Aim: This research proposes the first solely sociodemographic measure of digital accessibility for Great Britain. Digital inaccessibility affects circa 10 million people who are unable to access or make full use of the internet, particularly impacting the disadvantaged in society. Method: A geodemographic classification is developed, analysing literature-guided sociodemographic variables at the district level. Analysis: Resultant clusters are analysed against their sociodemographic variables and spatial extent. Findings suggest three at-risk clusters exist, 'Metropolitan Minority Struggle', 'Indian Metropolitan Living' and 'Pakistani-Bangladeshi Inequality'. These are validated through nationwide Ofcom telecommunications performance data and specific case studies using Office for National Statistics internet usage data. Conclusion: Using solely contemporary and open-source sociodemographic variables, this paper enhances previous digital accessibility research. The identification of digitally inaccessible areas allows focussed local and national government resource and policy targeting, particularly important as a key data source and methodology post-2021, following the expected final nationwide census.


Abstract : An analysis of published midday absorption data obtained by the reflection method of vertical incidence sounding quantitatively establishes the existence of an equatorial absorption anomaly. This anomaly is the abnormally large variation of the amplitude of the seasonal variation observed at equatorial latitudes. It is suggested that certain D-region dynamical processes cause this anomaly. In addition, the analysis disclosed the unexpected existence of a significant latitudinal variation of absorption not due to the cosx variation; the order of magnitude of this latitudinal variation is of the same order as the variation of absorption due to the sunspot cycle. This latitudinal variation, together with the latitudinal variation of the E-layer critical frequency, indicates that the electron producing mechanisms for the lower ionosphere vary systematically with latitude and solar activity. For middle latitudes, the analysis reconfirmed results obtained previously by other authors. The total variation of lower ionosphere absorption is separated into the four categories: (1) seasonal variation with latitudinal effects, (2) latitudinal variation, (3) solar cycle variation, and (4) winter anomaly effects. Empirically derived formulas are given which permit the calculation of each of these four variations and also the calculation of the total lower ionosphere absorption losses of HF radio waves propagating via the ionosphere both at vertical and at oblique incidence.


This paper investigates formulaic syntax in the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle (German: Livländische Reimchronik), a Middle High German (MHG) verse history composed around 1290. A common syntactical formula is a unit formed with the adjective vrô ('glad', 'happy', 'joyful') or its negative variant unvrô, together with the verbs sîn ('be') or werden ('become'), with a genitive object: NP-Nom + SÎN/ WERDEN + NP-Gen + (un)vrô (e.g. der meister was der rede vrô). In almost every case the adjective (un)vrô occurs in end position, so that it can be rhymed with another common word, e.g. dô ('then') or sô ('thus'). An important variation is introduced with the demonstrative pronoun des: Pro-Dem-Gen + SÎN/WERDEN + NP-Nom + (un)vrô. This construction has the metrical function of filling a complete line, but it also functions as a discourse marker: it comments positively or negatively on an episode it follows or introduces. The high frequency of this construction in this text compared to its occurrence in other genres written in rhyming couplets suggests that the author was more conservative and less inventive than his contemporaries. In addition he also drew more frequently on the vocabulary and conventions of heroic poetry in which formulaic language was very common. It is argued that the employment of formulaic phrasing and syntax are connected with the sociolinguistic circumstances of the recitation of the chronicle.


Many different views on the problem of "war" and "peace" were substantively explored for several millennia. From our point of view, the theoretical and empirical basis of "war" and "peace" was made up principally from research in three areas: (1) Religion, ethics, philosophy and psychology, as comprehension of the normative-evaluative categories of good and evil; (2) Philosophy, political science, sociology and jurisprudence, in the theories of international relations; (3) History, fiction as well as documentary, memoir, reference, technical literature on the subject of "war" and "peace." For such a significant amount of time, there was a wealth of factual and theoretical material accumulated in each of the three areas of research, which highlights the problem of "war" and "peace" in all variety of its meanings. To understand the scope of coverage and a range of research on the problem of "war" and "peace," as well as the level of achievements in this field, let us briefly examine the history of "war" and "peace" in each of these three areas, proposed by us.


BACKGROUND
As computer hardware becomes less expensive and computer software more sophisticated and easy to use, more physicians are using computers to take notes and keep records. Although computer use offers many benefits, there is concern about whether the use of computers in the examination room will interfere with the patient-physician relationship. This experiment surveyed patient satisfaction following examination by either of two physicians, one using pen-and-pencil note-taking, the other taking notes on a computer.

METHODS
Sixty patients consented to participate in this prospective, randomized, crossover study. In the first phase, 15 randomly selected patients were examined by Physician A, who made a written record, and 15 by Physician B, who made a computer record. In the second phase, the physicians switched roles. After the examination, patients completed a questionnaire to assess their degree of satisfaction.

RESULTS
There were no significant differences in satisfaction between the group whose physician made a handwritten record as compared with those whose physician used a computer, nor was there an interaction between type of note-taking and physician. There was also no correlation between patient satisfaction and previous patient exposure to and use of computers.

CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated no decrease in patient satisfaction when a computerized patient record was introduced.


IgM-FTA tests have been carried out on 209 sera from 169 patients with treated or untreated syphilis at various stages and on 128 sera from 109 patients, born in areas where yaws is or was prevalent, with treated or untreated latent treponemal disease. IgM anti-treponemal antibody was found in virtually all cases of untreated early or early latent syphilis but in only 23 per cent. of sera from patients with untreated late latent syphilis. After treatment the antibody usually disappeared within one year, but it persisted in a minority of patients, including some treated for late symptomatic or congenital syphilis. Except in isolated cases there was no clinical evidence to suggest continued disease activity, although a third of the patient in whom the antibody persisted for more than 2 years after treatment were noted to be homosexuals. The test may assist in differentiating untreated early latent from late latent syphilis.


The autobiographical documentary film 18q - a valuable life, is a practice-based research project within Griffith University's Queensland College of Arts and furnishes another important chapter in challenging mainstream media's representation of persons identified as disabled. My work, the very action of taking the camera into our private domestic space, and indeed our emotional space, in portraying the "normal, everyday, lived experience" of my and my family's lives since the birth of my youngest child Allycia in 1995, endeavours to offer an alternate reading of disability as "other". The viewing of a version of my life, re-framed by the experience of living with a child labeled disabled, and to critically assess the piece via an academic discussion, has provided a unique opportunity to explore the editing process and its intrinsic role in re-framing and re-visioning the representation of the disabled "other". The project has also prompted a re-examination of self and the ethical framework I used in determining how some boundaries needed to be broached and how some, out of respect for family members and other members of our community, remained in tact and in some instances, has resulted in footage being discarded.


Several sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping techniques, to detect nodal metastasis in canine tumours have been investigated in the last 10 years in veterinary oncology. The purpose of this prospective study was to describe a reliable, quick, and inexpensive technique for SLN mapping in canine patients affected by cutaneous and subcutaneous mast cell tumours (MCT). Eighty dogs were enrolled in this study for a total of 138 cytologically diagnosed MCTs. Sentinel lymph node mapping was performed by injecting iomeprole peritumorally followed by serial radiographs at 1, 3, 6 and 9-min post injection. A total of 168 SLNs were detected, 90% at first radiograph, 1 min after the peritumoral iomeprole injection, while in the rest of the cases SLN was identified at 3 min. Sentinel lymph nodes detected by the preoperative radiographic indirect lymphography with iomeprole (PRILI) differed from regional lymph nodes in 57% of cases. The PRILI technique detected simultaneously multiple SLNs in the 26% of cases and multiple lymph centers in the 31% of MCTs. To allow the surgical identification of the SLNs, a peritumoral injection of methylene blue was performed at the time of surgery. This study reports a widely available technique for SLN mapping using digital radiographs in combination with a water-soluble medium, representing a cost-effective alternative to other SLN mapping procedures. Based on our results, this technique can be effective for SLNs mapping in dogs with MCTs but further comparative studies are needed to assess its reliability and efficacy in different tumours.


The CHE Centre for Higher Education Development has designed an "ExcellenceRanking", a ranking of a selected group of European Universities. The CHE applied a two-step approach for analysis. First, all European departments in the surveyed fields were compared by a few general indicators. Second, for those departments that excelled in these indicators, an indepth analysis was run based on an institutional questionnaire and a student survey. The first issue of the ranking, released in 2007, concentrated on the natural sciences and mathematics. The second issue, released in 2009, was dedicated to economics, political science and psychology. In 2010, the study was repeated for the natural sciences. This paper covers the results from the 2009 and 2010 issues.


It is unclear whether socio- and individual-factors are uniquely related to adolescent BMI or capture the same underlying process or whether environment amplifies relationships between traits and BMI. We estimated the independent contributions of SES and individual factors to BMI percentile in a sample of 9,481 US adolescents. Across all models, SES was significantly associated with lower BMI percentile scores. Controlling for SES, cognitive functioning was associated with lower BMI percentile (Girls: b = -1.32 [-2.10, -0.54], p = .001; Boys: b = -1.84 [-3.10, -0.53], p = .005). Among adolescent girls, Neuroticism (b = 1.75 [0.94, 2.52], p < .001) and related narrow traits, among others, were associated with BMI percentile. There were no consistent interactions between SES and personality. In holdout samples, the best performing models included SES, cognitive functioning, and narrow traits. While individual differences may contribute independently to BMI, their contribution is much smaller than that of SES.


This essay investigates the critical function of science fiction (SF) tropes in SF and non-SF works by and about Africans. It begins with the assertion that works that invoke SF tropes, even if they are not properly speaking SF, can productively be read within the frame of SF. It then analyzes the ways in which writers and visual artists use speculative technological advances to explore the systematic marginalization of the African continent in the world-system. Drawing on Darko Suvin, Raymond Williams, and Fredric Jameson, it illustrates how these works use the cognitive estrangement characteristic of SF to posit a break in established systems of thought; this is, ultimately, a utopian gesture. Works discussed include Deji Bryce Olukotun's Nigerians in Space, Sony Labou Tansi's Life and a Half, Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Wizard of the Crow, Cristina de Middel's The Afronauts, and Frances Bodomo's Afronauts.


In this work we studied the behavior of charged microgels at a liquid-liquid interface by means of dissipative particle dynamics simulations with explicit electrostatic interactions; the liquids represent polar and non-polar solvents like water and oil. The effect of the fraction of charged groups and both solvents quality on the microgel size, shape, degree of immersion into different liquids, and 2D ordering of the microgels at the interface is studied. For the case of both athermal solvents, we demonstrated that increasing the fraction of charged units results in significant swelling of the microgel inside the polar liquid and a dramatic drop in the number of adsorbed monomer units. For the case of a bad non-polar solvent for the polyelectrolyte microgels, they easily get detached from the surface into the polar solvent. When the opposite case of a bad polar solvent is considered (like high temperatures for thermosensitive PNIPAM- or PVCL-based microgels), the microgels demonstrate the decrease of the swelling perpendicular to the interface at low -values, and they start to swell into the non-polar liquid at high -values. Two approaches for accounting for different dielectric permittivity of the liquids were considered: implicit and explicit ones; we obtained that the results of the two approaches were always in qualitative agreement. However, the explicit model is necessary to correctly reproduce the physics of phenomena in certain regimes, in particular, when the charged molecules move through the interface of two liquids. Finally, the microgels ordering was studied at the liquid-liquid interface. We found that even at rather low fraction of charged monomer units the microgels exhibit an almost ideal hexagonal packing even though the average distance between the microgels centers is significantly larger than the microgel diameter, while uncharged microgels positions were completely random. This implies that the interfacial ordering can be controlled by using pH-sensitive monomer units in the microgel structure.


This study presents a new method for developing faking detection scales based on idiosyncratic item-response patterns. Two scoring schemes based on this approach strongly differentiated between scores obtained under honest vs directed faking conditions in cross-validation samples (r=(pb).45 and .67). This approach is shown to successfully classify between 20% and 37% of faked personality measures with only a 1% false positive rate in a sample comprised of 56% honest responses. Of equal importance, this method does not result in a scale that meaningfully correlates with personality or cognitive ability tests. This study raises many questions about both the source and generalizabiltiy of the effect. Key directions for future research and improved scale development that may limit or enhance the utility of the idiosyncratic item-response method are discussed.


The rapid expansion of European culture since the fifteenth century has greatly altered the face of the countryside all over the world. Among the most dramatic examples of this are the changes in North American nature wrought by Europe ans since the seventeenth century. It has been estimated that between the arrival of the first European colonists in the early seventeenth century and the adoption of sustained-yield forestry in the first decades of the twentieth century, the original forest cover of the United States over that same period was reduced by more than 80 percent.1 This article traces the history of human impact on bottomland hardwood forests of the southeastern United States, to show how enormous were the alterations brought about by Europeans in the southeastern bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem. Documentation of the different human activities in the area, from prehistoric times to the twentieth century, aims to place the dramatic decline of this forest type in a broader context of human induced environmental change in North America.


Injury has long been recognized in bacterial spores, especially in evaluation of apparent survival after administration of treatments to control these resistant entities. Compared to vegetative cells, the complexity of the germination and outgrowth processes has retarded research activity on injury and resuscitation. Heat-injury has been observed and studied to the greatest extent, but irradiation and chemical treatments also damage spores from anaerobic or aerobic bacteria. Injury has been associated with germination or specific steps in outgrowth or both. Damage of enzymes, DNA, RNA, membranes or other systems may be implied by resuscitation studies. Injury has been manifested by increased sensitivity to selective or antimicrobial agents or by increased requirements for germination and growth. The need for extensive fundamental research on bacterial spore injury continues to exist, especially to aid in explaining unique spore resistance.


Cone-beam CT (CBCT) is widespread in abdominal interventional imaging, but its long acquisition time makes it susceptible to patient motion. Image-based autofocus has shown success in CBCT deformable motion compensation, via deep autofocus metrics and multi-region optimization, but it is challenged by the large parameter dimensionality required to capture intricate motion trajectories. This work leverages the differentiable nature of deep autofocus metrics to build a novel optimization strategy, Multi-Stage Adaptive Spine Autofocus (MASA), for compensation of complex deformable motion in abdominal CBCT. MASA poses the autofocus problem as a multi-stage adaptive sampling strategy of the motion trajectory, sampled with Hermite spline basis with variable amplitude and knot temporal positioning. The adaptive method permits simultaneous optimization of the sampling phase, local temporal sampling density, and time-dependent amplitude of the motion trajectory. The optimization is performed in a multi-stage schedule with increasing number of knots that progressively accommodates complex trajectories in late stages, preconditioned by coarser components from early stages, and with minimal increase in dimensionality. MASA was evaluated in controlled simulation experiments with two types of motion trajectories: i) combinations of slow drifts with sudden jerk (sigmoid) motion; and ii) combinations of periodic motion sources of varying frequency into multi-frequency trajectories. Further validation was obtained in clinical data from liver CBCT featuring motion of contrast-enhanced vessels, and soft-tissue structures. The adaptive sampling strategy provided successful motion compensation in sigmoid trajectories, compared to fixed sampling strategies (mean SSIM increase of 0.026 compared to 0.011). Inspection of the estimated motion showed the capability of MASA to automatically allocate larger sampling density to parts of the scan timeline featuring sudden motion, effectively accommodating complex motion without increasing the problem dimension. Experiments on multifrequency trajectories with 3-stage MASA (5, 10, and 15 knots) yielded a twofold SSIM increase compared to single-stage autofocus with 15 knots (0.076 vs 0.040, respectively). Application of MASA to clinical datasets resulted in simultaneous improvement on the delineation of both contrast-enhanced vessels and soft-tissue structures in the liver. A new autofocus framework, MASA, was developed including a novel multi-stage technique for adaptive temporal sampling of the motion trajectory in combination with fully differentiable deep autofocus metrics. This novel adaptive sampling approach is a crucial step for application of deformable motion compensation to complex temporal motion trajectories.


After a long and strict test procedure the product from the spray drying absorption process (SDA product) of the Timelkam coal-fired power station was licensed as fertilizer. The permission for the fertilizer was granted on the basis of an extensive investigation of literature, product analysis and quality conditions for manufacture. For the use as fertilizer the current suspicion of the farmers against industry remnants had to be gradually eliminated by intensive of public relations.


An experimental method for the observation of a plasma-sheath resonance in a low-pressure rf capacitively coupled discharge was proposed. The method is based on secondary electron energy distribution function measurements. It was shown that the plasma-sheath resonance potential fluctuations could be observed as peaks at the secondary electron energy spectra. Depending on discharge conditions, the resonant oscillation was detected on the frequency in the range 21-30 harmonics of the driven frequency. The experimental determination of the plasma-sheath resonance frequency provides the possibility for independent measurement of the plasma density. Thus, this method can be used as a plasma density diagnostic in low-pressure capacitive discharges.


Postpartum depression (PPD) is a major mental health disorder that affects at least 13 percent of new mothers and has detrimental consequences for populations that are of concern to social workers, such as low-income women, women of color, young women, and single mothers. Despite the relevance of PPD to multiple social work problems and populations, the social work literature contains sparse information about the causes of, consequences of, and treatments for PPD among vulnerable groups of new mothers. In this article, the authors review the literature on PPD with specific attention to the sociocultural dimensions of the disorder, barriers to treatment, and the relationship of PPD to social work theory and practice. The authors argue that social workers should set an agenda for PPD research that draws on the profession's biopsychosocial perspective, advances a culturally competent understanding of the experience of PPD, and informs social work practice with diverse groups of new mothers.


The US Department of Energy Grand Junction Office (GJO) was tasked by the DOE Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) to perform a baseline characterization of the contamination distributed in the vadoze zone sediment beneath and around the single-shell tanks (SSTs) at the Hanford Site. The intent of this characterization is to determine the nature and extent of the contamination, to identify contamination sources, and to develop a baseline of the contamination distribution that will permit future data comparisons. This characterization work also allows an initial assessment of the impacts of the vadose zone contamination as required by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). This characterization project involves acquiring information about the vadose zone contamination with borehole geophysical logging methods and documenting that information in a series of reports. Data from boreholes surrounding each tank are compiled into individual Tank Summary Data Reports. The data from each tank farm are then compiled and summarized in a Tank Farm Report. This document is the Tank Farm Report for the BY Tank Farm.


We discuss the analogy between a classical scalar field with a self-interacting potential, in a curved spacetime described by a quasi-bounded state, and a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate. In this context, we compare the Klein-Gordon equation with the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Moreover, the introduction of a curved background spacetime endows, in a natural way, an equivalence to the Gross-Pitaevskii equation with an explicit confinement potential. The curvature also induces a position dependent self-interaction parameter. We exploit this analogy by means of the Thomas-Fermi approximation, commonly used to describe the Bose-Einstein condensate, in order to analyze the quasi bound scalar field distribution surrounding a black hole.


The aim of this study is to design a new proposal as a means of evaluating the quality of Physical Education classes. The proposed variables are: Cardiovascular Endurance, Muscular Strength, Agility and Coordination, Open Skills and Motor Expression. The validation of this instrument was made by experts who evaluated and contributed to the research also a pilot application in three educational institutions was carried out. After each pilot application, modifications were made to achieve an improvement in the evaluation proposal and to project a comprehensive assessment tool to measure the quality of Physical Education classes for students in eighth grade, which can be applied effectively in different educational contexts.


This study characteriz ed some indices of heavy metals in the soils of Otofure waste dumpsite environment near Benin City, Edo State in Southern Nigeria, in order to ascertain the level of heavy metal contamination of one of the several sites receiving municipal solid wastes dai ly. Six samples were collected at the dumpsite (DS) and the adjoining upland positions (US). The samples were air - dried, crushed and sieved through a 2mm sieve and pre - treated using standard methods before determining the h eavy metal concentrations in Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Bulk Scientific 210 VGP) according to the method of the Association of Analytical Chemists. Various pollution indexes were computed using the analytical data obtained. The computed Enrichment factor (EF) showed that Mn. Fe, and cu had no enrichment at the top and subsurface of the dumpsite. However, there was a significant Zn enrichment and enrichment with Ni and V at the topsoil; and Extreme enrichment with Cr, Cd, and lead of the soil at the dumpsite. Also, the soil Co ntamination factor (CF) indicated a moderate contamination of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu), Very High contamination of zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni) and vanadium (V). Pollution Load Index (PLI) showed that Otof ure dumpsite is heavily polluted (PLI > 1) by heavy metals in general. Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo) showed that soils of Otofure dumpsite were unpolluted to moderately polluted for manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu), heavily polluted for zinc (Zn), Heavily to Extremely polluted for chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and nickel (Ni), and Extremely polluted for chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and vanadium (V). The potential ecological risk index (PERI) showed slight pollution for manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu), a very strong pollution for chromium (Cr), and an extremely strong pollution for lead (Pb), nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd). The risk index (RI) for Otofure dumpsite indicated a very strong risk or level D pollution for the higher elevat ion around the Otofure dumpsite environment that could pose human health risks if crops from that environment is ingested. This result thus suggest the need for a gradual shift from surface municipal waste dumping of solid wastes to well - engineered and man aged recycling/sanitary landfill in Edo State and Nigeria in order to prevent heavy metal pollution of lands and possibly groundwater where shallow aquifers exist.


The development of safe and dependable robots for physical human-robot interaction requires both the mechanical design of lightweight and compliant manipulators and the definition of motion control laws that allow compliant behavior in reaction to possible collisions, while preserving accuracy and performance during the motion in the free space. For these motivations, great attention has been posed in the design of robots manipulators with relevant and programmable joint/transmission stiffness. A robust control strategy for a general class of multi-dof manipulators with variable joint stiffness is presented in this paper. The proposed control scheme is based on three elements: the first one compensates for the robot dynamics, the second one is based on a linear controller to impose a desired behavior, while a smooth sliding mode control action is added to ensure robustness with respect to model uncertainties. The stability of the overall system is studied by using the direct Lyapunov method. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated by simulation analysis.


Locative inversion verbs seem to share the same argument structure and grammatical function assignment (i.e., ) cross-linguistically. This article discusses the nature of argument-function linking in LFG and demonstrates how the Lexical Mapping Theory (LMT) rendered in Optimality-Theoretic (OT) terms, where argument-function linking is governed by universal violable constraints that consistently favor the unmarked function, accounts for locative inversion straightforwardly. Within this OT-LMT, locative inversion is due to a universal morphosyntactic constraint, and language variation in locative inversion is due to the difference in its relative ranking. This account also offers a potential explanation for the markedness of the locative inversion construction.


The article is about dropshipping system, mainly its development level in Russia. There are essence of dropshipping in this article. We study the positive and negative aspects of this type of trade, and provide methods for its realization.


To develop new functional fluorescence probe based on semiconductor nanoparticles, such as quantum dots (QD)s, we investigated polymer particle embedding QDs and covered with artificial cell membrane-biointerface. These nanoparticles were prepared by assembling 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) polymer as a platform and biomolecules immobilized on the surface of the nanoparticles. The fluorescence property of QDs remained after embedding in the polymer nanoparticles. The MPC polymer surface showed high resistance to non-specific cellular uptake due to the phosphorylcholine groups in the side chain. On the other hand, when cell-penetration oligopeptide, octaarginine was immobilized on the surface, they could permeate the membrane of cells effectively and good fluorescence based on QDs could be observed. Cytotoxicity and inflammation reaction was not produced by these nanoparticles even after immobilization of octapeptide. In conclusion, we could obtain stable fluorescence polymer nanoparticles covered with artificial cell membrane, which are useful as an excellent bioimaging probe and as a novel evaluation tool for biomolecular function in the target cells.


Although dialyzer reuse in chronic hemodialysis patients is commonly practiced in the United States, performance of reused dialyzers has not been extensively and critically evaluated. The present study analyzes data extracted from a multicenter clinical trial (the HEMO Study) and examines the effect of reuse on urea and beta2-microglobulin (beta2M) clearance by low-flux and high-flux dialyzers reprocessed with various germicides. The dialyzers evaluated contained either modified cellulosic or polysulfone membranes, whereas the germicides examined included peroxyacetic acid/acetic acid/hydrogen peroxide combination (Renalin), bleach in conjunction with formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde or Renalin, and heated citric acid. Clearance of beta2M decreased, remained unchanged, or increased substantially with reuse, depending on both the membrane material and the reprocessing technique. In contrast, urea clearance decreased only slightly (approximately 1 to 2% per 10 reuses), albeit statistically significantly with reuse, regardless of the porosity of the membrane and reprocessing method. Inasmuch as patient survival in the chronic hemodialysis population is influenced by clearances of small solutes and middle molecules, precise knowledge of the membrane material and reprocessing technique is important for the prescription of hemodialysis in centers practicing reuse.


Identification of proteins binding specifically to peculiar nucleic acid structures can lead to comprehension of their role in vivo and contribute to the discovery of structure-related gene regulation. This work was devoted to establishing a reliable procedure to select proteins on the basis of their interaction with a nucleic acid probe chosen to fold into a given structure. 2D-electrophoresis and mass spectrometry were combined for protein identification. We applied this procedure to select and identify triplex-binding activities in HeLa nuclear extracts. To achieve this, we used a panel of deoxyribonucleic probes adopting intramolecular triple-helices, varying in their primary sequence, structure or triple-helix motif. A limited number of spots was reproducibly revealed by South-western blotting. Spots of interest were localised among a complex population of (35)S-labelled proteins according to their (32)P-specific emission. Position of the same spots was extrapolated on a preparative gel coloured with Coomassie blue, allowing excision and purification of the corresponding proteins. The material was subjected to mass spectrometry upon trypsin digestion and MALDI-TOF peptide fingerprinting was used for research in databases: five of them were identified and found to belong to the hnRNP family (K, L, A2/B1, E1 and I). The identities of several of them were confirmed by comparing western and South-western blots on the same membrane using specific antibodies. The recognition specificity of most of these proteins is large, according to previous reports and our own experiments. It includes pyrimidine-rich DNA sequences in different contexts: single strand to a small extent, triplex and possibly other higher-order structures.


The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) has recently approved Relief Requests for the use of high density polyethylene (HDPE) piping in safety-related applications. The ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, meanwhile, has developed Code Case N-755 that defines the design and service life requirements for PE piping in nuclear plants though it has not as yet been approved by the USNRC. One of the issues of concern is premature failure of PE piping due to slow crack growth (SCG) that can initiate due to a combination of sustained loads, elevated temperatures, and a pre-existing defect. Understanding and predicting the SCG behavior is an essential step in developing a methodology for predicting the service life of PE piping. The first step in studying the failure process in a polymer under a constant sustained load is the selection of a suitable constitutive model to represent the time-dependent behavior of the material. In this paper, uniaxial tensile creep tests were performed for a bimodal HDPE (PE4710) piping material. This creep data was used to determine the viscoelastic material constants for this bimodal HDPE using a power-law creep model. These material constants were used in finite element (FE) analyses to study the viscoelastic behavior of the bimodal HDPE. As a first step, the FE model was verified by comparing the results from numerical simulations and experiments for a set of uniaxial tensile creep tests. The FE model was then applied to study the viscoelastic behavior of a SCG specimen. The time dependent stress and strain fields were investigated.Copyright © 2010 by ASME


The transitional zone between bridge abutment and earthwork is one of the representative vulnerable zones in railway where differential settlements may take place due to the different supportive. Compaction using the large equipment has some difficulties around bridge abutment. And compaction using small equipment or manual compaction cannot satisfy with the requirements of construction quality plate load tests were performed at several locations reflecting construction characteristics. The test results show that the quality of compaction is unsatisfied with the requirement at the locations near the structures. According to Ev1 values, the stiffness at the surface is also unsatisfied with the requirement. 3-Dimensional numerical analysis were performed by using from power and passenger train are modeled and applied. The research results show that the current compaction procedure should be improved.


On the basis of the data of clinical examination and echocardiography was studied the functional significance of compensatory myocardial hypertrophy under conditions of physical load test of sportsmen with myocardial hypertrophy of the left ventricle or without it and patients with different stages of arterial hypertension. The usage of compensatory myocardial hypertrophy indices for diagnostics of the heart failure was grounded.


The objective of this study is to investigate the adoption of these two strategies for teaching the steps of the care process to Moroccan nursing students. We attempt to answer the following questions: What is the preference of nursing students between traditional case studies and virtual case studies? What are their suggestions for improving teaching practices? According to their point of view, which of the teaching strategies is more conducive to the appropriation of knowledge and the development of skills related to the care process?

 Case-based learning has long been one of the active teaching strategies widely used by nursing educators. However, the constraints inherent to traditional case study learning have prompted educators to seek alternative teaching practices. Today, virtual case studies are recognised as one of the most recommended and innovative teaching approaches to address these constraints in the nursing context.

 the present study aims to explore students' perceptions of traditional case studies and virtual case studies as facilitated learning methods for teaching the nursing process.

 We conducted a questionnaire survey at the Higher Institute of Nursing Professions and Health Techniques Casablanca in 2021 among first-year polyvalent nursing students. The course 'Conceptualization and Care Planning' was taught based on these two different pedagogies.

 Comparing the means via a t-test of the paired samples showed that there was a significant difference for all items (p-value<0.005) between learning facilitated by traditional case studies and virtual case studies.

 These results demonstrate that virtual case studies are an innovative and well-received educational tool for nursing students compared to traditional case studies.


Broadband optical and IR spectral energy distributions are determined for spectroscopically confirmed z>2 Lyman break objects in the Hubble Deep Field. These photometric data are compared to spectral synthesis models which take into account the effects of metallicity and of internal reddening due to dust. It is found that, on average, Lyman break objects are shrouded in enough dust (typically $E(B-V)~0.3) to suppress their UV fluxes by a factor of ~20. Furthermore, these objects are dominated by very young (<0.2 Gyr) stellar populations, suggesting that star formation at high redshift is episodic rather than continuous.


To solve conflicts between track and restrain disturbance¿robustness and control performance¿the Immune Genetic Algorithms (IGA) PID controller based on information entropy is used. Nevertheless, this method needs complexcalculation. Its constants are determined by experience andredundant information will slow the speed of convergence. In this paper, a novel PID controller based on immune networks model utilizing vector distance (IGAVD-PID) is proposed. The new method, which calculates the antibody consistence using vector distance and optimizes the parameters of PID, can reduce search space of solution group and avoid redundant calculation information or repeated calculating because the fitness function of solution is corresponded directly with antibodies. Therefore, the convergence of PID is faster. TheIGAVD-PID controller is applied into a second order inertial element with time lag system to evaluate the adaptation and robustness of new method. And the simulation results show the new controller improves the performance of convergent speed¿global stability and robustness of the PID controller significantly.


Background Dazhu Hongjingtian (DZHJT), also named Herba Rhodiolae, has been frequently introduced for patients with angina pectoris in China. However, the add-on effect of DZHJT in unstable angina pectoris (UAP) has not been systematically evaluated. The purpose of this protocol is to provide the methods used to assess the efficacy and safety of DZHJT as adjuvant therapy for management of UAP. Methods We will extensively search for eligible studies in PubMed, Emase, Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, and VIP databases up to October 2018. Only randomized controlled trials comparing DZHJT in combination with Western medicine vs Western medicine alone were selected. The primary outcomes are above 50% reduction in frequency of angina attacks and weekly frequency of angina attacks reduction. The secondary outcomes are the blood rheology parameters (whole-blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, and fibrinogen) and adverse events. We will use RevMan V.5.0 software to perform meta-analysis. Results The pooled results will provide a high-quality of evidence of DZHJT as adjuvant therapy in patients with UAP. Conclusion This systematic review and meta-analysis will provide up-to-date evidence to evaluate DZHJT as adjuvant therapy in patients with UAP. PROSPERO registration number PROSPERO CRD42018111885.


Human immune system (HIS) mice represent an important biotechnology for fundamental human immunology research, disease models and drug development. The NOD mouse strain has been primarily used in the development of HIS mice as they possess several advantageous polymorphisms. NOD, but not Balb/c mice contain a polymorphism in Sirpα (an inhibitory receptor that prevents phagocytosis upon binding CD47) allowing NOD, but not Balb/c Sirpα to recognize human CD47 on engrafted cells. Despite this, Balb/c immunodeficient mice are still permissive to human engraftment and their use in human immune studies becoming more prevalent. To determine the importance of the CD47-Sirpα interactions in human hematopoietic reconstitution, we generated a congenic Balb/c Rag2-/-γC-/- HIS mouse expressing NOD Sirpα. A functional CD47-Sirpα interaction resulted in significantly higher human chimerism, with specific improvements in T cell, NK cell and progenitor reconstitution compared to HIS mice expressing only Balb/c Sirpα. Improved human reconstitution has allowed us to carefully study bone marrow resident human hematopoietic progenitors. We have identified 2 subsets of CD7+CD244.2+CD38+CD45RA+Lin-(CD56-) bone marrow precursors with either high or exclusive restriction to the NK cell lineage. Our results reveals the degree by which phagocytosis restricts xeno-engraftment and demonstrates a novel, highly sensitive xenograft model for human immunology studies.


Rat olfactory adenylyl cyclase has been identified by means of a monoclonal antibody BBC-2, which reacts with both Ca2+/calmodulin-sensitive and -insensitive forms of adenylyl cyclase (Mollner, S., and Pfeuffer, T. (1988) Eur. J. Biochem. 171, 265-271). The antibody recognized a 180-kDa polypeptide in olfactory cilia but not in decilitated olfactory epithelial membranes. A protein of the same mobility was observed when olfactory adenylyl cyclase was purified by forskolin-agarose affinity chromatography followed by radioiodination. Its identity was further established by cross-linking to [32P]ADP-ribosylated Gs alpha (GTP-binding protein), to yield a single radiolabeled product of Mr approximately 220. Olfactory adenylyl cyclase has a approximately 3-fold higher turnover number, as assessed from stoichiometric binding of [35S]guanosine 5'-(3-O-thio)triphosphate. Therefore, the considerably higher specific adenylyl cyclase activity in olfactory cilia must be due to a approximately 100-fold higher molar concentration of enzyme in this tissue.


The effect of dietary monensin on the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge following estradiol-17 beta (E2) injection was investigated in prepuberal Simmental X Brahman-Hereford heifers. Ten heifers, weighing approximately 260 kg and approximately 10 mo of age, were equally divided by age and weight into two groups: control (C) heifers each received 1.8 kg/d of a concentrate diet plus Coastal bermudagrass hay ad libitum; monensin (M) heifers each received the same diet plus 200 mg monensin/d. All heifers were maintained in dry lots on their respective diets for 14 d before the E2 challenge. On d 15, all heifers were injected in with 5 mg of E2 in corn oil. Blood samples were collected via tail vessel puncture immediately before E2 injection and at 2-h intervals until 48 h after the E2 injection. The samples were processed for serum and stored at -20 degrees C until LH concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay. Mean concentrations of LH in serum differed (P less than .005) between C and M heifers and with time after E2 injection. A treatment X sampling period interaction (P less than .10) indicated that maximum serum concentrations of LH (LH surge) were detected earlier (P less than .001) for M (17.2 +/- 1.8 h) than C (27.0 +/- 6.0 h) heifers after the E2 injection. When the data were arrayed relative to the time of the LH surge, treatment (P less than .05) and sampling period (P less than .001) effects were significant, but a treatment X sampling period interaction was not detected. Peak LH concentration was 23.1 +/- 3.0 ng/ml for M heifers and 21.6+/- 4.2 ng/ml for controls (P greater than .10). Duration of the LH surge was 8.0 +/- .9 h in M heifers and 4.8 +/- 1.6 h in C heifers (P less than .001). Area under the LH surge was greater (P less than .001) in M heifers than in control heifers. We conclude that dietary monensin altered the estrogen-induced LH surge in prepuberal heifers.


Policymakers, funders, and researchers today view research–practice partnerships (RPPs) as a promising approach for expanding the role of research in improving educational practice. Although studies in other fields provide evidence of the potential for RPPs, studies in education are few. This article provides a review of available evidence of the outcomes and dynamics of RPPs in education and related fields. It then outlines a research agenda for the study of RPPs that can guide funders' investments and help developing partnerships succeed.


Urbanization of the watersheds in developing countries is generally accelerated and disorderly. The urbanization process generates soil impermeability, which impedes the infiltration of rainwater, accelerating surface runoff to favor accumulation of water at the lowest points, causing flooding. The construction of micro reservoirs for rainwater storage and infiltration within residential areas can minimize flood problems. In the present study, the effective precipitation and its reduction in the Itaim stream basin in the city of Taubate, SP, were estimated by usage of 3400 and 6800 liters micro reservoirs to capture water on 125 m² roofs in different soil occupations, according to the Law 412/2017 of the Master Plan of Municipal Physics of Taubate (PDFMT). Effective precipitation was estimated using the curve number (CN) method, while variation in land use and occupation considered the land area in accordance with current legislation, with urban expansion at 50 and 100% over the macrozone rural, as well as 100% urban consolidation. The results showed that surface runoff (Pe) in the Itaim basin increases with the expansion of the urban area, as well as urban consolidation. The use of micro reservoirs considerably reduces runoff volumes. The micro reservoir, with a storage volume of 3400 liters, made it possible to restrict the flow promoted by rain of up to 25 years of return period, simulating the urban expansion of 50% over the rural area, while the reservoir with 6800 liters in capacity contains rain of up to 200 years return period for the same simulation condition. Although this type of structure was not considered in the municipal land use and occupation law, this study demonstrates that the use of hydraulic systems or elements with potential to reduce runoff can be an important means to ensure the sustainability of urbanization. of watersheds with planned stormwater disposal.


Immigration patterns over the last two decades have changed the demographic composition of the United States; children are growing up in an increasingly multicultural environment. Immigrant youth may face culture-related stressors and leverage culture-related strengths across development that may influence their mental and physical health. Responses to early life stressors may differ across children at the level of stress biology, which can affect how they handle cultural challenges. However, there is limited research on culture and stress biology, which may be a mediator or moderator of culture's effects on immigrant youth. The aim of the present article is to systematically review research that examines the roles of both culture and stress biology from the prenatal period to adolescence in immigrant youth. Specifically, we review articles that examine how stress-sensitive biological systems (hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis and the autonomic nervous system) and culture-related constructs have been modeled together in immigrant youth. Based on these findings, we note remaining questions and recommendations for future research in integrating measures of cultural processes and stress biology in children.


This paper proposes an optimization control of micro-grid system economy operation model. It coordinates the new energy and storage operation with diesel generator output, so as to achieve the economic operation purpose of micro-grid. In this paper, the micro-grid network economic operation model is transformed into mixed integer programming problem, which is solved by the mature commercial software, and the new model is proved to be economical, and the load control strategy can reduce the charge and discharge times of energy storage devices, and extend the service life of the energy storage device to a certain extent.


Objective: Bruxism is a jaw muscle activity disorder characterized by clenching or grinding of the teeth and can be seen in both children and adults. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the parental knowledge about bruxism in children. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 265 parents whose children were attended at University of Mersin pediatric dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery clinics. Children's ages varied from 6 months to 16 years old. A 20-questioned questionnaire was used to collect the data. IBM SPSS Statistics 22 for statistical analysis (SPSS IBM, Turkey) program was used for the analysis. Results: A total of 265 parents (159 were female and 106 were male) participated in the study. The majority of the parents were between the ages of 31-40 (60.8%). The rate of clenching and grinding of teeth during sleep (21.5%) was higher than the rate when they were awake (7.2%). The ratio of the parents seeking treatment for their children because of this harmful habit was very low (3.8%). The majortiy of parents  (37.7%) reported that they seek help from dentists. The participants believed that bruxism was associated with dental problems (33.6%) and emotional factors (32.8%). A significant difference was found between the educational background of the parents and the ability to define bruxism. Conclusion: Parents had inadequate knowledge about bruxism in children and this was mostly related to the educational background of the parents.


The good of the child in the course of the operative interpretation constitutes not only a theoretical and legal issue, but also a practical one. The "good of the child" is the basis for the formulation of numerous legal provisions, which seemingly do not refer to this criterion. However, important normative acts that indicate the presence of this category are: the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, adopted by the General Assembly of the League of Nations in 1924, the so-called Geneva Declaration and the Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 1997. The criterion of "the good of the child" as an element of the normative structure appears, for example, in the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child of 1959 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child of 1989. In referring to the content of normative acts whose subject-matter is the "good of the child", it can be pointed out that the indicated criterion should be associated with the child's right to a happy childhood and the concept of humanity. Therefore it seems that the term in question must be interpreted in precisely this tone.


As a part of the New European Wind Atlas project, we investigate the estimation of extreme winds from mesoscale simulations. In order to take the smoothing effect of the simulations into account, a spectral correction method is applied to the data. We show that the corrected extreme wind estimates are close to the values obtained from offshore met masts. Hence, after further investigations we plan to use the examined approach as a basis for the calculation of extreme winds on the complete New European Wind Atlas, which will be publicly available at the end of the project.


Background The Parent-focused Redesign for Encounters, Newborns to Toddlers (PARENT) intervention was created as a team-based approach to well-child care (WCC) that relies on a health educator (Parent Coach) to provide the bulk of WCC services, address specific needs faced by families in low-income communities, and decrease reliance on the clinician as the primary provider of WCC services. Objective This study aims to evaluate the impact of PARENT using a cluster randomized controlled trial. Methods This study tested the effectiveness of PARENT at 10 clinical sites in 2 federally qualified health centers in Tacoma, Washington, and Los Angeles, California. We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial that included 916 families with children aged ≤12 months at the time of the baseline survey. Parents will be followed up at 6 and 12 months after enrollment. The Parent Coach, the main element of PARENT, provides anticipatory guidance, psychosocial screening and referral, developmental and behavioral surveillance, screening, and guidance at each WCC visit. The coach is supported by parent-focused previsit screening and visit prioritization, a brief, problem-focused clinician encounter for a physical examination and any concerns that require a clinician's attention, and an automated text message parent reminder and education service for periodic, age-specific messages to reinforce key health-related information recommended by Bright Futures national guidelines. We will examine parent-reported quality of care (receipt of nationally recommended WCC services, family-centeredness of care, and parental experiences of care), and health care use (WCC, urgent care, emergency department, and hospitalizations), conduct a cost analysis, and conduct a separate time-motion study of clinician time allocation to assess efficiency. We will also collect data on exploratory measures of parent-and parenting-focused outcomes. Our primary outcomes were receipt of anticipatory guidance and emergency department use. Results Participant recruitment began in March 2019. After recruitment, 6- and 12-month follow-up surveys will be completed. As of August 30, 2021, we enrolled a total of 916 participants. Conclusions This large pragmatic trial of PARENT in partnership with federally qualified health centers will assess its utility as an evidence-based and financially sustainable model for the delivery of preventive care services to children in low-income communities. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03797898; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03797898 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/27054


The laser-triggered switching (LTS) of high-voltage spark gaps is considered. The basic theory is presented which predicts dependencies of the delay to breakdown and switching jitter on such variables as fill gas mixture and pressure, gap spacing, polarity, and geometry. It is shown that electrical arcs of several metres length can be directed by laser action. A complete set of experiments is reported which adequately support the proposed theory. The performance of LTS is considered and results are reported on multiple gap triggering, multiple channel triggering, triggering of voltages in excess of 3 mV, repetitive switching at rates up to 50 pps with subnanosecond jitter, as well as various geometries, pulse forming demonstrations, and output voltage selection on a Marx generator.


Diurnal preference is an individual's preference for daily activities and sleep timing and is strongly correlated with the underlying circadian clock and the sleep-wake cycle validating its use as an indirect circadian measure in humans. Recent research has implicated DNA methylation as a mechanism involved in the regulation of the circadian clock system in humans and other mammals. In order to evaluate the extent of epigenetic differences associated with diurnal preference, we examined genome-wide patterns of DNA methylation in DNA from monozygotic (MZ) twin-pairs discordant for diurnal preference. MZ twins were selected from a longitudinal twin study designed to investigate the interplay of genetic and environmental factors in the development of emotional and behavioral difficulties. Fifteen pairs of MZ twins were identified in which one member scored considerably higher on the Horne–Ostberg Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) than the other. Genome-wide DNA methylation patterns were assessed in twins' buccal cell DNA using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChips. Quality control and data pre-processing was undertaken using the wateRmelon package. Differentially methylated probes (DMPs) were identified using an analysis strategy taking into account both the significance and the magnitude of DNA methylation differences. Our data indicate that DNA methylation differences are detectable in MZ twins discordant for diurnal preference. Moreover, downstream gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis on the top-ranked diurnal preference associated DMPs revealed significant enrichment of pathways that have been previously associated with circadian rhythm regulation, including cell adhesion processes and calcium ion binding.


The highly enantioselective cyano-alkoxycarbonylation of α-oxoesters with alkyl cyanoformates is promoted by a new chiral Brønsted acid-Lewis base cooperative organocatalyst. The present catalysis can be performed at room temperature under nitrogen or air.


This article examines the ecotourism experiences of international visitors to the Owabi Wildlife Sanctuary in Ghana for the period 2003-2008. Through the content analysis method, written comments and observations made by the visitors upon the completion of their tours of the sanctuary were analyzed. The results revealed seven different experiences ranging from excitement, learning, escape, solitude, relaxation and being close to nature, to dissatisfaction. It was concluded that the experiences expressed by visitors regarding the park could have both positive and negative implications for the image of the sanctuary.  Key words: Content analysis, ecotourism experiences, Ghana, visitors' books


Singing voice conversion (SVC) aims to convert the voice of one singer to that of other singers while keeping the singing content and melody. On top of recent voice conversion works, we propose a novel model to steadily convert songs while keeping their naturalness and intonation. We build an end-to-end architecture, taking phonetic posteriorgrams (PPGs) as inputs and generating mel spectrograms. Specifically, we implement two separate encoders: one encodes PPGs as content, and the other compresses mel spectrograms to supply acoustic and musical information. To improve the performance on timbre and melody, an adversarial singer confusion module and a mel-regressive representation learning module are designed for the model. Objective and subjective experiments are conducted on our private Chinese singing corpus. Comparing with the baselines, our methods can significantly improve the conversion performance in terms of naturalness, melody, and voice similarity. Moreover, our PPG-based method is proved to be robust for noisy sources.


Background: Studies suggest that people can experience personal growth following major life challenges. We explored the hypothesis that widowed individuals would benefit from adversarial or post‐traumatic growth and experience greater levels of happiness than other marital groups. Methods: Fifty‐four patients suffering from neurological illness were analyzed to clarify whether marital status was a determinant factor in subjective well‐being (SWB). Results: After controlling for estimated decline from premorbid intellectual ability, level of physical activity, age, and ethnicity, a strong association was noted between marital status and happiness. Widowed subjects experienced greater happiness than married patients. SWB in response to neurological illness was the same for widows and widowers. Only those individuals whose spouse had died experienced greater levels of happiness in the face of a lifestyle‐threatening condition. Conclusions: Loss of a spouse can cause the widowed partner to develop adaptive strategies to cope with future lifestyle stressors.


A molecularly engineered dual-crosslinked hydrogel with extraordinary mechanical properties is reported. The hydrogel network is formed with both chemical crosslinking and acrylic-Fe(III) coordination; these, respectively, impart the elasticity and enhance the mechanical properties by effectively dissipating energy. The optimal hydrogel achieves a tensile stress of ca. 6 MPa at a large elongation ratio (>7 times), a toughness of 27 MJ m(-3) , and a stiffness of ca. 2 MPa, and has good self-recovery properties.


Recent work shows that cooling protection after mouse cardiac arrest and cardiomyocyte ischemia is mediated by Akt activation. The PI3K p85 subunit can either augment or inhibit Akt activation depending on its binding to p110 or PTEN respectively. To further clarify the role of PI3K p85 in cardioprotection, we studied novel TAT-p85 fusion proteins that selectively inhibit PI3K p85 binding. We hypothesized that TAT fused p85 lacking the PTEN binding site (TAT-ΔPTEN p85) would enhance Akt phosphorylation to afford cardioprotection. Conversely, TAT fused p85 lacking the p110 binding site (TAT-Δp110p85) would decrease Akt phosphorylation and abrogate cardioprotection. Microscopy and Western blot analysis demonstrated that TAT fusion protein was transduced into cardiomyocytes within 5 min and remained more than 2 h. Inhibition of PI3K/Akt by TAT-Δp110 p85 significantly increased cell death from 44.6±2.7% to 92.5±3.4% after simulated ischemia and reperfusion. By contrast, PTEN inhibition using TAT-ΔPTEN p85 decreased cell death to 11.9±5.3%, a similar level of cardioprotection seen with past cooling studies. Additional studies with the small molecule PTEN inhibitor VO-OHpic confirmed that PTEN inhibition was highly protective against cell death induced by ischemia and reperfusion. We conclude that blockade of p85-PTEN interaction and PTEN inhibition may be promising strategies for rescuing the heart from ischemia and reperfusion injury.


In order to deliver cyberinfrastructure to the general scientific and biomedical research community, transparent access and ease of use are of critical importance. Applications in systematic modeling of biological processes across scales of time and length demand more and more sophisticated algorithms and larger and longer simulations. The increased level of sophistication requires that cyberinfrastructure developers either work closely with the applications scientists, or develop middleware that flattens the learning curve for these scientists to use the grid willingly and transparently. Many life sciences researchers prefer to run applications in the grid environment without modifications, and without knowledge of specific computational resources being utilized. Here we report the latest advances in the use of Gfarm-FUSE (Grid Data Farm-Filesystem in UserSpaceE) as a computational data grid, with CSF4 (Community Scheduler Framework 4) as the metascheduler, through a GridSphere portal based environment, termed My WorkSphere. We describe the design and performance of this transparent grid computing environment using bioinformatics and computational biology applications as examples. All the components developed or utilized are open source and available freely.


Between 1980 and 1988 at our institution, brachial plexus anesthesia (BPA) was used in 109 pediatric patients who underwent 142 surgical procedures on an upper extremity, including 134 axillary blocks. Most patients older than 6 years of age had their blocks and surgical procedures with moderate sedation. The success rate was high--92.4% of axillary blocks and 100% of other blocks were adequate for surgical intervention in patients who required only intravenous sedation. The postoperative course in the BPA group was compared with that in 109 age-matched control subjects who underwent 188 procedures on an upper extremity during general anesthesia (GA). Admission to the recovery room after anesthesia occurred less frequently in the BPA group than in the GA group (27.5% versus 91.0%; P less than 0.01). Furthermore, nausea and vomiting were less frequent in the BPA group than in the GA group (P less than 0.01). Outpatients in the BPA group were less likely to require narcotic analgesics before dismissal than were those in the GA group (12% versus 31%; P less than 0.05). Admission of outpatients was infrequent in both groups (2% for BPA and 9% for GA). No significant difference was noted in 24-hour postoperative narcotic requirements between the BPA and GA groups.


The charging behavior of toner particles in two-component electrophotographic developers is consistent with a thermodynamic model of charging. This model, often referred to as the surface state model, provides a basis for determining triboelectric series. It can also be used to predict the magnitude of charge exchanged between particles provided the model parameters are known for each material. The surface state model was used in conjunction with triboelectric measurements to demonstrate this capability. Model parameters were determined experimentally from two-component mixtures made from several carriers and toners. The model was then used to calculate charging in three-component mixtures of the same toners and carriers. Excellent agreement was found between calculated and experimental charge-to-mass ratios. Multicomponent developer mixtures may arise in many practical situations, such as the introduction of new toner formulations into an existing product, cross-contamination of developers in multicolor copiers, and changes in the charging properties of toners and carriers resulting from developer aging in service. The presence of more than two components in a developer often causes developers to fail. The ability to predict tribocharging behavior of individual components in a multicomponent developer mixture is very useful in explaining observed developer failures and identifying potential problems. Several applications of surface state models in practical situations are discussed.


By the observation of chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization in (15)N NMR spectroscopy it has been shown that nitration of N-acetyltyrosine, even under acidic conditions, is largely a radical process. In the alkaline reaction of tyrosine with peroxynitrite the main products are nitrite and nitrate, both produced by a radical pathway, and tyrosine nitration is a minor reaction. It is suggested that tyrosine catalyzes the production of NO(*)(2) and HO(*) from peroxynitrite.


In vitro models of the peripheral nervous system would benefit from further refinements to better support studies on neuropathies. In particular, the assessment of pain-related signals is still difficult in human cell cultures. Here, we harnessed induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to generate peripheral sensory neurons enriched in nociceptors. The objective was to generate a culture system with signaling endpoints suitable for pharmacological and toxicological studies. Neurons generated by conventional differentiation protocols expressed moderate levels of P2X3 purinergic receptors and only low levels of TRPV1 capsaicin receptors, when maturation time was kept to the upper practically-useful limit of 6 weeks. As alternative approach, we generated cells with an inducible NGN1 transgene. Ectopic expression of this transcription factor during a defined time window of differentiation resulted in highly-enriched nociceptor cultures, as determined by functional (P2X3 and TRPV1 receptors) and immunocytochemical phenotyping, complemented by extensive transcriptome profiling. Single cell recordings of Ca2+-indicator fluorescence from >9,000 cells were used to establish the "fraction of reactive cells" in a stimulated population as experimental endpoint, that appeared robust, transparent and quantifiable. To provide an example of application to biomedical studies, functional consequences of prolonged exposure to the chemotherapeutic drug oxaliplatin were examined at non-cytotoxic concentrations. We found (i) neuronal (allodynia-like) hypersensitivity to otherwise non-activating mechanical stimulation that could be blocked by modulators of voltage-gated sodium channels; (ii) hyper-responsiveness to TRPV1 receptor stimulation. These findings and several other measured functional alterations indicate that the model is suitable for pharmacological and toxicological studies related to peripheral neuropathies.


Abstract. Vocalization is an important means of intra- and interspecific communication in anurans and is essential for reproduction. Here, we describe the advertisement and territorial calls of Pithecopus rusticus and determine the influence of air temperature and morphometric variables on advertisement call parameters. We recorded the vocalizations at the type-locality, in the municipality of Água Doce, state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, from September 2015 to February 2016. The advertisement call was composed of a short note, emitted sporadically, with a duration of 0.023 ± 0.002 ms (0.019–0.033 ms; n = 244). We recorded two types of territorial calls that were observed during the interaction between males. Territorial call I was composed of two notes and had a duration of 0.095 ± 0.043 ms (0.033–0.166 ms; n = 27). Territorial call II was a multipulsed note lasting 0.911 ± 0.340 ms (0.504–1.346 ms; n = 9) composed of 7–58 pulses emitted after territorial call I. Advertisement call duration was negatively related to air temperature. The duration and number of notes of the advertisement call of P. rusticus were similar to those of phylogenetically close species. Information on vocal repertoires of amphibians and factors influencing acoustic parameters are essential to understand the systematic taxonomy and evolution of groups, especially little-known species such as P. rusticus.


Abstract In this paper an algorithm is presented for deriving the explicit robust model based optimal control law. The system is represented by linear, discrete-time, time-invariant model with constraints on control and state variables and a quadratic objective function. Using the fundamentals of flexibility analysis the algorithm proposed in this paper derives the robust optimal control law off-line as a function of the state of the process, thus eliminating the repetitive solution of on-line optimisation problems. Hence, the on-line implementation is reduced to a sequence of simple function evaluations. The key advantageous features of the algorithm are demonstrated via an illustrative example.


This essay critiques Chad Hansen's "mass noun hypothesis," arguing that though most Classical Chinese nouns do function as mass nouns, this fact does not support the claim that pre-Qin thinkers treat the extensions of common nouns as mereological wholes, nor does it explain why they adopt nominalist semantic theories. The essay shows that early texts explain the use of common nouns by appeal to similarity relations, not mereological relations. However, it further argues that some early texts do characterize the relation between individuals and collections as a mereological relation.


Global climate change due to increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases has stimulated numerous studies and discussions about its possible impacts on water resources. Climate scenarios generated by climate models at spatial resolutions ranging from about 50 km to 400 km may not provide enough spatial specificity for use in impact assessment. In Parts I and II of this paper, the spatial specificity issue is addressed by examining what information on mesoscale and small-scale spatial features can be gained by using a regional climate model with a subgrid parameterization of orographic precipitation and land surface cover, driven by a general circulation model. Numerical experiments have been performed to simulate the present-day climatology and the climate conditions corresponding to a doubling of atmospheric CO 2 concentration. This paper describes and contrasts the large-scale and mesoscale features of the greenhouse warming climate signals simulated by the general circulation model and regional climate model over the Pacific Northwest. Results indicate that changes in the large-scale circulation exhibit strong seasonal variability. There is an average warming of about 28C, and precipitation generally increases over the Pacific Northwest and decreases over California. The precipitation signal over the Pacific Northwest is only statistically significant during spring, when both the change in the large-scale circulation and increase in water vapor enhance the moisture convergence toward the north Pacific coast. The combined effects of surface temperature and precipitation changes are such that snow cover is reduced by up to 50% on average, causing large changes in the seasonal runoff. This paper also describes the high spatial resolution (1.5 km) climate signals simulated by the regional climate model. Reductions in snow cover of 50%‐90% are found in areas near the snow line of the control simulation. Analyses of the variations of the climate signals with surface elevation ranging from sea level to 4000 m over two mountain ranges in the Pacific Northwest show that because of changes in the alitude of the freezing level, strong elevation dependency is found in the surface temperature, rainfall, snowfall, snow cover, and runoff signals.


The combined problems of contacting rough surfaces and pressure-induced flow in their interface are formulated and solved. The analysis is valid for thin gas films, where rarefaction effects are significant. The effects of the face loading surface roughness, material properties and operating conditions on the static sealing performance of mechanical gas seals are investigated. It is found that, as the surface roughness and the Knudsen number increase, the leakage also increases. For very low leakages, corresponding to high face loading, the effect of the Knudsen number on the leakage is still significant but the effect of the surface roughness diminishes. A semi-empirical model that relates the leakage with the face loading and the other relevant parameters is developed. This model favorably compares with available experimental data and provides a simple tool for evaluating static sealing performance of mechanical gas seals.


The ultrastructure of the oral (buccopharyngeal) membrane was examined by transmission and electron microscopy in the anuran, Rana japonica, embryo. The stomodeum is recognizable on the ventral surface anterior to the neural folds as the neural folds are beginning to close (neural tube stage). The stomodeum is gradually enlarged and deepened as development proceeds. At the neural tube stage, the oral membrane is 5–7 cell layers thick and the stomodeal ectodermal cells are cuboidal and the foregut endodermal cells are cuboidal or columnar. Desmosomes and basal lamina could not be found between the ectodermal and endodermal epithelia. The oral membrane gradually thins between the neural tube and hatching stages. At the hatching stage, the oral membrane becomes two or three cell layers thick and each cell is flattened. Many perforations of the oral membrane occur after hatching and the oral membrane appears "net‐like." Necrotic cells occur in the oral membrane and these cells contain many autophagic vacuoles. ACPase‐positive lysosomes, Golgi regions, and autophagic vacuoles were present in the oral membrane. At the asymmetrical trunk stage, a large part of the oral membrane disappears and only remnants are left.


In the 2016 Brexit referendum, Scotland voted decisively to Remain in the EU, while a UK-wide majority voted to Leave. This article discusses responses to the constitutional significance of a territorially divided result, both prior to and following the referendum, including in litigation over the 'constitutional requirements' necessary to trigger the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU under Article 50 TEU (R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union). It considers what these debates reveal about the uncertain and contested nature of the UK's territorial constitution, focusing on issues of constitutional security for devolved institutions and competences, and constitutional voice for the devolved territories in handling issues of intertwined competence. It argues that the Brexit episode reveals major weaknesses in the dominant reliance on political mechanisms to give recognition to the constitutional significance of devolution, which do not adequately displace continued legal adherence to the assumptions of a unitary constitution.


This paper explores the threat detection for general Social Engineering (SE) attack using Machine Learning (ML) techniques, rather than focusing on or limited to a specific SE attack type, e.g. email phishing. Firstly, this paper processes and obtains more SE threat data from the previous Knowledge Graph (KG), and then extracts different threat features and generates new datasets corresponding with three different feature combinations. Finally, 9 types of ML models are created and trained using the three datasets, respectively, and their performance are compared and analyzed with 27 threat detectors and 270 times of experiments. The experimental results and analyses show that: 1) the ML techniques are feasible in detecting general SE attacks and some ML models are quite effective; ML-based SE threat detection is complementary with KG-based approaches; 2) the generated datasets are usable and the SE domain ontology proposed in previous work can dissect SE attacks and deliver the SE threat features, allowing it to be used as a data model for future research. Besides, more conclusions and analyses about the characteristics of different ML detectors and the datasets are discussed.


One of the major components of the staphylococcal biofilm is surface proteins that assemble as scaffold components of the biofilm matrix. Among the different surface proteins able to contribute to biofilm formation, this review is dedicated to the Biofilm Associated Protein (Bap). Bap is part of the accessory genome of Staphylococcus aureus but orthologs of Bap in other staphylococcal species belong to the core genome. When present, Bap promotes adhesion to abiotic surfaces and induces strong intercellular adhesion by self-assembling into amyloid like aggregates in response to the levels of calcium and the pH in the environment. During infection, Bap enhances the adhesion to epithelial cells where it binds directly to the host receptor Gp96 and inhibits the entry of the bacteria into the cells. To perform such diverse range of functions, Bap comprises several domains, and some of them include several motifs associated to distinct functions. Based on the knowledge accumulated with the Bap protein of S. aureus, this review aims to summarize the current knowledge of the structure and properties of each domain of Bap and their contribution to Bap functionality.


Our purpose in this paper is two-fold: introduce a computationally-tractable decomposition of the coherence properties of light; and, present a general-purpose light-matter interaction framework for partially-coherent light. In a recent publication, Steinberg and Yan [2021] introduced a framework that generalises the classical radiometry-based light transport to physical optics. This facilitates a qualitative increase in the scope of optical phenomena that can be rendered, however with the additional expressibility comes greater analytic difficulty: This coherence of light, which is the core quantity of physical light transport, depends initially on the characteristics of the light source, and mutates on interaction with matter and propagation. Furthermore, current tools that aim to quantify the interaction of partially-coherent light with matter remain limited to specific materials and are computationally intensive. To practically represent a wide class of coherence functions, we decompose their modal content in Hermite-Gauss space and derive a set of light-matter interaction formulae, which quantify how matter scatters light and affects its coherence properties. Then, we model matter as a locally-stationary random process, generalizing the prevalent deterministic and stationary stochastic descriptions. This gives rise to a framework that is able to formulate the interaction of arbitrary partially-coherent light with a wide class of matter. Indeed, we will show that our presented formalism unifies a few of the state-of-the-art scatter and diffraction formulae into one cohesive theory. This formulae include the sourcing of partially-coherent light, scatter by rough surfaces and microgeometry, diffraction grating and interference by a layered structure.


A 10-year-old female Golden Retriever was presented for a recheck after the complete removal of low-grade complex mammary carcinoma. The in-house ProCyte Dx automated counts revealed moderate regenerative anemia and moderate eosinophilia. The ProCyte Dx WBC scattergram showed a cloud in an unusual place parallel and to the right of the monocyte dot plot location. Cells were classified as either monocytes or neutrophils with no clear separation. Complete blood count analysis performed in the laboratory on a Sysmex XT-2000iV analyzer showed moderate regenerative anemia and WBC count within RI; a differential count was not provided by the instrument. On the Sysmex XT-2000iV DIFF scattergram, neutrophil and eosinophil dot plots were present at the respective locations and appeared separated, but the instrument did not provide numerical results. In addition to the normal lymphocyte dot plot location, the second cloud of cells classified as lymphocytes was displayed to the right of the monocyte dot plot area. On the WBC/BASO scattergram, the second population of cells was present above and to the right of the leukocyte cluster. Morphologic assessment of the blood smear detected mastocytemia with 16% poorly granulated and degranulated mast cells. FNAs from the liver and spleen contained large aggregates of poorly granulated mast cells. C-kit somatic mutation screening detected the presence of point mutation S479I in exon 9 of the canine c-KIT gene. This is the first description of abnormal scattergrams from ProCyte Dx and Sysmex XT-2000iV analyzers in a dog with concurrent mastocytemia and systemic mastocytosis, and where cytologic assessments of a blood smear, liver, and spleen, and c-kit somatic mutation analysis were performed.


Background and Aim: Knowledge of the changes of lower limb joint angles during landing provides good fundamental understanding to prevent knee injuries in people with flatfeet. Hence, the purpose of the present study was to compare lower limb angles as ACL risk factor during single leg drop landing in athletes with flatfeet and normal. Materials and Methods: In the current investigation, 10 young male athletes with flatfeet and 10 young male athletes with normal foot participated. The foot arch was measured using navicular drop test. Navicular drop between 5 to 9 mm was classified as normal foot and navicular drop greater than 10 mm as flatfeet. The kinematic and kinetic data were recorded using motion analysis and force plate. Data processing was performed via Mathlab software and lower limb angles parameters in knee maximum flexion in three motion plates were statistically analyzed running MANOVA at significance level of α = 0/05. Results: Significant differences were observed between the two groups in knee valgus (p=0/045) and hip adduction (p=0/037) angles in frontal plane. No Significant differences were observed between the two groups in other joint angles in other planes. Conclusion: According to the results, changes in the normal structure of the foot arch and consequently body alignment might affect lower limb angles in daily activities and sport that can cause changes in the pattern of injuries. The results of the current study can help better organize a rehabilitation program and activities for those with flatfeet.


The clinical usefulness of detecting abnormal movement of the posterior wall of the aortic root by M-mode echocardiography was studied in 93 patients with common cardiac diseases (mitral and aortic valve disease, atrial septal defect, hypertrophic and congestive cardiomyopathy) and in 17 normal subjects. Though abnormally slow (less than 3 cm/s) or prolonged (greater than 240 ms) diastolic movement was confirmed to be common in mitral stenosis, since it occurred in 35 of 36 patients it was non-specific. Similar abnormalities frequently occurred in other patients with, for example, mitral regurgitation, aortic valve disease, after aortic valve replacement, and in both hypertrophic and congestive cardiomyopathy. The severity of mitral stenosis, assessed at operation, could not be accurately predicted from abnormalities of aortic root movement. Information derived from aortic movement was not diagnostic and did not predict severity in isolated mitral regurgitation though both the peak rate of systolic aortic motion and total aortic excursion were significantly greater than normal. We conclude that abnormalities of posterior aortic wall movement are frequent and their specificity and clinical usefulness are limited.


An ecologist9s study of reindeer has touched off a firestorm. Each year, Sami herders in Norway file compensation claims for tens of thousands of reindeer deaths that they blame on carnivores, primarily lynx and wolverines. Ecologist Torkild Tveraa, however, pins the blame on overpopulation: The land simply cannot support the herds. Tveraa, who is with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research in Tromso, first presented his case in a government-funded report last year, and he added new analysis in a study published in the October issue of the Journal ofApplied Ecology. The government has pointed to the findings as exonerating the threatened lynx and wolverines, which are already protected by strict hunting limits. To the Sami, however, the study threatens an economic lifeline.


This study investigated whether hot water immersion (HWI) could heat acclimate athletes and improve intermittent running performance and perception of in-game running ability, during a competitive Australian Rules Football (ARF) season. Fifteen male semi-professional ARF athletes (Mean (SD); age: 22 (3) years, height: 182.3 (6.5) cm, mass: 80.5 (5.1) kg) completed either HWI (HEAT, N = 8, 13 (2) sessions, 322 (69) min exposure, 39.5 (0.3) °C) or acted as a control (CON, N = 7, no water immersion) over 6-weeks. Athletes completed a 30–15 Intermittent Fitness Test pre and post-intervention to assess intermittent running performance (VIFT), with perception of in-game running ability measured. Heat acclimation was determined via change in resting plasma volume, as well as physiological and perceptual responses during HWI. HEAT elicited large PV expansion (mean ± 90% CI: d = 1.03 ± 0.73), large decreases in heart rate (d = -0.89 ± 0.70), thermal sensation (d = -2.30 ± 1.15) and tympanic temperature (d = -1.18 ± 0.77). Large improvements in VIFT were seen in HEAT (d = 1.67 ± 0.93), with HEAT showing a greater improvement in VIFT when compared to CON (d = 0.81 ± 0.88). HEAT also showed greater belief that in-game running ability improved post-intervention (d = 2.15 ± 1.09) compared to CON. A 6-week HWI intervention can elicit heat acclimation, improve perception of in-game running ability, and potentially improve VIFT in semi-professional ARF athletes.


This paper addresses the problem of joint routing and radio resource management in multihop cellular networks with fixed relays. The objective is to maximize the total network utility. This paper focuses on quality of service (QoS-) sensitive applications that are captured by sigmoidal-like utility functions. The non-concavity of the user utility functions, the complex relation between routing decisions and network resource allocation, and the dependence of link capacities on all interfering transmission powers render the problem non-convex, and extremely difficult to solve. However, we present a meta-heuristic based on genetic algorithms that solves the problem successfully, efficiently and globally.


2112 STA-4783 is a novel compound that enhances anti-cancer activity of paclitaxel in animal models, and is currently in a Phase I clinical trial. The objectives for pre-clinical toxicology were to profile acute toxicity induced by STA-4783 alone and in combination with paclitaxel in rats, mice, and dogs. The pivotal studies were conducted in compliance with GLP guidelines and included STA-4783 alone and in combination with paclitaxel by bolus intravenous (i.v.) administration into rats or three hours i.v. infusion into dogs. Assessment of toxicity was based on mortality, clinical observations, body weight changes, clinical chemistry and hematology, and anatomic pathology. The LD50 of STA-4783 in rats and mice after a bolus i.v. injection was >200 mg/kg, although this dose level did cause some mortality in both rodent species. An LD50 could not be determined in dogs, as the highest dose of 37.5 mg/kg, determined by the solubility limits, did not produce mortality. Overall, rats and dogs tolerated STA-4783 at the dose of 125 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg, respectively. Throughout most of the dose ranges tested, the toxicity of the STA-4783/paclitaxel drug combination was similar to that of paclitaxel administered alone or attributed to paclitaxel based on clinical observations and macroscopic findings at necropsy consistent with paclitaxel toxicity. In summary, the studies suggest that there was no additional significant toxicity as a result of STA-4783 treatment in combination with paclitaxel in acute toxicity assessment in rats and dogs.


Crash prediction models are used extensively in highway safety analysis. This paper discusses a recently developed data-mining technique to predict motor vehicle crashes: the multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) technique. MARS shows promising predictive power and does not suffer from a black-box limitation. Negative binomial (NB) and MARS models were fitted and compared with the use of extensive data collected on unsignalized intersections in Florida. Two models were estimated for rear-end crash frequency at three-and four-legged unsignalized intersections. Treatment of crash frequency as a continuous response variable to fit a MARS model was also examined by normalizing crash frequency with the natural logarithm of the annual average daily traffic. The combination of MARS with a machine learning technique (random forest) was explored and discussed. The significant factors that affected rear-end crashes were traffic volume on the major road, upstream and downstream distances to the nearest signalized intersection, median type on the major approach, land use at the intersection's influence area, and geographic location within the state. The study showed that MARS could predict crashes almost like the traditional NB models, and its goodness-of-fit performance was encouraging. The use of MARS to predict continuous response variables yielded more favorable results than its use to predict discrete response variables. The generated MARS models showed the most promising results after the covariates were screened by using random forest.


Background: Subgroup analyses of patients with concomitant cardiovascular (CV) diseases may help characterise safety profiles of COPD maintenance therapies. Aims and objectives : To compare the serious cardiac adverse event (SCAE) profiles, including fatalities, of patients with baseline CV conditions in a pooled analysis of 4 double-blind, randomized, parallel-group clinical trials of tiotropium HandiHaler® (HH) vs salmeterol metered dose inhaler (MDI). Methods: Incidence rates (IR): number of patients with event divided by 100 patient-years at risk. Rate ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI): derived from Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test stratified by study. Results: In total, 8836 patients were included. The IRs of SCAEs, and fatalities from cardiac diseases, during treatment by CV conditions at baseline are in the table. Conclusion: Tiotropium once daily via HH showed a comparable cardiac safety profile to salmeterol MDI in subgroups with CV conditions at baseline.


The banking system in general incorporates various risks that require taking precautions and adequate procedures to manage and control these risks according to the international best practice in order to mitigate potential risk exposures or avoid them. As a result of the increasing financial crisis in countries around the globe that resulted in the collapse of many reputable international banking institutions, which was a result of the inadequate managing and controlling their risks. In this context, the Basel II accords was introduced in the year 2006, and made a major impact on the banking supervision.
Although major differences exist between Islamic and conventional banks, it is required for Islamic banks to cope with international banking standards and provide viable and safe banking grounds. Generally, this study has revealed that the two selected banks have: a capital adequacy ratio higher than the Basel Committee's minimum level of 8%, there are a growth intentions of risk management and required to comply with the standardized approach and measure risk exposure for capital adequacy. On the other hand most of the Islamic banks have a lot of problems in: calculating capital adequacy ratio, the supervisory review process and the market discipline. As in the case of all banks in emerging countries that are not fully capable of implementing Basel II accords, Islamic banks do not possess the adequate levels of core requirements for such practices, which reflect a negative outlook for the readiness to commit to Basel II requirements.


Corrective feedback has received significant attention in English language teaching, and its role has been highly substantial. Considering the importance of corrective feedback in EFL classes, this study aimed at finding the effects of indirect and gradual CF on Iranian EFL learners' grammatical development and their beliefs toward CF. Twenty EFL learners, meeting the criterion of being lower-intermediate in their proficiency, participated in this study and were divided randomly into two groups of indirect and gradual CF. An Oxford Placement Test, Aljaafreh and Lantolf's (1994) regulatory scale, error correction test, writing tasks, and Corrective Feedback Belief Scale were used as data collection instruments. The indirect group received indirect CF based on cognitive theory and the gradual group received feedback based on Aljaafreh and Lantolf's (1994) regulatory scale for four sessions. The findings obtained from Mann-Whitney U tests revealed that the gradual group which received CF based on sociocultural theory was better able to overcome the problems related to simple present and present progressive tenses than the indirect group which received indirect CF based on cognitive theory. The findings also indicated that all learners, both gradual and indirect, preferred receiving CF and both groups always preferred to be corrected and likewise, both groups considered the teacher as the main provider of CF. The results of this study suggest that gradual feedback based on learners' ZPD was more effective in improving EFL learners' grammar development. In conclusion, these findings support the idea that social interaction is a prerequisite for cognitive development.