Background Peer evaluation is the cornerstone of science evaluation. In this paper, we analyze whether or not a form of peer evaluation, the pre-publication selection of the best papers in Computer Science (CS) conferences, is better than random, when considering future citations received by the papers. Methods Considering 12 conferences (for several years), we collected the citation counts from Scopus for both the best papers and the non-best papers. For a different set of 17 conferences, we collected the data from Google Scholar. For each data set, we computed the proportion of cases whereby the best paper has more citations. We also compare this proportion for years before 2010 and after to evaluate if there is a propaganda effect. Finally, we count the proportion of best papers that are in the top 10% and 20% most cited for each conference instance. Results The probability that a best paper will receive more citations than a non best paper is 0.72 (95% CI = 0.66, 0.77) for the Scopus data, and 0.78 (95% CI = 0.74, 0.81) for the Scholar data. There are no significant changes in the probabilities for different years. Also, 51% of the best papers are among the top 10% most cited papers in each conference/year, and 64% of them are among the top 20% most cited. Discussion There is strong evidence that the selection of best papers in Computer Science conferences is better than a random selection, and that a significant number of the best papers are among the top cited papers in the conference.


The precise control over self-assembling structures created by a rationally designed hydrophobized short peptide amphiphile (sPA) was studied. Bioactive transition metal ions were used to transform the supramolecular structures of this sPA. We aimed to understand the role of different transition metal ions in modulating the self-assembly of the sPAs. The presence and contribution of various secondary structures were quantitatively studied by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, which corresponded well with microscopy observations and was further supported by computational methods. The rational incorporation of di-phenylalanine in a previously designed sPA sequence was the new addition to the sequentially studied sPAs and represents another method of alteration that can impart data regarding ion-responsive behavior to the self-assembly process. Such an approach will contribute to the design and development of stimuli-responsive novel biomaterials for numerous applications.


The study focused on the use of medicinal plants in treating livestock diseases by the communities around queen Elizabeth National Park, specifically in Nyakatonzi and Kichwamba sub-counties in western Uganda. The study identified the available medicinal plant species and their application in treatment of livestock diseases. Plants of families Euphorbiaceae, Fabaceae and Lamiaceae were the mostly used in treating livestock diseases and most of these plants are harvested from the National Park. A total of nineteen different plant species was found to be used. Diseases treated by herbal plants included; anaemia, bloat, cough, East Coat Fever (ECF) and external parasites with East Coast Fever treated by large number (10) of plant species. There is a need to pay attention on how these plants are being exploited to avoid their extinction as some have become endangered species. Programmes that aim at sustainable use and conservation of the most important plant species in treating these diseases can be thought of, for example the plant domestication projects as some of the species can be found in the National Park only. The distribution, the methods of use and the efficiency of these implicated plant species should be areas of further investigation to give more light on the subject.


Cell surface hydrophobicity may be an important factor contributing to the virulence of Candida yeast cells. Surface hydrophobic and surface polar groups would be required for a yeast cell to act as a surface-active agent. In this report, the surface activities of whole yeast cells were measured. Yeast cells added at 10(8)/ml reduced the surface tension (gamma s) of saline by 20% as determined by the du Nouy method. A 1% suspension of yeast cell wall fragments reduced gamma s of saline by 36%. Whole yeast cells caused a reduction in interfacial tension (gamma I) between hexadecane and saline. The reduction of gamma I was proportional to the surface hydrophobicity of the yeasts. Yeast cells grown in glucose as the sole carbon source (thus possessing a relatively more hydrophilic cell surface) reduced gamma I by 30%, whereas yeast cells grown in hexadecane (thus possessing a more hydrophobic cell surface) reduced gamma I by 41%. The reduction of gamma I was reversed upon the addition of a strong surfactant. It was also demonstrated that yeast cells blended with nonionic surfactants during growth in a glucose broth in order to change their cell surface hydrophobicity adhered to solid surfaces in direct proportion to their cell surface hydrophobicity. Thus, the surface-active properties of Candida yeast cells may significantly contribute to the accumulation of yeast cells at various biological interfaces such as liquid-solid, liquid-liquid, and liquid-air, leading to their eventual adhesion to solid or tissue surfaces.


Illness attitudes were evaluated in 26 pregnant women and 26 control subjects matched for sociodemographic variables, by means of a self-rating scale, on three different occasions. In each trimester of pregnancy, women displayed more hypochondriacal fears and beliefs and conviction of disease (disease phobia) than normal controls (p less than 0.001). The findings should alert physicians to ask their pregnant patients whether they are preoccupied with fear of dying, or are concerned that they suffer from an undiagnosed physical illness, or dread a specific illness such as cancer or heart disease. Hypochondriacal fears and beliefs are liable to affect the well-being and health attitudes of pregnant women. If properly recognized, they may effectively be treated.


The motions and wakes of freely falling disks were studied and it was found that the diverse motions of the disks exhibit a systematic dependence on the Reynolds number Re, and the dimensionless moment of inertia I*. The relation between I* and Re along the boundary separating stable and unstable pitching oscillations of the disk was determined. The Reynolds number for stable motion of a disk with large I* is 100, in agreement with the Reynolds number for stability of the wake of a fixed disk. Slightly unstable disks of large I* were stabilized by reducing the moment of inertia. The highest Reynolds number for stable disk motion was 172. At higher Reynolds numbers the disks exhibited periodic pitching and translational oscillations. The laminar wake behind certain of the oscillating disks consisted of a staggered arrangement of two rows of regularly spaced vortex rings similar to the wake observed behind liquid drops by Margarvey and Bishop. The dependence of the dimensionless frequency of oscillation on I* and Re was determined along the boundary for stable motion and at higher Reynolds numbers when the wake was turbulent. Tumbling motions of the disks were observed when the Reynolds number was large, Re > 2000, and I* was greater than a certain value, I* = 10−2.


Traditional linear subspace reduced order models (LS-ROMs) are able to accelerate physical simulations, in which the intrinsic solution space falls into a subspace with a small dimension, i.e., the solution space has a small Kolmogorov n-width. However, for physical phenomena not of this type, such as advection-dominated flow phenomena, a low-dimensional linear subspace poorly approximates the solution. To address cases such as these, we have developed an efficient nonlinear manifold ROM (NM-ROM), which can better approximate high-fidelity model solutions with a smaller latent space dimension than the LS-ROMs. Our method takes advantage of the existing numerical methods that are used to solve the corresponding full order models (FOMs). The efficiency is achieved by developing a hyper-reduction technique in the context of the NM-ROM. Numerical results show that neural networks can learn a more efficient latent space representation on advection-dominated data from 2D Burgers' equations with a high Reynolds number. A speed-up of up to 11.7 for 2D Burgers' equations is achieved with an appropriate treatment of the nonlinear terms through a hyper-reduction technique.


This thesis considers how work has changed in post-industrial society. It shows that while insecure or stressful work can be reliably linked with poor health, individual outcomes depend upon a range of micro- and macro-level moderators. Bad jobs are invariably harmful, but context matters.It begins by charting the shift in advanced economic nations from industry and agriculture to service sector and knowledge-based employment. Most accounts of post-industrialisation share common flaws. Namely, the tendency for technological determinism; the depiction of discontinuous, all-encompassing social transformation; and the dislocation from individual experience. Such failings, however, do not negate the micro-level impact of these changes. This thesis focuses on two: job insecurity and work intensity. Recent decades have witnessed a destandardisation of employment relations and an intensification of working conditions. These changes have important consequences for well-being, whether or not they collectively constitute a new form of society.The methodological theme is one of moderation. Successive analytical chapters show how the consequences of insecure or stressful work depends upon (a) family arrangements, (b) economic climate, (c) labour market policies, (d) job resources and (e) national characteristics such as culture or trade union density. The analyses combine European survey data and contextual information using a range of quantitative methods, including multilevel modelling, structural equation modelling and latent class analysis. While the empirical chapters contribute to their respective literatures, they also feed into broader arguments regarding the synthesis of micro- and macro-level perspectives. Work invariably impacts upon health, but a simultaneity of moderating influences results in a diversity of outcomes. These findings underline the contextual sensitivity of work-related policy.


To evaluate the values of the thyroid autoantibody measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and compare it with hemagglutination method (HA) in the normal and the thyroid disease, data were obtained from total 61B persons; 236 healthy persons, 217 patients with Graves disease (including 113 patients with undertreated Graves disease'), 100 Hashimotos disease, 31 thyroid nodule, and 34 simple goiter. RSR kit made in England was used and could be detected t:o at least 3 U/ml. The positive rates of normal group were antirnicrosomal antibody (AMA) 31.8%, antithyroglobulin antibody (ATA) 44.5% by RIA and there was no considerable change in sex and age distribution. 1n Graves disease, the positive rates of AMA and ATA were 90.4, 76.9% by RIA, 85, 39% by HA. In Hashimotos disease, 94,91% by RIA, and 87,48% by HA, respectively. The autoantibody titer by RIA in thyroid autoimmune disease as welt as in normal group was more senisit.ive than that by HA, especially in ATA. There were linear relationships between the titer of RIA and that of HA in AMA of Graves disease and AMA and ATA of Hashimotos disease. There was no relationship among thyroid autoantibody, free T, index, TBII, and TSH. The titers of AMA and ATA were found to decrease in patients with Graves disease during the course of antithyroid drug therapv. Of the 236 normal subjects, thirty-seven (15.7%) had concentrations of above 7.5 U/ml in AMA, forty-four (18. 6%) above 9 U/ml in ATA. These values were considered as the upper limit for the normal range. In Graves disease, 82,7, 53.8% were above 7.5, 9 U/ml, respectively;1n Hashimoto's disease, HZ, 79% were positive. We conclude that RIA was more sensitve than HA in measuring the thyoird autoantibody, but we will study further more for determining the normal range and its interpretation.


Turmeric is one of the plants that contains antioxidant compounds called curcumin. Antioxidants in curcumin include flavonoids and tannins. Antioxidants can be used as corrosion inhibitors and paint additives. This study aims to utilize turmeric extract as an inhibitor and additive coating agent for aluminum metal in the seawater environment. Turmeric is extracted using a methanol or acetone solvent with a sample: solvent ratio of 1: 8. Phytochemical and DPPH (1,1-Diphenyl-2-Picrylhydrazyl) analyzes were performed. Testing of extracts as inhibitors and coating additives was carried out by varying the concentration and time of corroding. The results showed that the extract produced contained flavonoids and tannins through qualitative tests using 1% FeCl3 and 10% NaOH, each of which gave a blackish green and a blackish red color. Antioxidant activity was tested by the DPPH method in acetone and methanol, which respectively showed 4509 ppm and 2057 ppm. The testing of turmeric extract as a coating additive was immersed for five days and obtained the best level of 1% which produced the lowest corrosion rate of 0.0228 mmpy with a protection efficiency of 68.60%. Turmeric extract corrosion test as a coating additive was achieved within eight days with a corrosion rate of 0.0011 mmpy and a protection efficiency of 88.89%.


Wichita State University is actively using LEGOs to encourage science math engineering and technology (SMET). There we two major thrusts in our eforts. The college of engineering uses LEGO blocks to simulate a factory environment in the building ofLEGO airplanes. This participative demonstration has been used at middle school, high school, and college classes. LEGOs are used to present Jour manufacturing scenarios of traditional, cellular, pull, and single piece pow manufacturing. The demonstration presents to students how the design of a factoy has significant impact on the success of the company. It also encourages students to pursue engineering careers. The college of education uses robotics as a vehicle to integrate technology and engineering into math and science preservice and inservice teacher education.. The purpose is to develop technologically astute and competent teachers who are capable of integrating technology into their curriculum to improve the teaching and learning of their students. This paper will discuss each efort, the collaboration between the two, and provide examples of success.


In this phase 2 proof-of-concept study we examined the safety and efficacy of selexipag, an orally available, selective prostacyclin receptor (IP receptor) agonist, as a treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). 43 adult patients with symptomatic PAH (receiving stable endothelin receptor antagonist and/or a phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitor therapy) were randomised three to one to receive either selexipag or placebo. Dosage was up-titrated in 200-μg increments from 200 μg twice daily on day 1 to the maximum tolerated dose by day 35 (maximum allowed dose of 800 μg twice daily). Change in pulmonary vascular resistance at week 17 expressed as a percentage of the baseline value was the primary efficacy end-point, and was analysed in the per protocol set first and then in the all-treated set to assess robustness of results. A statistically significant 30.3% reduction in geometric mean pulmonary vascular resistance was observed after 17 weeks' treatment with selexipag compared with placebo (95% confidence limits -44.7– -12.2; p=0.0045, Wilcoxon rank sum test). This was supported by a similar result from the all-treated set. Selexipag was well tolerated with a safety profile in line with the expected pharmacological effect. Our results encourage the further investigation of selexipag for the treatment of PAH.


Background: It has been estimated that over 50% of the premature deaths in Western can be attributed to lifestyle. This work aimed to identify, from a gender-based perspective, the psychosocial factors associated with healthy lifestyles in the ELSA-Brasil cohort, the largest study concerning adult health conducted in Latin America.
Methods: The ELSA-Brasil is a longitudinal study and consists of 15,000 employees from higher education institutions. Data were collected using the ELSA-Brasil questionnaire, a multidimensional instrument. The indicator of lifestyle was constructed using four behaviors: tobacco use, alcohol consumption, physical activity and nutrition.
Findings: The women adopt healthier lifestyles than men. In women, strong associations were found between a healthy lifestyle and age 60 years or older (OR=2.21; IC95% 1.79-2.72), Asian race (OR=2.29; IC95% 1.57-3.36) and university level of education or higher (OR=1.89; IC95% 1.55-2.29). In men, being 60 years or older (OR=1.32; IC95% 1.08-1.61), of Asian (OR=1.66; IC95% 1.05-2.60) or Caucasian race (OR=1.20; IC95% 1.02-1.41), having a high-school equivalent level of education or higher (OR=1.36; IC95% 1.17-1.59), being retired (OR=1.31; IC95% 1.07-1.61) , having a housekeeper (OR=1.34; IC95% 1.16-1.56), having a good or very good self-perception of health (OR=1.20; IC95% 1.02-1.41) and being satisfied with one's own body image (OR=1.23; IC95% 1.07-1.41) were the psychosocial factors associated with leading a healthy lifestyle.
Discussion: These factors, different between men and women, should be considered in health promotion interventions.


Evidence based on molecular clocks, together with molecular evidence/biomarkers and putative body fossils, points to major evolutionary events prior to and during the intense Cryogenian and Ediacaran glaciations. The glaciations themselves were of global extent. Sedimentological evidence, including hummocky cross-stratification (representing ice-free seas affected by intra-glacial storms), dropstone textures, microbial mat-bearing ironstones, ladderback ripples, and wave ripples, militates against a "hard" Snowball Earth event. Each piece of sedimentological evidence potentially allows insight into the shape and location, with respect to the shoreline, of ice-free areas ("oases") that may be viewed as potential refugia. The location of such oases must be seen in the context of global paleogeography, and it is emphasized that continental reconstructions at 600 Ma (about 35 millions years after the "Marinoan" ice age) are non-unique solutions. Specifically, whether continents such as greater India, Australia/East Antarctica, Kalahari, South and North China, and Siberia, were welded to a southern supercontinent or not, has implications for island speciation, faunal exchange, and the development of endemism.


Single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy addresses biological mechanisms and enables ultrasensitive diagnostics. We describe a new family of single-molecule fluorescence methods that uses alternating-laser excitation (ALEX) of diffusing or immobilized biomolecules to study their structure, interactions, and dynamics. This is accomplished using ratios that report on the distance between and the stoichiometry of fluorophores attached to the molecules of interest. The principle of alternation is compatible with several time scales, allowing monitoring of fast dynamics or simultaneous monitoring of a large number of individual molecules.


This thesis contests the reified status of 'scribe' and its Egyptological construction as social category, and returns to the ancient Egyptian writing practices attested in the
archaeological record. It aims to deconstruct the 'scribe' category and to suggest a
new perspective that takes into account historiography and museum displays,
particularly in the way that specific object types—i.e. pen and palette—have been
used to fetishise the 'scribe' as a distinct class of people in ancient Egyptian society.
As a first step, the thesis presents a complete dataset of those two object types so far recorded from documented excavations, to test the distribution and detailed context of each example. The research then further concentrates on archaeological methods to recontextualise writing implements, presenting a case study on the material culture from the ancient Egyptian site of Balat 'Ayn Asīl in the western desert. There, a more diffuse material culture of writing practices provides a marked contrast with the dataset of conventionally defined writing equipment. From this comparison, the thesis questions the image of literacy as primary marker of social distinction—one of the most persistent assumptions in Egyptology and its approach since the discipline's birth. In conclusion, study of the power of communication and the role played by writing needs to be detached from the bias involved in elite-centred reconstructions. In the case of ancient Egypt, as in modern societies, a simplified dichotomy between ruling literate elite and ruled illiterate mass does not match the archaeological evidence of complexity.


Ring-polymer instanton theory has been developed to simulate the quantum dynamics of molecular systems at low temperatures. Chemical reaction rates can be obtained by locating the dominant tunneling pathway and analyzing fluctuations around it. In the standard method, calculating the fluctuation terms involves the diagonalization of a large matrix, which can be unfeasible for large systems with a high number of ring-polymer beads. Here we present a method for computing the instanton fluctuations with a large reduction in computational scaling. This method is applied to three reactions described by fitted, analytic, and on-the-fly ab initio potential-energy surfaces and is shown to be numerically stable for the calculation of thermal reaction rates even at very low temperature.


Far from being a 'monopoly right', the rights granted under a trade mark equate to the exclusive right to undertake a number of activities, and to prevent others from doing the same. However, even within the scope of those exclusive rights, the Court of Justice of the European Union has attempted to demarcate between permitted and non-permitted uses of those legislatively granted exclusive rights using the tool of 'legitimacy'. This article attempts to map out the instances in which the concept of legitimacy has been used in trade mark law, and to determine when the Court of Justice of the European Union does and does not consider a trade mark owner's reliance on its rights to be 'legitimate'. It considers whether legitimacy provides a way of understanding and predicting how the rights of trade mark owners, their competitors, consumers, and the wider public are balanced, and whether it identifies a single key interest that trade mark law serves.


Network theory in ecology has been central to understanding species co-occurrence patterns, specialization and community stability. However, network theory has traditionally focused on the 'higher' trophic level where exploitation of network 'partners' (i.e. individual interactions in response to resource availability) have remained underappreciated. In this study we tested how clumping and host availability influenced mistletoe-host interactions in a semi-arid woodland, central Australia. We used a hierarchical approach that evaluated individual interactions by modifying the traditional randomization technique to simulate clumping and host exploitation. Using published literature we then compared our results with mistletoes from other genera. We found that mistletoes clump on fewer trees than predicted, even though interaction strength was no different from random expectations, and we found no evidence that common trees were heavily infected as predicted by the host availability hypothesis. The rate of host exploitation (measured as the proportion of trees infected) in semi-arid Australia is similar to that for mistletoe genera in other parts of the world. We hypothesize that specific host trees act as a focal point for infection that facilitates the spread and overall population size of mistletoes. Overall our results indicate that resources, such as the number of trees in a mistletoe network, are less important than clumping of individual plants. We suggest that exploitation of available resources may play a similar role in other networks that extend beyond antagonistic relationships such as parasite or herbivore interactions.


The main vehicle for bringing the pion to bear on a vast array of problems, has been the meson factories. Today there exist such facilities in Switzerland (SIN), in Canada (TRIUMF), and in the USA (LAMPF). A fourth is just now being completed in the Soviet Union. They are enormous enterprises - the current replacement value of LMPF is $350 million, not including the part devoted to national security problems. But they accommodate hundreds of scientists from around the world and by so doing generate political as well as intellectual and economic capital. Proton facilities, together with heavy-ion accelerators and electron facilities, form a triad on which stands the present edifice of experimental nuclear science. Each leg of this triad is dependent, to a greater or lesser extent, on the other two. However, in terms of versatility, the size of the community it serves, and the relatively short-term application of the knowledge base and people base for which nuclear science is responsible, the meson factory part of the above triad is by no means the least important component. I discuss this component from the standpoint of the facility I know best, namely LAMPF. 33 refs., 36 figs.


A PVDF membrane hydrophone has been constructed in particular for comparisons of broadband ultrasound hydrophone calibration methods and of the results obtained by different laboratories. Intercomparisons have to accompany the efforts currently undertaken to enhance the calibration frequency ranges and to implement the extension from the determination of amplitude-only to complex-valued calibration data. It can be expected that such hydrophone data will be used much more frequently in the future for exposure measurements on medical ultrasound equipment, in particular for the detection of non- linearly distorted waveforms. The hydrophone design chosen has a foil thickness of 9 mum and an electrode diameter of 210 mum. A broadband differential preamplifier ( -3 dB roll-off frequency: 95 MHz) is integrated to achieve a high signal-to-noise ratio over a broad frequency range (e.g., 26 dB-30 dB in the range 50 MHz to 140 MHz for measurements of nonlinearly distorted pulses). The hydrophone response was characterized by means of a primary interferometric calibration technique, by substitution calibration using time-delay spectrometry, and by complex broadband pulse calibration using nonlinear sound propagation. The results show a flat frequency response up to 40 MHz (maximum variations below plusmn0.6 dB) and a thickness mode resonance at about 105 MHz. They indicate a useable bandwidth up to 140 MHz. The effective diameter as derived from directional response measurements is 240 mum at frequencies beyond 15 MHz.


Phase diagram mixtures of the salt choline chloride (ChCl) with ethylene glycol (EG) surprisingly seem to behave as ideal binary nonelectrolyte mixtures [Agieienko, V.; Buchner, R. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys.2022, 24, 5265]. To shed some light on this conundrum, results of broad-band dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS) and quantum-chemical calculations are reported for solutions of ChCl, choline iodide (ChI), and chlorocholine chloride (ClChCl), in EG up to saturation at 298.15 K. The data revealed that all three solutes are only weakly solvated in the sense that on average per equivalent of solute only one EG OH-group is dynamically affected. While contact ion pairs are significant for solute concentrations of ≲1 M, free cation concentrations are rather low. Instead, over the entire concentration range a large fraction of the dipolar cations could not be detected by DRS. We argue that the latter are embedded in large solute aggregates, explaining thus the phase diagram of ChCl + EG and the very low ionicity of all systems.


Abstract: We have shown that drinking red wine reduces oxidation of LDL. This reduction in oxidation has been attributed to the polyphenolic compounds in red wine, but the mechanisms of absorption and metabolism of these compounds has been unclear. We therefore investigated the absorption and metabolism of polyphenols using rats to identify their active forms in biological fluids. We also investigated the effect of tartaric acid (TA), a major organic acid in wine, on the absorption of polyphenols. Our results suggested that low molecular weight polyphenols are absorbed in the intestine and metabolized to their glucuronide conjugates, which exhibit antioxidative activity in plasma, and that TA can enhance the bioavailability of wine polyphenols.


In this paper I explore the way in which Muslim space is produced in public venues to become a tangible medium through which Sierra Leonean Muslims living in Washington, D.C. reflect upon the harmonies and tensions of life in the city. I ask how secular sites such as work spaces, street corners and sidewalks are remade by a multiplicity of sanctifying patterns of action that are performed in conscious tension with the way American public spaces are normally perceived. I illustrate the complex ways that spatial practices that emplace the sacred onto mundane sites creates complex social fields in which Sierra Leoneans negotiate the social relations and practical knowledge of their world. In so doing, I show that sacred meaning and significance can coalesce in any place that becomes a site for intensive religious interpretation and thus essential locations of self-reflection and self-constitution in cities.


As part of a research study to examine first-year college students' preparation for college-level research, students at six U.S. institutions of higher education were surveyed in the spring semester of 2021. The pandemic continued to affect the delivery of information literacy (IL) instruction and library services across the United States throughout the 2020–2021 academic year. When students completed this survey in April and May of 2021, the majority of instructional services were offered in synchronous and asynchronous remote formats. The students' engagement with librarians and librarian-created instructional resources were captured via the survey and analysed to determine whether students were able to leverage these interactions and materials despite the remote contexts. Students who did not interact with an academic librarian were less likely to use library resources, had more problems accessing information, and felt more overwhelmed by the quantity of resources and services offered by the library. Results show that intentional student-librarian interactions are a bridge to the acquisition and development of knowledge practices and dispositions of the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. The findings suggest considerations for moving forward when it comes to communicating with students and delivering IL support in academic libraries around the world as countries emerge from pandemic conditions.


The Spanish Civil War has long been the stuff of legend. Thousands of brave young men from all over the Western world, most of them organized by their local Communist parties, rushed to Spain to support the democratic Republic against right-wing forces led by rebellious generals in the Spanish officer corps. Although the Republic was eventually defeated, some observers believed that the effort to defend it was a selfless undertaking of the international Communist movement and the Soviet Union--a noble crusade against Hitler, Mussolini, and their Spanish puppet Franco. This book presents a very different view of the role of the Soviet Union in this war. Based on previously unavailable Moscow archives, it provides the first full documentation of that country's duplicitous and self-serving activities. Documents in the book reveal that the Soviet Union not only swindled the Spanish Republic out of millions of dollars through arms deals but also sought to take over and run the Spanish economy, government, and armed forces in order to make Spain a Soviet possession, thereby effectively destroying the foundations of authentic Spanish antifascism. The documents also shed light on many other disputed episodes of the war: the timing of the Republican request for assistance from the Soviet Union; the rise and fall of the International Brigades; the internal workings of the Comintern and its influence on Spain; and much more. Authoritative and startling in the new information it offers, the book is essential reading for anyone interested in Soviet foreign policy or the Spanish Civil War.


Objective : To establish the use of a HPV oligo-DNA chip for early diagnosis and prognosis assessment in cervical cancer. Methods : HPV PCR general primers and a oligo-DNA chip have been constructed by using HPV genomic sequences on the webs and computer programs. With a total of 344 random cervical scrapes, their efficacies were explored based on pathology. Results : All subjects (n=48) with diagnosis of low squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) were positives for both HPV PCRs and oligo-DNA chip tests, whereas 44 out of 286 subjects (264 cases of NIL and 22 cases of ASCUS) were detected HPV positives. The proportion of each genotypes in HPV positive subjects were 38.0% (HPV-16), 16.3% (HPV-58), 9.8% (HPV-52) and 35.9% (others). Conclusion : This study gives favorable result to establish a novel method using HPV oligo-DNA chip with PCR general primers, based on the clinical trials in random subjects although the scale is small in size. In the future, a diverse of comparative and systematic clinical studies should be followed.


The first part of this evolutionary study of the persistence of the autocratic/oligarchic variety of personal rule in Russia provides a historical overview, followed by two theories explaining why it persisted, interrupted by brief "times of troubles," for over 500 years. Edward Keenan, on the one hand, hypothesizes successful long-term adaptation to a demanding environment. Richard Hellie, on the other hand, develops a theory of service-class revolutions and a cyclical pattern based on the methods of Russian elites for overcoming relative backwardness. Neither theory takes a neo-Darwinian approach.

The second part examines neo-Darwinian evolutionary approaches. In the cosmic perspective of Big History, the human species in its relatively brief existence has had an accelerating impact on other species and the earth's environment. Biologists modeling complex systems come to a similar conclusion. Agent-driven history, as modeled by demographer Noel Bonneuil, raises questions about the adequacy of the historian's traditional single-trajectory narrative approach to "the time of human history" and also critiques the biases built into the mathematical models of many evolutionary thinkers. An evolutionary approach to human history does not restrict itself to organic replication, but takes into account populations of evolving human skills and also group projects that act as evolutionary forces as well as units of selection, and outlive generations of organic populations.

The third part applies this approach to the Russian tradition of state power by showing how group projects operate as evolutionary forces in a variety of modern power systems. The "parable of the tribes" avers that the aggressive agent in any given power system—ideological, economic, social, military, or political—dictates the dynamics of the system. The "braided stream" approach shows, however sketchily here, how agent-driven modern power systems interact, coevolve, and produce hybrid forms. The Russian tradition is highlighted in this evolutionary context.


Article history: Available online 18 May 2012 Since Hermite-Gaussian (HG) functions provide an orthonormal basis with the most compact time- frequency supports (TFSs), they are ideally suited for time-frequency component analysis of finite energy signals. For a signal component whose TFS tightly fits into a circular region around the origin, HG function expansion provides optimal representation by using the fewest number of basis functions. However, for signal components whose TFS has a non-circular shape away from the origin, straight forward expansions require excessively large number of HGs resulting to noise fitting. Furthermore, for closely spaced signal components with non-circular TFSs, direct application of HG expansion cannot provide reliable estimates to the individual signal components. To alleviate these problems, by using expectation maximization (EM) iterations, we propose a fully automated pre-processing technique which identifies and transforms TFSs of individual signal components to circular regions centered around the origin so that reliable signal estimates for the signal components can be obtained. The HG expansion order for each signal component is determined by using a robust estimation technique. Then, the estimated components are post-processed to transform their TFSs back to their original positions. The proposed technique can be used to analyze signals with overlapping components as long as the overlapped supports of the components have an area smaller than the effective support of a Gaussian atom which has the smallest time-bandwidth product. It is shown that if the area of the overlap region is larger than this threshold, the components cannot be uniquely identified. Obtained results on the synthetic and real signals demonstrate the effectiveness for the proposed time-frequency analysis technique under severe noise cases.


Background: Emotional intelligence defined as the ability to recognise and respond appropriately to emotions in oneself and others is valued within nursing and midwifery professions. Objective: To explore nursing and midwifery students' understanding and experiences of emotional intelligence in their undergraduate program. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with undergraduate nursing and midwifery students. Data were recorded, transcribed and underwent thematic analysis. Findings: Three themes emerged from the interviews with seven participants: Emotional intelligence and undergraduate studies, Emotionally needed to be invested; Emotional intelligence and the clinical environment, I don't want to like harden up; and Emotional intelligence and patient care, I just felt helpless. Conclusion: The impact of emotions and subsequent behaviours on students' theoretical learning and clinical practice was significant. Students' often felt ill-prepared to portray emotional intelligence, particularly within the clinical environment. Impact statement: This study provided valuable insights into nursing and midwifery students' understanding and experiences of emotional intelligence.


This is an action research inquiry into how I can improve my practice as a co-ordinator of Information and Communications Technology (ICT)* in a large urban school in Dublin. The focus of the study was to explore how I could encourage and support collaboration in my work place using Moodle, a virtual learning environment. The task was to develop an ICT School Plan as part of the Whole School Plan in collaboration with four of my colleagues. Instead of relying on traditional meetings, we undertook to use Moodle's features to conduct our work. This account describes two action research cycles that I carried out as part of my MSc in Education and Training Management (e-Learning strand) from January to June 2007. The first cycle was concerned with the technical aspects of installing and configuring Moodle for use in the school. The second cycle focused on the experience and learning of the group members as we got to grips with a new way of working together. This action research study allowed me to critically reflect on own practice, to make explicit the values that give meaning to my work, and to develop my own living theory. In so doing it has led me to a deeper understanding of myself as a practitioner-researcher.


Purpose: The translocation of gut bacteria and its derivatives may be an essential factor contributing to the various diseases of the pancreas. However, microbial function on the development and progression of pancreatic cancer is not clear and the research is still lacking. The aim of this study is to analyze the composition of microbiota in pancreatic cancer tissue and to compare the result with the existing public data. Methods: We obtained the cancer and normal tissues from patients who underwent pancreatic cancer surgery in Korea (IRB: 2018-0710), and total bacterial genomic DNA was purified from tissue. Through the gene sequencing of 16S rRNA (V3-V4 lesion), we analyzed the quantitative and qualitative composition of microbiome. Then we compared the microbiome composition with public data of NCBI (SRP132007). Results: We successfully performed the gene sequencing of 16s rRNA from 12 tumor tissues and 6 normal tissues. Based on the results obtained from the tumor and normal tissues, we compared the composition from the phylum to the species levels. We confirmed that there were significant differences in the microbiome composition of the tumor and normal tissues and identified various strains of 20 or more species with a high specificity in tumor or normal tissues. In addition, through the comparison with SRP132007 data, we confirmed a distinct difference between the two groups. Conclusions: We have analyzed the patterns and characteristics of tumor or normal specific microbiomes through pancreatic cancer tissues. There is a clear difference between the two groups with environmental differences, even in the microbiomes of patients with the same disease. We expect to further clarify the importance of microbiomes in pancreatic cancer and point to the development of new therapies through further studies. Citation Format: Hwi Wan Choi, Jinju Kim, Eo Jin Kim, Eunsung Jun. The analysis of microbiota composition between tumor and normal tissues in pancreatic cancer and the comparison with the public data of NCBI [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Advances in Science and Clinical Care; 2019 Sept 6-9; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(24 Suppl):Abstract nr C63.


Summary The course of infection after the intracerebral inoculation of high-virulence and low-virulence strains of Bordetella pertussis into mice was followed by making serial viable counts of the number of bacteria in the brain. With all strains, some 90 per cent. of the inoculum was lost within 1 hr, but by 24 hr the number of bacteria in the brain reached or exceeded the number inoculated. When small doses (c. 5 X 103) of high-virulence strains were given, the bacterial count increased continuously until death. With one strain (no. G353) there was a pause in multiplication when the viable count reached 106, but this was not seen with 2 other high-virulence strains (no. 18/323 and 2-Atox). Challenge doses of low-virulence strains smaller than 105 organisms gave rise to a transient infection, the maximum count was reached on the 1st or 2nd day, and most brains examined after 4 days contained less than 50 Bord. pertussis bacteria. Resistance of the mouse brain to low-virulence strains was not due to the action of mouse complement or to the occurrence of modulation. The intracerebral injection of a small dose of a low-virulence strain made the mouse brain resistant to reinfection 4 1/2 days later by a low-virulence but not by a high-virulence strain. When the interval between injections was reduced to 2 days, however, mice infected with a low-virulence strain were somewhat resistant to reinfection with a high-virulence strain.


The art therapy studio model has important implications for practice that include the role of the facilitator and the social setting of the therapeutic space. The studio environment brings art making to the forefront as a communal connected activity. The Artist Mentoring Program (AMP) is a supportive studio group of adults with experiences in the mental health system. This ten-year studio art program provide a unique lens to examine the role of community and creative agency within the context of recovery in mental health. The studio is viewed as a unique, nurturing, relational environment that allows group members to self-determine and develop individual visual voices. The artwork of one artist member serves to illustrate how ongoing aesthetic engagement can provide a path to independence and transformation. Keywords:  studio art therapy, social connection, mental illness, recovery


The combination of insulin and DMSO is a patented (Publication No US8987199B2), noninvasive, pharmaceutically strategized preparation for direct nose-to-brain delivery (DN2BD) suggested for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although its main ingredients have been individually researched, no histopathological investigations have been conducted to address this combination effect on the CNS and nasal tissues in animals. The present work was, therefore, designed to investigate the potential histopathological changes induced by this new pharmaceutical combination using a newly developed refractory staining method. The findings presented herein showed no signs of treatment-related lesions or behavioral changes in Sprague Dawley rats following a three-month successive treatment with two strengths of the formula.


CFD is a useful tool for ship designers looking for accurate predictions of the fuel efficiency achieved by a certain combination of hull, propeller and Energy Saving Devices (ESDs). Such predictions are key to meeting ever-increasing demands for reductions in emissions. However, CFD simulations of propeller-hull interaction can be very costly in terms of computational effort due to the need to resolve the unsteady flow around the rotating propeller.
 A popular approach to alleviate this cost, that has seen much practical use in industry, is the use of body forces (momentum sources) to represent the rotating propeller. There are many ways to describe the body force distribution in the fluid for a certain propeller and there are many options for what flow solver to use. In a previous meeting of the Society, an open-source framework for easily creating coupled solvers using an arbitrary combination of models was presented.
 Here, one of these coupled solvers is used to predict the local flow behind the propeller, as well as integral coefficients indicating performance, of four different vessels: a bulk carrier fitted with an Energy Saving Device, a fast container ship, a tanker and a fully appended twin-screw navy destroyer. All simulations are compared to available experimental data. Conclusions are drawn based on the success of the coupled solver to predict the local flow behind the propeller for each individual hull and how this relates to the vessel type and the local stern geometry.


This communication is in reference to the case report by Gross et al (Ann Otol Rhinal Laryngal2004; 113:738-40) titled "Internal Jugular Vein Thrombus Associated With Thyroid Carcinoma." The authors have rightly pointed out that tumor thrombus in the internal jugular vein (IJV) is a rare but distinct phenomenon in advanced thyroid carcinomas. Hurthle cell and undifferentiated thyroid carcinomas are probably the most common varieties known to exhibit thrombus. Tumor thrombus is generall y due to vascular invasion of the IJV, although occult vascular spread is also possible. We encountered a unique case of recurrent papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland in a 50-year-old woman who was referred to us for neck dissection on November 15,2003, after near-total thyroidectomy and postoperative radioiodine ablation. Clinical examination revealed a palpable, mobile jugular chain of nodes at levels 2, 3, and 4 on the right side with no other swellings in the neck. The patient was scheduled for routine selective neck dissection, and during the operation, to our surprise, we saw a distended IJV with multiple intrajugular metastases with no apparent focus of vascular invasion. It was clear that these were the clinically palpated mobile nodes. The involved segment was successfully resected in toto along with selective neck dissection oflevels 2, 3, 4, and 5. On slitting open the IJV, we could see the tumor thrombus arising from its wall as a group of pedunculated masses (see Figure). The histopathologic diagnosis was metastasis from papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland. The patient is on regular follow-up and has been disease-free to date.


Compared to early-stage melanoma when surgical excision is possible, metastatic disease continues to offer a much grimmer prognosis as traditional chemotherapy treatment regimens offer relatively little survival benefit. This has led to changes in treatment approaches over the preceding two decades as contemporary methods for the treatment of advanced or metastatic melanoma now involve a number of biological modalities, which include immunotherapeutic approaches, targeted therapies and epigenetic modification therapies. Clinically available immunotherapeutic agents include interleukin 2 (IL-2), as well as drugs targeting the important immune checkpoint molecules, such as cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1). The targeted therapeutic agents modulate specific pro-oncogenic mutations such as v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B (BRAF), receptor tyrosine kinases, MEK inhibitors and potential future therapeutic targets, such as the CDK4/CDK6, PTEN and GNAQ/GNA11 genes. Additionally, an increasing understanding of the role of epigenetic alterations in the development and progression of melanoma now offers a new potential drug target. Several of these agents have shown promising results; however, in many investigations, combinations of different therapeutic approaches, each with different mechanisms of action, have yielded improved outcomes as treatment regimens continue to be further optimized by active research and patient disease sub-group analyses. This review summarizes the novel biological agents and new treatments, directly contributing to the significant improvement of biological therapies and markedly advancing knowledge of clinical application of newly approved and developed therapies in treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma.


Abstract. The distribution of suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentration in the Kara Sea was analysed based on ship and satellite data during the lowest ice cover periods in the Arctic (2007 and 2011). The distance of the river runoff with terrigenous SPM was recognized up to at least 76–76.5° N on the basis of isotope data and SPM concentrations and composition. The complex studies of SPM in the water column and in the benthic boundary layer provided new information about the supply and transformation of particles in the marine ecosystem.


In the 20th century air transport has developed into a safe, reliable and economic means of transportation for passengers, cargo and mail. In the next two decades, the air transport is forecasted to double. To enable this expansion to occur within the limited airspace, with the limited number of airports and runways and with the increasing requirements with respect to safety, noise and emissions, new technological developments are necessary. The use of satellite-based Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) systems. combined with further steps towards computerassisted and automated Air Traffic Management (ATM) with digital datalink between ATM and aircraft computer systems, will be necessary. The introduction of new forward-looking warning systems, the increase of precision on approach and landing systems and the improvement of procedures and training levels will be required to improve the safety level. The availability of on board "traffic displays" will allow the flight crew to take care of maintaining safe separation between aircraft, even in reduced visibility conditions. This might lead to more freedom for the flight crew to optimize flight operations. The human will become more and more a system operator who monitors the correct operation of airborne and ground-borne systems. The human must also be able to take over in case of malfunctions. This requires adequately trained individuals adequate display and control systems. Improved Man-Machine Interfaces will have to be introduced to present the data in an organized, natural and intuitive way. The paper describes the development of aviation into today's reliable air transport system and the developments and research required to enable the growth forecasted for the next decades to be realized.


This paper reflects on the conduct of a pilot study which was intended to prepare the ground for a randomized, controlled clinical trial of the assessment and treatment of patients with minor injuries by nurse practitioners or senior house officers (junior doctors) in an accident and emergency department. The authors believe that such reflection makes a useful contribution to the growing debate about methodology in health services research. Following a brief literature review on nurse practitioners, the intended research design is explained. The authors then describe how observation in the chosen department led to a change in design, involving trial use of patient-kept diaries as a means of assessing outcome. Despite promising results from the third diary exercise, doubts remained about the validity of the relationship between process and outcome. The small number of patients managed by nurse practitioners compared to the greater number managed by junior doctors posed difficulties for randomization; similarities in pathways of care for patients managed by the two staff groups made it unlikely that differences in outcome could be demonstrated. These problems led to abandonment of the plan for a clinical trial at that point, but the authors believe that further exploration of the idea is desirable.


Flying height modulation maps and microwaviness maps are obtained by using laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) and acoustic emission (AE) transducers which are moved radially over the complete disk surface. The sensitivity of the acoustic emission measurement is improved by applying a current to the write element, thereby increasing pole tip protrusion. Disk and slider displacement maps are obtained using a radially scratched disk. Acoustic emission maps are presented for a scratched disk and for a non-scratched disk. For the non-scratched disk, AE maps are obtained with an inactive and active write element.Copyright © 2005 by ASME


AP-2 is a developmentally-regulated transcription factor expressed in ectodermal cell lineages. The AP-2 protein is essential for neural tube, craniofacial and body wall morphogenesis and has been implicated in oncogenesis. Here we report the isolation of the AP-2 promoter from human, mouse and chicken. The initiation sites for the human gene have been mapped in a variety of cell lines, including several derived from breast tumours. Initiation occurs just upstream of an IR3-like repetitive element, present in the human and mouse genes, but absent in chicken. The cis-acting elements responsible for promoter activity in human HeLa cells have been mapped both in vivo and in vitro. The proximal promoter contains binding sites for transcription factors AP-2, NF-1 and octamer proteins, but lacks a TATA box motif. Functional analysis demonstrates that the octamer binding site is the critical component of basal promoter activity. In addition, the promoter relies on an initiator element for efficient start site utilization. There is an excellent correlation between the requirement for the initiator and octamer elements in transcription assays and the conservation of these cis-acting sequences between chicken, mouse and human.


Abstract
Based on a larger study of chiropractic patients conducted at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) Outpatient Clinics, this study examined the differences by patient gender in: area of chief complaint, occupational status, duration of chief complaint and number of treatments. Cervical and lumbar complaints were emphasized. The findings of this study demonstrated that there was a significant difference by gender in the area of a patient's main complaint (Chi Square = 285.7, 4 df, p = .000005). Women were more likely to have cervical complaints and men were more likely to have lumbar complaints regardless of occupational status. The duration of a patient's chief complaint was also significantly related to gender (Chi Square = 57.1, 3 df, p = .000005). Regardless of the area of chief complaint (cervical or lumbar spine) men sought chiropractic treatment for their conditions earlier than women. Further, the average number of chiropractic treatments was higher for women than men irrespective of whether the area of chief complaint was in the cervical or lumbar area (F Ratio = 9.78, p = .00005). These genderspecific differences may have important clinical implications for the appropriate chiropractic management of cervical and lumbar spine conditions.


We present a six-dimensional Higgsless Standard Model with a realistic gauge sector. The model uses only the Standard Model gauge group SU(2)L × U(1)Y with the gauge bosons propagating in flat extra dimensions compactified on a rectangle. The electroweak symmetry is broken by boundary conditions, and the correct splitting between the W and Z gauge boson masses can be arranged by suitable choice of the compactification scales. The higher Kaluza-Klein excitations of the gauge bosons decouple from the effective low-energy theory due to dominant brane kinetic terms. The model has the following two key features compared to five-dimensional models. The dimensional couplings in the bulk Lagrangian, responsible for electroweak symmetry breaking using mixed boundary conditions, are of order the electroweak scale. Moreover, with respect to "oblique" corrections, the agreement with the precision electroweak parameters is improved compared to five-dimensional warped or flat space models. We also argue that the calculability of Higgsless models can be ameliorated in more than five dimensions. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


We propose and study the hybrid integration of a 1D photonic crystal (PhC) nanobeam (NB) laser on a SiNx waveguide. With modifications by reduced-PhCs and a tapered beam to the NB laser, this integration can exhibit over 50% directional coupling to the specific waveguide output facet while maintaining a sufficient quality factor for low-threshold lasing. Using the transfer printing technique, we realized the proposed hybrid integration with optimized parameters, which showed significant planar laser emission from the SiNx waveguide facet in experiments while maintaining a low lasing threshold of 180 μW. In addition to verifying the unidirectionality of planar emission by simulation and experimental results, we further confirm its robustness by characterizing many transfer-printed NB lasers on SiNx waveguides under generally occurring displacement and rotational misalignments in the present transfer printing systems. We believe that the hybrid integration with compact size, unidirectional coupling, and low lasing threshold demonstrated herein can provide a helpful reference for designing PhC NB lasers coupled with SiNx waveguides in silicon-based photonic integrated circuits.


Background: Immunohistochemical (IHC) assessment of the proportion of cells staining for the KI67 nuclear antigen is being increasing utilized in the management of patients with early-stage breast cancer (ESBC). A comprehensive systematic review and evidence synthesis of biomarkers potentially predictive of response to systemic therapy was initiated as a part of an NCI-funded comparative effectiveness research program. Methods: Studies of chemotherapy response prediction based on baseline IHC assessment of Ki67 in patients with ESBC receiving neoadjuvant systemic therapy were identified. Response was specified as pathologic complete response (pCR) or clinical response (ClinR). Assay predictive performance for response was assessed on the basis of sensitivity, specificity, predictive value and predictive odds ratio (POR±95%CLs) utilizing mixed effects models. Study results were fitted in an ROC analysis based on the method of DerSimonian and Laird. Publication bias was evaluated on the basis of funnel plot asymmetry assessed by Egger9s regression intercept and Begg and Mazumdar9s rank correlation. Results: Of 469 potentially eligible studies, dual blind full text review identified 42 eligible studies reporting 44 independent cohorts with 6,716 patients (21–979). While Ki67 cutpoints varied considerably, they were most commonly between 10%–30% (median 20%, range 1–50%). The analysis prsented here is limited to the 30 studies of ESBC patients (N = 3,343) receiving neoadjuvant therapy of which 14 reported fewer than 100 patients. The proportion of patients with elevated Ki67 across studies ranged from 0.20–0.92 (median = 0.54). Sensitivity and specificity for treatment response in patients with high vs. low baseline Ki67 was 0.65 [0.61, 0.68] and 0.52 [0.50, 0.54], respectively. Estimated response rates across studies in patients with high vs. low Ki67 were 31% [29%, 34%] and 19% [17%, 21%], respectively. The estimated POR for response across studies was 2.82 [2.14, 3.72; P POR was significantly greater in studies of anthracycline-based [3.0] than non-anthracycline regimens [0.92](Pinteraction = .043) and of cyclophosphamide-based [3.41] compared to non-cyclophosphamide regimens [2.00](P interaction=.039) but was not associated with treatment based on other drug classes. Although Ki67 predictive performance was not significantly associated with the cutpoint utilized or the proportion of patients with ER or PR+, Her2+, or high grade tumors across studies, analysis based on individual patient data is needed to assess performance in specific clinical subgroups. No significant publication bias was found. Conclusions: A compelling need exists for larger studies with greater methodologic rigor and standardization to assess the clinical validity of Ki67 in ESBC as well its clinical utility in guiding neoadjuvant treatment decisions compared to the use of conventional predictive markers. Funding: NCI: RC2CA14041-01 Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-06-07.


The involvement of the head and neck can occur in 25 to 45% of patients with burn injuries. Unfortunately, scalp burns can result in significant burn alopecia. The management of these problems depends on the location and extent of the alopecia. Tissue expansion has become an important part of the armamentarium for correction of this problem with acceptable complication rates. The results of correction of burn alopecia with tissue expansion are an important part of our surgical strategy in the aesthetic reconstruction of cicatricial alopecia.


ABSTRACT:This article offers a reappraisal of Monsieur Toussaint, a play about the final days of the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint L'Ouverture by the Martinican writer and theorist Édouard Glissant. Written between 1959 and 1961, when Glissant was forced to remain in France due to his political activities, Monsieur Toussaint was not performed until 1977 and, by the author's own account, "was not crafted according to the economy of theatrical representation." Rather than taking the later version scénique [scenic version] as the definitive version (as critics and translators invariably do), I consider the non-performance of the original play as integral to its commentary on the Haitian Revolution and to what Glissant calls the Antilles's "non-history." Ultimately, I show how, when faced with an impasse in the movement for decolonization, Glissant circumvents the here and now of "live" performance in order to create what he calls a "prophetic vision of the past"–a spectral stage.


Energy poverty is a significant policy issue in the UK. An argument often raised is that rural households are more likely to be energy poor due to the nature of rural housing stock and also the more limited choice of energy sources in rural areas. However empirical evidence to support this argument is limited. This paper uses data from the British Household Panel Survey to explore whether the incidence and dynamics of energy poverty varies between rural and urban areas in the UK. In addition to descriptive analysis, discrete hazard models of energy poverty exit and re-entry are estimated and used to explore the impact of an increase in energy price. The results indicate that the influence of certain housing and personal characteristics differs by place of residence. After accounting for differences in the observed characteristics, the experience of energy poverty in urban areas was found to be on average longer with a higher probability of energy poverty persistence. Vulnerability to energy price increases was found to be high with a 20% increase in price leading to a 74% increase in the probability rural residents being trapped in energy poverty for five or more years. It is argued that a combination of household type and spatial targeting of policy support is required.


Author(s): Lepore, Caitlin Elizabeth | Advisor(s): Kia-Keating, Maryam | Abstract: Reflective supervision has been richly described within the literature, but has had little empirical, and particularly quantitative, examination. This longitudinal study used mixed methods to examine how early childhood teacher attachment and trauma histories may contribute to their stress in teacher-parent relationships, and how reflective supervision may impact this stress. Thirty-seven teachers (36 females, 1 male) were recruited from 5 early childhood sites that participated in reflective supervision: 18 were in their first year and 19 had participated in 2-5 years of reflective supervision. 73% of participants were Latino/a, and 29% held a bachelor's degree. Participants rated their own parental relationships during childhood, trauma history, and current compassion satisfaction, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and frustration in a challenging teacher-parent relationship. A subsample of 20 teachers completed a qualitative interview, and among those, 14 teachers completed both pre- and post-assessments and the interview. The results provide evidence that a teacher's childhood parental relationships relate to their current frustration in teacher-parent relationships. Furthermore, findings suggest that more time spent in reflective supervision may help protect a teacher against some of these stressors. Relating these findings to the attachment literature, reflective supervision may offer a corrective experience for teachers similar to therapy or long-term adult relationships which impact attachment styles as they relate to work interactions. Implications and future directions are considered.


Now-a-days broadband wireless access system supports potential success in radio network planning. In this paper we have considered GSM and WIMAX cellular network with different operating frequencies in wireless broadband services. The critical task lies on providing large scale dimensioning in broad band wireless system is a vital factor. so, an effective Path loss performance is a pivotal step requirement for deployment of wireless and cellular network planning in SIMO(Single-Input and Multiple-Output)model. In this work we are compared and analyze the various different propagation path loss models for our study. We computed the results by taking different receiver antennas heights(4m and 10m)in urban, suburban, rural (flat)areas. For measuring we have considered GSM(940 MHz) and WIMAX(3.5 GHz)in urban, suburban(NLOS) condition for rural(LOS)condition and used MAT Lab simulator for generating results.


The data on which this paper was founded were a list of 79 fatal coal pit explosions, occurring in the years 1850–9, within the district inspected by Mr. Morton, and an unbroken series of observations of the barometer, taken at Wakefield Prison, and extending over the same period.

The results have been embodied in two tables. The first table shows the differences of the barometer readings on the day of the explosion, as compared with the readings on

1st. The day preceding the explosion.

2nd. The day but one preceding the explosion.

3rd. The mean height of the barometer during the month in which the explosion occurred.

4th. The mean height of the barometer during the period of ten years over which the observations extend.

The differences are grouped in tenths of inches. The explosions are arranged in two columns for each class of comparisons; the first column of each pair showing the number which occurred when the barometer on the day of explosion was lower than at the period with which the comparison was made, and the second the number occurring when the barometer was higher on the day of explosion.

The general result was that of 79 explosions, 59 took place when the barometer was lower than it had been 24 hours previously, and 20 when it was higher. Sixty when the barometer was lower than it had been 48 hours previously, and 19 when it was higher. Forty-four when the barometer stood lower on the day ...


Between January 1993 and December 2004, 68 patients with mediastinal pathology were submitted to diagnosis surgery. All the pathological process were located in the anterior mediastinum, and most of them were malignant (64.1%). The most common pathology was limphoma (26.5%), sarcoidosis (23.5%) and thymomas (23.5%). Seven cases consisted in ganglionar tuberculosis (10.3%), six cases were ganglionar metastases of lung adenocarcinoma (8.8%), and three cases were thymic carcinoma (4.4%). One patient had no definite diagnosis (1.5%). In this experience high diagnosis accuracy (98.5%), and low morbidity were demonstrated. Although the present video assisted thoracic surgery progress and development, mediastinoscopy still remains as a reliable, safe and efficient surgical approach for the diagnosis of mediastinal pathology.


Recent developments in single‐cell transcriptomics have opened new opportunities for studying dynamic processes in immunology in a high throughput and unbiased manner. Starting from a mixture of cells in different stages of a developmental process, unsupervised trajectory inference algorithms aim to automatically reconstruct the underlying developmental path that cells are following. In this review, we break down the strategies used by this novel class of methods, and organize their components into a common framework, highlighting several practical advantages and disadvantages of the individual methods. We also give an overview of new insights these methods have already provided regarding the wiring and gene regulation of cell differentiation. As the trajectory inference field is still in its infancy, we propose several future developments that will ultimately lead to a global and data‐driven way of studying immune cell differentiation.


We examine the possibility of observing gravitational lensing in the weak deflection regime by the supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy M31. This black hole is significantly more massive than the black hole in the center of our Galaxy, qualifying itself as a more effective lens. However, it is also more distant, and the candidate stellar sources appear consequently fainter. We separately consider as potential sources stars belonging to the bulge, to the disk, and to the triple nucleus formed by P1 + P2 and by the recently discovered inner cluster P3. We calculate the number of simultaneously lensed stars at a given time as a function of the threshold magnitude required for the secondary image. For observations in the K band we find 1.4 expected stars having secondary images brighter than K = 24 and 182 brighter than K = 30. For observations in the V band we expect 1.3 secondary images brighter than V = 27 and 271 brighter than V = 33. The bulge stars have the highest chance of being lensed by the supermassive black hole, whereas the disk and the composite nucleus stars contribute 10% each. The typical angular separation of the secondary images from the black hole range from 1 mas to 0.1″. For each population we also show the distribution of the lensed sources as a function of their distance and absolute magnitude, the expected angular positions and velocities of the generated secondary images, and the rate and the typical duration of the lensing events.


Top-two primaries reshape the electoral process by changing the mix of opponents that candidates face, thus altering the electorate to which they must respond. Specifically, when top-two primaries produce two same-party opponents for the general election, candidates cannot simply rely on party-based voting to win. Advocates of the top-two primary system contend that if safe districts offer voters the choice between ideologically extreme and moderate candidates of the same party in the general election, voters should choose the more moderate option. Research to date suggests that this is not the case. If the top-two primary does invoke moderation, I argue that it should be because it is self-imposed by candidates in response to new electoral incentives. The change in primary rules should cause candidates to self-moderate in hopes of broadening the range of potential voters that they may capture. I test this proposition by examining the rhetoric found on state legislative candidate websites during the 2016 election. Results show that those facing same-party opponents use more moderate, bipartisan, and vague messaging when compared to those facing opponents of the opposite party.


The non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention, comprising a special peroxide in the electrolyte - redox shuttle reagents, it is possible to effectively prevent overcharge of the battery. Such a non-hydrolyzable secondary batteries negative electrode, a positive electrode and a non-aqueous electrolyte, wherein the carbonaceous negative electrode material may be a metal material wherein the distribution of lithium or a lithium as a main component of the composition or isolated; positive It is a composite oxide of lithium and a transition metal composition; electrolyte containing an organic compound represented by the general formula: wherein x represents a halogen atom.


The mechanical damages constitute one of the principal causes of losses post-harvest of fruits and vegetables. Sapodilla fruits (Manilkara zapota L. P. Royen) are very perishable susceptible to mechanical damage and attack of pathogenic during the post-harvest. It was Examined the physiological behavior and mechanic under axial compression with an Instron Universal Testing Machine 3382, with capability of 100 kilo Newton and a velocity of crossbeam of 20 mm/ minute. The parallel plates compressed the fruit once only, checking a curve force- deformation for each fruit evaluated, in analysis were used two types of fruit (I and II), two positions of compression and three displacements of crossbeam. The evolution of the respiratory activity, and production of ethylene were determined during five days, mechanical variables were gotten from test for each fruit. The two types of sapodilla showed physiological sensibility to the application of external loads (mechani- cal damage). The production of ethylene and the velocity of respiration increased significantly for the load applied at the vertical position, which accelerated the deterioration. With the obtained results, it can be inferred than the mechanical parameters for protection of the fruits in harvest, transportation and storage, they should be based in the behavior of the fruits to compression at the horizontal position, with the second displacement of crossbeam, if compression can be reduced for down the doorsteps before referred, it would be possible to reduce the levels of damage and consequently showing a fresh fruit of quality.


This article is a comparative study of withdrawal as a defence to the criminal liability of an offender in Jordan (a civil law jurisdiction) and Australia (a common law jurisdiction). The analysis in this paper reveals that, in both jurisdictions, criminal laws have long accepted withdrawal as a conduit through which the offender's liability can be modified or completely quashed. However, there has been no serious attempt, at least in Jordan, to provide anything approaching a complete explanation of the conditions under which the defence may be available and to explore its limits and boundaries. Neither has any serious effort been made to offer an account of the defence's conceptual nature and governing rationale. The present paper seeks to identify and explore the defence's conceptual basis and rationale, its current state of law and the appropriate direction in which the defence might be developed. To achieve this purpose, the paper is divided into three sections. In Section 1, it explores the conceptual nature of withdrawal. Section 2 addresses the rationale of the defence in light of the underlying principles of criminal liability in both jurisdictions. In Section 3 a comparative analysis of the defence's qualifying requirements is undertaken in relation to both primary and accessorial criminal liability. Comparative analysis shows that withdrawal can be used as a defence to all forms of criminal complicity with differing degrees of variations in relation to both its qualifying requirements and the extent to which it may affect the liability of an offender. In cases involving incitement, however, the inciter cannot rely on the defence to avoid criminal liability although his or her punishment can be reduced pursuant to his or her voluntary withdrawal under the JPC.


We demonstrate a low threshold polymer solid state thin-film distributed feedback (DFB) laser on an InP substrate with the DFB structure. The used gain medium is conjugated polymer poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1, 4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) doped polystyrene (PS) and formed by drop-coating method. The second order Bragg scattering region on the InP substrate gave rise to strong feedback, thus a lasing emission at 638.9 nm with a line width of 1.2 nm is realized when pumped by a 532nm frequency-doubled Nd:YAG pulsed laser. The devices show a laser threshold as low as 7 nJ/pulse.


Charles Darwin was born two centuries ago and his work still remains alive, being subject of important debates with an increasing and strong influence on philosophy, religious faith and policy in first-world countries, the European Union or the United Nations. Today there is a clear parallelism between the evolutionist–versus-creationist controversy and parallel worldwide political battles whose results often affect many millions of people. In this scenery, it turns out that the human eye plays a crucial and relevant role. On the side of creationism, it is claimed that the eye is a perfect system and, therefore, it can only be the result of the work of a "Supreme Engineer" and never the result of blind (no eyes) chance. On the contrary, evolutionists put the emphasis on short-term and long-term mechanisms of adaptation to explain the specialization of different visual systems (animals and humans) to survive in their respective environments.

Strictly speaking, scientists studying the eye should keep away from these philosophical discussions (many times biased by hidden political interests or by religious credos). Here, however, I take the opportunity to express an opinion from a perspective that is different from the rigorous point of view that a scientific paper demands, but is based on my experience of 25 years studying the optics of the human eye. On the one hand, I am still amazed by the fact that in the eye one finds (to more or less extent) most principles and tools of optical engineering (optical design, optical fibers, quantum efficiency, etc.) effectively applied, which is a serious challenge for the current state of the art of our science and technology, with intriguing and some time paradoxical evidences. On the other hand, however, it was evident for scientists and clinicians, that even healthy emmetropic eyes exhibit a large amount of optical defects (aberrations). One century ago Helmholtz wrote that if an optician sells him a lens with such defects he would complain and give it back. When one analyzes the design principles of the eye1 one finds a puzzling sort of mixture of smart solutions and crude flaws.

A most intriguing design flaw is the contradictory optical and retinal designs. There is no doubt that the eye is a very wide-angle lens and its design seems to aim to guarantee a high homogeneity of optical quality across its wide visual field, whereas the retina is highly inhomogeneous; i.e. the vision of details is concentrated in a small central area, the fovea, and is rapidly lost as we move towards the periphery. This severe mismatch between optical and retinal resolution (possible design flaw) can only be explained by evolution. A wide visual field is common to most species (from insects to mammals), which seems important for survival, since it allows most basic tasks such as defense and locomotion. The fovea, however, seems necessary for more specialized tasks involved in predation: remote detection, recognition, etc. The development of the fovea seems to be related to a parallel development of brain cortex, and then to higher-level perception abilities. In this context, perhaps the optics of the eye required only minor adaptations when the retina and visual cortex developed a foveated vision.

Therefore, long-term evolution and short-term adaptation seem to be present in the eye, which would add further evidences to Darwin findings, thus supporting evolutionist hypothesis. Evolution and adaptation permits us to order apparently contradictory pieces of knowledge, which explains why it is so attractive for most scientists. In science, the merit of a theory lays on the amount of facts it can explain, and the evolution hypothesis is able to explain most.

However, the "engineering" theory based on a smart, efficient and robust design cannot be totally discarded today. Even though the eye has many optical defects, modern clinical evidence shows that any attempt to modify its optical system (for instance by refractive or cataract surgery, orthokeratology, etc.) results in a deterioration of its optical quality. A few years ago, custom LASIK promised supervision, but evidence shows that the natural optics of the eye cannot be improved in general with today's available technology…


This paper develops a new space vector dynamic model of the induction machine including stator and rotor slotting effects. With this approach, the slotting effect is considered only in the stator and rotor leakage variation. The model has been also re-written in a space vector state form useful for control applications, since it contains the information of the rotor position. This model works with both a low and a high frequency supply, differently from most control models including slotting effects which usually model only the high frequency behaviour of the machine. The model has been implemented in numerical simulation and verified experimentally on three motors with the same stator and three different rotor configurations. Experimental results confirm the goodness of the model and are in accordance with the results of literature


Natural catastrophic events are one of most critical aspects for health and economy all around the world. However, the impact in a poor region can impact more dramatically than in others countries. Isla Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), one of the poorest regions of the planet, has repeatedly been hit by catastrophic natural disasters that caused incalculable human and economic losses. After the catastrophic flood event occurred in the basin of River Soliette on May 24th, 2004, the General Direction for Development and Cooperation of the Italian Department of Foreign Affairs funded an international cooperation initiative (ICI) coordinated by the University of Bologna, that involved Haitian and Dominican institutions.Main purpose of the ICI was hydrological and hydraulic analysis of the May 2004 flood event aimed at formulating a suitable and affordable flood risk mitigation plan, consisting of structural and non-structural measures. In this contest, a topographic survey was necessary to realize the hydrological model and to improve the knowledge in some areas candidates to be site for mitigation measures.To overcome the difficulties arising from the narrowness of funds, surveyors and limited time available for the survey, only GPS technique have been used, both for framing aspects (using PPP approach), and for geometrical survey of the river by means of river cross-sections and detailed surveys in two areas (RTK technique). This allowed us to reconstruct both the river geometry and the DTM's of two expansion areas (useful for design hydraulic solutions for mitigate flood-hazard risk).


The compressive strength of quasi-brittle materials, such as mortar, is affected by the shape and size of specimens tested. The Brazilian standards recently changed the method and the shape of the specimens used to determine the strength of mortar. An experimental program was devised to determine the relationship of mortar properties obtained from testing the old shape (prism halves or cube) and the new shape (cylinder) specimens. Mortar batches were prepared with a lime-cement ratio from 0.25 to 3 and a sand-cement ratio from 2 to 12. Both fresh and hardened mortar properties were determined. The analysis of the results yielded correlations between the strengths of the different specimens. For mortar strength between 4 and 12 MPa (580 and 1740 psi), the strength of cylindrical specimens was 30% lower than that of prism halves specimens; for mortar strength less than 4 MPa (580 psi), the reduction varied from 37 to 49%; while for mortar strength greater than 12 MPa (1740 psi), the reduction varied from 1 to 26%. A relationship was also developed to help engineers proportion mortar based on different percentages of lime and sand.


The pitch system is a crucial part of today's wind turbines and is used for power regulation when operating above rated wind speed. According to studies the pitch system is responsible for up to 20% of the total downtime of a wind turbine. As an attempt of increasing the reliability and availability attention has come to fault detection and condition monitoring of such systems. This paper presents a State Augmented Extended Kalman Filter, SAEKF, for detecting both internal and external rod leakage. Furthermore, an external load torque is included in the filter to improve the performance in the presence of external load. The SAEKF is tested experimentally for different levels of both internal and external rod leakage under working conditions similar to the ones experienced for a pitch system located in a wind turbine. The working conditions include unkown fast varying external loads. The experiments show that the SAEKF is capable of detecting internal and external leakage down to 0.10 l/min and 0.34 l/min, respectively. The internal leakage is detected with a estimation error of maximum 0.04 l/min while the external leakage estimation error is going up to 0.43 l/min for high levels of external leakage.


. In this paper, a new type of fertilizer/feed for Uzbekistan were developed when growing fry to underyearlings. In four experimental nursery ponds (1-3 ha each) with brackish water (2.5 - 3.9‰), cultured carp fish were grown in a pond polyculture using mineral fertilizers and wheat bran soaked in soy milk. In different variants, the total fish productivity was 27 - 48.9 q/ha, underyearlings of all species reached an average weight of more than 100 g, the yield was 76-88%, provided that they were stocked with 5-10 gram fry in early July. Juveniles of cyprinids can be successfully reared in brackish water fed from a collector-drainage system in Uzbekistan.


ABSTRACT A synthesized of acceptor-donor-acceptor (A-D-A) type oligomer based on benzodithiophene (BDT) as a donor (D) unit and phenylisoxazol (OX) as an acceptor (A) is to investigate the effect of combination between the strong electron donor and a strong electron acceptor. In addition, we introduce hexylthiophene (HT) ring as a π-bridge to extend the effective conjugation length and increase the solubility. Here we report the performance of 2,6-(4-(thiophen-2-yl)methylene)-3-phenylisoxazol-5(4H)-one)-4,8-bis((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene) (BDT-HTOX) employing as the electron donor in the inverted organic solar cells and PC71BM as the electron acceptor unit. UV-Vis absorption and electrochemical measurements investigated the optoelectronic properties that revealing the HUMO/LUMO level at −3.72 eV/−5.44 eV with an optical band gap of 1.72 eV for BDT-HTOX. Maximum power conversion efficiency based on BDT-HTOX is showed up to 0.80% with a short-circuit current density (Jsc) of –3.26 mA/cm2, Voc of 0.88 V, and fill factor (FF) of 27.9% using chlorobenzene as a solvent for solution processed organic solar cells.


The production of silicone tetrachloride (SiCl4) from rice husk char by chlorination was investigated, and the effect of the char preparation temperature on SiCl4 volatilization and the coexisting element species in the char was examined. The behavior of chlorine (Cl) and the change in pore properties during char chlorination were analyzed, and the reaction mechanism was discussed. The performance of Hg ion removal of the chlorination residue was also investigated. At 1000 °C chlorination, the optimum rice husk pyrolysis temperature for attaining high ash-release extent was 800 °C. Ash volatilization during char chlorination with heat treatment mainly occurred at >300 °C and reached a release extent of ∼75% by 1000 °C. Si and P volatilization started at >300 °C and reached 70–75% by 1000 °C. In contrast, Na and K the volatilization occurred at >700 °C, with a 50% volatilization extent by 1000 °C. Mg and Ca had a volatilization rate of <20% by 1000 °C. When the char was held at 1000 °C, the release extent of Si and P reached 75–80% by 10 min. Na and K volatilized almost completely by 10 min, and the release extent of Mg and Ca increased with increasing holding time and became 10–50% by 60 min. The Cl content in the residue obtained at each chlorination temperature increased from 300 to 700 °C and then decreased with increasing temperature. The majority of Cl taken up in the residue was an H2O insoluble form. The surface area and pore volume of the chlorinated residue tended to increase with increasing chlorination temperature, with the former increasing to 335 m2/g at 1000 °C and 10 min holding. The maximum mercury adsorption amount of the chlorinated residue obtained at 1000 °C, 10 min holding was 620 mg/g, indicating the mercury ion adsorption performance of the chlorinated residue.


With increasing travel and immunosuppression, parasitic lung and pleural diseases are increasingly been reported. The diagnosis in certain cases is very challenging because of nonspecific clinical and radiological features. We hereby present a case of a 60-year-old immunocompetent female complaining of difficulty in breathing for 4–5 days for which sputum sample along with the coughed-up fragment of the parasite under investigation was sent to the laboratory. All the blood parameters along with blood and sputum culture were within normal limits. Direct microscopy for sputum and multiple fecal samples did not yield any significant information. Chest X-ray was normal, whereas contrast-enhanced computed tomography scan changes were suggestive of fibrotic changes and mucoid impaction. The histopathological examination showed thick mucus content and no evidence of a parasitic infestation, worm, larva, or ova. So the differential diagnosis of the right lower lobe obstruction probably due to mucus plug was made, and the patient was referred to a pulmonologist for further follow-up. This case highlights the importance of common respiratory disorders characterized by mucus plugs and that some may mimic parasitic segments. Specific clinical, radiological, and pathologic features, microscopic examination, or serological testing can help to narrow the differential diagnosis of infective or noninfective causes and help the patients in early and accurate diagnosis and treatment and save them from unnecessary expensive and invasive investigations.


- The work presented here describes the use of Mathematical tool like HTK (Hidden Markov Model Toolkit) for recognition of English isolated digits. Two different databases are used here which comprise of audio recordings for the English language isolated digits. Digits used are ZERO to NINE. First database is a standard CUAVE database (36 speakers, each spoken 10 words) and other database is self-recorded sample files of students of Engineering. The system has been implemented for speaker dependent and independent way, corresponding comparison has been made. For every individual digit, separate HMM has been created. It has been trained many times and tested against every other digit to check the every possibility of recognition/ duplication. Further this system can be used for continuous digit recognition also and one can go for sentence recognition using database like TIMIT.


Genomic duplication-divergence processes are the primary source of new protein functions and thereby contribute to the evolutionary expansion of functional molecular networks. Yet, it is still unclear to what extent such duplication-divergence processes also restrict by construction the emerging properties of molecular networks, regardless of any specific cellular functions. We address this question, here, focusing on the evolution of protein–protein interaction (PPI) networks. We solve a general duplication-divergence model, based on the statistically necessary deletions of protein–protein interactions arising from stochastic duplications at various genomic scales, from single-gene to whole-genome duplications. Major evolutionary scenarios are shown to depend on two global parameters only: (i) a protein conservation index (M), which controls the evolutionary history of PPI networks, and (ii) a distinct topology index (M′) controlling their resulting structure. We then demonstrate that conserved, nondense networks, which are of prime biological relevance, are also necessarily scale-free by construction, irrespective of any evolutionary variations or fluctuations of the model parameters. It is shown to result from a fundamental linkage between individual protein conservation and network topology under general duplication-divergence evolution. By contrast, we find that conservation of network motifs with two or more proteins cannot be indefinitely preserved under general duplication-divergence evolution (independently from any network rewiring dynamics), in broad agreement with empirical evidence between phylogenetically distant species. All in all, these evolutionary constraints, inherent to duplication-divergence processes, appear to have largely controlled the overall topology and scale-dependent conservation of PPI networks, regardless of any specific biological function.


BACKGROUND
Endogenous or exogenous digoxin can lead to membrane Na+,K+-ATPase inhibition and hypomagnesemia. Low magnesium levels can lead to increased glycosaminoglycans (GAG) concentration in many organs.

AIM
To measure the serum levels of pancreatic GAG and glycoproteins, two major components of the extracellular matrix, in patients with chronic calcific pancreatitis (CCP). Serum levels of magnesium and digoxin were also assessed.

METHODS
Patients with CCP and age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects (15 each) were studied. Serum GAG, Mg and digoxin levels were measured. RBC membrane Na+,K+-ATPase activity was also assessed. Pancreatic tissue obtained at autopsy from seven patients with CCP and sex- and age-matched healthy subjects who had died in accidents were also tested for GAG and glycoproteins.

RESULTS
Total GAG levels were significantly increased in the serum and pancreas of patients with CCP. This was associated with lower serum Mg levels, increased serum digoxin levels and decreased RBC membrane Na+,K+-ATPase activity.

CONCLUSION
Exogenous or endogenous digoxin-induced hypomagnesemia and the consequent altered glycoconjugate metabolism may be important in the pathogenesis of CCP.


This series of experiments was undertaken to develop a low animal impact, inexpensive and simple method of continuous logging of body temperature in free-ranging adult cattle for periods up to 7 days. Two different types of logger (iButton and Vemco minilogger) and three different methods of attachment (surgical implant, anal girth strap and anal tail attachment) for the iButton were investigated. The technique based on the iButton temperature logger, secured to the tail head was the most effective. This technique required minimal animal handling and provided reliable and accurate measurement of temperature in freely behaving cattle.


Respiratory sensation was evaluated in normal subjects from their ability to quantitate changes in tidal volume. Subjects attempted to duplicate or double tidal volumes of different sizes while breathing freely or against a resistive or elastic load. When the mechanical conditions during control and test breaths were constant, tidal volume duplication was accomplished with an error of approximately 100 ml, regardless of the control volume. The error in doubling, however, increased progressively with increasing control tidal volume. There was a greater error in both volume duplication and doubling when the mechanical conditions between control and test breaths were changed. When test breaths against a load followed unloaded control breaths, tidal volume failed to double, but intrathoracic pressure changes twice exceeded control values. Conversely, when unloaded test breaths followed loaded control breaths, pressure changes underwent less than a twofold increase while tidal volume more than doubled. The results indicate that tidal volume changes are normally sensed with considerable accuracy and suggest that both tidal volume per se, as well as the forces generated by the respiratory muscles, are used in the estimation of tidal volume changes.