Cholesterol-ester transfer protein (CETP) plays a role in atherosclerosis, the inflammatory response to endotoxemia and in experimental and human sepsis. Functional alterations in lipoprotein (LP) metabolism and immune cell populations, including macrophages, occur during sepsis and may be related to comorbidities such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Macrophages are significantly associated with pulmonary emphysema, and depending on the microenvironment, might exhibit an M1 or M2 phenotype. Macrophages derived from the peritoneum and bone marrow reveal CETP that contributes to its plasma concentration. Here, we evaluated the role of CETP in macrophage polarization and elastase-induced pulmonary emphysema (ELA) in human CETP-expressing transgenic (huCETP) (line 5203, C57BL6/J background) male mice and compared it to their wild type littermates. We showed that bone marrow-derived macrophages from huCETP mice reduce polarization toward the M1 phenotype, but with increased IL-10. Compared to WT, huCETP mice exposed to elastase showed worsened lung function with an increased mean linear intercept (Lm), reflecting airspace enlargement resulting from parenchymal destruction with increased expression of arginase-1 and IL-10, which are M2 markers. The cytokine profile revealed increased IL-6 in plasma and TNF, and IL-10 in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), corroborating with the lung immunohistochemistry in the huCETP-ELA group compared to WT-ELA. Elastase treatment in the huCETP group increased VLDL-C and reduced HDL-C. Elastase-induced pulmonary emphysema in huCETP mice promotes lung M2-like phenotype with a deleterious effect in experimental COPD, corroborating the in vitro result in which CETP promoted M2 macrophage polarization. Our results suggest that CETP is associated with inflammatory response and influences the role of macrophages in COPD.


Use of oral antifungals in the treatment of onychomycosis is commonplace; but their use can be limited by safety and patient concerns. Due to their broader safety margins, topical antifungals (efinaconazole, tavaborole, and ciclopirox) are a useful option in the treatment of mild-to-moderate onychomycosis in the USA, but their antifungal activity has yet to be directly compared. This study aims to identify important factors contributing to in vivo efficacies of the three topical antifungals. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M38-A2 broth microdilution. The MIC90 values of efinaconazole, tavaborole, and ciclopirox for T. rubrum were 0.0078, 8.0, and 0.50 μg/mL, respectively. The MIC90 values for T. mentagrophytes were 0.016, 8.0, and 0.50 μg/mL, respectively. Efinaconazole showed potent fungicidal activity in keratin-containing medium, whereas tavaborole was fungistatic, and ciclopirox not active. In the guinea pig model of onychomycosis, the therapeutic efficacy of efinaconazole was superior to those of tavaborole and ciclopirox. This study suggests that not only fungistatic activity (MIC), but also fungicidal activity in the presence of keratin, is an important factor contributing to the in vivo efficacy of topical antifungal drugs against onychomycosis.


Objective: Evaluate intra- and inter-observer variation in the presence of enthesophytes in patients with insertional Achilles tendinopathy on radiographic (X-ray) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images. Methods: We selected X-ray and MRI images of 20 patients diagnosed with an injury. We sent a questionnaire to five foot and ankle surgeons and five radiologists. We obtained answers about diagnosis accuracy and the presence of insertional enthesophytes (bone spurs). Results: Intra-observer agreement with regards to diagnosis accuracy in the MRI analysis was a K of 0.77 (0.62 to 1.00), while in the X-ray analysis, the K was 0.95 (0.77 to 1.00). Intra-observer agreement on the presence of enthesophytes in the MRI analysis had a K coefficient of 0.90 (0.68 to 1.00) and intra-observer agreement in the X-ray of 0.93 (0.86 to 1.00). The evaluation of inter-observer agreement on the diagnosis accuracy had a K coefficient between 0.09 and 0.20. Inter-observer agreement regarding the presence of enthesophytes was a K value between 0.59 and 0.63 for the MRI and a K between 0.81 and 0.82 for the X-ray results. Conclusion: Intra-observer values for diagnosis accuracy of the MRI and X-ray tests indicated strong to almost perfect agreement, similar to the intra-observer values for evaluation of the presence of enthesophytes, but the X-ray had better agreement. In both tests, intra-observer agreement on the presence of osteophytes was weak in comparison to inter-observer agreement, yet in the inter observer evaluation of the presence of enthesophytes, the X-ray agreement was greater than the MRI values. Level of Evidence III; Diagnostic Study.


Abstract Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy is an uncommon diagnosis in the paediatric population, most commonly presenting with arrhythmia. We report an 11-year-old male presenting with right heart failure due to biventricular systolic dysfunction found to have arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy with de novo Desmin and MYH7 mutations.


Evaluation of the severity of acute cholecystitis is critical for the management of this condition. Superb microvascular imaging (SMI) enables the assessment of slow blood flow of small vessels without any contrast medium. An 84-year-old man visited our hospital with right upper abdominal pain. Computed tomography and abdominal ultrasonography showed a slight thickening of the gallbladder. White blood cell count and C-reactive protein levels were elevated. He was diagnosed with acute cholecystitis and treated conservatively with antibiotics. Two days later, his condition worsened and percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) was performed. The patient recovered and was discharged, and his drainage was withdrawn 7 days later. On admission, color-coded SMI (cSMI) showed pulsatory signals on the slightly thickened gallbladder wall. On the day of PTGBD, the intensity of the signal on cSMI had increased. Once the patient was cured, no further signal was observed on the gallbladder wall with either cSMI or mSMI. In conclusion, the strong pulsatory signal correlated with the severity of acute cholecystitis observed with cSMI and mSMI. Illustrating the signal intensity is useful for the evaluation of the severity of acute cholecystitis.


The research reported in this study focused on women in an institution of Christian higher education. The study utilized in-depth interviews to explore certain work/life influences including cultural demands, organizational demands, and personal influences. The findings stress the importance of an individual worldview in strategy formation for work/life negotiations. Given that the study was done in a distinctively Christian environment, the worldview development and expression was somewhat isolated and more accessible for exploration. This study reveals the need for a greater understanding of the individual and the organization when designing and implementing work/life policies.


End-diastolic left ventricular (EDLV) stiffness is a strong biomarker of diastolic heart failure (DHF). Ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) can provide a quantitative and noninvasive measure of myocardial stiffness, which makes SWE a promising tool for clinical diagnosis of DHF. In practice, however, in vivo transthoracic heart study with SWE is very challenging due to the difficult imaging situation of the heart. Recently, we proposed a pulse-inversion harmonic imaging (PIHI) approach for shear wave detection and showed substantial improvement of shear wave signal quality from the heart. In this study, we further developed a multi-zone PIHI shear wave detection method to enhance harmonic excitation and further improve shear wave signal quality. We also developed a cardiac shear wave speed (SWS) calculation method that allows manual tracing of the shear wave propagation path. This path length is used to estimate the SWS using an algorithm based on the Radon transform of the motion data. A pilot study was conducted to test the repeatability of measuring EDLV stiffness of healthy subjects with the multi-zone PIHI approach and the cardiac SWS calculation method. Five subjects were recruited and studied on three different days. Statistical analyses showed good repeatability of SWS measurements across 3 days for subjects 1 and 4, and between days 2 and 3 for subjects 1, 2, 3 and 4. The overall success rates of detecting robust shear waves from subjects 1 to 5 are 94%, 83%, 96%, 98%, and 27%, respectively. The overall SWS measurements for all subjects are in good agreement with literature values from animal studies. These results indicate that the proposed SWE methods with multi-zone PIHI detection and cardiac SWS calculation is reliable in measuring EDLV stiffness and has great potential for diagnosing DHF in future studies.


Objective The aim of the present study was to examine the association between serotonin-related gene polymorphisms and bipolar disorder in the Korean population. In addition, we sought to explore the relationship between the clinical characteristics of bipolar patients and serotonin-related gene polymorphisms. Methods Inpatients with bipolar disorder (n=103) and control subjects (n=86) were genotyped for 5HT2A 1438A/G, tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) 218 A/C, and TPH2 703G/T. We divided patients with bipolar disorder into two groups according to the presence of psychotic symptoms. The severity of their symptoms was measured using the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Results There were no significant differences in the genotype distributions or allelic frequencies in the three serotonergic polymorphisms between patients with bipolar disorder and normal controls. There were significant differences in genotype distributions and allele frequencies of the 5-HT2A -1438A/G polymorphism between the psychotic mania group and the non-psychotic mania group (genotype: χ2=7.50, p=0.024; allele: χ2=5.92, p=0.015). However, after Bonferroni correction this signifact difference disappeared. We did not find significant differences in the genotype distributions or allelic frequencies in the TPH1 218 A/C and TPH2 703G/T polymorphisms between the psychotic mania group and non-psychotic mania group. Conclusion We failed to found the statistically significant association between three polymorphisms and bipolar disorder. However, there was a trend towards association between 5-HT2A -1438A/G polymorphism and psychotic symptom in bipolar disorder. Future research should seek to clarify this association.


Very high-speed, digital technology is imposing new requirements on test logic that will limit the effectiveness of current IEEE 1149.1 based testing. IEEE P1149.6 is an extension to IEEE 1149.1 that attempts to standardize the boundary-scan structures and methods required to ensure simple, robust and minimally intrusive boundary-scan testing of advanced digital networks which are not adequately addressed by existing standards. This includes AC-coupled networks, differential networks or both. This paper will describe the work that has been done thus far by the P1149.6 working group including: defects to be targeted by the proposed standard, physical layer implementation for both the driver and receiver, verification of proposed solutions through SPICE modeling, BSDL and tools implications. The paper will also discuss some of the challenges faced by the working group and will discuss new approaches taken on by the working group in the development of the proposed standard.


Syphilis has increased in recent years, causing difficulties for clinicians and public health practitioners alike. While one issue with the current management of syphilis is that it has both a myriad of presentations and complicated laboratory results, another issue relates to the current case definitions used to define and track syphilis in public health surveillance. One item that is missing is a "probable" case definition, which could help capture the number of likely cases of syphilis that were appropriately treated clinically, but which failed to reach public health case definition based on serologic markers. This approach could produce a more accurate picture of the breadth of syphilis transmission in North America and help better appreciate the groups most affected by syphilis change. We put forward and argue this position herein.


Forty-two patients with localized carcinoma of the prostate have been treated with interstitial implantation of iodine 125 seeds after a thorough staging process. The procedure was well tolerated and carried acceptable morbidity and no mortality. Of major concern, however, was the failure of local control of the tumour in a high proportion (88%) of patients at 1 year. Combined interstitial and external beam radiotherapy may overcome this.


Wireless sensor and actor network refers to a group of sensors and actors, which gather information in detection area and perform appropriate actions upon the event area, respectively. Just as in wireless sensor network (WSN), one of the most important objectives of designing coordination protocols in WSAN is to decrease energy consumption and prolong network lifetime. This paper proposes a sensor-actor coordination protocol for wireless sensor and actor network based on Voronoi diagram and shortest path tree (VDSPT). Network nodes are organized into some clusters based on weighted Voronoi diagram that every cluster includes an actor and some sensors. The operation of VDSPT protocol is divided into rounds and the shortest path trees (SPTs) for routing are dynamically generated according to network states in each round. The simulation results show that VDSPT protocol can improve the residual energy balance of actors and prolong network lifetime. Keywords-WSAN; Coordinaiton; Shortest Path Tree; Voronoi Diagram; Cluster


In many applications of wireless sensor networks (WSNs), node location is required to locate the monitored event once occurs. Mobility-assisted localization has emerged as an efficient technique for node localization. It works on optimizing a path planning of a location-aware mobile node, called mobile anchor (MA). The task of the MA is to traverse the area of interest (network) in a way that minimizes the localization error while maximizing the number of successful localized nodes. For simplicity, many path planning models assume that the MA has a sufficient source of energy and time, and the network area is obstacle-free. However, in many real-life applications such assumptions are rare. When the network area includes many obstacles, which need to be avoided, and the MA itself has a limited movement distance that cannot be exceeded, a dynamic movement approach is needed. In this paper, we propose two novel dynamic movement techniques that offer obstacle-avoidance path planning for mobility-assisted localization in WSNs. The movement planning is designed in a real-time using two swarm intelligence based algorithms, namely grey wolf optimizer and whale optimization algorithm. Both of our proposed models, grey wolf optimizer-based path planning and whale optimization algorithm-based path planning, provide superior outcomes in comparison to other existing works in several metrics including both localization ratio and localization error rate.


Purpose: A considerable number of growth factors, cytokines, and adhesion molecules are implicated in the development of atherosclerotic lesions. These molecules interact in a complex network influencing the evolution of several processes, such as lipid metabolism, cellular proliferation and tissue repair. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of the growth factors PDGF-A, and TGFb, and the adhesion molecule VCAM-1 in the sequential steps of experimental atherogenesis. Methods: Forty-two New Zealand white male rabbits were divided into 4 groups. The group A rabbits (n = 8) received normal diet and served as control animals. The remaining groups were fed with a diet enriched with 1% cholesterol and 6% corn oil. The rabbits of group B (n = 9) were sacrificed 1 month after the beginning of the study, of group C (n = 15) after 2 months and of group D (n = 10) after 3 months. In tissue sections of the aortic arch the antibodies of the prementioned factors were detected immunohistochemically. Results: In group A only TGFb and PDGF-A were detectable. In lesions of the first month PDGF-A expression was high but declined towards the third month. VCAM-1 expression was getting more intense up to the second month and subsided thereafter. TGFb expression intensified towards the third month. Changes in the expression of these factors were statistically significant. Conclusion: PDGF-A, responsible for the uncontrollable growth of smooth muscle cells, and VCAM-1, regulating monocyte recruitment in the intima, acts mainly during the early stages of atherogenesis. TGFb, one of the main factors controlling the formation of connective tissue matrix, has a gradually increasing expression towards the third month contributing probably to the fibrous plaque formation.


We explore nonlinear perturbations in different static fluid systems. We find that the equations, corresponding to the perturbation of the integrals of motion, i.e; Bernoulli's constant and the mass flow rate, satisfy massless scalar field equation in a time dependent acoustic metric. When one is interested up to the second order behaviour of the perturbations, the emergent time dependent acoustic metric of the system, derived from the massless scalar field equations of the perturbations of the integrals of motion, has some astounding similarities with the metric describing gravitational wave in Minkowski spacetime.


Introduction Full blood count (FBC) indices and iron studies are utilised in initial screening of patients with clinical suspicion of haemachromatosis and HFE genetic testing is used for diagnosis. The aim of this study is to determine what effect haemachromatosis has on FBC indices and to detect any correlation with iron overload in subjects with C282Y homozygosity. Methods Data were obtained from blood samples taken from first time donors to the Australian Red Cross Service prior to venesection. FBC indices were recorded from C282Y homozygous patients and also from an age-matched healthy control group. Ferritin levels from the haemachromatosis group were also obtained. All P values were derived from two-tailed statistical tests and Chi-square tests. P values of less than 0.05 considered significant. Multivariate regression analysis was used to assess the differences between blood donors and haemachromatosis patients. Results The HFE group and normal controls were well matched with forty males and forty females in each group and no significant difference in age between the groups. Males homozygous for C282Y had a significantly (P = 0.001) higher mean
ferritin level 787.3 mcg/L (522.1–1052.6) compared with females
268.3 mcg/L (147.1–389.4). Eighty percent of C282Y homozygous males presented
with iron overload on their first Red Cross Blood donation visit, whereas only fifty percent of C282Y homozygous females had an elevated ferritin level on their first visit (P = 0.045). Of the forty patients homozygous for the C282Y mutations, there was evidence of iron overload in 26 patients (as defined by a ferritin greater than 200 mcg/L). There was no significant difference in all measure parameters between haemachromatosis patients with a ferritin lower than 200 mcg/L and healthy blood donors. Haemachromatosis patients with a ferritin level above 200 mcg/L (n = 26) had significant increases in haemoglobin (Hb) (P < 0.001), mean cell volume (MCV) (P < 0.026), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) (P < 0.001) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) (P < 0.002). Conclusion Patients with C282Y homozygous haemachromatosis had a significantly higher Hb, MCV, MCH and MCHC. There is a clear correlation between ferritin and these raised red cell indices. A ferritin greater than 200 mcg/L is associated with a significant increase these red cell indices. Further studies are required to determine whether this increase in red cell indices is reversible with therapeutic venesection. Disclosure of Interest None Declared.


Promising targeted therapy and personalized medicine are making molecular profiling of tumours a priority. For colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, international guidelines made RAS (KRAS and NRAS) status a prerequisite for the use of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor agents (anti-EGFR). Daily, new data emerge on the theranostic and prognostic role of molecular biomarkers, which is a strong incentive for a validated, sensitive and broadly available molecular screening test in order to implement and improve multi-modal therapy strategy and clinical trials. Next generation sequencing (NGS) has begun to supplant other technologies for genomic profiling. Targeted NGS is a method that allows parallel sequencing of thousands of short DNA sequences in a single test offering a cost-effective approach for detecting multiple genetic alterations with a minimum amount of DNA. In the present review, we collected data concerning the clinical application of NGS technology in the setting of colorectal cancer.


The puzzle of the emergence of cooperation between unrelated individuals is shared across diverse fields of behavioural sciences and economics. In this article we combine the public goods game originating in economics with evolutionary approaches traditionally used in biology. Instead of pairwise encounters, we consider the more complex case of groups of three interacting individuals. We show that territoriality is capable of promoting cooperative behaviour, as in the case of the Prisoner's Dilemma. Moreover, by adding punishment opportunities, the readiness to cooperate is greatly enhanced and asocial strategies can be largely suppressed. Finally, as soon as players carry a reputation for being willing or unwilling to punish, highly cooperative and fair outcomes are achieved. This group–beneficial result is obtained, intriguingly, by making individuals more likely to exploit their co–players if they can get away with it. Thus, less–cooperative individuals make more-cooperative societies.


We experimentally demonstrate a novel optical packet compression scheme based on linearly chirping the packets followed by dispersive compression and multiwavelength conversion back onto a single wavelength. In particular, four-bit packets at 10 Gb/s were compressed into four-bit packets at 40 Gb/s. Error-free performance was achieved for the final compressed packet.


Chapter 5 analyzes the anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emission trends until the present and the main drivers that explain those trends. The chapter uses different perspectives to analyze past GHG-emissions trends, including aggregate emissions flows and per capita emissions, cumulative emissions, sectoral emissions, and territory-based vs. consumption-based emissions. In all cases, global and regional trends are analyzed. Where appropriate, the emission trends are contextualized with long-term historic developments in GHG emissions extending back to 1750.


A next‐generation slow radioactive nuclear ion beam facility (SLOWRI) which provides slow, high‐purity and small emittance ion beams of all elements has been proposed as one of the pricipal experimental facilities at the RIKEN RI‐beam factory (RIBF). High energy radioactive ion beams from the projectile fragment separator BigRIPS are thermalized in a large gas catcher cell. The thermal ions in the gas cell are guided and extracted to vacuum by a combination of DC electric fields and inhomogeneous rf fields in the cell (rf ion guide). In the R&D works at the present RIKEN facility, an overall efficiency of ≈ 5% for ≈ 100A MeV 8Li ion beam from the present projectile fragment separator RIPS was achieved and the dependence of the efficiency on the beam intensity was investigated. A first spectroscopy experiment at the prototype SLOWI was performed on Be isotopes.


The generation of reactive oxygen species and subsequent oxidative stress in the central nervous system is now considered to be one of the primary etiologies of a host of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, and cerebral ischemia. On a cellular level, oxidative stress leads to an apoptotic early phase that involves cellular membrane phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure and a late phase that pertains to the degradation of genomic DNA. The translocation of membrane PS from the inner cellular membrane to the surface is a critical component for both microglial activation and cellular disposal of injured cells. During oxidative stress, this early phase of apoptosis is intimately controlled by neuronal PS exposure and microglial PS receptor expression. The late phase of apoptosis that involves a loss of genomic DNA integrity can result as a function of an ill-fated attempt to enter the cell cycle in postmitotic neurons. By using a cascade of pathways that involve cysteine proteases to modulate programmed cell death, protein kinase B (Akt) surfaces as a key regulatory element of both extrinsic pathways of inflammation and intrinsic pathways of cellular integrity. Further understanding of the cellular mechanisms modulating neuronal cellular integrity and phagocytic cell disposal during oxidative stress may form the basis for the future development of cytoprotective strategies in the nervous system.


Based on the colored time constrained hybrid Petri net, we discuss the deadlock avoidance of batch production processes due to various intermediate stock policies and the sharing and competing of limited resources. The necessary and sufficient conditions of system deadlock and critical deadlock are presented. Finally, we introduce the corresponding deadlock avoidance policy.


In this paper, simple random walks on a class of graphs induced by quasi-periodic tilings of the d-dimensional Euclidean space are investigated. In this sense, these graphs can be seen as perturbations of the Cayley graph of the N-dimensional integer lattice. The quasi-periodicity of the underlying tilings implies that these graphs are not space homogeneous (roughly speaking, there is no transitive group action). In this context, we prove that the symptotic entropy of the simple random walk is zero and characterize the type (recurrent or transient) of the simple random walk. These results are similar to the classical context of random walks on the integer lattice. In this sense, it suggests that the perturbation remains well controlled.


Concentrating on the Arbor uitae crucifixae Iesu, Potesta explores the nexus between Ubertino's apocalyptic thought and his defense of the spiritual Franciscan position regarding poverty. The Arbor vitae is portrayed as an essentially homogeneous work which grew out of Ubertino's desire to explain the crisis faced by the spirituals in the early fourteenth century. Its main concern is with history, but the historical emphasis is interwoven with a christological one. Potesta's discussion of the relationship between christology and apocalyptic contributes to the continuing debate concerning thirteenthcentury Joachism and its impact on Franciscan thought. His effective analysis of Ubertino's sources helps us to locate Ubertino in the developing Franciscan tradition and should be of interest to those concerned with Bonaventure, Olivi, and the legend of Francis. Potesta recognizes that many of the questions discussed by him are (and perhaps must remain) unanswered, and he threads his way carefully through the minefield of contemporary scholarship; yet his treatment is balanced, intelligent, and well worth reading.


The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has monitored water quality in the Mississippi Rive* Basin as part of the National Stream Quality Accounting Network (NASQAN) since 1995, applying a basinwide perspective to understanding water quality on a regional scale (Hooper and others, 1997). The objectives of the Mississippi River Basin NASQAN Program are to provide an ongoing characterization of the concentrations and mass fluxes of sediment and chemicals at key locations in the basin, to determine regional source areas for these materials, and to assess the effect of human influences on observed concentrations and fluxes. NASQAN complements the ongoing USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program, which is performing a detailed assessment in 23 subbasins within the Mississippi River Basin (Hirsch and others, 1988). NASQAN monitors the large rivers in the Mississippi River Basin, downstream of NAWQA study units. NASQAN, in conjunction with NAWQA, can provide the data and information needed by other USGS programs, Federal and State agencies, other segments of the scientific community, and by the public to address the present and future status of water quality in the Mississippi River Basin.


This paper introduces key concepts from practice theory to the social change agenda, and draws on the unique contributions of the social marketing field. Practice theory has underpinned a growing stream of research in pro-environmental studies seeking to reduce impacts of particular behaviours, but it remains theoretical. By drawing on social marketing's applied roots, this paper introduces a practice-theoretical intervention planning process (P-TIPP) which frames the unique contribution of social marketing in behaviour change and foregrounds practice not individual-level change.

The P-TIPP draws on the total process planning model, introducing the concept of 'practice as entity' and 'practice as performance' to frame intervention planning tasks. The process locates the contribution of social marketing within a transdisciplinary framework which emphasises transforming collective conventions.

This is conceptual paper, but we outline the possibility for practice theory to make a significant contribution to the world of social marketing.

P-TIPP is untested. Also, practices can be difficult to identify and somewhat abstract. Finally, it can be challenging to introduce the approach to policy, funding and practitioner procedures.

The implications of P-TIPP are that social change interventions are devised, underpinned and planned using insights from practice theory, such as the way behavioural patterns fit into broader understandings of practice. The subsequent social change agenda will be inherently transdisciplinary, sustainable and reduce focus on individual power to change This paper is a first attempt at exploring what practice theory and social marketing can learn from each other for the future effectiveness of social change activity.


In this chapter, Distributed Spatial Modulation (DSM) and Distributed Spatially Modulated Space-Time Block Code (DSM-STBC) are elaborately described. DSM and DSM-STBC are two new cooperative wireless protocols for multi-relay networks, which are based on the principle of Spatial Modulation (SM). The distinguishable feature of DSM lies in improving the reliability of the source via distributed diversity and by increasing the aggregate throughput of the cooperative network, since new data is transmitted during each transmission phase. This is achieved by encoding the data transmitted from the source into the spatial positions of the available relays and by exploiting the signal domain for transmitting the data of the relays. In DSM-STBC, SM and Space-Time-Block-Codes (STBCs) are synergistically combined for a distributed scenario. The distinguishable feature of DSM-STBC lies in offering throughput enhancement, by achieving the same order of diversity and having to activate the same number of relay nodes as conventional distributed STBC schemes. At the destination, demodulators robust to demodulation errors at the relays are developed, and their end-to-end error probability and achievable diversity are studied. With the aid of Monte Carlo simulations, DSM and DSM-STBC are compared against state-of-the-art cooperative protocols, and they are shown to provide better performances.


An equivalent magnetic circuit of an eight-pole heteropolar magnetic bearing with path reluctances is developed with nondimensional forms of flux, flux density, and magnetic force equations. The results show that fluxes and magnetic forces are considerably reduced for the magnetic circuit with relatively large path reluctances. A Lagrange multiplier optimization method is used to determine current distribution matrices for the magnetic bearing with large path reluctances. A cost function is defined in a manner that represents load capacity in a specific direction. Optimizing this cost function yields distribution matrices calculated for certain combinations of five poles failed out of eight poles. Position stiffnesses and voltage stiffnesses are calculated for the fault-tolerant magnetic bearings. Fault-tolerant control of a horizontal rigid rotor supported on multiple-coil failed magnetic bearings including large path reluctances is simulated to investigate the effect of path reluctances on imbalance response.


Propranolol has been suggested as a useful agent for protecting the myocardium during both regional and global ischemia. An isolated, isovolumic feline heart model was used to assess the effectiveness of propranolol in providing myocardial preservation during normothermic and hypothermic global ischemia. Normothermic ischemia was induced for 30 minutes with eight hearts receiving 100,ug of propranolol at the onset of ischemia and eight receiving none. Fourteen of 28 hearts subjected to 60 minutes of hypothermic ischemia received 10Ogg of propranolol, whereas the remaining 14 received none. All hearts had 45 minutes of normothermic reperfusion. Ventricular function was assessed by measuring left ventricular developed pressure (DP) and maximum dP/dt. Myocardial metabolic activity was monitored by continuously measuring myocardial oxygen and carbon dioxide tensions (Pmo, and Pmco,) by mass spectrometry. Biopsy specimens were taken at the end of reperfusion for estimation of the myocardial water content and morphologic assessment using both light and electron microscopy. With both normothermic and hypothermic ischemia, the administration of propranolol resulted in significantly better recovery of ventricular function. Similarly, hearts that received propranolol at the onset of ischemia developed less edema. Although no difference was noted in the rate of rise of Pmco, during ischemia in the hypothermic hearts, the peak reached during early reperfusion was lower and the rate of fall faster in hearts given propranolol. Morphologic preservation was improved with propranolol in both the normothermic and hypothermic groups. These results show that propranolol exerts a significant protective effect in hearts subjected to either normothermic or hypothermic global ischemia.


Purpose: Awareness on continuing medical education (CME) of the Korean Orthopaedic Association (KOA) was investigated in order to augment the weak educational points of the conventional academic CME. Materials and Methods: The web-survey was conducted in the KOA on the awareness of conventional academic or web-based CME. The questionnaire included working conditions, intimacy of informational technology, and strengths and weaknesses of academic and webbased CME. Results: Among 3,427 emails sent, 168 (4.9% of effective response rate) responses were received. Of the responders, 74.4% of the responders could not attend CME frequently because of working time (35.7%) and a distance far from the working place (13.2%). The merits of academic CME included as the opportunity for considerations of other members' thoughts on some clinical matters (64.3%); however, the weak points were holding several similar conferences (60.1%) and too short time for adequate study (53.0%). They wanted that surgical procedures and tips (49.0%) to be provided in the form of lecture slides (44.6%) or movie clips (37.6%) in web-based CME. 95.5% of the responders showed positive response regarding the need for web-based CME. Conclusion: Results of the survey showed high needs and interests in web-based CME, which could support the weaknesses of the academic CME with less time for education and limited accessibility to CME due to time or space barriers due to their working conditions.


The majority of Web site design literature mainly concentrates on the technical and functional aspects of Web site design. There is a definite lack of literature, in the IS field, that concentrates on the visual and aesthetic aspects of Web design. Preliminary research into the relationship between visual design and successful electronic commerce Web sites was conducted.
The emphasis of this research was to answer the following three questions. What role do visual design elements play in the success of electronic commerce Web sites? What role do visual design principles play in the success of electronic commerce Web sites? What role do the typographic variables of visual design play in the success of electronic commerce Web sites?
Forty-three undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory level MIS course used a Likert-style survey instrument to evaluate aesthetic aspects of 501 electronic commerce Web pages. The instrument employed a taxonomy of visual design that focused on three dimensions: design elements, design principles, and typography. The data collected were correlated against Internet usage success metrics data provided by Nielsen/NetRatings.
Results indicate that 22 of the 135 tested relationships were statistically significant. Positive relationships existed between four different aesthetic dimensions and one single success measure.
The other 18 significant relationships were negatively correlated. The visual design elements of space, color as hue, and value were negatively correlated with three of the success measures. The visual design principles of contrast, emphasis radiated through contrast, and contrast shape were negatively correlated with three of the success measures. Finally, the typographic variables of placement and type size were both negatively correlated with two of the success measures.
This research provides support to the importance of visual design theory in Web site design. This preliminary research should be viewed as a realization of the need for Web sites to be designed with both visual design theory and usability in mind.


Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-4 (IGFBP-4) is, like the other five IGFBPs, a critical regulator of the activity of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and IGF-II. Because of the possible role of IGFBP-4 in multiple systems including reproduction, pregnancy, bone formation and wound healing, we developed a radioimmunoassay (RIA) to measure the concentration of IGFBP-4 in the serum, extracellular fluid and conditioned media of cells of rodents so that these animal models could be better exploited. Rat IGFBP-4 was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. The recombinant material was used to raise a rabbit polyclonal antibody against rat IGFBP-4 and for iodination and standards. The RIA developed was sensitive to less than 1 ng/mL of rat IGFBP-4 and IGF-I did not interfere. There was no cross-reactivity with other rat IGFBPs on immuno-Western analysis of serum and wound fluid. IGFBP-4 from mouse serum did cross-react in our assay; however, serum from horse, pig or human showed no cross-reaction. Human IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-3 showed a very weak cross-reactivity. Serum IGFBP-4 levels showed no gender difference but did reveal a significant 66% increase in older rats. During the course of wound healing, which is IGF-I dependent, IGFBP-4 showed no changes. In conclusion an RIA for rat IGFBP-4 has been developed that specifically measures the concentration of IGFBP-4 in the sera, extracellular fluid and conditioned media of rodents. With this assay, the role of IGFBP-4 and IGFs in growth, development and the function of multiple systems can be further investigated using rodent models.


A sophisticated research tradition has explored theoretically and empirically the consequences of election laws for vote–seat disproportionality and, more recently, for the distance between citizen and legislative left–right medians. In contemporary parliamentary systems, policy making tends to be dominated by governments, not legislatures. This article extends election law theory to its expected effects on the left–right representativeness of governing parties and examines whether these are realized after eighty-two elections in fifteen mature parliamentary systems. The analysis shows how the legislative median party, the legislative plurality party and pre-election coalition agreements between parties shape these connections between citizens, legislatures and governments. The article also develops more nuanced measures of party influence on policy making and re-examines the governmental findings using these. Governments and policy-making configurations emerging from bargaining after PR elections are in net significantly closer to their citizens than those created by SMD elections.


This is the first of an interdisciplinary series on impact studies. The papers collected together in this volume resulted from a workshop, part of the European Science Foundation IMPACT program, held in Quillan, France, in September 1999. Aiming to draw together scientists from a range of disciplines, the authors have succeeded admirably: fields as diverse as organic geochemistry, palynology and impact physics are represented. There is a similar diversity in the impact events and geological boundaries that are studied –the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary event is the subject of only four out of the 13 papers in this volume.

Several papers deal with the effects of impacts on specific organisms or groups of organisms. Casier and Lethiers focus on the late Devonian, Frasnian/Fammenian boundary extinction (one of the big five). Summarizing some of their recent work on ostracods, the authors find that 75% of ostracod species disappeared abruptly at the boundary, over …


INTRODUCTION
To date, the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains largely unknown, and the therapies are still unsatisfactory. The biosynthesis of thromboxane A2 (TxA2) is increased in RA patients, suggesting a role of TxA2 in RA pathology.

METHODS
RA patients were divided into two groups, DMARDs and non-DMARDs, according to their use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Sera from RA patients and healthy controls were extracted and subjected to enzyme immunoassays for measurement of the thromboxane B2 (TxB2) level. The statistical correlations between serum TxB2 levels and disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS28), C-reactive protein (CRP), or erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were calculated. Moreover, the effects of dual TxA2 modulator BM567 on cell proliferation as well as protein expression of α-actinin and NF-κB2 in RA fibroblast-like synovial (FLS) cells MH7A were determined by MTS assays and Western blot analysis, respectively. The effects of BM567 on mRNA expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, a downstream product of NF-κB2 and an upstream enzyme of TxA2, was examined by real-time quantitative PCR experiments.

RESULTS
Serum TxB2 level was significantly higher in RA patients as compared to healthy controls. Both DAS28 score and serum TxB2 levels were slightly lower in the DMARDs group than the non-DMARDs group, without statistical significance, and there was positive correlation between these two factors. BM567 significantly suppressed cell proliferation as well as expression of α-actinin, NF-κB2, p52, and COX-2 in MH7A.

CONCLUSION
TxA2 plays an important role in RA pathology, synovial cell proliferation in particular, through an auto-regulatory feedback loop. Thus, targeting TxA2 may represent a promising add-on therapy in the treatment of RA.


This paper presents a marketing research that focus es on the perception, experience and attitude of persons from the Technic al University of Cluj-Napoca (especially students), regarding Coca-cola and Pepsi-cola soft drinks. Given the fact that within the Technical University from Cluj-Napoca (in the places where th y serve food) the only soft drinks you can buy are from the PepsiCo range, due to the fact that th ey've won this commercial right.


Deception is a common bargaining tactic that has also often been described as a form of unethical behavior. One reason why deception could be considered unethical is that it may evoke false expectations in others. In the current article we investigated false expectations that may be raised by using deception in an ultimatum bargaining setting. In particular, we investigated whether lying about your own outcomes is evaluated differently than lying about the outcomes of another party. In two experiments, we demonstrated that people judge a lying opponent less harshly when he or she lied about his own outcomes instead of the outcomes of another party. In addition, in our third experiment we demonstrate that people prefer are more likely to lie about their own outcomes than about those of another party.


Customer satisfaction is an important parameter for assessing the quality of patient services. There is a need to assess public hospitals because they are important providers of services to patients, whose satisfaction is important. This study examined the relationship between service quality and the resultant customer satisfaction as experienced by patients. This led to an examination of the relationship between that satisfaction and patient loyalty. The research methodology consisted of a quantitative analysis where the SAS program was used for analyzing data from a questionnaire survey, using Multiple Regression Analysis, Independent Sample T-Test and One-Way Anova. The survey involved 484 respondents who were out-patients in six Bangkok hospitals. The result showed that service quality and its eight aspects did have a relationship which produced a significant effect on patient satisfaction. The research finding showed that the most important factors of customer satisfaction were perceived price fairness and waiting time. The analysis also revealed that seven demographic factors, such as gender and age, acted as moderating variables which had an effect on customer satisfaction. The majority of the patients were female between 26 – 35 years who emphasized perceived price fairness, waiting time, service personnel behavior (service quality) and personnel communication. The return to a hospital for treatment was dependent on the medical service quality, the cost of medical treatment, and the waiting time. The findings of this research recommended that public hospitals should enhance customer satisfaction, and could improve the service even further, especially in terms of communicating to staff the need for faster service to reduce waiting time.


Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) have often been considered instruments for heightened intellectual property rights protection, thereby in detriment of a more flexible copyright space. However, since the adoption of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, some FTAs have been i ncorporating a clause on the "Balance in Copyright and Related Rights Systems." Among these, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and, more recently, the 2021 Australia-U.K. FTA contain such a clause. In addition, more discrete FTAs, such as the Australia-Peru FTA, also incorporate similar provisions. This article considers what incorporating such clauses in FTAs means for the interpretation of the three-step test embedded in Article 13 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement), which is key for enabling a more flexible copyright space. This article seeks to understand whether FTAs clauses on "Balance in Copyright and Related Rights Systems" can support a more flexible interpretation of the three-step test in the context of the World Trade Organization dispute settlement system.


The phenanthrene-sensitized photoreaction of 1,2- and 1,4-dicyanobenzenes with group 14 organometallic compounds containing allylic and benzylic groups in CH3CN afforded the corresponding 2- and 4-allylated and -benzylated benzonitriles in high yields. These photoreactions were accelerated by the addition of Mg(CLO4)2 and benzene derivatives.


The problems and prospects of insurance development in the internet are considered in the article. Considerable attention in the research is paid to the theoretical aspects of the essence of «internet insurance». The main stages of the insurance process through the internet and the key requirements that apply to the insurer and the insured when completing the insurance contract are described. It is determined that for the insurance company key advantages in the organization of virtual business are: lower costs associated with the organization of the company's website; lower transaction costs for customer service operations; expansion of geographical diversification of company insurance products; an opportunity to increase the sale of insurance products at the expense of open access to customers from around the world; customer service on a qualitatively new level – seven days a week, 365 days a year. The analysis of the insurance products market in the internet was conducted. The study found that insurance services offered through the internet in Ukraine include property, personal insurance and liability insurance. The most widespread in Ukraine are such insurance products as insurance for travelling abroad, medical insurance, CASCO, compulsory insurance of civil liability of owners of land vehicles, insurance of property of individuals, etc. The easiest procedure for purchasing a policy among all of these is auto insurance. The key attention is paid to ways of improving the mechanism of providing internet insurance. In the course of the study, specific directions for developing an e-commerce strategy for insurance companies based on SWOT-analysis were improved; developed an algorithm for strategic management of the insurance company and a conceptual model of interaction between the insurer and the insured in the framework of the process of strategic marketing planning in the market of internet services. An important role in the processes of management of the insurer was given to the complex of marketing communications, namely the elements of the marketing mix: «product», «price», «sales», «promotion». It is determined that for entering an insurance company into the market of internet services, the subject of planning is the outline of the main goals regarding sales and income received, as well as the definition of their potential consumers (market segment), the forming of their own image and reputation.
Keywords: internet insurance, insurer, on-line insurance, virtual economy, internet services.


A mass spectrometer was used to determine the effect of spark discharges on sealed CO2 TEA laser mixtures. The carbon dioxide in the spark channel was completely dissociated, but the overall dissociation coefficient of the CO2 was less than that in a comparable distributed discharge. No oxides of nitrogen were found in concentrations which would lead to instability in the main discharge.


Handmarkings or handwritten editing marks can be used as direct editing commands to an interactive computer system. Five exploratory experiments studied the potential value of handmarkings for editing text and pictures, as well as for some specific results. Circles are the most frequently used scoping mark, and arrows are the most frequently used operator and target indicators. Experimental comparisons showed that handmarkings have the potential to be faster than keyboards and mice for editing tasks. Their ultimate value will, however, depend on the style and details of their user-interface implementation.


The Commercial Contraceptive Marketing Program was developed by the Population Center Foundation in the Philippines to increase participatio n of private commercial firms in promotion and distribution of nonclinical contraceptives. The program was started to eliminate ignorance concerning contraceptive methods to increase contraceptive acceptance and to decrease dropouts from the program. It is hoped that all 200000 sari-sari stores in the Philippines will eventually become involved in marketing contraceptives. This will free government personnel for the work of extending family planning services to the rural areas. The history of the development of a plan for commercial marketing of condoms in the Philippines is discussed.


Accuracy of aviation weather forecasts is one of the main indicators characterizing the quality of meteorological support of flights. A significant influence of the quality of meteorological support on flight safety and regularity is confirmed by the results of the annual tests conducted by the Federal Agency for Air Transport of Russia and "Aviamettelecom of Roshydromet". Currently, the quality of meteorological support of flights is still at a low level compared to countries that are recognized leaders in the aviation industry. To develop high-quality weather forecasts for the airfield weather service requires a large amount of information, which is based on the data of meteorological measurements and observations obtained by aerodrome meteorological systems. The lack of reliable information about the value of meteorological parameters of the atmosphere does not allow the weather man to form a qualitative weather forecast, so there are cases when the weather forecaster of the airfield weather service gives a reinsurance forecast. At the same time modern airfield meteorological systems have sufficiently advanced systems and devices for measuring the parameters of the atmosphere. The full use of all the advantages of these systems for the development of high-quality weather forecasts and, therefore, to improve their accuracy can be achieved through integrated processing of the meteorological information received. The most important characteristic of the atmosphere is the air temperature at aircraft flying altitudes. Reliable knowledge of the temperature profile largely determines the justification of weather forecasts and forecasts of dangerous weather events for aviation. The article considers, as an example, the algorithm of complex processing of information about the temperature profile in the aerodrome area, the structural scheme of the algorithm is obtained and te results of modeling the temperature profile and its complex evaluation are presented.


In this two part article, the author considers hazardous materials audits: what they are, why they should be performed, what they should encompass, and who should perform them. He also describes the actual mechanics of the audit process. In this second segment, the author discusses the mechanics of performing the audit: who should perform the audit, the necessary disciplines that should be involved in the audit team and how the team should be prepared and assigned the task. Finally, the audit report itself is considered.


BACKGROUND
There are no data about arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) formation, survival, and complications rate in patients with end-stage renal failure in Lithuania.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
We analyzed the data of patients (N=272) with end-stage renal failure, dialyzed at the Hospital of Kaunas University of Medicine from January 1, 2000, until March 30, 2010, and identified 368 cases of AVF creation. The patients were divided into two groups: group 1 included the patients with an AVF that functioned for <15 months (n=138) and group 2 included patients with an AVF that functioned for ≥15 months (n=171).

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Less than half (47%) of the patients started planned hemodialysis and 51% of the patients started hemodialysis urgently. The mean time of AVF functioning was 15.43±8.67 months. Age, gender, the kidney disease, and time of AVF maturation had no influence on AVF functioning time. AVFs of the patients who started planned hemodialysis functioned longer as compared to AVFs of the patients who started hemodialysis urgently (P<0.05). Hospitalization time of the patients who started hemodialysis urgently was longer as compared that of the patients who had a matured AVF (37.63±20.55 days vs. 16.54±9.43 days). The first vascular access had better survival than repeated access. AVF survival in patients with ischemic brain vascular disease was worse than in patients without this comorbidity.


Provided is a gas turbine engine comprising a shroud (8c) that is arranged so as to face the tip of a turbine rotor blade (8a). The blocking of a plurality of film cooling holes (21) in the shroud (8c) is prevented by configuring the film cooling holes (21) so as to open into the bottom of groove sections (20) that are provided to the surface of the shroud (8c) that faces the tip of the turbine rotor blade (8a).


This paper describes a signal processing method for automated detection, identification, and registration (ALDIR) of optically marked anatomical fiduciary landmarks from 3-D laser digitized body segment measurements. The method described is a multistage process. In the first stage, body surface reflectivity and topography information is used to detect optical markers in digitized measurement data. In the second stage, a maximum likelihood identification is used to identify each of the detected landmarks. Finally, the method identified landmarks and their relative spatial coordinates are registered and output. This can be used in a prosthetics-orthotics (or other) computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) system to compute a quantitative diagnostic measure of the patient's physiological state; as a measure of efficacy of a given medical treatment regimen; or an addition to an anthropometric/medical data base.


We present a fourteen-year data summary of the hydraulic characteristics of the large helical device (LHD) poloidal coils. The superconductors of the poloidal coils are cable-in-conduit conductors (CICC) cooled by circulated supercritical helium. The long-term operation of the LHD demonstrates that the initial hydraulic characteristics can be maintained without flow obstruction. Fine mesh filters installed at the inlet trapped impurities during cool-down of the coils, confirmed by monitoring the pressure drop of the filters. The filters have an important role in removing particles of impurities in the helium and maintaining the hydraulic characteristics of the coils.


Background: Laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) is increasingly used worldwide to correct a wide range of refractive errors. Toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS), a noninfectious inflammatory disease with symptoms and signs that resemble bacterial infection, is a rare complication of LASIK. Case presentation: We report a case of TASS in a 42-year-old male patient after LASIK surgery in both eyes for hyperopia. Diagnosed clinically. Discussion and conclusion: Little information about complications after LASIK is available. TASS is a general term used to describe acute, sterile postoperative anterior segment reactions. Patients with TASS will often experience blurry vision with or without pain within 12 to 48 hours after surgery. Steroids have shown to be effective in resolving the inflammatory response, reducing the pain and recovering the vision.


This study was undertaken in order to assess the clinical and immunological consequences of splenectomy for traumatic reasons in childhood. Immunological testing of 22 persons 1 to 20 years subsequent to removal of the spleen for traumatic rupture between the ages of 3 and 6 revealed diminished or absent agglutinins in 10 cases and diminished or absent opsonins to E. coli in 16 cases. All patients were in good health and no clinical evidence of increased susceptibility to severe infections was found postoperatively. It is, therefore, assumed that the diagnosed defects had been compensated for by other immunological mechanisms. In contrast to the opinions of other authors, it is concluded that splenectomy in childhood between the ages of 3 and 6 does not appear to carry greater risks than in later years.


Ascending energy demand and vanishing nonrenewable energy resources have increased the prominence of energy efficiency nowadays. In order to accomplish an energy efficient future for the forthcoming generations of humanity, traditional devices possessing low efficiency should be altered with intelligent devices having high efficiency. Thanks to internet of things (IoT), conventional devices have been turned into intelligent devices which can be remotely accessed, monitored and controlled by utilizing ubiquitous sensor mechanisms. In this study, enhancement of a low-cost intelligent device (iDev) is targeted to develop in order to compute and store electrical energy consumption into a database by an embedded card named as Arduino which has the capability of measuring voltage, current, frequency and power factor for improving energy efficiency in buildings. When a classic device is connected to the enhanced iDev, the device is converted to an intelligent device that is remotely controllable. As a consequence, if a whole building is equipped with the proposed iDev, it is considered that a large amount of electrical energy will be saved for a better and livable Earth.


The rising global concern on climate change and sustainable development has led to a paradigm shift in the Indian markets. Consumers today prefer green products over conventional products as they are growing environmentally and socially responsible. As a result of the growing base of eco-consumers several individuals and organisations are taking advantage of the contemporary Indian market scenario by innovating and redesigning their products with a green perspective. Hence, the concept of green entrepreneurship is slowly and steadily establishing stronghold in the Indian markets. This study is exploratory in nature as it offers insights into the emergence of the concept of green entrepreneurship and its role in the Indian context. Based on the available literature the study proposes a conceptual model which explains the nexus between environmental, economic and social actors in development of green entrepreneurship which further leads to achievement of sustainable development. The opportunities and challenges for green entrepreneurship development are also explored in light of the initiatives taken by business houses, individuals and the Government of India by taking up case studies of successful green entrepreneurship ventures in India.


A 68-year-old Japanese man presented with a nodule that had been present for 5 to 6 years on the right side of the back. Physical examination revealed a dome-shaped, 12 x 13-mm, dark red nodule. It was excised with a 2 to 3-mm margin. The patient remained free of disease during 77 months of follow-up. Microscopic examination revealed a bulb-like tumor in the dermis, contiguous with the overlying epidermis. It was composed of small, monomorphous, cigar-shaped basaloid cells in linear, parallel rows, resembling the palisading of nuclei of Verocay bodies, and presenting a rippled-pattern. There were scattered cells showing sebaceous differentiation with vacuolated cytoplasm and scalloped nuclei. There were tiny, duct-like spaces. The tumor revealed characteristics of rippled-pattern sebaceoma. The present case is the first reported rippled-pattern sebaceous neoplasm on the back. Many spindle cell tumors, such as basal cell carcinoma, pleomorphic adenoma, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans, myofibroblastoma, and leiomyoblastoma, in addition to trichoblastoma and sebaceoma, can have a rippled-pattern.


As the National Hydrogen Economy continues to develop and evolve the need for structural materials that can resist hydrogen assisted degradation will become critical. To date austenitic stainless steel materials have been shown to be mildly susceptible to hydrogen attack which results in lower mechanical and fracture strengths. As a result, hydrogen permeation barrier coatings are typically applied to these steel to retard hydrogen ingress. The focal point of the reported work was to evaluate the potential for intentional alloying of commercial 300-series stainless steels to promote hydrogen permeation resistant oxide scales. Previous research on the Crand Fe-oxide scales inherent to 300-series stainless steels has proven to be inconsistent in effecting permeation resistance. The approach undertaken in this research was to add aluminum to the 300-series stainless steels in an attempt to promote a pure Al-oxide or and Al-rich oxide scale. Aloxide had been previously demonstrated to be an effective hydrogen permeation barrier. Results for 304L and 347H alloys doped with Al in concentration from 0.5-3.0 wt% with respect to oxidation kinetic studies, cyclic oxidation and characterization of the oxide scale chemistry are reported herein. Gaseous hydrogen permeation testing of the Al-doped alloys in both the unoxidized and oxidized (600°C, 30mins) conditions are reported. A critical finding from this work is that at concentration as low as 0.5 wt% Al, the Al stabilizes the ferrite phase in these steels thus producing duplex austenitc-ferritic microstructures. As the Al-content increases the amount of measured ferrite increases thus resulting in hydrogen permeabilities more closely resembling ferritic steels.


Vacuum wafer-level packaged two-dimensional optical scanners actuated by vertical electrostatic combs have been developed. A 1 mm-diameter gimbal mirror with high frequency deflection and a surrounding 2.5 × 3 mm movable frame with low frequency deflection are fabricated in a SOI wafer. Wafer-level packaging with anodically bonded borosilicate glass substrates on both sides together with non-evaporable getters fixed on the lower glass substrate allows hermetic sealing in high vacuum. The gimbal mirror and the movable frame are both deflected mechanically ± 12 deg. at a resonant frequency of 25.1 kHz with a driving voltage of 18 V, and at a resonant frequency of 78.6 Hz with a driving voltage of 10 V, respectively. The internal pressure of the device is 20 Pa.


It is known that rapid edge cooling of magnetically confined plasmas can trigger heat pulses that propagate rapidly inward. These can result in large excursion, either positive or negative, in the electron temperature at the core. A set of particularly detailed measurements was obtained in Large Helical Device(LHD) plasmas [S. Inagaki et al, Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 52 (2010) 075002], which are considered here. By applying a travelling wave transformation, we extend the model of R. O. Dendy, S. C. Chapman and S. Inagaki, Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 55 (2013) 115009, which successfully describes the local time-evolution of heat pulses in these plasmas, to include also spatial dependence. The new extended model comprises two coupled nonlinear first order differential equations for the (x, t) evolution of the deviation from steady state of two inde- pendent variables: the excess electron temperature gradient and the excess heat flux, both of which are measured in the LHD experiments. The mathematical structure of the model equations implies a formula for the pulse velocity, defined in terms of plasma quantities, which aligns with empirical expectations and is within a factor of two of the measured values. We thus model spatio-temporal pulse evolution, from first principles, in a way which yields as output the spatiotemporal evolution of the electron temperature, which is also measured in detail in the experiments. We compare the model results against LHD datasets using appropriate initial and boundary conditions. Sensitivity of this nonlinear model with respect to plasma parameters, initial conditions and boundary conditions is also investigated. We conclude that this model is able to match experimental data for the spatio-temporal evolution of the temperature profiles of these pulses, and their propagation velocities, across a broad radial range from r/a ~ 0.5 to the plasma core. The model further implies that the heat pulse may be related mathematically to soliton solutions of the Korteweg-de Vries-Burgers equation.


Rutherford back-scattering, Hall effect and Nomarski interference microscopy have been used to study 200 keV selenium ions implanted into InP in the dose range 1*1014 to 1*1015 cm-2. Samples were irradiated with single pulses from a Q-switched ruby laser in the energy range 0.2 to 2.2 J cm-2. It was found that capless laser irradiation does not allow complex recrystallisation of damaged InP, and an energy density of 0.3 J cm-2 causes surface decomposition, thus producing indium-rich surface layers. To ensure that the measured electrical properties were due to the implanted atoms alone it was found necessary to thermally anneal samples at 4000DC for 5 min after the laser irradiation. The activity was 26% and the mobility of 300 cm2 V-1 s-1 for a dose of 1*1015 Se+ cm-2 irradiated at 0.5 J cm-2.


The theory of Normalized Systems addresses the problem of developing information systems that can evolve over time, by guaranteeing that each new feature can be implemented with a limited number of changes that does not depend on the actual size of the system. The theory is supported by a software architecture that includes a set of five distinct elements to implement the application logic. One of those elements is the workflow element, which represents a sequence of actions and can be used to implement process behavior based on state machines. In this work, we propose a different approach to the implementation of process behavior in Normalized Systems. Specifically, the approach is based on the use of rules and events as fine-grained elements to build complex behavior. Our previous experience in the retail industry suggests that such approach is capable of dealing with the increasing complexity of business processes in that sector. We also discuss some details regarding the implementation of this new architecture on top of a popular technological platform and its supporting tools. Keywords—Normalized Systems, Workflow and Business Processes, ECA Rules


In addition to other mitigation measures, face masks have been used in schools worldwide as a precondition for allowing school attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The quality and habits of mask wearing have, however, not been evaluated thus far, leaving uncertainty about the efficacy of this measure. It was the aim of this study to assess the accuracy of face mask wearing by children and adolescents in different school situations. In May and June 2022, students of two selected Austrian schools were asked to provide information about the different variations in wearing a face mask in different situations at school (in classrooms with or without the presence of a teacher, and in school buildings outside classrooms without the presence of a teacher). Strongly divergent results were identified for the amount of time in which face masks were worn correctly in the three different situations (p < 0.001, eta = 0.29). In the presence of a teacher, masks were worn correctly 63.7% of the time, while this percentage decreased to 31.9% when no teacher was present (p < 0.001). These results suggest the limited efficacy of mandatory face masks in schools. Should this measure become necessary again in the future due to the pandemic situation and highly pathogenic variants, special efforts are necessary in order to improve the quality of face mask wearing by school children.


From 2009 to 2015, the laboratories of the 19-hospital North Shore-LIJ Health System experienced 5 threatened interruptions in service and supported 2 regional health-care providers with threatened interruptions in their laboratory service. We report our strategies to maintain laboratory performance during these events, drawing upon the strengths of our integrated laboratory service line. Established in 2009, the laboratory service line has unified medical and administrative leadership and system-wide divisional structure, quality management, and standardization of operations and procedures. Among many benefits, this governance structure enabled the laboratories to respond to a series of unexpected events. Specifically, at our various service sites, the laboratories dealt with pandemic (2009), 2 floods (2010, 2012), 2 fires (2010, 2015), and laboratory floor subsidence (2013). We were also asked to provide support for a regional physician network facing abrupt loss of testing services from closure of another regional clinical laboratory (2010) and to intervene for a non-health system hospital threatened with closure owing to noncompliance of laboratory operations (2012). In all but a single instance, patient care was served without interruption in service. In the last instance, fire interrupted laboratory services for 30 minutes. We conclude that in a large integrated health system, threats to continuous laboratory operations are not infrequent when measured on an annual basis. While most threats are from external physical circumstances, some emanate from unexpected administrative events. A strong laboratory governance mechanism that includes unified medical and administrative leadership across the entirety of the laboratory service line enables successful responses to these threats.


With the rapid growth of the information age, electronic activities of many kinds are becoming more common. The need for protection and security in this environment has never been greater. The conventional approach to security has been to enforce a system-wide policy, but this approach will not work for large distributed systems where entirely new security issues and concerns are emerging.We argue that a new model is needed that shifts the emphasis from "system as enforcer" to user-definable policies in which the cost scales with the degree of security required. Users ought to be able to select the level of security they need and pay only the overhead necessary to achieve it. Moreover, ultimately, they must be responsible for their own security. This research is being carried out in the context of the Legion project. We start by describing the objectives and philosophy of the overall project and then present our conceptual model and tentative implementation plan. A set of technical challenges is also addressed.


This study investigated conflictual independence from parents (defined as a relationship free of anger and resentment), adjustment, and alcohol use among college students at a midwestern technical university (N = 109). Results showed that adjustment, as measured by the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (1989), was associated with having achieved conflictual independence from one's parents as measured by Hoffman's (1984) Psychological Separation Inventory. Additionally, greater alcohol use was associated with having achieved less conflictual independence from parents; the most frequent and strongest relationships occurred with respect to the mother-student relationship. The results suggested that the parent-student relationship has an impact on late adolescent development and that it also may play a role in alcohol use by college students.


Embodied AI agents continue to become more capable every year with the advent of new models, environments, and benchmarks, but are still far away from being performant and reliable enough to be deployed in real, user-facing, applications. In this paper, we ask: can we bridge this gap by enabling agents to ask for assistance from an expert such as a human being? To this end, we propose the Ask4Help policy that augments agents with the ability to request, and then use expert assistance. Ask4Help policies can be efficiently trained without modifying the original agent's parameters and learn a desirable trade-off between task performance and the amount of requested help, thereby reducing the cost of querying the expert. We evaluate Ask4Help on two different tasks -- object goal navigation and room rearrangement and see substantial improvements in performance using minimal help. On object navigation, an agent that achieves a $52\%$ success rate is raised to $86\%$ with $13\%$ help and for rearrangement, the state-of-the-art model with a $7\%$ success rate is dramatically improved to $90.4\%$ using $39\%$ help. Human trials with Ask4Help demonstrate the efficacy of our approach in practical scenarios. We release the code for Ask4Help here: https://github.com/allenai/ask4help.


Abstract: In the past 15 years several steps have been taken in the Swedish school system towards deregulation and decentralisation. The reforms have enhanced and increased possi¬bility and responsibility as to school staffs to choose educational methods, subject content, and to decide how to organise time. Schools in general, and 900 pilot schools with no set timetable in particular, are now empowered to decide for themselves how to arrange the school days of their pupils. A study of 326 time schedules from 33 schools indicates that many schools, especially grade 7-9, choose to allot time to Mentor time. A fact that gives rise to questions like: What is Mentor time? What is going on in these lessons? And what sense does Mentor time seem to give the pupils? Based on group interviews with pupils in grade 8 and 9, the main purpose of this paper is to investigate what the pupils perceive they are doing during Mentor time lessons, and to interpret what this might mean in -Curriculum terms-.


The effect of a deposited soft thin metallic film on friction properties of a hardened steel substrate has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. The dependency of the film thickness and contact load on the static friction coefficient is presented. The experimental observations show that deformation of the film in contact was plastic, thereby confirming the assumption of the theoretical calculation. The effect of the film thickness on the contact area has been analyzed. A model for calculating the static friction coefficient of contacting rough surfaces in the presence of a soft thin film has been used. Results from the numerical calculations have been compared with the present static friction measurements performed on a pin on plate reciprocating apparatus. The rise in friction that occurs with increasing thickness for very thin films is discussed in detail. The calculated results, which predict the correct trend of the friction behavior from the present experiment, cover an extremely large range of F/A n E from 10 -12 to 10 -2 , where three different dependencies of F/A n E on the static friction coefficient can be identified. An investigation into the discrepancy between the calculated and experimental values for the static friction coefficient μ suggests that an accurate prediction of the magnitude of μ depends to a great extent on the level of accuracy in measuring the value of the constant ξ, the effective hardness of the film.


Aim. To investigate the distribution of nitric oxide synthase in tissues derived from patients with autoimmune or neoplastic disorders of the thyroid gland in order to test whether the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase or endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase (two subtypes of EC 126.96.36.199) may be related to the inflammatory activity or degree of neoplasia. Experimental design. The expression of nitric oxide synthases was examined by immunohistochemistry in tissues from patients with either Hashimoto's thyroiditis (n=6), hyperplastic glands (Graves' disease) (n=7), adenomas (n=8), multinodular goitres (n=7), papillary carcinomas (n=4) or follicular carcinomas (n=5). Results. Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase was found in 22 of the tissues and was not specific for any of the examined thyroid disorders. Expression of endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase was found in some of the epithelial cells in all the tissues. There was no correlation between the intensity and distribution of the immunostaining and the thyroid disorders. Conclusion. Demonstration of nitric oxide synthase cannot be used for diagnostic purposes. The expression of endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase in all tissues indicates that the enzyme may be of importance for the function or growth of the thyroid epithelial cells.


INTRODUCTION
Viruses are the most important causative agents of acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRTIs), ranked as the second leading cause of death and the primary cause of hospitalization in children. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) are among the commonest viral causes of severe ALRTI. In this study, we aimed to study the burden of both RSV and hMPV in causing severe ALRTI in children younger than two years of age admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).

METHODOLOGY
Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from children admitted to the PICU with a diagnosis of community-acquired ALRTI who were two years of age or younger. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to test for RSV and hMPV.

RESULTS
A total of 127 swabs were screened for RSV and hMPV, of which 49.6% were negative for RSV and hMPV, 46.4% were positive for RSV, and 3.9% were positive for hMPV. With respect to RSV, the mean age of cases (4.01 ± 5.05) and the monthly distribution (mainly January) were the most important risk factors. There were no statistically significant differences between the RSV group and control group regarding duration of hospital stay, mechanical ventilation need or duration, and underlying chronic conditions.

CONCLUSIONS
RSV is important viral cause of severe ALRTIs in children younger than two years of age during this study period; hMPV played a minor role.


Among the powerful dipeptidases of the cytosol fraction the well-characterized 'master' dipeptidase of broad substrate specificity is an example of a 'true' dipeptidase. There are only a limited number of peptidases which together can hydrolyse the total range of the theoretically possible dipeptides. In the lumen, the dipeptides of dietary origin apparently enter the cell through a single transport system of broad specificity in the monkey and possibly also in man. Perfusion studies indicated impared absorption of glycine and Gly-Gly in Indian compared to English subjects, but the kinetic advantage of dipeptide uptake over that of the free amino acid was maintained. In patients with tropical sprue, apart from decreased peptide absorption, there was an increased 'backflow' of the constituent amino acids. The back-flow assumes nutritional significance since dipeptide uptake is competitively inhibited by amino acids of a certain specificity. Inhibition of brush border glycylglycine hydrolase (glycylglycine dipeptidase, EC 18.104.22.168) by L- leucine is non-competitive while that of cytosol enzyme is competitive. Certain other amino acids have no effect on glycylleucine hydrolase (glycylleucine dipeptidase, EC 184.108.40.206) from either fraction but inhibit Gly-Leu uptake. Thus, the inhibition of dipeptide uptake appears to be a consequence of interaction of amino acids directly with the dipeptide transport system and not with dipeptidases.


Background: We report on the emergence of a rare and atypical variant of castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) that is characterised by transformation into poorly differentiated neuroendocrine small-cell carcinoma (NSCC). The existence of this variant was previously described in isolated case reports and small case-studies, but as yet there has been no UK series reported in the literature. Methods: Between January 2010 and January 2014, eight cases were presented in our local multi-disciplinary team meeting having a diagnosis of NSCC arising on a background of prostate cancer treated with androgen deprivation therapy. We performed a retrospective review of the clinical records of these patients, to identify the mode of presentation, diagnostic investigations, pathological characteristics, and subsequent treatment and survival outcomes. Results: The median patient age was 77 years (range, 68 – 84), with a median time interval of 25 months (range, 7 – 83) between the original diagnosis and subsequent transformation to NSCC. The median prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was 4 ng/ml, at presentation. Most patients presented with local progression, combined with high-volume and atypical sites of metastasis (e.g. brain, pancreas and penis). Patients developed a good initial response to platinum-based chemotherapy, but responses were short-lived and prognosis poor, with a median overall survival (OS) of 8 months. Conclusion: Prostate NSCC represents an atypical variant of CRPC with significant therapeutic and prognostic implications. Based on our observations, we have proposed a clinical algorithm for early diagnosis and appropriate management of these patients.


One of the most important, but often ignored, parts of any clustering and classification algorithm is the computation of the similarity matrix. This is especially important when integrating high throughput biological data sources because of the high noise rates and the many missing values. In this paper we present a new method to compute such similarities for the task of classifying pairs of proteins as interacting or not. Our method uses direct and indirect information about interaction pairs to constructs a random forest (a collection of decision tress) from a training set. The resulting forest is used to determine the similarity between protein pairs and this similarity is used by a classification algorithm (a modified kNN) to classify protein pairs. Testing the algorithm on yeast data indicates that it is able to improve coverage to 20% of interacting pairs with a false positive rate of 50%. These results compare favorably with all previously suggested methods for this task indicating the importance of robust similarity estimates.


The speed of the spread of Internet worms increased dramatic ally n recent years. Moreover it is certain that it will continue to increase in the near future w ith the increase in available bandwidth and network resources. The fastest known worm (only in literatu re) is the Flash worm, which can infect over a million hosts in less than one second. This paper presents a variant of the Flash worm that we term Compact Flash or CFlash that is capable of spreading even fas ter than its predecessor. We perform a comparative study between the Flash worm and the CFlash worm using a full packet-level simulator, and the results show the increase in propagation rate of the n ew worm given the same set of parameters.


We propose a probabilistic model to aggregate the answers of respondents answering multiple-choice questions. The model does not assume that everyone has access to the same information, and so does not assume that the consensus answer is correct. Instead, it infers the most probable world state, even if only a minority vote for it. Each respondent is modeled as receiving a signal contingent on the actual world state, and as using this signal to both determine their own answer and predict the answers given by others. By incorporating respondent's predictions of others' answers, the model infers latent parameters corresponding to the prior over world states and the probability of different signals being received in all possible world states, including counterfactual ones. Unlike other probabilistic models for aggregation, our model applies to both single and multiple questions, in which case it estimates each respondent's expertise. The model shows good performance, compared to a number of other probabilistic models, on data from seven studies covering different types of expertise.


A cooperative event detection system for video sensor grid, which called VECON, is designed and implemented. The structure and work principle of VECON are discussed and the event definition language and the multiple event relationship diagram of VECON system are emphasized. A general framework is constructed for the cooperative event detection based on multi-agent technique. Finally, VECON is primarily validated via experiments


Friend Leukemia Virus is taken up by mouse macrophages and propagated. During in vitro infection no cytopathic effect nor any visible transformation occurs. For three weeks the cells contain infectious virus; infectious units are also shed into the medium.


This paper reports the findings of an investigation of lexical errors in the Open and Distance Learning students' essays at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). The study made use of tagged sample essays to find out the frequency and types of lexical errors in different registers of guided writing administered to randomly selected 300 and 400 level students undergoing the B.A English programme in the university. These categories of students were selected because the university regulation stipulates that all their examinations have to be manually written. The findings of the study reveal that ODL students in the B.A English programme in NOUN committed lexical choice errors more than lexical form errors. Lexical choice includes individual and combined choice of lexical items. Lexical form involves derivational and spelling errors. There are broadly two kinds of errors including interlingual and intralingual errors. Transfer errors mean a failure to keep a conceptual separation between L1 and L2. They represent interlingual errors. Transfer errors are different for each L1-L2 pair, while intralingual errors are the result of inadequate knowledge of the second language. The study postulates that simplification and over generalization errors might be made by any language learner based on low L2 proficiency. It then concludes that lexical errors are a natural and a necessary phenomenon in language teaching and learning and they benefit learners immensely, especially as they will try to avoid committing such errors in subsequent writings. Indeed, teachers should not prevent students from making errors but should always find ways to identify and correct them in the ODL classroom.

 Key words: Lexical errors, Open and Distance Learning, L1-L2 proficiency, language teaching, pedagogical techniques.


Due to the specific characteristic which is related to stage performance, the academic researches of drama translation have so far been limited. Before the mid 1970 s, discussions about drama translation were mainly limited to the study of the translated text of drama by applying the prescribed method of comparative analysis in order to explore the equivalence between the translation and the original. While after the mid 1970 s, researches on drama translation started to be done by applying the descriptive method. Some translation theorists and scholars began to study the translated text of drama on the background of target language culture, which had made fruitful achievements. Recently, studies on drama translation mostly paid attention to such issues as the nature of drama translation, the purpose of drama translation, the characteristics of the translated text of drama, performability and orality in drama translation, transformation of dramatic culture and the status of drama translators, etc. By applying Xie Tianzhen's theory of creative treason, this drama translation can be studied from a new perspective.


Designing and constructing bimetallic hierarchical structures is vital for the conversion-alloy reaction anode of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Particularly, the rationally designed hetero-interface engineering can offer fast diffusion kinetics in the interface, leading to the improved high-power surface pseudocapacitance and cycling stability for SIBs. Herein, the hierarchical zinc-tin sulfide nanocages (ZnS-NC/SnS2 ) are constructed through hydrothermal and sulfuration reactions. The unconventional hierarchical design with internal void space greatly optimizes the structure stability, and bimetallic sulfide brings a bimetallic composite interface and N heteroatom doping, which are devoted to high electrochemical activity and improved interfacial charge transfer rate for Na+ storage. Remarkably, the ZnS-NC/SnS2 composite anode exhibits a delightful reversible capacity of 595 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles at 0.2 A g-1 , and long cycling capability for 500 cycles with a low capacity loss of 0.08% per cycle at 1 A g-1 . This study opens up a new route for rationally constructing hierarchical heterogeneous interfaces and sheds new light on efficient anode material for SIBs.


How does knowledge circulate and information spread? Should we think of science as universal and global or as national? These issues lie at the heart of the debates over science and colonialism, over the nature and character of the social sciences in general, and over their place in the worlds of culture, politics, and society. (1) We have come a long way from the sort of intellectual history that is content to treat the influences and dynamics of ideas in isolation. Instead, we now tend to integrate the circulation of the social sciences into its wider political context and pay attention to the carriers of the circulation of knowledge, concepts, and methods. (2) The discussion becomes more specific and interesting when we apply this approach to the history of the social sciences in the Russian empire and the Soviet Union. The country started out as a colonial empire--indeed, one that outlasted all its rivals--yet after 1917 it tried to graft the logic of nationality onto its colonial heritage by proclaiming the various Soviet peoples' right to their own national science even as it affirmed the fundamental universality of ideas. In a history profoundly affected by politics, the relationship between national and international science in Russia was the subject of frequent official dictates (both prohibitions and mandates) even while it was also driven by the major currents of thought that shaped the country's scientific and intellectual communities. The focus of the present issue of Kritika is on the people who were the bearers of intellectual transformation in Russian history. The authors situate them in a localized space of scholarship and the professions, a social space that gave primacy to real-life concerns, and a political space that was shaped by signals, information, commands, repression, and censorship. Although circulation can be apprehended within a social and political space that is national, it is examined here within an imperial (Russian and Soviet) and international space as well. What we find are two levels of openness or spheres of circulation, each with its own circuits of exchange, modes of communication, ways of sharing knowledge, and relations of power. In one sphere we see a formally unified political entity--the empire, later the Soviet Union--but also emerging national movements whose leaders included key actors in the social sciences: ethnologists, historians, geographers, linguists, and so on. The other sphere--Russia's openness to foreign countries--would appear to be more traditional, yet it remained closely tied to the first because it was superimposed on it and reacted to the interstices in the first sphere, interstices created by the need for legimacy and the search for renewal or for openness in response to domestic constraints. Circulation is examined here through the physical movements of its bearers, whose education took them to a variety of European universities and who formed part of multiple international exchange networks. Naturally, these exchanges were not unidirectional, and without, of course, ignoring Europe's influence on the Russians, the research presented here also examines their mutual interactions and how the Russians or Soviets influenced the outside world. This approach does not lead our authors to try to correlate cultural changes directly with major events in Russian and Soviet history, for this would not help us understand the transformations we observe. Nevertheless, the great shifts in Russian history--the transformation of the elites at the turn of the 18th and the 19th centuries, the Bolshevik revolution, the violence of Stalinism, perestroika, or the events of the turn of the 21st century--are of fundamental importance in our context because these were often turning points where those who produced and transformed the disciplines and approaches of social science changed their strategies, whether by abruptly reaching out to foreign scholarship or, on the contrary, turning inward and rejecting Western science, cosmopolitanism, or bourgeois scholarship. …


Whether Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) is a unidimensional or a multidimensional construct was assessed through the development and validation of a multidimensional measure. Item analysis involving 302 working students, followed by construct and criterion-related validation using 249 employees representing two organizations resulted in a multidimensional LMX scale. The results provided support for the affect, loyalty, and contribution dimensions identified by Dienesch and Liden (1986), as well as a fourth dimension, professional respect.


We describe a Nanostructure-Initiator Mass Spectrometry (NIMS) enzymatic (Nimzyme) assay in which enzyme substrates are immobilized on the mass spectrometry surface by using fluorous-phase interactions. This "soft" immobilization allows efficient desorption/ionization while also enabling the use of surface-washing steps to reduce signal suppression from complex biological samples, which results from the preferential retention of the tagged products and reactants. The Nimzyme assay is sensitive to subpicogram levels of enzyme, detects both addition and cleavage reactions (sialyltransferase and galactosidase), is applicable over a wide range of pHs and temperatures, and can measure activity directly from crude cell lysates. The ability of the Nimzyme assay to analyze complex mixtures is illustrated by identifying and directly characterizing β-1,4-galactosidase activity from a thermophilic microbial community lysate. The optimal enzyme temperature and pH were found to be 65°C and 5.5, respectively, and the activity was inhibited by both phenylethyl-β-d-thiogalactopyranoside and deoxygalactonojirimycin. Metagenomic analysis of the community suggests that the activity is from an uncultured, unsequenced γ-proteobacterium. In general, this assay provides an efficient method for detection and characterization of enzymatic activities in complex biological mixtures prior to sequencing or cloning efforts. More generally, this approach may have important applications for screening both enzymatic and inhibitor libraries, constructing and screening glycan microarrays, and complementing fluorous-phase organic synthesis.