The article discusses the problem of multi aspect function of the internal nature of a personality, on the one hand, and versatile forms of its manifestation in the personal professional training of students of the Pedagogical Higher Educational Institution, on the other hand. It determines the grounds for research of productive educational activity of a student in the complex of four spheres of personal development. It shows productive generalized educational activity as a form of versatile activities of a student, that includes actualization of personal spheres in the process of the work of productive generalization mechanism, followed by the intensive flow of the processes itself, which as a unity provides its success in achieving professional competence as the ability and readiness for pedagogical activity. The applied aspect of the problem under study can be realized in the pedagogical practice of the professional training of future teachers.


Past value-added research employs hedonic pricing models to estimate premiums associated with value-added feeder cattle characteristics. However, hedonic pricing models require restrictive assumptions and impose a functional form. Producers also self-select into a treatment group, potentially biasing estimates. Using propensity score matching, we reduce potential bias from producer self-selection and from imposing a functional form. Results suggest that hedonic pricing models may be negatively biased in estimates of premiums received by value-added calf producers. Current adopters receive a premium of $5.38/cwt from participation in a certified preconditioning program, while nonadopters would realize $5.17/cwt by adopting certification. Hedonic model values range from $0.52/cwt to $4.32/cwt, for similar or identical preconditioning programs.


In many resource allocation problems, the objective is to allocate discrete resource units to a set of activities so as to maximize a concave objective function subject to upper bounds on the total amounts allotted to certain groups of activities. If the constraints determine a polymatroid and the objective is linear, it is well known that the greedy procedure results in an optimal solution. In this paper we extend this result to objectives that are "weakly concave," a property generalizing separable concavity. We exhibit large classes of models for which the set of feasible solutions is a polymatroid and for which efficient implementations of the greedy procedure can be given.


Twenty‐seven patients with multiple sclerosis had mild but significant macrocytosis when compared with an individually matched neurological control group and the normal laboratory reference range. The cause of the macrocytosis is unknown, but our recent clinical observations implicate a possible disturbance in vitamin B12 metabolism, binding or transport.


Abstract Solar activity, as manifested by its many equatorial as well as high-latitude components of short-term variability is regulated by the Sun's dynamo. This constitutes an intricate interplay between the solar toroidal and poloidal magnetic field components. The dynamo originates in the tachocline, which is a thin layer situated about 200,000 km beneath the solar surface. The dynamo is a non-linear system with deterministic chaotic elements, hence in principle unpredictable. Yet there are regularities in the past behaviour, such as the Grand Maxima (example: the recent high maximum of the 2nd half of the 20th century) the Grand Minima (e.g. the Maunder Minimum between 1650 and 1710) and the Regular Oscillations such as those between 1730 and 1923. Their occurrences are described by a phase diagram in which a specific point can be identified: the Transition Point. This diagram plays an essential role in determining the future solar activity. Guided by its quasi-regularities and by recent measurements of the solar magnetic fields we find that the Sun is presently undergoing a transition between the past Grand Maximum and a forthcoming period of Regular Oscillations. We forecast that this latter period will start in a few years and will continue for at least one Gleissberg cycle and that the next solar maximum (expected for 2014) will be low (Rmax ~ 68). We discuss the heliospheric drivers of Sun-climate interaction and find that the low-latitude magnetic regions contribute most to tropospheric temperatures but that also the influence of the - so far always neglected - polar activity is significant. Subtraction of these components from the observed temperatures of the past 400 years shows a residual series of relative peaks and dips in the temperature. These tops and lows last for periods of the order of the Gleissberg cycle. One of these is the recent period of global warming, which, from this point of view, is not an exceptional period.


EGFR exhibits biased signaling, whereby growth factor or mutation-dependent changes in receptor conformation and/or dynamics elicit distinct intracellular outcomes. We report that many outcomes associated with activated EGFR are controlled by a two-state coiled coil switch located within the juxtamembrane segment (JM), an essential component of the cytosolic dimer interface. The position of this switch defines the path of endocytic trafficking and whether or not EGFR is degraded within lysosomes. JM coiled coil identity also predicts kinase-independent effects of oncogenic EGFR mutations and clinically relevant tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that promote efficient, lysosome-based EGFR degradation. These findings provide a model for biased EGFR signaling, insights into kinase-independent activities of EGFR and clinically relevant TKIs, and identify new strategies for modulating protein lifetime.


Words matter in politics. The rhetoric that political elites employ structures civic discourse. The emergence of social media platforms as a medium of politics has enabled ordinary citizens to express their ideological inclinations by adopting the lexicon of political elites. This avails to researchers a rich new source of data in the study of political ideology. However, existing ideological text-scaling methods fail to produce meaningful inferences when applied to the short, informal style of textual content that is characteristic of social media platforms such as Twitter. This paper introduces the first viable approach to the estimation of individual-level ideological positions derived from social media content. This method allows us to position social media users—be they political elites, parties, or citizens—along a shared ideological dimension. We validate the proposed method by demonstrating correlation with existing measures of ideology across various political contexts and multiple languages. We further demonstrate the ability of ideological estimates to capture derivative signal by predicting out-of-sample, individual-level voting intentions. We posit that social media data can, when properly modeled, better capture derivative signal than discrete scales used in more traditional survey instruments.


Based on analyzing the meaning of learning society and the function of library,the author proposes the importance of D-library and gives some strategies on the procedure of constructing learning society.


Aim. To evaluate prediction role of the biomarkers soluble ST2 (sST2) and natriuretic hormone N-terminal propeptide (NT-proBNP) in risk assessment of adverse cardiovascular events (ACVE) in coronary heart disease patients (CHD) with chronic heart failure (CHF) after myocardial revascularization.Material and methods. Totally, 87 patients included (72 males) with CHD and CHF I-III functional class by NYHA with ejection fraction of the left ventricle (LVEF) 63 [55; 65]%, mean age 63 [57; 69] y.o. Levels of sST2 and NT-proBNP in plasma were measured by immune enzyme assay before myocardial revascularization.Results. In 12 months of prospective follow-up, patients were selected to 2 groups according to clinical course of CHF. To the group I the patients included (n=35) with ACVE, group II (b=52) — with none. It was found that in the group I the level of sST2 was higher by 41,5% (p<0,001) and reached 46,78 [37,88; 64,96] ng/mL, and in the group II — 27,39 [23,02; 35,4] ng/mL. Concentration of NT-proBNP in the group with ACVE was 2,5 times (p=0,004) higher comparing with group II and reached 189,21 [74,46; 580,79] and 73,58 [26,64; 155,77] pg/mL, respectively. In ROC-analysis it was found that the level of sST2  ≥34,18 ng/mL (sensitivity — 90,6%, specificity — 75,0%, AUC — 0,88, р<0,0001) and level of NT-proBNP  ≥276,96 pg/mL (sensitivity — 88,4%, specificity — 43,7%, AUC — 0,64, р<0,004) can be regarded as markers of ACVE during 12 months in CHD and CHF patients after revascularization. Also, together these two markers increase predictive significance of the analysis (sensitivity — 92,6%, specificity — 77,1%, AUC — 0,90, р<0,0001).Conclusion. Therefore, the preprocedural level of sST2 can be regarded as non-invasive marker for prediction of ACVE. Combination of sST2 and NT-proBNP shows higher diagnostic sensitvity and specificity for prediction of adverse CHF course.


The development of high-throughput field phenotyping, which uses modern detection technologies and advanced data processing algorithms, could increase productivity and make in-field phenotypic evaluation more efficient by collecting large amounts of data with no or minimal human assistance. Moreover, high-throughput plant phenotyping systems are also very effective in selecting crops and characterizing germplasm for drought tolerance and disease resistance by using spectral sensor data in combination with machine learning. In this study, an affordable high-throughput phenotyping platform (phenomobile) aims to obtain solutions at reasonable prices for all the components that make up it and the many data collected. The goal of the practical innovation in field phenotyping is to implement high-performance precision phenotyping under real-world conditions at accessible costs, making real-time data analysis techniques more user-friendly. This work aims to test the ability of a phenotyping prototype system constituted by an electric phenomobile integrated with a MAIA multispectral camera for real in-field plant characterization. This was done by acquiring spectral signatures of F1 hybrid Elisir (Olter Sementi) tomato plants and calculating their vegetation indexes. This work allowed to collect, in real time, a great number of field data about, for example, the morphological traits of crops, plant physiological activities, plant diseases, fruit maturity, and plant water stress.


Cutaneous electrogastrography (EGG) is a non-invasive technique to record gastric myoelectrical activity from the abdominal surface. Although the recent rapid increase in the development of electrocardiography, EGG still suffers from several limitations. Currently, computer analysis of EGG provides few reliable parameters, such as frequency and the percentage of normal and altered slow wave activity (bradygastria and tachygastria). New EGG hardware and software, along with an appropriate arrangement of abdominal electrodes, could detect the coupling of the gastric slow wave from the EGG. At present, EGG does not diagnose a specific disease, but it puts in evidence stomach motor dysfunctions in different pathological conditions as gastroparesis and functional dyspepsia. Despite the current pitfalls of EGG, a multitasking diagnostic protocol could involve the EGG and the 13C-breath testing for the evaluation of the gastric emptying time—along with validated gastrointestinal questionnaires and biochemical evaluations of the main gastrointestinal peptides—to identify dyspeptic subgroups. The present review tries to report the state of the art about the pathophysiological background of the gastric electrical activity, the recording and processing methodology of the EGG with particular attention to multichannel recording, and the possible clinical application of the EGG in adult and children.


One hundred and five (105) Camels were investigated at the Maiduguri abattoir, Nigeria using floatation and sedimentation techniques for helminth parasites and haematological indices with the microhaematocrit reader. Overall, prevalence of infection was 92.4% [(Coccidia (8.5%), Strongyloides (8.5%), Trichuris (11.4%), Ciliates (6.7%), Ascaris sp. (3.8%), Moniezia sp. (1.9%), Amphistome sp. (0.9%) and Balantidium sp. (0.9%)]. There was no significant difference between infected and non-infected camels for blood parameters. There is need to regularly deworm camels and further study the impact of helminthes in the camel especially with respect to its zoonotic potentials in countries with significant population of camels.


Objective. The aim of this study was to detect the diversity of Staphylococcus species of a healthy human skin using a simple techniquevPCR-SSCP.
Methods: Blood samples, saliva, and skin swaps samples were collected from 50 persons from Hilla City  - Iraq. The genomic DNA was extracted from these samples using the Bacteria Genomic DNA Kit. The concentrations and purity of DNA extract estimated by NanoDrop spectrophotometer. Polymerase chain reaction – single-strand conformational polymorphism (PCR–SSCP) technique was performed to detect the diversity between Staphylococcal species in the human skin microbiome using a specific primer of the 16SrRNA gene.
Results: The PCR results, indicated that the Staphylococcal species were found within the ski community, but it's not infected blood and mouth of test healthy individuals. SSCP-heteroduplex patterns of PCR products appeared the presence Staphylococcal species diversity within skin microbiome of test healthy individuals.
Conclusion: In spite of the PCR-SSCP, heteroduplex method was simple and cheap and appeared the diversity betweenvStaphylococcalspeciesvin the human skin microbiome, but it's not diagnosed the bacterial strains. So these results required to confirm by DNAvsequencingvtechnique.


Consequent on the need to utilize bio-wastes for energy generation, a preliminary study for bio-energy plant location modelling was carried out in this work using spatial statistics technique in Anambra State of Nigeria as a case study. Spatial statistics toolbox in ArcGIS was used to generate point density map wh ich reveal the regional patterns of biomass distribution and to generate hotspot analysis of zones of poultry production sites in the study area. The result of the study indicates that the central regions of the state is characterised with high point density poultry production sites, some of the locations with high point density poultry production values include: Ogbaru town which has the highest point density value of above 4,362,480kg of poultry droppings. This is followed by Umuchu, Onitsha, Nise, Nibo and Amawbia, with point density value that ranges from 2,210,250kg to 4,362,480kg. Several hotspots were identified in the central region of the study area, and in the South west region of the study area (where Umuodu, Ogbakuba and Ossomala were located), while the Southern region of the study area is characterized with several coldspots. The hotspots zones and high point density production sites identified in this study should serve as suitable locations for siting bio-energy plants in the study area. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v35i4.32


A long-standing problem in United Kingdom law concerns the proper relationship between judicial review and healthcare resource allocation. Traditionally, decisions concerning healthcare resource allocation are non-justiciable. This position has already been departed from in the positive law, but few within the academic literature have discussed the theoretical justification for such a departure. This article draws upon the literature on public law theory and makes three theoretical arguments in favour of this departure. First, the doctrine of non-justiciability is an inflexible – and thus inappropriate – form of judicial restraint. Second, one cannot sensibly distinguish cases with an allocative impact (which are justiciable) from decisions concerning healthcare resource allocation. The latter therefore should not be non-justiciable. Third, the ultra vires theory entails that decisions concerning healthcare resource allocation should be both justiciable and consistent with the requirements of the rule of law – such that these decisions must be subject to the possibility of both procedural and rationality review. This establishes a baseline judicial role in healthcare resource allocation.


Current medical thinking supports early initiation of aggressive approaches to the management of perinatally acquired HIV infection. Biological mothers, however, may not endorse this way of managing their child's condition. For this study, grounded theory methods were used to conduct secondary analysis of eight semi-structured in-depth interviews with parents of children with perinatally acquired HIV. Biological mothers' perspectives on their children's treatment for perinatally acquired HIV infection, the strategies they used to manage their children's treatment and sociocultural influences on mothers' beliefs and actions are explored and described. Creation of a framework that may be useful for future research and recommendations for clinical practice are offered.


In situ hybridization histochemistry was used to locate cells containing tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA in the hypothalami of salt-loaded and Brattleboro rats. The hyperosmotic plasma conditions found in these animals, as compared to control animals, was associated with an increase in detectable TH mRNA-producing cells in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei. These results suggest that dopamine synthesized by neurons of those nuclei may participate in the regulation of neuropeptide synthesis and release within the nuclei and the posterior pituitary.


Organizational theory and research has increased attention to the determinants and consequences of attention in organizations. Attention is not, however, a unitary concept but is used differently in various metatheories: the behavioral theory of the firm, managerial cognition, issue selling, attention-based view, and ecology. At the level of the brain, neuroscientists have identified three varieties of attention: selective attention, executive attention, and vigilance. Attention is shaped by both top-down (i.e., schema-driven) and bottom-up (i.e., stimulus-driven) processes. Inspired by neuroscience research, I classify and compare three varieties of attention studied in organization science: attentional perspective (top-down), attentional engagement (combining top-down and bottom-up executive attention and vigilance), and attentional selection (the outcome of attentional processes). Based on research findings, I develop five propositions on how the varieties of attention in organization provide a theoretical alternative to theories of structural determinism or strategic choice, with a particular focus on the role of attention in explaining organizational adaptation and change.


The trial preparation, diflucortolone valerate, was tested clinically in the form of fatty ointment on 27 patients: 4 with psoriasis, 4 with neurodermatitis, 4 with contact dermatitis, 2 with actinodermatitis, 10 with eczema, 2 with cutaneous reticulosis and 1 with radiodermitis. In 89% of the cases the results were good; in 11% were they regular.


Cities matter. They are often the sites in which the helping hand and the clenched fist of the state makes first contact with the citizen. They are engines of national economic growth and, often, the source of political movements that become national and transnational in scope. Yet, the theoretical tools available to study change at the urban level are limited. This article seeks to address this shortcoming by offering a new account of urban political development. I argue that urban political development is driven by the impact of multiple political orders. My aim is to highlight three apparently contradictory patterns of urban political development: the imposition of urban austerity measures, the rise of the urban carceral state, and the emergence of progressive economic policymaking, such as local minimum wage ordinances. I suggest that these shifts reflect underlying operation and competition among neoliberal, conservative and egalitarian political orders respectively.


Fiber-strain sensors have found numerous applications from structural health monitoring for vibrations, to pressure and temperature sensing. Many of these sensors exploit the strain-sensitivity of the reflection wavelength of fiber-bragg gratings, π-shifted gratings or other waveguide devices. The strain is typically inferred from a change of reflected or transmitted light intensity. Light intensity measurements are not very robust and have an inherently limited accuracy. We propose that a frequency-based strain measurements using fiber Fabry-Perot (FFP) cavities provide not only superior sensitivity but also retain a very high measurement bandwidth.


Administration of herbal drugs to cure diseases in humans is since time immemorial. Each and every civilization has its own culture and medicine, are called as traditional systems. Siddha system of medicine is one of the traditional system belongs to Dravidian race belongs to southern part of India. This system of medicine is using herbals, metals and minerals as the raw drugs to make medicines. Recent scientific trends insisting that administration of metals in human usage should undergo the toxicity studies. Amirtharasa mathirai is one of the siddha formulation made up of heavy metal mercury and sulphur. Amirtharasa mathirai (ARM) is studied for acute toxicity. The results are the ARM did not exhibit any mortality in mice. No behavior changes and weight reduction of mice in this study. Reflexes were found to be normal before and after the drug administration. In necropsy, all the internal organs are appeared normal. Hence the siddha formulation ARM is safe and recommended for human usage.


A distance magic labeling of a graph G = (V,E) with |V | = n is a bijection l from V to the set {1, . . . , n} such that the weight w(x) = ∑ y∈NG(x) l(y) of every vertex x ∈ V is equal to the same element μ, called the magic constant. In this paper, we study unions of distance magic graphs as well as some properties of such graphs.


In recent years, major disasters have occurred frequently, with sudden floods, rampant epidemics, and typhoons... Faced with sudden disasters, the affected population is often caught unprepared. Under the background of "Internet +", the speed of information circulation has improved, but the news that the material needs of the disaster victims are not effectively met still often appears in the public's view. In order to improve the efficiency of disaster information dissemination and enable the efficient distribution of related materials, this paper discusses this issue based on the gatekeeper theory of communication science. With a view to tracing the source and clarifying the reasons for the low efficiency and poor effect of disaster mutual aid information dissemination under the background of "Internet +", this paper proposes solutions to the problems in combination with the gatekeeper theory of communication, to promote the rational distribution and utilization of resources, meet the material needs of disaster victims, and ensure the basic life of the people.


We aimed to evaluate the impact of emergency single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) on the diagnosis and treatment for active overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). Methods SBE procedures for OGIB were retrospectively reviewed and sub-divided according to the bleeding types: active-overt and inactive-overt bleeding. The patient's history, laboratory results, endoscopic findings and therapeutic interventions were registered. Emergency SBE was defined as an endoscopy that was performed for active-overt OGIB, within 24 hours of clinical presentation. Results Between January 2010 and February 2013, 53 SBEs were performed in 43 patients with overt OGIB. Seventeen emergency SBEs were performed in 15 patients with active overt-OGIB procedures (group A), which diagnosed the bleeding source in 14: angiodysplasia (n = 5), ulcers/erosions (n = 3), bleeding tumors (gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), n = 3; neuroendocrine tumor, n = 1), and erosioned polyps (n = 2). Endoscopic treatment was performed in nine patients, with one or multiple hemostatic therapies: argon plasma coagulation (n = 5), epinephrine submucosal injection (n = 5), hemostatic clips (n = 3), and polypectomy (n = 2). Twenty-eight patients with inactive bleeding (group B) were submitted to 36 elective SBEs, which successfully diagnosed 18 cases. The diagnostic yield in group A (93.3%) was significantly higher than in group B (64.3%)—Fisher's exact test, p = 0.038. Conclusion This study revealed an important role of emergency SBE in the diagnosis of bleeding etiology in active overt OGIB.


IN his 1984 article, "Postmodernism, or The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism," Frederic Jameson polemically defined parody in opposition to pastiche, asserting that the former affirms and relies on "some healthy linguistic normality" after its critique, while the latter is devoid of any critical force, a mere "blank parody," or "statue with blind eyeballs" (65). Critics have since questioned the political force Jameson attributes to parody, by both casting doubt on the "healthiness" of the "linguistic normality" to which he refers, and also highlighting how parody strengthens the norms it supposedly demystifies. As "repetition with critical distance" (to borrow Linda Hutcheon's words), parody can both discredit and reinforce the models on which it is built (Hutcheon 6, xii). While potentially "a threatening, even anarchic force, one that puts into question the legitimacy of other texts," Hutcheon argues, parody's "transgressions ultimately remain authorized [...]. Even in mocking, parody reinforces; in formal terms, it inscribes the mocked conventions onto itself, thereby guaranteeing their continued existence" (75). Yet because parody calls attention, through this repetition, to its own writing or textual status, it has remained a privileged technique of self-reflexivity in modern and postmodern art. As repetition with a difference, parody can also be described as a paradigmatic mode of Creole identity and resistance. Like the Creole language itself, as described by Edouard Glissant, parody functions through the strategic deployment of a given code, a code on which it relies for its existence yet which it deforms, derides, or transforms. Like Creole, whose use of dissimulation, double-entendre, and subtle, rather than overt, subversive strategies has been highlighted by numerous authors and critics, parody is a slippery technique, one that gestures toward authorial intent--an intent to demystify or recontextualize an artwork or genre--but also depends, in order to function as irony, on the reader's competence as a decoder. This competence derives from the reader's familiarity with the models parody alters, as well as his or her assessment of the degree to which a text either "repeats" or "differs" from its predecessor. Parody becomes an exemplary technique of cultural contestation in Patrick Chamoiseau's Solibo Magnifique, a text that plays off the conventions of the detective novel in order to challenge Metropolitan cultural practices and control. Focusing on the figure of the conteur, a master of parodic performance, the novel situates parody at the heart of oral culture and Creole identity formation. By contrast, Maryse Conde has displayed throughout her work a sustained concern for, and resistance to, the elevation of any literary technique or model of identity as exemplary. Her dissatisfaction with the Creolite movement in particular--stemming mainly from what she views as its heavily prescriptive character and its positioning of the writer as spokesperson for the people--is also now well-known. (1) Nevertheless, like Chamoiseau, Conde similarly turns to parody in a number of her works, including her 2000 novel Celanire cou-coupe. In what follows, I will explore the role that parody plays in Chamoiseau's and Conde's visions of Caribbean aesthetics. If these authors' theoretical statements clearly diverge on the question of literature's political purpose, their novels suggest a greater affinity between the two in the way they valorize parody's unsettling effects and critical edge. In particular, they value parody's ability to create and sustain opacity, and in this respect, we could say that Chamoiseau and Conde, in their own distinct ways, exemplify what Edouard Glissant considers characteristic of Antillean literature: a resistance to comprehension or hermeneutical clarity. Textual opacity might appear antithetical to parody, which must overcome its undecidable character, its slippery dependence on the reader's recognition of its irony, for example, in order to convey its critique. …


While the use of biologicals has revolutionised the treatment of Crohn's disease (CD) in recent decades, many patients fail to respond or lose response over time. Predictors for treatment selection and/or success are lacking. Vedolizumab (VDZ) induces corticosteroid-free clinical remission in 29% and endoscopic remission in 36% of patients after 6 months. Accumulating evidence suggests that the epigenome, mainly DNA-methylation, is associated with certain CD phenotypes. Here, we investigated whether the DNA methylome of peripheral blood (PB) obtained from CD patients treated with VDZ was associated with clinical and endoscopic response or non-response to treatment.

 We prospectively recruited CD patients scheduled to start VDZ treatment at regular dosage and who underwent baseline endoscopy. PB was collected prior to treatment (T1) and at a median of 14 weeks (T2) into treatment. Additionally, a third PB sample was collected after a median of 79 weeks (T3) into treatment for 10 CD patients. DNA methylation was measured using the Illumina Infinium Methylation EPIC BeadChip. After a median 27 weeks of treatment, patients were characterised as responders (R) or non-responders (NR) based on endoscopic changes (R= ≥50% reduction in SES-CD score) combined with either steroid-free clinical remission (≥3 point drop in HBI, no systemic steroids) and/or biochemical response (≥50% reduction in C-reactive protein and faecal calprotectin).

 We analysed data of 16 R and 14 NR patients, 53% of which were female with a median age of 37. No significant differences in age, sex or smoking were observed between R and NR. All patients had measurable serum VDZ concentration at the second endoscopy. To identify response-associated biomarkers, we performed elastic net regression through repeated cross-validation. We identified 38 differentially methylated probes (DMPs) associated with response (Figure a), 7 of which were located in gene promoters. Performance-wise the DMPs displayed a sensitivity of 0.86 and a specificity of 0.8 in predicting response (Figure b). Notably, the degree of methylation for the response-associated DMPs did not change after 14 weeks of treatment (n = 30), or even after 79 weeks (n = 10).

 Here, we show that the DNA methylome in peripheral blood is associated with response to VDZ. As the difference in methylation remained stable during induction and maintenance treatment with VDZ, inflammation did not appear to affect the response-associated DMPs. Our observations provide evidence towards the establishment of epigenetic marks with predictive biomarker capabilities, paving the road towards personalised treatment selection in CD.


This report discusses why the federal government's fiscal path is unsustainable and provides an overview of proposals of selected groups that have published detailed recommendations on how to return the federal budget to a sustainable course.


The reactions of Sc(+)((3)D) with methane, ethane, and propane in the gas phase were studied theoretically by density functional theory. The potential energy surfaces corresponding to [Sc, C(n), H(2n+2)](+) (n=1-3) were examined in detail at the B3LYP/6-311++G(3df, 3pd)//B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory. The performance of this theoretical method was calibrated with respect to the available thermochemical data. Calculations indicated that the reactions of Sc(+) with alkanes are multichannel processes which involve two general mechanisms: an addition-elimination mechanism, which is in good agreement with the general mechanism proposed from earlier experiments, and a concerted mechanism, which is presented for the first time in this work. The addition-elimination reactions are favorable at low energy, and the concerted reactions could be alternative pathways at high energy. In most cases, the energetic bottleneck in the addition-elimination mechanism is the initial C--C or C--H activation. The loss of CH(4) and/or C(2)H(6) from Sc(+)+C(n)H(2n+2) (n=2, 3) can proceed along both the initial C--C activation branch and the Cbond;H activation branch. The loss of H(2) from Sc(+)+C(n)H(2n+2) (n=2, 3) can proceed not only by 1,2-H(2) and/or 1,3-H(2) elimination, but also by 1,1-H(2) elimination. The reactivity of Sc(+) with alkanes is compared with those reported earlier for the reactions of the late first-row transition-metal ions with alkanes.


Abstract We demonstrated a 20% rate of subsequent carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE)–associated infections among hospitalized CRE carriers. Independent factors associated with the infections were number of colonization sites, central-line insertion, and receiving vancomycin before colonization. These findings underscore the importance of antibiotic stewardship and device-related infection control measures to prevent CRE infections.


Abstract Restriction‐site‐associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) has become an accessible way to obtain genome‐wide data in the form of single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for phylogenetic inference. Nonetheless, how differences in RADseq methods influence phylogenetic estimation is poorly understood because most comparisons have largely relied on conceptual predictions rather than empirical tests. We examine how differences in ddRAD and 2bRAD data influence phylogenetic estimation in two non‐model frog groups. We compare the impact of method choice on phylogenetic information, missing data, and allelic dropout, considering different sequencing depths. Given that researchers must balance input (funding, time) with output (amount and quality of data), we also provide comparisons of laboratory effort, computational time, monetary costs, and the repeatability of library preparation and sequencing. Both 2bRAD and ddRAD methods estimated well‐supported trees, even at low sequencing depths, and had comparable amounts of missing data, patterns of allelic dropout, and phylogenetic signal. Compared to ddRAD, 2bRAD produced more repeatable datasets, had simpler laboratory protocols, and had an overall faster bioinformatics assembly. However, many fewer parsimony‐informative sites per SNP were obtained from 2bRAD data when using native pipelines, highlighting a need for further investigation into the effects of each pipeline on resulting datasets. Our study underscores the importance of comparing RADseq methods, such as expected results and theoretical performance using empirical datasets, before undertaking costly experiments.


This work presents an analysis methodology based on the use of the Finite Element Method (FEM) nowadays considered one of the main numerical tools for solving Boundary Value Problems (BVPs). The proposed methodology, so-called cg-FEM (Cartesian grid FEM), has been implemented for fast and accurate numerical analysis of 2D linear elasticity problems. The traditional FEM uses geometry-conforming meshes; however, in cg-FEM the analysis mesh is not conformal to the geometry. This allows for defining very efficient mesh generation techniques and using a robust integration procedure, to accurately integrate the domain's geometry. The hierarchical data structure used in cg-FEM together with the Cartesian meshes allow for trivial data sharing between similar entities. The cg-FEM methodology uses advanced recovery techniques to obtain an improved solution of the displacement and stress fields (for which a discretization error estimator in energy norm is available) that will be the output of the analysis. All this results in a substantial increase in accuracy and computational efficiency with respect to the standard FEM. cg-FEM has been applied in structural shape optimization showing robustness and computational efficiency in comparison with FEM solutions obtained with a commercial code, despite the fact that cg-FEM has been fully implemented in MATLAB.


: Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to give an overview regarding the importance of travel and tourism industry, its development and sustainability. Given that the development of this industry contributes to the overall development of the economies of different countries, it is intended to present the importance of sustainable development of the travel and tourism industry in the turnover of foreign visitors in Kosovo. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research is based on secondary data obtained from quarterly reports of hotel statistics published by the Kosovo Agency of Statistics. These data refer to the number of foreign visitors by purpose of trip for which they have taken the initiative to come to Kosovo. Overall, a comparison has been made in the years 2017-2019 and the trend of the number of foreign visitors has been presented. Findings: Trips undertaken for the purpose of visiting friends and relatives are the highest in number. The number of foreign visitors has marked an increasing trend during the years 2017-2019. Reports have shown that foreign visitors entering Kosovo came from different countries, respectively registered during the crossing of border points. The highest figures were recorded by visitors from Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Germany, Switzerland, and Montenegro. Practical Implications: This paper clearly and concisely presents the importance of sustainable development of the travel and tourism industry, with emphasis on its impact on the economic development of countries. Originality/Value: The paper presents the personal research of the authors with their clear intention to provide a theoretical overview, illustrated with the analysis of secondary data, of the topic on which the discussion extends.


This Article is an expansion of the Brigitte M. Bodenheimer Memorial Lecture on the Family I delivered on February 19, 2004 at the University of California at Davis School of Law. Notwithstanding the reference to "Abduction" in its title, the Convention covers violations of custody rights more generally, encompassing wrongful removals or wrongful retentions of children up to the age of 16. The Convention takes a somewhat unique approach to the problem of international parental abduction. Rather than address the issue through jurisdictional rules and the recognition of judgments - which is the approach of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act ("UCCJA") and the more recent Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act ("UCCJEA"), as well as that of the new 1996 Protection of Children Convention - the Abduction Convention simply requires the "return" of a child who has been wrongfully removed or retained in another Contracting State. If a child (up to the age of 16) habitually resident in a Convention country is wrongfully taken or retained in another Convention country, the authorities of the country to which the child is taken are required to return the child to the country of their habitual residence. With respect to a child who is brought to the United States, this is done by filing a Hague application for return in the state or federal court of the State where the child is located.


Together with new developments in mechanical cardiac support, the analysis of vortex dynamics in the left ventricle has become an increasingly important topic in literature. The aim of this study was to develop a method to investigate the influence of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) on vortex dynamics in a failing ventricle. An axisymmetric fluid dynamics model of the left ventricle was developed and coupled to a lumped parameter model of the complete circulation. Simulations were performed for healthy conditions and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Vortex structures in these simulations were analysed by means of automated detection. Results show that the strength of the leading vortex ring is lower in a DCM ventricle than in a healthy ventricle. The LVAD further influences the maximum strength of the vortex and also causes the vortex to disappear earlier in time with increasing LVAD flows. Understanding these phenomena by means of the method proposed in this study will contribute to enhanced diagnostics and monitoring during cardiac support.


The platform economy denotes a subset of economic activities enabled by platforms such as Amazon, Alibaba, and Uber. Due to their tremendous success, more and more offerings concentrate around platforms increasing platforms' positional-power, hence leading towards a de-facto centralization of previously decentralized online markets. Furthermore, platform models work well for individual products and services or predefined combinations of these. However, they fall short in supporting complex products (personalized combinations of individual products and services), the combination of which is required to fulfill a particular consumer need, consequently increasing transaction costs for consumers looking for such products. To address these issues, we envision a "post-platform economy"—an economy facilitated by decentralized and self-organized online structures named Distributed Market Spaces. This work proposes a comprehensive model to serve as a guiding framework for the analysis, design, and implementation of Distributed Market Spaces. The proposed model leverages the St. Gallen Media Reference Model by adjusting existing and adding new entities and elements. The resulting multidimensional and multi-view model defines how a reference Distributed Market Space (a) works on the strategic and operational levels, (b) enables market exchange for complex products, and (c) how its instances might unfold during different life stages. In a case study, we demonstrated the application of our model and evaluated its suitability of meeting the primary objectives it was designed for.


What makes a people so persistently guard its ethnic name, even at the expense of reconstructing its cultural entities? The Nu in northern Myanmar originated from the Anung and Nusu branches of the Chinese Nu people in the Nujiang River valley. In Myanmar's contemporary ethnic construction, the Nu failed to acquire an ethnic identity commensurate with their ethnic name, thus giving rise to their movement of ethnic reconstruction. Out of the need to retain their own language and culture and acquire their ethnic identity, the Anung and Nusu, who had little interaction with each other in history, have become united. Referring to the Chinese Nu people's construction pattern, they have reconstructed the Myanmar Nu people as a complete ethnic entity by enhancing their social identity, reshaping their cultural traditions, and creating their writing system, along with a Nu language-based Christian theological system, in the hope of eventually gaining recognition from various other ethnic groups in Kachin and of the Myanmar government.


A series of imipramine analogs were tested for inhibition of [3H]-MK801 binding and for their ability to protect against NMDA-induced lethality in mice. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) for the inhibition of [3H]-MK801 binding found primary amines on short linkers to be optimum. For protection against NMDA lethality, compounds containing an unsaturated link to a cyclic amine were the most potent analogs tested. Possible explanations for the lack of correlation observed are briefly discussed.


Catfish ( Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus ) and mullet ( Liza grandisquamis ) were sampled from Lagos Lagoon and Agboyi Creek and analysed for alpha-BHC, beta-BHC , lindane, delta-BHC, heptachlor, heptachlor-epoxide (B), aldrin, dieldrin, endrin, endrin aldehyde, endrin ketone, cis-chlordane, trans-chlordane, endosulfan 1, endosulfan 11, endosulfan sulphate, methoxychlor, p,p´-DDE, p,p´-DDD and p,p´-DDT. Sampling was conducted four times at the designated sites during the dry season months of December 2008 and February 2009 and the wet season months of May and September 2009. The muscle tissues and organs of the finfishes were subjected to cold extraction with petroleum ether/acetone (1:1 v/v) mixture and clean-up on silica gel adsorbents. A gas chromatograph coupled with electron capture detector (GC-ECD) was used to detect and determine the organochlorines. The residue levels of the fishes were higher in the Lagos Lagoon than in Agboyi Creek while a higher concentration of the residues was observed during the dry season. The female fishes accumulated higher organochlorines than the male fishes. The order of residue accumulation in the organs of the fishes was gills > livers > large intestines > small intestines > kidneys > muscles. The dietary surveys indicated that the amount of fishes consumed ranged from 20 to 200 g/day, with a mean value of 40 g/day. The estimated daily intakes of the organochlorines were within the acceptable daily intakes while the levels of residues in the fishes were within the permissible residue limits. KEY WORDS : Organochlorines, Lagos Lagoon, Agboyi Creek, Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus , Liza grandisquamis Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2015 , 29(2), 215-228 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v29i2.5


The present study was aimed to study the effect of an ovine follicular fluid peptide on ovarian follicle and good oocyte numbers and weights of ovary, uterus, liver, pancreas and kidney in rats, R. norvegicus. A 30.1 kDa peptide was isolated from ovine follicular fluid by ammonium sulphate precipitation and then gel filtration. The peptide was tested at various levels in normal (22 and 36 day-old), superovulated (29 day-old) immature and 121-day old mature rats on the ovarian responses and other organ weights. The isolated peptide inhibited the growth of antral follicles in normal and superovulated rats. Ovarian, uterine weight and recovery of good oocytes were reduced when the peptide was administered at 100 microg dose. The peptide had no effect on kidney, liver, pancreas weight and recovery of preantral follicles.


Objectives Evaluation of remdesivir, an RNA polymerase inhibitor, for effectiveness in adults with COVID-19. Data sources Electronic search for eligible articles of PubMed, Cochrane Central and clinicaltrials.gov was performed on 20 September 2020. Participants and study eligibility criteria Only randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating efficacy of remdesivir in COVID-19 were included for meta-analysis. Interventions Remdesivir was compared with standard of care. Primary and secondary outcomes Primary outcome was mortality and secondary outcomes were time to clinical improvement and safety outcomes like serious adverse events, respiratory failure. Study appraisal and synthesis methods Data synthesis was done with Cochrane review manager 5 (RevMan) V.5.3. Cochrane risk of bias V.2.0 tool was used for methodological quality assessment. The GRADE pro GDT was applied for overall quality of evidence. Results 52 RCTs were screened and 4 studies were included in analysis, with total of 7324 patients. No mortality benefit was observed with remdesivir versus control group (OR=0.92 (95% CI 0.79 to 1.07), p=0.30, moderate quality evidence). Significantly higher rates of clinical improvement (OR=1.52 (95% CI 1.24 to 1.87), p<0.0001, low quality) and faster time to clinical improvement (HR=1.28 (95% CI 1.12 to 1.46), p=0.0002, very low quality) was observed with remdesivir versus control group. Significant decrease was found in the risk of serious adverse events (RR=0.75 (95% CI 0.62 to 0.90), p=0.0003, low quality); however, no difference was found in the risk of respiratory failure (RR=0.85 (95% CI 0.41 to 1.77), p=0.67, very low quality evidence) with remdesivir. Conclusions As per the evidence from current review, remdesivir has shown no mortality benefit (moderate quality evidence) in the treatment of COVID-19. From a cost–benefit perspective, it is our personal opinion that it should not be recommended for use, especially in low and lower middle income countries. Trial registration number PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020189517.


The analytical models for the Jones matrix of an optical fiber affected by high-order polarization-mode dispersion (PMD) are studied in an original comparative analysis with the purpose of finding a useful, precise, and stable tool for the system performance evaluation. First, a preliminary deterministic study is done to explain how the conceptual difference among the models reflects onto their representation of the fiber PMD effects in terms of Jones matrix coefficients and dispersion vector. Then, the analytical models with PMD up to third order are exploited for the calculation of the outage probability on the sensitivity penalty at the receiver, and the results obtained are compared with those of the discrete random wave-plate numerical model, assumed as a faithful description of the real fiber. Two different approaches are used for the outage probability evaluation: an analytical method, which is precise and faster but can only be used with PMD parameters up to second order, and a semi-analytical method that allows a comparison of the numerical and analytical results with homogeneity, when the statistics of high-order PMD are not known. The analytical model, which describes the dispersion vector as rotating on a circumference in the Stokes space, is found to be the most accurate in the system performance computation.


The analysis presented in this thesis focuses on kinematic distributions in the t{bar t} system and studies in detail selected differential cross sections of top quarks as well as the reconstructed t{bar t} pair, namely the top quark transverse momentum and the t{bar t} system mass. The structure of the thesis is organized as follows: first the Standard Model of the particle physics is briefly introduced in Chapter 1, with relevant aspects of electroweak and strong interactions discussed. The physics of the top quark and its properties are then outlined in Chapter 2, together with the motivation for measuring the transverse top quark momentum and other kinematic-related variables of the t{bar t} system. The concepts of present-day high energy physics collider experiments and the explicit example of Fermilab Tevatron collider and the D0 detector in Chapters 3 and 4 are followed by the description of basic detector-level objects, i.e. tracks, leptons and jets, in Chapter 5; their identification and calibration following in next chapter with the emphasis on the jet energy scale in Chapter 6 and jet identification at the D0. The analysis itself is outlined in Chapter 7 and is structured so that first the data and simulation samplesmore » and the basic preselection are described in Chapter 8 and 9, followed by the kinematic reconstruction part in Chapter 10. Chapter 11 on background normalization and Chapter 12 with raw reconstructed spectra results (at the detector-smeared level) are followed by the purity-based background subtraction method and examples of signal-level corrected spectra in Chapter 13. Next, the procedure of correcting measured spectra for detector effects (unfolding) is described in Chapters 14-15, including migration matrix studies, acceptance correction determination as well as the regularized unfolding procedure itself. Final differential cross sections are presented in Chapter 16 with the main results in Figures 16.19-16.20. Summary and discussion close the main analysis part in Chapter 17, supplemented by appendices on the wealthy of analysis control plots of the t{bar t} {yields} {ell} + jets channel, selected D0 event displays and finally the list of publications and references. Preliminary results of this analysis have been documented in D0 internal notes [UnfoldTop], [p17Top], [p14Top]; as well as presented at conferences [APS08], [APS05]. The author has also been a co-author of more than 135 D0 collaboration publications since 2005. The author has taken part in the jet energy scale calibration efforts performing final closure tests and deriving a correction to jet energy offset due to the suppression of the calorimeter signal. The author has also co-performed the {phi}-intercalibration of the hadronic calorimeter and co-supervised the electromagnetic {phi}-intercalibration; recently has also been involved in maintaining the jet identification efficiencies measurement as a JetID convener. During the years in Fermilab, many events have taken place in the course of the analysis in persuasion, including more than 170 shifts served for the D0 detector with or without the beam, 168 talks presented with mixed results and reactions; and tens of thousands of code lines in C (and sometimes perhaps even really C++) written while terabytes of data were processed, analyzed, and sometimes also lost. It has been a long but profoundly enriching chapter of my life.« less


New knowledge on the treatment of Hepatitis C is accruing at an extraordinarily rapid rate and my aim in this editorial based on a talk I gave at the Pakistan Society of Gastroenterology Annual International Congress this year, is to outline how patients may be treated both currently and over the next two to three years.


The bone alterations in the region of the clavicle (3 cases) are similar to those we have observed and described elsewhere in the skeleton i.e., the mandible, maxillary and ethmoid bones. Rarefaction is the result of three different types of bone destruction: osteoclasia, a kind of osteocytic osteolysis only observed after irradiation and obviously related with infection, and a pure demineralization of the osseous tissue by contact with pus. Reconstruction processes, although unable to prevent spontaneous fracture, are also present and correspond to islets of chondroid tissue surrounded by lamellar bone. However, these recently deposited calcified tissues are already necrotic since most of their lacunae are empty.


The modification of lithium-rich layered cathode materials has been widely studied by surface coating, doping and chemical treatment for lithium-ion batteries. However, controlled synthesis of advanced electrode materials with high capacity, high reaction activity, and structural stability is still a considerable challenge in practical applications. Herein, we develop a simple and efficient method to replace the traditional wet chemical deposition route for the synthesis of CexSn1−xO2−σ hybrid coated Li-rich Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 (denoted as LNCM@CexSn1−xO2−σ, 0 < x ≤ 1) materials as cathodes by a versatile solvothermal method. The obtained LNCM@CexSn1−xO2−σ materials are further characterized by XRD, Raman, XPS, SEM, and TEM. It is revealed that the synthesized Ce0.8Sn0.2O2−σ material possesses abundant oxygen vacancies and exists in the form of nanoparticles with a size of about 10 nm on the surface of Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 (CS3). Meanwhile, a spinel-phase layer is formed between the nanoparticles and host material. As anticipated, a sample modified with CS3 exhibited good rate capability and enhanced cycling stability. More importantly, this modification strategy dramatically reduces the irreversible capacity loss (ICR) of the first cycle for active materials; the ICR lowered to 48.1 mA h g−1 in comparison with the pristine material at a current density of 12.5 mA g−1 (0.05C). Furthermore, an enhanced initial discharge capacity of 315.1 mA h g−1 (0.05C) compared to 285.3 mA h g−1 and an excellent initial coulombic efficiency of 92.77% compared to 79.71% for the pristine one in the potential range of 2.0–4.8 V (vs. Li/Li+) were obtained. Such improvements are mainly ascribed to the fact that the Ce0.2Sn0.8O2−σ material has a good synergistic effect with the pristine LNCM material, which may be the spillover caused by the migration of lattice oxygen from the LNCM phase to the Ce0.2Sn0.8O2−σ phase. In addition, the formation of the spinel structure is beneficial for stabilizing the crystal lattice of the host material and facilitating Li+ diffusion through unique 3D diffusion paths in the surface regions. This newly developed Ce0.8Sn0.2O2−σ hybrid layer can provide a new strategy for the design and synthesis of advanced electrode materials for energy storage devices.


We present a spectroscopic and magnetic (both static and dynamic) characterization of two isostructural Dy and Er complexes evidencing that, despite the different types of magnetic anisotropy, the two molecules show similar slow relaxation of the magnetization in a static magnetic field.


Review: Managing Tourism Growth: Issues and Applications By Fred P. Bosselman, Craig A. Peterson and Claire McCarthy Reviewed by Kenneth Carriveau Baylor University, USA Bosselman, Fred P., Craig A. Peterson, & Claire McCarthy. Managing Tourism Growth: Issues and Applications. Washington, DC: Island Press, 1999. 304 pp. ISBN 1-55963-605-X (softcover). US$40.00 Recycled, acid-free paper Managing Tourism Growth is a valuable resource for those concerned with the tourism industry. Bosselman and friends use their many years of experience and legal expertise in land use and development issues to give a general guide for developing successful and sustainable tourism programs within an economic market. Readers should note well that this is not a 'howto' text with clear, step-by-step instructions, but rather an analytical discussion of the methods, components, and techniques that characterize effective tourism management strategies. The first three chapters are the backbone of the volume and comprise the 'issues' component of the text. Bosselman begins with a general snapshot of the types of risks and benefits often encountered while developing tourism programs. The brief discussion looks at the impact tourism has on the economic, social, and cultural status of the travel destination. Excerpts from six case studies presented later in the text are used to highlight examples of poor tourism planning and management. The second chapter is the most substantial of the 'issues' chapters and focuses on tourism growth planning. The authors discuss four management objectives and six developmental conditions, all derived from common-pool resources management research done in the last twenty years, research the authors deem essential to the creation of an effective and successful strategic plan. Readers will not be surprised that most of the discussion centers around the 'fair use', 'sustainability', and 'adaptability' themes found in most development texts published over the last few years. Surprisingly, though, Bosselman and his colleagues insist that the local community, the tourist, and the state/national government all share in the responsibility and accountability, although not necessarily in equal measure, for the development, management, and continued success of any tourism development program. Balanced effort and equitable involvement are the key ingredients to Bosselman's scheme to planning. In chapter three, the authors take the process to the next logical step and discuss the factors and conditions that must be considered once the development plan has been created and put into effect. …


ESA's SMOS mission, launched at November 2nd, 2009, is designed to observe two environmentally important variables, soil moisture (SM) over land, and ocean surface salinity (OS) by L-band microwave imaging radiometry. SMOS will also provide information on root-zone soil moisture, vegetation and biomass and contribute to research on the cryosphere. Knowledge of the global distribution of soil moisture and ocean salinity with adequate spatial and temporal sampling is expected to significantly improve weather, climate and extreme-event forecasting. Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity retrieval depends on different parameters in particular the brightness temperature. This paper is concerned with the reconstruction of brightness temperature maps from SMOS interferometric level 1a data. More precisely, we will study the impact of missing data on the quality of reconstruction due to two kinds of failures: correlator/receiver failure.


Abstract This personal piece comes from a young Indian homeopath who has documented her transformative learning journey at Dr. Rajan Sankaran's 'the other song' Academy (TOS) in Mumbai. Throughout the article, she narrates and highlights some key learning points, along with concise and illustrative cases. She examines various concepts including the artistic use of the repertory, the use of an anchor in case-taking, structured repertorisation, miasm, keynote symptoms, using rare remedies, finger printing, Reference Works, sensation, symptom syndrome, levels of experience, psycho-neuro-endocrine-immunological axis, kingdom, potency and follow-up.


In this paper we investigate the reasons for the growth in the female labor force in America during the twentieth century. In our research, we study the longer-term trends since 1900 and conduct a more intensive examination of developments after the Second World War. On the basis of our work, we conclude that rising real wages accounted for 60% of the total growth in the female labor force. Half of this wage effect in expanding labor supply was the fertility-reducing consequence of a higher female wage.


We present two studies demonstrating the implications of having different values (vs. instrumental concerns) in a situation where people take conflicting positions. Study 1 (N=266) examined how people respond to a range of conflict issues that were framed either as referring to conflicting values or as referring to conflicting interests. Study 2 (N= 77) used a more immersive methodology, in which participants were led to consider either their values or interests in taking up a particular position, after which they were presented with a confederate who took up the opposite position. Results of both studies converge to demonstrate that framing a particular conflict issue in terms of values causes people to experience more self-involvement, and to perceive less common ground. This is seen as a potential explanation of why value conflicts tend to more easily escalate than conflicts of interests, but also offers scope for interventions that try to de-escalate and resolve the conflict by emphasizing instrumental rather than value differences.


This paper has tried to study and compare the efficiency of Major Ports in India. It also tries to make the comparison of Indian Ports to that of the Ports like Singapore and other developed countries ports. Various parameters are taken into consideration while comparing the ports. To derive the conclusion from the comparison of major ports in India, it can be said that JNPT is the only port that has shown positive efficiency for the past five to six years. The cost of handling cargo per tonne has reduced at JNPT port while other ports has shown a continuous rise. Though the total cargo handled by JNPT is not the highest as Vishakhapatnam, Mumbai or Kandla, the traffic handled has shown a continuous rise. About 50% of the Container cargo in the country is handled by JNPT. This paper also compares the major ports in Maharashtra like JNPT and MPT with that of the port of Singapore and calls for major reformation at JNPT and MPT to be at par with the international standards.


Organizations are rapidly embracing the Internet. Managers are trying to gain an immediate understanding of the importance of and place for the Internet in their organization. One way to consider the possibilities is to look at the Internet as a technology innovation and attempt to gain insights from existing information technology (IT) literature. Since studies based on traditional innovation diffusion theory have not yet appeared, explores the appropriateness of looking at the Internet from the perspectives of traditional diffusion research. Using a case study, relates the Internet to previously identified innovation dimensions, and discusses problems with the various dimensions. Suggests that the concept of cluster innovations holds promise for better understanding the Internet as an innovation. Concludes with suggestions for managers drawn from results of the analysis.


Human beings growing‐up in adverse biocultural environments, including undernutrition, exposure to infection, economic oppression/poverty, heavy workloads, high altitude, war, racism, and religious/ethnic oppression, may be stunted, have asymmetric body proportions, be wasted, be overweight, and be at greater risk for disease. One group of researchers explains this as a consequence of "developmental programming" (DP). Another group uses the phrase "predictive adaptive response" (PAR). The DP group tends to view the alterations as having permanent maladaptive effects that place people at risk for disease. The PAR group considers the alterations at two levels of adaptation: (1) "short‐term adaptive responses for immediate survival" and (2) "predictive responses required to ensure postnatal survival to reproductive age." The differences between the DP and PAR hypotheses are evaluated in this article. A life history theory analysis rephrases the DP versus PAR debate from disease or adaptation to the concept of "trade‐offs." Even under good conditions, the stages of human life history are replete with trade‐offs for survival, productivity, and reproduction. Under adverse conditions, trade‐offs result in reduced survival, poor growth, constraints on physical activity, and poor reproductive outcomes. Models of human development may need to be refined to accommodate a greater range of the biological and cultural sources of adversity as well as their independent and interactive influences. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


We investigate new approaches for frequent graph-based pattern mining in graph datasets and propose a novel algorithm called gSpan (graph-based substructure pattern mining), which discovers frequent substructures without candidate generation. gSpan builds a new lexicographic order among graphs, and maps each graph to a unique minimum DFS code as its canonical label. Based on this lexicographic order gSpan adopts the depth-first search strategy to mine frequent connected subgraphs efficiently. Our performance study shows that gSpan substantially outperforms previous algorithms, sometimes by an order of magnitude.


A novel coil design with a 31P birdcage and a 1H dipole array is presented for the purpose of fMRS applications. This design allows for free line-of-sight for fMRI and fMRS visual stimulation via mirrors and despite a lower fill-factor performs comparably to a smaller dual-tuned birdcage. The matching of both frequencies is adequate for a range of human head circumferences from 52cm through 57cm. The 31P birdcage performance is not significantly degraded by presence of 1H dipoles when compared to a conventional birdcage dual-tuning strategy with Foster networks.


We developed different types of thin film high temperature superconductor (high-T/sub c/) DC-SQUID magnetometers and gradiometers for application in a nondestructive testing system. We used these sensors in a liquid nitrogen dewar mounted above a computer controlled x-y table within a compact /spl mu/-metal shielded chamber. The planar galvanically coupled gradiometers based on step-edge or bicrystal Josephson junctions were investigated in shielded and unshielded environment. We discuss the influence of junction type and SQUID parameters depending on the device geometry on the sensitivity of our complete testing system. Our interest is focused in particular on the noise properties and magnetic field resolution at 77 K. Measurements of ac and dc current distributions will be shown as well as measurements of magnetic moments of different samples.


In a prospective population-based study, all open hand, wrist, and forearm injuries that were treated during a 10-year period, at hospitals and emergency wards in three Norwegian cities with 225,000 inhabitants, were registered. Injury severity was graded using the abbreviated injury scale (AIS). For moderate injuries (AIS 2) overall incidence (95% CI) was 59 (56-62), incidence among males 92 (86-98), and among females 28 (25-31) per 100,000 person-years. For severe injuries (AIS > or = 3), overall incidence (95% CI) was 7.5 (6.3-8.6), incidence among males 11.1 (9.1-13.1), and among females 4.0 (2.8-5.2) per 100,000 person-years. In a second study, all upper extremity amputation and devascularization injuries were referred during a 9-year period to the only replantation center in a southern Swedish region where 1.6 million inhabitants were analyzed. The incidence rate (95% CI) for upper extremity amputation or devascularization injuries potentially requiring replantation or revascularization was 1.9 (1.7-2.1), incidence among males 3.3 (2.9-3.7), and among females 0.5 (0.4-0.7) per 100,000 person-years.


The Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) theory is one of the most important theoretical models describing charged systems continuously. However, it suffers from neglecting ion correlations, which hinders its applicability to more general charged systems other than extremely dilute ones. Therefore, some modified versions of the PB theory are developed to effectively include ion correlations. Focused on their applications to ionic solutions, the original PB theory and its variances, including the field-theoretic approach, the correlation-enhanced PB model, the Outhwaite-Bhuiyan modified PB theory and the mean field theories, are briefly reviewed in this paper with the diagnosis of their advantages and limitations.


Diffraction tomography is a noninvasive technique that estimates the refractive indices of unknown objects and involves an inverse-scattering problem governed by the wave equation. Recent works have shown the benefit of nonlinear models of wave propagation that account for multiple scattering and reflections. In particular, the Lippmann-Schwinger~(LiS) model defines an inverse problem to simulate the wave propagation. Although accurate, this model is hard to solve when the samples are highly contrasted or have a large physical size. In this work, we introduce instead a Helmholtz-based nonlinear model for inverse scattering. To solve the corresponding inverse problem, we propose a robust and efficient multigrid-based solver. Moreover, we show that our method is a suitable alternative to the LiS model, especially for strongly scattering objects. Numerical experiments on simulated and real data demonstrate the effectiveness of the Helmholtz model, as well as the efficiency of the proposed multigrid method.


Andhra Pradesh is one of the largest state in India, with agriculture as a major source of income for about 60% of its population. In the last 50 years, the annual growth rate of agriculture has been 2.88%, which is far below the target growth of 4% per annum. Further, Andhra Pradesh is divided into three district regions with growing demand for separate state from less developed regions. The paper examined regional disparities in agriculture in Andhra Pradesh since its formation in 1956. The study illustrates that there is a convergence among districts in agricultural growth, but least developed districts are left out of this convergence process. Both agricultural intensification and diversification strategies played important role in development of districts based on their resource endowment. Livestock based agricultural growth is evident in districts adjacent to large urban centres since the last two decades. Overall, TFP growth in agriculture and allied activities in Telangana is 13% per decade, 11% per decade in Coastal, while in Rayalaseema TFP growth has been stagnant from 1956 to 2009. Irrespective of region, the most backward districts in agriculture, that is Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Anantapur, Kadapa, Adilabad, Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar and Nizamabad showed stagnation in TFP growth during the last 50 years. With the existing resource endowment and technology, Telangana can increase its output by 28% from the existing level, while Rayalaseema region can enhance its output by 25%, Coastal region by only 14% as revealed from efficiency estimates.


Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of the evoked nystagmus in the non-affected side during Dix-Hallpike test(D-H test)in unilateral posterior semicircular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo(PC-BPPV). Method: Two hundred and thirty-six patients were diagnosed with unilateral PC-BPPV in the Tinnitus and Dizziness clinic.Among them,14 patients exhibited positive nystagmus when the non-affected side was stimulated by D-H test. The clinical data from this subgroup of patients were retrospectively analyzed. Result: The upbeat and torsional nystagmus of 14 patients were all evoked by D-H test in the affected side. 11 cases were right PC-BPPV and 3 cases were left PC-BPPV. Among these 14 patients, 5 patients exhibited the upbeat and torsional nystagmus during D-H test in the non-affected side, which was in the same direction as that evoked in the affected side. Among them, 4 cases were right PC-BPPV and 1 case was left PC-BPPV. However, the downbeat nystagmus of the remaining 9 patients were evoked by D-H test in the non-affected side, in which 7 cases were right PC-BPPV and 2 cases were left PC-BPPV.The nystagmus and vertigo of all patients completely disappeared after performing the Epley or Semont repositioning maneuvers on the affected side. Conclusion: The bilateral positive nystagmus of unilateral PC-BPPV can be evoked by D-H test. The form of nystagmus on the non-affected side is related with the initial position of otoconia in affected semicircular canal and the moving direction of otoconia during the positional test. It is effective to perform Epley or Semont repositioning maneuvers on the affected side. Meanwhile, both the effect of maneuvers and the type of nystagmus evoked by D-H test can verify which side is affected.


The synthesis of glucosylsphingosine (GlcSph), a glucosylceramide (GlcCer) analogue devoid of fatty acids, in cultured fibroblasts was studied by using conduritol beta epoxide (CBE), an inhibitor of beta-glucosidase, and 1-phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (PDMP), an inhibitor of glucosylceramide (GlcCer) synthase (glucosyltransferase). When CBE was added to the culture medium, the intracellular beta-glucosidase activity decreased, and both GlcCer and GlcSph accumulated in the cells. After the addition of PDMP, the concentration of GlcCer decreased, while the content of GlcSph increased. When CBE and PDMP were added together, the intracellular accumulation of GlcSph to decreased to less than when CBE alone was added. Based on these results, the synthetic pathway for GlcSph was thus considered to not only be through the glucosylation of sphingosine, but also through the deacylation of GlcCer. When GlcCer (d18:1, C12:0) was added to the culture medium, the intracellular accumulation of GlcSph (d18:1) was evident, and it was also more pronounced in the presence of CBE. In addition, when GlcCer (d18:0, C12:0) was used, apparent accumulation of GlcSph (d18:0) was also observed. In order to determine whether or not the deacylase of GlcCer is identical to acid ceramidase, a deacylase of ceramide, the same experiments were carried out using fibroblasts from two patients with Farber disease, in which acid ceramidase is genetically deficient. The accumulation of GlcSph in the Farber disease fibroblasts after the loading of GlcCer for 7 days was found to be one-fifth of the control level.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


This article illustrates how a text may acquire different meanings over years of investigation. On the basis of Malachi 1:11, the article demonstrates how this text was interpreted from various perspectives. Historical interpretation attempts to locate the meaning of the text either in the historical circumstances at the time of the origin of the text or at some undefined future time. A literary interpretation does not attempt to locate the text in history but rather tries to interpret it either as a hyperbole or metaphorically or by means of an intertextual investigation. At least eight different meanings were detected.


This paper addresses the non-parametric estimation of the stochastic process related to the classification problem that arises in robot programming by demonstration of compliant motion tasks. Robot programming by demonstration is a robot programming paradigm in which a human operator demonstrates the task to be performed by the robot. In such demonstration, several observable variables, such as velocities and forces can be modeled, non-parametrically, in order to classify the current state of a contact between an object manipulated by the robot and the environment in which it operates. Essential actions in compliant motion tasks are the contacts that take place, and therefore, it is important to understand the sequence of contact states made during a demonstration, called contact classification. We propose a contact classification algorithm based on the random forest algorithm. The main advantage of this approach is that it does not depend on the geometric model of the objects involved in the demonstration. Moreover, it does not rely on the kinestatic model of the contact interactions. The comparison with state-of-the-art contact classifiers shows that random forest classifier is more accurate. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


One of the key regulators of vascular tone is the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which can enhance the production of nitric oxide, a potent vasodilator, and reduce vascular resistance by generating new vessels. Both mechanisms contribute to blood pressure decrease. The implementation of a new class of antitumor therapy — inhibitors of VEGF signaling pathway — results in the growth of cardiovascular complications such as arterial hypertension (HTN). The paper analyzes the causes of HTN development, approaches to the timely diagnosis of HTN and the correct assessment of cardiovascular risk before administration of VEGF inhibitors and during the treatment. We also review the features of the approaches of elevated blood pressure management in patients receiving targeted therapy.


We demonstrate a diode-pumped cw mode-locked Nd:YAG by an acousto-optic mode locker. A mode-locked pulse with duration of 345 ps and output power of 12 W is obtained. The resonator design shows three advantages: a larger mode volume, high stability against thermal lens fluctuations, and excellent beam quality with TE00 mode. Different from previous active mode locking designs, we employ a frequency stabilizer and a phase-lock loop circuit to ensure the mode locking stable operation.


In this paper we explore the use of visual commonsense knowledge and other kinds of knowledge (such as domain knowledge, background knowledge, linguistic knowledge) for scene understanding. In particular, we combine visual processing with techniques from natural language understanding (especially semantic parsing), common-sense reasoning and knowledge representation and reasoning to improve visual perception to reason about finer aspects of activities.


In this work, a method of combinatorial variation of reactant solutions combined with an in situ UV-Vis readout of the plasmonic properties during the wet-chemical synthesis of Ag nanoprisms in micro fluid segments is presented. Segment sequences of clearly distinguishable compositions are generated by an automated flow rate program. By the help of two combined slowly shifting and two contrariwise rapidly changing reactant flow rates, a two dimensional parameter space is covered completely in steps of 20 %. Due to the sensitive main dipole mode of Ag nanoprisms, a combinatorial concentration variation during the growth step of the synthesis opens new possibilities regarding tuning of particle size and optical properties. Here, within one combinatorial synthesis run, silver nanoprisms with edge length between 35 and 200 nm and main plasmon resonances between 550 and 900 nm were obtained.


Fearful that inflation and the gradual erosion of federal support for highway safety programs were undermining Virginia's historic position of national leadership in highway safety; management directed a study of potential sources of new revenue for the programs. The project reported here employed a five-step process to gather data necessary for the analysis. First, a literature review of studies on alternative revenue sources for financing transportation safety activities was conducted. Second, the Code ofVirginia was studied to identify successful funding mechanisms that are currently being utilized in the Commonwealth. Third, a telephone survey of all states was conducted in an attempt to identify innovative methods of funding that are currently being used elsewhere. Fourth, after analyzing Virginia's current safety funding approach and the results of the national survey, sources of revenue inherently related to highway safety were identified. Fifth, once potential revenue sources were identified through these avenues, each was analyzed and reviewed to project how much revenue could be generated and how it might be allocated. The researcher concludes that there is a need for additional revenue to fund Virginia's highway safety programs. Recommendations are made concerning several viable options, and suggestions are offered concerning both the distribution and use of the funds.


Background: Although respiratory viral infections cause acute exacerbations of asthma, the inflammatory responses vary depending on the causative virus. The purpose of this study was to compare the inflammatory responses in the airways of acute exacerbations of asthma induced by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza A virus. Methods: Sputum induction was performed in asthmatic patients with acute exacerbations induced by RSV (n = 6), influenza A (n = 7), and non-upper respiratory infection (URI)-related factors (n = 8). Sputum concentrations of cysteinyl leukotrienes (cysLTs), TNF-α and IFN-γ were measured. Results: Sputum cysLTs were significantly higher in RSV-induced exacerbations than in influenza A- and non-URI-induced exacerbations. Sputum TNF-α was significantly higher in influenza A-induced exacerbations than in RSV- and non-URI-induced exacerbations. Sputum IFN-γ was significantly lower in RSV-induced exacerbations than in the others. Conclusions: RSV and influenza A cause acute exacerbations and have different effects on airway inflammation in asthmatic patients. RSV significantly increased cysLTs, while influenza A significantly increased TNF-α in the airway. The underlying mechanism in virus-induced asthma might depend on the viral species.


This study aimed at identifying the reality of quality management in twenty Jordanian media institutions with respect to the type of media outlet, and its size along with its ownership. Divided into six essential dimensions, this study identified the features of internal processes in those media institutions as follows: institutional selforganization; training and professional qualification; editorial policies along with newsroom management; media independency, media questioning; and sustainable improvement, development, and updating the infrastructure and means of production. The study adopted an analytical and descriptive approach. As the instrument of the study, a sampling survey, designed based on the related literature of the quality of service sector, and that of performance and media professionalism, measured sixty-four minor indicators, covering those six dimensions. The sample included interviews --three interviews were carried out in every institution. By way of concluding, this study revealed a decline in most indicators applying quality. In particular, among the most applicable quality dimensions were developing and updating the infrastructure structure and the means of production, and finally institutional self-organization. On the other hand, the lowest applicable dimensions were independency, editorial policies and newsroom management.


Abstract Water availability may be altered by changes in precipitation under global climate change in alpine areas. Trait means and plasticity are important for plants in response to a changing environment. In an examination of alpine plant responses to changed water availability, and for determination of how trait means and plasticity predict the performance (e.g., biomass) of these species, seeds of ten Poaceae species from the eastern Tibetan Plateau were sown and grown in a manipulated environment during a growing season in which rainfall was removed and other climate conditions remained unchanged. Growth and leaf traits of these species were measured. We found significant effects of moderate water stress on the seedling biomass of these species; however, the responses of these species to changed water condition were strongly dependent on species identity. For example, the biomass of some species significantly decreased under moderate drought, whereas that of others were either significantly increased or unaffected. This pattern was also observed for growth and leaf traits. Overall, the alpine Poaceae species showed low plasticity of traits in response to water availability relative to reports from other areas. Notably, the results show that trait means were better correlated with the productivity than with the plasticity of traits; thus, we argue that the trait means were better predictors of performance than plasticity for alpine Poaceae species. Poaceae species in alpine areas are important for forage production and for water catchment health worldwide, and these species may face water shortage because of current and future climate change. Understanding the response of alpine Poaceae species to water availability would facilitate our ability to predict the impacts of climate change on the alpine vegetation.


Stroke is a devastating neurological disease and the leading cause of long‐term disability, particularly in the elderly. Calcium/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase kinase β (CaMKK β) is a major kinase activated by elevated levels of intracellular calcium. Our previous findings in young mice have suggested that CaMKK β is neuroprotective as KO mice had worse stroke outcomes. Because age is an important determinant of stroke outcome, we evaluated the functional role of CaMKK β in stroke in aged mice. We used middle cerebral artery occlusion to induce stroke in aged wild‐type (WT) and CaMKK β KO male mice. Lentiviral vectors carrying CaMKK β (LV‐CaMKK β) were used to overexpress CaMKK β in the mouse brain. Baseline levels of CaMKK β in the aged brain were significantly lower than those in young mice. LV‐CaMKK β treatment reduced infarcts and neurological deficits assessed 3 days after stroke. In chronic survival experiments, CaMKK β KO mice showed increased tissue loss in the ipsilateral hemisphere 3 weeks after stroke. In addition, KO mice showed poorer functional recovery during the 3‐week survival period, as measured by the rotarod test, corner test, locomotor activity assay, and novel object recognition test, compared with WT controls. The loss of blood–brain barrier proteins, inactivation of survival gene expression such as B‐cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl‐2) and an increase in inflammatory cytokines in the serum were observed after stroke with CaMKK β inhibition. We demonstrate that CaMKK β is neuroprotective in stroke in aged mice. Therefore, our data suggest that CaMKK β may be a potential target for reducing long‐term disability after stroke.


In order to develop embryonic technologies in the aerospace sector, it is usually necessary to perform successive projects until the technology get enough maturity to be effectively incorporated into a product. When these projects are carried out in partnership, it is essential that the intellectual property conditions on the results must be previously established in order to avoid future disputes between the partners. This article addresses a very common case in management of embryonic technologies: the development of joint technological projects carried out between public research institutions and private sector companies. The approach is focused on negotiating aspects of intellectual property on a project of aerospace sector, implemented through a partnership between a private company and the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, a research institution of the Brazilian Air Force. The study allows the identification of difficulties involved in these types of negotiations, taking into consideration the economic interests of the private sector and the legal limitations of the public sector. The analysis of these difficulties led to the identification of critical aspects in the management of intellectual property in joint technological projects involving embryonic technologies in the aerospace sector.


This book provides a comprehensive analysis of the factors that contribute to drug abuse among the youth in Kenya. It examines the nature and extent of drug abuse among the youth, demographic factors contributing to drug abuse among the youth in Kenya, social-cultural factors contributing to drug abuse among the youth, economic factors contributing to drug abuse among the youth, challenges faced in attempts to fight drug abuse among the youth. The book is a contribution to the existing pool of knowledge and information in the wider field of Deviance. It exposes the plight of the youth more specifically in Third world countries where modernization has made the youth on drugs to suffer more. This book is recommended for policy makers and development agencies seeking to minimize the challenges faced by the youth especially as a result to drug addiction. Students of Deviance & Rehabiliation, criminology, Contemporary Moral Issues, Social Policy and Administration and Social work will find it very useful.


The human body has a complex system of innate and adaptive mechanisms for combating infection. This article discusses the role and relative effectiveness of these mechanisms in relation to small pox and AIDS. Keywords—AIDS, Immune System, Small Pox, Viral Infections.


Migration and Tax Competition Within a Union We develop a stylized EU-type model of a union consisting of rich, capitalabundant and productive, countries, and poor, capital-scarce and low productivity, countries, in order to explain key features of tax policies and interand intra-migration flows. Our purpose is to explain the differences in the tax rates and the generosity of the welfare state, on the one hand, and migration flows, on the other hand, between rich and poor countries, within the union, and migration flows from the rest of the world. We identify a fiscal externality which makes the tax competition and the tax coordination regime to be different one from the other. JEL Classification: F2 and H2


Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a very rare disease that occurs in about 1 in 50,000 to 150,000 people. HAE is caused by low levels or inproper function of the plasma protein C1 inhibitor (C1-INH) which regulates activation of the complement system and the coagulation system. The typical symptom of HAE is regional swellings without pain nor itching, usually triggered by physical trauma or emotional stress. Unlike allergic edema, HAE attacks do not respond to antihistamines, corticosteroids noradrenaline. The swelling attacks against face and throat are potentially life-threatening, and should be treated as a medical emergency. We report a patient with HAE who underwent radical cystectomy of the upper gum under general anesthesia. Because the oral surgery with tracheal intubation is known to be a risk factor of laryngeal edema in a patient with HAE, she was given C1-INH before operation to prevent laryngeal edema according to HAE Guideline 2010 by the Japanese Association for Complement Research. Her pharynx and larynx were checked with Airwayscope before intubation and with bronchofiberscope before extubation, but no edema was recognized. Postoperatively, she was given C1-INH on the next morning again. She was discharged seven days after operation without any complications.


More than 30% of the final energy uses in the European Union are due to the building energy consumptions. In order to reduce their energy impact and improve their efficiency, the design activity has been given a large importance, both for new buildings or refurbishment projects. Moreover, besides these goals, during the last years the indoor comfort conditions have assumed a more and more relevant significance for professionals in the building design. That required the development of properly detailed instruments of analysis, such as building energy simulation tools (BES). Generally, the more complex a tool, the higher the number of required inputs but not all of them are always available in the early design stages. For this reason, BES codes have been used also to elaborate simpler models. This research analyses the possibilities given by an extensive use of the BES for the evaluation of the building envelope energy performance and some of the different issues related to BES. The first topic discussed is related to the external boundary conditions in BES, in particular the definition of a representative weather file for the description of the external environment and of the modelling of the heat transfer through the ground. The second topic analyses the problems of the validation of the results provided by BES tools and the relative accuracy introduced by the choice of a specific code. The comparison between BES software is carried out both considering the outputs of a whole thermal zone, such as heating and cooling energy needs and peak loads and the time of their occurrences, and the response of a single component (i.e., opaque walls and glazings). Finally, the coherence between the energy needs elaborated by means of BES tools and those by the quasi-steady state model presented in the technical Standard EN ISO 13790:2008 is studied and some correction factors are proposed for this simplified method.


The construction of an alternative electromagnetic theory that preserves Lorentz and gauge symmetries, is considered. We start off by building up Maxwell electrodynamics in (3+1)D from the assumption that the associated Lagrangian is a gauge- invariant functional that depends on the electron and photon fields and their first derivatives only. In this scenario, as well- known, it is not possible to set up a Lorentz invariant gauge theory containing a massive photon. We show nevertheless that there exist two radically different electrodynamics, namely, the Chern- Simons and the Podolsky formulations, in which this problem can be overcome. The former is only valid in odd space- time dimensions, while the latter requires the presence of higher- order derivatives of the gauge field in the Lagrangian. This theory, usually known as Podolsky electrodynamics, is simultaneously gauge and Lorentz invariant; in addition, it contains a massive photon. Therefore, a massive photon, unlike the popular belief, can be adequately accommodated within the context of a gauge- invariant electrodynamics.


While current talking head models are capable of generating photorealistic talking head videos, they provide limited pose controllability. Most methods require specific video sequences that should exactly contain the head pose desired, being far from user-friendly pose control. Three-dimensional morphable models (3DMM) offer semantic pose control, but they fail to capture certain expressions. We present a novel method that utilizes parametric control of head orientation and facial expression over a pre-trained neural-talking head model. To enable this, we introduce a landmark-parameter morphable model (LPMM), which offers control over the facial landmark domain through a set of semantic parameters. Using LPMM, it is possible to adjust specific head pose factors, without distorting other facial attributes. The results show our approach provides intuitive rig-like control over neural talking head models, allowing both parameter and image-based inputs.


Nausea and vomiting (NV) are the most prevalent adverse effects of chemotherapy (CT). This study was conducted to evaluate adherence of the health care team to standard guidelines for antiemetics usage to prevent acute chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in a large CT center. A prospective study was performed during an 11-month period on patients receiving CT. A form was designed to collect patients' demographic information and their chemotherapeutic and antiemetic regimen data. The Likert scale was used to measure the effectiveness of the antiemetics in patients. In this study, the effect of patient-related risk factors on the incidence rate of CINV was examined. Based on the results, CINV events were reported by 74.4% of patients. The antiemetic regimen of 71.2% of the patients complied with the guidelines. The complete response, complete protection, and complete control end points did not differ significantly between patients undergoing guidelines-consistent prophylaxis or guidelines-inconsistent prophylaxis. The females clearly showed a higher incidence rate of CINV (P=0.001) during the first course of CT (P=0.006). A history of motion sickness did not affect the incidence of NV. The maximum compliance error occurred for the use of aprepitant, as 16.16% of the patients who were receiving aprepitant did not comply with its instructions. The results of this study highlight how CINV was controlled in this center, which was significantly lower than that of the global standard. Perhaps, factors such as noncompliance to antiemetic regimens with standard guidelines and the failure to adhere to the administration instructions of the antiemetics were involved in the incomplete control of CINV.