Since 1994 South Africa has been in the process of transformation and redress. People are taking up their right to education and are also taking full advantage of the fact that all institutions of higher learning are open to all citizens of the country. Research shows that black students who attend predominantly black institutions benefit from a supportive social, cultural, and racial environment that enhances their successful adaptation to the academic demands of undergraduate study. This kind of support may be lacking in the new dispensation. It was therefore important to find out whether this applies to current black female students in predominantly white institutions, and specifically at the University of Port Elizabeth. It has been argued that adolescents, who have the universal task of stabilizing their identity, might be influenced by recent transformation. This process of transformation includes the paradigm shift of restricting females to a few stereotyped roles. Late-adolescents often find themselves studying at a university, which consequently leads to the question whether new academic identities are emerging among black female students and, if so, what they are. The primary purpose of the research was therefore to determine how these students see themselves academically in a transforming academic environment. A qualitative method of research was used for the investigation. Analysis of the transcribed interviews was done and trustworthiness was ensured. Ethical measures were also adhered to. This article provides a detailed reflection on the results of the research, namely that the academic identities of black female adolescents are directed by their life goals, charged by specific feelings and characterised by their experiences. General guidelines are also presented in this regard.


ABSTRACT Environmental assessment data collected in two prior occupational hygiene studies of swine barns and sawmills allowed the comparison of concurrent, triplicate, side-by-side endotoxin measurements using air sampling filters and bioaerosol impingers. Endotoxin concentrations in impinger solutions and filter eluates were assayed using theLimulus amebocyte lysate assay. In sawmills, impinger sampling yielded significantly higher endotoxin concentration measurements and lower variances than filter sampling with IOM inhalable dust samplers. Analysis of variance for repeated measures showed that this association remained after controlling for other factors such as replicate, sawmill, sawmill operation, wood type, and interaction terms. Endotoxin concentrations in the swine barns were 10-fold higher on average than in sawmills. These samples demonstrated comparable endotoxin concentration estimates for impinger and filter methods although the variability was lower using the impinger method. In both occupational settings, side-by-side replicates were more uniform for the impinger samples than for the filter samples. This study demonstrates that impinger sampling is an acceptable method for quantitation of area endotoxin concentrations. Further, when sampling is performed with impingers for airborne microorganism quantitation, these same impinger solutions can yield valid endotoxin exposure estimates, negating the need for additional filter sampling.


The structure, distribution and classification of the twenty species of sect. Adenosperma are reviewed. The section is centred on New Guinea where nineteen species occur and F. megalophylla persists as the pachycaul relic. The section relates with sect. Sycocarpus subsect. Auriculisperma of the Solomon Islands and connects with the origin of sect. Ficus through the Philippine species F. pseudopalma and F. rivularis along the Sararanga-front of the Melanesian Foreland. The most widespread species are among the most advanced. They show the usual trend in Ficus from the stout pachycaul with large multibracteate fig to the leptocaul with lanceolate leaf and small fig, along with the development of cauliflory and geocarpy. There is no evidence to suggest that the species evolved through vicariism, and the two series Amphigenae and Hypogenae run almost identical courses from Celebes to New Hebrides. Two new species are described from New Guinea, F. pilulifera and F. suffruticosa.


A broadband omnidirectional absorber which is realized by heterostructures containing a collision plasma layer and a zero  −  n mirror is theoretically investigated. A collision plasma layer and an appropriate dielectric layer are put on the top of the PC. It is shown to absorb roughly 70% of all available electromagnetic wave in a relative omnidirectional absorption band width 244 MHz. The absorption band edge of the PC is influenced by the range of the reflection band gap. Meanwhile, the absorption range for the transverse magnetic (TM) wave decreases at large incident angle. Compared with some previous designs, our proposed structure has a relative flatter total absorption spectrum over a broad microwave frequency range and using a zero  −  n gap as a mirror is insensitive to the incident angle. This kind of heterostructure offers additional opportunities to design novel optoelectronic devices.


The aim of the study was to determine the fertility traits of the Kangal Akkaraman sheep in Yildizeli and Central districts of Sivas. In this study, six years data obtained from breeders between 2013 and 2018 were used in National Animal Improvement Project coordinated by the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. In the first year of the study, 70 enterprises in 48 villages from both districts included in the projects and these were reduced to 57 enterprises in 33 villages in the sixth year. During the six-year period, 86116 lamb records obtained from a total of 76383 ewes in all enterprises were evaluated. Overall average birth rate was 92.7%. While the differences between years were statistically significant, differences between districts were not significant. Thetriplet births were also observed but they were not evaluated separately because of their low rate (0.1%), so they were included in twin births and evaluated as twins. The average twin birth rate was 22% and differences between years, districts and mating periods (five months between August and December) were significant for that. Overall average weaned lamb rate or the survival rate of the weaning period was 91.3% and differences according to years, districts and lambing periods (five months between January and May) were statistically significant for that. According to the values obtained from 5147 lamb records that were born from 4242 ewes of known age in a sub-project of year 2013; the ages (1-10) of sheep were found to have an effect on the birth type, while it was found to be statistically insignificant for the survival rate. According to the results of the research, it would be useful to take into account the factors that increase fertility in order to maximize profitability in the study area and enterprises with similar conditions.


—Short-term scheduling for crude oil operations is a combinatorial problem and involves extreme detail. Thus, it is very complicated and, up to now, there is no efficient technique and software tool for it. To search for efficient techniques, a two-layer hierarchical solution is proposed for it. At the upper level, one finds a realizable refining schedule to optimize some objectives. At the lower level, a detailed schedule is obtained to realize it. A methodology has been presented to solve the lower level problem from a control perspective by the authors of this paper. In this paper, the upper level problem for finding optimal refining schedules is addressed, and a novel method is proposed based on the results obtained at the lower level. This method solves a linear programming problem to determine the maximal production rate and a transportation problem to optimally assign crude oil types and volume to the distillers. This way, the method is computationally very efficient. An industrial case study is presented to show the application of the proposed method.


The choice of the substituents at the benzylic position of diphosphane 1 allows the selection of the absolute configuration of the product that is obtained from the transition metal catalyzed enantioselective hydrogenation of various beta-dicarbonyl compounds, alpha-acetamidocinnamic acid derivatives, and dimethyl itaconate (see scheme).


The invention provides isolated nucleic acid compounds encoding a multiple drug resistance protein of Aspergillus nidulans. Vectors and transformed host cells comprising the multiple drug resistance-encoding DNA of Aspergillus nidulans atrD are also provided. The invention further provides assays which utilize these transformed host cells


Positioning objects has been an important topic since it is needed to locate people, guide them to a certain place, and assist companies and organizations with their assets management. Several techniques and algorithms were proposed to solve the positioning problem and to enhance existing systems. In general, one of the several existing wireless standards such as Infrared, RFID, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi is chosen as the target standard for indoor positioning. This paper provides an overview of the existing wireless indoor positioning solutions and attempts to classify different techniques and systems. Comprehensive performance comparisons including accuracy, precision complexity, scalability, robustness, and cost are presented.


A dosage rate reduction of plant protection products mixed with water, i.e. spray mixture, in a prescribed concentration in the vineyard will only be possible in the future, if the natural characteristics of vine canopy structures (leaf wall area) and canopy management are taken into account. In a practical experiment in the vineyard we evaluated the leaf wall area of the vine cv. Sauvignon on different segments on the left and right side of the vine canopy. We compared the results of manual measurements and laser measuring technology (LIDAR) with the corresponding algorithm, with which we enabled the digital reconstruction of the leaf wall area of the vine. The manual measurement of the leaf wall area was carried out using an automated image analyser. The digital system for measuring the leaf wall area on different segments consisted of a LIDAR sensor and a Differential Global Positioning System (hereinafter DGPS). To determine the exact DGPS position of the LIDAR sensor during the measurement, we set up a DGPS base station. Using the Excel software (CORREL function), we estimated the relationship between the dependent variable (digital number of points in the cloud) and an independent variable (leaf wall area, manually measured). An analysis of six randomly selected vines in the vineyard revealed the maximum value of the correlation coefficient r = 0.80 for the left side and r = 0.90 for the right side of the leaf wall area of the vine, respectively. In the near future the virtual three-dimensional space will provide more even control of spray mixture over the entire structure of the leaf wall area in the vineyard based on autonomous decision-making models.


The proper measurement and analysis of gas desorption data from freshly cut coal samples is crucial to reliably predict the gas production performance and reserve potential of coal seam gas reservoirs. The technical literature offers may procedures for evaluating the total sorbed gas content of coal samples. This paper presents evaluations of the accuracy and comparability of gas content estimates for freshly cut San Juan Basin Fruitland Formation and Piceance Basin Cameo coal samples obtained using commonly practiced analysis procedures. Benchmark (or ground truth) gas content values were assembled from pressure core and sorption isotherm data for comparison against gas content estimates obtained from conventional whole core, sidewall core, and drill cutting samples. Lost gas content estimate accuracy determined by the Direct (U.S. Bureau of Mines) Method, 1,2,3,4 the Smith & Williams Method, 5,6 and the Amoco Method 7,8 was evaluated and compared. Assessments were also made of the sources and magnitudes of sampling and procedural method errors on the accuracy of the gas content estimates. The choices of sample type, gas desorption temperature conditions, and lost gas analysis method significantly affected the accuracy of the gas content values. The Direct Method analysis of conventional whole core, reservoir temperature gas desorption data provided the most accurate gas content values. Using ambient temperature gas desorption conditions rather than reservoir temperature conditions is the greatest source of error in gas content estimates.


All cellular phenomena and developmental events, including inner ear development, are modulated through harmonized signaling networks. Phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN), a tumor suppressor, is a major signaling component involved in cross talk with key regulators of development; i.e., Wnt, Notch, and bone morphogenetic proteins. Although Pten function has been studied in various systems, its role in inner ear development is poorly understood. Here, we used inner ear-specific Pten conditional knockout mice and examined the characteristics of the inner ear. In a detailed analysis of the phenotype, reduced cochlear turning and widened epithelia were observed. Phalloidin staining of sensory epithelium revealed that hair cell patterns were disturbed; i.e., additional rows of hair cells were discovered. The neural abnormality revealed a reduction in and disorganization of nerve fibers, including apoptosis at the neural precursor stage. Pten deficiency induced increased phosphorylation of Akt at Ser473. The elevation of inhibitory glycogen synthase kinase 3β Ser9 phosphorylation (pGSK3β) was sustained until the neuronal differentiation stage at embryonic day 14.5, instead of pGSK3β downregulation. This is the first report on the influence of Pten/Akt/GSK3β signaling on the development of spiral ganglia. These results suggest that Pten is required for the maintenance of neuroblast number, neural precursors, and differentiation in the inner ear.


Many research efforts in Sweden have been focused on methodologies for information systems development. The main perspective is that information systems should support business activities and create competitive advantages for companies. Information systems are not ends in themselves! On the contrary information systems have to provide desired effects and sustainable results in organizations and sometimes between organizations. This is a pragmatic or praxiologic view of information systems. From this position we can address several kinds of research problems that need more investigations. It is also urgent to explore some new research areas that we have good competence to "attack" here in Sweden. In this sense we will describe two project ideas which have both theoretical and practical relevance:1. Business modelling as a base for information systems development2. Strategic use of information systems in organizations


Semiempirical calculations are carried out for the interpretation of ESCA chemical shifts in molecules. Additionally, these calculations are extended to the surface shift of an unreconstructed germanium surface which is simulated by the cluster model.


The purpose of this study was to explore the dynamic and intervention mechanisms of daily abusive experience affecting daily work engagement. Drawing on conservation of resources (COR) theory, we examine the effect of daily abusive supervision on daily work engagement through daily negative emotions from the resource consumption perspective, and the moderation effect of coworker support from the resource provision perspective. Using a daily diary approach and based on a sample of 73 employees for 5 consecutive days in China. The results reveal that daily abusive supervision has a significant negative effect on daily work engagement, daily negative emotions mediate this relationship, and coworker support had a cross-level moderating effect between daily abusive supervision and daily negative emotions. Our study shows ways to boost employees' daily work engagement and especially ways buffer the negative effect of abused experience on work engagement.


The Brereton Limestone is a shallow-water, open-marine carbonate deposited over peat or delta-plain muds after delta abandonment and a marine transgression. Six distinct biofacies are recognized, utilizing quantitative analysis of abundance data on 32 fossil types obtained from detailed petrographic examination of 141 samples. The biofacies partly overlap and probably represent coexisting paleocommunities. Data on autecology, lithology, insoluble residue content, and thickness were used to interpret the habitats of each biofacies. Biofacies V, a low-diversity biofacies dominated by brachiopods and ostracods, occupied turbid-water, mud- or shelly mud-bottom areas during influxes of detrital clays late in the abandonment of the Herrin delta and, also, early in the construction of the Jamestown delta. Low-relief carbonate mud mounds accumulated within and around baffles provided by thickets of phylloid algae, crinoids, fenestrate bryozoans, or productid brachiopods, and are separated by narrow to broad intermound areas. Shallow-water mud mounds, containing Biofacies I, which is dominated by calcareous phylloid algae and foraminifers, are capped locally by Biofacies VI, a low-diversity biofacies dominated by ostracods. Biofacies VI, occupied the high subtidal to supratidal crests of algal mud mounds which had a stressed (possibly hypersaline) environment. Deeper water mud mounds were occupied by either Biofacies III, a crinoid-mixed fossil biofacies, or by Biofacies IV, which is dominated by fusulinids, strophomenids, and trilobites. Biofacies II, dominated by sponges, mollusks, and impunctate brachiopods, generally occurred on the flanks of the shallow-water mounds. Biofacies I, III, and IV also occurred in broad, muddy intermound areas and Biofacies III in narrow, winnowed intermound areas. Spatial distribution of biofacies and inferred habitats is characterized by irregular and local changes, and does not conform to regular, predictable changes perpendicular to a paleoshoreline. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1458------------


Most modern electrical engineering and computer engineering programs place emphasis on low power circuits and systems. The critical energy issues now facing the United States and the world, however, are concerned with the generation and distribution of large amounts of energy using high power generation facilities and networks. The Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Lafayette College is exploring ways and means to integrate energy-related technical material, energy issues, and energy policy considerations into the existing Electrical and Computer Engineering degree program. This paper describes initial steps taken toward this goal, the projected curricular additions and changes, and the rationale for incorporating energy-related course material and laboratory exercises. The work in progress aims to provide an alternative to other approaches that either introduce one or two dedicated courses, or develop an entire energy course stem, to provide electrical or computer engineers with significant energy-related studies.


Purpose The aim of this study was to explore the effective immune scoring method and mine the novel and potential immune microenvironment-related diagnostic and prognostic markers for cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSSC). Materials and Methods The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data was downloaded and multiple data analysis approaches were initially used to search for the immune-related scoring system on the basis of Estimation of STromal and Immune cells in MAlignant Tumour tissues using Expression data (ESTIMATE) algorithm. Afterwards, the representative genes in the gene modules correlated with immune-related scores based on ESTIMATE algorithm were further screened using Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) and network topology analysis. Gene functions were mined through enrichment analysis, followed by exploration of the correlation between these genes and immune checkpoint genes. Finally, survival analysis was applied to search for genes with significant association with overall survival and external database was employed for further validation. Results The immune-related scores based on ESTIMATE algorithm was closely associated with other categories of scores, the HPV infection status, prognosis and the mutation levels of multiple CSCC-related genes (HLA and TP53). Eighteen new representative immune microenvironment-related genes were finally screened closely associated with patient prognosis and were further validated by the independent dataset GSE44001. Conclusion Our present study suggested that the immune-related scores based on ESTIMATE algorithm can help to screen out novel immune-related diagnostic indicators, therapeutic targets and prognostic predictors in CSCC.


Two coupling superconducting qubits are studied for the quantum concurrence, discord, and Pancharatnam phase, for the X and Y states under the dephasing and instantaneous decay environment as well as their couplings. We find that the X and Y states are special mixed states according to the Bloch radius. In general, the larger the environment and phonon number are at the larger region of time, the larger the quantum concurrence and discord are. But we find that the environment correlations are helpful to implement the quantum computation. The Pancharatnam phases provide a way to distinguish the X and Y states.


Samples of blood were obtained from newborn infants simultaneously from an umbilical artery catheter, an `arterialized' heel, an unprepared heel, and from an `arterialized' thumb. The correlation between the arterial oxygen tension with that of capillary blood, whether arterialized or not, was poor. Thus it was concluded that arterial blood is the only satisfactory sample for the measurement of oxygen tension in the newborn.


The aim of this study was to determine the minimal set of genetic alterations required for the development of a very low risk clinically symptomatic gastro-intestinal stromal tumour within the stomach wall. We studied the genome of a very low-risk gastric gastro-intestinal stromal tumour by whole-genome sequencing, comparative genomic hybridisation and methylation profiling. The studied tumour harboured two typical genomic lesions: loss of the long arm of chromosome 14 and an activating mutation in exon 11 of KIT. Besides these genetic lesions, only two point mutations that may affect tumour progression were identified: A frame-shift deletion in RNF146 and a missense mutation in a zinc finger of ZNF407. Whilst the frameshift deletion in RNF146 seemed to be restricted to this particular tumour, a similar yet germline mutation in ZNF407 was found in a panel of 52 gastro-intestinal stromal tumours from different anatomical sites and different categories. Germline polymorphisms in the mitotic checkpoint proteins Aurora kinase A and BUB1 kinase B may have furthered tumour growth. The epigenetic profile of the tumour matches that of other KIT-mutant tumours. We have identified mutations in three genes and loss of the long arm of chromosome 14 as the so far minimal set of genetic abnormalities sufficient for the development of a very low risk clinically symptomatic gastric stromal tumour.


Fourteen novels, eleven collections of short stories, several novellas, plays and books of memoirs, together with numerous prizes and awards, speak for a life devoted to the craft of fiction. But Mr Trevor is a professional writer who likes to keep a low profile and would rather listen and write than talk about his work. Although extremely gentle and patient in his role of interviewee, he confesses that his craft is instinctive and that he is unable to discuss or analyse whatever meanings, intentions or implications critics and readers may find in his fiction. In a note, he informed me that he did not like and avoided giving interviews but that he was willing to converse with me. What follows is an edited transcription of two telephone conversations with Mr Trevor, held in November and December 2005.


With new materials and techniques, there are many different pavement preservation treatments available to choose for a given project. The selection is a complex process which involves many factors ranging from pavement engineering to economic analysis. To determine the most preferable treatment is very challenging to many pavement engineers, especially for someone with limited experience. Most states or local agencies utilize either decision trees or decision tables to assist with the treatment selection. However, there are some disadvantages of using these decision trees or tables. This paper proposes to incorporate the expert system concept into the pavement treatment selection process. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) decision tables for treatment selection have been converted to a prototype expert system which includes a user interface, an inference engine, and a knowledge base. The prototype system allows one to evaluate various treatment alternatives. The best alternative based on user provided roadway conditions and weighting scores can then be selected by the expert system. The system can not only help inexperienced engineers to make a better choice, but also help streamline the decision making process for seasoned pavement engineers and explicitly present their decision making process for strategy selection.


The present work introduces a novel predictive control strategy for the analysis of the dynamic performance of hydro-turbine governing systems based on fuzzy logic. Firstly, a six-dimensional nonlinear dynamic model of the system is defined. The defined model is applied to a realistic case-study, aiming to investigate the dynamic behavior of the system. In order to deal effectively with the nonlinearity of the system under study, the Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy approach is adopted. The results demonstrated through the use of the discrete Lyapunov function and Schur complements of matrices suggest that the closed-cycle control system can achieve a global asymptotic stability state. The second part focuses on the quantification of the impact of sudden changes in operating conditions on the overall performance. The numerical results indicate that the proposed predictive control method can ensure the performance of the system to be reliable and robust to external inferences. In addition to this, the approach proposed has unquestionable advantages over the traditional proportional–integral–derivative and model predictive controllers with regard to nonlinear systems applications.


To construct advanced non-light water reactors (ANLWRs) operating in the temperature range above that for the traditional light water reactors (LWRs), Alloy 316H is one of the candidate materials because of its inexpensiveness, significant service experience, and qualification for nuclear applications by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). However, during the life span at temperatures expected for the ANLWRs, the alloy is likely to experience thermal embrittlement that has not been a concern for the traditional LWRs. To prepare for the development, the possibility of adverse thermal embrittlement effects on Alloy 316H performance in the ANLWRs must be evaluated and a technical basis regarding thermal embrittlement, if necessary, must be established for structural integrity analysis to provide reasonable assurance of adequate nuclear safety protection.
 In this paper, current technical basis for nuclear applications of Alloy 316H deterioration from thermal aging is briefly introduced. The likelihood of adverse thermal embrittlement effects on Alloy 316H performance is evaluated through historical data on microstructural and mechanical property evolution. Characterization of thermal embrittlement is then discussed, followed by a review of predictive models and trend curves for alloy embrittlement. Based on the review and evaluation, technical gaps for addressing thermal embrittlement issues are identified and gap-filling actions are recommended for establishing a technical basis to enable adequate consideration of thermal embrittlement in Alloy 316H applications to the ANLWRs.


Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) catalyzes the poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of protein acceptors using NAD+ as the substrate is now considered as an important target for development of anticancer therapy. PARP1 is known to be posttranslationally modified in various ways including phosphorylation and ubiquitination, but the physiological role of PARP1 methylation is not well understood. Here we demonstrated that the histone methyltransferase SMYD2 (SET and MYND domain containing 2), which plays critical roles in human carcinogenesis, mono-methylated PARP1. We found lysine 528 to be a target of SMYD2-dependent PARP1 methylationa and that an N-Terminal DNA binding domain of PARP1 interact with an N-terminal domain of SMYD2. Importantly, methylated PARP1 revealed enhanced poly(ADP-ribose) formation after oxidative stress, and positively regulated the poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation activity of PARP1. Hence, our study unveils a novel mechanism of PARP1 in human cancer through its methylation by SMYD2.

Citation Format: Lianhua Piao, Yusuke Nakamura, Ryuji Hamamoto. SMYD2-dependent PARP1 methylation promotes Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation activity in cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 377. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-377


Abstract. We notice how the particular identities of the architectural tradition of our villages, towns and regions are suffering a historically unprecedented transformation, leading in some cases to its almost entire disappearance. In order to allow identifying the variables which are affecting these processes and to better address this problem a methodology has to be developed and systematically applied. Such a method has been developed for this study and tested in a specific case: La Sagra region in Toledo, where the transformations occurred in its vernacular architecture have been meticulously analysed. Using this tool, it has been possible to reliably identify those aspects having the most impact on the transformation of the architecture of this region. In order to do so, all existing buildings in a selected area, where all possible factors which might affect the studied phenomena were found to be homogeneous, have been studied, house after house and building detail after building detail: from their volume and composition to elements such as cornices, walls, roofs, lintels, windows, doors, finishings, chimneys, etc. This has allowed having accurate statistics on each and every transformation taking place: what is being replaced and how it is being replaced. These statistics are therefore scientifically showing the exact nature of the on-going transformations as well as, consequently, they are pointing out the most valuable ways to ease or even to stop the loss of local identity they are causing.


The Oriental butterfly genus Arhopala is by far the most species-rich genus within the subfamily Theclinae. We investigated whether biotic interactions with larval host plants or ants are phylogenetically constrained in the evolutionary history of Arhopala , by collating available information on the ecology of Arhopala from the literature as well as from personal observations, and analysing and interpreting these data rigorously in a phylogenetic context. Larvae of all species in the sister-group of Arhopala and Flos feed on Fabaceae. However, the predominant feeding preference of Arhopala s.l. , with the exception of a particular monophyletic and species-rich group, called 'Group A', appears to be centred on Fagaceae, with additional records of Dipterocarpaceae feeding. The preference for Fagaceae has strong phylogenetic inertia, as indicated by T-PTP tests designed to test for phylogenetic signal. Adding all available life-history data, using the phylogeny presented before as scaffolding, further increased the phylogenetic signal in host plant data. Feeding on Fabaceae (mainly in the outgroup) and Euphorbiaceae also showed significant phylogenetic signal, but feeding on Dipterocarpaceae did not and was found scattered across the phylogeny. Except for the Dipterocarpaceae, phylogenetic signal in feeding preferences was very clear, even despite uneven taxon sampling and apparent lability in host plant use. Ant association also demonstrated historical constraint, but based on the phylogenetic hypothesis presented here it was not clear whether increased ant association intimacy emerged independently various times in Group A, as well as in several basal groups. Our finding of distinct phylogenetic patterns in the host plant and to a lesser degree in ant association data contradicts the hypothesis that life-history traits are very labile in the Lycaenidae. © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 84 , 225‐241. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: ant mutualism ‐ Fagaceae ‐ host-plant evolution ‐ Macaranga ‐ phylogeny ‐ T-PTP test.


Purpose

With the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act in the USA, many companies are investing in corporate wellness programs as a way to reduce healthcare costs and increase productivity of their workforces. Increasing healthcare expenditures and the pandemic of obesity and chronic diseases are driving forces to the development and implementation of workplace wellness programs across the globe. Companies expect to experience a return on their investment through lower healthcare costs and increased productivity. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, 109 business professionals were surveyed (primarily almost equally divided between Russian and Americans citizens) to examine their health-promoting and health risk behaviors. Demographics were compared in an effort to identify the key differences in order to pinpoint development opportunities to increase efficiencies among target populations.

Findings

According to the results, nationality was related to certain differences in health-promoting behaviors, participation rates and frequency of wellness programs offered by employers. No differences were found among different age groups. The results indicated that not even a single wellness program design is appropriate for all companies or even one company across all locations.

Research limitations/implications

Although there were no general conclusions have been drawn nor have the influencing factors for the different behaviors of the various target groups been adequately examined in this exploratory study, there were baselines developed for future research.

Originality/value

Few empirical studies exists that measure the perceived value of corporate wellness programs, especially among different cultural settings. In effect, wellness programs need to be developed specifically for the target population, with considerations to perceived value differences.


Increasing the participation of women in top-level corporate boards is high on the agenda of policy-makers. Yet, we know little about director appointment dynamics and the drivers and impediments of women appointments. This study builds on organizational and group-level behavior theories and empirically investigates how ex-ante board structures and gender-specific board dynamics impact the representation of women on corporate boards. We study boards of listed firms in Europe between 2002 and 2019 and find a declining appointment probability for every additional woman, i.e., the share of women already on the board negatively predicts the likelihood of additional women appointments. Further, we find evidence of a replacement effect, i.e., the likelihood of a woman being appointed as director is significantly larger when a woman, compared to when a man, leaves the board. We do not find spillover effects from non-executive to executive boards. These results are robust to econometric model specifications that address potential endogeneity concerns using matching and instrumental variables. Our results confirm that board director appointments are gender specific and suggest that demand-side factors such as explicit and implicit norms drive women appointments up to a certain threshold.


As software systems evolve over a long time, non-trivial and often unintended relationships among system classes arise, which cannot be easily perceived through source-code reading. As a result, the developers' understanding of continuously evolving, large, long-lived systems deteriorates steadily. A most interesting relationship is class co-evolution: because of implicit design dependencies clusters of classes change in "parallel" ways and recognizing such co-evolution is crucial in effectively extending and maintaining the system. In this paper, we propose a data-mining method for recovering "hidden" co-evolutions of system classes. This method relies on our UML-aware structural differencing algorithm, UMLDiff, which, given a sequence of UML class models of an object-oriented software system, produces a sequence of "change records" that describe the design-level changes over its life span. The change records are analyzed from the perspective of each individual system class to extract "class change profiles". Each phase of a class change profile is then discretized and classified into one of two general change types: function extension or refactoring. Finally, the Apriori association-rule mining algorithm is applied to the database of categorical class change profiles, to elicit co-evolution patterns among two or more classes, which may be as yet undocumented and unknown. The recovered knowledge facilitates the overall understanding of system evolution and the planning of future maintenance activities. We report on one real world case study evaluating our approach.


Extinction risk in African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) has been linked to their wide-ranging movement behavior. However, drivers of variability in African wild dog ranging are not well understood. This study examines the effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on ranging patterns and describes scale-dependent and intra-annual variation in the ranging of 5 packs of African wild dogs in the Okavango Delta from 2007 to 2010. 95% fixed kernel home ranges ( = 739 ± 81 km2) and daily step lengths ( = 8.5 ± 0.5 km) in this study are larger than have generally been reported for African wild dogs elsewhere. Little seasonal variation in daily ranging distances was observed despite home-range contractions during denning to 27% of packs' ranges outside the denning period. During nondenning periods, litter size was the most influential driver of ranging patterns, with large litters associated with reduced pack movements and smaller home ranges at all temporal scales. Pack size was also a significant driver of home-range size (but not daily distance travelled) at weekly timescales, where larger packs utilized smaller ranges. Daily temperatures were inversely related to home-range size and step length at short timescales, while higher flood levels were related to reduced ranging distances at intermediate timescales. Our results indicate that extrinsic drivers of African wild dog ranging behavior tend to be scale dependent, while intrinsic factors may be more influential for ranging patterns than previously reported.


This study introduces a new and bio-friendly adsorbent based on natural and cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC)-modified adsorbent prepared from wheat straw residues for the removal of Congo red (CR) and tartrazine azo-anionic dyes from aqueous solution. The adsorbent was characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), calorimetric differential (DSC), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), and pH point of zero charge (pHPZC) techniques. It was found that decreasing the adsorbent dose and increasing the initial concentration favors the removal of tartrazine and Congo red. Tartrazine adsorption capacities were 2.31 mg/g for the cellulose extracted from wheat residues (WC) and 18.85 mg/g for the modified wheat residue cellulose (MWC) for tartrazine as well as 18.5 mg/g for WC and 19.92 for MWC during Congo red (CR) adsorption, respectively. Increasing the initial and decreasing the adsorbent dose concentration favored the adsorption process. From time effect analysis, it was found that the equilibrium time was reached at 120 min when modified wheat cellulose was used and at 480 min when wheat cellulose was used. The kinetics of adsorption were described by pseudo-second-order in all cases with R2 > 0.95. The obtained data equilibrium from this research was well-fitted by the Freundlich isotherm model.


It is expect that mobile agents technology will bring significant benefits to electronic commerce. But security issues, especially threats from malicious hosts, become a great obstacle of widespread deployment of applications in electronic commerce based on mobile agents technology. Undetachable digital signature is a category of digital signatures to secure mobile agents against malicious hosts. An undetachable signature scheme by using encrypted functions from bilinear pairings was proposed in this paper. The security of this scheme base on the computational intractability of discrete logarithm problem and computational Diffe-Hellman problem on gap Diffle-Hellman group. Furthermore, the scheme satisfies all the requirements of a strong non-designated proxy signature i.e. verifiability, strong unforgeability, strong identifiability, strong undeniability and preventions of misuse. An undetachable threshold signature scheme that enable the customer to provide n mobile agents with 'shares' of the undetachable signature function is also provided. It is able to provide more reliability than classical undetachable signatures.


Field-aligned currents (FAC) are the prime mechanism for coupling energy from the solar wind into the upper atmosphere at high latitudes. Knowing their intensity and distribution is of pivotal importance for the selection of quiet time data at high latitudes to be used in main field analysis. At the same time FACs can be regarded as a key element for studies of magnetosphere-ionosphere interactions. The Swarm satellite constellation, in particular the lower pair, provides the opportunity to determine radial currents uniquely. The computation of FACs from the vector magnetic field data is a straightforward and fast process, applying Ampère's integral law to a set of four magnetic field values. In this method the horizontal magnetic field components at a quad of measurement points sampled by the two satellites moving side-by-side are interpreted. The presented algorithm was implemented as described here in the Swarm Level-2 processing facility to provide the automatically estimated radial and field-aligned currents. It was tested with synthetic data in the Swarm Level-1b format. The resulting currents agree excellently with the input currents of the synthetic model. The data products are computed along the entire orbits. In addition, the L2 processor calculates also FACs with a 1 Hz time resolution individually from the three single Swarm satellites.


In Africa, indigenous vegetables are a common food source and rich source of micronutrients such as carotenoids, vitamin C, calcium and iron. However, food preparation and processing operations affect contents and bioavailability of micronutrients in vegetables. Several studies have been carried out to investigate the influence of local food preparation and processing methods on iron and carotenoid accessibility of vegetables including African indigenous vegetables (AIV) such as African nightshade (Solanum scabrum), amaranth (Amaranthus blitum), slenderleaf (Crotalaria ochroleuca), sweetpotato leaves (Ipomea batata) and cowpea leaves (Vigna unguiculata). Different experiments showed that cooking vegetable mixtures from either two of these AIV together increased iron accessibility when compared to cooking one vegetable. Fried recipes had significantly higher iron content compared to boiled ones and raw vegetables. Improved recipe formulation may increase AIV acceptability and consumption and thus increase iron intake. An additional study on cooking and drying effects on carotenoid and flavonoid retention in two nightshade species (Solanum scabrum and Solanum villosum), showed that oven drying retained carotenoids while drying in direct sun and under shade cause a significant decrease in the carotenoid contents in both nightshade species. Cooking (boiling in water for 10 min) did not affect the levels of lutein and carotene but caused total loss of violaxanthin and neoxanthin. Cooking also reduced flavonoid content while oven drying, drying in direct sun and under shade did not affect the flavonoid content of Solanum scabrum sp. In vitro simulated gastro intestinal digestion caused a loss of approximately 80% in the carotenoid contents of the two nightshade species, and also revealed that the accessibilities of iron, carotenoids and flavonoids are improved more in the cooked leafy vegetables than in the raw, oven dried and sun dried samples. Another study investigated feasible food preparation methods to increase carotenoid retention and iron bioavailability of leafy vegetable dishes traditionally prepared by Tanzanian households. Results showed that modified traditional preparation methods with appropriate ingredients improve the retention of lutein and -carotene; and iron accessibility in sweetpotato leaves. Specific cooking, preparation and preservation practices of AIV that are compatible with local experience can be encouraged as an alternative or adjunct to other methods of increasing the availability of micronutrients in foods.


The ketogenic diet is a time‐tested, potent, nonpharmacological treatment of epilepsy. However, the use of the ketogenic diet in premature neonates with epilepsy has not been previously reported. We share our experience with the use of ketogenic diet therapy in two premature neonates. Two identical twin premature neonates with SCN2A‐related developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, whose seizures were refractory to multiple anti‐seizure medications, were started on the classic ketogenic diet at the conceptual age of 35 weeks. Ketosis was achieved and maintained (range 2‐5 mmol/L of serum beta‐hydroxybutyrate level). Seizure frequency was significantly reduced (>90% reduction in both patients), and some anti‐seizure medications were able to be discontinued. Initial transient weight loss and one episode of asymptomatic hypoglycemia were observed and corrected. The ketogenic diet was found to be a safe, well‐tolerated, and effective treatment for seizures in two premature neonates. The side effects are tolerable and correctable. The ketogenic diet, therefore, is a treatment option for refractory seizures in this age group, when administered under expert guidance.


Context. In studies of the solar spectrum compared to spectra of solar twin stars, it has been found that the chemical composition of the Sun seems to depart systematically from those of the twins. One possible explanation could be that the effect is caused by the special aspect angle of the Sun when observed from Earth compared with the aspect angles of the twins. This means that a latitude dependence of the solar spectrum, even with the heliocentric angle constant, could lead to the observed effects. Aims. We explore a possible variation in the strength of certain spectral lines that are used in the comparisons between the composition of the Sun and the twins at loci on the solar disk with different latitudes but at constant heliocentric angle. Methods. We use the TRIPPEL spectrograph at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope on La Palma to record spectra in five spectral regions to compare different locations on the solar disk at a heliocentric angle of 45 ◦ . Equivalent widths and other parameters are measured for fifteen different lines representing nine atomic species. Spectra acquired at different times are used in averaging the line parameters for each line and observing position. Results. The relative variations in equivalent widths at the equator and at solar latitude ∼45 ◦ are found to be less than 1.5% for all spectral lines studied. Translated into elemental abundances as they would be measured from a terrestrial and a hypothetical pole-on observer, the difference is estimated to be within 0.005 dex in all cases. Conclusions. It is very unlikely that latitude effects could cause the reported abundance difference between the Sun and the solar twins. The accuracy obtainable in measurements of small differences in spectral line strengths between different solar disk positions is very high, and can be exploited in studies of, e.g. weak magnetic fields or effects of solar activity on atmospheric structure.


Starter lactic acid bacteria in Cheddar cheese face physico‐chemical stresses during manufacture and ageing that alter their abilities to survive and to interact with other bacterial populations. Nonstarter bacteria are derived from milk handling, cheese equipment and human contact during manufacture. Probiotic bacteria are added to foods for human health benefits that also encounter physiological stresses and microbial competition that may mitigate their survival during ageing. We added probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus paracasei and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis to full‐fat, reduced‐fat and low‐fat Cheddar cheeses, aiming to study their survival over 270 days of ageing and to determine the role of the cheese matrix in their survival.


This first goal of the study described here was to investigate the effectiveness of three types of vocabulary annotations on vocabulary learning for EFL college students in Taiwan: text annotation only, text plus picture, and text plus picture and sound. The second goal of the study was to determine whether learners with certain perceptual learning styles benefited more from a particular type of vocabulary annotations. The perceptual learning styles investigated were auditory, visual-verbal (with text), visual-nonverbal (with pictures), and mixed preferences. The results of the study showed that the version with text plus picture was the most effective type of vocabulary annotation. Perceptual learning styles did not seem to have a significant influence on the effectiveness of vocabulary annotations.


The protocol of the hybrid server was designed based on the Internet of things for the realization of the intelligent management with the different equipments under the Internet of things. The Internet of things had large number of nodes, and the net topology was easy to change, it also had high requirements for the reliability. According to the properties of these properties, an efficient time-division multiple address protocol that was called E-TDMA protocol was proposed based on the improvement of the time division multiple address protocol. A power management system was designed based on the Internet of things, and the Internet of things was applied in the intelligent power management system, the indexes of the E-TDMA protocol based on the Internet of things such as throughput capacity, network stability were tested with the simulation. Test result shows that the number of the data packets in the buffer cache is much less than the traditional TDMA protocol and the dynamical TDMA protocol. It is because that the E-TDMA can make all the units can send data in the same time through CDMS coding. The result shows that the proposed E-TDMA protocol has efficient performance of accessing to the information channel and stability of network transmission in the application of the power management system.


Platelet transfusion has been a vital therapeutic approach in patients with hematologic malignancies for close to half a century. Randomized trials show that prophylactic platelet transfusions mitigate bleeding in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. However, even with prophylactic transfusions, as many as 75% of patients, experience hemorrhage. While platelet transfusion efficacy is modest, questions and concerns have arisen about the risks of platelet transfusion therapy. The acknowledged serious risks of platelet transfusion include viral transmission, bacterial sepsis, and acute lung injury. Less serious adverse effects include allergic and non-hemolytic febrile reactions. Rare hemolytic reactions have occurred due to a common policy of transfusing without regard to ABO type. In the last decade or so, new concerns have arisen; platelet-derived lipids are implicated in transfusion-related acute lung injury after transfusion. With the recognition that platelets are immune cells came the discoveries that supernatant IL-6, IL-27 sCD40L, and OX40L are closely linked to febrile reactions and sCD40L with acute lung injury. Platelet transfusions are pro-inflammatory, and may be pro-thrombotic. Anti-A and anti-B can bind to incompatible recipient or donor platelets and soluble antigens, impair hemostasis and thus increase bleeding. Finally, stored platelet supernatants contain biological mediators such as VEGF and TGF-β1 that may compromise the host versus tumor response. This is particularly of concern in patients receiving many platelet transfusions, as for acute leukemia. New evidence suggests that removing stored supernatant will improve clinical outcomes. This new view of platelets as pro-inflammatory and immunomodulatory agents suggests that innovative approaches to improving platelet storage and pre-transfusion manipulations to reduce toxicity could substantially improve the efficacy and safety of this long-employed therapy.


There is a large effort in the public domain to systematically perform DNA and RNA sequencing on large numbers of tumor samples. These efforts will bring us to a greater understanding of tumor biology and lead to identification of new tumor drivers. However, these efforts may fall short in allowing us to understand the progression of tumor resistance, relapse and metastasis, factors which make tumors difficult to treat and increase mortality rates. We are currently performing targeted DNA sequencing on 4000 tumor samples. We have selected 1321 genes, 5 GB of the genome to sequence. Genes were selected through a thorough review of the literature, mutation databases and key pathways in tumorigenesis such as growth factor signaling, DNA damage, p53 signaling, cell cycle and apoptosis. Our effort not only includes a diverse panel of breast, colon, ovarian, and kidney tumors but we have also sequenced pancreatic, liver, esophageal, cervix, endometrial, melanoma, CLL, DLBCL and carcinoid tumors. Our dataset also includes approximately 300 matched tumor-metastatic pairs and an additional 550 metastatic samples. Clinical phenotypes, treatment information, gene expression profiling and copy number variation data is available for all samples. To achieve the next level of care for cancer patients we must understand the biology of the tumors we are trying to treat, which are often metastatic and standard of care resistant. We believe that increasing our efforts in targeted DNA sequencing of key tumor and metastatic samples will allow us to achieve these goals. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 435. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-435


Abstract Introduction: Patent ductus venosus (PDV) is a rare and critical disease, and the majority of patients present with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) or hepatopulmonary syndrome due to congenital portosystemic shunt. We reported that both PAH and hypersplenism were major complications of PDV in this case. This case report can assist the treatment and recovery of the patients with similar symptoms. Patient concerns: A 4-year-old male patient presented to our institution with a history of recurrent respiratory infections accompanied by leukocytopenia, thrombocytopenia and presented with tachypnoea. upon mild exertion. Diagnosis: A wide communication, 10 mm in diameter, between the portal vein and inferior vena cava was identified in the subcostal echocardiogram and computed tomography images. Echocardiography showed an estimated systolic pulmonary artery pressure of 106 mm Hg. Right-sided cardiac catheterization indicated a mean pulmonary arterial pressure of 30 mm Hg and a pulmonary vascular resistance of 3 Wood units. Chest X-ray revealed cardiomegaly with a prominent pulmonary segment. Interventions: The patient was treated with combination pharmacotherapy of bosentan and tadalafil and PDV ligation. Outcomes: A year later, the boy showed normal exercise tolerance and weight gain. Liver and spleen parameters, liver function, blood cells and the general condition of the boy improved. Conclusion: Initial combination therapy of bosentan and tadalafil is safe and effective in children with PAH associated with PDV. When PDV banding test shows normal portal pressure, PDV ligation is considered acceptable in children with PAH and hypersplenism associated with PDV.


High profile sporting events in the United States have been identified by the Department of Homeland Security as potential targets of terrorism (Lipton E: New York Times. March 16, 2005: A1). Other potential threats to major sports events include natural disasters and crowd management issues. It is therefore imperative that agencies involved in security planning at sports venues are trained in threat/risk assessment practices and engage in multiagency collaboration to ensure effective development and coordination of game day security plans. This article will highlight the potential threats to sports events, provide an overview of research conducted on sports event security, and outline some measures that can be utilized by emergency managers in their planning and preparation for managing major sports events.


Coincidence site lattice (CSL) grain boundaries (GBs) are believed to be low-energy, resistant to intergranular fracture, as well as to hydrogen embrittlement. Nevertheless, the behavior of CSL-GBs are generally confused with their angular deviations. In the current study, the effect of angular deviation from the perfect ∑3(111)[110] GBs in α -iron on the hydrogen diffusion and the susceptibility of the GB to hydrogen embrittlement is investigated through molecular static and dynamics simulations. By utilizing Rice-Wang model, it is shown that the ideal GB shows the highest resistance to decohesion below the hydrogen saturation limit. Finally, the hydrogen diff usivity along the ideal GB is observed to be the highest.


With nurses more frequently involved in lawsuits, understanding how to prepare for depositions is extremely important to the success of a case.


Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases in the elderly. In recent years increasing evidence supports the pharmaceutical potential of curcumin, a polyphenolic compound in the spice turmeric, against PD. Here we briefly summarize the pharmacological activities of curcumin in vitro and in animal models of PD, including counteracting oxidative stress and inflammation, preventing α-synuclein aggregation and fibrillation, and inhibiting monoamine oxidase B, which endow curcumin with multiple pharmaceutical activities against PD and encourage further studies to investigate its clinical effects.


Deterministic chaos is phenomenon from nonlinear dynamics and it belongs to greatest advances of twentieth-century science. Chaotic behavior appears apart of mathematical equations also in wide range in observable nature, so as in there originating time series. Chaos in time series resembles stochastic behavior, but apart of randomness it is totally deterministic and therefore chaotic data can provide us useful information. Therefore it is essential to have methods, which are able to detect chaos in time series, moreover to distinguish chaotic data from stochastic one. Here we present and discuss the performance of standard and machine learning methods for chaos detection and its implementation on two well known simple chaotic discrete dynamical systems - Logistic map and Tent map, which fit to the most of the definitions of chaos.


BACKGROUND
Surgical personnel are at risk of contracting blood-borne diseases through exposure to patients' blood. Exposure rates for each surgical subspecialty have not been previously reported. The purpose of this study was to determine the rates of exposure to patients' blood for operating room personnel.

METHODS
The study was conducted at Yale-New Haven Hospital, a level I trauma center and tertiary care hospital. During a 3-month period, exposed personnel were interviewed by a study nurse immediately after a cutaneous exposure to blood or after a sharp injury.

RESULTS
During 2292 surgical procedures, 70 sharp injuries and 168 cutaneous exposures to blood were reported. The combined exposure rate (skin contact and sharp injury) was 10.4 per 100 procedures (95% confidence interval, 9.1 to 11.6) and ranged from 21.2 for general surgery to 3.3 for pediatric surgery (goodness-of-fit chi-squared, p < 0.001). The combined exposure rates were also significantly different among types of surgery and ranged from 18 for laparotomies to 4.3 for craniotomies (chi-squared, p < 0.001). The overall sharp injury rate was 3.1 per 100 procedures (95% confidence interval, 2.3 to 3.8) and ranged from 4.3 for general surgery to 1.3 for vascular surgery.

CONCLUSIONS
The rate of exposure to blood for operating room personnel, which differ from prior studies, was 10.4 per 100 procedures and was highest for general surgical procedures. The differences in rates among studies might be attributable to different surgical technique, dissimilar case-mix, or different research methods relating to definition or ascertainment of exposure.


The entire ethos of the postmodern and post-industrial world is being transformed. The changes felt in the postmodern era are reflected at the level of economic and social order. Businesses now focus on producing intangible goods, in accordance with the increasing demand of today's society. Of the numerous issues brought to the forefront of cultural, social and philosophical thought and discourse by the changes inherent to postmodernity, the issue of intellectual property rights is one of the more poignant. In this article I will try to stress why intellectual property is becoming an acute problem in our world, a problem which is affecting more and more people. Taking into consideration all the inconsistencies generated by the anachronic application of intellectual property institutions, we need a new approach and a new institutional framework, one that incorporates the interests of the public and is suitable to the dynamism of our ever changing society.


Hemorrhagic cystitis is a diffuse inflammatory disease of the urinary bladder associated with macrohematuria. Several cases of hemorrhagic cystitis caused by penicillin G have been reported in adults but not children. Here we describe the first pediatric case of clinically-diagnosed penicillin G-induced hemorrhagic cystitis. The patient was a 9-year-old boy with a ventricular septal defect, chromosomal abnormalities, and infective endocarditis caused by Abiotrophia defectiva. After approximately four weeks of penicillin G administration, he had a culture-negative major hemorrhage with a clot. The hematuria resolved one week after penicillin G discontinuation, and a drug lymphocyte stimulation test for penicillin G was positive. In conclusion, penicillin G can also induce hemorrhagic cystitis in children. When large doses of penicillin G are used for long periods in adults or children, the patient should be monitored for hemorrhagic cystitis.


Interleukin-13 receptor alpha2 (IL-13Ralpha2) binds IL-13 with high affinity and plays an important role in IL-13 signaling as a decoy receptor. We expressed the extracellular domain of human IL-13Ralpha2 (1-313) in methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. SDS-PAGE analysis by PAS staining and Western blot analysis detected the product of the extracellular domain of human IL-13Ralpha2 as glycoprotein from P. pastoris. The yield of purified extracellular domain of human IL-13Ralpha2 was 2mg from 1L of culture. From CD analysis, the 2D structure of the purified IL-13Ralpha2 showed the typical beta-sheet. ELISA of the purified IL-13Ralpha2 detected the binding activity for human IL-13. Thus, it was found that the active extracellular domain of human IL-13Ralpha2 was expressed from P. pastoris.


The physical performance of flocked fabrics increases greatly as the number of fibers flocked per unit area increases. With current electrostatic flocking techniques, the greatest pile density that has been achieved contains only about 23% of the maximum theoretically possible in a random impingement process. By inserting a third electrode, the strength of the electric field in the lower part of the flocking zone can be increased without causing a corona discharge. As a result, the added electrode directs the fibers more effectively onto the substrate so as to increase the flocking density. In the experiments reported here, the flock density was increased by an average of 18.6%, ranging from 7.1 to 38.0%.


This work develops a new basis for evaluating the reliability benefits of diverse software, based on fault injection testing. In particular, the work investigates new forms of argumentation that could in principle be used to justify diversity as a basis for the construction of safety claims. Failure distributions of two versions of diverse software under various fault conditions are revealed separately by fault injection methods, and then the common failure probability of the version-pair can be estimated. The approach is justified theoretically, and cross validated with other work. This method is also used to explain the fundamental influence of failure distributions on diversity. Furthermore, the unique capabilities of the method are demonstrated by implementation of the fault injection test on a program pair.


Six infants with either cavernous hemangiomas or hemangioendotheliomas of the liver are described. Typical clinical features include cardiac failure, hepatomegaly, and cutaneous hamangiomas. Prompt recognition will direct management to prevent lethal complications of cardiac failure, hyperconsumptive coagulopathy, and hepatic rupture. Dynamic and static hepatic scintigraphy will demonstrate the vascularity and size of the liver mass and provide distinction from other tumors, although in certain circumstances angiography is required.


ABSTRACT Non-elected actors in governance networks are legitimate representatives when the constituency accepts their claims of representation. However, not all constituents have the resources to approve or oppose this representation. Consequently, I argue that the audience, often the decision-making authority, which enables non-elected actors to act as representatives has a responsibility to consider their legitimacy. Drawing on seven business and urban development networks in Norway, this article explores how the decision-making authority considers credibility, qualifications and connectedness to legitimise non-elected representatives in governance networks. Through interviews with civil servants and politicians organising and participating in the network, relevant documents and observations, this article demonstrates that the decision-making authority legitimises non-elected representatives based on credibility and qualifications rather than connectedness with the constituency. The decision-making authority believes that claims grounded in specialist expertise, self-representation and shared experiences with the constituency legitimise non-elected representatives. Similarly, truthful representatives are considered legitimate. Finally, the decision-making authority is divided with regards to how the interactive process between the non-elected representative and the constituency legitimises the content of the representation.


Abstract Despite the importance of pollinating insects to natural environments and agriculture, there have been few attempts to unite the existing plant–pollinator interaction datasets into a single depository using a common format. Accordingly, we have created one of the world's first online, open‐access, and searchable pollinator–plant interaction databases. DoPI (The Database of Pollinator Interactions) was built from a systematic review of the scientific literature and unpublished datasets requested from researchers and organizations. We collated records of interactions between British plant and insect flower–visitor species (or genera), together with associated metadata (date, location, habitat, source publication) when available. The dataset currently (December 2021) contains 101,539 records, detailing over 320,000 interactions. The number of interactions (i.e., the number of times a pairwise species interaction was recorded per occasion) varies considerably among records, averaging 3.6. These include records from 1888 pollinator species and 1241 plant species, totaling >17,000 pairwise species interactions. By combining a large volume of information in a single repository, DoPI can be used to answer fundamental ecological questions on the dynamics of pollination interactions in space and time, as well as applied questions in conservation practice. We hope this dynamic database will be a useful tool not only for researchers, but also for conservationists, funding agencies, governmental departments, beekeepers, agronomists, and gardeners. We request that this paper is cited when using the data in publications and individual studies when appropriate. Researchers and organizations are encouraged to add further data in the future. The database can be accessed at: https://www.dopi.org.uk/.


A knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of proteins is an essential prerequisite for the design of new molecules. When the tertiary structure is not available from high-resolution X-ray or n.m.r. analysis, the success of prediction is improved by using a relational database of known protein structures. This can be searched to provide information on secondary structure motifs and domains which are recognized by characteristic sequence patterns and which are assembled as 'spare parts' by using computer graphics. Similar techniques can be used to give approximate structures for amino-acid replacements, deletions and insertions introduced by mutagenesis. The resulting structures are optimized by using interactive graphics, energy minimization and molecular dynamics.


A $p$-caterpillar is a caterpillar such that every non-leaf vertex is adjacent to exactly $p$ leaves. We give a tight minimum degree condition for a graph to have a spanning $p$-caterpillar.


List of contributors. Introduction (M.M. Beyerlein et al.). Foreword (L. Broedling). Acknowledgments. Empowering work teams with knowledge: enhancing performance in service and information oriented industries (V. Anand et al.). Cognitive engineering in team performance measurement (R.J. Stout et al.). Helping team members help themselves: propositions for facilitating guided team self-correction (K.A. Smith-Jentsch et al.). Influence in self-managing teams: a conceptual examination of the effects of content and context factors on training enrollment decisions (W.J. Smith et al.). Evaluating the capability formation potential of integrated project teams (P.F. Skilton, V. Smith-Daniels). Applying behavior modification to the management of team performance: a systems perspective (M.T. Barriere et al.). Organizational considerations in the evaluation and compensation of work team performance (D. Windsor). An integrative theoretical framework for understanding team reward allocation preferences (A.G. Parisi, L.T. Eby). Performance management in a fourth wave society: systemic measurement, evaluation, and incentives for developing a holonic performance management system (R.E. Debold, Jr.). Complex systems and sensemaking teams: conflict, connectedness, and leadership (D. Duchon et al.). About the editors.


3-D imaging of blood flow based on 2-D ultrasound scanning and position sensor information can be used to portray clinical information not currently available in vascular and peripheral imaging. During surgery, information of blood flow is important to identify and avoid damage to important vessels. 3-D intraoperative ultrasound flow imaging has proven useful in this respect. However, due to Doppler angle-dependencies and the complexity of the vascular architecture, the generated 3-D image of blood vessels often have drop-outs in the vessel structure. In this work we aim to reduce the number of drop-outs in the 3-D blood flow images by combining 2-D flow images with different transmit angles. The compounded 2-D images are further reconstructed to a 3-D flow image based on information from an accurate position sensor system. The method was implemented on a research ultrasound scanner for real-time processing of the data, and in vitro trials showed promising results. The method also showed promising results in vivo using a clinical approved high-end scanner, improving the 3-D image quality of the feeding arteries of an arteriovenous malformation.


We construct the solution to the periodic Cauchy problem of the Schrodinger flow on the sphere. Such construction of solutions is formulated explicitly and therefore a geometric algorithm of solving this periodic Cauchy problem follows. Theoretical and experimental results will be discussed.


Disclosed is a carbon nanotube field effect transistor which stably exhibits excellent electrical conduction properties. Also disclosed are a method for manufacturing the carbon nanotube field effect transistor, and a biosensor comprising the carbon nanotube field effect transistor. First of all, an silicon oxide film is formed on a contact region of a silicon substrate by an LOCOS method. Next, an insulating film, which is thinner than the silicon oxide film on the contact region, is formed on a channel region of the silicon substrate. Then, after arranging a carbon nanotube, which forms a channel, on the silicon substrate, the carbon nanotube is covered with a protective film. Finally, a source electrode and a drain electrode are formed, and the source electrode and the drain electrode are electrically connected to the carbon nanotube, respectively. A field effect transistor manufactured by these processes stably exhibits excellent electrical conduction properties since the carbon nanotube, which serves as the channel, is not contaminated.


INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The fast implementation of next generation sequence (NGS) technology in the field of urological infection may facilitate the comprehensive individual signature of most prevalent bacteria causing chronic UTI. Standard urine culture and sensitivity (C&S), although remaining as the gold standard of microbe identification, cannot detect a potentially aggressive microbial association of urinary microbiome in patients with UTI. This study aims to compare the accuracy of C&S versus (vs.) NGS. METHODS: A prospective, feasibility, bi-institutional study was performed in 69 patients with chronic UTI. Urine samples were obtained trough mid-stream catch and shipped to local lab for C&S and core lab of MicroGenDX for NGS test. Comparisons were performed for number of pathogens detected by both techniques and antibiotics resistance on standard blood agar vs. resistance genes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The correlation was sub-stratified in 3 degrees such as a complete match (CM), partial match (PM) and mismatch (MM). RESULTS: Analysis revealed significant difference between the accuracy of C&S vs. NGS. In 19 culture-negative cases the NGS detected microbes in 17 patients. In total NGS identified a causative bugs for UTI in 67 of 69 patients. The only 2 cases otherwise were that NGS detected 0 and 1 pathogen while C&S detect 1 and 2 micro-organisms, respectively. While in 32 culture-positive cases only 1 pathogen was found in 21 patients and 2 microbes in 11 cases respectively, NGS was able to detect a microbial association of median 3 pathogens (range:1-12). There was a MM in 34 of 49 patients (p = .0013). In contrast, 6- PM and 9 CM between the testing methods. In 16 of the MM-cases, NGS was able to identify bacteria after C&S reveal no a low bacterial load with colony-forming units (CFU) < 50,000/ml. Regarding antibiotic resistance genes, of the 69 cases there had 44 MM, 10- PM and 15-CM between the testing methodologies (p = .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that NGS provides more accurate data for determining the etiology of UTI. NGS sequencing is superior to C&S in terms of pathogen detection being a highly sensitive tool to detect a few pathogens in every urine sample. This sometimes remained unclear which one contributes to the ensuing flare-up of UTI and thus more aggressive in each case. Although, the defining of resistance genes to different groups of antibiotics seems promising in antibiotic stewardship but warrant more robust clinical trials to prove. Source of Funding: None


Local temperature elevation may be used for tumor ablation, gene expression, drug activation, and gene and/or drug delivery. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is the only clinically viable technology that can be used to achieve a local temperature increase deep inside the human body in a noninvasive way. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance of the procedure allows in situ target definition and identification of nearby healthy tissue to be spared. In addition, MRI can be used to provide continuous temperature mapping during HIFU for spatial and temporal control of the heating procedure and prediction of the final lesion based on the received thermal dose. The primary purpose of the development of MRI-guided HIFU was to achieve safe noninvasive tissue ablation. The technique has been tested extensively in preclinical studies and is now accepted in the clinic for ablation of uterine fibroids. MRI-guided HIFU for ablation shows conceptual similarities with radiation therapy. However, thermal damage generally shows threshold-like behavior, with necrosis above the critical thermal dose and full recovery below. MRI-guided HIFU is being clinically evaluated in the cancer field. The technology also shows great promise for a variety of advanced therapeutic methods, such as gene therapy. MR-guided HIFU, together with the use of a temperature-sensitive promoter, provides local, physical, and spatio-temporal control of transgene expression. Specially designed contrast agents, together with the combined use of MRI and ultrasound, may be used for local gene and drug delivery.


Summary. Structured examination methods are deservedly popular for testing component skills in medicine. Use of the methods, however, has been carried into assessment of complex performance. The note explains the inappro‐priateness of such use, and suggests the use of assessments based on daily clinical tasks.


NECROTIC stomatitis is uncommon in pigs but it can be a debilitating condition refractory to treatment. Stomatitis due to Fusobacterium necrophorum is more common in young pigs but has been described in adults in America (Ramos-Vara and others 1998). Stomatitis specifically associated with spirochaetal infection in pigs was first reported in the UK in the 1970s (Blandford and others 1972, Harcourt 1973). Stomatitis can also be associated with exotic viral vesicular diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and vesicular stomatitis.

Here we report an outbreak of ulcerative stomatitis in a small herd of 10 Tamworth …


In many specific laboratories the students use only a PLC simulator software, because the hardware equipment is expensive. This paper presents a solution that allows students to study both the hardware and software parts, in the laboratory works. The hardware part of solution consists in an old plotter, an adapter board, a PLC and a HMI. The software part of this solution is represented by the projects of the students, in which they developed applications for programming the PLC and the HMI. This equipment can be made very easy and can be used in university labs by students, so that they design and test their applications, from low to high complexity [1], [2].


By-product utilisation, more efficient use of resources, and more sustainable processing have become of the utmost importance for society and the food industry. During soymilk production, a by-product called okara is produced in great quantities. Despite being a by-product, okara contains many nutrients, which could be utilised for human consumption. Isoflavones are one example of the components present in soy, which are also found in okara. Isoflavones are a subclass of flavonoids, a group of the many polyphenols that exist, and are believed to have a positive effect in the prevention of hormone related cancers, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and obesity. One of the main challenges when extracting isoflavones from okara are their low concentration in okara and the strong water binding capacity of the biopolymer matrix of okara. Besides, isoflavones comprise several classes of components having different properties with respect to for example their solubility. This makes the separation and purification of those components in a cost-efficient manner with a non-toxic solvent route challenging. The aim of this thesis is to provide insight for the development of a polyphenol separation process on the case of okara. The presence of a partly solid matrix and its impact on the separation process was investigated, and the opportunities and challenges for isoflavone separation from okara are presented in this thesis. By means of this case, the applicability of a process synthesis methodology for separation processes was investigated. In chapter 2, the use of ethanol and water was investigated as relatively non-toxic solvents for extraction of the isoflavones. High extraction yields were obtained with 50-70% ethanol. However, different optima in the range of 0%-100% ethanol were obtained dependent on the isoflavone group, which highly differ in hydrophobicity. The glucosides had an optimum at 50%-60% ethanol, the malonyl-glucosides between 30% and 60% ethanol, and the aglycone yield increased monotonously with the ethanol concentration. The solvent choice does not just determine the yield of isoflavones in the extract, but also the swelling of the matrix, important for the separation of the solvent and the okara, and the purity in the extract. While finding a good solvent for a range of components is one issue, a second challenge in the utilisation of okara is its high moisture content, because this limits the ethanol concentrations that can be used in the extraction solvent when extracting the crude okara. Nevertheless, the same extraction yields were obtained as with the dried material, which led to the conclusion that drying of the starting material, being an energy intensive operation, should be omitted. The consequences of using the wet, non-dried okara were evaluated using an exergy analysis. The use of the water in okara poses a challenge if a high fraction of a co-solvent such as ethanol is needed, since that increases the total liquid-to solid ratio. Therefore, we conceptually designed the extraction process and evaluated the efficiency and sustainability of different options (chapter 3). Exergy analysis can quantify and combine effects of solvent consumption and physical energy thermodynamically. In addition, it can indicate the resource efficiency of a process and can be used to compare streams with different solvents such as ethanol and water. Often used for process optimisation, we investigated the use of exergy for process synthesis, which delivered the information for further process design and decision-making. A drying step was found to be less detrimental than an increased solvent use. The use of ethanol, its loss and distillation, and the loss of the extracted residue were identified as the most inefficient steps within the conceptual process, and with this, guidelines were given how to improve the systems sustainability. The analysis performed in chapter 3 showed that a significant step towards better sustainability is made when ethanol is fully omitted as solvent in the extraction step. Furthermore, it was shown in chapter 2 that part of the isoflavones are rather water soluble due to their glucosidic nature. Therefore, the extraction and solubilisation of isoflavones in water was investigated in detail in chapter 4. Besides, the co-extraction of proteins in the water environment and their effect on the isoflavone extraction was investigated. The temperature did not influence the extraction, but an increased liquid-to-solid ratio and the pH did have a clear influence on the extraction yield. Okara may also contain the less polar aglycones, which are in general not present naturally in the soybeans, but which are products of hydrolysis of the glycosides due to certain processing conditions. The ionisation (dissociation) of the components at higher pH can modify their solubility and interaction with the matrix; therefore, by adjusting the pH the aglycones could be solubilised in water as well. Further purification based on affinity separation was shown to be more feasible with water as solvent, since a water-ethanol mixture would be such a good solvent that the adsorption on the column would be hindered. The common way of regenerating such components includes the use of another solvent than is used for extraction, leading to an additional evaporation step. The higher affinity of isoflavones in an aqueous environment to a resin, and the possibility to omit an additional preparation step demonstrated the suitability of water as solvent in the primary extraction step: the extracts are more suitable for chromatographic purification, while ethanol or aqueous ethanol could be used as eluent. This demonstrates that it is important not to design a processing step by itself, but to optimise an internally coherent processing system as a whole. Chapter 5 reports on the adsorption of the isoflavones on polyvinyl polypyrrolidone (PVPP) with special regards to the effect of proteins that are co-suspended in the extract. The adsorption efficiency was only negatively influenced when accounting for the isoflavones that are lost with protein that precipitates at lower pH. The affinity of the isoflavone groups could be described with constant partition coefficients resulting from a simple model. Furthermore, the adsorption of the isoflavones onto PVPP with the entire okara matrix present at floating pH could be described with a model using the partition coefficients describing the affinity to the PVPP and to the matrix. The model suggests that it is possible to 'pull' the isoflavones from the okara by concurrent adsorption of the isoflavones to an adsorption resin that is present in the same solution, thus increasing both yield and purity. The three main isoflavone groups present in okara behave differently throughout the entire study, due to their different properties. The order of their adsorption affinities was the reverse of their water extractability. A more sustainable integrated recovery process can be designed for polyphenolic components, by identifying the right balance between the polarity and hydrophobicity of the component of interest, the solvent, and the adsorbent. The investigated process synthesis methodology, and the design options that followed by applying this methodology are discussed in detail in chapter 6. A simplified simultaneous extraction-adsorption separation process, which resulted from the process synthesis is presented. Two base case flow diagrams that can be investigated in depths are further discussed in chapter 7. Since the relevant properties and phenomena underlying the results presented in this thesis are quite generic, they can be translated to other separation processes, and the same approach can be used to develop more sustainable separation processes for polyphenols or other useful compounds from other food-by-products. By using the sustainability and efficiency as a prime objective within process design in combination with a good understanding of the underlying phenomena of the system, a new step in process design can be made: Sustainable process development requires proper understanding of the complex systems we are dealing with, the matrix itself, but also the thermodynamic behaviour of the components, and their behaviour in the matrix and during processing.


Laparotomy was performed in a 53 year old woman because of an acute abdomen in combination with a huge pelvic mass. The consisted in a big leiomyoma uteri which showed a torsion of 360 degrees. Both the ovaries and the tubes have been involved in the torsion. The corpus uteri was spontaneously abrupted from the cervix and from the ligamenta rotunda bilateralia.


Necrotic enteritis (NE) is one of the important enteric diseases in poultry caused by Clostridium perfringens which leads to considerable economic losses for poultry raisers. The present research was carried out to estimate prevalence, risk factors and to confirm molecular pattern, antimicrobial susceptibility status of Clostridium perfringens in layer flocks in Mymensingh and Gazipur districts of Bangladesh, where a total of 287 samples were collected that comprised of water (30), workers' hand washing (30), and feed (30) as environmental pooled samples; cloacal swab (150) and post mortem sample (intestine) (47) as individual samples, and evaluated by basic (culture, biochemical test), and finally toxinotyping multiplex PCR assays. The flock-level data on potential risk factors were collected through semi-structured interviews with the farm owners and evaluated via univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses where a p-value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Overall flock-level prevalence of Clostridium perfringens was confirmed to be 6.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.8-9.7%). The occurrence of C. perfringens was found to be higher in the intestine samples (12.8%, 95% CI: 4.8- 25.7%) followed by feed (6.7%, 95% CI: 0.8-22.1%), cloacal swabs (6.0%, 95% CI: 2.8-11.1%) and workers' hand washing (3.3%, 95% CI: 0.1- 12.2%). History of immune-suppressive disease (like New castle disease/egg drop syndrome/infectious bursal disease) [Odds Ratio (OR) = 22.16, 95% CI: 1.40-349.36, P = 0.027] and flock size more than 3000 birds (OR = 11.16, 95% CI: 1.26-98.25, P = 0.029) were found to be associated with C. perfringens infection status in the layer flocks. In this study, C. perfringens toxinotype A is circulating in layer flocks with 72.2% of isolates were established as multidrug-resistant as they demonstrated resistance between 3 to 6 antimicrobial agents. Evidence-based control measures to be taken namely use of probiotics, prebiotic, organic acids, and plant extracts as natural alternatives including control of immune-suppressive diseases are needed to minimize the NE infection and antimicrobial resistance in low biosecurity layer flocks.
Asian Australas. J. Biosci. Biotechnol. 2022, 7(2), 36-49


ABSTRACT Bietti crystalline dystrophy (BCD) is an autosomal recessive inherited retinal disease, resulting in blindness in most patients. The etiology and development mechanism of it remain unclear. Given the defects in previous mouse models of BCD, we generated a new Cyp4v3−/− mouse model, using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, for investigating the pathogenesis of BCD. We estimated the ocular phenotypes by fundus imaging, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and full-field scotopic electroretinography, and investigated the histological features by Hematoxylin and Eosin staining, Oil Red O staining and immunofluorescence. This model effectively exhibited age-related progression that mimicked the human ocular phenotypes. Moreover, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and RNA-seq analysis indicated that the defect of Cyp4v3 led to the abnormal lipid metabolism, inflammation activation and oxidative stress of retina. Notably, inflammation activation and oxidative stress could also promote the progression of BCD in light-induced retinal degeneration. In conclusion, our data provided evidence that we established a novel and more effective Cyp4v3 knockout preclinical mouse model for BCD, which served as a useful tool for evaluating the effect of drugs and gene therapy in vivo.


The main problem of this research is how is the distribution of zakat mal based on al-'adl in improving the welfare of mustahiq at LAZNAS BMH South Sulawesi? This type of research is classified as qualitative with the research approach used is: theological-normative and sociological economics. The results of this study indicate that the distribution of zakat mal conducted by LAZNAS BMH South Sulawesi, there are two patterns, namely: consumptive distribution patterns and productive distribution patterns. The consumptive pattern of zakat mal is given to meet the basic needs of mustahiq, while the productive pattern is given in the form of empowering Human Resources, which is formidable preachers, poor education scholarships, empowered boarding school economics, and social community programs. Distribution of zakat is done by applying the values of justice namely; proportional justice, not tyrannical, and recognizing freedom, the distribution process always embarrasses the scale of priorities that mustahiq most need.


A simple and inexpensive cell dissociation sieve-tissue grinder apparatus consisting essentially of stainless steel sieve (the one popularly used for sieving tea leaves) and a glass syringe plunger acting as pestle, is described for making single cell suspension.


We present a novel method for cost analysis of an engineering system, which consists of two subsystems, viz. subsystem-1 and subsystem-2 with controllers. Subsystem-1 works under the k-out-of- n: good policy. Subsystem-2 consists of three identical units in parallel configuration. Both of these subsystems are connected in series. The controllers control both the subsystems. The operator who is assigned to operate the system may not be satisfied with the organization and hence may fail the whole system deliberately. The system is studied by supplementary variable technique. Various measures of reliability have been discussed.


The linear dichroism in the intensity of the electrons (LD) emitted by laser-aligned ground state and excited-state Cr atoms has been exploited in order to characterize the prominent 3p core resonances. The experimental spectra are compared to calculations based on theoretical partial cross sections.


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Trial by a jury of one's peers is a hallmark of the United States judicial system. The protection a jury trial is supposed to ensure, however, is severely compromised by current case law. Death qualification excludes potential jurors whose views on the death penalty "would prevent or substantially impair the performance of his duties as a juror." This Note argues that the current practice of "death qualifying" juries in capital murder cases violates the social contract. In the past few years, citizen support for the death penalty reached its lowest point since it was temporarily abolished by the Supreme Court in 1972. These citizens deserve to express their views on the death penalty through jury service. Criminal defendants deserve to be sentenced by a jury of their peers, reflecting the community consensus on the ultimate question of life or death. The practice of death qualification delegitimizes the State's use of capital punishment, and harms both the excluded jurors and the criminal defendant.