedures performed in the thoracic region 10 years prior to and up until the cross section; (2) no explorative surgery; (3) no resection of the thoracic wall and (4) no clinical or radiological signs of disease recurrence. Patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery were excluded.

RESULTS
The response rate was 89%. The final study population consisted of 414 patients with a median age of 69 years and a median follow-up time of 45 months. The overall prevalence of persistent post-surgical pain following anterior thoracotomy was estimated to 19% (95% CI: 15-23%). Clinically relevant pain defined as ≥4 on a 0-10 numerical rating scale was prevalent in 9% of the study participants (95% CI: 6-12%); pain with neuropathic characteristics was present in 36% (95% CI: 25-48%). A total of 62% of the participants with persistent post-surgical pain reported an increased or decreased sense of touch in the painful area.

CONCLUSIONS
Persistent post-surgical pain following anterior thoracotomy was prevalent in 19% (95% CI: 15-23%) of lung cancer patients for up to 10 years postoperatively. Future preventive strategies should focus on the role of intraoperative nerve damage, including the potentially protective role of anterior thoracotomy.


Improvements in nutrition knowledge have been associated with increased carbohydrate consumption and greater adherence to dietary recommendations among female athletes. In order to assess whether nutrition knowledge interventions in female Gaelic games players may be beneficial, it is necessary to first of all investigate current levels of nutrition knowledge in this population. Given that many demographic characteristics have been shown to influence nutrition knowledge, it is also important for these to be investigated. The aims of this study were to evaluate the nutrition knowledge of female Gaelic games players, compare knowledge by players' characteristics and identify players' preferences for information and support. A validated 35-item questionnaire was completed by 328 female Gaelic games players (Age: 23.7 ± 5.0 years). Players' mean nutrition knowledge score was 46.0% ± 11.8% and classified as "poor". Elite players scored greater (+4.5–5.9%, p < 0.05) than subelite players. Players with higher levels of general education, history of formal nutrition education and previous advice from a nutritionist also presented greater nutrition knowledge (+3.7–7.5%, p < 0.05). Future education interventions with female Gaelic games players may lead to beneficial changes in dietary behaviour and would likely benefit from stratifying content based on athletes' demographic characteristics, given the differences observed.


A porous silicon Al Schottky barrier diode shows differential negative resistance. The thin wires in porous silicon have much lower electron mobility than that of thick wires, due to electron surface scattering from space confinement. The energy of carriers in thick wires increases with applied bias. Some carriers can overcome the conduction-band discontinuity and flow into the thin wires. The negative differential resistance comes from the mobility difference between thick wires and thin wires in porous silicon.


Abstract Classical biological control is often considered a cornerstone of integrated pest management, although the introduction of exotic natural enemies can have unpredictable and wide-ranging impacts on native ecosystems. In this article, I question the wisdom of using the classical approach as an automatic first response to invasive pests. I critically evaluate some classical biological control programs recently implemented against invasive pests of citrus in Florida including: Lysiphlebia japonica Ashmead and Lipolexis scutellaris Mackauer (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae) introduced against the brown citrus aphid, Ageniaspis citricola Logviniskaya (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) against the citrus leafminer, and Tamarixia radiata (Waterston) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) against the Asian citrus psyllid. I advance the following contentions: (1) Not all invasive pests are appropriate targets for the classical approach, especially those that lack natural enemies specific to, or effective against them. (2) Some invasive pests may be effectively controlled by generalist predators within a time frame similar to that required for evaluation of introduced parasitoids. (3) The contributions of native species are often ignored when postrelease evaluations focus on introduced species. (4) Parasitism is a highly apparent phenomenon in the field, while predation is less apparent and far more difficult to quantify, an empirical disparity that may generate an undue bias regarding the perceived importance of introduced parasites relative to indigenous predators in biological control. (5) Classical programs have immediate political appeal to agricultural sectors seeking quick solutions to new pest problems, and to the government agencies seeking to respond to their demands for action. Thus, funding incentives for research may be biased toward 'rear and release' classical programs and away from other, ecologically sound approaches to pest management such as conservation biological control. I conclude that classical programs are typically employed as a reflexive response to invasive pests, often without adequate evaluation of the pest as a potential, rather than automatic, target for this approach, and without prerelease surveys to document indigneous natural enemies. A classical program may be embarked on regardless of whether or not suitable candidate species for introduction can be identified, and often without objective postrelease evaluations. The net result is a prevailing tendency to underestimate the potential ecological resiliency of established insect communities to invasive pests.


In this paper a three-node Mindlin plate element (MIN3) combined with a thick beam element incorporating with discrete shear gap (DSG) method into the edge-based smoothed finite element method is introduced for the static, free vibration and underwater sound radiation of eccentric and concentric stiffened plates. In this model, a simplified three dimensional thick beam element is adopted with the plate element (ES-MIN-DSG3) to analyze the vibration of stiffened plate under the condition of single side immersion. The compatibility of deflection and rotations of stiffeners and plate is assumed at the contact positions. By incorporating Green function into wet modal method, the added water mass of stiffened plates when only immersed with single side into ideal fluid (incompressible, irrotational and inviscid) could be obtained. By using Rayleigh integral, it is possible to obtain the sound radiation resistance of stiffened plates. A relatively " softer " model can be constructed by employing edge-based gradient smoothing technique into the calculation of numerical integration over the edge-based smoothing domain. By means of DSG technique, this model is consequently free of transverse shear-locking. With the help of the Green function and wet modal method, it is easy to integrate the added water mass matrices into the system mass matrix for S-FEM model through programming. From several examples, it is obvious that the present results perform good agreement with the existing analytical and other numerical solutions.


An efficient and accurate locking-free corotational beam finite element for the analysis of large displacements and small-strain problems is developed in this paper. Three different finite element models based on three different beam theories, namely, the Euler–Bernoulli, Timoshenko, and simplified Reddy theories are presented. In order to develop a single corotational finite element that incorporates the kinematics of all three theories, the unified linear finite element model of beams developed by Reddy (Comm. Numer. Meth. Eng. 1997; 13:495–510) is included in the formulation. An incremental iterative technique based on the Newton–Raphson method is employed for the solution of the non-linear equilibrium equations. Numerical examples that demonstrate the efficiency and large rotation capability of the corotational formulation are presented. The element is validated by comparisons with exact and/or approximate solutions available in the literature. Very good agreement is found in all cases. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


I argue that there is a submerged cluster of people who, at one or other stage of their careers, took positions in relation to social problems, social work practice, modes of understanding, and research practice that reflected and anticipated – knowingly or not – something we might call a Chicago-enriched sociological social work. They are Harriett Bartlett, Stuart Queen, Ada Sheffield, Erle Fisk Young and Pauline Young. Several of the themes that emerge from a review of their work are today, as then, as much sociology as social work. In closing, I consider three questions. How can we generally explain the presence of this distinctive strand of thinking and practice? Why did it drift into subterranean obscurity? Why should it matter to us? I communicate my sense that the work of these people was premised on a fruitful but never fully realised relationship between 'sociology' and 'social work'. Conjunctions between the largely forgotten heritage of Chicago social work and sociology would allow a less 'pre-tuned' discussion of how the respective fields are constituted, and how practitioners of either might pursue their profession.