Sunscreens protect the skin from the harmful effects of Ultraviolet radiation in the sunlight. However, most commercial sunscreens pose health and environmental hazards, lose effectivity over time, or are simply unpleasant to use, making it imperative to search for greener, safer, and efficacious alternatives. Plant-based oil extractions are promising given their hydrophobicity, nontoxicity, and availability. This paper aims to determine the absorptive capabilities of five common cooking (vegetable) oils using UVA spectrophotometry and analyze the properties of the oils that relate to their efficacy. Oils high in tocols, such as Rice Bran Oil, had the highest extinction coefficient. The analysis suggests that plant-based oil extractions high in phytonutrients with aromatic rings and pi-systems, such as tocols and carotenoids, present the greatest potential to serve as UV chemical filters.


SUMMARY This study deals with the evaluation of the effect of a recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) on dairy production and the metabolic status of dairy cows. Twenty crossbreed (Harton del Valle x Holstein) lactating cows (12 weeks of lactation) were selected at random, and separated into two groups (n=10 each), control group (GC) and treatment group (GT). The GT received 500 mg of rbST twice per month until 24 weeks of lactation. Daily milk yield was recorded every day until the end of the study, body condition score was evaluated, and the blood serum concentrations of glucose, cholesterol, and urea were analyzed, and milk urea was determined. Comparisons among groups to evaluate the effect of treatment and sampling period were made by using an ANOVA test. Milk production was higher (7.4%) in the GT (P 0.05). Mean blood serum concentration of glucose and cholesterol was similar between groups (P>0.05). There was a tendency for the concentration of urea in the milk (P=0.20) to be lower in the GT. The use of rbST induced a higher milk yield in dairy cows in a tropical environment, but the nutritional requirements of the cows in both groups were higher and the feed intakes were not sufficiently high to support these additional requirements.


The imposition of a rigid system of medical audit throughout the NHS would be inappropriate at this time; nevertheless, every hospital and general practice could usefully consider what informal methods of audit should be employed. Most hospitals should try weekly death and complication meetings in addition to their other postgraduate activities. Greater attention is required to ensure that the medical records are improved in both hospital and general practice. Metcalf's (1979) suggestion for auditing GP work seems feasible. As medicine becomes more complicated in terms of techniques and team activities there is a greater need for more systematic methods of defining and measuring standards of care and feeding back this information. Much more research is needed to determine whether process or outcome studies are preferable, and structure and patient risks must be taken into account. Whatever system is devised the medical profession will accept it provided it is fair, educational, and shown to benefit the patient.


The structure of lipophorin, isolated from hemolymph of the Colorado potato beetle, was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and small-angle X-ray scattering. The DSC heating curves of intact lipophorin showed endothermic peaks that were similar to peaks obtained with the hydrocarbon fraction isolated from this lipophorin. The observed peaks correlated with the transition of the hydrocarbons from an ordered into a more disordered state. Changes in structure of the lipophorin particles with increasing temperature were also observed by small-angle X-ray scattering studies. The structural organization of lipophorin was further elucidated by simulation analysis, using a three-layered symmetrical sphere as a model. These studies revealed that lipophorin from the Colorado potato beetle is a sphere with a maximum diameter of 175 A. The sphere is composed of three radially symmetrical layers of different electron densities. The outer layer (37.5-39.5 A in thickness) is composed of phospholipid, apolipophorin I, and part of apolipophorin II. The middle layer (5-10 A) contains diacylglycerol, the rest of apolipophorin II, and probably beta-carotene. The core of the particle (40-45 A) only contains hydrocarbons. This structure differs from another model, previously proposed for cockroach and locust lipophorins [Katagiri, C., Sato, M., & Tanaka N. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 15857-15861], in the small size of the middle layer. The volume of the middle layer correlated well with the low diacylglycerol content of this lipophorin.


• Summary A brownish-black marking on meristematic and bud tissues, designated as Meristematic Blotch, has been frequently observed on several varieties of sugarcane in Natal. The sub-surface tissue damage is not great, but when occurring on buds may affect germination. Several fungi and bacteria have been isolated from affected tissues and whereas bacteria: failed to reproduce the marking upon reinoculation, some gave rise to fermentation of the bud tissue. The most frequent fungus isolates, Cephalosporium sp. and Nigrospora sp. gave rise to a similar 'marking, singly and in combination, but results were not conclusive. Two insects Aspidiotus sp. and Saccharococcus sacchari are thought to play a part in initiating the condition. Fungus spores and mycelial fragments have been observed on the former of these two insects. A yeast, isolated from the body fluids of the latter named insect failed to produce markings or a similar nature but resulted in fermentation of the underlying tissues.


Through a challenging 36 months period, EQUAL-IST project have addressed the issue of gender inequalities in Information Sciences and Technology research and institutions and influenced organizational structures through the enhancement of gender equality at six (6) Research Performing Organisations (RPOs), through the design and implementation of tailored Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) containing specific measures (activities/practices/interventions) to address gender imbalance. In order to maximise the project impact a dedicated sustainability plan was developed, to ensure the optimal use and institutionalisation of EQUAL-IST results and for ensuring that the GEPs design processes and implementation will be expanded from the Department-Faculty Levels to the whole Academic Institution. The EQUAL-IST project applied a sectoral approach to GEPs design and implementation: Faculties-Schools-Departments specialised in IST/ICT took the lead in initiating the process and achieved the goal to expand the GEPs since the initial steps of the process. In addition, balanced bottom-up and top-down design and implementation were carried out both ensuring engagement and commitment of highest hierarchical representatives (academic and administrative levels), taking into account needs and voices of employees, students and stakeholders at the involved research organisations. It has been impressive the fact that all RPOs designed their sustainability plans and secured the commitment of the higher management level, to continue the actions the next years.


OBJECTIVE
To study the adverse side-effects to medication and define their principle characteristics.

DESIGN
A descriptive, crossover, observation study with no random distribution.

SETTING
The population cared for at a Health Centre in Toledo.

PATIENTS
Those over 15 years old during a 6-month period.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS
64 adverse side-effects were detected, classified as follows: definite, 10.9%; probable, 68.7%; possible, 20.3%. The rate of adverse side-effects was 2.67 per thousand prescriptions and 2.22 per thousand consultations. Distribution by gender was 62.5% women and 37.5% men. The 35-45 age group was the one with most adverse side-effects. The most affected systems were the digestive apparatus (46.50%), followed by the nervous system (27.50%) and the skin (16.22%). The most commonly involved pharmacological groups were: analgesics and non-steroid anti-inflammatories (34.37%) and drugs for the cardiovascular system (26.56%). 98.43% were trivial and none serious. Evolution was: 59.37% recovered on stopping the drug and 23.43% with the help of treatment.

CONCLUSIONS
The number of suspected adverse side-effects in the Centre is high, but they were trivial. It was confirmed that adverse side-effects suppose a frequent medical problem in Primary Care. It is important to make health professionals aware so that, when prescribing, they bear in mind the drug risk/benefit relationship. The identification and communication of adverse side-effects, especially of medicines newly on the market, is also important.


The erosion of trust boundaries already happening in organizations is amplified and accelerated by Cloud computing. One of the most important security challenges is to manage and assure a secure Cloud usage over multi-provider Inter-Cloud environments with dedicated communication infrastructures, security mechanisms, processes and policies. This paper focuses on the identification of functions for different roles within future Inter-Cloud environments that belongs to the Cloud Security Management functional spectrum. Therefore, we describe all identified functional aspects and the distribution of these objects in order to define a platform independent model for the Security Management functional spectrum for Inter-Cloud called SMICS. SMICS will assist Cloud providers to analyze the necessary further development for their security management systems in order to support future Inter-Cloud environments. In addition, the better comprehension of the security management spectrum from a functional perspective will enable the Cloud provider community to design more efficient portals and gateways between Inter-Cloud providers itself respective their customer, and facilitate the adoption of this results in scientific and standardization environments.


Despite growing ideological diversity within the group, black Americans have maintained their overwhelmingly unified support for the Democratic Party. We argue that black Democratic partisanship is upheld, in part, through black Americans' use of social sanctions (both positive and negative) to encourage compliance with a group norm of Democratic Party support. Leveraging the exogenous assignment of racial social context provided by the race of an interviewer in face-to-face American National Election Study survey interviews of black respondents, we demonstrate the racialized social imperative of black Democratic Party identification. We show that black respondents are more likely to identify as Democrats in the presence of other blacks, particularly those respondents whose conservative ideological placement provides a cross-pressuring incentive to otherwise make an alternative partisan choice. Our social explanation of black partisan homogeneity is a significant departure from previous accounts that have focused almost exclusively on attitudinal ascriptions to racial shared fate.


The powerful technologies of tandem mass spectrometry and DNA testing for gene mutations open up a multitude of screening possibilities for neurometabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. The continuing challenge is how best to harness these technologies and link them to public perception and acceptance, clinical imperatives, and financial constraints. In a recent consultation exercise, the UK National Screening Committee examined the effectiveness and appropriateness of screening programmes for Canavan disease, familial dysautonomia, and Tay-Sachs disease in Ashkenazi Jewish populations. The complexity of this question of whether to screen or not to screen is comprehensibly addressed in this consultation document. Some of the criteria are straightforward in that all three are serious, life-limiting conditions that follow an inexorable downward spiral of distressing symptoms. They can be associated with a narrow range of mutations and the overall picture is that the technology is up to the task of screening; it is already in place in some other countries including Australia, Israel, and Canada. However, these diseases are extremely rare in the UK and cultural and financial considerations influence the debate, all of which are aired in the consultation document. Clinicians working in neurology and neurodisability need to contribute to these debates. Since the introduction in the 1950s of the test for phenylketonuria, the potential and practice in newborn screening for metabolic disease and other inherited conditions has altered beyond recognition. In the late 1960s, bacterial inhibition assay techniques were introduced and over the last 5 years tandem mass spectrometry. Newborn screening for up to 29 core metabolic conditions exists in the United States and up to 10 conditions within parts of Europe. In today's globalized populations, it is important to avoid assumptions about what screening a patient may have been exposed to. In the UK there are also debates about national screening programmes for glutaric aciduria type 1 (GA1) which, although rare, is a preventable cause of death and neurodisability. This condition presents some interesting questions for these technologies. As an autosomal recessive inherited disorder in which the body is unable to break down completely the amino acids lysine, hydroxylysine, and tryptophan, there is a toxic accumulation of glutaric acid, 3-hydroxyglutaric acid, glutaconic acid, and glutaryl carnitine due to the defect or deficiency in the enzyme glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase. This is a particularly intriguing disorder because it can cause early damage to the basal ganglia in particular, leading to movement disorder, decreased muscle tone, and muscle weakness (sometimes confused with cerebral palsy). It can also present with subdural haematoma and retinal haemorrhages, and may need to be considered in the differential diagnosis of inflicted head injury. Tandem mass spectrometry can identify patients with elevated C5 dicarboxylic carnitine (C5DC) in their blood, but the 30% of affected individuals who only excrete minimal or even normal levels of glutaric acid would be missed by this method. However, the low excreters are to be found in very specific ethnic groups, so each country needs to know about these populations and interpret whether they have specific DNA mutations which would be amenable to screening. Such considerations can influence why some countries have taken up screening for glutaric aciduria type 1 whilst others have not or are in the pilot stages. Finally, the European Organisation for Rare Diseases (EURORDIS) estimates that there are between 5000 and 7000 distinct rare diseases, but that cumulatively they affect 6% to 8% of the population of the European Union. Genetic or heritable conditions are thought to be responsible for 35% of infant deaths and around half of individuals with intellectual disability. This in itself argues for continued engagement of clinicians in these interesting questions of screening, particularly as they become increasingly feasible with the development of advanced technologies. ANNE O'HARE | JESSICA REINE STREET Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Section of Child Life & Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. doi: 10.1111/dmcn.12003


To accelerate the development process in a country, industrialization represents as an absolute and certain strategy, due to the paralelism between development and industrialization. Historical evidents records, as a developing country, Indonesia has made use of industrialization that results in shifting of economic activities, from agricultural sector to the industrial. On Islamic perspective, industrialization must be in accordance with maqahid syari'ah. Established partnership among corporates and small-scale industry must be in mutual benefit for all parties as it is indicated in the Quran


The appearance of a text which is almost completely devoted to the theory of drug action, and in fact covers no particular drug in a systematic fashion, emphasizes the remarkable growth of pharmacology as a science. At a molecular level and in an orderly manner it dissects and demonstrates the logic by which man has attained the ability to control living processes of all types by the use of chemicals. About a third of the text is devoted to drug-receptor interaction, absorption, distribution and elimination of drugs, and drug metabolism. Another large section is directed toward more general principles such as the time course of drug action, idiosyncrasy and pharmacogenetics, drug resistance and tolerance, and physical dependence. The newer fields of chemical mutagenesis and carcinogenesis as well as teratogenesis are extensively covered. A section which deals with drug development and the theoretical aspects of clinical pharmacology serves to illustrate some


This study used a grounded theory approach to study the corporate values of a multinational company operating in Thailand. Its purpose was to discover the "Core Values" of the corporate culture that are held by members of the selected stakeholder groups. The setting involved purposive sampling and theoretical sampling that was used to identify 25 participants who were working at the selected multinational company. Data were collected from in-depth, semi-structured interviews of the participants. Based on a content analysis of the interview transcripts, the findings were presented in a model indentifying seventeen characteristics of corporate culture.This model was proposed as a tentative explanation of the findings at this stage of the research. There are six components of the model: (1) Corporate Direction Force, (2) Adapting at All Time, (3) Team Player, (4) Brother & Sister Working Culture, (5) Business Ethics, and (6) Business Target. This study made a significant contribution to our knowledge of the importance of corporate values to multinational organizations, policy maker, and local countries, especially for the management which uses corporate culture values to support its business strategies, the appropriate management style that contributes to the work atmosphere, the nature of culture, the kinds of people brought in at the entry level, the criteria used to determine successful performance and advancement, and the appropriate types of interpersonal relationships that establish the workplace climate. Keywords : Corporate Culture, Core Values, Cross Culture Management, Grounded Theory


Ocean acidification is a threat to marine ecosystems globally. In shallow-water systems, however, ocean acidification can be masked by benthic carbon fluxes, depending on community composition, seawater residence time, and the magnitude and balance of net community production (NCP) and calcification (NCC). Here, we examine how six benthic groups from a coral reef environment on Heron Reef (Great Barrier Reef, Australia) contribute to changes in the seawater aragonite saturation state (Ω a ). Results of flume studies using intact reef habitats (1.2 m by 0.4 m), showed a hierarchy of responses across groups, depending on CO 2 level, time of day and water flow. At low CO 2 (350–450 μatm), macroalgae ( Chnoospora implexa ), turfs and sand elevated Ω a of the flume water by around 0.10 to 1.20 h −1 – normalised to contributions from 1 m 2 of benthos to a 1 m deep water column. The rate of Ω a increase in these groups was doubled under acidification (560–700 μatm) and high flow (35 compared to 8 cm s −1 ). In contrast, branching corals ( Acropora aspera ) increased Ω a by 0.25 h −1 at ambient CO 2 (350–450 μatm) during the day, but reduced Ω a under acidification and high flow. Nighttime changes in Ω a by corals were highly negative (0.6–0.8 h −1 ) and exacerbated by acidification. Calcifying macroalgae ( Halimeda spp.) raised Ω a by day (by around 0.13 h −1 ), but lowered Ω a by a similar or higher amount at night. Analyses of carbon flux contributions from benthic communities with four different compositions to the reef water carbon chemistry across Heron Reef flat and lagoon indicated that the net lowering of Ω a by coral-dominated areas can to some extent be countered by long water-residence times in neighbouring areas dominated by turfs, macroalgae and carbonate sand.


Metals in small volumes display a strong dependence on initial conditions, which translates into size effects and stochastic mechanical responses. In the context of crystal plasticity, this amounts to the role of pre-existing dislocation configurations that may emerge due to prior processing. Here, we study a minimal but realistic model of uniaxial compression of sub-micron finite volumes. We show how the statistical correlations of pre-existing dislocation configurations may influence the mechanical response in multi-slip crystal plasticity, in connection to the finite volume size and the initial dislocation density. In addition, spatial dislocation correlations display evidence that plasticity is strongly influenced by the formation of walls composed of bound dislocation dipoles.


OBJECTIVES
Our purpose was to define the pattern of AGP glycolysation and concentration in cases of trophoblastic tumors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study population was 65 women suffering from hydatiform mola or choriocarcinoma. We divided them into two groups: 30 patients who required only operative management and 35 patients who required operative procedures and additional chemiotherapy. The observation period was 6 months. Blood samples were collected every 4 weeks. Concentration of AGP was measured in radial immunodyfusion. Glycolysation pattern was defined in Concanavalin A crossed affinoimmunoelectroforetic analysis.

RESULTS
The serum AGP concentration was significantly higher in patients treated only surgically (1026.1 +/- 241.0 mg/l) than in patients who required chemotherapy after operation (740.3 +/- 103.0 mg/l). AGP microheterogeneity was represented by 2 to 4 glycoforms.

CONCLUSIONS
Patients with hydatiform molar and choriocarcinoma reveal characteristic changes in concentration and microheterogeneity of AGP, which are associated with disease prognosis. They allow to determine at the time of establishing a diagnosis, whether a patient can be treated only surgically or with additional chemotherapy.


The recent suggestion of Chen that the diffused hands appearing on the short wave-longth side of the principal series lines of the alkali atoms in the presonce of foreign gases are due to the increase ia the energy of the optical electron in the npper state through colliaiona with a foreign atom is examined. Serious objections enoountered in this theory are pointed out in this note.


The concept of the current signature has been proposed as a means for improving testing resolution over single-threshold Iddq testing. This paper postulates a practical methodology for applying the current signature concept for die selection in a production environment.


A continuous casting method has been used to produce thick aluminum coatings on optical fibers, allowing the production of fibers with coating thicknesses between 0.5 and 1.5 mm and lengths of 1 - 3 m. The thickness is determined by the mold channel diameter and the length is chosen arbitrarily. Such thick metallic coatings with unidirectional grain structures improve the mechanical strength of glass optical fibers and allow fibers to be embedded successfully in concrete without additional attention. A polarimetric type of optical fiber sensor implemented with a strand of thick-aluminum-coated birefringent optical fiber to sense dynamic load is described and a new method for evaluating the polarimetric sensor response is presented.


OBJECTIVE
To report our experience in the treatment of BPH with transurethral electrovaporization of the prostate (TUEVP) with the Roller device (Storz).

METHODS
105 patients with clinical BPH of 30 to 60 gm were treated by TUEVP. This technique allowed removal of the bladder catheter 14-16 hours after the procedure, with a mean length of hospital stay ranging from 19-36 hours. The postoperative clinical situation is similar to that of TUR, with a maximum flow of 17-41 ml/sec.

CONCLUSION
In our experience, transurethral electrovaporization of the prostate is a simple, efficient, safe and economic technique with a very low morbidity.


This study assesses the dynamics of soil loss rates of the Nqoe River Catchment. The assessment is made by numerical modeling of the stream water levels and flow, as well as the suspended and bed-load sediment. Literature states that accelerated soil erosion is a problem in the catchment, resulting in high rates of sedimentation of the 'Muela Reservoir. This erosion is blamed on the over-stocking of rangelands which leads to overgrazing and development of bare soil cover.

As part of literature review, to better understand existing methods for estimation of soil erosion and stream sediment transport, thirteen (13) overland soil erosion equations and forty-two (42) channel erosion and sediment transport equations were coded in over eighteen thousand (18,000) lines of code. Analysis of these models informed the runoff model developed using the Gridded Surface Subsurface Hydrologic Analysis model (GSSHA). The model was calibrated and validated for the Nqoe catchment, and its capability to adequately simulate in this data-sparse geographic region was assessed. It was found that the GSSHA model is robust in its simulations of both stream hydrographs and catchment soil loss. The value of the global gridded satellite rainfall data from the NASA GES DISC proved to be useful and accurate in running the GSSHA model for the data-sparse Nqoe catchment in Lesotho. This data was particularly useful while running land management scenarios for assessment of management activities (reforestation, urbanisation, cropland fallowing and rangeland stocking density) that could best serve to reduce soil erosion in the Nqoe catchment. It was found that reforestation and crop-land fallowing could be some of the most beneficial management strategies for reduction of catchment soil loss.


We present an extension of the Gromov-Hausdorff metric on the set of compact metric spaces: the Gromov-Hausdorff-Prokhorov metric on the set of compact metric spaces endowed with a finite measure. We then extend it to the non-compact case by describing a metric on the set of rooted complete locally compact length spaces endowed with a locally finite measure. We prove that this space with the extended Gromov-Hausdorff-Prokhorov metric is a Polish space. This generalization is needed to define Lévy trees, which are (possibly unbounded) random real trees endowed with a locally finite measure.


Evidence of variation in maternity health service practices has increased the government's interest in quantifying and advancing the quality of institutional delivery care in the developing world, including Ethiopia. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to update and provide more representative data on women's satisfaction with skilled delivery care and the associated factors in Ethiopia. This systematic review and meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items 2015 guideline. We searched PubMed/Medline, SCOPUS, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar electronic databases for all 36 included studies. The pooled prevalence of women's satisfaction with skilled delivery care and the associated factors were estimated using a random-effects model. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were performed to identify the source of heterogeneity. Furthermore, publication bias was checked using eggers and funnel plots. All statistical analyses were performed using STATA version 14.0 software. The pooled prevalence of women's satisfaction with skilled delivery care was 67.31 with 95% confidence interval (60.18–74.44). Wanted pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio = 2.86, 95% confidence interval: (2.24–3.64)), having a plan to deliver at a health facility (adjusted odds ratio = 2.09, 95% confidence interval: (1.42–3.09)), access to ambulance service (adjusted odds ratio = 1.52, 95% confidence interval: (1.00–2.31)), waiting time < 15 min (adjusted odds ratio = 3.66, 95% confidence interval: (2.51–5.33)), privacy assured (adjusted odds ratio = 3.94, 95% confidence interval: (2.23–6.94)), short duration of labour < 12 hr (adjusted odds ratio = 2.55, 95% confidence interval: (1.58–4.12)), proper labour pain management (adjusted odds ratio = 3.01, 95% confidence interval: (1.46–6.22)), and normal newborn outcome (adjusted odds ratio = 3.94, 95% confidence interval: (2.17–7.15)) were associated with women's satisfaction. Almost two-thirds of women were satisfied with skilled delivery care. In comparison, the remaining one-third were not satisfied with the care. The quality of intrapartum care, unwanted pregnancy, lack of ambulance services, prolonged duration of labour, poor labour pain management, and complicated newborn outcome were factors affecting women's satisfaction with skilled delivery care in Ethiopia. Therefore, strategies need to be developed to increase the satisfaction level by considering the abovementioned factors during routine delivery care.


Background Argiope bruennichi, the European wasp spider, has been studied intensively as to sexual selection, chemical communication, and the dynamics of rapid range expansion at a behavioral and genetic level. However, the lack of a reference genome has limited insights into the genetic basis for these phenomena. Therefore, we assembled a high-quality chromosome-level reference genome of the European wasp spider as a tool for more in-depth future studies. Findings We generated, de novo, a 1.67Gb genome assembly of A. bruennichi using 21.5X PacBio sequencing, polished with 30X Illumina paired-end sequencing data, and proximity ligation (Hi-C) based scaffolding. This resulted in an N50 scaffold size of 124Mb and an N50 contig size of 288kb. We found 98.4% of the genome to be contained in 13 scaffolds, fitting the expected number of chromosomes (n = 13). Analyses showed the presence of 91.1% of complete arthropod BUSCOs, indicating a high quality of the assembly. Conclusions We present the first chromosome-level genome assembly in the class Arachnida. With this genomic resource, we open the door for more precise and informative studies on evolution and adaptation in A. bruennichi, as well as on several interesting topics in Arachnids, such as the genomic architecture of traits, whole genome duplication and the genomic mechanisms behind silk and venom evolution.


In this paper we present a method for efficiently estimating the switching activity for circuits prone to a high degree of toggle power by partitioning the circuit and using a lumped delay model to capture transitions along the critical path. This approach is best suited for arithmetic circuits due to their long critical path and is based on the observation that the low order bits will stabilize before the high order bits at the output. This approach offers up to an 85% savings in computational time and resources with a 17% increase in accuracy over the zero delay model for the circuits investigated.


Abstract : This Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I effort investigated the feasibility of inserting spinal preloading technology into the current Advanced Concept Ejection Seat (ACES II). Spinal preloading may be an effective means of reducing spinal compression during the catapult phase of an emergency aircraft ejection and result in a reduction in major injuries and fatalities for the expanded aircrew population. The spinal preloading technology is based on the concept of applying a Dirac high level, short time duration impulse, then after the spine has reached its maximum compression level, applying an acceleration step function to maintain that compression level for the rest of the catapult stroke. The preliminary design is based on the addition of a short stroke Spinal Preloading Piston (SPP) between the Seat Adjustment Actuator Assembly (SAAA) and the CKU-5B/A rocket catapult in the existing ACES II ejection seat. A Gaussian optimization computer program was used to optimize the performance of the CKU-5B/A rocket catapult with the SPP. A SBIR Phase II effort was approved to continue the design, fabrication and testing of the SPP.


The family of heme dioxygenases, as exemplified by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase and tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase, catalyzes the oxidative cleavage of L-tryptophan to N-formylkynurenine. Here, we describe a bacterial expression system for human tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (rhTDO) together with spectroscopic, kinetic, and redox analyses. We find unexpected differences between human tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase and human indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase [Chauhan et al. (2008) Biochemistry 47, 4761-4769 ]. Thus, in contrast to indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, the catalytic ferrous-oxy complex of rhTDO is not observed, nor does the enzyme discriminate against substrate binding to the ferric derivative. In addition, we show that the rhTDO is also catalytically active in the ferric form. These new findings illustrate that significant mechanistic differences exist across the heme dioxygenase family, and the data are discussed within this broader framework.


A deep ultraviolet F2 laser, with output at 157-nm wavelength, has been adopted for micro-shaping the end facets of single and multi-mode silica optical fibres. The high energy 7.9-eV photons drive strong interactions in the wide-bandgap silica fibres to enable the fabrication of surface-relief microstructures with high spatial resolution and smooth surface morphology. Diffraction gratings, focusing lenses, and Mach-Zehnder interferometric structures have been micromachined onto the cleaved-fibre facets and optically characterized. F2-laser micromachining is shown to be a rapid and facile means for direct-writing of novel infibre photonic components.


This paper presents a reversible data hiding in encrypted image that employs based notions of the RDH in plain-image schemes including histogram modification and prediction-error computation. In the proposed method, original image may be encrypted by desire encryption algorithm. Most significant bit (MSB) of encrypted pixels are integrated to vacate room for embedding data bits. Integrated ones will be more resistant against failure of reconstruction if they are modified for embedding data bits. At the recipient, we employ chess-board predictor for lossless reconstruction of the original image by the aim of prediction-error analysis. Comparing to existent RDHEI algorithms, not only we propose a separable method to extract data bits, but also content-owner may attain a perfect reconstruction of the original image without having data hider key. Experimental results confirm that the proposed algorithm outperforms state of the art ones.


Artificial intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing profession that shows continued promise for diagnostic imaging in various disciplines, including dermatology and pathology. The benefits of AI, however, extend beyond the imaging department as radiation oncology departments begin to automate labor-intensive treatment planning processes. Given the increase in interest and research concerning AI, radiologic technologists must become familiar with AI terminology, current and potential applications, challenges, and patient perspectives.


In recent years cyberbullying has become widespread throughout junior high schools around the world, resulting in high numbers of adolescents affected by cybervictimization. Cybervictimization is associated with negative psychological health outcomes. The objective of the present study was to examine the impact and prevalence of cybervictimization in a sample of junior high school students in Jogjakarta, Indonesia. A total of 102 seventh grade students were involved in the study: 72 (70.6%) boys and 30 (29.4%) girls. The majority (80%) of the students in this study reported experiencing cybervictimization occasionally to almost every day. The results suggest a positive relationship between cybervictimization and level of students' psychological distress. General recommendations for anti cyberbullying programmes are discussed.


Background: STAT6 is an important transcription factor in interleukin-4 (IL-4) signaling, a key cytokine in atopic diseases and allergic asthma. STAT6 gene-targeted mice are unable to develop IgE and T helper 2 cell (Th2) responses in several models of allergic and infectious diseases. In experiments to further elucidate STAT6 functions in vivo, we unexpectedly observed severely impaired IL-4 functions in STAT6 heterozygous (STAT6+/–) mice which were further analyzed in this study. Methods: BALB/c mice, either wild-type (STAT6+/+), STAT6 heterozygous (STAT6+/–) or STAT6 deficient (STAT6–/–), were analyzed for their ability to mount an IL-4-induced IgE response in vitro and in vivo. Supernatants of stimulated B cells and sera of Leishmania major-infected mice were analyzed for IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a concentrations by ELISA. Transcripts accompanying IgE class switching were amplified by RT-PCR and the expression of CD23 and MHC class II molecules on B cells was assessed by FACS analysis. Results: B cells from STAT6+/– mice were unable to secrete IgE in vitro and in vivo and transcripts accompanying IgE class switching were drastically reduced, whereas IL-4-induced upregulation of MHC class II was unimpaired and CD23 expression levels were only slightly affected. Additionally, STAT6+/– mice were equally resistant to infection with L. major as STAT6-deficient (STAT6–/–) mice, due to a defect in mounting a Th2-dominated immune response. Conclusion: Different STAT6-dependent IL-4 functions require different thresholds of activated STAT6 molecules.


Studies indicate that a dual pathway between diabetes mellitus and periodontal disease exists. Elimination of periodontal infection by using systemic antibiotics in conjunction with scaling and root planing (SRP) improved metabolic control in diabetic patients, as defined by reduction in glycated haemoglobin or reduction in insulin requirements (Grossi and Genco, 1998). The aim of this randomised pilot clinical trial was to determine if type 1 diabetes patients with periodontitis will experience a reduction in HbA1c levels when treated with locally delivered minocycline microspheres (Arestin) as an adjunct to scaling and root planing. Twenty adult patients with poorly controlled diabetes (HbA1c 7.5%) and adult periodontitis, as determined by the presence of four teeth with 5 mm periodontal pockets, two of which had 6-9 mm pockets and bleeding on probing, were included in the study. All patients received full mouth SRP at baseline. Arestin was administered to all pockets > or => or = 5 mm at baseline and again at 12 weeks in the test group. Probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and HbA1c were evaluated at baseline and at weeks 6, 12, 18 and 24. The results demonstrated that local administration of Arestin as an adjunct to scaling and root planing is significantly more effective in reducing probing depths and providing a gain in clinical attachment levels than scaling and root planing alone in type 1 diabetic patients. Hb1Ac was reduced in all patients; however the difference between the test and control groups was not significant.


In the current era of globalization, business competition is getting tougher and as a market leader, companies must always maintain their performance and improve their performance, so that customer satisfaction is always maintained. Especially the performance of mechanical services to customers whose performance must be maintained. Main problem faced by PT United Tractors heavy equipment service division is a decrease in customer satisfaction. The decrease in satisfaction is thought to be caused by a decrease in mechanics technical competence, the lack of mechanical ability to maintain good relationships (relational capability) with customers and the ability to identify problems (cognitive abilities) faced by customers. The purpose of this research is to analyze the impact of technical competency, relational capability and cognitive ability toward customer satisfaction and to analyse the impact of customer satisfaction toward customer loyalty. As a quantitative research, the study distributed questionnaires to 200 respondents who are customers who used mechanics services, so that it can be seen what variables have a significant impact on customer satisfaction. The findings of this study are that cognitive ability and technical competency have a significant impact on customer satisfaction, while relational capability has no significant impact on customer satisfaction. The influence of customer satisfaction on customer loyalty has a significant impact.


Overexpression of the MDR1 gene, encoding a multi‐drug efflux pump of the major facilitator superfamily, is a major cause of resistance to the widely used antifungal agent fluconazole and other toxic substances in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans. We found that all tested clinical and in vitro generated C. albicans strains that had become fluconazole‐resistant by constitutive MDR1 upregulation contained mutations in the MRR1 gene, which encodes a transcription factor that controls MDR1 expression. Introduction of the mutated alleles into a drug‐susceptible C. albicans strain resulted in activation of the MDR1 promoter and multi‐drug resistance, confirming that the amino acid substitutions in Mrr1p were gain‐of‐function mutations that rendered the transcription factor constitutively active. The majority of the MDR1 overexpressing strains had become homozygous for the mutated MRR1 alleles, demonstrating that the increased resistance level conferred by two gain‐of‐function alleles provides sufficient advantage to select for the loss of heterozygosity in the presence of fluconazole both in vitro and within the human host during therapy. Loss of heterozygosity usually occurred by mitotic recombination between the two chromosome 3 homologues on which MRR1 is located, but evidence for complete loss of one chromosome and duplication of the chromosome containing the mutated MRR1 allele was also obtained in two in vitro generated fluconazole‐resistant strains. These results demonstrate that gain‐of‐function mutations in MRR1 are the major, if not the sole, mechanism of MDR1 overexpression in fluconazole‐resistant strains and that this transcription factor plays a central role in the development of drug resistance in C. albicans.


Ehrlich ascites cell mitochondria are highly resistant to lipid peroxidation as compared to liver mitochondria from host animals. Succinate protects mitochondria from peroxidative damage, proteins from cross-links, enzymes from inactivation of the enzymes and membranes from permeability changes. The sensitivity of Ehrlich ascites cell mitochondrial membranes to lipid peroxidation is significantly increased in submitochondrial particles. Lipid peroxidation in tumour mitochondrial membranes can not be diminished by succinate as effectively as in liver mitochondria. Ascites cell mitochondria seems to be protected very efficiently from peroxidative damage by a glutathione-dependent mechanism.


Abstract In the course of research on fragments from the National Museum Library, a large torso was discovered containing hitherto unknown organ tablatures from the early seventeenth century (shelf mark CZ-Pn 1 K 219). The author of the article reassemble the torso based on signatures and analyzed its content, which consists of intabulations of sacred compositions by leading Renaissance composers (e.g. Orlando di Lasso, Tomás Luis de Victoria, Jakob Handl-Gallus) as well as some lesser-known composers. On the basis of analysis, she then focused her attention on Silesia and the German-speaking milieu of northern Bohemia and Moravia, compared the tablature with similar sources from Czech and foreign collections, and placed it in the context of musical practice in the milieu of Lutheranism.


Embryonic stem cell (ESC)‐like gene expression signature has been identified in multiple types of cancers and associated with high grade tumors and poor prognosis. The ESC signature is further linked with cancer stem/tumor initiating cells. However, it is unclear whether the ES signature reflects inheritance of a stem cell‐of‐origin or reactivation during the course of tumor progression. One recent study implicates the latter because c‐Myc, but not the other tested oncogenes in the report, is sufficient to reactivate the ESC signature in normal and cancer cells. We aim to induce aggressive cancer phenotype in two well‐differentiated human cancer cell lines, A549 of lung adenocarcinoma origin, and MCF‐7 of breast cancer origin. In A549 cells, we generated two variants in which one was transduced with a backbone retroviral vector (A549neo) and the other was a clone overexpressing histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6), a mediator of TGF‐β1‐induced EMT, upon retroviral transduction (A549HD6). In MCF‐7 cells, we established a clone that acquired resistance to TNF‐α‐induced apoptosis upon chronic exposure (MCF‐7TNR). We observed striking similarity between A549HD6 and MCF‐7TNR whose appearance was drastically different from their respective parental lines. The appearance of A549HD6 and MCF‐7TNR culture resembled ESC culture which features compact cell colonies and high nucleus/cytoplasm ratio. A549HD6 and MCF‐7TNR exhibited alteration in cell cycle progression that was highlighted by low percentage of cycling cells in G‐1 phase, a signature of ESC. Analysis of gene expression revealed loss of E‐cadherin, an epithelial marker. Moreover, profiling stemness and pluropotency markers (TaqMan Human Stem Cell Pluropotency Array, Applied Biosystems) revealed elevated expression of several ESC stemness markers, such as Nanog and UTF1, in A549HD6 and MCF‐7TNR. Fourteen out of twenty‐two genes that were aberrantly activated in both A549HD6 and MCF‐7TNR were targets of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2). Majority of the activated PRC2 targets were either markers of adult stem cells (GATA family members), or promoters or markers of cell types other than the origins of A549HD6 and MCF‐7TNR. A549HD6 and MCF‐7TNR exhibited greater tumorigenic property in vitro (soft agar assays) and in vivo (xenograft assays) than their counterparts. Furthermore, A549HD6 cell derived tumors displayed disorganized cell mass which was histologcially distinct from A549neo cell derived tumors that features glandular architecture, a signature histology of well‐differentiated adenocarcinomas. In summary, we demonstrate reactivation of ESC‐like program in well‐differentiated human cancer cells. The ESC‐like phenotype correlates with greater tumorigenic potential. Because ESC‐like reprogramming occurs upon overexpression of EMT mediator or acquisition of apoptosis resistance, our results warrant further investigation of a link between ESC signature and EMT/apoptosis resistance in cancer. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(23 Suppl):C2.


Abstract
There are many beliefs about how additional languages are learned, several of which have informed some of the most tenacious pedagogical constructs. In this chapter, additional language teachers working with additional language students in high schools are asked to challenge some widely accepted beliefs about language learning and methods of teaching language, and consider a technique that better aligns with constructivist theories of learning and the inquiry-based learning (IBL) approach. This chapter includes a brief discussion on IBL, its constructivist roots, and its many permutations. It also explores some constructivist-based additional language teaching approaches and discusses to what extent they align with IBL. Also provided is a six-step inquiry language-learning process, specifically designed to teach additional languages, with discussion on how each stage builds upon the other, optimizing language learning. In addition, a series of lessons are described which show how the inquiry language-learning process can be employed to teach additional languages to students who are not yet fully proficient in the school's language of instruction. The chapter concludes with a discussion on some of the challenges of using IBL with additional language students, citing some of the psychological, cultural, and cognitive needs often present in these students. The chapter ends with a call for further research into the use of IBL to teach additional languages.


Based on the Regulation of the Ministry of Agrarian Indonesia No. 3 of 1997 article 12 paragraph 1 states the measurement and mapping for the manufacture of registration base maps is carried out by terrestrial, photogrammetric or other methods. Other data used in the study are with spatial resolution of 0.6 meters and 2.4 meters in panchromatic band and multispectral bands, respectively. By using of Quickbird imagery, geospatial information for complete land administration purposes is built faster terrestrial methods. Data processing is carried out by the CE90 accuracy test process in accordance with Perka BIG Number 15 of 2014. The comparation of the distance measured in the field and in the satellite imagery was also conducted and statistical t-test was adopted to investigating the significant difference between these two measurements. The results of this study indicate that the standard deviation value obtained from the distance measurement in the field shows large planimetric accuracy which is equal to 0.245 meters with 17 samples of object. This planimetric accuracy value meets the scale of 1: 1000, the tolerance is greater or equal to 0.3 mm on the map scale. The value of horizontal accuracy is 0.725 meters according to the maximum value of CE90. Based on the regulations issued by the Minister of Agraruan Affairs, Indonesia, Quickbird satellite imagery is an alternative method that can be used for making a registered base map scale of 1:25000 and 1:10000 because the accuracies derived from the satellite imagery meet the requirement given by the The Implementation Of Government Regulation No.24/1997.


This paper presents a new method for simultaneously selecting the power system stabilizer (PSS) parameters in multimachine power systems. Design of local output feedback power system stabilizer using local signal of the generator (e.g. speed or power) is formulated as a decentralized modal control (DMC) problem. Exact model reduction based on modal control theory is proposed to make the determination of PSS parameters highly efficient. Results obtained from the coordinated tuning of the parameters of three power system stabilizers equipped on a multimachine power system show that exact assignment of the eigenvalues associated with the poorly damped electromechanical modes can be achieved in a very efficient manner.


Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of levamisole in maintaining remission of proteinuria in children with frequent relapsing and steroid dependent nephrotic syndrome (FR/SDNS). Methods: This observational study on 81 children with FR /SDNS was carried out from June 2007 - June 2017 at The Kidney Center-Postgraduate Training Institute, Karachi-Pakistan. Levamisole (leva) along with low dose prednisolone on alternate day (AD) was used after induction of remission with daily oral prednisolone in children with FR/ SDNS for 6-36 months. Patients with steroid resistance were excluded. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Eighty-one patients with FR (66) or SD (15) received levamisole treatment. Mean age at diagnosis was 3.72 ±2.33 years. Levamisole was used on AD in 59.25% and daily in 40.74% of cases. Twenty-four could not complete six months and were excluded, 57 patients completed treatment duration of 15.68±9.93 months and 51 post-leva follow-up of 11.70±11.23 months. Mean leva-dose was 1.73±0.67 mg/kg/ patient. Mean cumulative prednisolone dose per patient before, on-leva and post-leva was 3389.81±2785.22, 2471.97±2024.98 and 661.37± 905.37 mg respectively. Mean relapse rate per year before leva, on -leva and post -leva was 3.30 ±0.50,0.98± 1.1and 0.79±1.27 respectively. Levamisole was effective in 90% of patients. During post-leva follow up, 76.4% patients, maintained remission, whereas 23.5% behaved as FR/SD and require further immunosuppressive therapy. Conclusions: Levamisole was effective in maintaining remission in 90% while on treatment, whereas it maintained remission after discontinuation in 76.4% cases. Levamisole may be used as first steroid sparing agent before other immunosuppressive therapies in children with FR/SDNS. Further studies are required for optimal duration and dosage schedule.


We performed Transient Absorption Spectroscopy (TAS) on samples of cytochrome c in its reduced and oxidized states as well as mitochondria, and we use kinetic analysis to determine the decay rates of the transients. We also tested the samples following red light exposures to determine if there were any changes in transient decay rates. Mitochondria were isolated from hTERT-RPE1 cells and were tested in a glutamate buffer solution while cytochrome c was tested in a Sodium Phosphate solution (Na2PO4). Femtosecond TAS was performed with a pump pulse with wavelength centered at 418 nm and a supercontinuum probe pulse with a spectrum between 440 and 760 nm. Red light illuminations were performed with a 635 nm continuous wave light source at an intensity of 1.6 mW/cm2 for 0.5 hours. We find transients and kinetic decay rates for reduced and oxidized cytochrome c that are consistent with previous literature. However, we do not find any transients for mitochondria under our current TAS testing parameters, and we expect that this may be due to low Signalto- Noise ratio or choice of pump wavelength.


Abstract. The prediction of atmospheric CO2 concentrations is limited by the high interannual variability (IAV) in terrestrial gross primary
productivity (GPP). However, there are large uncertainties in the drivers of GPP IAV among Earth system models (ESMs). Here, we evaluate the impact
of these uncertainties on the predictability of atmospheric CO2 in six ESMs. We use regression analysis to determine the role of
environmental drivers in (i) the patterns of GPP IAV and (ii) the predictability of GPP. There are large uncertainties in the spatial distribution
of GPP IAV. Although all ESMs agree on the high IAV in the tropics, several ESMs have unique hotspots of GPP IAV. The main driver of GPP IAV is
temperature in the ESMs using the Community Land Model, whereas it is soil moisture in the ESM developed by the Institute Pierre Simon Laplace (IPSL-CM6A-LR) and in the low-resolution configuration of the Max Planck Earth System Model (MPI-ESM-LR), revealing underlying differences in the
source of GPP IAV among ESMs. Between 13 % and 24 % of the GPP IAV is predictable 1 year ahead, with four out of six ESMs showing values of between 19 %
and 24 %. Up to 32 % of the GPP IAV induced by soil moisture is predictable, whereas only 7 % to 13 % of the GPP IAV induced by
radiation is predictable. The results show that, while ESMs are fairly similar in their ability to predict their own carbon flux variability, these predicted contributions to the atmospheric CO2 variability originate from different regions and are caused by different drivers. A higher coherence in atmospheric
CO2 predictability could be achieved by reducing uncertainties in the GPP sensitivity to soil moisture and by accurate observational products
for GPP IAV.


When the needs of Small and Medium enterprises ( SMEs ) are mentioned often think of that have to do with financing as low , however , deficiencies or other limitations may constitute key factors that prevent them to develop their potential a convenient and accurate way . Under this concept, the present study aims to identify the training needs with SMEs Bagaces city as priority. Due to its characteristics, this research is descriptive and is based on the opinions of a sample of 98 entrepreneurs to whom they were given a survey to find out their views. In general, according to the results of this survey, the largest number of identified training needs have to do with legal and tax support, management models and organizational development, technological and structural aspects of nature.


Gene transfer agents (GTAs) are phage-like particles that transfer pieces of cellular genomic DNA to other cells. Homologues of the Rhodobacter capsulatus GTA (RcGTA) structural genes are widely distributed in the Alphaproteobacteria and particularly well conserved in the order Rhodobacterales. Possible reasons for their widespread conservation are still being discussed. It has been suggested that these alphaproteobacterial elements originate from a prophage that was present in an ancestral bacterium and subsequently evolved into a GTA that is now widely maintained in extant descendant lineages. Here, we analysed genomic properties that might relate to the conservation of these alphaproteobacterial GTAs. This revealed that the chromosomal locations of the GTA gene clusters are biased. They primarily occur on the leading strand of DNA replication, at large distances from long repetitive elements, and thus are in regions of lower plasticity, and in areas of extreme GC skew, which also accumulate core genes. These extreme GC skew regions arise from the preferential use of codons with an excess of G over C, a distinct phenomenon from the elevated GC content that has previously been found to be associated with GTA genes. The observed properties, along with their high level of conservation, show that GTA genes share multiple features with core genes in the examined lineages of the Alphaproteobacteria.


This study examined value-added intentions by manipulating the cognitive frame associated with monetary contingencies for detecting prospective memory (PM) cues. We associated a loss-frame with a monetary punishment for failing to respond to cues and a gain-frame with a monetary reward for remembering to respond to cues and compared those frames to a no-frame control condition with no contingency linked to performance. Across two experiments, we find increased PM performance for participants in the loss-frame (Experiments 1 and 2) and in the gain-frame (Experiment 2) conditions relative to the no-frame condition. This value-related improvement in PM was not accompanied by a significant increase in cue monitoring as measured by intention-induced interference to an ongoing task and recognition memory for ongoing-task items. The few previous studies investigating motivational PM showed mixed results regarding whether PM improves due to incentives or not. Our results provide further evidence that, under some experimental conditions, PM improves with rewards and that the benefit generalizes to penalizing performance. The results have both practical implications and theoretical implications for motivation models of PM.


Background: The alveolar volume (VA), determined by single-breath helium dilution, is a measure for the total lung capacity (TLC) that is very sensitive to ventilatory disturbances. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the emphysematous lung parts are less accessible to test gas; therefore, the VA is smaller than TLC measured by multiple-breath helium dilution (TLCHe). Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the VA represents the nonemphysematous lung parts. Methods: We measured VA as part of the diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), TLCHe and spirometry in 50 patients with COPD. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans of all subjects were analyzed with the density mask method, where parts with an attenuation of less than –950 Hounsfield units were considered as emphysematous. Results: A strong correlation was observed between the VA (mean 5.2 liters) and nonemphysematous HRCT lung volume (mean 5.2 liters, r2 = 0.9) and between the TLCHe (mean 6.6 liters) and total HRCT lung volume (mean 6.4 liters, r2 = 0.9). Bland-Altman plots showed considerable disagreement between the VA and the nonemphysematous HRCT lung volume. A weak correlation between the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (mean 46% predicted) and DLCO (mean 46% predicted) versus the HRCT emphysema ratio (nonemphysematous/total HRCT lung volume) was observed (r2 = 0.3 and 0.3, respectively). Conclusion: We concluded that the VA correlates with the nonemphysematous HRCT lung volume, although the two measurements are not equivalent, possibly due to technical factors.


Introduction Based on expert opinion, the length of antibiotic treatment for pleural infection in adults is typically recommended to be a minimum of 4 weeks. This clinical trial aimed to assess whether shorter antibiotic courses lead to more treatment failures than standard longer courses. Methods In an open-label randomised controlled trial, adult patients with pleural infection who were medically treated and stabilised within 14 days of admission were randomised to either a short antibiotic course (total course 14–21 days) or a long antibiotic course (total course 28–42 days). Patients were excluded if their baseline RAPID score was >4 (high-risk category). The primary outcome was the incidence of treatment failure by 6 weeks post-admission. Secondary outcomes were total length of antibiotic treatment, proportion of patients who resumed normal activity levels within 6 weeks post-admission, time from discharge to resuming normal activity levels and incidence of antibiotic-related adverse reactions. Results Between September 2020 and October 2021, 50 patients (mean±sd age 46±13.7 years; 35 (70%) males) were recruited to the trial and randomly assigned to the short course group (n=25) or the long course group (n=25), with outcome data available for 24 patients in each study group. Treatment failure occurred in four (16.7%) patients in the short course group and three (12.5%) patients in the long course group. In the intention-to-treat analysis the OR for treatment failure in the long course group was 0.714 (95% CI 0.142–3.600; p=0.683). The median (interquartile range) duration of antibiotic treatment in the short course group was 20.5 (18–22.5) days compared with 34.5 (32–38) days in the long course group (p<0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in the other outcomes. Conclusions In medically treated adult patients with pleural infection a long course of antimicrobial therapy did not lead to fewer treatment failures compared with a shorter course. These findings need to be confirmed in a larger multicentre trial. In medically treated adult patients with pleural infection, a long course of antimicrobial therapy does not lead to fewer treatment failures compared with a shorter course https://bit.ly/3JJHvxn


ABSTRACT After a hopeful electoral debut, left populism in Europe has undergone relative normalization. While the literature on new parties might regard the persistence of left populist forces as a success, we deem instead that such an outcome should be considered against the backdrop of the initial left populist hypothesis. Based on a discussion of the existing literature and ten semi-structured interviews with party members, this paper analyses the case of Podemos in Spain as a proxy to assess the fortunes of left populism in Europe at large. We describe its political trajectory and explain its failure to go mainstream by reference to the interplay between, at a macro level, the structure of political opportunities and, at a meso level, its interpretation of the populist strategy. In particular, we focus on the paradoxical effects of the representative void, on the specific and unfavorable mutations of the populist moment in Spain for Podemos, and its own organizational and strategic shortcomings.


The name "Great Falls lineament" is given to a northeast-trending zone of diverse geologic features that can be traced northeastward from the Idaho batholith in the Cordilleran miogeocline of the United States, across thrust belt structures and basement rocks of west-central and southwestern Montana, through the cratonic rocks of central Montana, and into southwesternmost Saskatchewan, Canada. The zone is well represented in east-central Idaho and west-central Montana where geologic mapping has outlined northeast-trending, high-angle faults and shear zones that: (1) extend more than 150 km (93 mi) from near Salmon, Idaho, northeastward toward Anaconda, Montana; (2) define a nearly continuous zone of faulting that shows recurrent movement from middle Proterozoic to Holocen time; (3) controlled the intrusion and orientation of some Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary batholithic rocks and early Tertiary dike swarms; and (4) controlled the uplift and orientation of the Anaconda-Pintlar Range. Recurrent movement along these faults and their strong structural control over igneous intrusions in this region suggest that northeast-trending faults represent a fundamental tectonic feature of the region. Figure Geologic features that are similar to those mapped in the Salmon-Anaconda region are present to the southwest and the northeast. In central Idaho, these structures include numerous northeast-trending faults and pronounced topographic lineaments that cut across the southern part of the Idaho batholith, and a northeast alignment of Tertiary igneous rocks that cut the Idaho batholith and adjacent rocks. East and southeast of the Anaconda-Pintlar Range, subparallel, high-angle faults and topographic lineaments are present in the Highland, Pioneer, Ruby, and Tobacco Root Mountains. High-angle faults may have in part controlled the orientation of the northeast-elongate Boulder batholith. Northeast-trending structures are not easily traced across the thrust belt of western Montana or across he Lewis and Clark line. In the central Montana plains, northeast of the disturbed belt, however, a broad zone of colinear, northeast-trending structures is present, and includes: parallel, buried basement highs that in part controlled depositional patterns of some Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks; major physiographic features, such as the remarkably straight, 175-km (109-mi) long segment of the Missouri River, and equally long, buried river channels in southwestern Saskatchewan; a northeasterly alignment of highly differentiated igneous rocks and a belt of ultrabasic intrusions and related diatremes; End_Page 1350------------------------------ and a well-defined pattern of northeast-trending gravity and aeromagnetic anomalies underlying this part of central Montana and southwesternmost Saskatchewan. Taken together, all these geologic features define a broad, northeast-trending zone at least 150 to 200 km (93 to 125 mi) wide and more than 1,000 km (620 mi) long. The zone is approximately colinear but not demonstrably continuous with the well-exposed boundary in eastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba between the Archean Superior and the Proterozoic Churchill provinces of the Canadian Shield. This boundary is also characterized by: high-angle faults, shear zones, and topographic lineaments; pronounced linear gravity and magnetic anomalies; igneous intrusions; and fault controlled depositional patterns and mineralization. That the Great Falls lineament is controlled by a similar Precambrian boundary between the Archean Wyoming province of southwestern Montana and early Proterozoic terrane to the north is speculative; however, the geologic features found along the Great Falls lineament share many common characteristics with features present along the Archean-Proterozoic boundary in Canada. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1351------------


Abstract Maintaining a definite and stable pool of dividing stem cells plays an important role in organ development. This process requires an appropriate progression of mitosis for proper spindle orientation and polarity to ensure the ability of stem cells to proliferate and differentiate correctly. Polo-like kinases (Plks)/Polo are the highly conserved serine/threonine kinases involved in the initiation of mitosis as well as in the progression of the cell cycle. Although numerous studies have investigated the mitotic defects upon loss of Plks/Polo in cells, little is known about the in vivo consequences of stem cells with abnormal Polo activity in the context of tissue and organism development. The current study aimed to investigate this question using the Drosophila intestine, an organ dynamically maintained by the intestinal stem cells (ISCs). The results indicated that the polo depletion caused a reduction in the gut size due to a gradual decrease in the number of functional ISCs. Interestingly, the polo-deficient ISCs showed an extended G2/M phase and aneuploidy and were subsequently eliminated by premature differentiation into enterocytes (ECs). In contrast, the constitutively active Polo (poloT182D) suppressed ISC proliferation, induced abnormal accumulation of β-tubulin in cells, and drove ISC loss via apoptosis. Therefore, Polo activity should be properly maintained for optimal stem cell function. Further analysis suggested that polo was a direct target gene of Sox21a, a Sox transcription factor that critically regulates stem cell activity. Together, this study provided a novel perspective on the correlation between the progression of mitosis and the ISC function in Drosophila.


Abstract The present study is aimed to evaluate the total phenolic and flavonoid contents, and free phenolic compounds of acetone extract of Cuscuta reflexa grown on five different hosts: Coccinia grandis, Ficus racemosa, Samanea saman, Streblus asper and Zollingeria dongnaiensis, and to explore the antioxidant activities, α-glucosidase and tyrosinase inhibitory properties of the extracts. The highest level of total phenolic and flavonoid contents were observed in the extract of C. reflexa that was grown on S. asper (65.45 mg GAE/g extract) and C. grandis (97.83 mg QE/g extract), respectively. According to HPLC results, vanillic acid, rutin and quercetin were found in all extracts of C. reflexa grown on diversified hosts. The extract of C. reflexa grown on C. grandis possessed the greatest antioxidant activities (DPPH; 251.64 μg/mL, FRAP; 26.44 mg GAE/g extract), α-glucosidase inhibition accounted for 84.36 per cent and antityrosinase activity was at 18.29 mg KAE/g sample.


In seeking to gain a greater understanding around group therapy for Anorexia Nervosa (anorexia), this study explored what psychologists perceive to be useful and not so useful about working in this complex setting. Qualitative research studies, with a focus on process, are limited in this field. Existing literature predominates its exploration of clients' experiences, and neglects to consider the perspective of the therapist. This research study aimed to address this gap in the literature. Interviews with eight participants were conducted and transcribed verbatim. They were then subject to analysis, using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approaches. Researcher reflexivity was carried out throughout the various phases of the research, and are highlighted in the text.
Three superordinate themes were created from the findings produced in the analysis. These were titled; Connecting with others, Them against us, and Addressing the elephant in the room. These themes aimed to encapsulate findings of participants' perceptions of what is useful and not so useful about running therapeutic groups for those experiencing anorexia. Likewise, the themes shared participants' observations of how psychologists' experience facilitating group therapy for those suffering from anorexia. The participants offered recommendations as to how to manage the perceived challenges in the group setting.
From the perspective of the participants', the group was seen as a unique and powerful tool in encouraging a plethora of positive therapeutic factors, and had many positive implications for clients meeting others who shared similar difficulties. The participants considered the group process to be capable of alleviating individuals' social isolation, commonly attributed to those suffering from anorexia, and aid in establishing a support network and building interpersonal relationships. Limitations of group therapy in this context were highlighted, and the role of the group in the development of ambivalence and the exacerbation of symptoms, was discussed.
The findings and their relationship to Labelling Theory were explored, alongside their implications for future clinical practice. Such implications included a focus on the use of stigmatising language, the overall structure of the group, specific interventions, and the use of the relational approach to therapeutic work. The relevance of the findings to Counselling Psychology practice were highlighted, and evaluation of the strengths and limitations of the study were addressed, alongside recommendations for future research.


The proliferation of affordable virtual reality (VR) head mounted displays (HMD) provides users with realistic immersive visual experiences. However, HMDs occlude upper half of a user's face and prevent the facial action recognition from the entire face. Therefore, entire face cannot be used as a source of feedback for more interactive virtual reality applications. To tackle this problem, we propose a new depth based recognition framework that recognizes mouth gestures and uses those recognized mouth gestures as a medium of interaction within virtual reality in real-time. Our system uses a new 3D edge map approach to describe mouth features, and further classifies those features into seven different gesture classes. The accuracy of the proposed mouth gesture framework is evaluated in user independent tests and achieved high correct recognition rates. The system has also been demonstrated and validated through a real-time virtual reality application.


For a targeted search of initial breeding material for the quality of soybean seeds, it is necessary to know the patterns of the dependence of the corresponding seed characters on the weather and climatic conditions in a particular region. Global climatic change, the concretization of which is relevant, has a share in this dependence. Thus, the aim of this work was to identify the relationship between the variability of protein and oil content in soybean seeds with climatic parameters in the North Caucasus as well as trends in this variability over a long time period. The study of 1 442 soybean accessions from VIR collection in the Krasnodar region during 1987–2015 had been carried out and the tendencies of the variability of protein and oil content in seeds in this environment were estimated. The regression analysis in differences with forward stepwise selection of variables has been used to construct models for the dependence of the protein and oil content on generalized agrometeorological indices. During 1987–2015, for the period with temperatures above 10 °C, the sums of active temperatures increased by 218 °C/10 years and precipitation decreased by 20.9 mm/10 years. In the dynamics of protein content, a trend has been revealed as an increase by 2.5 % over 10 years, while there is no reliable trend in oil content. The maximum average mean of oil content and the smallest protein were in the middle-maturing accessions (22.2 and 38.8 %), and a relatively high protein content was detected, on average, in the early- (21.6 and 40.0 %) and late-maturing (20.2 and 39.9 %) varieties. The protein content had been increasing with a growth of the duration of the period with temperatures above 22 °C and decreasing with a raise in precipitation over a period of temperatures above 18 °C. The accumulation of oil in seeds was promoted by an increase of the hydrothermal coefficient over the period with temperatures above 19 °C, and, in late-maturating varieties, prevented by a prolonged autumn period with temperatures below 15 °C. Long-term growth in protein content is due to both climatic change and genetic improvement of varieties.


For any high-dimensional data analysis, one's first thought should often be: can I use an SVD? The singular value decomposition is an invaluable analysis tool for dealing with large high-dimensional data. In many cases, data in high dimensions, most of the dimensions do not contribute to the structure of the data. But filtering these takes some care since it may not be clear which ones are important, if the importance may come from a combination of dimensions. The singular value decomposition can be viewed as a way of finding these important dimensions, and thus the key relationships in the data. On the other hand, the SVD is often viewed as a numerical linear algebra operation that is done on a matrix. It decomposes a matrix down into three component matrices. These matrices have structure, being orthogonal or diagonal. The goal of this note is to bridge these views and in particular to provide geometric intuition for the SVD. The SVD is related to several other tools which will also consider: • PCA (Principal Component Analysis): a geometric interpretation, after centering the data • Eigen-decomposition: shares the same components after data has been made " square. " • MDS (Multidimensional Scaling): Given just pairwise distances, convert to eigen-decomposition Data. We will focus on a dataset A ⊂ R d where A is a set of n " points. " At the same time, we will think of A as a n × d matrix. Each row corresponds to a point, and each column corresponds to a dimension. (Some interpretations reverse these so a column is a point, a row is a dimension – but they are really the same.) Then the goal will be to find a projection µ : R d → R k , where k d and in particular R k ⊂ R d , so that we minimize p∈P (p − µ(p)) 2. First we document what the following operation in matlab does: [U, S, V ] = svd(A) = A U S V T The backend of this (in almost any language) calls some very carefully optimized Fortran code as part of the LAPACK library. First of all, no information is lost since we can simply recover the original data as A = U SV T , up to numerical precision, and the Fortran library is optimized to provide very high numerical precision.


The integral and differential elliptic flow of partons is calculated using the multiphase transport model for Au+Au collisions at centre-of-mass energy = 200 GeV. It is shown that elliptic flow of partons freezing out at early time, which is affected mainly by surface emittance, decreases with time and elliptic flow of partons freezing out at late time, which is dominated by cumulative collisions, increases with time. The elliptic flow of partons freezing out early has a large contribution to the flatting of curve of final differential elliptic flow at large transverse momentum. It is argued that the effect of surface emittance is not neglectable.


Internships have largely been used as an effective hands-on learning tool, exposing college students to an array of occupational skills and expectations in hopes of creating prepared individuals for the workforce. Developing a better understanding of recent intern perceptions about their lived experience could help to construct a deeper appreciation between the connectedness of the participant's perception and the internship experience. The purpose of this study was to explore the reflections and attitudes of undergraduate students who completed an agricultural internship to gain useful insights to internship elements concerning internship programming, student learning, and preparation for future career endeavors. This qualitative study employed three data collection methods: descriptive survey, semistructured one-on-one interviews, and document analysis. Each intern had a unique internship and provided insight into how internships could be more effective. Student interns valued their professional internship experience while acknowledging the personal and professional benefits gained because of completing the experience.


The main aim of this research study is to investigate university students' perceptions in learning English as a second language through mobile technology. These studies have been done to address the existing gap in research regarding the perceptions of higher education students in different disciplines at the King Khalid University. This mixed methods research will explore the perceptions of university students in using mobile apps in learning ESL at King Khalid University. The data will come from a survey and interview of 100 and 15 students, respectively, in the ESL Center of the university during their free time. The data gathered from the participants will be treated using SPSS and QDA Miner. The limitations of this study about the number of sample size will be included in this study because of time and related constraints doing the pilot study.


Adenoid is lymphoid tissue located at the portal of the upper respiratory tract. Snoring, mouth breathing, and recurrent upper respiratory tract infections, are the common presentations of Adenoid hypertrophy in children. Adenoids regress after 15 years of age. A case of Adenoid hypertrophy [AH], in a 3-year-old male child treated in the outpatient department of the National Homoeopathy Research Institute in Mental Health, is presented here, with an interim review at 11 months. Before and after values for the Clinical rating score, Mallampati score, Tonsillar score, and Adenotonsillar ratio [A/N] were calculated. The case reporting was done according to HOM-CASE guidelines. Homoeopathic medicines Tuberculinum Bovinum Kent (Tub-b)200c for the first five months, followed by Calcarea Carbonica (Calc-c)200c for the next three months and Mercurius Solubilis (Merc-sol) 200c for the last three months reduced the clinical rating score from 9 to 6, Tonsillar score from 3 to 2, and A/N ratio from 0.82 to 0.66. MONARCH scores for Tub-b, Calc-c, and Merc-sol were +6/13, +2/13, and +9/13, respectively. There was a clinically relevant improvement for the obstructive symptoms and the radiological findings before and after individualized homoeopathy.


Endoscopic bilateral drainage of highgrade hilar malignant biliary obstruction (HMBO) is technically challenging, even for experienced endoscopists [1]. A novel device delivery system was recently developed, originally intended for placement of a plastic stent in the bile duct. It comprises a slim-tip guide catheter (diameter 1.13mm) and pusher tube, which facilitate the insertion of devices up to 1.9mm in diameter [2–5]. We successfully placed an endoscopic threebranch self-expandable metallic stent (SEMS) using this novel device delivery system with partial stent-in-stent (SIS) for a patient with HMBO. A 74-year-old man presented to our hospital with jaundice. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed that the hilar part of the tumor had spread to the umbilical portion of the portal vein with right hepatic artery involvement (▶Fig. 1). A cholangiogram showed hilar biliary stricture (Bismuth type IIIa) (▶Fig. 2). The pathological diagnosis with brush cytology was adenocarcinoma, so we planned multiple stenting using SEMSs with the SIS method. We placed the initial uncovered SEMS (10×80mm, BileRush Selective; Piolax, Kanagawa, Japan) at the left bile duct and then inserted the second SEMS into the right posterior branch through the mesh. We sought the right anterior branch with a 0.025-inch hydrophilic guidewire (Radifocus; Terumo, Tokyo, Japan) and followed the tapered tip catheter (PR-220Q; Olympus Medical, Tokyo, Japan) after the guidewire, switching the hydrophilic guidewire to a 0.025-inch versatile guidewire (Endoselector; Boston Scientific, Tokyo, Japan). We inserted a third SEMS over the guidewire, but it could not be passed through the mesh (▶Fig. 3). We thus inserted the novel delivery system (EndoSheather; Piolax) over the guidewire, allowing smooth passage through themesh (▶Fig. 4). After removing the inner catheter, we delivered the third SEMS (10×60 mm; BileRush Selective) through the outer sheath and successfully deployed it at the target site (▶Fig. 5, ▶Video 1). E-Videos


Over the past few years, researchers have developed many cross-layer wireless protocols to improve the performance of wireless networks. Experimental evaluations of these protocols require both high-speed simulations and real-time on-air experimentations. Unfortunately, radios implemented in pure software are usually inadequate for either because they are typically two to three orders of magnitude slower than commodity hardware. FPGA-based platforms provide much better speeds but are quite difficult to modify because of the way high-speed designs are typically implemented by trading modularity for performance. Experimenting with cross-layer protocols requires a flexible way to convey information beyond the data itself from lower to higher layers, and a way for higher layers to configure lower layers dynamically and within some latency bounds. One also needs to be able to modify a layer's processing pipeline without triggering a cascade of changes. In this thesis, we discuss an alternative approach to implement a high-performance yet configurable radio design on an FPGA platform that satisfies these requirements. We propose that all modules in the design must possess two important design properties, namely latency-insensitivity and data-driven control, which facilitate modular refinements. We have developed Airblue, an FPGA-based radio, that has all these properties and runs at speeds comparable to commodity hardware. Our baseline design is 802.11g compliant and is able to achieve reliable communication for bit rates up to 24 Mbps. We show in the thesis that we can implement SoftRate, a cross-layer rate adaptation protocol, by modifying only 5.6% of the source code (967 lines). We also show that our modular design approach allows us to abstract the details of the FPGA platform from the main design, thus making the design portable across multiple FPGA platforms. By taking advantage of this virtualization capability, we were able to turn Airblue into a high-speed hardware software co-simulator with simulation speed beyond 20 Mbps. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)


This is guide for the final project of Lib2 students. It should also help any student to start a research paper or write a simple essay.


STAT proteins work as signal transducers as well as transcription and activator proteins. In head and neck cancer both STAT1 and STAT3 are overexpressed. STAT3 contributes to malignant transformation and regulates tumor promoting cytokines, whereas STAT1 is purported to act antagonistically as a tumor suppressor. Since our previous data determined p38 MAPK to be a potent regulator of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 expression in permanent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines, we investigated the influence of this pathway on STAT3 and STAT1. Down-regulation of p38 MAPK expression levels by siRNA strongly reduces phosphorylation of STAT3 tyrosine 705 without any effects on phosphorylation of STAT3 serine 727 and STAT1. Analyzing the effect of silencing of ERK1/2 MAPK revealed that this MAPK strongly influences IL-6 and IL-8 expression, but is not involved in either activation of STAT1 or STAT3. Our data indicate STAT3 as a potent promoter of HNSCC progression.


Objective To analyze published papers from one district center for disease control and prevention(CDC) in Beijing,so as to provide evidence and thread for scientific research management and to provide basis for achieving research objectives of performance appraisal.Methods By utilizing SPSS 16.0 along with its constituent ratio and Trend chi-square test function,published papers within 2006-2010 and personnel characteristics were described and analyzed.Results The number of published papers increased year by year,while constituent ratio of Core Journals publication and personnel who published papers is also on the track of increase(χ2MH=7.673,P=0.006;χ2MH=10.169,P=0.001).Staff with higher degree or title tend to publish better quality papers(χ2=169.687,P=0.000;χ2=72.02,P=0.000).Conclusions Optimizing incentives and human resources will increase the quantity and quality of published papers.The scientific administration as well as research capability and writing skill of staff members should be improved in district CDC,in order to explore the possibility of publication goal.


Allosteric modulators bound to structurally diverse allosteric sites can achieve better pharmacological advantages than orthosteric ligands. The discovery of allosteric modulators, however, has been traditionally serendipitous, owing to the complex nature of allosteric modulation. Recent advances in the understanding of allosteric regulatory mechanisms and remarkable availability of structural data of allosteric proteins and modulators, as well as their complexes, have greatly contributed to the development of various computational approaches to guide the structure-based discovery of allosteric modulators. This Perspective first outlines the evolution of the allosteric concept and describes the advantages and hurdles facing allosteric modulator discovery. The current available computational approaches, together with experimental approaches aiming to highlight allosteric studies, are then highlighted, emphasizing successful examples with their combined applications. We aimed to increase the awareness of the feasibility of the structure-based discovery of allosteric modulators using an integrated computational and experimental paradigm.


Mason W. Gross, the sixteenth president of Rutgers University, was a unique man who left his imprint on the university. During his presidency, Rutgers expanded from a student body of 18,000 to 30,000, the budget grew from $18 million to $68 million, an enormous construction program enhanced and enlarged the campuses at Newark, New Brunswick, and Camden, and new professional schools were founded. In effect, Gross presided over the transformation of Rutgers from a private university rooted in the colonial past to one of the largest state universities in the post-industrial present. Yet, Gross was a relaxed and much admired leader whose tenure spawned excellence in research coupled with civility in relations among students, faculty and administrators. The speeches of Mason W. Gross are of more than ordinary interest and merit for two reasons. One is that he wrote them all himself. Woodrow Wilson was the last president of the United States who had no speechwriter. While this is less frequently characteristic of college presidents, it is a growing phenomenon. The second reason for the unique quality of his speeches is that Gross was essentially a teacher and student of philosophy. He was only incidentally an administrator, a title he disliked as being akin to 'bureaucrat.' The addresses selected for this volume were culled from some three hundred that were delivered between 1949 and 1971. The speeches were chosen to reflect diverse themes and occasions. Their subjects range from ideas on education to thoughts about urban planning, and the occasions from commencement addresses to appearances before national organizations. Effortlessly urbane and civilized, always gracious and courteous, Mason W. Gross was a teacher and philosopher, a democrat and an aristocrat. In his new introduction, Irving Louis Horowitz, traces the philosophical sources of Mason Gross' thought as well as his practical implementation of those influences.


A high performance optical sensor based on a double compound symmetric gratings (DCSGs) structure is designed. The reflection spectrum of the DCSG is investigated by utilizing a method that combines a theoretical model with the eigenmode information of the grating structure. The theoretical results, which are observed to agree well with those acquired by rigorous coupled-wave analysis, show that the linewidth of the reflection spectrum decreases upon the increasing distance between the grating strips. This research work will lay a foundation for studying high performance integrated optical sensors in miniature nanostructures.


Based on the research on the least square influential coefficient method of rotor dynamic balance, to deal with some problems like excessive residual vibration and unsatisfied balance effect, genetic algorithm was introduced to optimize and realize the least square influential coefficient method by using the characteristic of global optimization search. Experimental result shows that the balance algorithm based on genetic algorithm can achieve a better balance effect.


Political economists have typically understood the forest sector as part of the Canadian staples economy: early European settlers used forests for fuel, farming and construction purposes, and industry began later to cut raw timber and manufacture pulp and paper for export. According to the staples narrative, introduced by William Mackintosh and elaborated by Harold Innis, in order to settle the land and extract its resources, including forest products, colonists and settlers built an entire society and economy "organized around the labour force, technological regime, legal order, and financial system needed to serve the ends of resource extraction". Building upon Innis' work, a nationalist political economy school has criticized the domination of the Canadian resource economy by foreign capital, markets and technology, and advocated a 'made-in-Canada' industrial strategy. Studies on the forest sector have been especially prominent in probing the contingencies, specificities, and possibilities of building a forest policy that is more socially equitable, more value-added oriented, and more integrated into the national economy. More recently, however, many observers in the political economy and policy community tradition have noted a shift from an "extractive to an attractive model of development" within the forest sector, or what Hutton calls the "staples in decline syndrome". Though he concedes that it is possible to overstate the staples in decline syndrome, he maintains that "we may be at the advent of a 'post-staples' state, in which resource extraction is essentially a residual of the national economic structure, a vestige of an historical development which sustained many Canadian regions". In order to evaluate the extent to which Hutton's observations ring true, this chapter grapples with divergent methods of approaching and analysing forestry.


JUDY OU, SEBASTIEN HAIART, STEVEN GALLUCCIO, JULIAN WHITE, and SCOTT A. WEINSTEIN. (2015) An instructive case of presumed brown snake ( Pseudonaja spp.) Envenoming Clinical Toxicology, 53(08), pp. 834-839. http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/15563650.2015.1059947 When the above article was first published online, there was an inadvertent omission from the authors' Conflict of Interest statement. This unintentional omission is corrected below: The public teaching hospital that employs two of the authors (JW and SAW) has a long-standing contract with CSL Ltd, the company that produces brown snake antivenom. The hospital provides advice to health practitioners pertaining to the diagnosis and management of envenoming and related toxinology diseases. The contract with CSL Ltd allows such queries to CSL to be addressed through our hospital service. Our department provides this service on behalf of the hospital. Dr. White occasionally receives travel support to attend toxinology meetings from CSL Ltd. However, neither he nor his family receives any financial remuneration or other compensation from CSL Ltd. CSL Ltd had no role or input into this work.


14 MeV cross sections for the reactions 107Ag(n,2n)106m,gAg, 109Ag(n,2n)108gAg, 109Ag(n,p)109m+gPd and 109Ag(n, alpha )106mRh were measured relative to the 56Fe(n,p)56Mn reaction employing the activation technique. Both beta and gamma counting were used as appropriate. Accuracies of between 2 and 5% were achieved for the (n,2n) reactions, 5% for the (n,p) reaction and 10% for the (n, alpha ) reaction. The isomeric cross section ratio was measured for the 107Ag(n,2n) reactions.


We consider initial−boundary value and boundary value problems for transport equations in inhomogeneous media. We consider the case when the mean free path is small compared to typical lengths in the domain (e.g., the size of a reactor). Employing the boundary layer technique of matched asymptotic expansions, we derive a uniform asymptotic expansion of the solution of the problem. In so doing we find that in the interior of the domain, i.e., away from boundaries and away from the initial line, the leading term of the expansion satisfies a diffusion equation which is the basis of most computational work in reactor design. We also derive boundary conditions appropriate to the diffusion equation. Comparisons with existing results such as the asymptotic and P1 diffusion theories, the PN approximation, and the extrapolated end point condition for these approximations, are made. Finally the uniform validity of our expansions is proved, thus yielding the desired error estimates.


This paper describes a technique that uses swept-frequency automatic network analyzer (ANA) data for investigating electrical defects in coaxial connectors. The technique will he useful to connector and ANA manufacturers and to engineers interested in determining connector characteristics for error analyses. A simplified theory is presented and the technique is illustrated by applying it to perturbations caused by the center conductor gap in a 7-mm connector pair.


Recent discussions of Langston Hughes in criticism and in classrooms make quick claims about his sexuality. Yet Hughes remained closeted in his life and in his work. In his poetry, layers of resistance mediate desire, denying any stable sexual identity. I argue that this resistance is one of the appeals of his poetry, that we should not bring Hughes out of the closet but read him through his closeting. This appeal aligns with the appeal of today's "down-low" in that it plays at the borderlines of masculinity, knowingness, and innocence. Hughes's closet is racialized; his refusals challenge presumptions about sexual identities as race-free categories. Desire in his poetry challenges us to rethink sexuality and sexual categories today. But those whose sexual identity is in development already do that rethinking; Hughes offers ways to ask questions about one's sexuality without classificatory answers, a lesson to take into classrooms where Hughes is already being taught and sexual identity is in development.