The global market of carbon-reinforced plastic represents one of the largest economic platforms. This sector is dominated by carbon black (CB) produced from traditional oil industry. Recently, high technological fillers such as carbon fibres or nanostructured carbon (i.e. carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxide) fillers have tried to exploit their potential but without economic success. So, in this chapter we are going to analyse the use of an unconventional carbon filler called biochar. Biochar is the solid residue of pyrolysis and can be a solid and sustainable replacement for traditional and expensive fillers. In this chapter, we will provide overview of the last advancement in the use of biochar as filler for the production of reinforced plastics.


Abstract:In this commentary on Ken Gemes's "The Biology of Evil," I endorse the general reading of Nietzsche's philosophical project proposed by Gemes while contesting his account of Nietzsche's rhetorical engagement with degeneration theory. In particular, I show that Nietzsche is mobilizing a rhetoric of degeneration that invokes, and partially subverts, the picture of degeneration proposed by Caesare Lombroso in which (contra Gemes's adoption of Nordau's view of degeneration) genius and degeneration are linked in a way that enables a positive view of degeneration as a source of social transformation. Focusing on Nietzsche's rhetorical use of the figure of Napoleon in the Genealogy, I argue that Nietzsche's engagement with the tropes of Lombroso's theory provides support for Gemes's claim concerning the ethical aim of Nietzsche's project in a way that his own account of Nietzsche and degeneration cannot.


This paper presents the concept of relevance in argumentation theory analyzed from a pragmarhetorical angle. Special attention will be given to examples in which relevance is determined by the extended social context of the use of presentational devices in controversies. The analysis of examples will include the rhetorical concept of decorum, maintaining that a different emphasis should be given to the role of the speaker in the determination of relevance.


A quick test was developed using seeds in petri dishes to detect resistance to dicamba in fathen ('Chenopodium album' L.) which has developed in some maize fields in Waikato, New Zealand. Seeds were collected from four Waikato maize fields (populations A, B, L and M) where dicamba has been applied for many years, and also three sites (populations C, P and Y) where dicamba was unlikely to have been used. Following a dormancy-breaking procedure, seeds of each population were germinated in petri dishes containing a range of dicamba concentrations from 0.02 to 0.32 mg ae L-1. The length of seedling hypocotyls and radicles was measured 14 days later, and these were found to be significantly shorter at most dicamba concentrations for five of the populations (A, B, C, P and Y) compared with the seedlings from populations L and M at the same concentrations. Dose response curves estimated populations L and M were 22 and 48 times more resistant respectively than the other five populations. The seven populations were also grown in pots in two separate greenhouse experiments, sprayed with a range of dicamba rates after 1 month then shoot weight was measured 7 weeks later. The greenhouse experiments confirmed that populations L and M were the only two dicamba resistant populations. The petri dish test was much quicker and has seldom been used previously for auxinic herbicides but over-estimated the levels of resistance which were approximately 7-fold and 19-fold for populations L and M respectively in the greenhouse experiments.


NC 847003. A low rectangular cairn covered the burial in a long cist of an adult female marked by a Class I Pictish symbol stone bearing an incised double crescent, snake and Z-rod and mirror and comb. Two 14C analyses indicate a date for the burial in the 7th century ad. NC 848004. Medieval corn-drying kiln. A R


In the case of the Back EMF voltage contains the harmonics, the motor torque ripple and vibration is occurred by the current pulsation, because IPMSM control algorithm is the model which is assumed that it contains a sinusoidal Back EMF voltage. To improve ride quality, in the case of IPMSM for EV, improving the torque control characteristics is necessary. Therefore, there is a need to minimize the influence of the harmonics. In this paper, the investigation to decrease the current distortion factor has been performed for improving torque control characteristics by applying the non-sinusoidal Back EMF to IPMSM model.


Today, more than 1500 tons of bee pollen are produced per year worldwide. Despite the importance of this niche within the apiculture industry, several aspects of the bee pollen production system have been poorly studied. The most suitable population size for productive colonies, as well as the efficacy of carbohydrate and protein supplementation, has raised many questions and divergent conclusions are drawn in the literature. This research attempts to elucidate some questions of the bee pollen production system by measuring the bee pollen production of colonies with different population sizes and feeding treatments. Our results suggest that mid-sized (between 19,000 and 30,000 bees) colonies seem to optimize productivity and low frequency of problems of crammed grid boards. Carbohydrate supplementation should be used regularly and protein supplementation must be restricted to periods of pollen scarcity. Although this information will be helpful for beekeepers engaged in pollen production, a great number of questions concerning bee pollen production remain without the deserved scientific analysis.


Abstract A fundamental problem of distributed systems, leader election, is presented in the context of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). In many distributed systems, the presence of a leader is necessary in order to monitor underlying computations, guarantee quality functioning, take checkpoints, generate the lost token, detect quiescence conditions, etc. Hence, several leader election algorithms have been proposed in the literature. Although, most of the algorithms focus on reducing the control message (messages that have the highest priority to deliver) count, there have been almost no attention on ensuring high availability of a leader despite various types of failures, especially, in the scenarios like rescue and warfare, where the absence of the leader, even for a short duration, may lead to havoc. We focus on this issue, particularly, for large MANETs, where a large number of applications fails to perform in the absence of a leader. We present a leader election algorithm for large MANETs. The algorithm is inspired by the concept of prevailing parliamentary democracy and elects three best-nodes – in terms of performance parameters like battery life, computing power, memory, hop distance, and mobility – as the president, leader, and vice leader. The president node works as the leader of the network, in case, the leader and the vice leader both become unavailable simultaneously. On the other hand, the leader node serves all the requests. Further, we create a house of elite nodes, which ensures the presence of an executive, i.e. a leader during re-election to restrict the message overhead as well as the election latency while executing coordination related activities. Graphical Abstract Failure of the special nodes.


Remarks Concerning the Expression of Certain Parameters of Must and Wine Composition. Preface to the First Edition. Preface to the Second Edition. 1. Cytology, Taxonomy and Ecology of Grape and Wine Yeasts. 2. Biochemistry of Alcoholic Fermentation and Metabolic Pathways of Wine Yeasts. 3. Conditions of Yeast Development. 4. Lactic Acid Bacteria. 5. Metabolism of Lactic Acid Bacteria. 6. Lactic Acid Bacteria Development in Wine. 7. Acetic Acid Bacteria. 8. The Use of Sulfur Dioxide in Must and Wine Treatment. 9. Products and Methods Complementing the Effect of Sulfur Dioxide. 10. The Grape and its Maturation. 11. Harvest and Pre-Fermentation Treatments. 12. Red Winemaking. 13. White Winemaking. 14. Other Winemaking Methods. Index.


In our previous studies we simulated FtsZ monomer and dimer in different nucleotide binding states. In our simulations, we had used the E.coli FtsZ homology model including the FtsZ Intrinsically Disordered Region (IDR). Our simulations revealed that FtsZ dynamics involves a key stage in which GTP binds to monomeric FtsZ and opens its nucleotide binding site which in turn favours polymerization. During dimerization, the C-terminal of the top monomer rotates considerably towards the bottom monomer. Such a rotation of the C-terminal domain leads to capture of the nucleotide by its N-terminal domain. In this study we simulate the FtsZ G105S mutant to see if it may have ATPase activity which was reported in a previous study.


Between 1889 and 1919, Weetman Pearson became one of the world's most important engineering contractors, a pioneer in the international oil industry, and one of Britain's wealthiest men. At the center of his global business empire were his interests in Mexico. While Pearson's extraordinary success in Mexico took place within the context of unprecedented levels of British trade with and investment in Latin America, Garner argues that Pearson should be understood less as an agent of British imperialism than as an agent of Porfirian state building and modernization. Pearson was able to secure contracts for some of nineteenth-century Mexico's most important public works projects in large part because of his reliability, his empathy with the developmentalist project of Mexican President Porfirio Diaz, and his assiduous cultivation of a clientelist network within the Mexican political elite. His success thus provides an opportunity to reappraise the role played by overseas interests in the national development of Mexico.


Background. Electronic patient records are increasingly used in primary care research, but rarely in psychiatric research. Little is known about how people with pre-existing mental illness respond to public health threats. Aims. To outline the swine flu related concerns and behaviours of mental health patients and to determine whether marked concern was associated with any specific demographic or diagnostic groups. Methods. We searched a database containing electronic patient records from a large mental health trust for references to swine flu made between 15 April and 15 July 2009. Thematic analysis was used to code swine flu related concerns and behaviours. A case–control approach sought to determine whether there were demographic or diagnostic associations with expressing moderate/severe concern about swine flu. Results. A range of swine flu related behaviours were noted and considerable impact was recorded for some patients. Children and patients with neurotic and somatoform disorders were over-represented amongst those expressing moderate/severe swine flu concerns. Conclusion. Research databases using electronic clinical records are a useful way to track responses to emerging public health threats. Children receiving mental health care and patients with neurotic and somatoform disorders may be particularly psychologically vulnerable to infectious disease epidemics.


Abstract Diabetes is considered to be a risk factor equivalent of pre-existing coronary heart disease for the development of future myocardial infarction and cardiovascular death. In addition toimproved glucose control, the increased risk of coronary disease in diabetics makes intensive lipid-lowering treatment necessary. A number of studies have demonstrated that lipid-lowering therapy in diabetes is effective in decreasing the number of cardiac events. The most important objective in the treatment of diabetes is to reduce LDL-C to a target of <100 mg/dl. Differenttypes of lipid-lowering drugs are available. Statins are the current lipid-lowering drugs ofchoice to reduce LDL-C.However, some questions remain unanswered. This article will describe and discuss the significance of LDL-C lowering therapy in subjects with diabetes.


Ischemic heart disease is the most common cardiac problem encountered by physicians in their daily practice. In the last few years, computed tomography and magnetic resonance have emerged as robust imaging modalities with great potential for the comprehensive evaluation of patients with this disorder. This article reviews current evidence of the applications where these techniques have demonstrated their usefulness and provides guidance for their use in the clinical management of coronary artery disease.


Abstract The application of titanium (Ti) and its alloys in tooth restoration and joint replacement for aged patients with unfavorable conditions is gaining popularity. Therefore, strategies aiming at improving the fixation of Ti-based implants are worth investigating. This study was designed to observe whether modification of Ti implants by zinc (Zn) could enhance the fixation capability in osteoporotic bone. Two kinds of implants, hydroxyapatite (HA) coated Ti and Zn-incorporated HA (ZnHA) coated Ti, were inserted into the femoral metaphysis longitudinally in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Specimens were harvested and subjected to double fluorescence labeling examination at week 6 after surgery. At week 12, samples were evaluated with histomorphometry, micro-CT (μCT) analysis and biomechanical test. Compared to the HA coated implants, ZnHA coating improved mineral apposition rate (MAR) of peri-implant bone, which was revealed by double fluorescence labeling; bone area ratio (BA) and bone-to-implant contact (BIC) were also higher for the latter group by histomorphometry. μCT images suggested that more bone mass was formed around the ZnHA coated implants as compared to the HA coated implants. Biomechanical push-out test showed that the ZnHA coated implants demonstrated higher strength of osseointegration than the HA group. The current study suggested that Zn ions could enhance bone formation and improve implant fixation in OVX rats.


Research supervision should be treated with as much significance as teaching at undergraduate levels. Essentially, research supervisors are still dealing with students, about whom they have to be sensitive and aware, and the challenges they face in engaging with their doctoral study journey. As supervisors, it is essential that we apply a humanizing pedagogy in the supervision relationship to launch our students into becoming mature and capable researchers. The concept of a humanizing pedagogy is vital. In adopting this approach, the supervisor needs to become sensitive to the students they are supervising, and guide them towards a familiarity with the language of research and practical understanding of the skills of research within their discipline. This is especially vital in the South African and developing country context, as the students who enroll in these universities are often constrained by a number of factors, including their disadvantaged past and their cultural and social barriers. This paper presents a reflective discussion on an attempt to apply a humanizing pedagogy in the supervision relationship. Emerging academics who relate to this paper can use this reflection as an example to frame their own practice in applying a humanizing pedagogy in supervision.


HISTORY AND FINDINGS
A 32-year-old man, known to have been HIV-positive for 6 years, was admitted to hospital because of dyspnoea and dry cough. For 8 months he had an HIV illness in stage C3 (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta) with fever, weight loss and obviously reduced general and nutritional state. There was almost total auscultatory dullness over the right hemithorax and the chest radiogram showed massive right pleural effusion, as well as broad pleural deposits which were suspicious of tumours. The first pleural aspiration recovered 1000 ml exudate. An infectious cause could not be identified. As the effusion was refractory to treatment (301 of effusion were drained over several days), thoracoscopy was performed despite the patient's poor general condition. It revealed extensive tumour masses over the right pleura.

COURSE
After the endoscopy the patient's condition deteriorated rapidly and he died 3 weeks after admission, only 1 1/2 months after onset of the first symptoms. Histological examination of the endoscopically obtained biopsy revealed large-cell carcinoma. The form of growth indicated that it was a pseudomesotheliomatous carcinoma.

CONCLUSION
No previous case of this type of tumour in an HIV-positive patient has been reported. This patient's course was less favourable than is expected in those without HIV infection.


I video monitored one nest of each of two avian predators, namely the rough-legged buzzard (Buteo lagopus) and the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), in Oppland county, southern Norway, during May-August 2014, to analyse the composition of the diet and the handling of prey items. Of the 120 prey items recorded delivered at the golden eagle nest, mountain hare (Lepus timidus) was the most important prey species in terms of mass, with 65 % of the gross body mass of the prey delivered. Grouse (Tetraonidae sp.) was also important, the three species recorded together made up 22 % of the gross body mass in the golden eagle diet. This was in accordance with previous studies. However, a surprisingly large proportion of the diet of the golden eagle consisted of microtine rodents (voles and lemmings). In fact, 51 % of the delivered prey items were microtine rodents. In the region of my study area 2014 was a year with extremely high densities of microtine rodent, and my results may indicate that the golden eagle responds functionally to microtine rodents. The absence of ungulates among the items delivered at the golden eagle nest fits with the results from another golden eagle nest video monitored in Norway, but contrasts from most previous studies made on the diet of the golden eagle by traditional analyses of prey remains in the nest. Of the 253 prey items recorded delivered at the rough-legged buzzard nest, the most important prey in terms of both body mass and numbers was Microtus voles, which made up 71 % of the items delivered at the nest. Various other small prey were also utilized, in particular thrushes (Turdus sp.), but to a much smaller degree. The diet of the rough-legged buzzard suggests that this raptor responds functionally to Microtus voles, which is consistent with results from previous studies. In both raptors studied the male delivered most prey at the nest, while the female brooded and fed the nestlings. The female stayed at the nest feeding the nestlings a longer part of the nestling period than expected. This may be due to the fact that prey were abundant and that the prolonged stay was a strategy to enhance the female`s own fitness and thereby future survival. The probability that the nestlings would feed unassisted increased with their age, and with decreasing size of the prey item that was delivered at the nest. The rough-legged buzzard nestlings was also more likely to feed unassisted at low ambient temperature, and when the prey delivered was a mammal rather than a bird. The extent to which the various prey are included in the diet of the golden eagle and the rough-legged buzzard seems to be a result of their varying availability in time and space.


plasma interleukin-6 may synergistically affect the progression of coronary atherosclerosis in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Circulation 2003;107:E40. 5. Dyugovskaya L, Lavie P, Lavie L. Increased adhesion molecules expression and production of reactive oxygen species in leukocytes of sleep apnea patients. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2002;165:934–939. 6. Barcelo A, Miralles C, Barbe F et al. Abnormal lipid peroxidation in patients with sleep apnoea. Eur Respir J 2000;16:644–647. 7. Linnane AW, Marzuki S, Ozawa T et al. Mitochondrial DNA mutations as an important contributor to ageing and degenerative diseases. Lancet 1989;1: 642–645. 8. Nakano M, Kawanishi Y, Kamohara S et al. Oxidative DNA damage (8hydroxydeoxyguanosine) and body iron status: A study on 2507 healthy people. Free Radic Biol Med 2003;35:826–832. 9. Yamauchi M, Nakano H, Maekawa J et al. Oxidative stress in obstructive sleep apnea. Chest 2005;127:1674–1679.


We suggested a simple model of a non-planar coronal loop (i.e. a loop with torsion). In this model the loop axis is a part of a helical line. Using curvilinear coordinates where the loop axis is a coordinate line and the loop boundary is a coordinate surface we derived the governing equation for the loop kink oscillations. When doing so we have used asymptotic method with the ratio of the loop cross-section radius to the loop curvature radius as a small parameter. The governing equation is exactly the same as one obtained for kink oscillations of a thin straight magnetic tube with the density varying along the tube. This implies that neither the loop curvature nor the loop torsion can directly affect the eigenfrequencies of the loop kink oscillations. They can affect these eigenfrequencies only indirectly through modifying the dependence of the density on the distance along the loop. The main effect of the loop torsion is on the polarization of the loop oscillations. We found that, when we are moving along the loop, the polarization direction is rotating together with the principal normal to the loop axis due to the loop torsion. The application of the obtained results to the interpretation of observations of the loop kink oscillations with a node is discussed.


These recommendations were developed by the CADTH Health Technology Expert Review Panel (HTERP) to address the implementation of remote monitoring or remote management programs for patients with chronic cardiac conditions.
The recommendations were developed following HTERP deliberations over multidisciplinary evidence reviewed in a CADTH Health Technology Assessment (HTA) report. The HTA included a realist review conducted to identify key perceived or actual mechanisms of remote monitoring programs, patients' and caregivers' expectations and experiences of engaging with remote monitoring programs, and ethical issues raised by the use of remote monitoring for patients with chronic cardiac conditions.
HTERP recommends that the design and implementation of remote monitoring programs include a broad range of stakeholder voices with considerations across several key domains. In particular, HTERP recommends that:

remote monitoring programs for chronic cardiac conditions be flexible and adaptable to a diverse range of patient circumstances
if implemented, remote monitoring should be an integral part of the care pathway for chronic cardiac conditions, with processes and policies to support it
jurisdictions understand and be transparent about information flow, and keep patient data use and privacy at the forefront of service contract negotiations
remote monitoring programs for cardiac conditions avoid creating or exacerbating inequities in health care
remote monitoring programs include an evaluation component to ensure program aims are met.


During two consecutive years, the age distribution of the reproductive portion of coexisting populations of Pelodytes caucasiens, Hyla arborea, Bufo verrucosissimus, B. viridis, Rana macrocnemis and R. ridibunda was studied using skeletochronological methods. Significant interspecific differences were found for the mean age of adults and population turnover rates, while the minimum age of maturation was two years for most species. The youngest mean age was found in P. caucasicus and R. ridibunda, the oldest in female Bufo spp. Turnover rates were higher in early maturing species.


This paper reports the concept, design, and development of a pneumatic braided muscle actuator, able to produce bidirectional force and motion. Such a capability can simplify the design and enhance the capabilities of robotic/automation systems using pneumatic muscles as actuators. Finite-element modeling is utilized as a design tool in order to study the feasibility of the concept, where a single braid structure is deformed to produce both contraction and elongation. A three-dimensional finite-element model of the actuator is developed and a number of nonlinear quasi-static simulations are performed using the explicit dynamic solver LS-Dyna to measure the blocked force and free displacement of the actuator. The effect of varying the end-fittings diameter and the length of the inner chamber on the mechanical characteristics of the actuator is also analyzed. The simulation results are validated through mechanical experimentation performed on the functional prototype. With an actuation pressure of 1 bar, the actuator is able to produce a contraction force of around 80 N, extension force of around 40 N, and an overall stroke of >40% of the total length of the actuator. Moreover, the novel actuator has been utilized as a main driver for a one degree of freedom variable stiffness joint, as a case study, to demonstrate the usability of the actuator.


Three different types of entropy weight methods (EWMs), i.e., EWM-A, EWM-B, and EWM-C, have been used by previous studies for integrating prediction models. These three methods use very different ideas on determining the weights of individual models for integration. To evaluate the performances of these three EWMs, this study applied them to developing integrated short-term traffic flow prediction models for signalized intersections. At first, two individual models, i.e., a k-nearest neighbors (KNN)-algorithm-based model and a neural-network-based model (Elman), were developed as individual models to be integrated using EWMs. These two models were selected because they have been widely used for traffic flow prediction and have been approved to be able to achieve good performance. After that, three integrated models were developed by using the three different types of EWMs. The performances of the three integrated models, as well as the individual KNN and Elman models, were compared. We found that the traffic flow predicted with the EWM-C model is the most accurate prediction for most of the days. Based on the model evaluation results, the advantages of using the EWM-C method were deliberated and the problems with the EWM-A and EWM-B methods were also discussed.


This article strongly reaffirms the author's support for the use of asylum as a way of providing justice for those fleeing persecution from other countries. Additionally, this article was written to help educate those interested in asylum law by providing some history and background on asylum. Part II of the article briefly discusses the history of asylum; enumerates the eligibility requirements for asylum; describes court proceedings in asylum cases; recounts recent statistics on grants of asylum; and also includes a brief history of our immigration courts. Part III examines the six significant problem areas our immigration courts have wrestled with during the last decade with respect to asylum caseloads. Finally, Part IV examines a few of the proposals put forth over the last thirty years to transform the immigration court system into an Article I Legislative Court.


Euro-centric psychiatric conceptualizations often ignore the interplay of local with universal factors in psychological suffering. Emic, locally focused perspectives can enrich etic knowledge to provide culturally sensitive care and to better elucidate the role of culture in mental illness. This study explored the idiom Tsûsa ǃNaeǃkhais xa hâǃnâ/mâǃnâ/ǂgâǃnâhe hâ (a terrible event has entered a person and remains standing inside), which was understood to relate to experiences of trauma and post-traumatic stress, among speakers of Khoekhoegowab, a southern-African click language. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 participants from six urban and rural communities in Namibia. Questions probed perceptions of the idiom in terms of etiology, course, and risk and resilience factors from a socio-ecological framework. Five key themes were identified using thematic analysis: origin in a shocking event; intrusive recurrence of memories, "it keeps on coming back"; the close interplay between mental and physical suffering; the importance of active engagement in healing through prayer and acceptance; and the role of the community in both alleviating and amplifying distress. Our findings highlight local norms and strategies for adaptive coping, and the benefits of exploring local idioms to elucidate the braiding together of universal and cultural elements in psychological distress.


The minimum uncertainty of the kerma ratio R is discussed for a neutron energy of 14.5 MeV. Since at this energy many neutron cross-sections have been measured, the uncertainty of the kerma ratio is here expected to have a minimum value. Furthermore, it is about the energy delivered by d+T generators used in radiotherapy. The uncertainties given are quoted as one standard deviation. The kerma factors of carbon and oxygen are discussed.


This paper describes the experiments of the TALPUPC group for factoid and 'other' (definitional) questions at TREC 2005 Main Question Answering (QA) task. Our current approach for factoid questions is based on a voting scheme among three QA systems: TALP-QA (our previous QA system), Sibyl (a new QA system developed at DAMA-UPC and TALP-UPC), and Aranea (a web-based data-driven approach). For defitional questions, we used two different systems: the TALP-QA Definitional system and LCSUM (a Summarization-based system). Our results for factoid questions indicate that the voting strategy improves the accuracy from 7.5% to 17.1%. While these numbers are low (due to technical problems in the Answer Extraction phase of TALPQA system) they indicate that voting is a succesful approach for performance boosting of QA systems. The answer to definitional questions is produced by selecting phrases using set of patterns associated with definitions. Its results are 17.2% of F-score in the best configuration of TALP-QA Definitional system.


In this work, quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) was employed to study the kinetic processes involved in the interaction of proteins with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of multimodal (MM) ligands. SAMs were fabricated to mimic two chromatographic multimodal resins with varying accessibility of the aromatic moiety to provide a well-defined model system. Kinetic parameters were determined for two different proteins in the presence of the arginine and guanidine and a comparison was made with chromatographic retention data. The results indicated that the accessibility of the ligand's aromatic moiety can have an important impact on the kinetics and chromatographic retention behavior. Interestingly, arginine and guanidine had very different effects on the protein adsorption and desorption kinetics in these MM systems. For cytochrome C, arginine resulted in a significant decrease and increase in the adsorption and desorption rates, respectively, while guanidine produced a dramatic increase in the desorption rate, with minimal effect on the adsorption rate. In addition, at different concentrations of arginine, two distinct kinetic scenarios were observed. For α-chymotrypsin, the presence of 0.1 M guanidine in the aromatic exposed ligand system produced an increase in the adsorption rate and only a moderate increase in the desorption rate, which helped to explain the surprising increase in the chromatographic salt elution concentration. These results demonstrate that protein adsorption kinetics in the presence of different mobile phase modifiers and MM ligand chemistries can play an important role in contributing to selectivity in MM chromatography.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the urodynamic and hemodynamic effects of different dosages of phenylpropanolamine and ephedrine and determine effective dosages in increasing urethral resistance in female dogs.

ANIMALS
20 sexually intact female Beagles.

PROCEDURE
Dogs were allocated into 4 groups and received phenylpropanolamine once, twice, or 3 times daily, or ephedrine twice daily, for 14 days. On days 0, 7, and 14, urethral pressure profiles were performed while dogs were anesthetized with propofol. Variables recorded included maximum urethral pressure, maximum urethral closure pressure, integrated pressure, functional profile length, anatomic profile length, plateau distance, distance before maximum urethral pressure, and maximum meatus pressure. Arterial and central venous pressures were measured before anesthetic induction and 10 and 35 minutes after induction.

RESULTS
Administration of phenylpropanolamine once daily or ephedrine twice daily significantly increased maximum urethral pressure and maximum urethral closure pressure. Values for integrated pressure were significantly increased after 14 days of once-daily administration of phenylpropanolamine. Variables did not change significantly from day 7 to day 14. Diastolic and mean arterial blood pressures increased significantly during the treatment periods, and arterial pressure decreased during propofol infusion.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Oral administration of phenylpropanolamine once daily or ephedrine twice daily increased urethral resistance in clinically normal dogs and may be recommended for management of urethral sphincter mechanism incompetence. Treatment efficacy may be assessed after 1 week. Dogs with concurrent cardiovascular disease should be monitored for blood pressure while receiving alpha-adrenergic agents because of the effects on diastolic and mean arterial pressure.


The Polycomb repressive complexes PRC1 and PRC2 play a central role in developmental gene regulation, functioning, at least in part, by catalyzing specific histone modifications, H2AK119u1 and H3K27me3, respectively. The hierarchical model of Polycomb recruitment proposes that PRC2 is recruited to target loci by sequence specific factors and/or non-coding RNAs, and that PRC1 recruitment occurs subsequently as a consequence of recognition of H3K27me3 by the PRC1 subunit CBX. However, non-canonical PRC1 complexes, defined by the presence of different PCGF subunits, lack the CBX subunit and are therefore recruited independently of PRC2 activity. Moreover, recent evidence has shown that H2AK119u1 catalyzed by non-canonical PRC1 can directly recruit PRC2, establishing a reverse model of Polycomb recruitment. I analyzed Polycomb recruitment using a classical model system, X chromosome inactivation mediated by Xist RNA. Previous reports suggested that Polycomb recruitment to the inactive X chromosome is initiated by a direct interaction of PRC2 subunits with Xist RNA, and that PRC1 is then recruited via interaction of the CBX subunit with PRC2 mediated H3K27me3. This model has been challenged, since it does not account for all experimental observations. In this thesis, I provide evidence that Polycomb recruitment by Xist RNA is initiated by deposition of H2AK119u1 by noncanonical PRC1 complexes. PRC2 is therefore recruited indirectly, presumably by binding to H2AK119u1. I also show that all non-canonical PRC1 complexes are enriched on the inactive chromosome, albeit with different dynamic behaviors. PCGF3- and PCGF5-PRC1 complexes, which have a slower dynamics on the inactive chromosome as determined by FRAP, are necessary for the initiation of Polycomb domain formation on the inactive chromosome, presumably through direct recruitment by Xist RNA or through an adaptor protein that mediates this interaction. Subsequent enrichment of other non-canonical PRC1 complexes relies predominantly on H2AK119u1 recognition by RYBP/YAF2, which also contributes to the enrichment of the more dynamic fraction of PCGF3- and PCGF5-PRC1 complexes on the inactive chromosome. Altogether, these observations overturn existing models for Polycomb recruitment by Xist RNA, and thereby, provide new insights into the dynamics and mechanisms for Polycomb recruitment by non-coding RNAs.


A theory for magnetic braiding in toroidal plasmas, which is caused by microscopic pressure-gradient-driven turbulence, is developed. The balance between nonlinear destabilization and nonlinear stabilization is solved analytically for the case of interchange mode turbulence. It is found that, when the pressure gradient exceeds a threshold value, the magnetic braiding and enhanced anomalous transport become self-sustaining. Enhancements of the thermal conductivity and magnetic perturbation amplitude, as well as the threshold pressure gradient, are obtained. A cusp-type catastrophe in the thermal conductivity is predicted. The bifurcation associated with the abrupt burst of magnetic perturbations is predicted to occur when the pressure gradient reaches a critical value.


Staphylococcus aureus is a metabolically flexible pathogen that causes infection in diverse settings. An array of virulence factors, including the secreted toxins, enables S. aureus to colonize different environmental niches and initiate infections by any of several discrete pathways. During these infections, both S. aureus and host cells compete with each other for nutrients and remodel their metabolism for survival. This metabolic interaction/crosstalk determines the outcome of the infection. The reprogramming of metabolic pathways in host immune cells not only generates adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to meet the cellular energy requirements during the infection process but also activates antimicrobial responses for eventual bacterial clearance, including cell death pathways. The selective pressure exerted by host immune cells leads to the emergence of bacterial mutants adapted for chronicity. These host-adapted mutants are often characterized by substantial changes in the expression of their own metabolic genes, or by mutations in genes involved in metabolism and biofilm formation. Host-adapted S. aureus can rewire or benefit from the metabolic activities of the immune cells via several mechanisms to cause persistent infection. In this review, we discuss how S. aureus activates host innate immune signaling, which results in an immune metabolic pressure that shapes S. aureus metabolic adaptation and determines the outcome of the infection.


Abstract. Validation of the Integrated Water Vapour (IWV) from Sentinel-3 Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) was performed as a part of the "ESA/Copernicus Space Component Validation for Land Surface Temperature, Aerosol Optical Depth and Water Vapour Sentinel-3 Products" (LAW) project. High-spatial-resolution IWV observations in the near-infrared spectral region from the OLCI instruments aboard the Sentinel-3A and Sentinel-3B satellites provide continuity with observations from MERIS (Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer). The IWV was compared with reference observations from two networks: GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) precipitable water vapour from the SuomiNet network and integrated lower tropospheric columns from radio-soundings from the IGRA (Integrated Radiosonde Archive) database. Results for cloud-free matchups over land show a wet bias of 7 %–10 % for OLCI, with a high correlation against the reference observations (0.98 against SuomiNet and 0.90 against IGRA). Both OLCI-A and OLCI-B instruments show almost identical results, apart from an anomaly observed in camera 3 of the OLCI-B instrument, where observed biases are lower than in other cameras in either instrument. The wavelength drift in sensors was investigated, and biases in different cameras were found to be independent of wavelength. Effect of cloud proximity was found to have almost no effect on observed biases, indicating that cloud flagging in the OLCI IWV product is sufficiently reliable. We performed validation of random uncertainty estimates and found them to be consistent with the statistical a posteriori estimates, but somewhat higher.


Global palaeogeographic maps were constructed for eight time intervals in the Palaeozoic. The maps contain information concerning plate tectonics and palaeoenvironment during the Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian and Carboniferous. The East European Craton belonged to the Palaeozoic Baltica Plate, which originated as a result of disintegration of the supercontinent Pannotia during the early Cambrian. Baltica included part of Poland and adjacent areas northeast of a line that extends between Scania and the Black Sea. This plate was located in the Southern Hemisphere and drifted northward during Early Palaeozoic time. The Early Ordovician was the time of maximum dispersion of continents during the Palaeozoic. Avalonia probably started to drift away from Gondwana and moved towards Baltica during Ordovician time. Between Gondwana, Baltica, Avalonia and Laurentia, a large longitudinal oceanic unit, known as the Rheic Ocean, was formed. Avalonia was probably sutured to Baltica by the end of the Ordovician or in the Early Silurian. This process was dominated by the strike-slip suturing of the two continents, rather than a full-scale continent-continent collision. Silurian was a time of Caledonian orogeny, closing of the Early Palaeozoic oceans, collision of Baltica with Avalonia and Laurentia and the assembly of the supercontinent Laurussia. The Variscan orogeny in Poland was caused by the collision of the Bohemian Massif plates and the Protocarpathian terrane with Laurussia. The Protocarpathian terrane acted as an indentor that caused thrust tectonics in the East European Platform, Holy Cross Mountains and the Lublin area.


Since tunnels are linear type structures that have a long extent in comparison to their excavation or inner section, tunnels must be constructed in various ground conditions. In this study, laboratory model tests and theoretical analysis on a tunnel loads are carried out in the unconsolidated ground with inclined layers for tunnel excavation. Laboratory model tests are performed with the variation in the angle of the inclined layers and tunnel depth for the model ground with inclined layers. As for the ground materials, two dimensional model ground is prepared with aluminum rods and blocks with no cohesion, which are frictional resistance free between testing apparatus walls and ground materials, by establishing the ground materials self-supporting. Moreover tunnel load equation are newly induced so that comparisons between model test results and the theoretical results are conducted as well.


Current changes in DoD budgeting processes and in the constraints on available funding have resulted in inadequate support for our warfighter's needs. The decision environment evolves into a key question impacting our warfighter capabilities: How should the funding be distributed to achieve the optimal balance between readiness, performance, and cost? This paper outlines the fundamentals of successful Product Life Cycle Management, a method to monitor systems towards fulfilling the operational needs at the lowest possible Total Ownership Cost (TOC). The paper discusses critical decision points in different phases of the system's life cycle and suggests an approach to use modelling and simulation tools to answer key questions and provide the required decision support.


In conditionally automated driving, drivers do not have to constantly monitor their vehicle but they must be able to take over control when necessary. In this paper, we assess the impact of instructions about limitations of automation and the presentation of context-related information through a mobile application on the situation awareness and takeover performance of drivers. We conducted an experiment with 80 participants in a fixed-base driving simulator. Participants drove for an hour in conditional automation while performing secondary tasks on a tablet. Besides, they had to react to five different takeover requests. In addition to the assessment of behavioral data (e.g. quality of takeover), participants rated their situation awareness after each takeover situation. Instructions and context-related information on limitations combined showed encouraging results to raise awareness and improve takeover performance.


The piece begins with the proposition that the economic perspective on human activity must reflect the fact that human beings transact in a world defined for the actors by social norms. An analysis of the crisis of 2008 is offered as a demonstration of the value of adopting such a broader perspective. Part II offers an historical model based on Adam Smith's Moral Philosophy of such a broader analysis. The piece closes with the case that the history of ideas offers alternative perspectives on the questions we explore in economics today, and thus can serve as a valuable resource for constructive skepticism of the current discourse.


Because injured mitochondria can accelerate cell death through the elaboration of oxidative free radicals and other mediators, it is striking that proliferator γ coactivator 1-α (PGC1α), a stimulator of increased mitochondrial abundance, protects stressed renal cells instead of potentiating injury. Here, we report that PGC1α's induction of lysosomes via transcription factor EB (TFEB) may be pivotal for kidney protection. CRISPR and stable gene transfer showed that PGC1α-KO tubular cells were sensitized to the genotoxic stressor cisplatin, whereas Tg cells were protected. The biosensor mitochondrial-targeted Keima (mtKeima) unexpectedly revealed that cisplatin blunts mitophagy both in cells and mice. PGC1α and its downstream mediator NAD+ counteracted this effect. PGC1α did not consistently affect known autophagy pathways modulated by cisplatin. Instead RNA sequencing identified coordinated regulation of lysosomal biogenesis via TFEB. This effector pathway was sufficiently important that inhibition of TFEB or lysosomes unveiled a striking harmful effect of excess PGC1α in cells and conditional mice. These results uncover an unexpected effect of cisplatin on mitophagy and PGC1α's reliance on lysosomes for kidney protection. Finally, the data illuminate TFEB as a potentially novel target for renal tubular stress resistance.


The lower main channel of the Fraser River, British Columbia, is a sand-bed, salt-wedge estuary in which variations in velocity, discharge, and bedform characteristics are contolled by river discharge and the tides. Bed-material composition remains consistent over the discharge season and in the long term. Changes in bedform height and length follow but lag behind seasonal fluctuations in river discharge. Migration rates of bedforms respond more directly to river discharge and tidal fall than do height and length. Bedform characteristics were utilized to estimate bedload transport in the estuary, and a strong, direct, but very sensitive relationship was found between bed load and river discharge. Annual bedload transport in the estuary is estimated to be of the order of 0.35 Mt in 1986. Bedload transport in the estuary appears to be higher than in reaches upstream, possibly because of an increase in sediment movement along the bed to compensate for a reduction in suspended bed-material load produced by ti...


On-line analytical processing (OLAP) tools use multidimensional views to provide quick access to information. They have become the de facto standard in the business world for analytical databases. In health care, care givers and managers could benefit from being able to perform interactive data exploration, ad-hoc analysis and possibly discover hidden trends and patterns in health data. However, health data have unique characteristics that distinguish them from common business examples, an aspect that makes the direct adaptation of the already established business oriented solutions difficult. In this paper, we report the development of an OLAP system for analyzing hospital discharge data and for modeling hospital length of stay


Methods are developed for obtaining pH-gradients stable to the electric current effect in borate-polyol systems which were used for the isofocusing of different proteins. The isofocusing within the range of pH 3.0-9.0 is shown to be possible.


Subwavelength plasmonic waveguides show the unique ability of strongly localizing (down to the nanoscale) and guiding light. These structures are intrinsically two-way optical communication channels, providing two opposite light-propagation directions. As a consequence, when light is coupled to these planar integrated devices directly from the top (or bottom) surface using strongly focused beams, it is equally shared into the two opposite propagation directions. Here, we show that symmetry can be broken over a broad spectral bandwidth by using incident circularly polarized light, on the basis of a spin-orbital angular momentum transfer directly within waveguide bends. We predict that up to 94% of the incoupled light is directed into a single propagation channel of a gap plasmon waveguide. Unidirectional propagation of strongly localized optical energy, far beyond the diffraction limit, becomes switchable by polarization, with no need of intermediate nano-antennas/scatterers as light directors. This study may open new perspectives in a large panel of scientific domains, such as nanophotonic circuitry, routing and sorting, optical nanosensing, and nano-optical trapping and manipulation.


Abstract This paper presents and illustrates how the approach proposed by Eisenhardt (1989) for building theories from intensive qualitative research, more precisely case study research, can help information systems and medical informatics researchers understand and explain the inherently dynamic nature of IT implementation. The approach, which adopts a positivist view of research, relies on past literature and empirical data as well as on the insights of the researcher to build incrementally more powerful theories. We describe in some detail how this methodology was applied in a particular case study on IT implementation in the health care context and how the use of this approach contributed to the discovery of a number of new perspectives and empirical insights. Furthermore, we provide insights into the many choices that a researcher must make when adopting this methodological approach. Overall, using Eisenhardt's approach as a starting point, our objective is to provide a rigorous, step-by-step methodology for using case studies to build theories within the information systems and medical informatics fields. We provide several insights to the nature of case research, information on and concrete examples of specific techniques and tools, and guidance on how to improve intensive case research. Abstract This paper presents and illustrates how the approach proposed by Eisenhardt (1989) for building theories from intensive qualitative research, more precisely case study research, can help information systems and medical informatics researchers understand and explain the inherently dynamic nature of IT implementation. The approach, which adopts a positivist view of research, relies on past literature and empirical data as well as on the insights of the researcher to build incrementally more powerful theories. We describe in some detail how this methodology was applied in a particular case study on IT implementation in the health care context and how the use of this approach contributed to the discovery of a number of new perspectives and empirical insights. Furthermore, we provide insights into the many choices that a researcher must make when adopting this methodological approach. Overall, using Eisenhardt's approach as a starting point, our objective is to provide a rigorous, step-by-step methodology for using case studies to build theories within the information systems and medical informatics fields. We provide several insights to the nature of case research, information on and concrete examples of specific techniques and tools, and guidance on how to improve intensive case research.


Propagation of intense femtosecond laser pulses (60 fs, 800 nm, 120 mJ, 6 × 1017 W/cm2 in vacuum) in supersonic (CD4)N and (D2)N cluster jets at different backing pressures was studied. Pump-probe interferometry is employed to investigate the propagation of laser beams in dense cluster jets by examining the electron density distribution of plasma channels. It was found that propagation effects, including ionization-induced defocusing and laser attenuation of incident pulses, are very different in the (CD4)N and (D2)N cluster jets. Different ionization states of CD4 and D2 molecules were observed by analyzing the transverse electron density profiles of the plasma channels and should be considered as a major reason for the differences in the propagation effects. Numerical simulations of the nonlinear propagation of femtosecond laser pulses in (CD4)N and (D2)N cluster jets were performed, and the results indicated a good reproduction of the experimental data.


Anatomic and behavioral evidence shows that TE and perirhinal cortices are two directly connected but distinct inferior temporal areas. Despite this distinctness, physiological properties of neurons in these two areas generally have been similar with neurons in both areas showing selectivity for complex visual patterns and showing response modulations related to behavioral context in the sequential delayed match-to-sample (DMS) trials, attention, and stimulus familiarity. Here we identify physiological differences in the neuronal activity of these two areas. We recorded single neurons from area TE and perirhinal cortex while the monkeys performed a simple behavioral task using randomly interleaved visually cued reward schedules of one, two, or three DMS trials. The monkeys used the cue's relation to the reward schedule (indicated by the brightness) to adjust their behavioral performance. They performed most quickly and most accurately in trials in which reward was immediately forthcoming and progressively less well as more intermediate trials remained. Thus the monkeys appeared more motivated as they progressed through the trial schedule. Neurons in both TE and perirhinal cortex responded to both the visual cues related to the reward schedules and the stimulus patterns used in the DMS trials. As expected, neurons in both areas showed response selectivity to the DMS patterns, and significant, but small, modulations related to the behavioral context in the DMS trial. However, TE and perirhinal neurons showed strikingly different response properties. The latency distribution of perirhinal responses was centered 66 ms later than the distribution of TE responses, a larger difference than the 10-15 ms usually found in sequentially connected visual cortical areas. In TE, cue-related responses were related to the cue's brightness. In perirhinal cortex, cue-related responses were related to the trial schedules independently of the cue's brightness. For example, some perirhinal neurons responded in the first trial of any reward schedule including the one trial schedule, whereas other neurons failed to respond in the first trial but respond in the last trial of any schedule. The majority of perirhinal neurons had more complicated relations to the schedule. The cue-related activity of TE neurons is interpreted most parsimoniously as a response to the stimulus brightness, whereas the cue-related activity of perirhinal neurons is interpreted most parsimoniously as carrying associative information about the animal's progress through the reward schedule. Perirhinal cortex may be part of a system gauging the relation between work schedules and rewards.


Abstract This is the second article of an effort to develop a time-dependent framework for earthquake risk assessment. In this paper, a model is developed for estimating fragility functions that depend on the degree of structural deterioration. The deterioration model presented in the first paper is used to model the change in the structure over time and due to exposure to different environmental conditions. The effect of deterioration on structural demand and capacities is considered in the evaluation of the fragility functions. Three reinforced concrete columns are designed to correspond to seismic design criteria in place in 1960, 1980 and 2000. Fragility functions are developed for non-deteriorating and deteriorating columns based on their age and environmental exposure. It is shown that the time of construction, which reflects the seismic design criteria, and the environmental conditions dictate the amount of structural deterioration. Older columns in highly corrosive environments show the highest vulnerability. Thus, ignoring the degree of deterioration can lead to a significant underestimation of damage and loss.


The EKG of an athlete may present various alterations, appearing with time and representing the normal cardiac repercussion of an intense and regular physical activity. The vagotonia linked to this activity explain rhythmic abnormalities and conduction alterations. The left ventricular hypertrophy, often noticed, is probably more frequent actually than on the EKG. As for repolarization disorders, at rest or exertion, one must be cautious for their interpretation, since they may have been induced by sport but a coronaropathy remains possible. A routine EKG can also disclose unexpected abnormalities as in anyone; the particular case of complete A-V blocks and WPW is considered here.


Alpinia zerumbet rhizome (Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) BL Burtt & RM Sm) contains phenolic compounds that have antihyaluronidase activity that can reduce wrinkles on the skin. This study aims to test anti-hyaluronidase activity of Alpinia zerumbet rhizome extract using in vitro method and to prepare it in the form of nanoparticles with Solid Lipid nanoparticles (SLN) delivery system. Powder of Alpinia zerumbet rhizome was extracted with 70% ethanol using kinetic maceration method, then concentrated by rotary vacuum evaporator at 100 mmHg at a temperature of ±50°C. Anti-hyaluronidase activity of extract was tested using in vitro method with ELISA Reader, and then prepared into nanoparticles with SLN delivery system. Extract loaded SLN were prepared using polyethyleneglycol 8-beeswax and acrylyl glucoside underhigh speed homogenization-ultrasonication methods. Afterwards, extract loaded SLN was characterized. The test results of anti-hyaluronidase activity (IC50) of Alpinia zerumbet rhizome extract was 81.04 mg/mL. The characterization of Alpinia zerumbet rhizome extract loaded SLN were particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, and morphology analysis, all of the tests met the requirements of nanoparticle with results respectively, 138.6 nm; 0.226; -29.9 mV and a spherical shape. In conclusion, Alpinia zerumbet rhizome extract loaded SLN has potential as an anti-hyaluronidase agent with the ability to reduce wrinkles on the skin.


We have established that the herbicide Roundup and its constituents are capable of causing developmental abnormalities and death in the pond snail Lymnaea palustris. Diquat dibromide (DD) has been identified as the Roundup constituent most consistently associated with developmental delays, embryonic abnormalities and lethality. However, the mechanism of DD action on live embryos remains to be discovered.   DD-treated embryos experience delayed development, loss of cell-cell adhesion, and irregular spinning patterns, possibly resulting from calcium dysregulation in ciliary motility. Notably, adult snails treated with DD exhibit weakening of their shell, also a calcium-dependent structure. Concurrent treatments of varying concentrations of calcium together with DD were conducted in order to determine how altered levels of calcium availability in the medium influence embryonic progression.  It was found that DD-treated embryos in low-calcium media experienced less phenotypic abnormalities compared to high-calcium and calcium ionophore treated embryos. Additionally, embryos in calcium-free medium containing DD exhibited more normal development overall compared to embryos in calcium-free medium without DD.   These results strongly suggest that calcium dysregulation plays a role in the developmental abnormalities and death observed in embryos treated with DD.  Experiments are being conducted to determine if DD exerts an increase in intracellular calcium through influx, inhibition of calcium release, or upregulation of calcium release from intracellular stores. Alternatively, there may be a different role of DD in modulating calcium regulation.   This work was funded in part by the Research Challenge Fund through a Summer Undergraduate Research Experience Grant from the West Virginia HEPC Division of Science and Research


mation in a compact and readable format. The editors, Drs Marilyn Albert and Mark Moss, are recognized authorities in the neuropsychology of aging and age-related disorders. They have successfully gathered a superb group of contributing authors who bring expertise in geriatric psychiatry, neurology, and neuroradiology to enrich and broaden the scope of this book. In fact, this superb book is much more than an excellent source of information on the neuropsychology of aging; it is also a textbook of geriatric psychiatry and the behavioral neurology of later life. As I began reading, I expected high-quality discussions of the impact of both normal aging and dementing disorders on cognition and behavior, and I was not disappointed. The editors have reviewed these areas widely and thoroughly. What I did not anticipate finding in a neuropsychology volume were several chapters dealing with the etiology, phenomenology, and management of the major clinical behavioral disorders of later life. Dr Albert's discussion of acute confusional


A novel series of acyclic nucleosides 2-5 and 13a-c were synthesized by utilizing 4-phenyl-6(naphthalen-2-yl)-2-oxo-1,2-dihydropridine-3-carbonitrile (1) as a key starting material. Chlorination of 1 yielded the chloro analogue 6 that was allowed to react with urea, thiourea, thiosemicarbazide and alicyclic secondary amines to produce the corresponding derivatives 7a-c and 11a-c. Further condensation of 6 with various amino acids provided the compounds 8-10, whereas hydrazinolysis of 6 yielded the hydrazinyl analogue 12 which was condensed with different isothiocyanates and acid anhydrides to afford derivatives 18-20, respectively. Upon treatment of 12 with sodium nitrite, the azide derivative 14 was obtained which was subjected to reaction with various active methylene compounds to obtain the corresponding triazolo derivatives 15-17. The structure assignment of the new compounds is based on chemicaland spectroscopic evidence. Antimicrobial evaluation of the newly synthesized derivatives was performed using ciprofloxacin and fluconazole as reference antibacterial and antifungal drugs. The most effective compounds against the tested bacterial and fungal isolates were the benzothiohydrazide compound 18b followed by the hydrazone and the phthalic anhydride derivatives 13c and 20, respectively.


An abstract model of device behavior was developed for communications with consumer and utility owned devices over WAN and LAN internetworks. A constant model is achieved and mapped to local protocols CEBus, MMS, & OLE. Work by the authors is being extended by the EPRI MMS Forum Editors and Profiles working groups. We present the current consensus view, subject to further modification by the members of the MMS Forum.


Peripheral nerves are highly susceptible to injuries induced from everyday activities such as falling or work and sport accidents as well as more severe incidents such as car and motorcycle accidents. Many efforts have been made to improve nerve regeneration, but a satisfactory outcome is still unachieved, highlighting the need for easy to apply supportive strategies for stimulating nerve growth and functional recovery. Recent focus has been made on the effect of the consumed diet and its relation to healthy and well-functioning body systems. Normally, a balanced, healthy daily diet should provide our body with all the needed nutritional elements for maintaining correct function. The health of the central and peripheral nervous system is largely dependent on balanced nutrients supply. While already addressed in many reviews with different focus, we comprehensively review here the possible role of different nutrients in maintaining a healthy peripheral nervous system and their possible role in supporting the process of peripheral nerve regeneration. In fact, many dietary supplements have already demonstrated an important role in peripheral nerve development and regeneration; thus, a tailored dietary plan supplied to a patient following nerve injury could play a non-negotiable role in accelerating and promoting the process of nerve regeneration.


Abstract In an examination of the trace fossils of the Upper Ordovician Yeoman Formation of southeastern Saskatchewan, close relationships were observed between dispersed organic matter (DOM) or macerals (kerogen) and biogenic sedimentary structures. Macerals in these sediments are dominantly composed of the microfossil, Gloeocapsomorpha prisca alginite. To date, no agreement has been reached concerning the life habit of this organism, or the mechanism for accumulation of beds rich in G. prisca. The more popular view is that G. prisca was a non-photosynthetic, prokaryotic, benthic algal mat; others believe it was a photosynthetic, eukaryotic or prokaryotic, planktonic organism, which bloomed episodically throughout the Ordovician. Differing evidence and conclusions may be explained by the fact that the alga was preserved at various stages in its life cycle; i.e. it could be either planktonic or benthic. Depending on the nature of G. prisca, these algal microfossils were consumed and processed differently by burrowing infauna. Fluctuations in abundance of G. prisca are represented by fluctuations in feeding habits represented by the trace fossils and by fluctuating abundance of G. prisca preserved in the sediment. Periods of lowered G. prisca availability are represented by early life cycle, small disseminated type A G. prisca thinly lining the burrows of suspension-feeders. When conditions shifted and G. prisca was more abundant, larger, vegetative, disseminated type B G. prisca are also found in the burrow linings and fills. At maximum blooms, kukersites (beds rich in disseminated type B G. prisca) were preserved. In all phases of the bloom, G. prisca is absent from the fill of deposit-feeding Planolites, but occurs in the linings of suspension-feeding Palaeophycus. Based on the distribution of G. prisca within trace fossils in the Yeoman Formation, a planktonic nature for this microfossil better explains the accumulation of kukersite beds rich in G. prisca that occur in southeastern Saskatchewan. Although conditions causing these blooms and the scale of cyclicity need to be further examined, a restriction of the sea-floor is suggested by the limited trace fossil suite as well as dominance of a single species of phytoplankton, G. prisca.


A mushroom-shaped choroidal mass is classically suggestive of melanoma, due to the ability of these tumors to erupt through Bruch's membrane. In contrast, choroidal metastases rarely adopt this growth pattern. The authors present an unusual case of a patient with a large choroidal metastasis from a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor that shows a collar-button configuration. The diagnosis was confirmed by histology and immunohistochemistry following enucleation. The authors review the typical appearance of choroidal metastases from neuroendocrine tumors and discuss mechanisms by which uveal tumors may extend through Bruch's membrane.


Throughout his career John Carroll supported the American religious settlement with surprising and consistent enthusiasm. Indeed, his enthusiasm for the religious liberty of the new republic seemed to be boundless. Thus he never tired of celebrating and advertising its benefits. He assured American Catholics that it was "a signal instance of [God's] mercy" and a product of the active intervention of Divine Providence and the Holy Spirit, who have "tutored the minds of men" in such a way that Catholics could now freely worship God according to the "dictates of conscience." Flushed with pride, he even predicted that if America were wise enough to abide by the terms of this providential arrangement, the nation would become a beacon to the world, proving that "general and equal toleration…is the most effectual method to bring all denominations of Christians to an unity of faith." Finally, confident that the extraordinary freedom accorded American Catholics would make the American church "the most flourishing portion of the church," he urged European states and churches to follow America's inspired lead.


Cancer of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses is a rare disease. The many different histologies and sites make the management of this disease a challenge. The current report from the Danish Society for Head and Neck Oncology comprises a joint analysis of five retrospective series covering the entire country, with 315 patients seen in the 10-year period from 1 January 1982 to 31 December 1991. Tumour sites were nasal cavity (n = 156), maxillary sinus (n = 139), ethmoid sinus (n = 14), sphenoid sinus (n = 5) and frontal sinus (one case). The most common histologies included squamous cell carcinoma (126 cases), adenocarcinoma (41 cases), malignant melanoma (38 cases) and malignant lymphoma (34 cases). A total of 284 patients (90%) received treatment with curative intent; most of these patients were treated with radiotherapy, either alone (120 patients) or in combination with surgery (111 patients). There was no significant difference between the five centres in disease specific survival and overall survival. The results showed that histology, localization and nodal involvement were significant prognostic factors for locoregional control and survival. Patients with squamous cell carcinoma had a significantly poorer prognosis compared with patients with adenocarcinoma. However, a Cox multivariate analysis revealed that this was likely the result of tumour localization, as most adenocarcinomas were in the nasal cavity. The experience from this data collection has inspired the Danish Society for Head and Neck Oncology to arrange common data registration of several other clinical head and neck series. In the future, the Society plans to expand this activity further.


Many papers have been proposed in order to increase the wireless sensor networks performance; This kind of network has limited resources, where the energy in each sensor came from a small battery that sometime is hard to be replaced or recharged. Transmission energy is the most concern part where the higher energy consumption takes place. Clustered hierarchy has been proposed in many papers; in most cases, it provides the network with better performance than other protocols. In our paper, first we discuss some of techniques, relates to this protocol, that have been proposed for energy efficiency; some of them were proposed to provide the network with more security level. Our proposal then suggests some modifications to some of these techniques to provide the network with more energy saving that should lead to high performance; also we apply our technique on an existing one that proposed to increase the security level of cluster sensor networks.


The glacier lanternfish Benthosema glaciale is a key myctophid with a wide distribution in the northern Atlantic. It is a species that has a strong vertical migration capacity and have the potential to move between the surface waters and mesopelagic depths in a diel cycle (DVM), mainly depending on ambient light conditions. We investigated the feeding ecology of B. glaciale across the Norwegian, Iceland, Irminger and Labrador Sea basins. An important component of Benthosema diet was various types of calanoid copepods, but with some additional variability across the deep basins. 'House's' of Appendicularia were only found in stomachs from the Labrador basin and were positively selected for here. The large calanoid Calanus hyperboreus was strongly selected for in the Iceland Sea, while its smaller counterpart C. finmarchicus was negatively selected for here. Fish from the Irminger, Labrador and Norwegian Seas displayed a high number of empty stomachs while no fish stomachs were found empty in the Iceland Sea. Contrary to expectation due to being located at the highest latitude, Benthosema in the Iceland Sea had significantly higher condition factor (for both small and large fish) and liver indices compared to fish from other basins, but the abundance of small fish in the sampled population here was very low. This contrasts with the "light environment exclusion" (LEE) hypothesis, which propose that the extreme light environment at higher latitudes restricts feeding opportunities for mesopelagic fish at high latitudes. It is suggested that improved classification of prey through stomach analyses should aim to allow bioluminescent organisms to be separated from non-bioluminescent prey if feasible. This would allow improved resolution to analyse stomach contents and certainly progress our understanding of the success of myctophids across variable habitats.


Background: New-onset pancytopenia can be caused by a wide variety of etiologies, leading to an array of prolonged and invasive investigations. Knowing the important differentials can help in targeted screening and early diagnosis. The reported frequency of common causes of pancytopenia varies among existing studies due to population and geographic differences in dietary habits and environmental and genetic factors, thus necessitating the present study. The goal is to determine the frequency of the leading causes of pancytopenia in patients presenting to the hospital. Subjects and methods: This study is a cross sectional study involving 140 patients of both genders aged between 12 to 80 years presenting with pancytopenia to Sir Ganga Ram hospitals, Lahore. These patients underwent detailed clinical and lab evaluation to identify the underlying cause of pancytopenia e.g. aplastic anemia, megaloblastic anemia, hypersplenism and acute leukemia. The etiological spectrum of pancytopenia was stratified by various subgroups of patients based on age and gender. A written informed consent was taken from each patient. Results: The mean age of the patients was 47.2±19.9 years. There were 90 (64.3%) male and 50 (35.7%) female patients in the study group with a male to female ratio of 1.8:1. Among the underlying causes of pancytopenia, aplastic anemia was most frequent and was observed in 54 (38.6%) patients followed by megaloblastic anemia (n=39, 27.9%), hypersplenism (n=24, 17.1%) and acute leukemia (n=23, 16.4%). Upon stratification, no statistically significant difference was observed in the frequency of various underlying causes of pancytopenia across various subgroups of patients based upon age and gender. Conclusion: In the present study, aplastic anemia and megaloblastic anemia were found as the most frequent cause underlying pancytopenia regardless of patient's age and gender. This advocates their consideration as important differentials in the diagnostic evaluation of patients presenting with pancytopenia in future medical practice so that timely identification and management may improve the outcome of such cases. Keywords: Pancytopenia, Etiological Spectrum, Aplastic Anemia, Megaloblastic Anemia


The Schwinger model is studied in a finite lattice by means of the P-rep re sen ta tion. The vacuum energy, mass gap and chiral condensate are evaluated showing good agreement with the expected values in the continuum limit.


Around the onset of a saccade toward a target, localization judgments are systematically biased toward the saccade endpoint. This perisaccadic compression is thought to be related to transsaccadic reorganization and due to interfering motor signals in visual maps. It has, however, only been investigated for saccades targeting a single target. Here, we examined whether saccade-sequence programming to stationary target(s) would affect the pattern of localization judgments of a briefly flashed stimulus. We presented saccade targets that could induce either a single saccade or two-saccade sequences and we flashed a bar around saccade onsets. For all two-saccade-sequence conditions, we showed that localization judgments of the stimulus flashed around the first saccade onset are biased toward an intermediate position between the two-saccade landing position, indicating the influence of the second saccade's parallel planning. This implies that motor-planning signals are most likely responsible for perisaccadic compression than motor execution feedback.


Abstract A method for transforming underlying climatological distributions for monthly and seasonal mean temperature and monthly and seasonal total precipitation, in a manner consistent with long-range forecasts by the U.S. Climate Prediction Center, is developed. These transformations are summarized as simple equations into which a user may substitute a forecast probability value and calculate the parameters of a conditional probability distribution. These distributions can then be used to evaluate probabilities associated with user-defined temperature and precipitation outcomes. Examples are given to show the case of use and interpretability.


Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a mosquito-borne viral disease, which is the most serious viral encephalitis in China and other countries of the Asia-Pacific region. Since 2005, the epidemic patterns of JE have changed dramatically in China because of the vaccination of children younger than 15 years old, and JE is expanding geographically along with global warming. This retrospective epidemiological study analyzed dynamic environmental factors and the spatio-temporal distribution of human cases of JE in Shaanxi Province—one of the most severely affected areas of China—from 2005 to 2018. The results demonstrated that the high-risk population changed rapidly as the annual rate of JE cases increased by more than 40% in the age group >60 years during the study period, and endemic areas expanded northward in Shaanxi. Hotspot analysis detected four hotspots accounting for 52.38% the total cases, and the panel negative binomial regression model revealed that the spatio-temporal distribution of JE was significantly affected by temperature, relative humidity, wind velocity, El Niño-Southern Oscillation, coniferous forest coverage, and urban areas. These findings can provide useful information for improving current strategies and measures to reduce disease incidence.


Terminal differentiation is often coupled with irreversible loss of proliferative potential. The CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha) preferentially accumulates in postmitotic, differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes but declines during tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha)-induced dedifferentiation. We have discovered that this decline in C/EBPalpha correlates with an increased mitotic growth potential. In order to further investigate the antimitotic activity of C/EBPalpha, we introduced antisense C/EBPalpha RNA into 3T3-L1 cells to block endogenous C/EBPalpha expression. When treated according to the standard differentiation protocol, stable cells lines harboring antisense C/EBPalpha RNA did not differentiate into fat-laden adipocytes, consistent with previous findings (Lin F, Lane MD, Genes Dev 1992;6:533-544). We found that these undifferentiated cells expressing antisense-C/EBPalpha can reenter the cell cycle after mitogenic stimulation at a time in development when parental 3T3-L1 cells cannot. Moreover, the expression profiles of the growth-arrest-associated genes gas1 and gas2 revealed that the antisense C/EBPalpha-expressing cells withdrew from the cell cycle after the period of clonal expansion but failed to progress to the state of least proliferative potential characteristic of terminally differentiated adipocytes.


HIV-1 coreceptor usage and phenotype mainly determined by V3 loop are associated with the disease progression of AIDS. Predicting HIV-1 coreceptor usage and phenotype facilitates the monitoring of R5-to-X4 switch and treatment decision-making. In this study, we employed random forest to predict HIV-1 biological phenotype, based on 37 random features of V3 loop. In comparison with PSSM method, our RF predictor obtained higher prediction accuracy (95.1% for coreceptor usage and 92.1% for phenotype), especially for non-B non-C HIV-1 subtypes (96.6% for coreceptor usage and 95.3% for phenotype). The net charge, polarity of V3 loop and five V3 sites are seven most important features for predicting HIV-1 coreceptor usage or phenotype. Among these features, V3 polarity and four V3 sites (22, 12, 18 and 13) are first reported to have high contribution to HIV-1 biological phenotype prediction.


This study deals with the risk of injury to the bicyclist's head and the benefits of wearing a bicycle helmet in terms of reduction of injury severity or even injury avoidance. The accident data of 4,245 injured bicyclists as a randomized sample, collected by a scientific research team within the GIDAS project (German In-Depth Accident Study) were analyzed. Given that head injuries result in approximately 40% of bicycle-related crashes, helmet usage provides a sensible first-level approach for improving incidence and severity of head injuries. The effectiveness of the bicycle helmet was examined using descriptive and multivariate analysis for 433 bicyclists with a helmet and 3,812 bicyclists without a helmet. Skull fractures, severe brain injuries and skull base fractures were up to 80% less frequent for bicyclists wearing a helmet. Among individuals 40 years of age and older, a significant increase of severe head injuries occurred if no helmet was used compared to younger persons with helmet. Language: en


It is reported that shortage of oral magnesium intake increase the incidence of diabetes. In addition, magnesium replacement therapy improves insulin resistance and glycemic control. Low levels of magnesium in the venous blood induce the disturbances of auto-phosphylation on the insulin receptor and deteriorate insulin resistance. Since magnesium is closely related to evolution and development of metabolic syndrome including diabetes mellitus and so on, magnesium is expected as potentially effective ingredient of drug therapy in the future perspectives.


The collagen composition (types I, II, and III) of the normal developing human larynx and trachea was examined by biochemical methods. Autopsy specimens of larynges with attached upper tracheal rings were obtained from 28 humans ranging in age from birth to 44 years. The specimens were randomly collected, but excluded if laryngeal disease existed. The age, sex, and cause of death were documented. Collagen is important in the growth, development, repair, regeneration, and structural and functional integrity of the laryngeal framework. A preliminary report of selected cartilaginous components of the larynx was previously published by the authors, which studied the changes in the phenotypic expression of the collagen genes in children from the newborn period to 5 years 10 months of age. The current study included all of the functioning components of the skeletal larynx and trachea. The results of biochemical examination of these tissues are reported, and the potential clinical significance of the results of the study is discussed.


This paper presents the description of the current distortion produced to the grid by voltage-source active rectifiers switched by PWM. In recent years, high demands are placed on the development of the power electronics such as high performances, high switching frequencies, high efficiency, etc. Therefore the aim of the paper is the cognition of the influence combination of switching frequencies and dead time durations on harmonics orders and values in an input current spectrum. The paper summarizes the parameters influences on the calculations of current total harmonic distortion (THDI) and presents interesting results of two THDI definitions. If the THDI is calculated up to the frequency which is higher than the switching frequency, the result will be different from the result which is obtained according to IEC standard. Therefore, this paper proves that total harmonic distortion has to be calculated up to the harmonics orders that are higher than the switching frequency of the converter.


The study was carried out in two intensive potato growing areas (Rangpur and Munshigonj) to estimate the technical efficiency of potato producers and to describe the level of variation in potato productivity due to differences in input use. Data were collected from 60 farmers (30 farmers from each district) using simple random sampling technique. Average technical efficiency was 86% implying that on average 14% inefficiency remained at producers' level. The application of human labour, MoP, and weedicides would increase potato yield significantly. On the other hand, the coefficient of urea and pesticide cost was found negative and significant which advarsely effect the yield of potato. Moreover, the coefficient of operated land and extension linkage were found negative and significant implying that with further increase in operated land and extension linkage, technical efficiency would increase. Munshigonj was found to be more suitable area for potato production. The performance of selfproduced and stored potato seeds are poor compared to the seeds from BADC. Supply of quality seeds to the farmers should be ensured by strengthening seed production and distribution system both in public and private sectors.


We study the behaviour of colloidal particles when introduced into a liquid crystal matrix. First, we probe the influence of the surface anchoring energy by using various mixtures of surfactant and then, we investigate the influence of the nematogen shape. When the surface energy dominates, a hedgehog defect is formed and, according to an electrostatic analogy, the distortions around the particles exhibit a dipolar character. By contrast, for weaker anchoring, the configuration becomes quadrupolar as evidenced by the observation of Saturn ring defects in thermotropic systems and the structure of latex clusters in lyotropic systems. Also, the shape of the nematogens is shown to control the type of defect and interaction that take place in the system, going from a dipolar symmetry in the discotic phase to a quadrupolar one in the calamitic phase. A simple scaling analysis accounts for our findings.


Palladium composite membranes are used widely in the hydrogen purification process owing to their excellent hydrogen permeability and selectivity. However, they can lose hydrogen permeability irreversibly when exposed to a small amount of impurity gases, which severely limits their applications. Here, a seed-free hydrothermal method was developed to synthesize a zeolite membrane on the surface of an ultra-thin metallic Pd composite membrane to offer protection from impurity gases. The impurity gases with a kinetic diameter larger than the zeolite pore size were prevented from coming in direct contact with the Pd composite membrane. The presence of a protective zeolite membrane distinctly suppressed the hydrogen permeance decline in a 5% propylene/hydrogen mixture, which greatly enhanced the stability of the Pd membrane. SEM and XRD showed that the acid pretreatment before the secondary hydrothermal growth process and the rotary state were beneficial for synthesizing thin and uniform zeolite membranes. With increasing synthesis time, the protective effects of the zeolite membrane were enhanced significant due to the reduction of defects.


Can the feminization of public services improve quality and lower corruption? The underlying logic of such efforts is the belief that women have higher ethical standards than men. To answer this question, we examine the links between gender and policing practice using data from twelve vignette cases assessed by 600 Ugandan police officers. Our empirical strategy is based on a randomized framing experiment, which is designed to isolate the effect of gender from institutional factors and social norms. We find that the gender of the police officer depicted in the cases and victim gender are not related to the judgment of police malpractice, nor to suggested disciplinary measures. However, respondent gender matters for the reporting of misconduct and the perception of the official institutional policy of the police. Men are stricter when assessing cases along these dimensions. The results indicate that simply feminizing the police force is unlikely to enhance service quality.


Experiential learning has been known to be an engaging and effective modality for personal and professional development. The Metaverse provides ample opportunities for the creation of environments in which such experiential learning can occur. In this work, we introduce a novel architecture that combines Artificial intelligence and Virtual Reality to create a highly immersive and efficient learning experience using avatars. The framework allows us to measure the interpersonal effectiveness of an individual interacting with the avatar. We first present a small pilot study and its results which were used to enhance the framework. We then present a larger study using the enhanced framework to measure, assess, and predict the interpersonal effectiveness of individuals interacting with an avatar. Results reveal that individuals with deficits in their interpersonal effectiveness show a significant improvement in performance after multiple interactions with an avatar. The results also reveal that individuals interact naturally with avatars within this framework, and exhibit similar behavioral traits as they would in the real world. We use this as a basis to analyze the underlying audio and video data streams of individuals during these interactions. Finally, we extract relevant features from these data and present a machine-learning based approach to predict interpersonal effectiveness during human-avatar conversation. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings to build beneficial applications for the real world.


A wave of terror attacks forced the Israeli police and its CSI units to make a radical change in the way they processed the crime scenes. This change led to a new procedure of work, faster and more efficient, in order to quick clearing of a scene.


Through a reading of some significant passages a reconstruction is made of the main features of Galen's rich reflection on the themes of health and disease, with particular attention to two aspects. On one side, there is an analysis of the limits within which disease is seen, in the Galenic corpus, as 'degeneration' in relation to a 'natural' state. On the other side, there is an investigation of whether, and to what extent, the physician from Pergamon accepts the idea, partly already present in Hippocrates, of the existence of diseases that, with a modern term, we would define as 'genetic'. The marginality that this aspect seems to present – at least in theoretical works devoted to embryological themes (De semine, De foetuum formatione) or relating to pathological aetiology (De morborum differentiis, De morborum causis, De symptomatum differentiis) – is probably linked to the prevalence of a solid teleological paradigm deriving from Aristotle. Key words : Generation - Degeneration - Galen


This thesis is concerned with a number of phenomena in ancient oratory and rhetoric connected to limits of speech: being silent, pausing, not treating a topic. All of this can happen either as a matter of incapacity or failure—or deliberately. Research in this particular area is scarce. A first desideratum is therefore a phenomenology, or typology, of these limits of speech in antiquity, both as they occur and are dealt with in practical oratory, and as they are discussed in rhetorical theory. This thesis focuses on Cicero, in whose works both sides can be studied, but also considers earlier and later authors. A comprehensive typology of the large area of omissions of topics, facts, opinions, and even words and styles, from a speech leads especially to the phenomenon of explicit omission, usually termed praeteritio. This figure, widely used in practice but quite underrated in (ancient) theory, is the most prominent example of ancient oratory making use of its limits. Similar observation are made in other areas: the issue of structural pauses within a speech is closely related to prose rhythm; less studied, but equally interesting are longer pauses used to leave time for something else, especially for interaction with the audience or individuals, or enforced when the orator is interrupted by the audience. Another reason for interruptions is the orator's own incapacity: memory failure, voice failure, or other health issues. The rhetorical writings provide some instruction for prevention and remedies; but also in practice, orators not only avoided or handled possible failures, but turned the issue around into a rhetorical device, employable to their advantage. All these aspects provide a fresh perspective on the (ancient) principle of artem arte celare and contribute to a new view on oratorical practice and rhetorical theory: although the gap between theory and practice has been seen and stated in research often enough, the point of this thesis is the rarely observed influence (or rather lack of influence) of practice on theory: the fact that oratorical practice develops far beyond the theoretical instructions, and yet no rhetorician reintegrates these developments fully and systematically into rhetorical theory. The explanation suggested here is that written rhetorical theory separated itself from oratorical practice quite early on and developed an independent existence of its own throughout antiquity, and that this is especially evident in the oratorical use of limits of speech.


This study aims to investigate the performance changes resulted from a mooring line failure of a marine fish cage exposed to irregular waves and current. A numerical model based on the lumped mass method and Morison equation was extended to simulate the mooring line failure scenario. In this study, the failed resulting changes were compared with its normal counterpart in both the time domain and the frequency domain. After one upstream anchor loss, the maximum tension on the remaining anchor has increased significantly, as well as the drift distance of the rearing part (net chamber, floating collar, and tube-sinker) of the fish cage. The resulting changes can also be seen in both the wave-frequency and the low-frequency region in the spectra, including mooring tensions and body motions.


A step-by-step therapy concept for prehospital care of the severely injured is presented. A schedule for effective organization of the rescue procedure is given, after which stress is placed on preservation of the vital functions. A therapy algorithm is explained, according to which the indications for intubation, ventilation and volume replacement depend on both physiological parameters (blood pressure, respiration frequency, Glasgow Coma Scale, capillary refill) and the type of injuries. Initial care of the injuries is discussed in some detail. Competent preclinical management of fractures and joint dislocations is a major topic. A flow chart for the selection of an adequate trauma center is proposed, which takes account of vital signs, the extent of the injuries, how the accident happened, and the force of the impact.


This study seeks to identify the factors that are critical to successful implementation of business process re-engineering (BPR), and attempts to develop a reliable, empirically tested and rigorously validated measurement instrument for BPR, for Hong Kong's banking sector. We conducted a large-scale survey of banking industry executives and applied a rigorous research methodology to treat the survey data. We identified four critical success factors (CSFs) of BPR implementation, which are management commitment, customer focus, use of IT and communication of change and developed a functional instrument to measure BPR in the banking industry. Of these four factors, only customer focus has a significant relationship with firm performance. This finding is consistent with the literature on successful re-engineering. This paper contributes to research by identifying the success factors of BPR implementation, and provides managerial insights on the successful management of BPR, in the banking industry. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Recently, several research groups have shown the potential of microencapsulated DNA as adjuvant for DNA immunization and in tissue engineering approaches. Among techniques generally used for microencapsulation of hydrophilic drug substances into hydrophobic polymers, modified WOW double emulsion method and spray drying of water-in-oil dispersions take a prominent position. The key parameters for optimized microspheres are particle size, encapsulation efficiency, continuous DNA release and stabilization of DNA against enzymatic and mechanical degradation. This study investigates the possibility to encapsulate DNA avoiding shear forces which readily degrade DNA during this microencapsulation. DNA microparticles were prepared with polyethylenimine (PEI) as a complexation agent for DNA. Polycations are capable of stabilizing DNA against enzymatic, as well as mechanical degradation. Further, complexation was hypothesized to facilitate the encapsulation by reducing the size of the macromolecule. This study additionally evaluated the possibility of encapsulating lyophilized DNA and lyophilized DNA/PEI complexes. For this purpose, the spray drying and double emulsion techniques were compared. The size of the microparticles was characterized by laser diffractometry and the particles were visualized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). DNA encapsulation efficiencies were investigated photometrically after complete hydrolysis of the particles. Finally, the DNA release characteristics from the particles were studied. Particles with a size of <10 µm which represent the threshold for phagocytic uptake could be prepared with these techniques. The encapsulation efficiency ranged from 100–35% for low theoretical DNA loadings. DNA complexation with PEI 25 kDa prior to the encapsulation process reduced the initial burst release of DNA for all techniques used. Spray-dried particles without PEI exhibited high burst releases, whereas double emulsion techniques showed continuous release rates.