Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL

Germ line mutations can be transmitted to the offspring and may thus affect an infinite number of generations thereafter. To study germ line mutations, expanded simple tandem repeats (ESTR) can be used as a sensitive tool, because they are known to be highly unstable and therefore exhibit high mutation rates. This facilitates the assessment of germ line mutations in a relatively small number of offspring following exposures that may pose a genetic risk to the germ line. We used two ESTR loci Ms6-hm and Hm-2 in families of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) exposed and unexposed male mice, proficient or deficient for global genome repair (Xpc-/-). Male mice (C57BL/6) were exposed to BaP during 6 weeks (13 mg/kg bw, 3 times per week) and were crossed with female mice (Balb/C) 6 weeks after the last exposure to obtain offspring and to ensure the analysis of mutations originating from spermatogonial stem cells. The overall ESTR mutation rate at both ESTR loci, irrespective of the DNA repair capacity, was higher in offspring of benzo(a)pyrene exposed mice than in control mice (9.4% vs. 4.5%, P=0.054). This effect was predominantly seen in BaP exposed DNA repair deficient Xpc-/- mice; mutation frequencies were 12.5% in the exposed group (12 out of 96 offspring carried a mutant allele) and 3.4% in the unexposed group (3 out of 87), respectively (P=0.024). In DNA repair proficient mice, BaP was unable to increase the mutation frequency transmitted to the offspring (5.8% vs. 5.5% for offspring of exposed and unexposed fathers). These results indicate that analysis of tandem repetitive sequences is a sensitive method for the detection of germline mutations transmitted to the offspring and that the environmental mutagen BaP is able to induce germ line mutations in DNA repair deficient mice.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2550. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2550


The paper presents the results of research conducted on a sample of 126 students from the seventh to the ninth grade of the Elementary School in Mostar. The theoretical part of the paper discusses learning, learning styles and student self-efficacy. The aim of the work was to examine whether learning styles are a significant predictor for the development of self-efficacy in elementary school-age children, and we also examined gender differences in learning styles and self-efficacy. The results we obtained suggest that learning styles are significant determinants for explaining self-efficacy when it comes to auditory learning style. Thus, the results indicate that auditory style as a dimension of learning style is a significant determinant of self-efficacy (F3/109=3.00 p < 0.05, β =0.247, p< 0.05), while kinesthetic and visual style are not statistically significant predictors. Also, the results indicated that there is a statistically significant difference in self-efficacy with regard to gender. The self-efficacy of male and female students differs statistically significantly, p< 0.05, where girls (M = 26.82) had a statistically significantly higher score than boys (M= 21.06), (t=-2.845, p < 0, 05). The results show us that there are statistically significant differences between male and female students in the perception of the dimension of learning style when it comes to auditory style, where girls had a higher score (M=20.08) compared to boys (M= 18.57). (t=-2, 469, p < 0.05). Kinesthetic and visual style, as dimensions of learning style, did not show statistically significant gender differences.


Third molars are frequently absent or impacted; their unpredictable prevalence and morphology, with frequent anatomical variations, is a challenge for the practitioner. The number of roots of the upper third molars vary from one to five, but five roots upper third molars' cases are extremely rare. The case reported here is of a normotrophic male patient, with no significant general medical history, having extracted an impacted maxillary upper molar, with an unusual position and dimensions and five completely separated formed roots, orientated in diverse directions. It highlights the importance of using the correct surgical technique, without excessive pressure, for avoiding the fracture of the maxillary tuberosity, the displacement of the molar into the pterygopalatine fossa or the opening of the maxillary sinus, especially in the absence of good quality imagistic information like cone-beam computed tomography. The case presented in this paper is very rare and highlights the significance of anatomical knowledge, which is mandatory for managing these cases, to avoid trauma, accidents, and complications and to maintain an optimal time of extraction, since such variations occur, and the conventional radiographs do not offer enough data to clarify the diagnosis.


As the thurst of the current global capitalist order, neoliberalism has been philosopically suffer from a serious flaws_ Having presents the flaws, this article then demonstrates practical implication of the current attempt of liberalization in Indonesia. Not only capitalism has never been whole materialized in Indonesia, its brings Indonesia to uncertain direction. The attempt to minimize the role of the state has brought about serious fragmentation and it in turn opened up conflict over political-economic resources.


Ambiente e Agua – An International Journal of Applied Science just published its eighth issue, completing the third number of its third volume with all issues published on time. The number of submissions increased significantly and, as a result, the number of published papers. Eleven articles were published in this issue. The geographic and institutional distribution of authors also increased not only throughout Brazil, but from abroad as well. First authors are affiliated with 28 different institutions in Brazil and from 5 different international institutions. The average number of weekly visitors increased from ~ 300 per week in 2007 to ~ 700 in the last months. The international interest in the journal is evident by the number of countries and related geographical coverage of journal readers. One significant improvement was the increased number of highly qualified peer reviewers that registered as article evaluators, as presented in this issue.


The surface myoelectric signal has found many important applications in research and clinical application. Its use as a system input for the control of powered upper-limb prostheses was first proposed almost 60 years ago. This control approach, referred to as myoelectric control, has been a clinically significant option for limb-deficient individuals for 30 years. Myoelectric control has gained widespread use, with many fitting centers worldwide. The sophistication of myoelectric control continues to improve, offering users improvements in dexterity and ease of use.

Keywords:

prosthesis;
myoelectric;
control;
EMG


Rayleigh instability is investigated in a Hall thruster under the effect of finite temperature and density gradient of the plasma species. The instability occurs only when the frequency of the oscillations ω falls within a frequency band described by k{y}u₀+1/k_{y}∂²u_{0}/∂x²+Ω/k_{y}n_{0}∂n₀/∂x≪ω<sqrt[Y{i}T{i}k{y}²/M+ω{p}{i}²(Ω²+Y{e}T{e}k{y}²/m)/(ω{p}{e}²+Ω²+Y{e}T{e}k{y}²/m], where u₀ is the drift velocity of the electrons, Ω is their gyration frequency under the effect of the magnetic field, k{y} is the wave propagation constant, n₀ is the plasma density together with ∂n₀/∂x as the density gradient, and T{i}(T{e}), M(m), Y{i}(Y{e}), and ω{p}{i}(ω{p}{e}) are the temperature, mass, specific heat ratio, and plasma frequency of the ions (electrons), respectively. A relevant Rayleigh equation is derived and solved numerically using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method for investigating the perturbed potential under the effect of electron drift velocity, channel length, magnetic field, ion temperature, and electron temperature. The instability grows faster because of the magnetic field, ion temperature, and drift velocity of the electrons but its growth rate is reduced because of the electron temperature, channel length, and also its far distances from the anode.


The x-ray detection capability of a scintillation detector equipped with a BaCl2 single crystal was evaluated. The scintillation decay kinetics can be expressed by a sum of two exponential decay components. The fast and slow components have lifetimes of 1.5 and 85 ns, respectively. The total light output is 5% that of YAP:Ce. A subnanosecond timing resolution was obtained. The detection efficiency of a 67.41 keV x-ray is 87% for a detector equipped with a BaCl2 crystal 6-mm thick. Thus, excellent timing resolution and high detection efficiency can be simultaneously achieved. Additionally, luminescence decay characteristics under vacuum ultraviolet excitation have been investigated. Radiative decay of self-trapped excitons is thought to be responsible for the fast scintillation component.


This research aimed to assess the underlying dimensionality of items commonly used to assess applicants' perceptions of job and organizational characteristics. First, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to determine the number of underlying constructs in a job and organizational characteristics scale. The initial sample consisted of 450 applicants for graduate positions with an international bank. A five-factor structure was identified: (a) Challenging Work, (b) Coworkers, (c) Pay and Promotion Opportunities, (d) Reputation, and (e) Location. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to confirm that the five-factor model was a good fit to the data. Preselection ratings were used for EFA and postselection ratings for CFA. The five-factor model was confirmed in two additional samples: graduate applicants for a national telecommunications company and applicants for a state police force. Multigroup CFA was used to assess the generalizability of the model across three groups of applicants. The five-factor model was consistent across the groups.


In the dairy industry, mammary system traits are economically important for dairy animals, and it is important to explain their fundamental genetic architecture in Holstein cattle. Good and stable mammary system-related teat traits are essential for producer profitability in animal fitness and in the safety of dairy production. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association study on three traits—anterior teat position (ATP), posterior teat position (PTP), and front teat length (FTL)—in which the FarmCPU method was used for association analyses. Phenotypic data were collected from 1000 Chinese Holstein cattle, and the GeneSeek Genomic Profiler Bovine 100K single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) chip was used for cattle genotyping data. After the quality control process, 984 individual cattle and 84,406 SNPs remained for GWAS work analysis. Nine SNPs were detected significantly associated with mammary-system-related teat traits after a Bonferroni correction (p < 5.92 × 10−7), and genes within a region of 200 kb upstream or downstream of these SNPs were performed bioinformatics analysis. A total of 36 gene ontology (GO) terms and 3 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were significantly enriched (p < 0.05), and these terms and pathways are mainly related to metabolic processes, immune response, and cellular and amino acid catabolic processes. Eleven genes including MMS22L, E2F8, CSRP3, CDH11, PEX26, HAL, TAMM41, HIVEP3, SBF2, MYO16 and STXBP6 were selected as candidate genes that might play roles in the teat traits of cows. These results identify SNPs and candidate genes that give helpful biological information for the genetic architecture of these teat traits, thus contributing to the dairy production, health, and genetic selection of Chinese Holstein cattle.


In this work, a detailed analysis of the properties of a novel microdosimeter based on a synthetic single crystal diamond is reported. Focused ion microbeams were used to investigate the device spectropscopic properties as well as the induced radiation damageeffects. A diamond based Schottky diode was fabricated by chemical vapor deposition with a very thin detecting region, about 400 nm thick (approximately 1.4 μm water equivalent thickness), corresponding to the typical size in microdosimetric measurements. A 200 × 200 μm2 square metallic contact was patterned on the diamond surface by standard photolithography to define the sensitive area. Experimental measurements were carried out at the Ruder Boskovic′ Institute microbeam facility using 4 MeV carbon and 5 MeV silicon ions. Ion beam induced charge maps were employed to characterize the microdosimeter response in terms of its charge collection properties. A stable response with no evidence of polarization or memory effects was observed up to the maximum investigated ion beam flux of about 1.7 × 109 ions·cm−2·s−1. A homogeneity of the response about 6% was found over the sensitive region with a well-defined confinement of the response within the active area. Tests of the radiation damageeffect were performed by selectively irradiating small areas of the device with different ion fluences, up to about 1012 ions/cm2. An exponential decrease of the charge collection efficiency was observed with a characteristic decay constant of about 4.8 MGy and 1 MGy for C and Si ions, respectively. The experimental data were analyzed by means of GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulations. A direct correlation between the diamond damaging effect and the Non Ionizing Energy Loss (NIEL) fraction was found. In particular, an exponential decay of the charge collection efficiency with an exponential decay as a function of NIEL is observed, with a characteristic constant of about 9.3 kGy-NIEL for both carbon and silicon ions.


welwitschii Nagel (a cyanobacterium) to bind cadmium from its medium was tested in cultures exposed to different metal concentrations (0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5, 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12 ppm). The amount of cadmium removed was shown to be time and concentration dependent. With increasing cadmium concentrations of 0.5 to 10 ppm, significant levels of the heavy metal were detected on the cell wall. However, at 12.0 ppm, a higher amount of the heavy metal was detected inside the cytoplasm. The cells also exhibited efflux of cadmium after 24 and 48 h of incubation. The presence of Cu significantly increased the amount of bound cadmium. On the other hand, the ions Co, Mg, and Ni significantly decreased the amount of cadmium bound to the cells most probably because of competition for binding sites resulting in inhibition of cadmium binding. The maximum binding of cadmium by the cells was at pH 9, but was not significantly T different from the binding observed in cultures grown at the optimum pH of 7.5. However, there was a significant decrease in cadmium binding when the pH of the medium was acidic (pH 3 and pH 5). The results obtained from this study may provide baseline information for further studies on the potential of the blue-green alga H. welwitschii to clean up cadmium contaminated areas.


In this work, a novel aided-acquisition technique based on proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control of a phase-locked loop (PLL) is presented. This is achieved by inserting a control block into the PLL during acquisition where originally the output frequency/phase is controlled by a PI controller. This significantly reduces the settling time of the PLL which is important for certain applications such as WLANs where fast frequency-hopped spread-spectrum methods are used. Simulations show that the proposed structure reduces the settling time by 75%.


Inborn errors of immunity usually not only result in immunodeficiency but may also manifest as immune dysregulation in the form of autoinflammation, autoimmunity, or sometimes malignancy. One of the most recently discovered monogenic disorder of immune dysregulation is COPA syndrome. COPA syndrome is an inherited autoimmune disorder caused by mutations in COPA gene. COPA gene encodes for α subunit of the COP1 protein, which is involved in the reverse vesicular protein transport from Golgi apparatus to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The inheritance pattern of COPA syndrome is autosomal dominant, and the patients typically present with interstitial lung disease with pulmonary hemorrhage and subsequently develop arthritis. Immunological features involve autoantibody formation, elevated expression of IL-1β and IL-6, and increase in the number of Th17 cells. Molecular pathophysiology of COPA syndrome is not clearly understood. However, it is known that accumulation of unfolded proteins in ER leads to ER stress, which is an indirect result of aberrant vesicular transport of proteins from Golgi apparatus to ER and defective cellular autophagy. ER stress induces inflammation and is responsible for pathogenesis of a large number of chronic inflammatory diseases. Unfolded protein response process responds to improperly folded proteins and defends against stress in ER to ensure the fidelity of the protein folding. It maintains the expression of stress-response genes and causes initiation of inflammatory signaling pathways essential for the innate immunity. Mutation in COPA gene associated with defective protein sorting to ER has unearthed a new primary immunodeficiency disease with a unique clinical phenotype. This review highlights the clinical and molecular aspects of COPA syndrome.


Oxa1 is a mitochondrial inner membrane protein with a predicted five-transmembrane segment (TM1∼5) topology in which the N terminus and a hydrophilic loop, L2, are exposed to the intermembrane space and the C-terminal region and two loops, L1 and L3, are exposed to the matrix. Oxa1 mediates the insertion of mitochondrial DNA-encoded subunits of respiratory complexes and several nuclear DNA-encoded proteins into the inner membrane from the matrix. Compared with yeast Oxa1, little is known about the import and function of mammalian Oxa1. Here, we investigated the topogenesis of Oxa1 in HeLa cells using systematic deletion or mutation constructs and found that (i) the N-terminal 64-residue segment formed a presequence, and its deletion directed the mature protein to the endoplasmic reticulum, indicating that the presequence arrests cotranslational activation of the potential endoplasmic reticulum-targeting signal within mature Oxa1, (ii) systematic deletion of Oxa1 TM segments revealed that the presence of all five TMs is essential for efficient membrane integration, (iii) the species-conserved hexapeptide (GLPWWG) located near the N terminus of TM1 was essential for export of the N-terminal segment and L2 into the intermembrane space from the matrix, i.e. for correct topogenesis of Oxa1, and (iv) GLPWWG placed near the N terminus of TM2 or TM3 in the reporter construct also supported its membrane integration in the Nout-Cin orientation. Together, these results demonstrated that topogenesis of Oxa1 is a cooperative event of all five TMs, and GLPWWG followed immediately by TM1 is essential for correct Oxa1 topogenesis.


Persistent diarrhea accompanied by water, electrolyte, and nutritional depletion and skin excoriation can occur following subtotal colectomy with ileoproctostomy. Attempting to improve the course of these patients, an experimental study using dogs was undertaken to evaluate the use of antiperistaltic ileal segment in the management of ileoproctostomy diarrhea. Subtotal colectomy with ileoproctostomy was performed in dogs. One animal died from weight loss and massive diarrhea with water and electrolyte depletion. The surviving dogs had water and electrolyte imbalance and lost an average of 30.6% of their body weight. A second group of animals was treated identically except that an antiperistaltic ileal segment was placed one foot proximal to ileorectal anastomosis. These dogs maintained their weight and electrolyte and water balance. The stools of these animals became solid, as opposed to the watery diarrhea of the animals with ileoproctostomy only. Ileoproctostomy diarrhea can be successfully controlled by the use of antiperistaltic ileal segment.


Clinicians in paramedicine are exposed to stressful events at work that have potential to cause negative psychological outcomes. Posttraumatic growth (PTG), resilience and psychological wellbeing, however, are adaptive psychological states that can also occur following trauma and adversity. Synthesis of knowledge on these positive outcomes can provide insight into resources needed to support paramedicine clinicians. To examine and synthesise what is known of PTG, resilience and psychological wellbeing of paramedicine clinicians, including the experience of these phenomena and relationship between them. An integrative review of peer-reviewed empirical literature published in English from 2013 to 2022 was conducted, following Whittemore and Knafl's method. CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE Complete, PsycINFO, Scopus and Embase databases were searched. Included articles were quality appraised, with data analysed using the constant comparison method. Thirteen articles were included, with results synthesised into four categories. Mean PTG scores were reportedly moderate, and resilience ranged from average to above average. PTG and resilience had positive and negative relationships with specific coping strategies including dysfunctional coping, active coping, planning, venting emotions, social and emotional support and mental and behavioural disengagement. PTG scores were significantly lower for clinicians with longer shift duration and paramedics compared to emergency medical technicians. Resilience scores were higher for clinicians working part-time. Wellbeing was reportedly moderate and associated with the psychosocial climate established by managers. Qualitative findings indicated that workplace culture was perceived as stoic and masculine, which served to undermine staff resilience and willingness to disclose emotions. To support PTG and resilience, organisations should work to reduce stressors in workplace culture, including management and clinical supervision style, and offer employment flexibility. Organisations can upskill clinicians' capacity for positive adaptation to adversity with professional development targeting identified coping strategies. Future research could examine clinicians' experiences of PTG, resilience and wellbeing, and the relationship between them.


The publication reflects the problem of new identity of the Baltics in the conditions of competition between European spaces. The Baltic States are presented as a political structure, where mutually competitive identities oriented towards different centres of modern Europe are developing. In the Baltics, the identity discourse acquires new markers. The agenda includes the crisis of confidence in the institutions of power and integration problems.


The injection moulding for sintered products has recently attracted a great deal of interest because the moulding method has a relative freedom to shape intricate geometries. The purpose of this investigation was to clarify the effects of Mn/Si ratio and sintering temperature on the mechanical properties of sintered stainless steel. The materials used were two kinds of stainless steel powder having an approximately equal particle size and a similar chemical composition except Mn.The results obtained are as follows;(1) The tensile strength of the sintered stainless steels was 540MPa regardless of the Mn/Si ratio and was almost equivalent to that of the conventional SUS304. In addition, it was found that the logarithm of the tensile strength was proportional to the volume fraction of pores.(2) The fatigue limit of the specimen having a relatively low Mn/Si ratio was 328MPa, while the specimen having a high Mn/Si ratio exhibited a significantly low fatigue limit, that is, 265MPa.(3) It became clear from these results that the fatigue properties varied considerably with the Mn/Si ratio. The ratio affected the volume fraction, the composition and the shape of the oxides. The high Mn/Si ratio seemed to produce sharp pores from which the fatigue cracks initiated easily.


British airways has an established identity in the field of civil aviation. Not only it has a long history but also a very progressive outlook and healthy bottom-line. Its engagement with its stakeholders is reliable and longstanding. Thus, enabling the company to overcome any supply chain bottlenecks. It has built a reliable distribution network that can reach the majority of its potential market and with online and app-based access, a vibrant loyalty award membership, the vast majority of BA customers have access to buy tickets and are deeply loyal. It has built a culture among distributor & dealers where the dealers not only promote company's products but also invest in training the sales team to explain to the customer how he/she can extract the maximum benefits out of the products. However, in the evolving times, the aviation market on one hand is growing, yet, competition is becoming fiercer. The airlines globally are repositioning and UK may loose its number three position in international aviation market as per IATA.Its strength is highly skilled and loyal workforce and culture. It takes pride in positioning its product to the right customer base and segments. The corporation aims to give customers the highest levels of comfort during the complete service and to create a global network around the world. The paper tries to evaluate the impact of various PESTLE factors and analyses the airlines strnghths,weakness and opportunities and challenges in the light of a global changing scenario as well as impact of Brexit.


This paper presents the design of an active flutter suppression system for flexible wing using sliding mode control method. The aerodynamic force generated by the motion of a flexible wing control surface is utilized as control force. For this purpose, aeroservoelastic model is formulated by blending aeroelastic model, control surface actuator model, and gust model. A sliding mode controller is designed for active flutter suppression on the aeroservoelastic model in conjunction with Kalman filter that estimates the system states based on the measured output. The performance of the designed controller is demonstrated via numerical simulation for the representative flexible wing model.


A numerical approach that aims to detect, by means of interrogating microwaves, the locations and the dielectric permittivities of unknown inhomogeneous dielectric cylindrical objects of arbitrary cross sections that might be present inside a fixed area of interest is proposed. An illumination is assumed with the electric field vector polarized along the cylindrical axis. The two-dimensional Lippman-Schwinger integral equation of electromagnetic scattering is transformed into matrix form by the moment method. The system obtained is solved by using a pseudoinversion algorithm to overcome ill-conditioning problems. The first-order Born approximation is also applied when the dielectric inhomogeneities are weakly scattering. Computer simulations have been performed by means of a numerical program. Results show the capabilities and limitations of the proposed approach. >


In this work, we present an entity linking model which combines a Transformer architecture with large scale pretraining from Wikipedia links. Our model achieves the state-of-the-art on two commonly used entity linking datasets: 96.7% on CoNLL and 94.9% on TAC-KBP. We present detailed analyses to understand what design choices are important for entity linking, including choices of negative entity candidates, Transformer architecture, and input perturbations. Lastly, we present promising results on more challenging settings such as end-to-end entity linking and entity linking without in-domain training data.


In recent years the role of social networks and of social capital in shaping migrants' lived experiences and, particularly, their employment opportunity has increasingly come to be recognized. However, very little of this research has adopted a relational understanding of the migrant experience, taking the influence of nonmigrants' own networks on migrants as an important factor in influencing their labour market outcomes. This article critiques the alterity and marginality automatically ascribed to migrants that is implicit in existing ways of thinking about migrant networks. The article draws on oral history interviews with geriatricians who played an important role in the establishment of the discipline during the second half of the 20th century to explore the importance and power of non-migrant networks in influencing migrant labour market opportunities in the UK medical labour market.


A computationally efficient method to estimate the variance and covariance in piezometric head results computed through MODFLOW 2000 using a first‐order second moment (FOSM) approach is presented. This methodology employs a first‐order Taylor series expansion to combine model sensitivity with uncertainty in geologic data. MOD‐FLOW 2000 is used to calculate both the ground water head and the sensitivity of head to changes in input data. From a limited number of samples, geologic data are extrapolated and their associated uncertainties are computed through a conditional probability calculation. Combining the spatially related sensitivity and input uncertainty produces the variance‐covariance matrix, the diagonal of which is used to yield the standard deviation in MODFLOW 2000 head. The variance in piezometric head can be used for calibrating the model, estimating confidence intervals, directing exploration, and evaluating the reliability of a design. A case study illustrates the approach, where aquifer transmis‐sivity is the spatially related uncertain geologic input data. The FOSM methodology is shown to be applicable for calculating output uncertainty for (1) spatially related input and output data, and (2) multiple input parameters (trans‐missivity and recharge).


The relationship between agricultural exports and agricultural company performance in India is investigated in this research. The objective of the study is to find the relationship among agriculture firms' financial performance and agriculture exports and macroeconomic indicators. System generalized method of moments (GMM) models are used to explore the dynamic linkage between exports and firm performance from 2012 to 2019. The findings indicate that agriculture exports have a significant negative correlation with interest rates, and the value addition of exports to GDP indicates that higher interest rates and more value addition to GDP results in a reduction in agriculture exports. This negative relationship between agriculture exports and the profitability of firms implies that an increase in exports potentially reduces the profit margins. The agriculture firms' financial performance is closely monitored with agriculture exports, which facilitates the exploration of sectoral performance and can be linked with export performance for future studies. The study results cannot be generalized to the other countries due to demographic and other natural constraints. The results are critical for decision makers who want to develop strategies that support the agriculture sector. Implementing the right policies may incentivize investment in this industry. Furthermore, the results have significant theoretical consequences, bridging the theoretical and experimental literature gaps in the agricultural sector.


Biological approaches to politics have witnessed the emergence of two major strands of research that are related but quite distinct: an "Adaptationist" approach and a "Heritability" approach. The former explains behavior as the product of complex psychological adaptations designed by natural selection that all humans share, while the latter explains behavior as a consequence of heritable genetic differences between individuals. Importantly, neither approach excludes environmental factors from a causal role in generating behavior. Heritability approaches are more familiar to political scientists, and one well-known example is behavior genetics, as exemplified in twin study research. However, Adaptationist approaches, such as evolutionary psychology, remain theoretically underdeveloped in political science. We therefore provide a detailed outline of the theoretical framework of evolutionary psychology, and we explore its application toward the study of political behavior—an endeavor we label Evolutionary Political Science.


Isoenzyme patterns of lactatedehydrogenase (LDH, EC 184.108.40.206) were determined in the loach (Misgurnus fossilis) oocytes, unfertilized eggs, developing embryos and larvae, and the sensitivity of the isoenzymes to the effect of AgNO3, p-chlormercurybenzoate and high temperature were investigated. The presence of 4 phenotypes of LDH patterns which differed in the isozymes number, in their relative activity, in electrophoretic mobility in the polyacrylamide gel columnes and in the frequency of occurence in different populations of the investigated species is demonstrated. Before the hatching stage there appeared a new isozyme which was completely inhibited by AgNO3 and had the same electrophoretic mobility in all LDH phenotypes. During the larvae development the content of this LDH isozyme increased. Some isozymes, especially those which had low anodic mobility and decreased in their relative quantity, disappeared during the development of embryos and larvae, p-Chlormercurybenzoate in the concentration 1 mM and heating at 70 degrees C during 20 minutes did not significantly affect LDH activities in the loach eggs, embryos and larvae.


Destination image is acknowledged as a key factor in destination choice and visitor satisfaction. However, despite thirty years research from a variety of perspectives into destination image and image formation, the impact of actual visitation has been largely neglected and understanding of the processes involved in that change is therefore limited. Visitor experience is increasingly recognised as being unique to the individual, leading to calls for research strategies taking into account the visitors perspective. This study uses a phenomenological approach to investigate visitor-destination interactions, capturing visitors lived experience as expressed in their holiday narratives. Applying a double hermeneutic approach to analysing interview data, this study outlines the elements of destination experience and shows how the meaning encapsulated in the individuals destination image is mediated by his/her stock of knowledge, the particular combination of predispositions, motivations and characteristics, as well as by their in-destination interactions and encounters with people and place. It develops the ideal typifications of Gourmet, Grazer and Gourmand to help explain the complex and dynamic interaction between visitor characteristics and behaviour and extends our understanding of the role of other tourists in destination experience by illuminating tourist-tourist interactions and revealing the compromises necessitated by the presence of other tourists. By generating insight into the complex and dynamic interaction between anticipations, motivations and predispositions, and the way in which this interaction affects the visitors experience of people and place in a destination, the study has demonstrated the utility of the phenomenological approach in understanding visitor interactions. It has also resulted in a model which explains the processes whereby the visitor makes sense of his/her experience and transmits that experience to others. This can be used by academics and practitioners to further understand the benefits and attractions of existing destinations and to predict the attraction of potential destinations, as well as to promote greater understanding of tourist-host interactions among destination industry providers.


In Russia's contemporary conditions, enterprises fail to make the full use of the state-of-the-art financial risks management toolkit. Both diagnosing methods and criterial norms within the mechanism of managing the energy enterprises are not adapted to the current crisis conditions of economic management, which renders it essential to develop the financial management tools that will take into account the industry-related specific nature and anti-crisis constituent of the organizations. In the work, the opportunity of applying the fuzzy logic method for analyzing the financial risks of energy enterprises in Russia is explored. For this purpose, the analysis and assessment of financial situation have been performed for a modeled energy enterprise and bankruptcy risk of the enterprise has been analyzed using the fuzzy logic method. It is demonstrated that the process of managing financial risks at the enterprise using the fuzzy sets approach is relevant in the contemporary conditions of energy enterprises functioning in Russia. There has been found the problem of having to improve the integrated risk management of energy enterprises.


Seawall and breakwater design considered from standpoint of manner and effectiveness with which they reflect or dissipate incident wave energy; results of laboratory tests, particularly in regard to wave up-rush; laboratory work was performed in Laboratoire Dauphinois d' Hydraulique, Grenoble, France. (19 refs.)


The article is devoted to study a philosophic nature of the problem of perception which remains on of the most interesting issues for philosophers, philosophical doctrines and schools. The author gives review of the main ideas in addition to the traditional and contemporary views.


The author induced experimental lung embolia by venous administration of liquid fat or licopodium spores in 26 rabbits. Materials, obtained from myocardium of the experimental animals, were examined histologicaly and histochemicaly. The method of Lie et al. (1971) was used for establishing early ischemic changes in myofibers. The author recommended licopodium embolia as a good model for examining changes in myocardium after lung embolia. She indicated development of shock phenomena in animals with lung embolia, presenting signs of coronary insufficiency, including formation of sites of ischemic myofibers. With these changes the author explained the serious difficulties at the clinic in diagnosing and differentiating lung embolia from myocardial infarction even after electrocardiographic control.


The in situ TiC/Al-Cu nanocomposites were fabricated in the Al-Ti-C reaction systems with various carbon sources by the combined method of combustion synthesis, hot pressing, and hot extrusion. The carbon sources used in this paper were the pure C black, hybrid carbon source (50 wt.% C black + 50 wt.% CNTs) and pure CNTs. The average sizes of nano-TiC particles range from 67 nm to 239 nm. The TiC/Al-Cu nanocomposites fabricated by the hybrid carbon source showed more homogenously distributed nano-TiC particles, higher tensile strength and hardness, and better abrasive wear resistance than those of the nanocomposites fabricated by pure C black and pure CNTs. As the nano-TiC particles content increased, the tensile strength, hardness, and the abrasive wear resistance of the nanocomposites increased. The 30 vol.% TiC/Al-Cu nanocomposite fabricated by the hybrid carbon source showed the highest yield strength (531 MPa), tensile strength (656 MPa), hardness (331.2 HV), and the best abrasive wear resistance.


Abstract Electronic sports (eSports) and other variants of 'digital sports' have increased in popularity all over the world and may even come to challenge hegemonic concepts of sport. More relevant than the apparent opposition between 'physical' and 'non-physical' is the question what kind of embodiment is manifested within virtual environments. In this paper, we argue that eSports do require the learning and performance of motor skills and that embodiment within a virtual environment may be considered playful or even athletic. The type of skills that might be tested can even be considered fundamental movement skills. Under appropriate educational supervision, with knowledge of the game, eSports can be utilized for the development of specific elements of digital literacy. Although motor skills are a defining characteristic of eSports, we do not argue that eSports should be integrated within PE. These arguments have not so much to do with the status of physicality present (or not), but with differences in type of interactions and possibilities for body contact. The visibility of movement behavior, of interactions and rule violations are intrinsically related to the social and pedagogical values of movement education. The direct and visible interaction between learners can be considered important pedagogical tools in PE, when the context of movement education is being understood as broader than just learning sport skills.


Multidimensional spatially selective excitation (SSE) has stimulated a variety of useful applications in magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which have regained considerable interest after the recent introduction of parallel excitation. For SSE, radiofrequency pulses are designed specifically for certain time‐courses of spatially encoding magnetic fields (SEM) which are applied simultaneously with the radiofrequency pulses. However, experimental imperfections of gradient‐systems and undesired SEM field contributions often prevent the correct co‐action of radiofrequency pulses and gradient‐waveforms and therefore degrade the fidelity of excitation patterns, especially for parallel excitation. To cope with such imperfections, a classical measurement of k‐space‐trajectories can be performed followed by an adaptation of the SSE‐pulses. However, this method is limited to linear SEM field distributions, which are describable in the k‐space‐formalism. Hence, this work presents a more sophisticated method consisting in a spatially resolved measurement of the temporal phase evolution of the transverse magnetization. This exhaustive phase information can be incorporated into pulse‐design algorithms to compensate even for undesired spatially nonlinear, dynamic SEM field contributions. Both approaches are assessed in various experimental scenarios and individual benefits and limitations are discussed. The adaptation of SSE‐pulses to experimentally achieved calibration data turned out to be very beneficial, and especially the novel spatially resolved method exhibited high potential for robust SSE even in adverse experimental setups. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Background: Synovial fluid (SF) is a potential source of novel biomarkers formany arthritic disorders involving joint inflammation, including Juvenile IdiopathicArthritis (JIA). We first compared the distinctive protein expression patterns of localjoint inflammation in SF with systemic profiles within matched plasma samples.Preliminary investigations were performed into whether local or systemic proteome'fingerprints' could distinguish between oligoarticular, extended oligoarticular andpolyarticular forms of this chronic juvenile disease.Methods: In this study we analysed matched SF and plasma samples obtainedfrom 10 newly diagnosed JIA patients (<6 months disease duration): 3 with oligoarticulararthritis, 3 extended oligoarticular and 4 polyarticular disease. Matchedsamples were taken at the initial inflammatory episode. We profiled the SF andplasma proteomes using a two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (DIGE)approach. Progenesis PG240 software analysis of plasma and SF gel scans wasused to highlight joint-specific and plasma proteins differentially expressed acrossthe study group. Protein spots of interest were identified by matrix-assisted laserdesorption ionization (MALDI-TOF) and confirmed by nanoelectrospray-ionisationmass spectrometry.Results: 2D DIGE reveals 899 spots per gel within the pH 4–7 range for synovialfluid and plasma. Comparison of plasma and synovial gel scans, revealed a subpopulationof 143 spots which predominate in synovial fluid or plasma. Hierarchicalclustering based on the expression levels of a set of 54 proteins with at least twofold expression differences between the two body fluids segregates the synovialfluid from the plasma samples. Proteolytic fragments of anti-inflammatory proteinsinter-alpha trypsin inhibitor, alpha-1 antitrypsin, transthyretin and apolipoprotein A-1were identified. Principle component analysis of five different protein features couldbe used to segregate patients into clinical subgroups.Conclusions: Synovial fluid and plasma proteomes can be used to segregate aheterogeneous group of JIA patients into clinical subgroups. Such an approach couldallow us to identify biomarkers useful in the prediction of disease progression, andtherefore enable earlier and more appropriate therapeutic intervention. Definition ofprotein profiles which discriminate clinical subgroups of arthritic disease may assistin the diagnosis of juvenile arthritis at an earlier stage than is currently possible.


N-type crystalline Si (100) implanted with 5keV B ions was subsequently irradiated with MeV Si, O and F ions. The B atom profiles were measured by means of secondary ion mass spectrometer after the treatment of rapid thermal annealing. The results show that the transient enhanced diffusion of B atoms is effectively limited by the post-implantation of high energy ions at high dose. At the same irradiation conditions, it is found that the existence of a SiO 2 layer in the near surface of Si is even more effective in suppressing the transient enhanced diffusion of the doped B atoms. The results are qualitatively discussed in combination with the analyses of RBS/c measurements and calculation of the DICADA code.


On incubation with rat liver microsomes plus NADPH, Denmert (S-n-butyl S′-p-tert-butylbenzyl N-3-pyridyldithiocarbonimidate) underwent at least two different types of oxidation; hydroxylation and sulfoxidation. Hydroxylation of Denmert at the tert-butyl group was one of the major metabolic attacks in mammalian metabolism. Sulfoxidation of Denmert gave two isomers of Denmert sulfoxides which were intermediates in the metabolism and readily transformed into 2-(3′-pyridylimmo)-4-carboxylthiazolidine (HM) in the presence of l-cysteine without enzymatic mediation. This type of conjugation with cysteine appears to be a new class of metabolic reactions in mammals. Denmert S-oxide showed increased fungicidal activity when assayed in liquid cultures, but not on plant leaves.


Here we employed a simple solution-processed method to prepare MoSx films as hole-transport layers (HTLs) in polymer solar cells (PSCs). Impressive performance was achieved with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.50%, which is comparable to those of the conventional devices with PEDOT:PSS HTLs. The surface and optoelectronic characteristics of MoSx films obtained from different conditions were investigated. The results reveal that the annealing temperature of MoSx is one of the most important factors on determining the device performance. PSCs based on MoSx films exhibited much better device stability compared to the counterpart based on PEDOT:PSS, suggesting that the MoSx film is a promising alternative HTL for PSCs.


Cystic fibrosis (CF), a disease caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) chloride channel, is associated in the respiratory system with the accumulation of mucus and impaired lung function. The role of the CFTR channel in the regulation of the intracellular pathways that determine the overexpression of mucin genes is unknown. Using differential display, we have observed the differential expression of several mRNAs that may correspond to putative CFTR-dependent genes. One of these mRNAs was further characterized, and it corresponds to the tyrosine kinase c-Src. Additional results suggest that c-Src is a central element in the pathway connecting the CFTR channel with MUC1 overexpression and that the overexpression of mucins is a primary response to CFTR malfunction in cystic fibrosis, which occurs even in the absence of bacterial infection.


Meaningful impedance measurements of short HF antennas can be performed with a set-up consisting of an automatically sensing high power generator, combined integral reflection meter, tuneable preselection filter and a remote field probe. These are combined as a customised vector network analyser. The idea is to avoid measuring equipment destruction by using an automatic adjustment of test port power. Severe external interference that is typical of HF transmitter sites necessitates the use of band-reject or band pass filters before the detection of reflected voltages. Proper HF antenna tuning should be based on simultaneous information about true radiation efficiency. A small UHF link provides the telemetry path from the suggested HF field probe to the network analyser's through port.


OBJECTIVES
The severity of tic and obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms varies over time. Consequently, how do we, as clinicians, know when a change in symptom severity occurs that falls outside of the normal range of fluctuation? The goal of this study was to describe the level of symptom severity fluctuation over time and to establish an objective, prospective, and quantitative method for identifying symptom exacerbations in children with Tourette's syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or both. A second major aim was to assess whether fluctuations in tic and OC symptom severity covaried with one another.

METHOD
Monthly consecutive Yale Global Tic Severity Scale and Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale scores were prospectively obtained in 64 children diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome and/or OCD for periods ranging from 3 to 39 months. Exacerbation thresholds were estimated by using state-of-the-art bootstrap methods. These thresholds were then independently evaluated by asking two expert clinicians to identify, retrospectively, clinically significant exacerbations based on a review of all available clinical and research records.

RESULTS
The severity of tic and OC symptoms displayed a high degree of intrasubject variability. Exacerbation thresholds, which incorporated the change score from the previous month and the current symptom score, provided the best agreement with those of expert clinicians. When both tic and OC symptoms were present, they showed a significant degree of covariation.

CONCLUSIONS
Evidence-based treatments are coming of age. The use of valid, clinician-rated severity scales will likely become a standard part of clinical practice. Bootstrapping methods may provide a quantitative and convenient way to obtain clinically valid thresholds to assess tic and OC symptom exacerbations. This method has the potential to be applied to other symptom domains where exacerbation thresholds are needed.


Background The growth of healthcare spending and the concurrent gradual reduction of resources require interventions oriented to the reorganisation of drugs supply chain and medical devices in the various steps from the manufacturer to the bed of the patient and/or his house. Logistics and innovation of hospitals and territorial structures thus possess a key role in increasing the efficiency and quality of health services. Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate satisfaction and effectiveness of a basic training program about pharmaceutical logistic processes organised and held from the Logistic SIFO Area (LSA). Material and methods During the period starting from February to April 2014 there were three training sessions (Catania, Torino, Pisa) lasting thirteen hours with a total of 70 participants. By administrating a course satisfaction questionnaire and an evaluation of the belonging structure it was possible to characterise both the course participants and the ability to transfer what they have learnt in their working contexts. The responses, assessed anonymously, were processed statistically. Results 70 satisfaction and 60 self-assessment questionnaires were analysed. 52% of participants judged as "highly important" all topics treated and 50% rated as "very important" the educational quality of the course. The analysis of the questionnaire for the performance assessment showed that participation in the course increased by 70% in the learners' willingness to improve their organisational system and raised awareness in the need for performance investigation analysis tools, new technologies, constraints given by the Regional Administration and LHA. 60% of participants found organisational barriers in the modification of the current pharmaceutical logistics paths. Conclusion Obtained data allowed us to verify the effectiveness of the methodology adopted by the LSA dealing with issues relevant to the profession, as well as highlighting both the utility to carry out further editions of the Basic Course and to develop an Advanced Course. References and/or acknowledgements None No conflict of interest.


Adult teleost fish are capable of regenerating their retinas following injury. In contrast, the adult mammalian retina has little capacity for regeneration. Here, we describe the morphologic and histopathologic course of sodium iodate (NaIO3) injection on rat retinas. A single dose of NaIO3 (50 mg/kg) was administered intravenously to adult Sprague-Dawley male rats. Control animals received sodium chloride. Morphologic and molecular changes following NaIO3 injection were monitored by histological and gene expression analysis. We observed retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell death began at 6 h PI. After 3 and 7 days, we found local tissue repair by RPE cell regeneration. This was further confirmed by a significant decrease in photoreceptor cell apoptosis in the outer nuclear layer. Protein-level analysis demonstrated the attenuated regulation of cellular markers specially related to active gliosis in retinal Müller cells, including cellular retinaldehyde-binding protein (CRALBP) and glutamine synthetase (GS), after NaIO3 treatment for 3rd and 7th days. The Müller cells exhibited signs of dedifferentiation, as paired box 6 (PAX6) and SRY box 2 (SOX2) were expressed by NaIO3 stimulated Müller glia proliferation and overexpression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). We concluded that NaIO3 injection can result in significant and progressive damage to RPE and photoreceptor cells. Our observations suggest that Müller cell transient differentiation and RPE recovery is induced in the mammalian retina by relatively high doses of NaIO3. Transient change in Müller cell differentiation and RPE cell recovery may result in photoreceptor apoptosis decrease.


Regenerating codes (RGCs) have recently been proposed to reduce the repair traffic of (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$n,k$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) erasure-coded distributed storage systems. Moreover, RGCs can also be used in a scalable distributed storage scenario where <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$n$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is increased (decreased) to upgrade (degrade) redundancy while maintaining the maximum distance separable property of erasure codes. In this paper, we propose a new application of minimum storage regenerating (MSR) codes in storage scalability. The connection between repairing invalid nodes and adding new nodes suggests that the two processes can be unified in the same framework. We consider both single and multiple node situations, and two methods for constructing multiple nodes are proposed: concurrent and sequential. We focus on proving the achieved capability of concurrent MSR that can consume minimum traffic for generating multiple nodes. Because concurrent MSR is sensitive to both the number of helpers and added nodes, sequential methods make scalable MSR generalizable. The examples show that the scalable MSR codes have the same advantage of saving network traffic as repairing failures.


High gradient diffusion MRI has recently been demonstrated to be useful in mapping gray matter microstructure, despite of a few caveats arising from the challenges in comprehensively modeling the complex tissue environments. One example was the assumption of impermeable membranes in the SANDI model and hence its limitation in the presence of water exchange depending on the diffusion time (Δ) used in the MR experiments. We found time-dependence in the signal decay in cortical regions for Δ=19ms~49ms, suggesting fast exchange effects, which might be the cause of the observed time-dependence of the fitting parameters using the standard SANDI model.


The Dutch broiler supply chain involves several interdependent firms such as breeding and feed companies, rearing farms, breeder farms, broiler hatcheries and broiler farms. To stay competitive and sustain continuity, evaluation of production at each level of the chain is crucial. Good quality data and the use of management information systems (MIS) can facilitate this process. Firms in the Dutch broiler supply chain collect data as a routine practice. However, the data are not often analysed and not fully used to support management decisions. The focus of this thesis is on the broiler breeder farms, because eggs are the origin of broiler production. Thus, improving the management at broiler breeder farms could contribute to the improvement of the performance of subsequent firms and the whole supply chain. The objective of this research is, therefore, to develop MIS based on available data in the broiler supply chain to support management decisions at breeder farms. The thesis is composed of three parts. In the first part, management factors at breeder farms that are related to the performance indicators at the subsequent levels of the broiler production chain are explored. For this, field data from three Dutch hatcheries of 2004, 2005 and 2006 were analysed. Hatchability and first week mortality (FWM) of chicks are considered as performance indicators as these are related to the performance at the breeder farms, hatcheries and broiler farms. A significant difference in hatchability and FWM among eggs from different breeder flocks was found. Furthermore FWM differ significantly between broiler farms. Hatchability and FWM are significantly related with breeder flock age, egg storage length, strain, feed company of the breeder farm, season, year, as well as hatchery. It is concluded that breeder farm management factors are related to the performance in the subsequent levels of the chain next to hatchery and broiler farm factors. In the second part of this thesis, the availability and quality of data in the Dutch broiler supply chain was assessed. The data quality of the hatchery dataset (from part one) was assessed based on the intuitive approach whereby the quality attitudes are selected by the researcher intuitively. Results showed that the datasets had some fields with inaccurate, incorrect, inconsistent, non-uniform, incomprehensible, and/or incomplete data. In addition, a protocol was proposed and validated for standardization of data to improve the quality of data in the chain. In the third part of this thesis, two management information systems were developed aiming to support decisions at broiler breeder farms. The first management information system evaluates the tactical management at broiler breeder farms using individual farm analysis combined with a deterministic simulation model (IFAS). With IFAS, the performance of a breeder farm is compared with an average of similar farms or other standards, and relevant deviations are determined based on economic and statistical importance. According to the relevance of the identified deviations the strong and weak management practices are indicated. The second management information system determines the economic optimal replacement age of the broiler breeder flock using the marginal net revenue approach. A well informed replacement decision for breeder flocks improves profitability, not only at the breeder farms but also at hatcheries and broiler farms.


Abstract. Diel cycles in stream nitrate concentration represent the sum of all processes affecting nitrate concentration along the flow path. Being able to partition diel nitrate signals into portions related to different biochemical processes would allow to calculate daily rates of such processes that are urgently needed for water quality predictions. In this study we analyzed diel nitrate patterns at three locations in a 5.1 km long stream reach draining a 430 km2, mainly forested but anthropogenically influenced catchment during one growing season. We tested if the observed diel variability in nitrate concentration resulted from upstream sources and subsequent downstream transport or emerged simultaneously along the stream. We determined time lags between monitoring sites by cross-correlation. We found that time lags were closer to zero than travel time estimation assuming plug-flow suggested and concluded that ubiquitous in-stream processes prevailed in the creation of diel variability. To further analyze the diel nitrate signals we used k-means clustering to identify patterns in the diel portion of nitrate concentrations and interpreted the resulting clusters with regard to potential drivers and the calculated nitrate balance of sub-reaches. We found that 70 % of all diel patterns were attributed to clusters negatively related to the diel course of insolation with highest nitrate amplitudes on warm and sunny days and low water levels. We argue that temporal shifts towards the remaining clusters are rather due to shifts in microbial nitrate processing than in photosynthesis-driven plant uptake. These results suggest that the magnitude of microbial nitrate processing may be large compared to plant uptake.


Manual engineering of high-performance implemen-tations typically consumes many resources and requires in-depth knowledge of the hardware. Compilers try to address these problems; however, they are limited by design in what they can do. To address this, we present CryptOpt, an automatic optimizer for long stretches of straightline code. Experimental results across eight hardware platforms show that CryptOpt achieves a speed-up factor of up to 2.56 over current off-the-shelf compilers.


The label 'crossmodal correspondences' has been used to define the nonarbitrary associations that appear to exist between different basic physical stimulus attributes in different sensory modalities. For instance, it has been consistently shown in the neurotypical population that higher pitched sounds are more frequently matched with visual patterns which are brighter, smaller, and sharper than those associated to lower pitched sounds. Some evidence suggests that patients with ASDs tend not to show this crossmodal preferential association pattern (e.g., curvilinear shapes and labial/lingual consonants vs. rectilinear shapes and plosive consonants). In the present study, we compared the performance of children with ASDs (6–15 years) and matched neurotypical controls in a non-verbal crossmodal correspondence task. The participants were asked to indicate which of two bouncing visual patterns was making a centrally located sound. In intermixed trials, the visual patterns varied in either size, surface brightness, or shape, whereas the sound varied in pitch. The results showed that, whereas the neurotypical controls reliably matched the higher pitched sound to a smaller and brighter visual pattern, the performance of participants with ASDs was at chance level. In the condition where the visual patterns differed in shape, no inter-group difference was observed. Children's matching performance cannot be attributed to intensity matching or difficulties in understanding the instructions, which were controlled. These data suggest that the tendency to associate congruent visual and auditory features vary as a function of the presence of ASDs, possibly pointing to poorer capabilities to integrate auditory and visual inputs in this population.


A counter-intuitive disappearance of the giant terahertz photoconductance of a quantum point contact (QPC) under increase in the photon energy, which was discovered experimentally (Otteneder et al., Phys. Rev. Applied 10 (2018) 014015) and studied by the numerical calculations of the photon-stimulated transport (O.A. Tkachenko et al., JETP Lett. 108 (2018) 396), is explained here by using qualitative considerations about the momentum conservation upon absorption of terahertz photons. The spectra of photon-stimulated transmission through a smooth one-dimensional barrier are calculated on the basis of the perturbation theory. These calculations also predict the spectral maxima for optical transitions from the Fermi level to the top of the potential barrier. Within the proposed physical picture, the widths of the spectral maxima are estimated, and the evolution of the shape of the spectra with a change in the position of the Fermi level is qualitatively explained.


The article focuses on participation as enactment of power in dialogic, organizational action research. The article has a dual purpose: It shows how participation is enacted as power in processes between participating managers, employees and action researchers with different or conflicting interests. It discusses if and eventually how it is possible to handle participatory processes when participation is conceptualized as enactment of power. This is done by reflecting critically on two examples from a dialogic, action research project carried out in two Danish, private organizations in 2008 and 2009. The overall perspective is to bring participation as enactment of power into the centre of dialogic, organizational action research processes and into action research that understands itself as participatory. The article argues in favour of understanding participation as enactment of power in a project work between different partners (employees, managers, and action researchers) with different interests. This argument is based on a definition of participation as co-determination of goals and means. Moreover, the article argues that combining reflexive and contextualized analyses from 1 rst and 2 nd person approaches with broader 3 rd person action research perspectives might make dialogic, organizational action research projects more actionable. Theoretically, participatory processes aim at empowerment. The article shows that co-producing knowledge in dialogic, organizational action research implies ongoing reflections on tensions in the action research concept of 'co-'. In practice, these processes unfold in a field of tensions between empowerment and constraint.


Inflammation induced by traumatic brain injury (TBI) is complex, individual-specific, and associated with morbidity and mortality. We sought to develop dynamic, data-driven, predictive computational models of TBI-induced inflammation based on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers. Thirteen inflammatory mediators were determined in serial CSF samples from 27 severe TBI patients. The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score quantifies the initial severity of the neurological status of the patient on a numerical scale from 3 to 15. The 6-month Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score, the outcome variable, was taken as the variable to express and predict as a function of the other input variables. Data on each subject consisting of ten clinical (one-dimensional) variables, such as age, gender, and presence of infection, along with inflammatory biomarker time series were used to generate both multinomial logistic as well as probit models that predict low (poor outcome) or high (favorable outcome) levels of the GOS score. To determine if CSF inflammation biomarkers could predict TBI outcome, a logistic model for low (≤3; poor neurological outcome) or high levels (≥4; favorable neurological outcome) of the GOS score involving a full effect of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α and both linear and quadratic effects of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 was obtained. To better stratify patients as their pathology progresses over time, a technique called "Dynamic Profiling" was developed in which patients were clustered, using the spectral Laplacian and Hartigan's k-means method, into disjoint groups at different stages. Initial clustering was based on GCS score; subsequent clustering was performed based on clinical and demographic information and then further, sequential clustering based on the levels of individual inflammatory mediators over time. These clusters assess the risk of mortality of a new patient after each inflammatory mediator reading, based on the existing information in the previous data in the cluster to which the new patient belongs at the time, in essence acting as a "virtual clinician." Using the Dynamic Profiling method, we show examples that suggest that severe TBI patient neurological outcomes could be predicted as a function of time post-TBI using CSF inflammatory mediators.


Radioiodinated albumin was injected into the subcutaneous tissue of the thigh of human subjects and its disappearance rate from the injection site and the blood levels of the tracer were compared between exercise loaded, heat loaded experiments and the control utilizing two-compartment analysis. The time course of radioactivity in the blood was expressed as the equation p(t) = A(e-alpha t - e-beta t). In the exercise experiment, the half-time of beta and the time required to reach the maximum level was significantly shorter than in the heat experiment and in the controls. The decay of radioactivity at the injection site was set to the equation s(t) = Be-gamma t + Ce-delta t by the least square method. The value of gamma, which had a half-time of about 24 hr, was significantly shorter in the exercise than in the control experiments. From these results, it was concluded that the rate of mobilization of subcutaneous protein via lymph flow is faster under an exercise load than the control, and that the rate under heat load does not deviate from control experiments.


Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to investigate the production of point defects in α-quartz by oxygen and silicon primary knock-on atoms (PKAs) of 0.25–2 keV. The Wigner–Seitz (WS) defect analysis is used to identify the produced vacancies, interstitials, and antisites, and the coordination defect analysis is used to identify the under and over-coordinated oxygen and silicon atoms. The defects at the end of the ballistic phase and the residual defects, after annealing, increase with increased PKA energy, and are statistically the same for the oxygen and silicon PKAs. The WS defect analysis results show that the numbers of the oxygen vacancies and interstitials (VO, Oi) at the end of the ballistic phase is the highest, followed closely by those of the silicon vacancies and interstitials (VSi, Sii). The number of the residual oxygen and silicon vacancies and interstitials are statistically the same. In addition, the under-coordinated OI and SiIII, which are the primary defects during the ballistic phase, have high annealing efficiencies (>89%). The over-coordinated defects of OIII and SiV, which are not nearly as abundant in the ballistic phase, have much lower annealing efficiencies (<63%) that decrease with increased PKA energy.


THE PURPOSE of this report is to record a case of acute myeloblastic leukemia in an infant 8 days old. The unusual feature of this case is that a dermatological lesion was present simulating urticaria pigmentosa. The findings on a skin biopsy were interpreted as consistent with urticaria pigmentosa by a skin histopathologist. Further clinical and hematological observations finally led to the diagnosis of true acute leukemia, and this was proved by autopsy. Leukemia occurring in the newborn in the first month of life is rare. Case reports of leukemia occurring within this age usually call it congenital leukemia. This appellation implies that the disease was acquired in utero. A review of the literature, however, reveals that the majority of cases reported under this diagnosis indicate there is little or no proof that the disease was actually congenital. Twelve cases can be accurately classified as such. Cross1cited eight


The objective of the Unisys Spoken Language Systems effort is to develop and demonstrate technology for the understanding of goal-directed spontaneous speech. The Unisys spoken language architecture couples speech recognition systems with the Unisys discourse understanding system, PUNDIT. PUNDIT is a broad-coverage language understanding system used in a variety of message understanding applications and has been extended to handle spoken input. Its power comes from the integration of syntax, semantics, and pragmatics processing, the ability to port rapidly to new task domains, and from an open, modular architecture. PUNDIT is unique in its ability to handle connected discourse; it includes a reference resolution module that tracks discourse entities and distinguishes references to previously mentioned entities from the introduction of new entities. The PUNDIT front-end supports turn-taking dialogue and permits the system to include both questions and answers in building an integrated discourse context, required for the handling of interactive communication. PUNDIT has been interfaced to several speech recognition systems (MIT SUMMIT and ITT VRS-1280) to perform applications in direction-finding assistance, air travel planning and air traffic control.


The formation of amyloid structures is a neuropathological feature that characterizes several neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease. Up to now, the definitive diagnosis of these diseases can only be accomplished by immunostaining of post mortem brain tissues with dyes such Thioflavin T and congo red. Aiming at early in vivo diagnosis of Alzheimers disease (AD), several amyloid-avid radioprobes have been developed for b-amyloid imaging by positron emission tomogra- phy (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). The aim of this paper is to present a perspective of the available amyloid imaging agents, special those that have been selected for clinical trials and are at the different stages of the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) approval.


Aim: To evaluate the effect of vitamin D replacement on carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) symptoms and signs in CTS patients with low vitamin D levels.
Methods: This study was designed prospective observably. The patient population was admitted to the EMG (electromyography) laboratory in a tertiary hospital's Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department between 1 January and 31 July 2018.  Initially, 55 patients were included in the study. The patients were categorized into two groups as group 1 (<10 ng / ml) and group 2 (10-20 ng / ml) according to the vitamin D levels. A total of 39 patients and 63 wrists, 17 patients in group 1 (28 wrists) and 22 patients in group 2 (35 wrists), were included in the analysis.
Results: There was a statistically significant decrease in visual analogue scale and quick arm-shoulder-hand disability score in two groups when compared before treatment. In two groups, there was a significant improvement in grip and pinch strength after treatment.  At the same time, after treatment we showed that there was a statistically significant increase in median nerve sensory amplitude in two groups. The increase in median nerve sensory velocity was significant in group 2 whereas it was not statistically significant between group 1 vs group 2.
Conclusions: Vitamin D replacement can improve symptoms, functional status and electrophysiological findings in CTS patients with low vitamin D levels.


A highly efficient and stereoselective arylation of in situ-generated azavinyl carbenes affording 2,2-diaryl enamines at ambient temperatures has been developed. These transition-metal carbenes are directly produced from readily available and stable 1-sulfonyl-1,2,3-triazoles in the presence of a rhodium carboxylate catalyst. In several cases, the enamines generated in this reaction can be cyclized into substituted indoles employing copper catalysis.


A survey was embarked upon to document some of the medicinal plant species at the permanent site of Southwestern
University Nigeria, Okun-Owa, Ogun state. The uses of the plants in traditional medicine were also gathered
through group discussion with herbalists and traditional healers in communities around the University. The study
revealed 90 species in 48 angiosperm families and 85 genera. Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae and Papilionaceae were
the dominant families. The trees and herbs also had more species represented (31% and 28% of the total
enumeration) while the creepers and lianes only had a few (2% and 1% respectively). Many of the listed plants were
however found to be useful in the treatment/management of at least two ailments. Results obtained from the current
study also point out the importance of these plant species in traditional medicine practiced in the surrounding
communities, and suggest that their conservation and sustainable use be encouraged as a way of ensuring their
availability within and outside the study area


It is undisputable that the environment can cause epigenetic changes in or-ganisms through histone modifications or DNA methylations. In eukaryotes, DNA methylation plays a major role in gene regulation. The pattern of meth-ylation varies with exposure to external environmental stimuli that include radiations. Present study was an attempt to compare the global DNA methyl-ation changes in Zebrafish on exposure to LED lights of varying intensities (5lx, 10lx and 15lx) with different wavelengths (red, green, blue and white) during their maturation phases. The result of the study indicates an increase in methylation in early phase of maturation till mid phase ( Ì´70th day), than decreases on reaching adult phase. Further, it was also noticed that the ac-cumulation of biomass vary as a function of wavelength of the light. The fishes exposed to red light were found to have significantly least biomass as compared to the fish that underwent to other LED treatments. It can be con-cluded that DNA methylation is not only dynamic during maturation but also seems to follow similar trend across the species. Nevertheless more studies need to be done to elucidate the undefined controlling mechanism for the variations in DNA methylation pattern during maturation phase and validate the hypothesis.


Colpocleisis is a surgical treatment for pelvic organ prolapse that results in vaginal obliteration. This review aims to systematically evaluate the quality of life, changes in body image, regret, and impact on sexual activity in women after colpocleisis. A review was conducted using the PubMed and Scopus databases with search criteria specifying pelvic organ prolapse, colpocleisis, quality of life, body image, regret, sexuality, and their synonyms. For the selection of the eligible articles, we used the PRISMA reporting system. A total of 1285 articles were found. After removing duplicates and applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 30 articles were reviewed in full length. Quality of life after colpocleisis was evaluated in 22 articles, and 20 authors used validated questionnaires. All concluded that quality of life improved after surgical treatment. Twenty-one articles studied regret after obliterative treatment for pelvic organ prolapse. Most of the patients reported no regret. Regret was often due to bowel and bladder symptoms. A few patients reported regret because of loss of coital function. Body image was highlighted in six studies. Three articles assessed body image using the modified Body Image scale. The body image scores demonstrated a significant improvement after surgery. Women tended to remain sexually active and some also regained sexual activities after surgery. Colpocleisis remains a viable option for pelvic organ prolapse, without compromising quality of life, body image, or sexuality, but diligent patient selection is needed. Particular concern should be given to bladder and bowel symptoms since these are the main reason for dissatisfaction after colpocleisis.


Onsite utilization of wind energy in the urban environment is an effective solution to environmental protection and energy security. The typically micro wind turbines, including Savonius vertical axis wind turbine, H-type vertical axis wind turbine and micro horizontal axis wind turbine are more suitable for distributed generation, relative to centralized generation of large scale wind turbines. However, the wind in the urban environment characterized by low wind speed, high levels of turbulence and strongly unsteady direction and speed, directly affecting the aerodynamic characteristics of wind turbine. In the present work, wind tunnel tests have been conducted to investigate the low Reynolds number effect on aerodynamic characteristics for these three typical micro wind turbines, and the aerodynamic differences among them have been compared qualitatively and quantitatively. The experimental results show that micro horizontal axis wind turbine and H-type vertical axis wind turbine, belonging to lift-type wind turbine, have relatively higher startup wind speed and lower power coefficient due to deteriorative aerodynamic performance of airfoil at low wind speed. However, Savonius vertical axis wind turbine, as a drag-type wind turbine, exhibits excellent aerodynamic performance at low Reynolds number. The Savonius wind turbine has apparent output power at 5m/s, and the peak power coefficient exceeding 0.2 at 9m/s being superior to that of two other lift-type wind turbines at the same wind speed. In addition, in consideration of natural advantage of vertical axis wind turbine, Savonius wind turbine is the best option for applying at low Reynolds number urban environment.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of formaldehyde inhalation on the morphological damage, and Glu, GABA and NOS contents in olfactory bulb and hippocampus of rats.

METHODS
Twenty SD rats were equally divided into two groups: rats in the control group inhaled fresh air, while the animals in experimental group were exposed to the air containing formaldehyde (12.5 mg/m(3), 4 h/d) for 7 days. Then rats were sacrificed and frozen sections of olfactory bulb and hippocampus were prepared. The morphological changes were examined and the Glu, GABA and NOS contents were detected using Nissl-staining, immunohistochemistry and Western blot, respectively.

RESULT
Compared with the control group, there was a significant confusion and shrink of neuron morphology in experimental group, the number and staining intensity of Glu and NOS positive cells and protein contents were reduced. The protein expression of GABA was also decreased in the formaldehyde group.

CONCLUSION
Formaldehyde inhalation can cause a severe morphological damage of olfactory bulb and hippocampus in SD rats,which may further impair memory and learning ability through the reduction of Glu, GABA and NOS expression.


Online travel time estimation is an important procedure for real-time traffic information systems (RTIS). In this paper, we describe a preliminary travel time data collection and estimation platform developed for RTIS application based on automated vehicle identification technique deployed in the Stockholm city area. The platform is composed of a client-side travel time analysis program and a database server. To obtain accurate real-time link travel times for traffic state prediction and RTIS applications, an optimal filtering algorithm is developed and evaluated using travel time data collected on urban streets in and near the city of Stockholm. The proposed algorithm shows reliable performance against the highly noisy traffic context, and is more robust than existing online travel time estimation algorithms. The estimated travel time information provides a solid basis for advanced traffic information system applications.


Ever since the novel quantum Hall effect in bilayer graphene was discovered, and explained by a Berry phase of 2 pi [K. S. Novoselov et al., Nat. Phys. 2, 177 (2006)], it has been widely accepted that the low-energy electronic wave function in this system is described by a nontrivial Berry phase of 2 pi, different from the zero phase of a conventional two-dimensional electron gas. Here, we show that (i) the relevant Berry phase for bilayer graphene is not different from that for a conventional two-dimensional electron gas (as expected, given that Berry phase is only meaningful modulo 2 pi), and (ii) what is actually observed in the quantum Hall measurements is not the absolute value of the Berry phase but the pseudospin winding number.


This research paper recollects transformative expressions of inner life in education using expressive language to reconstruct experiential narratives of educators following on with collaborative turn as encouraged in qualitative research. Similarly, this paper reflects on transformative expressions of inner life in education by putting together first person monologues of educators, generated through dialogues. This paper, in addition, reveals their lived pedagogical experiences, their stories, hopes, courage, convictions, creativity and struggles in an education system where educators are most often encouraged to suppress their inner self, somewhere clandestine rather than share the relational richness of their inner life with students. Besides, the paper argues that good teaching takes its reference from inner landscape of an educator. My research participants are aware that by making a difference in their inner life and by infusing transformative orientations of their inner life within their educational practices, they can also make a difference in the lives of their students. They are able to sustain transformative interpersonal relationships with their students, which encourage them to live a life of self-awareness, freedom, character, joy, appreciation, acceptance and creativity. Finally, the paper ends with a realisation that inner life of an educator, including his/her compassion, courage, concern and care, serves as a guiding force for a meaningful relationship that creates transformative possibilities in education.


Influenza D viruses (IDVs) are panzootic in multiple animal hosts, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Through multiple years of surveillance in the same order-buyer cattle facility, 32 IDV isolates were recovered from both healthy and sick animals, including those with evident antibodies against IDV. Active reassortment occurred in the cattle within this facility and in those across other areas, and multiple reassortants cocirculated in animals. These isolates are shown with a large extent of phenotypic diversity in replication efficiency and pathogenesis but little in antigenic properties. Animal experiments demonstrated that existing antibodies could not protect cattle from experimental reinfection with IDV. This study suggests that, in addition to epidemiological factors, limited protection from preexisting immunity against IDVs in cattle herds and cocirculation of a diverse viral genetic pool likely facilitate the high prevalence of IDVs in animal populations. ABSTRACT Since its detection in swine, influenza D virus (IDV) has been shown to be present in multiple animal hosts, and bovines have been identified as its natural reservoir. However, it remains unclear how IDVs emerge, evolve, spread, and maintain in bovine populations. Through multiple years of virological and serological surveillance in a single order-buyer cattle facility in Mississippi, we showed consistently high seroprevalence of IDVs in cattle and recovered a total of 32 IDV isolates from both healthy and sick animals, including those with antibodies against IDV. Genomic analyses of these isolates along with those isolated from other areas showed that active genetic reassortment occurred in IDV and that five reassortants were identified in the Mississippian facility. Two antigenic groups were identified through antigenic cartography analyses for these 32 isolates and representative IDVs from other areas. Remarkably, existing antibodies could not protect cattle from experimental reinfection with IDV. Additional phenotypic analyses demonstrated variations in growth dynamics and pathogenesis in mice between viruses independent of genomic constellation. In summary, this study suggests that, in addition to epidemiological factors, the ineffectiveness of preexisting immunity and cocirculation of a diverse viral genetic pool could facilitate its high prevalence in animal populations. IMPORTANCE Influenza D viruses (IDVs) are panzootic in multiple animal hosts, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Through multiple years of surveillance in the same order-buyer cattle facility, 32 IDV isolates were recovered from both healthy and sick animals, including those with evident antibodies against IDV. Active reassortment occurred in the cattle within this facility and in those across other areas, and multiple reassortants cocirculated in animals. These isolates are shown with a large extent of phenotypic diversity in replication efficiency and pathogenesis but little in antigenic properties. Animal experiments demonstrated that existing antibodies could not protect cattle from experimental reinfection with IDV. This study suggests that, in addition to epidemiological factors, limited protection from preexisting immunity against IDVs in cattle herds and cocirculation of a diverse viral genetic pool likely facilitate the high prevalence of IDVs in animal populations.


Replication techniques are already used in distributed database systems for increasing performance and availability. But also mobile information systems (MIS) need replication for making required data available at any time at every place. In this paper we discuss what replication in MIS means and which additional requirements are caused by mobility.


The objective of this study was to identify the causative agents of hepatitis observed in broiler chickens at processing. Livers of chickens from 16 broiler farms in Saskatchewan with gross lesions of hepatitis were collected at processing. In addition to routine bacterial isolation and histopathological examination, serologic studies for infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) and Chicken anaemia virus (CAV), calculation of the ratio of the weight of the bursa of Fabricius (BF) to body weight (BBW), and histopathological examination of the BF were done. Of the 264 livers with gross lesions, 83% had multifocal to coalescing necrotizing hepatitis, 16% had perihepatitis, and 1% had hemorrhages. No definitive causative microorganisms were isolated from the hepatic lesions; however, no significant bacterial isolations were made. Bursal atrophy, low BBW ratio, and high titer of antibody against IBDV each correlated with the rate of total condemnations (P = 0.0188, P = 0.0001, and P = 0.0073, respectively). Nucleotide sequencing of IBDV isolated from the BF identified the variant strains Delaware-E and 586. Condemnation because of hepatic lesions was correlated with titer of antibody against IBDV and BBW (P = 0.016 and P = 0.027). The results of this study demonstrate that hepatic lesions in Saskatchewan chickens are not currently caused by a primary bacterial pathogen but are associated with indicators of immunosuppression that is likely due to variant IBDV.


Single cell approaches have increased our knowledge about the cell type composition of the non-human primate (NHP), but a detailed characterization of area-specific regulatory features remains outstanding. We generated single-cell chromatin accessibility (single-cell ATAC) and transcriptomic data of 358,237 cells from prefrontal cortex (PFC), primary motor cortex (M1) and primary visual cortex (V1) of adult cynomolgus monkey brain, and integrated this dataset with Stereo-seq (Spatio-Temporal Enhanced REsolution Omics-sequencing) of the corresponding cortical areas to assign topographic information to molecular states. We identified area-specific chromatin accessible sites and their targeted genes, including the cell type-specific transcriptional regulatory network associated with excitatory neurons heterogeneity. We reveal calcium ion transport and axon guidance genes related to specialized functions of PFC and M1, identified the similarities and differences between adult macaque and human oligodendrocyte trajectories, and mapped the genetic variants and gene perturbations of human diseases to NHP cortical cells. This resource establishes a transcriptomic and chromatin accessibility combinatory regulatory landscape at a single-cell and spatially resolved resolution in NHP cortex.


To investigate the clinical value of changes in the subtypes of peripheral blood lymphocytes and levels of inflammatory cytokines in patients with COVID-19, the total numbers of lymphocytes and CD4+ lymphocytes and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ lymphocytes were calculated and observed in different groups of patients with COVID-19. The results show that the lymphocytopenia in patients with COVID-19 was mainly manifested by decreases in the CD4+ T lymphocyte number and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio. The decreased number of CD4+ T lymphocytes and the elevated levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were correlated with the severity of COVID-19 disease.


Extending the famous model B for the time evolution of a liquid mixture, we derive an approximate expression for the mobility matrix that couples different mixture components. This approach is based on a single component fluid with particles that are artificially grouped into separate species labeled by "colors." The resulting mobility matrix depends on a single dimensionless parameter, which can be determined efficiently from experimental data or numerical simulations, and includes existing standard forms as special cases. We identify two distinct mobility regimes, corresponding to collective motion and interdiffusion, respectively, and show how they emerge from the microscopic properties of the fluid. As a test scenario, we study the dynamics after a thermal quench, providing a number of general relations and analytical insights from a Gaussian theory. Specifically, for systems with two or three components, analytical results for the time evolution of the equal time correlation function compare well to results of Monte Carlo simulations of a lattice gas. A rich behavior is observed, including the possibility of transient fractionation.


Resistance Spot Welding (RSW) is a very important welding process for thin sheet metals with many applications, in particular in the automotive industry. In this method, the contacting metal surfaces are joined by the heat obtained by Joule heating of an electrical current flowing through resistances. These resistances are composed of the bulk resistance of the parts being welded, and of the contact resistances at the interfaces between the electrodes and the sheets, and between the sheets. The amount of Joule heating energy delivered to the spot is determined by the magnitude and duration of the current and the values of the resistances. The resistances usually depend on the geometry, material properties and temperature: the bulk resistance of the metals is temperature dependent, and the contact resistances depend on the local contact pressures and temperature. The electrical conductivities of the materials and the yield stress are also used in some models to predict the contact resistance. The current flow then depends on the local values of the bulk and contact resistances. It is thus very important to have a model which captures all these phenomena. Recently, the contact resistance model in the EM solver of LS-DYNA has been extended to allow RSW simulations, where the user can define a local contact resistance as a function of different local contact parameters, using a *DEFINE_FUNCTION. The EM solver has also been adapted so that the current flow takes into account the local contact resistances. The local Joule heating is added to the thermal solver, and temperature dependent electrical conductivities can be taken into account via EM EOS's. The model will be presented, then we will show how to set up a RSW case, and will present some results and benchmarks with experiments.


We argue that pain behaviour cannot be wholly accounted for within the operant model of Fordyce (1976). Many pain behaviours, including facial expression, are not socially reinforced but are evolutionarily predetermined. We urge researchers to take into consideration other learning accounts. Building on the idea that pain sufferers learn to suppress the expression of pain, we begin the development of a framework for a relational understanding of pain complaint.


Through the analysis of wind turbines, photovoltaic systems, fuel cells and high frequency micro turbines, their models in power flow calculation were established in this paper. Moreover, a novel power flow algorithm based on back/forward sweep technology for radial distribution networks considering Distributed Generation (DG) is proposed. The algorithm develops a reactive power compensation method applying reactance matrix to handle all PV nodes in power flow studies (PFSs). A 33 bus test system is used to validate the proposed method. The simulation results show that the method is feasible and effective. Finally, the impact of DGs on voltage profile is analyzed using this method.


This article examines whether online and mail surveys produce convergent results, which would allow them to be used in mixed-mode service quality studies. In the context of a large business-to-business service quality assessment, an analysis of the accuracy and completeness of respondent answers to both open and closed questions suggests that online and mail surveys produce equivalent results. Composite reliability shows consistently high levels for both groups, and the means and variance-covariance matrices are equal across modes. However, minor differences occur between the two survey methods; online respondents provide more improvement suggestions, indicate more often to which competitor they want to switch, and provide lengthier answers in response to requests for examples of positive experiences with the company. This research provides important findings regarding the process for, and results of, comparing two survey modes.