Celastrol was originally identified from traditional Chinese medicine Tripterygium wilfordii decades ago and used for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases. Beside its superior antitumor capabilities, the underlying mechanism of the anti-tumor activity of celastrol was also mentioned, including through modulating proteasome activity, heat shock response, and NF-κB signaling pathways. Some of these reports also mentioned the ability of celastrol to inhibit tumor metastasis; nevertheless, to date, no study has described its anti-metastatic activities comprehensively, or characterized the underlying mechanisms profoundly. In the current study, for the first time, we systematically evaluated the effects of celastrol represented in metastatic-related events including cell-ECM adhesion, migration, invasion, and development of pulmonary metastases in vivo, using corresponding assays and models. Addtionally, we revealed that celastrol inhibited the integrin-mediated Mice melanoma cell B16F10 and human lung cancer cell 95-D cell-ECM adhesion and spreading partially via p38 MAPK Pathway, which also contributed to its antimetastatic effect. Celastrol inhibited 95-D and B16F10 cells adhesion to fibronectin in a dose-dependent manner. When 4 μM of celastrol was applied on 95-D cells, the ratio of cell adhesion was declined to 41% from 100%; similarly, celastrol (8 μM) down-regulated the B16F10 cell adhesion to fibronectin from 100% to 23%. On the contrary, the cell adhesion to poly-l-lysine (PLL), an event did not engage with integrin, was not affected upon celastrol treatment. The formation of focal adhesions was also disrupted by celastrol. Western blot and immunofluorescence assay declared that this inhibition was achieved through suppressing β1 integrin ligand affinity, focal adhesion formation, accompanied with the reduced phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK). In understanding the underlying mechanisms, we found that celastrol activated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) by phosphorylation prior to the decrement of phosphorylated FAK, and was independent on the presence of fibronectin. Using SB203580, a specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK, the effects of celastrol on β1 integrin function, cell-ECM adhesion, and phosphorylation of FAK were partially attenuated. Furthmore, focal adhesion-dependent cell migration and invasion were both inhibited by treatment with celastrol. Finally, the anti-metastatic activity of celastrol was examined in vivo using B16F10-GFP injected C57BL/6 mice model, as indicated by decreased pulmonary metastases in celastrol-administrated mice. Collectivly, these data not only demonstrates that celastrol exerts potent anti-metastasis activity both in vitro and in vivo, but also provides new evidences for the critical roles of p38 MAPK in the regulation of integrin function and cell adhesion. Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010 because the presenter was unable to attend. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3598.


Many of today's clinical neuroscientists were attracted to the field during undergraduate training by the correlations that exist between (disordered) neuroanatomy and neurological disease. Suddenly the hours of knowledge acquisition seemed to have some point. So one might think that a book by an experienced neuroanatomist, which in its very title alludes to this association, must be a sure-fire hit. Unfortunately, Arslan misses the mark.

Arslan relishes his task, and his intention is to produce the definitive correlation between neuroanatomy and clinical neurology. In his preface he states: '... ideas and efforts are cohesively synthesised in this uniquely designed text that is easy to understand, yet remains a solid source of information on neuroanatomy and neurology'. It does not seem to occur to him that this task may be impossible, and that the best any text (especially one designed for medical students) can hope to achieve is to establish the few basic facts and give examples of (possible) correlations. The rest is best left to the students' imaginations surely?

The organization of the text is awkward. The morphological part of the text describes development of the nervous system, the basic constituents of the nervous system and the component parts of the central and peripheral nervous systems. The 'functional' part describes the sensory and motor systems. The author claims to emphasize the neuroanatomical pathways and the resulting clinical conditions in the latter section, but the important cerebellar connections (for example) are to be found in the first part. In both parts clinical correlations are included in blue-shaded text, but here Arslan displays uncharacteristic capriciousness. Conditions as varied as multiple sclerosis and pellagra are covered in a dizzy spectacle that pays no regard to relative prevalence or clinical importance. There are also statements within these areas that are plain wrong: sumatriptan is a 5-HT1B/D agonist; olivopontocerebellar atrophy is not associated with mental retardation. These areas also include hints on neurological examination, details on neurotransmitters and the make-up of cerebrospinal fluid. One gets the impression of unselective inclusion of clinically allied information alongside the neuroanatomical text. I suspect that students will end up baffled and frustrated.

The neuroanatomical descriptions are comprehensive and may be of use for revision by clinicians. Whether or not the detail is sufficient for medical students will depend on the syllabus of the medical school, and this text is presumably targeted at the Chicago college where Arslan teaches. The text is supplemented by diagrams, photographs of gross specimens and cut sections, and radiological studies, none of them of especially high standard. The anatomical line drawings are inferior to those in the classic work by Patten. Each chapter is concluded by a list of references (headed Suggested reading), some of which are entire books. Readers would have appreciated a few words from Arslan as to why he felt the recommended works should be consulted. A great deal of effort has gone into this book and it is not expensive. But the money might be better spent on joining a library or getting an Internet connection.


The analysis of electrical bioimpedance (BIA) is a non-invasive, low cost and a commonly used approach for body composition measurement and assessment of clinical condition. There are a variety of methods applied for interpretation of measured bioimpedance data and a wide range of utilizations of bioimpedance in body composition estimation and evalution of clinical status. Bioelectrical impedance analysis is based on knowledge about the electrical properties of human body. The clues are provided here by elementary knowledge of the tissue and cellular structure of the organism and the basis of physics. The amount of electrical resistance (resistance) of a uniform object is directly proportional to its length (L) and specific resistance (ρ), and inversely proportional to its cross-sectional area (A). The impedance (Z) is a function of the mentioned resistance and reactance (XC), which in turn is inversely proportional to the frequency of the current and the electrical capacity of the system. BIA method can provide a reliable, safe and effective way to study body composition, as well as other parameters resulting from the distribution of water in the body. It can be used in the examination of body composition in both cases: healthy and chronic patients, with particular emphasis on diseases related to metabolism.


Intracellular bacteria (Rickettsia) are found in the Monogenean Euzetrema knoepffleri, vesicular endoparasite of the Amphibian Euproctus montanus (Urodela). In some conditions, they cause cytoplasmic damage in the host tissues, which demonstrates their pathogenicity. These bacteria are present during all the stages of the life-cycle of E. knoepffleri. Their transmission from one generation to the next occurs through the gametes.


Petrolisthes elongatus (Milne-Edwards, 1837) was first introduced into southern Tasmania in the late 19th century putatively associated with
live-oyster transfers from New Zealand. In the last century P. elongatus populations have expanded, inoculating rocky intertidal zones
around Tasmania. We initially identified the scope of P. elongatus introduced range around Tasmania by visiting 57 sites to identify
presence. Density of P. elongatus and populations of two native grapsid crab species was assessed at 12 sites around Tasmania to identify
any biotic resistance. Abiotic factors including substrate availability and preference, and wave stress, were identified at each of the 57 sites.
Our results indicate that P. elongatus has successfully invaded a large proportion of the southern and northern coasts of Tasmania, with a
small number of sites on the east and none on the west coast supporting P. elongatus populations. Densities were found to be higher in
southern Tasmania compared to the eastern and northern coastlines. Petrolisthes elongatus presence was found to be positively correlated
with native grapsid crab presence, however, no statistically significant relationship was found between densities at scales of site or quadrat.
Abiotic factors have been identified as the primary drivers of Petrolisthes distribution patterns.


Based on the multi-configuration Dirac–Fock self-consistent field method, a scenario has been presented to calculate the fine-structure energy levels of C2+ and Si2+ excited states (31 D2 and 33 D1,2,3). The Breit interactions and quantum electrodynamics corrections are added as perturbations. The present calculation results are found to be in excellent agreement with the experimental data. By means of the precise calculation procedure, we elucidate that four competitive mechanisms influence the interesting fine-structure splittings in C2+ and Si2+, such as spin-orbit interactions, relativistic corrections of exchange interactions, the Breit interactions and electron correlation effects. Furthermore, the mechanism of relativistic correction of exchange interactions has been studied clearly. We elucidate that the inner shell 2p1/2,3/2 orbitals are essential to relativistic corrections of exchange interactions which are crucial for the final anomalous fine-structure splittings.


Faculty development and performance are important issues within colleges of nursing. Collegiality is a performance requirement for promotion and tenure, but the behaviors synonymous with collegiality are frequently unwritten within the academic community as well as being poorly defined in the literature. The ambiguity that this situation produces is often experienced by faculty seeking tenure and promotion. Faculty at a midwestern university used the Delphi technique to determine behaviors synonymous with collegiality. Results of the Delphi rounds yielded specific behavioral indicators for the four broad statements that describe collegiality in the governance document of the university. Those statements include willingness to serve on committees and perform work necessary to departmental operations, willingness to provide guidance and help colleagues in their professional duties, respect for the ideas of others, and conduct of one's professional life without prejudice toward others. Findings revealed that while the area of collegiality is ambiguous, indicators of collegial behavior can be identified. Limitations and benefits of using the Delphi technique are discussed.


To investigate the effects of medetomidine on late pregnant goats, medetomidine induced changes in maternal or fetal circulation and acid-base balance, as well as changes in intrauterine pressure (IUP) and uterine blood flow (UBF), were studied. Intramuscular administration of medetomidine (40 micrograms/kg b.w.) decreased the heart rate (HR) and arterial blood pressure (ABP) of the mother, and the change in HR was significant statistically (p < 0.05). In the fetus, HR and ABP showed a transient decrease and increase (p < 0.05), respectively. A decrease in maternal arterial blood pH and oxygen partial pressure (PO2) and an increase in carbon dioxide partial pressure (PCO2) were recorded after the injection, but none was significant. In the fetus, arterial blood PO2 decreased significantly (p < 0.05) after 5 min of administration, and a significant metabolic acidemia supported by a decrease in base excess was observed. Within 1 to 4 min after the administration of medetomidine, IUP began to rise and remained high for 10 to 14 min. Thereafter, the rise in IUP was frequent and periodical. After the injection, UBF significantly (p < 0.05) decreased, and the fall in UBF was associated with a rise in IUP. The maternal and fetal serum medetomidine concentration increased remarkably after the injection of medetomidine into the mother. These observations in late pregnant goats suggested that medetomidine induced a decrease in maternal cardiac output, a decrease in UBF arising from the induction of uterine contractions, and transplacental medetomidine can have a suppressive effect on the fetus.


The search for exoplanets is pushing adaptive optics (AO) systems on ground-based telescopes to their limits. One of the major limitations at small angular separations, exactly where exoplanets are predicted to be, is the servo-lag of the AO systems. The servo-lag error can be reduced with predictive control where the control is based on the future state of the atmospheric disturbance. We propose to use a linear data-driven integral predictive controller based on subspace methods that are updated in real time. The new controller only uses the measured wavefront errors and the changes in the deformable mirror commands, which allows for closed-loop operation without requiring pseudo-open loop reconstruction. This enables operation with non-linear wavefront sensors such as the pyramid wavefront sensor. We show that the proposed controller performs near-optimal control in simulations for both stationary and non-stationary disturbances and that we are able to gain several orders of magnitude in raw contrast. The algorithm has been demonstrated in the lab with MagAO-X, where we gain more than two orders of magnitude in contrast.


Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are a recently appreciated immune cell population that is constitutively found in the healthy mammalian gastrointestinal (GI) tract and associated lymphoid tissues. Translational studies have revealed that alterations in ILC populations are associated with GI disease in patients, such as inflammatory bowel disease, HIV infection and colon cancer, suggesting a potential role for ILCs in either maintaining intestinal health or promoting intestinal disease. Mouse models identified that ILCs have context-dependent protective and pathologic functions either during the steady state, or following infection, inflammation or tissue damage. This review will discuss the associations of altered intestinal ILCs with human GI diseases, and the functional consequences of targeting ILCs in mouse models. Collectively, our current understanding of ILCs suggests that the development of novel therapeutic strategies to modulate ILC responses will be of significant clinical value to prevent or treat human GI diseases.


Schlagworter: Deutsche Entwicklungspolitik, Sudsudan, Staatsaufbau, Friedensbildung, Burgerkrieg, Imperialismus ----- German Development Policy and State-Building in South Sudan. Abstract This paper critically analyzes German bilateral Official Development Aid (ODA) in Sudan, embedding it in a broader review of 'state-building'  delivered by western capitalist states. It argues that, after the  Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between Sudan and South Sudan, German ODA became geared towards statebuilding in the now independent South. Even if Germany is not a major player in the country (e.g. compared to other donors, like the US), its ODA supported an explicitly secessionist conflict party even though the CPA called on all parties involved to make unity attractive. Largely ignoring the causes of long-standing conflicts within South Sudan, the German government thus conceded to the  probability of new acts of violence. In the first part, this paper briefly outlines the history of civil war between Sudan and South Sudan. The  subsequent critique of state-building is followed by a short portrayal of the United States' policies towards Sudan, being the most important donor in South Sudan. The fourth part turns to German bilateral ODA in Sudan with regard to its geographic and sectoral distribution. The final chapter discusses the impact of this particular development policy in light of imperialist interests. Keywords: German development policy, South Sudan, state-building, peacebuilding, civil war, imperialism ----- Bibliographie: Bernhold, Christin: Deutsche Entwicklungspolitik und Staatsaufbau im Sudsudan, PERIPHERIE, 3-2015, S. 419-446. https://doi.org/10.3224/peripherie.v35i140.22997


The clinical development of poly-(ADP)-ribose polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) began with the treatment of ovarian cancer patients harboring BRCA1/2 mutations and continues to be expanded to other gynecological cancers. Furthermore, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) analysis of endometrial and cervical cancers offered rationale that PARPi may be an option for treatment based on the molecular profiles of these cancer types. This review summarizes the current indications of PARPi, such as its role in the treatment and maintenance of recurrent ovarian cancer and for first-line maintenance therapy in advanced ovarian cancer. We also outline new concepts for PARPi therapy in other gynecological cancers such as endometrial and cervical cancers based on recent clinical data. Finally, we present potential future directions to continue exploring the world of PARPi resistance and combining PARPi with other therapies.


This paper presents a new stochastic approach to the comprehensive assessment of the impact of voltage sags on large-scale power networks. The approach takes into account the stochastic nature of power system operation, including load variation, uncertainty of fault clearing time by protection relays, fault rates of network components, and the variation/uncertainty in equipment sensitivity to voltage sags. A new duration zone division method is used to derive sag duration and occurrence frequency based on the stochastic distribution of clearing time required by specific protection systems. The adopted probabilistic representation facilitates estimation of network performance based on a single-event characteristic, sag severity index (SSI), developed in the companion paper (Part I). Based on SSI, a new single-site index with respect to voltage sags (bus performance index BPIS) is developed to comprehensively represent the overall bus performance with respect to voltage sags. The index is used to identify the areas of the network, called weak areas of the network in this paper, containing buses that are most exposed to potentially disruptive voltage sags. The application, robustness, and sensitivity of BPIS are thoroughly analyzed and discussed in the paper.


Physical systems close to a quantum phase transition exhibit a divergent susceptibility, suggesting that an arbitrarily high precision may be achieved by exploiting quantum critical systems as probes to estimate a physical parameter. However, such an improvement in sensitivity is counterbalanced by the closing of the energy gap, which implies a critical slowing down and an inevitable growth of the protocol duration. Here, we design different metrological protocols that exploit the superradiant phase transition of the quantum Rabi model, a finite-component system composed of a single two-level atom interacting with a single bosonic mode. We show that, in spite of the critical slowing down, critical quantum optical probes can achieve a quantum-enhanced time scaling of the sensitivity in frequency-estimation protocols.


In Taiwan, the high proportion of stroke deaths of which the underlying causes of death (UCD) has been classified to ill-defined categories, has impeded valid type-specific mortality studies. The aim of this study was to assess the extent of changes in the distributions of stroke subtypes and mortality after querying the certifying physicians. There were 2632 death certificates issued from January through June 1998 in Taiwan of which the UCD was classified to ill-defined cerebrovascular disease categories (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision ICD-9 code 436 or 437.9). Staff of the Office of Statistics, Department of Health copied 2035 death certificates issued by hospitals and mailed them back to the certifying physicians to request more specific information on the stroke subtype. Responses were obtained for 1505 (74%) of the 2035 queries sent. Four fifths of these (1191/1505) resulted in a change to a more specific code. In most cases, the ICD-9 code was changed to 431 (cerebral hemorrhage, CH, 239/1505) or 433-4 (cerebral infarction, CI, 819/1505). After the querying, the percentage changes in the age-adjusted death rate (per 100,000 population) for CH were +16% for men and +20% for women; and for CI the percent changed were +100% for men and +130% for women. The changes increased as the age of the deceased increased. The changes in the CH/CI death ratios resulting from querying were greater in younger (less than 65 years old) age groups than in older age groups. Given the large gains of more specific information on stroke subtypes, querying is a useful method to improve the quality of cause of death statistics. However, the large changes in distributions and death rates of different stoke subtypes as a result of querying, show the non-querying mortality data are not suitable for type-specific analysis.


This paper investigates the impact of political instability and civil conflict on firms. It studies the unrest in Cote d'Ivoire that began in 2000, using a census of all registered firms for the years 1998-2003. The analysis uses structural estimates of the production function and exploits spatial variations in conflict intensity to derive the cost of conflict on firms in terms of productivity loss. The results indicate that the conflict led to an average 16-23 percent drop in firm total factor productivity and the decline is 5-10 percentage points larger for firms that are owned by or employing foreigners. These results are consistent with anecdotal evidence of increasing violent attacks and looting of foreigners and their businesses during the conflict. The results suggest increases in operating costs is a possible channel driving this impact. Finally, the paper investigates whether firms responded by hiring fewer foreign workers and finds evidence supporting this hypothesis.


In this paper, we present a full view optical flow estimation method for plenoptic imaging. Our method employs the structure delivered by the four-dimensional light field over multiple views making use of superpixels. These superpixels are four dimensional in nature and can be used to represent the objects in the scene as a set of slanted-planes in three-dimensional space so as to recover a piecewise rigid depth estimate. Taking advantage of these superpixels and the corresponding slanted planes, we recover the optical flow and depth maps by using a two-step optimization scheme where the flow is propagated from the central view to the other views in the imagery. We illustrate the utility of our method for depth and flow estimation making use of a dataset of synthetically generated image sequences and real-world imagery captured using a Lytro Illum camera. We also compare our results with those yielded by a number of alternatives elsewhere in the literature.


The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a practice effect on the Hand Laterality Judgement Task (HLJT). The HLJT task is a mental rotation task that can be used to assess motor imagery ability in stroke patients. Thirty-three healthy individuals performed the HLJT and two control tasks twice at a 3-week interval. Differences in the accuracy and the response times were analysed. The results for all three tasks showed a decrease in the response time between the first and the second assessments (8–20%), and, for the HLJT, also a small (3%) but relevant increase in accuracy. The most likely factor explaining this improvement is that of practice effects. This implies that an improvement in the HLJT scores found over time in clinical research may be partly because of a learning effect, which has to be taken into account when interpreting the results. It is likely that a practice effect occurs in repeated measurements of the HLJT.


Aim Most paediatric formulations produced for children are generally liquids or powders for reconstitution. Palatability of liquid formulations is often cited as a barrier to medication adherence.1 An alternative to liquid formulations is the conventional solid oral dosage forms, such as tablets or capsules. However, another barrier faced by paediatric patients is the inability to swallow tablets.2 This presents a number of challenges for children with ALL, as treatment contains a phase of extended 'maintenance' therapy to prevent relapse. This involves taking oral chemotherapy daily, ± monthly chemotherapy injections, over 2 years for girls and 3 years for boys. Prior to 2014, paediatric oncology pharmacists would work with children refusing to take or struggling with their liquid medicines. It was a simple approach, where 'tic-tacs®' were used and swallowinSg these was practiced together. Through education sessions and informal discussions with nursing, medical and play therapists, a culture evolved in 2014 whereby medicine taking was not just the responsibility of pharmacy but of the wider team. Nursing and medical staff were actively involved identifying families that needed support with their medicines. Display boards were created advertising the option of tablets for different medicines and highlighting the different swallowing techniques. The play specialists became 'Medicine Champions' using novel approaches to provide children with the tools, confidence and ability to take tablets. Children who successfully mastered swallowing tablets were presented a 'star award' certificate for their achievement. Photographs of children with their certificates were displayed in the outpatient clinic. Method Paediatric patients diagnosed with ALL between 2012 and 2017 were retrospectively identified using chemotherapy prescriptions, patient's medical notes and electronic patient medical records. Data collected included age at diagnosis, formulation choice initiated on and whether patients switched formulations during the course of their treatment. Children were excluded for the following reasons: if they had a history of swallowing difficulties/choking, if the child had learning difficulties or if the child was deceased. Results 172 patients were diagnosed with ALL between 1st January 2012 and 31st December 2017; 14 patients were excluded (13 deceased,1 learning difficulties). The percentage of children aged 3–12 years taking tablets in 2012 and 2013 was 41% (n=7) and 20% (n=2) respectively. This increased to 69% (n=11) in 2014, remained consistently above 60% in 2015/2016 and increased again to 76% (n=14) in 2017. Between 2014 and 2017, 100% of patient's ≥ 6 years took their oral chemotherapy as tablets. Over 65% of all patients 0 – 18 years were taking liquids in 2012/2013. From 2014 to 2017 less than 50% of all patients each year were taking liquids. No patients were identified as switching back from tablets to liquid. Conclusion This study supports an interdisciplinary approach to tablet taking. By bringing together different members of staff with the necessary knowledge, skills and experiences, we were able to provide families with the tools and confidence to support their child in mastering the technique of swallowing tablets, increasing the number of patients initiating on or transitioning to solid oral dosage forms by approximately 50%. References Baguley D, et al. Prescribing for children – taste and palatability affect adherence to antibiotics: a review. Arch Dis Childhood, 2012;97:293–7. Polaha J. Dalton WT III, Lancaster BM. Parental report of medication acceptance among youth: implications for everyday practice. South Med J. 2008;101:1106–1112.


This article presents the research results, which set out to explain the mechanisms leading to the achievement of dominance by the Russian Federation in the international security environment. In the research process, the systemic approach was applied. Analysis and criticism of the literature, non-participatory observation and case study elements were used to solve the research problems. As a result, it was determined that the theoretical basis for the Russian Federation's achievement of international dominance is the concept of new generation war. The model of the strategic influence of the Russian Federation is directed at the shaping of the security environment and includes the synchronisation of kinetic and non-kinetic measures, indirect and direct effects, the blurring of the boundaries between war and peace and the application of pressure and aggression. The Russian Federation achieves strategic dominance through asymmetry, chaos, reflexive control, and strategic deterrence. Armed forces provide a key role in asserting dominance, focused on conducting offensive activities and inflicting losses with conventional and nuclear weapons.


We present two young patients who developed Ewing's sarcoma in the proximal radius, managed surgically by resection and no reconstruction with K-wire fixation of the distal radioulnar joint for 6 weeks. Following surgery, both patients developed proximal radius migration with subluxation, which caused the patients to complain about deformation. Proximal radius migration with subluxation is well documented in trauma cases, although they were not described in orthopedic oncology since reconstruction was the classic management for such cases. Our results support the decision of reconstructing the proximal radius after resection in order for better functional outcome and stability. J Curr Surg. 2019;9(2-3):32-37 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jcs383


Among the major challenges confronting biomedical studies today two stands out above all others: 1. The need for a better interrelation of the remarkable findings of molecular and cell biology to living systems through careful intravital observation; and 2. The need for a more rapid and skillful application of the findings and methods of intravital observation to clinical applications. Major progress on either or both of these problems will require much greater emphasis on multidisciplinary studies of living animals involving a considerably wider variety of disciplines than has been brought to bear on them to date, plus the availability of the finest and most advanced technology. The cost in both money and manpower to achieve major breakthroughs is such that these goals can only be accomplished by having a few centers of excellence in which both a diversity of skills and of equipment can be made available to as wide a spectrum of the biomedical community as possible. It is the contention of this author that this can best be achieved by establishing a few methods-oriented centers of excellence for Intravital Observation which he has called Intravital Observatories. It is urged that the community of microcirculationists, which has long been a leader in a multidisciplinary approach to physiological studies and has made many of the outstanding advances in intravital microscopy, take the lead in making this major contribution to biomedicine.


The present work aimed to study the possible relationship between the Escherichia coli counts and the concentrations of free CO2, dissolved oxygen, reactive phosphorus, total ammonia, nitrite and pH in water samples of the Lagoa da Parangaba (Fortaleza, Ceara). Eight campaigns were carried out every fifteen days to collect sub-superficial water samples in three sampling spots. Regression analyses were performed upon the variable with the greatest linear Pearson coefficients looking for the curve that best fitted to the observed data. The correlation between the water free CO2 and E. coli was best represented by the equation y = 17.74 – 1.16*10-3x + 6.76*10-8x² (R² = 0.75; P = 0.06), where x is the E. coli count (MPN 100 mL-1) and y is the water carbon dioxide concentration (mg L-1). It was concluded that the rich organic matter inflows of the Lagoa da Parangaba, mainly of fecal origin, have increased not only the sanitary risk to the population that use this water source, but also affected the life of the animal populations that live in it. It was also observed that the Lagoa da Parangaba's waters are highly contaminated by E. coli and can be classified as hypoxic and acid.


OBJECTIVES
Thyroid autoimmunity is common in pregnant women and associated with thyroid dysfunction and adverse obstetric outcomes. Most studies focus on thyroid peroxidase autoantibodies (TPOAbs) assessed by negative-positive dichotomy and rarely take into account thyroglobulin autoantibodies (TgAbs). This study aimed at determining the association of TPOAbs and TgAbs, respectively and interdependently, with maternal thyroid function.

METHODS
This was a meta-analysis of individual participant cross-sectional data from 20 cohorts in the Consortium on Thyroid and Pregnancy. Women with multiple pregnancy, pregnancy by assisted reproductive technology, history of thyroid disease or use of thyroid interfering medication were excluded. Associations of (log2) TPOAbs and TgAbs (with/without mutual adjustment) with cohort-specific z-scores of (log2) thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free triiodothyronine (FT3), total triiodothyronine (TT3), free thyroxine (FT4), total thyroxine (TT4) or T3:T4 ratio were evaluated in a linear mixed model.

RESULTS
In total, 51,138 women participated (51,094 had TPOAb-data and 27,874 TgAb-data). Isolated TPOAb-positivity was present in 4.1% (95% confidence interval(CI):3.0-5.2), isolated TgAb-positivity in 4.8% (95%CI:2.9-6.6), and positivity for both antibodies in 4.7% (95%CI:3.1-6.3). Compared to antibody-negative women, TSH was higher in women with isolated TPOAb-positivity (z-score increment 0.40, 95% confidence interval(CI):0.16-0.64) and TgAb-positivity (0.21,95%CI:0.10-0.32), but highest in those positive for both antibodies (0.54,95%CI:0.36-0.71). There was a dose-response effect of higher TPOAb and TgAb concentrations with higher TSH (TSH z-score increment for TPOAbs 0.12,95%CI:0.09-0.15, TgAbs 0.08,95%CI:0.02-0.15)). When adjusting analyses for the other antibody, only the association of TPOAbs remained statistically significant. Higher TPOAb concentration was associated with lower FT4 (p<0.001) and higher T3:T4 ratio (0.09, 95%CI:0.03-0.14), however, the association with FT4 was not significant when adjusting for TgAbs (p=0.16).

CONCLUSIONS
This individual participant data meta-analysis demonstrated an increase in TSH with isolated TPOAb-positivity and TgAb-positivity, respectively, which was amplified for individuals positive for both antibodies. There was a dose-dependent association of TPOAbs, but not TgAbs, with TSH when adjusting for the other antibody. This supports current practice of using TPOAbs in initial laboratory testing of pregnant women suspected of autoimmune thyroid disease. However, studies on the differences between TPOAb- and TgAb-positive women are needed to fully understand the spectrum of phenotypes.


Rigid block models are widely used in the analysis of masonry structures, as they provide a sound and efficient approximation of the observed behaviour, namely for modelling collapse modes that do not involve the internal failure of the units. The options available for the numerical representation of contact in rigid block models are discussed, in particular the well-known point contact approaches. The accuracy of the various options is compared for static and dynamical test problems involving bending of columns and walls. Proposals are made concerning the level of contact discretisation, namely the number of contacts and weight rules, required for a good model performance.


A better knowledge of the electric breaking-arc can be obtained through electrical, optical and magnetic diagnoses. Therefore, a system called 'magnetic camera' has been devised and developed. It consists of a V-shaped matrix, with some 70 probes, each of which gives the shape of magnetic induction versus time in the gap between two electrodes. The various shapes assumed by the arc can be determined by means of data-acquisition and processing software within a few minutes. This type of camera is characterized by a maximum speed of exposure which is five times faster than that of an ultra-high-speed optical camera. Moreover, the diagnosis obtained is closer to the basically electric nature of the arc.


BackgroundRecent studies have shown growing concern for refeeding syndrome (RFS) among patients suffering other medical conditions although the exact incidence in this population is unknown. The phenomenon is also present among patients with mental health conditions characterized by poor feeding, poor appetite, catatonic features and poor cognitive functioning. Generally, RFS occurs with the reintroduction of calories to severely malnourished patients which doing so may be intuitive but life-threatening. It becomes critical for clinicians to have a high incidence of suspicion for prompt diagnosis and appropriate management to keep them alive if the poor feeding did not take their lives.Case presentationWe report a case of a 53-year-old man with an 8-year history of schizophrenia and a 3-month history of poor feeding. He was admitted on account of refusal to feed or drink for two weeks prior to presentation. He was severely malnourished and feeding was started while dealing with his psychotic symptoms. He gained about 2kg within a week of admission but that was fraught with metabolic derangements which included, but not limited to, hypophosphatemia, hypomagnesaemia and hypocalcaemia. We revised his diagnosis to RFS in schizophrenia and managed as such.ConclusionThere are no agreed biomarkers for the diagnosis of Refeeding Syndrome and diagnosis is still based on a constellation of electrolyte deficiencies and clinical presentation. Unfortunately, one of the cardinal electrolyte deficiencies, hypophosphatemia, does not have readily available formulations for its correction and this can lead to neurological, cardiovascular and other complications including sudden death. Delay in diagnosis worsens the prognosis and the intuitive desire to zealously feed a starved patient rather leads them to their death.


This paper presents three application specific instruction-set processors (ASIP), signal processor for OFDM communication systems (SPOCS), video specific instruction-set processor (VSIP), and digital audio specific instruction-set processor (DASIP). ASIP can compromise advantages of high performance, low power consumption and flexibility. The implemented ASIPs have specific instructions and hardware accelerators for computation intensive parts. The proposed ASIPs and hardware accelerators have been thoroughly verified using Xilinx XC2v6000 FPGA and were fabricated by MPW services. The proposed ASIPs show good performance and low power consumption compared with commercial DSPs.


The research of international topics and writing about cultural identity formations does not automatically equate to transnationalizing intercultural communication. Studies often perpetuate a hegemonic and U.S-centric way of doing research, and by default doing intercultural communication scholarship. Thus, intercultural communication and critical intercultural communication has not yet fully experienced a transnational turn. Instead, by considering the ideas of nation-state, nationality, and citizenship through theoretical frameworks that are developed by non-U.S-scholars and transnational scholars within U.S. academia, this book addresses the citationality politics present in the field.
While past studies of critical intercultural communication have been international in scope, with researchers from international backgrounds, their visibility and voice have remained limited in CIC. To achieve transnational inclusivity with CIC, we advocate for the use of critical and cultural multi-methods or fusion of them or incorporation of new hybrid methodologies to answer complex, multidimensional, intersectional, and transnational issues and represent those lives and stories.
Collectively, the authors in this book address different topics that help us further conceptualize transnational critical intercultural communication. They all call our attention to examining global cultural disparities, mediated transnationalities, and transnational oppressive cultural and political structures. Many chapters offer narrative-based writing or autoethnographic methods to unearth these issues and spotlight oppressive structures and inequalities. This book will be essential reading for scholars of CIC and those interested in how transnational cultural practices, regulations, expectations, and limitations continuously shape and reshape the lives of transnational individuals.


This study addresses the epidemiology of risk factors and personality traits in adolescents of 16 and 17 years of age, charged with homicide, with a focus on analyzing psychic functioning, socio-demographic variables and family constitution. This is a longitudinal, retrospective and inferential study of the psychiatric assessments of several subjects who were interviewed in the Family Courts of the province of Mendoza. The hypothesis states that adolescents who have violent behavior, impulsivity and diffculty in complying with rules, do so as a result of having been victims of violence in an inadequate family environment. The statistical method employed was ANOVA 2 and sign test for a statically signifcant p<0.05. The study of different variables shows low self-criticism and behavioral disorders in childhood among the subjects.


Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common diseases in older men. Its significance is determined not only by a decrease in the quality of life of men, but also by the development of a number of complications as a result of infravesical obstruction. About 70% of patients with symptomatic BPH require surgical treatment due to the ineffectiveness of conservative therapy. At the moment, there are many methods of surgical treatment of this pathology in the arsenal of urologists, but there is no consensus on the choice of one or another method of surgical treatment of BPH.
Aim. To study the results of modern and most common surgical methods of large BPH in patients of the older age group.
Materials and methods. The study included 243 patients who were hospitalized at Saint Petersburg City Hospital No. 15 for BPH in the period from November 2019 to November 2021. Control examination after surgery was carried out on days 57, 3 and 6 months after surgery.
Results. The first group of patients underwent bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate (n=67), the second group underwent bipolar plasma-kinetic enucleation of prostate adenoma (n=69), the third group of patients underwent thulium laser enucleation (n=75), and the fourth group of patients performed laparoscopic adenomectomy (n=32). An assessment of intraoperative parameters was carried out: the duration of the operation, the duration of postoperative irrigation, bladder catheterization, bed-day spent in the hospital. In the late postoperative period (after 3 and 6 months), patients were invited for a follow-up examination. In comparison with the initial values, a significant increase in indicators was determined, characterizing the improvement in the quality of life of patients.
Conclusion. In the study, thulium laser enucleation proved to be the most effective and sparing method of BPH surgery in age-related comorbid patients, demonstrating a relatively short operation time, radical method, reduced hospital stay, early rehabilitation of patients, and high efficiency in the late postoperative period.


Stability and transparency are very important performance measures in the design of haptic devices. This paper addresses the design of haptic device in the case of interaction to a virtual wall. A novel optimal design method for high performance (stability and low inertia) haptic devices is presented. In which, the influences of mechanical and command specifications on the performance of haptic devices are studied in the same mechanical pre-design process. An algorithm for optimal design procedure is proposed. As a results, a low inertia haptic device with designed parameters satisfy the desired contact stiffness of virtual wall is archived.


Background    Experience has shown some variation in the associations between IgE, atopy, and sensitization to platinum salts. Clarification of these associations, and the value of the parameters in predicting and diagnosing sensitization of workers at risk, required prospective investigation. Objectives    Evaluation of total IgE and Phadiatop® status to establish baseline values, and changes during employment, predictive or associated with subsequent platinum salt sensitization. Methods    A 24‐month prospective study, in a South African primary platinum refinery, of a cohort of 78 healthy recruits without evidence of atopy (tested negative to skin prick test with common allergens). Subsequently they were categorized as 22 sensitized (positive skin prick test to platinum salts), 46 not sensitized (negative skin prick test and symptom free), and 10 symptomatic subjects not included in either category. Results    (1) Pre‐employment: four (18%) of the subsequently sensitized subjects and eight (17%) not sensitized were Phadiatop® positive. Levels of total IgE > 100 kU/L, present in 16 subjects were associated with positive Phadiatop® status and race. (2) During employment: Phadiatop® status converted from negative to positive in more sensitized (12/18) than unsensitized (6/38) subjects (P ≤ 0.0001). Total IgE levels at outcome had increased in more sensitized subjects, and median levels were higher than in unsensitized subjects (17 (77%) vs six (13%), and 92 vs 26 kU/L, P = 0.0015). Multivariate analysis showed the likelihood of an increase in total IgE was nine times greater in subjects sensitized to platinum salts, and five times greater with higher platinum salt exposure. Specific IgE was demonstrated, generally in only one sample of the series, in two sensitized and three unsensitized subjects. Positive responses to skin prick tests with common allergens occurred in five (23%) sensitized and 11 (24%) unsensitized subjects. Conclusion    Platinum salt sensitivity was not predicted by pre‐employment Phadiatop® or IgE status, but was subsequently associated with conversion to positive Phadiatop® status, and an increase in total IgE (independent of Phadiatop® status).


Family changes adversely impact the social behaviour of a child. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of blended family dynamics on social outcome of the child in Kenya using case of Kabete Sub-County in Kiambu County. To achieve its objectives, the study uses primary data collected from a sample of 50 secondary school age-going children from blended families. The data was analysed using descriptive analysis method as well as inference using the chi-square method. One of the key findings of the study was that within different blended family dynamics, a higher proportion of respondents with delinquent behaviours such as cheating, stealing, fighting and school absenteeism were found within stepmother families than in stepfather families or a combination of stepfather and stepmother. In general, the study reflects an adverse social behaviour outcome of the child in both stepmother and stepfather families suggesting that stepparents should establish friendships with the children and foster trust and respect in order to reassure them that the new environment is safe to live in. The findings of the study are important in that they can be used to formulate policies and strategies for promoting improvement in social behaviour of the child in blended families. Keywords : blended family dynamics, social behaviour, stepparents, stepfather families, stepmother families.


We give in this paper which is the fifth in a series of eight a theory of covariant derivatives of multivector and extensor fields based on the geometric calculus of an arbitrary smooth manifold M, and the notion of a connection extensor field defining a parallelism structure on M. Also we give a novel and intrinsic presentation (i.e., one that does not depend on a chosen orthonormal moving frame) of the torsion and curvature fields of Cartan's theory. Two kinds of Cartan's connection fields are identified, and both appear in the intrinsic Cartan's structure equations satisfied by the Cartan's torsion and curvature extensor fields.


The resolution of complex interactions found in single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) experiments is hindered by noise. Wavelet shrinkage is proven to reduce noise, but traditional methods introduce artifacts when acting on discontinuous signals, such as those acquired in smFRET experiments. Modifications to the basic method that are specific to smFRET are developed and tested on simulated systems. Use of the Haar wavelet basis produces the most optimally denoised estimates. We also assess various thresholding methods, develop a time-localized noise estimator, and implement a translation-invariant wavelet transformation to reduce artifacts associated with discontinuities and inadequate distinction of noise. The time-local estimator enhances noise reduction by 5-20%, and translation-invariant transformation nearly eliminates the aforementioned artifacts. Kinetic parameters extracted from denoised estimates are accurate to within 5% of the simulated values. Overall, the improved resolution results in the complete and accurate characterization of both simple and complex smFRET systems.


ABSTRACT The agent of bovine tuberculosis has been recognized at various times as a species or as a subspecies in the genus Mycobacterium Lehmann and Neumann. Although the organism is closely related to M. tuberculosis (Zopf) Lehmann and Neumann, the two species are clearly distinguished on the basis of differences in their rates of growth, pathogenicity for certain animals, and biochemical reactions. To date, however, none of the scientific names applied to the bovine tubercle bacillus has been validly published. It was recommended by the Judicial Commission of the International Committee on Nomenclature of Bacteria that the name Mycobacterium bovis (a name frequently used for this organism but not validly published) be reintroduced for this organism. Consequently, we propose Mycobacterium bovis as the name for the bovine tubercle bacillus and provide a description of the organism, together with a designation and description of the neotype strain (ATCC 19210; W. D. Yoder 18802–887).


Customer knowledge (CK) can empower organizations and improve their operational, innovative, and competitive performance. CK has been classified into three categories: knowledge for customers, knowledge about customers, and knowledge from customers. The literature has highlighted the importance of assessing the value of external CK in enabling organizations to obtain the support of top management. Very limited empirical studies have examined the specific impact of acquiring each type of CK. Consequently, the objective of this study is to empirically assess the impact of acquiring each type of CK. Based on an analysis of 41 organizations in Oman, this study detected that the overall acquisition of each type of customer knowledge has significant positive links with business process benefits, product benefits, customer benefits, and financial benefits, but a low significant positive link with employee benefits, and no significant link with market benefits. This study developed an integrated framework and measures to assess the value of acquiring different types of customer knowledge.


The intracellular synthesis of human parainfluenza type 3 virus-specified polypeptides was examined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of [35S]methionine-labeled cell extracts under reducing conditions. All of the virion structural proteins were detected in cell extracts, including: L, 180,000 molecular weight (180K); P, 83K; HN, 69K; NP, 66K; F0, 60K; F1, 51K; and M, 38K. P and NP were phosphorylated. HN and F were glycosylated. The kinetics of intracellular viral protein synthesis did not detect any early or late proteins. Pulse-chase experiments failed to detect any precursor-product relationships. No nonstructural proteins were detected.


Schools are finding it hard to recruit successful SENCOs. Daniel Sobel believes this is down to the changing requirements of this broad and vital position. He looks at the modern SENCO role


The study focused on the effects of the board members' remuneration on the performance of public enterprises in Namibia. The main objective of this study was to investigate the inter relationship between board members' remuneration and the performance of the public enterprises in Namibia. The study used quantitative methods as a research strategy. The research study used secondary data from the Ministry of public enterprises database and primary data was gathered through structured questionnaires that were distributed to different public enterprises' Chief executive officers in Namibia. The study focused on board members' remuneration as representatives of the board members for each of the 97 state-owned enterprises in Namibia. The researcher used Excel to do the regression analysis. The researcher tested for correlation between a firm's performance and annual salary and sitting allowance and miscellaneous allowance. Public enterprises are divided into four tiers. The researcher made use of the average revenue for each tier to represent the firm's performance. A total of 75% of the respondents do not agree that there is a relationship between the board members' remuneration and the firms' performance, and 17% agree that there is a relationship between the board members' remuneration and the firms' performance. The study recommended that the MPE/Pes should implement motivational strategies to improve board members' performance hence improving the firm's performance.


Geochemical characteristics of four Deccan intrabasaltic bole bed profiles occurring around Yelapur area of Sangli District (Maharashtra, India) were used in deducing the palaeoclimatic conditions prevailed during their formation. Higher Chemical Index of Weathering (CIW) values for all the four red boles indicate considerable chemical weathering and much leaching of the bases while the values of Parker's Weathering Index (PWI) show slight variations. Almost similar Mean Annual Temperature (MAT) values for all the red boles suggest their formation under moderate temperatures while Mean Annual Precipitation (MAP) values indicate slight variations in rainfall. Although quite variable the Iron Species Ratio values indicate oxidizing conditions while Product Index values suggest somewhat acidic conditions during the formation of red boles. Hydrolysis values in red boles indicate mostly humid conditions while values of Salinization are well below unity indicating that the red boles were formed under fairly leached conditions. A–CN–K plots for all four red bole profiles point their weathering trends towards smectite formation while SiO2– Al2O3–Fe2O3 plots indicate kaolinization stage for bole beds suggesting their incipient weathering without lateritization. Thus, these four red bole profiles were formed under somewhat humid, fairly leached, relatively well-drained and rather acidic conditions under variable rainfall. Keywords: Intrabasaltic Bole Beds, Palaeoweathering, Geochemistry, Deccan Traps, India.


The conceptual design of a closed Joule-Thomson cryocooler with mixed-refrigerant (MR) is described in this paper. The thermodynamic cycle design was mainly considered to develop a cryocooler by using a compressor of domestic air-conditioning unit. The target cooling performance of the designed cryocooler is 10 W around 70 K with less than 3 K temperature rise. The systematic approach of choosing a proper refrigerant among 20 different kinds of mixture for such cryogenic temperature was introduced in detail. The main components of the cryocooler are compressor, evaporator, oil separator, after-cooler, counterflow heat exchanger, and J-T expansion device. Due to the limitation of practical fabrication, the temperature after the compression was limited below 117℃(390K) and the temperature before compression was restricted above 5℃(278K) considering the compressor operation range. The high pressure inlet temperature of the counterflow heat exchanger was about 300K. The optimum composition of the mixed refrigerant for the designed J-T cryocooler is 15% ㏖ of N₂, 30% ㏖ of CH₄, 30 % ㏖ of C₂H_6, 10% ㏖ of C₃H_8 and 15% ㏖ of i-C₄H_(10).


We investigate the influence of fin architecture on linearity characteristics of AlGaN/GaNFinFET. It is found that the FinFET with scaled fin dimensions exhibits much flatter G m characteristics than the one with long fins as well as planar HEMT. According to the comparative study, we provide direct proof that source resistance rather than tri-gate structure itself dominates the G m behavior. Furthermore, power measurements show that the optimized FinFET is capable of delivering a much higher output power density along with significant improvement in linearity characteristics than conventional planar HEMT. This study also highlights the importance of fin design in GaN-based FinFET for microwave power application, especially high-linearity applications.


The introduction, reception and development of the work of Alfred Binet (1857-1911) in Brazil are focused in order to evaluate its impact on the establishment and consolidation of the field of psychology in the country. The development of psychological tests had a decisive role on the evolution of Brazilian psychological knowledge. Although it had been based on systematic research in the beginning, the movement for professionalization of the psychologist assigned a secondary role to research later on. More recently this activity has been strengthened, followed by a trend towards the reevaluation of tests' validity. In conclusion, it is expected that these movements contribute to invigorate and to render more reliable psychometric instruments presently used in Brazil.


The presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-viral capsid antigen (EBV-VCA) antibodies at the 1/2 and 1/5 dilution could be detected in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and in the serum at the 1/160 dilution by indirect immunofluorescence in a patient with infectious mononucleosis with encephalitis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of EBV antibodies in the CSF. Epstein-Barr virus antibodies could not be detected in any of 45 samples of CSF from patients with a variety of neurological diseases, four of whom had serum EBV antibody titers of 1/160 or more. Specific antibodies could only be found in the CSF in cases of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (measles antibodies) and herpes encephalitis (herpes simplex antibodies) in addition to the present case; this suggests a potential use of these CSF antibody tests in the diagnosis of a few neurological disorders of infectious or post-infectious origin.


Background: Satureja is a genus belonging to the aromatic plants of Lamiaceae family. The genus Satureja L. (Lamiaceae) comprises more than 30 species of aromatic herbs and shrubs, widely distributed over the Mediterranean region. The genus is represented by 14 species in Iran of which, eight are endemic. Many species of the genus Satureja are reported to have aromatic and medicinal properties. The leaves, flowers, and stems of this plant are used as herbal tea and in treatment of various ailments in traditional medicine. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of essential oil (EO) of Satureja hortensis (Lamiaceae) that grows in Sabalan Mountain (Ardebil province, Iran). Materials and Methods: This EO was tested in vitro against two bacterial species by disk and agar well diffusion methods and against four bacterial species and three Candida strains by broth microdilution method. Total phenol, flavonoid, and free radical scavenging activity of EO were evaluated. Results: Total phenolic content was determined by using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent (32.65 mg/g), which was presented as gallic acid equivalent in 1 g of sample. IC50 of EO and ascorbic acid in DPPH method were respectively 277.9 and 19.34 µg. Minimum inhibitory concentration of the EO of S. hortensis against Salmonella typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Bacillus cereus was respectively 2.5%, 2.5%, 5%, and 2.5%. The inhibition zone of EO in disk and agar well diffusion method showed that inhibitory zone on B. cereus was higher than that on S. typhimurium in both methods and B. cereus was more sensitive to EO. MIC to minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) ratio of S. hortensis EO against Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida krusei in broth microdilution method were respectively 0.048%:0.048%, 0.024%:0.024%, and 0.012%:0.012%. Conclusions: The data of the study clearly indicated that the EO of S. hortensis has a strong antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal activity.


This article seeks to examine the fertility, for the regulation of cyberspace, of the "pyramid-network hypothesis". This hypothesis is the conjecture that the process of how law is being created, generally, in all fields of the law, is undergoing a paradigm shift. It is moving away from a process that may best be described as a pyramid (Hans Kelsen's paradigmatic "pyramid of norms") to being a "networked process". A networked process, in this sense, is characterized primarily by a radical change in the structures of hierarchy among legal norms and among producers of legal norms, and thus in the directions in which the determination of the contents of legal norms flow (which norms determine the contents of which other norms). In the pyramidal model, all hierarchies take on a top-down form; higher norms determine the contents of lower norms; higher-ranked producers of legal norms prevail over lower such entities. In the network model, such hierarchies are deconstructed, and the legal system is marked by what Douglas Hofstadter calls "strange loops", i.e. the situation where a lower level of some hierarchical system takes unexpectedly precedence over a higher level of the same system. The result is that the relationship between legal norms takes the form of tangled interconnections, cross-fertilizations, and cross-determinations. The hierarchy among legal norms and among their producers becomes unpredictable on the basis of classical legal theory, i.e. on the basis of the pyramid paradigm. The power of determination of the content of legal norms flows in a priori undetermined directions. This article seeks to assess whether the network paradigm introduces more predictability, whether it provides a model describing more accurately how law is being created in cyberspace, how legal norms in cyberspace interact, and how the hierarchies among creators of legal norms in cyberspace may be understood. In other words, it seeks to provide an answer to the question of the criteria that will allow one actor of cyberspace governance to outweigh other actors, to impose his or her norms, and thus to determine the regulatory status in a given field. These criteria, the author contends, are (1) instrumental effectiveness (the capacity of a norm to compel its respect) and (2) symbolic effectiveness (the capacity of a norm to be voluntarily respected because of its moral adequacy).


W E ARE IN AN AGE when people are quite critical of all public institutions and their functions. But perhaps that is good, because it is an indication that these institutions are close to the people. Anyway, everything we do is questioned as to its desirability, need, validity, and adequacy. "Why offer or require this?" "Why spend money on that?" "What good is that stuff ?"-These are typical questions thrown at teachers, curriculum builders, administrators and Boards of Education. And the answers eventually have to be convincing, or the offering or practice in question finds itself replaced with something which is capable of presenting convincing arguments. Hence, why music in a democratic program of education, or, as my topic reads: Music for What?


OBJECTIVE
To study the time-related association of a single measurement of serum cholesterol and systolic blood pressure with the occurrence of a first coronary event in a population sample of middle-aged men.

METHODS AND RESULTS
A single measurement of serum total cholesterol and systolic blood pressure (along with age, cigarette consumption, physical activity at work and body mass index as possible confounders) was made in 1,605 coronary disease-free men aged 40-59 belonging to the Italian rural cohorts of the Seven Countries Study. During 25 years of follow-up 353 men developed a first event, that is a coronary death (sudden or not), and definite or possible myocardial infarction. Twenty-five partitioned proportional hazards models were solved, one for each independent year of follow-up, to predict the risk of incident events. Single-year hazard functions, separately for serum cholesterol and systolic blood pressure, were cumulated and smoothed. The resulting curves showed a regularly increasing risk for coronary events. They fit straight lines, with large correlation coefficients for both serum total cholesterol (r = 0.99) and systolic blood pressure (r = 0.99). These slopes were similar to the coefficients estimated by a single proportional hazards model solved for all events during 25 years.

CONCLUSION
A single measurement of serum total cholesterol and systolic blood pressure in middle aged-men maintains a regular and monotonic relationship with occurrence of a first coronary event during 25 years of follow-up.


The majority of children with ASC are educated within a mainstream secondarysetting. The challenges within the new environment may lead to some childrenexperiencing a breakdown in provision resulting in temporary or permanentexclusions. A gap in the literature highlights a need for research which seeks tounderstand the views and experiences of year 7 children with ASCs about theirtransition to mainstream secondary school.The research involved four year 7 children with ASC, from across three settings, whohad recently transitioned from a mainstream primary school to a mainstreamsecondary school (without resource based provision). The views of their parents andteachers were also sought.A multiple-embedded case study design was employed involving four cases fromacross three school settings. This involved utilising a transition Q-sort and a semistructuredinterview with four children and semi-structured interviews with sixparents and three teachers. The data was analysed using content analysis andthematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006).The findings highlight a need for individualised transition planning for the child withASC; consideration of co-occurring difficulties and the importance of including theviews of the child and parents in transition planning. The findings are discussed inrelation to psychological theories and existing literature. The implications for futureresearch; local authority policy; school staff; parents and educational psychologistsare considered.


We investigated the contribution of familiarity and recollection to associative retrieval of word pairs depending on the extent to which the pairs have been unitized through task instructions in the encoding phase. Participants in the unitization condition encoded word pairs in the context of a definition that tied them together such that they were treated as a coherent new item, while in the control condition word pairs were inserted into a sentence frame in which each word remained an individual unit. Contrasting event-related potentials (ERERPs) elicited in a subsequent recognition test by old (intact) and recombined (a new combination of two words from different study pairs) word pairs, an early frontal effect, the putative ER P correlate of familiarity-based retrieval, was apparent in the unitization condition. The left parietal old/new effect, reflecting recollection-based retrieval, was elicited only in the control condition. This suggests that in the unitization condition only, familiarity was sufficiently diagnostic to distinguish old from recombined pairs, while in the control condition, recollection contributed to associative recognition. Our findings add to a body of literature suggesting that unitization of associations increases the relative contribution of familiarity to subsequent associative retrieval.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the macroeconomic determinants of Port wine exports, taking into account the diversity and various quality levels associated with this product.

Design/methodology/approach
Port wine is a fortified wine only produced in Portugal. In the period 2006-2014, an extended gravity model is applied to data on the exports of the top 20 importing countries, accounting for 94 per cent of total exports. The authors base their empirical strategy on the Hausman–Taylor estimator (1971), overcoming endogeneity and accounting for time invariant variables. They estimate the impact of several factors on the total trade of Port wine, namely: gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, tariffs, exchange rates, distance from original supplier, mutual language familiarity, landlockedness, wine consumption per capita and presence of Portuguese emigrants, all measured in volume and value terms, and for each of the four categories (Standard, High Standard, Vintage and Aged).

Findings
The findings show that the quantity and value of total Port wine exports are positively determined by overall GDP per capita, the presence of a Portuguese emigrant community (which implies that to some degree a common language and culture are shared), while exports are negatively influenced by landlockedness. In contrast to the traditional gravity model, distance from the source of supply does not appear to be a significant determinant, a fact explained by the specific and singular nature of Port wine and by the long tradition of this product in international markets. In addition, the results revealed specific determinants for specific product categories – such as GDP for aged Port and wine consumption per capita for high standard, vintage and aged Port, suggesting that Portugal needs to increase its exports of high-quality Port wine to markets that exhibit a tendency towards increased wine consumption per capita and are coming to be considered large and fast-growing economies.

Originality/value
This paper extends the literature, by respecifying the typical gravity model for aggregate goods to permit the analysis of wine exports. There has been relatively little application of this model to assess the determinants of the wine trade, and when it has been used, generally it has been in studies focusing on aggregate wine trade between countries. This paper seeks to fill this gap by focusing on the determinants of exports of a specific wine – Port wine, which is an internationally recognised product, with a clear internal product differentiation according to distinct quality levels – and in this regard provides new insights into the international patterns of trade in wine.


Background
Liver tumors that invade the hepatic vein are surgically challenging, especially in patients with liver dysfunction. Preservation of as much of the parenchyma as possible is important; thus, when feasible, we perform hepatectomy with hepatic vein reconstruction (HVR) using an external iliac vein (EIV) graft. We conducted a retrospective study to investigate the benefit of HVR and to evaluate our procedure.

Methods
The study included patients treated by hepatectomy with HVR using EIV grafts and vascular clips. We reviewed the surgical outcomes, including total operation and HVR times, postoperative complications, and postoperative liver function.

Results
The surgeries included right HVR (n=13), left HVR (n=3), and middle HVR (n=1). The total operation time was 277±72 minutes (155-400 minutes), and the HVR time was 27±5 minutes (19-40 minutes). Graft patency was confirmed in 14 (82%) of the patients. One patient who underwent HVR with running sutures required emergency surgery due to graft thrombosis. Clavien-Dindo > grade IIIa postoperative complications occurred in 4 (23.5%) patients, but there were no treatment-related deaths.

Conclusions
In conclusion, our hepatic resections with HVR using the same techniques and graft materials showed acceptable surgical outcomes. From our experience, we believe that preparatory hepatic resection with HVR is an effective treatment, especially for patients with decreased liver function or with a small residual liver parenchyma.


In order to improve the recognition rate of the early fire, this paper analyzed the relationship between the image resolution and fire recognition rate from the application point of view. On this basis, we have adopted the Dmpster-Shafer evidence theory and carried on the recognition experiment to the different resolution fire image under different environmental conditions. The simulation experimental results have indicated that this method can obtain the basic consistent recognition effect regardless of the resolution of fire image is high or low, and can simultaneously give dual attention to the recognition rate and the recognition efficiency.


By a calculation based on well-known physiological and anatomical data we have predicted the human ultra-low frequency longitudinal displacement, velocity and acceleration ballistocardiograms of healthy subjects by calculating the movement of the body's centre of gravity during the cardiac cycle. In these calculations only the circulatory effects originating in the ventricles and in the larger arteries were taken into consideration. There is good agreement between the theoretical curves and those recorded on healthy adult subjects. From our studies the contribution of events taking place in different parts of arterial tree can be approximated. The largest part of the ballistocardiogram is due to movement of blood in the ventricles and large systemic arteries. The contribution of the events in the pulmonary arteries is small.


Abstract. The substantial climate change mitigation potential of restoring peatlands through rewetting and intensifying agriculture to reduce greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions is largely recognized. The green deal in Denmark aims at restoring 100 000 ha of peatlands by 2030. This area corresponds to
more than half of the Danish peatland, with an expected reduction in GHG emissions of almost half of the entire land use, land use change and
forestry (LULUFC) emissions. Recent advances established the functional relationship between hydrological regimes, i.e., water table depth (WTD), and
CO2 and CH4 emissions. This builds the basis for science-based tools to evaluate and prioritize peatland restoration
projects. With this article, we lay the foundation of such a development by developing a high-resolution WTD map for Danish peatlands. Further, we
define WTD response functions (CO2 and CH4) fitted to Danish flux data to derive a national GHG emission estimate for peat
soils. We estimate the annual GHG emissions to be 2.6 Mt CO2-eq, which is around 15 % lower than previous estimates. Lastly, we
investigate alternative restoration scenarios and identify substantial differences in the GHG reduction potential depending on the prioritization of
fields in the rewetting strategy. If wet fields are prioritized, which is not unlikely in a context of a voluntary bottom-up approach, the GHG
reduction potential is just 30 % for the first 10 000 ha with respect to a scenario that prioritizes drained fields. This underpins the
importance of the proposed framework linking WTD and GHG emissions to guide a spatially differentiated peatland restoration. The choice of model
type used to fit the CO2 WTD response function, the applied global warming potentials and uncertainties related to the WTD map are
investigated by means of a scenario analysis, which suggests that the estimated GHG emissions and the reduction potential are associated with
coefficients of variation of 13 % and 22 %, respectively.


The validation of the anthocyanin synthase (ANS) gene as a carnation endogenous reference gene applicable both in classical and real-time PCR methods is a prerequisite for the development of PCR assays for genetically modified (GM) carnation detection. This is important due to the fact that GM carnation lines, developed by Florigene Pty Ltd, have been approved for commercialization. In this study, both methods were tested on 14 different carnation cultivars, and identical amplification products were obtained with all of them. No amplification products were observed with samples from 14 other plant species, which demonstrated that the system was specific to carnation. The results of Southern blot analysis confirmed that the ANS gene had a low copy number in the 10 tested carnation varieties. In qualitative and real-time PCR assays, the LOD values of 0.05 and 0.005 ng carnation DNA, respectively, were validated. Moreover, the real-time PCR system was validated with high PCR efficiency and linearity. Thus, the ANS gene had species specificity, low heterogeneity, and low copy number among the tested cultivars. These results provide evidence that the gene can be used as an endogenous reference gene of carnation, as well as in qualitative and quantitative PCR systems.


This study proposes a problem-oriented methodology, using the algebraic operations proposed in the Quality Function Deployment's house-of-quality, to prioritise the integration of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies in hospitals, allowing us to account for both the importance of healthcare value chain problems and the current level of adoption of I4.0 technologies. The proposed method combines different techniques that aimed at assessing the maturity of organisations regarding specific issues and indicating improvement opportunities. Our propositions are illustrated through two case studies carried out in a large Brazilian public hospital and in a private hospital in India, allowing a comparative analysis in which we identify similarities and divergences in improvement priorities in each institution. Findings indicate that the proposed method supports the systemic integration of I4.0 technologies into healthcare organisations regardless hospital ownership, as digital applications are ranked according to their potential to solve the problems prioritised by managers from both case studies. Digital integration in healthcare organisations has been restricted to specific sectors, departments, treatment or processes. Due to high complexity of hospitals, most of these initiatives have fallen short on results, frustrating managers' efforts. Thus, our method provides hospitals' managers, authorities, and governments guidelines to prioritise the digitisation of healthcare organisations.


Background: Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea in the pediatric population is an exceedingly rare condition that occurs when the dura mater is breached, resulting in CSF drainage from the subarachnoid space into surrounding sinonasal tissue. Objective: This work delineates a step-by-step surgical approach to visually demonstrate the feasibility of an uninarial endoscopic endonasal approach for pediatric spontaneous CSF leak repair. Postoperative Outcome: A 2-year-old male with a 6-month history of clear rhinorrhea, intermittent headaches, and a previous episode of bacterial meningitis was evaluated as an inpatient consultation. Computed tomography cisternography revealed active CSF extravasation at the right sphenoid sinus roof. An endoscopic endonasal approach was performed including a complete sphenoethmoidectomy plus middle turbinectomy to provide access to the skull base defect. Once identified, a middle turbinate free mucosal graft was placed for cranial base reconstruction given the child's young agre. Sinonasal debridement 3 weeks following surgery under anesthesia revealed an intact viable graft with no evidence of CSF leak. There was no evidence of CSF leak recurrence or complications 1 year following surgery. Conclusion: The uninarial endoscopic endonasal approach is a safe and effective option for the surgical management of spontaneous CSF leak rhinorrhea in the pediatric population.


Various type of valves are manufactured for different industrial uses. Among them, check valves are used to allow fluid to flow in one direction but not in the opposite direction. There are many different types of check valves, but Y-shaped check valves are widely used these days. Not many studies have been carried out on Y-shaped check valves and the flow coefficients obtained through numerical analysis have the problem of low reliability. In order to solve this problem, this study performed flow analysis, flow-structure coupled analysis, and flow coefficient measurement experimentally, and through these analyses derived and verified the flow coefficients and assessed the structural safety based on numerical analysis.


Nowadays, big cities are facing many challenges with respect to traffic congestion, climate change, air and water pollution, among others. Thus, smart cities are intended to improve the life quality of the citizens, tackling such issues with the integration of information and communication technologies to reduce the impact and achieve a well-being state of citizens. In this work, a model to predict the traffic congestion applying a support vector machine method is proposed. In addition, a crowdsourcing approach based on mining the Twitter social networks collecting events associated with the traffic is also proposed. The main contribution of this research is focused on providing a methodology that characterizes the traffic congestion analyzing crowd-sensed data from a geospatial perspective. This approach was implemented over the Mexico City as a case study, in order to forecast possible future traffic events in the city, in which the citizens share their particular situation to discover alternatives routes for avoiding the traffic congestion. Future works are oriented towards designing mobile applications in order to introduce the proposed approach and integrate information from multiple platforms and navigation systems.


Machine learning advances have afforded an increase in algorithms capable of creating art, music, stories, games, and more. However, it is not yet well-understood how machine learning algorithms might best collaborate with people to support creative expression. To investigate how practicing designers perceive the role of AI in the creative process, we developed a game level design tool for Super Mario Bros.-style games with a built-in AI level designer. In this paper we discuss our design of the Morai Maker intelligent tool through two mixed-methods studies with a total of over one-hundred participants. Our findings are as follows: (1) level designers vary in their desired interactions with, and role of, the AI, (2) the AI prompted the level designers to alter their design practices, and (3) the level designers perceived the AI as having potential value in their design practice, varying based on their desired role for the AI.


This paper examines, in the context of distributed execution, the meaning of Ada constructs involving time. In the process, unresolved questions of interpretation and problems with the implementation of a consistent notion of time across a network are uncovered. It is observed that there are two Ada mechanisms that can involve a distributed sense of time: the conditional entry call, and the timed entry call. It is shown that a recent interpretation by the Language Maintenance Committee resolves the questions for the conditional entry calls but results in an anomaly for timed entry calls. A detailed discussion of alternative implementations for the timed entry call is made, and it is argued that: 1) timed entry calls imply a common sense of time between the machines holding the calling and called tasks; and 2) the measurement of time for the expiration of the delay and the decision of whether or not to perform the rendezvous should be made on the machine holding the called task. The need to distinguish the unreadiness of the called task from timeouts caused by network failure is pointed out. Finally, techniques for realizing a single sense of time across the distributed system (at least to within an acceptable degree of uncertainty) are also discussed.


Cytokines play a major role in the pathophysiology of sepsis and septic shock. Using enzyme immunoassays the acute serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) were investigated in 90 patients with positive blood cultures and clinical signs of infection. In 27 patients samples were obtained on admission, after 1, 4, 12, 18, and 24 h, and then daily. The acute serum levels of IL-6, TNF-alpha, G-CSF, and IL-8 were significantly higher among patients with severe sepsis. Patients with Gram-negative infection had significantly higher levels of TNF-alpha on admission than did patients with Gram-positive infections (p = 0.0008). The levels of IL-6, G-CSF and, to some extent, TNF-alpha decreased rapidly in survivors within the first 24 h of admission to hospital and institution of treatment. LIF was detected in 8/90 in both survivors and nonsurvivors.


Cryptosporidium parvum is an intracellular protozoan parasite that causes disease in humans and other mammals. It was first described in 1907, but was not shown to cause human illness until 1976. Transmission occurs by the faecal–oral route; consequently, person-to-person transmission can occur—especially between household members, sexual partners, and children in day-care. Animal-to-human transmission may occur, especially from farm animals.


A 4.9 to 6.4 Gb/s 2-level SerDes ASIC I/O core designed in 0.13 /spl mu/m CMOS uses a 4-tap FFE in the transmitter and a 5-tap DFE with receiver AGC. Error-free operation is achieved on channels with over 30 dB loss at the half-baud rate. The TXRX pair consumes 290 mW from a 1.2 V supply and uses a die area of 0.79 mm/sup 2/.


In this paper we will discuss how large established firms can be effective in organizing innovation alongside their current business. We examine the trajectory of an incumbent firm in the telecommunication industry – Alcatel – which has been successful in exploring and exploiting the promises of broadband access technology (ADSL). Our findings reveal the effectiveness of a hybrid organizational structure, characterized by semi-permeability, which allows the simultaneous presence of entrepreneurial autonomy and the enactment of technological complementarities. Adopting such a structure seems especially relevant in high-velocity environments where technical configurations combine new components and functionality with existing technological infrastructures. Our analysis strongly suggests the relevance of combining insights stemming from the fields of strategic management, entrepreneurship and organizational design theory to arrive at more comprehensive accounts of the complex and challenging processes of reconciliation that incumbent firms face within dynamic environments.


The distinction of being a president of the New York Neurological Society has long carried with it the privilege of addressing its members at the first meeting of the year. It has also been a custom for the president to choose as subject for his address some topic or interest with which he has been particularly identified. I am thus following a well established precedent when I speak on that subject which has engaged my energies for the past 30 years-cures through psychic influence. Man is as vulnerable as any other creature to the destructive forces of violence and disease. But man alone as centuries passed has improved upon the methods of meeting such threats. New, fast, certain means of overcoming threats to limb and life continue to be discovered and within the past 5 years the world has been blessed with a new marvel -the sulpha drugs referred to as "God Powder" in a magazine article describing the work of the Army Medical Corps in Guadalcanal. This scientific type of protection of man by man has superseded other procedures by which he originally attempted and hoped to ward off impending dangers-methods today recognized as suggestion. By suggestion I mean the presentation of an idea indirectly to the mind and this is most often effected through some mediated association. Such influence through association may be exerted in many forms-such as an individual, locus, ceremony, atmosphere, institution or method. Primitive psychogenic suggestive cures are to be distinguished from modern psychotherapy which begins with the examination of disease symptom-complexes and the reality situations in which they originate and live. Modern psychotherapeutic procedures -such as persuasion and psychoanalysis in their various derivatives and modifications-


Drawing from their experience with comprehensive textbooks Ehrhardt & Brigham focus on the critical financial concepts, skills, and technological applications required by every MBA in the 21st century workplace. The result is a lean textbook that (1) provides an in-depth treatment of all essential topics in corporate finance yet (2) can be covered in its entirely in a single semester.


The objective of this work was to evaluate and compare the potential of polyurethane and kapok (Chorisia speciosa) residues as sorbent materials in the treatment of diesel spillage. To determine the sorption capacity, gravimetric tests were performed in static medium at room temperature and at different temperatures (10, 15 and 28 °C) and varying the time of contact between the sorbent material and diesel. It was observed that the sorption process occurs at a high velocity, with saturation point achieved in the first 5 minutes of contact, and the natural fiber presents higher sorption capacity compared to the polyurethane residue due to the low viscosity of diesel oil, that contributes to reduce de entrapment inside the porous foam. It has also been observed that the polyurethane residue exhibits an increase in sorption capacity with time and temperature increase. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis have shown that the main morphological property involved in smooth oil sorption was the high porosity associated with a small porous diameter. The kapok presented sorption capacity of 37 g/g in equilibrium demonstrating its great potential of application as a sorbent material for the treatment of diesel spillage.  Keywords: Removal; Diesel; Natural Fiber; Polymer; Sorption.


Augmented reality is increasingly used in education and its further spread is predicted as one of the technological trends. The benefits of using augmented reality are contributing to the increasing use of augmented reality in education. The purpose of the research is to study the use of augmented reality technology in teaching. The article provides the overview of the development of augmented reality and presents the results of a survey of teachers who attended the advanced training course. According to the results of the survey, the readiness of teachers to use this technology and the feasibility of its use in various methods and forms of training organization were determined. A special feature of the use of augmented reality in education is its accessibility and ease of use of ready-made mobile applications and services.


One of the interesting features of the Pahlavi Bundahišn, the great work on cosmogony and cosmology completed in the ninth century A.D., is the manner in which traditional, orthodox beliefs derived from the Zoroastrian scriptures appear side by side with later and even contemporary scientific opinions. While in some parts, notably the astronomical chapter II, the resulting incongruity is undisguised, in others there has been a conscious effort of syncretism. The astrological sections are a case in point.


Methylglyoxal is formed in vivo by spontaneous decomposition of triose phosphate intermediates in aerobic glycolysis. It may also be formed during oxidative degradation of both carbohydrates (pentoses and ascorbate) and lipids (arachidonate). In addition to reaction with arginine residues to form imidazolone adducts, methylglyoxal reacts with lysine residues in protein to form N(epsilon)-(carboxyethyl)lysine (CEL) and the imidazolium crosslink, methylglyoxal-lysine dimer (MOLD). Like the glycoxidation products, N(epsilon)-(carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) and glyoxal-lysine dimer (GOLD) which are formed on reaction of glyoxal with protein, CEL and MOLD increase in lens proteins and skin collagen with age. CML and CEL also increase in skin collagen in diabetes, while all four compounds increase in plasma proteins in uremia. Overall, CML, CEL, GOLD and MOLD are quantitatively the major biomarkers of the Maillard reaction in tissue proteins. GOLD and MOLD, in particular, are present at 10-50 fold higher concentrations than the fluorescent crosslink, pentosidine. Together, these dicarbonyl-derived advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) represent the major chemical modifications that accumulate in tissue proteins with age and in chronic diseases such as diabetes and atherosclerosis.


The terms of telemedicine, telerehabilitation, and e-care have come into our everyday lives as the necessity to make medical assistance and care more effective. These terms are not buzzwords. Indeed, new technology, innovative solutions, offered by programming tools, modern sensor equipment, wearable devices and bio-signal data sets, provide an ability to ensure necessary remote support to a person with special needs anytime and anywhere. This assistance may include person's online health monitoring, telerehabilitation and health improvement measures, mobile training, rapid alert button initiation, advisory support, and a set of many other measures supporting patient's care.
This paper displays achievements in creation of vestibular telerehabilitation tools and systems, particularly in Latvia, and discuss further necessary developments, including eye-tracking instruments, which would improve existing telerehabilitation systems.


In cross-country skiing, athletes use different techniques akin to locomotor gaits such as walking and running. Transitions between these techniques generally depend on speed and incline, in a similar way as walk-run transitions. Previous studies have examined the roles of incline, speed, and mechanical power demand in triggering transitions. However, it is still not known if mechanical power demand, as an isolated factor, has any role on the choice of technique. The aim of this study was to examine the isolated role of mechanical power on the choice of technique during classic cross-country roller skiing by changing mechanical power demand at fixed speeds and inclines. Six male and eight female athletes performed classical roller skiing on a treadmill at the four combinations of two speeds (10 and 12 km h-1) and two inclines (5 and 8%) while additional resistive forces were applied via a weight-pulley system. Athletes were free to choose between three techniques: double poling, double poling with kick, and diagonal stride. Power and resistive forces at transition were compared using repeated measure (2x2) ANOVA. At a given incline, technique transitions occurred at similar additional resistive force magnitudes at the two speeds. On the steeper incline, the transitions occurred at smaller additional resistive forces. Importantly, transitions were not triggered at similar mechanical power demands across the different incline/speed/resistive force conditions. This suggests that mechanical power itself is not a key technique transition trigger. Both total and additional resistive force (i.e., the manipulated mechanism to regulate power) may be transition triggers when incline is fixed and speed is changed. In combination with previous findings, the current results suggest that no single factor triggers technique transitions in classic cross-country skiing.


Sprites, a form of brief luminous discharge in the upper atmosphere above a thunderstorm, were observed and imaged on two video cameras in Australia's Northern Territory. These were the first such ground-based observations made outside the United States. Sprite discharges typically took place between the altitudes of 50 km and 80 km and spanned an average width of 44 km. Many of the sprite events were of long duration, with an average of 145 ms. These spatial and temporal features were similar to those observed from the ground and the air in the United States. During the longer events, some luminous discharge elements were observed to decay as other new elements formed. As the new elements were often laterally displaced from the old, the sprites sometimes appeared to dance across the sky. This phenomenon has been observed in Colorado and named "dancing sprites." The lateral progression of sprite elements observed in the Northern Territory was overwhelmingly in one direction and covered distances of up to 90 km.


The paper at hand gives a short overview on "DMAN" (Departure Management System), also in the context of Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM). It describes the CADEO-tool (Controller Assistance through Departure Optimization), which was used to support the trials at Athens Eleftherios Venizelos Airport. The passive and the active trails, which were performed with a core team of six Air Traffic Controllers, are described, results analyzed in form of data and human factors impact assessment. It can be said, that taxi times were reduced, controller training was very effective and that the way opened shall continue with full implementation in the foreseeable future.