Abstract This theoretical paper is about the role of emotions in historical reasoning in the context of classroom discussions. Peer deliberations around texts have become important practices in history education according to progressive pedagogies. However, in the context of issues involving emotions, such approaches may result in an obstacle for historical clairvoyance. The expression of strong emotions may bias the use of sources, compromise historical reasoning, and impede argumentative dialogue. Coping with emotions in the history classrooms is a new challenge in history education. In this paper, we suggest that rather than attempting to foster positive emotion only or to avoid emotions all together, we should look at ways of engaging with emotion in history teaching. We present examples of peer deliberations on charged historical topics according to three pedagogical approaches that address emotions in different ways. The protocols we present open numerous questions: (a) whether facilitating engagement with own and the other's emotions may lead to better processing of information and better deliberation of a historical question; (b) whether promoting national pride boosts reliance on collective narratives; and (c) whether adopting a critical teaching approach eliminates emotions and biases. Based on these examples and findings in social psychology, we bring forward working hypotheses according to which we suggest that instead of dodging emotional issues, teachers should harness emotions – not only positive but also negative ones, to critical and productive engagement in classroom activities.


Helicobacter pylori was cultured and Helicobacter‐like organisms (HLO) were seen in 6 (16%) of 37 children with recurrent abdominal pain. Five children had concomitant histological inflammation, but none had endoscopic changes. All 6 children demonstrated positive serology. Compared with the total group, they were more often from developing countries, larger families and lower Social groups. Treatment with phenoxymethyl penicillin and colloidal bismuth subcitrate did not result in side effects or elevated serum levels of serum bismuth. Three children demonstrated metronidazole‐resistant strains and the treatment of these children remained an unsolved problem. Among the 31 H. pylori/ HLO negative children 8 (26%) demonstrated histological changes, 5 (16%) endoscopic changes and 11 (35%) had positive serology. In conclusion, pathological findings at upper gastrointestinal endoscopy are common in children with recurrent abdominal pain. Because of disconcordance between endoscopy, histology and culture, we recommend that biopsies should always be taken to clarify the diagnosis.


A radiation hardened by design 32times36 b register file with error detection and correction (EDAC) capability is presented. The lightweight EDAC scheme (LEDAC) supports fine granularity (byte) writes, with low area and latency overhead, suitable for small, fast memories such as register file and first-level cache memory. The LEDAC scheme is described and its impact on memory efficiency and speed are quantified. The register file has been tested to be functional on a foundry 0.13 mum bulk CMOS process with a measured speed over 1 GHz at VDD=1.5 V. The LEDAC scheme is implemented in an external FPGA. Accelerated heavy ion testing results are also described. The experimentally measured RHBD register file SEE behavior is examined, and the proposed LEDAC scheme is shown to alleviate all soft errors in accelerated testing.


The aim of this study is to investigate the prefaces, introductory sections, tables of contents, indices, appendices and glossaries in the Italian and French translations of William Buchan's Domestic Medicine (1 st ed., Edinburgh, 1769). The editions under scrutiny here are the 6 th in English (1779, London), the 2 nd in French (1780-, Paris) and the Italian edition issued in Milan (1785-). The analysis will focus on the methodology adopted in the process of translation and adaptation, as they emerge from paratextual sections; the same sections (particularly tables of contents, indices, appendices), along with extracts from the main body, will exemplify textual and discourse features in the three languages (similarities, correspondences, differences, additions, adaptations, omissions, etc.).The analysis also highlights how the widespread process of translation and adaptation of texts in the last quarter of eighteenth-century Europe is essential to the dissemination and the elaboration of contemporary medical issues (as disciplinary knowledge), with a view on specific medical practices.


As the conventional sources are limited, world has to move towards new sources of energy and they are renewable sources like wind, solar etc. Wind technology has been started many years ago, as it is clean and free energy source worldwide. In this paper the variable wind turbine, how they interface with power electronics and with interface and different control techniques of wind able to reduce fluctuations in variable speed wind turbine, sinusoidal electrical energy to be penetrated in to the load/grid. This paper discuss the most emerging renewable energy source, wind energy, which by means of power electronics is changing from being a minor energy source to be acting as an important power source in the energy system. By that wind power is also getting an added value in the power system operation (2).


The branching enzyme (EC 220.127.116.11) catalyzes the formation of α-1,6 branch points in starch. In this study, the Geobacillus thermoglucosidans gene-encoding branching enzyme was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and the protein was isolated and characterized. G. thermoglucosidans branching enzyme is a thermostable enzyme with an optimal reaction temperature of nearly 60°C and a half-life at 65°C of approximately 1.1 h. The activity of the recombinant enzyme is optimal at pH 7.5, with broad stability between pH 5.5 and 9.0. Its thermostability, relatively broad pH stability and optimal temperature near the temperature at which starch begins to gelatinize may make it easy to use in industrial production. Furthermore, the enzyme is activated by Mg2+, Ba2+, K+ and Na+ in a concentration-dependent manner and dramatically inhibited by Ni2+ and Co2+. Its substrate dependence, using amylopectin as the substrate, could be adequately fitted using the Michaelis-Menten equation, yielding a Km of 0.99 mg/ml. High-performance anion exchange chromatography results showed that the chain length distribution of branching enzyme-treated waxy corn starch is indistinguishable from that of the branching enzyme-treated common corn starch. This enzyme may therefore be a promising tool for the enzymatic modification of starch.


A preparative procedure is described by which well-preserved nodes of Ranvier from isolated frog peripheral nerve fibres may be obtained. The following steps are crucial: careful and gentle dissection and isolation of a single nerve fibre, mounting in a chamber limiting lateral movements of the fibre during the fluid exchange, simultaneous glutaraldehyde-OsO4 fixation and embedding in the same chamber used for fixation. Serial sectioning of individual nodes from both motor and sensory fibres made it possible to reconstitute three-dimensional models of several nodes and to study their morphology extensively. In addition to well-known ultrastructural features of the nodal and paranodal architecture, evaginations of a nodal membrane containing mitochondria and outpouchings of the paranodal axoplasm containing vesicles are described.


Recently, much controversy has been generated about what Tony Crosland would have made of New Labour. Critics and supporters of the Blair project alike have laid claim to Crosland's legacy. For some it is evidence of New Labour's integrity; for others it confirms the party's betrayal of social democratic values. An examination of the arguments in The Future of Socialism indicates that it is neither. In this article, I offer a new appraisal of that text that challenges the orthodox analysis of it. Most accounts present the volume as a theoretical and original statement, one seeking to align British socialism with Swedish social democracy. I argue that the volume does not offer this kind of original contribution to debates about socialism. It is neither primarily a theoretical volume nor one that breaks decisively with the insularity that has shaped the trajectory of British socialism. I maintain that the importance of Crosland's legacy is emotional and symbolic: it offers Labour a charismatic and reassuring image of the party's past.


Ever since 1788, Australia's economic well being has, for good or ill, been affected by the international economy. The authors trace that relationship from the late nineteenth-century onwards. The book is arranged in four chronological sections: pre-First World War, the inter-war period, from the Second World War to 1959 and Australia since 1960. The opening chapter in each section discusses the international economy during the period, the second and third chapters look at the impact of the international economy on the Australian economy. Each section gives a clear account of the political and commercial influences which underlie economic developments. This book fills the need for an introductory text in this area for undergraduate students of economics, politics and history since the text does not assume any previous knowledge of Australian economy or history. It is also useful for the general reader who wishes to understand the international framework within which the Australian economy operates.


The debate over linguistic reclamation, the appropriation of a pejorative epithet by its target(s), is generally conceived of as a simple binary of support and opposition. I offer an alternative conceptualization that shows both the complex contrasts and commonalities within the debate. Specifically, I identify three perspectives: (1) that the term is inseparable from its pejoration and therefore its reclamation is opposed; (2) that it is separable from its pejoration and therefore its reclamation is supported; and (3) that it is inseparable from its pejoration and therefore its reclamation is supported. Additionally, by examining different goals within and across reclamations, I demonstrate the difficulty of assigning a fixed outcome of success or failure. Although the term queer serves as the primary case study, the terms black, nigger, cunt, and dyke supplement and expand the discussion from a specific study of queer to linguistic reclamation in general.


The present study investigates the growth of Parastacus defossus Faxon, 1898, a fossorial species known only from Brazil (state of Rio Grande do Sul) and Uruguay. The estimated growth curve was calculated for animals from the wild and for juveniles cultivated in the laboratory. The specimens were collected monthly between January, 2003 to August, 2005, in Lami region, municipality of Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The VON BERTALANFFY (1938) growth model was used to estimate the growth curve . To calculate the modal values from the frequency distributions the software PeakFit 4.12© SeaSolve Inc., was employed. The growth curve for field animals is described by the equation: Lt = 30,98 [1 - e-0,0026 (t+44,86)] and for the juveniles cultivated in laboratory: Lt = 19,29 [1 - e-0,0048 (t+37,14)]. It was shown that, under laboratory conditions, the growth was slower than in the field. By comparing the data of P. defossus with those of P. brasiliensis (von Martens, 1869), it was possible to verify a slower growth, both in laboratory as under field conditions. The longevity of the studied species (1198.7 days or 40 months) also showed to be lower when compared to P. brasiliensis.


Although plant-derived essential oils (EOs) have traditionally been used for treating various kinds of mental disorders, their Central Nervous System (CNS) acting effects have not yet been clarified well. The present study examined effects of 30 kinds of EOs on ambulatory activity, a kind of spontaneous motor activity, in ICR mice. Nineteen kinds of them did not produce any significant effects on the ambulatory activity of mice. Although effects of EOs of lavender, jasmine and neroli on the activity were statistically significant, their CNS acting properties remained unclear. EOs of peppermint, chamomile, thyme, tea tree, rosemary and basil significantly increased the ambulatory activity of mice as well as CNS stimulants, suggesting that they possess CNS stimulant-like effects. In contrast, an EO of myrtle significantly decreased the activity as well as CNS depressants, suggesting that it possesses a CNS depressant-like effect. An EO of palmarosa significantly increased the activity at a lower dose and decreased at a higher dose as well as some kinds of CNS depressants such as ethanol, suggesting that it also possesses a CNS depressant-like effect. These 8 kinds of EOs might be useful for treating some kinds of mental troubles and/or symptoms through their CNS acting effects.


Uveïtis are remarkable for the diversity of their clinical forms, as well as for the variety of their origins. Their precise aetiological research, which sometimes needs further investigations, is only found, on average, in 50% of the cases. While filling uveïtis according to the eye-zone especially affected, we are explaining the principal known causes.


End feature point extraction is the foundation and an important step of skeleton extraction. However, most of current methods of end feature point extraction are high memory cost, computationally intensive, and also require complex data structures. In this paper, we propose an efficient and accurate end feature point extraction algorithm. First, we automatically extract end feature points of the model according to Morse function based on geodesic distance of human body model. Then, we optimize the data structure and code of our algorithm. The experimental results show that our algorithm complexity is low and our algorithm is accurate and fully automatic.


Background: Piroxicam is an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic drug. Piroxicam is widely used in the management of chronic pain. The objective of this work was to develop and analyze topical Piroxicam microemulgel to improve drug solubility, enhance permeation, reduce GIT side effects reduce the frequency of the drug. Method: The Piroxicam microemulgel was prepared by drawing the pseudo ternary phase picture and water titration procedure.  Formulation was prepared by using isopropyl myristate as an oil, Tween 80 as an surfactant, n-butanol as Co-surfactant and water. It was converted to gel by using 1% Carbopol 940 and few drops of ethanolamine. The prepared formulation was characterized for thermodynamic stability, pH, droplet size, viscosity, FTIR,DSC, electrical conductivity, dye solubility drug content, and in-vitro release using a Franz diffusion cell. Result: Microemulgel formulation was thermodynamically stable on visual inspection after being treated with a freeze-thaw cycle and centrifugation. pH of formulation was 6.5. The mean droplet size for ME gel was 100±0.472nm. The viscosity of the microemulgel was 90.4±0.01 cps which showed Newtonian flow. FTIR and DSC studies showed that microemulgel was compatible with its excipients. Electrical conductivity and dye solubility testing confirmed that the microemulgel was O/W. Piroxicam microemulsion gel showed 89.89% drug content and the release rate of piroxicam was 98±8.63% after 48h. It followed the Korsmeyer Pappas model which means it was a hydrogel-based system. Conclusion: Microemulsion gel formulation obtained remarkably inflated skin retention for piroxicam over the piroxicam gel. It might act as a promising vehicle for the topical delivery of poor water-soluble drugs.


Cancer stem cells (CSCs) in colorectal cancer (CRC) help maintain tumor heterogeneity, promote tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis, and produce resistance to therapeutic agents. The origin of colorectal CSCs, however, is unclear. Our recent studies showed that a macrophage-induced bystander effect (MIBE) induced gene expression of stem/progenitor cell markers including Ly6A/E and Dclk1 in murine colonic epithelial cells, implying that MIBE helps induce colorectal CSCs. In current studies we show that commensal-triggered MIBE activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling and induces dedifferentiation of colonic epithelial cells during colorectal carcinogenesis, thus contributing to the origin of colorectal CSCs. Exposure of murine primary epithelial cells (YAMC) to commensal-polarized macrophages induced phosphorylated Gsk3β (Ser 9 ), active β-catenin, and Tcf4, suggesting activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling by MIBE. In vivo, active β-catenin was evident in both stromal and epithelial cells for colon biopsies from E. faecalis-colonized Il10 −/− mice compared to sham-colonized mice. In addition, we showed that 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), a byproduct of lipid peroxidation of ω6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) mediated activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Epigenetic analysis revealed that MIBE activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling through DNA methylation in the CpG islands of secreted frizzled-related protein 2 (Sfrp2), a soluble modulator of Wnt. Next, we showed that exposure of YAMC cells to 4-HNE and TNFα induced expression of c-Myc, Klf4, Oct4, and Sox2―factors essential for pluripotent stem cells. Immunofluorescent staining of colon biopsies from E. faecalis-colonized Il10 −/− mice showed increased expression of these factors in colonic epithelial cells, suggesting dedifferentiation induced by MIBE. This was confirmed by qRT-PCR and Western blots that showed increased expression of Dclk1 and CD44, two markers for colorectal CSCs. Furthermore, increased expression of DCLK1 was noted in human tubular adenomas and invasive CRCs compared to hyperplastic polyps. Finally, inhibition of β-catenin/TCF4 using FH535, and by silencing CTNNB1, decreased DCLK1 expression in HCT116 human colon cancer cells, supporting the notion that Wnt/β-catenin signaling induces cellular dedifferentiation leading to colorectal CSCs. In summary, these results demonstrate that commensal-polarized macrophages activate Wnt/β-catenin signaling and induce dedifferentiation of colonic epithelial cells through 4-HNE and TNFα-mediated bystander effects. These findings provide new evidence for the origin of CSCs in colorectal carcinogenesis and should lead to novel strategies for CRC prevention and therapy. Citation Format: Xingmin Wang, Yonghong Yang, Mark M. Huycke. Macrophage-induced bystander effect activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling and induces cellular dedifferentiation. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1713.


Historicism as notion has two variants formulated by E. Husserl and K. Popper. Husserl opposed this notion to the eternal ideal of scientific philosophy, Popper opposed it to the «our» epoch knowledge. The overcoming of historicism Husserl sees in the «spiritual motivations» comprehension of mankind development in the «monadic unity of consciousness».


Antimicrobial photodynamic inactivation (aPDI) serves as a new approach to control the growth of foodborne bacteria. It remains elusive if the photodynamic efficacy of hypocrellin B (HB) can be potentiated by joint action with curcumin. In this study, we measured the survival rate of Staphylococcus aureus strains under the varying photodynamic conditions. According to our data, a maximum of 5–6 log10 decrease of bacterial survival can be achieved under the tested conditions (500 nM, 9 J cm‒2). Regarding the bactericidal mechanisms, HB‐based aPDI disrupted the membrane integrity of staphylococcal cells, probably owing to the stimulated reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, aPDI disrupted the enzymatic activities of bacterial antioxidant proteins and caused the leakage of multiple intracellular substances. The HB‐mediated photodynamic efficacy was potentiated by the addition of curcumin with a sublethal dose. This dual‐photon synergy arose from unique aPDI conditions (100 nM each and 9 J cm‒2). The synergistic action might be accounted for by the increased type I/type II ratio of ROS, as evidenced by the effect of different quenchers. Finally, the joint use of photosensitizers reduced the microbial contamination of the tested apple while maintaining its quality. In summary, photodynamic inactivation based on dual photons showed synergistic activity in controlling the growth of Staphylococcal aureus, which provided a novel approach to maintain food safety.


Pool chemicals are among the most common household substances and are used to protect health in recreational waters. Pool chemicals containing chlorine safeguard against recreational-water illnesses caused by disease-causing pathogens, such as the diarrhea-causing Cryptosporidium. They also enhance disinfection by regulating water pH. But even though these materials are regularly handled by homeowners, most don't ever realize that they are handling pesticides. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Fred Fishel, and published by the UF Department of Agronomy, September 2014.


In consistent null subject languages (= NSL; including Arabic, Italian, or Irish), silent subject pronouns are interpreted as exclusively referential, while a third person singular pro is exclusively generic in non-consistent NSL (e.g. Finnish or Hebrew). A third person singular generic is available in consistent NSL, but only with a specific voice, e.g. Passive. The article provides a minimalist treatment of the referential/generic correlations and distributions in these two classes of languages. It is proposed that referential pro in consistent NSL merges as a topic specifier of T, and generic pro as specifier of Voice. Pronominal deficiency is argued to be the core property of the 'impersonal' Passive. The subject status of expletives in Arabic is questioned, and they are rather construed as 'backgrounding' topics.


In order to determine how sustainable online grocery shopping is as a practice, it is crucial to have an in-depth understanding of its drivers. This paper therefore validates the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) in the context of e-grocery and enriches it with five constructs. We exploit a self-administered survey among 560 customers of two Belgian supermarkets and test the model by means of hierarchical multiple regression analysis. We do so not only for the full sample, but also for users and non-users separately. For the full sample, four of the five proposed context-specific constructs—namely, perceived risk, perceived time pressure, perceived in-store shopping enjoyment, and innovativeness—help better explain the intention to adopt or continue to use e-grocery services. In the subsamples, only perceived time pressure and innovativeness add explanatory power, and this only for non-users. In other words, the additional constructs primarily help discriminate between users and non-users. In addition, while the extended model outperforms the original UTAUT2 model for all three samples, the added value of the extended model does not so much lie in a higher explained variance, but rather in a more correct identification of the drivers of BI.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Immune-based therapies have revolutionized cancer treatments. Cardiovascular sequelae from these treatments, however, have emerged as critical complications, representing new challenges in cardio-oncology. Immune therapies include a broad range of novel drugs, from antibodies and other biologics, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and bispecific T-cell engagers, to cell-based therapies, such as chimeric-antigen receptor T-cell therapies. The recognition of immunotherapy-associated cardiovascular side effects has also catapulted new research questions revolving around the interactions between the immune and cardiovascular systems, and the signaling cascades affected by T cell activation, cytokine release, and immune system dysregulation. Here, we review the specific mechanisms of immune activation from immunotherapies and the resulting cardiovascular toxicities associated with immune activation and excess cytokine production.


ABSTRACT The present investigation was undertaken to assess the proportion of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains among hospital-acquired isolates and to determine the clones of MRSA currently circulating in Poland by using a number of molecular techniques. Between January and May 2005, methicillin resistance was investigated among a total of 915 S. aureus isolates collected from 39 hospitals. A total of 208 (22.7%) isolates were positive for the mecA gene by PCR. The molecular characterization of MRSA isolates was carried out by the multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat fingerprinting, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, multilocus sequence typing, and staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec) typing methods. The Hungarian (PFGE B; ST239, SCCmec type III [ST239-III]), Iberian (ST247-I), and Berlin (ST45-IV) clones were predominant, representing approximately 52.9, 11.5, and 10.0% of the MRSA isolates, respectively. A decline in the proportion of earlier MRSA clones, such as ST5-IV (a Pediatric clone), ST80-IV) (a Mediterranean clone), ST239-III (a Polish and Brazilian clone), and ST30-IV (a southwest Pacific clone) was observed. Additionally, the emergence of an MRSA clone with SCCmec type V, possibly representing a community-acquired strain, was observed in two hospitals during this study.


Under most experimental conditions, the activities of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA reductase) and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase, change together in parallel directions. It has been suggested that newly synthesized cholesterol may be the preferred substrate for cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase, which may account for the observed synchronous behavior of the two enzymes. To test this hypothesis, mevinolinic acid, a potent competitive inhibitor of HMG-CoA reductase, was administered as a single intravenous bolus (10 mg/kg) to rats with a chronic bile fistula. Bile acid synthesis was determined following inhibition of HMG-CoA reductase by mevinolinic acid over a 27-h time course and specific activities of HMG-CoA reductase and cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase were determined in liver microsomes. At 3, 6, and 27 h after a bolus dose of mevinolinic acid, bile acid synthesis was reduced by 54 +/- 5%, 42 +/- 8%, and 23 +/- 13%, respectively, from preinfusion baseline. Within 30 min after administration of mevinolinic acid, HMG-CoA reductase activity was inhibited by at least 87%. At 0.5, 1.5, 3, 6, and 27 h after mevinolinic acid injection, cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity was decreased by 6%, 25%, 54%, 41%, and 17%, respectively. By 27 h, the activities of both enzymes had returned to baseline levels. The reduction of bile acid synthesis correlated closely with the observed changes in the activities of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase. In vitro addition of mevinolinic acid (up to 20 microM) to rat liver microsomes failed to inhibit cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity, suggesting no direct effect of mevinolinic acid on enzyme activity. When a bolus dose of mevinolinic acid was coupled with a continuous infusion of mevalonate, the product of the reaction catalyzed by HMG-CoA reductase, the mevinolinic acid-induced decrease in cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity and bile acid synthesis was prevented. The results of this study provide evidence that, under the experimental conditions described, there is a linkage between the rates of cholesterol synthesis and the activities of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase. The data also emphasize the importance of the newly synthesized cholesterol in the regulation of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase activity.


Understanding the seismic vulnerability of building structures is important for seismic engineers, building owners, risk insurers and governments. Seismic vulnerability defines a buildings predisposition to be damaged as a result of an earthquake of a given severity. There are two components to seismic risk; the seismic hazard and the exposure of the structural inventory to any given earthquake event. This paper demonstrates the development of fragility curves at different damage states using a detailed mechanical model of a moment resisting reinforced concrete structure typical of Southern Europe. The mechanical model consists of a complex three-dimensional finite element model of the reinforced concrete moment resisting frame structure and is used to define the damage states through pushover analysis. Fragility curves are also defined using the HAZUS macro-seismic methodology and the Risk-UE macro-seismic methodology. Comparison of the mechanically modelled and HAZUS fragility curve shows good agreement while the Risk-UE methodology shows reasonably poor agreement.


Hydrotalcite-supported gold nanoparticles (Au/HT) were found to be a highly efficient heterogeneous catalyst for the aerobic oxidation of alcohols under mild reaction conditions (40°C, in air). This catalyst system does not require any additives and is applicable to a wide range of alcohols, including less reactive cyclohexanol derivatives. This Au/HT catalyst could also function in the oxidation of 1-phenylethanol under neat conditions; the turnover number (TON) and turnover frequency (TOF) reached 200,000 and 8,300 h -1 , respectively. These values are among the highest values compared to those of other reported catalyst systems at high conversion. Moreover, the Au/HT can be recovered by simple filtration and reused without any loss of its activity and selectivity.


Long distance recaptures of banded bats from Eastern European countries (Belarus, Ukraine, European part of Russia) has been lacking for decades. The last transboundary recapture was recorded in the end of the 1960s. We herewith report a new long-distance recapture of a noctule ( Nyctalus noctula). The fresh carcass of a ringed adult female noctule was found in South-East Hungary on 22 May 2014. The bat was mist-netted and ringed on31 May 2011 on the territory of Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, in North Ukraine. The direct distant between two locations is 800 km. Download the complete issue.


The purpose of this research project was to investigate the bioelectrical behaviour of meridians in comparison with surrounding tissues in male volunteers using a stimulation frequency in the range of 2 Hz to 2000 Hz. Subjects were needled using a 4-electrodes needle insertion technique. Componential impedance values of meridian segments showed a marked difference compared to non-meridians, specifically in frequencies just below 50 Hz.


Cartan's magic formula L_X = i_X d + d i_X = (d+i_X)^2=D_X^2 relates the exterior derivative d, an interior derivative i_X and its Lie derivative L_X. We use this formula to define a finite dimensional vector space of vector fields X on a finite abstract simplicial complex G. This space has a Lie algebra structure satisfying L_[X,Y] = L_X L_Y - L_Y L_X as in the continuum. Any such vector field X defines a coordinate change on the finite dimensional vector space l^2(G) which play the role of translations along the vector field. If i_X^2=0, the relation L_X=D_X^2 with D_X=i_X+d mirrors the Hodge factorization L=D^2, where D=d+d^* we can see f_t = - L_X f defining the flow of X as the analogue of the heat equation f_t = - L f and view the Newton type equations f'' = -L_X f as the analogue of the wave equation f'' = -L f. Similarly as the wave equation is solved by u(t)=exp(i Dt) u(0) with complex valued u(t)=f(t)-i D^-1 f_t(t), also any second order differential equation f'' = -L_X f is solved by u(t) = exp(i D_X t) u(0) in l^2(G,C}). If X is supported on odd forms, the factorization property L_X = D_X^2 extends to the Lie algebra and i_[X,Y] remains an inner derivative. If the kernel of L_X on p-forms has dimension b_p(X), then the general Euler-Poincare formula holds for every parameter field X. Extreme cases are i_X=d^*, where b_k are the usual Betti numbers and X=0, where b_k=f_k(G) are the components of the f-vector of the simplicial complex G. We also note that the McKean-Singer super-symmetry extends from L to Lie derivatives. It also holds for L_X on Riemannian manifolds. the non-zero spectrum of L_X on even forms is the same than the non-zero spectrum of L_X on odd forms. We also can deform with D_X' = [B_X,D_X] of D_X=d+i_X + b_X, B_X=d_X-d_X^*+i b_X the exterior derivative d governed by the vector field X.


Current Internet environment is vulnerable to a range of different types of attacks, and furthermore, new types of attacks are being discovered on a daily basis. In this paper, we address the design of comprehensive intrusion detection for virtual-machine-based systems. We propose a novel security architecture using a virtual machine monitor-based intrusion detection system called Virtual machine Intrusion deteCTOR (VICTOR), which takes into account the specific characteristics of operating system and applications running in each virtual machine at a fine granular level to detect attacks. The components of our architecture are designed to deal with different types of malicious behaviour. The entity validation component is used for capturing information of the operating system and applications running in the virtual machines, secure logging and detection of attacks that are generated with spoofed source address. The intrusion detection engine component is used for the detection of known attacks and suspicious behaviour of the entities by monitoring the incoming and outgoing traffic of virtual machines. The dynamic analyser is used for detection and validation of hidden processes, detection of zero-day attacks and fine granular isolation of malicious process that is generating the attack traffic. After a zero-day attack is detected, interactive virtual machine technique is used to determine whether the zero-day attack exhibits polymorphic or metamorphic behaviour and develop attack signatures to deal with the attack. We have analysed our architecture with different types of attacks such as hidden processes and attacks such as Slammer. In this paper, we illustrate the operation of our system architecture by considering Slammer worm attack in detail.


The activation energy, activation volume, snd frequency factor were evaluated for yielding (delay time for yielding, upper yield stress, lower yield stress, and Luders band propagation) and flow (friction stress, flow stress, and dislocation mobility) for various irons and steels from data in the literature. It was found that the values of these flow parameters and their stress dependence were the same, within experimental error, for both yielding and flow, and for all the materials considered. This suggests that either the same dislocation mechanism is controlling in every case, or that one or more mechanisms possees approximately the same values for these parameters. The dislocation mechanism for which there was closest agreement between theoretical calculations snd experimental data was overcoming the Peierls stress. On the basis of the available experimental data and the present analysis, it is suggested that the upper and lower yield stresses in iron and steel may represent the sudden generation of a large number of dislocations by the double cross-slip mechanism of Koehler and Orowan, rather than the breaking away from a Cottrell atmosphere. (auth)


Viability of Beauveria bassiana is extremely low due to toxic compounds in soils. This research was aimed to study the effect of four groups of media on viability of B. bassiana Bb-Pb2. The first group was leaf litters of onion, flowering white cabbage, cabbage, and chinese mustard, respectively; the second group was the soils containing decomposed residues of each plant of the first group; the third group was the mixtures of each media of both groups above (1:1), and the fourth group was natural top soil as a control. Each plastic bag filled with one kg of each medium was inoculated with ten ml of B. bassiana conidia (106/ml of concentration) and incubated in open area for 8 weeks. The results showed that all leaf litters of those plants and their compost soils affected the fungal viability. The highest decreasing number of colony was found on onion's leaf litters, soil containing of decomposed onion, and the mixtures of both media. The treated B. bassiana showed significant reducing abilities of growth, conidia production and conidia germination on PDA media, except the one of control. It is suggested that the Bb-Pb2 isolate might not be effective as bioinsecticide in the soils containing either those leaf litters or composts. Key words: Beauveria bassiana, viability, leaf litters, soils


Much clinical evidence indicates that androgens have beneficial effects in the treatment of breast cancer in women. Physiological concentrations of androgens strongly inhibit both basal and estrogen-induced cell proliferation in the human breast cancer cell line ZR-75-1 through their interaction with the androgen receptor. The present study shows that androgens strongly suppress estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor contents in this model, as measured by radioligand binding and anti-ER monoclonal antibodies. Similar inhibitory effects are observed on the levels of ER messenger RNA (mRNA) measured by ribonuclease protection assay. The androgenic effect is observed at subnanomolar concentrations of the nonaromatizable androgen 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone, regardless of the presence of estrogens, and is competitively reversed by the antiandrogen hydroxyflutamide. Such data on ER expression provide an explanation for at least part of the antiestrogenic effects of androgens on breast cancer cell growth and moreover suggest that the specific inhibitory effects of androgen therapy could be additive to the standard treatment limited to blockade of estrogens by antiestrogens.


Promoting 'Health' of one and all is of utmost focus in order to achieve a healthy community. Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being. While much is said, written and researched about the connection between food and physical health,effect of food on mental health also requires much attention. This paper aims to focus upon promoting mental health, wherein, the mind and psychological condition need to be fit and positively bent, free from any anxieties, depression and stress as well as devoid of deviations. To boost mental health, various foods like green vegetables, fruits, beans and lentils are picked up. Correct and brain nutritious foods like nuts, avocados, eggs, spinach, sweet potato, oats, yoghurt etc are suggested. A leaning towards the Mediterranean type of diet is recommended for good health. At the same time, canned foods, packaged foods like apple juice, soups, high sodium foods, wheat bran, red wine, alcohol, hydrogenated oils, and the like are strictly prohibited as they are understood to lead to anxiety, stress and depression.


Thalassemia is an inherited defect in the production of globulin chains transmitted by autosomal recessive inheritance. Anaesthetic management of these patients is challenging, being associated with hypersplenism, unanticipated difficult airway and vertebral malformations, perioperative high blood pressure, systemic features of iron overload, cardiac and hepatic failure and anaemia.   In this case, we highlight the anaesthetic concerns in a child of beta thalassemia intermedia with high levels of Hemoglobin F posted for splenectomy along with cholecystectomy. To avoid need of postoperative mechanical ventilation due to low oxygen carrying capacity of blood and anaerobic metabolism during the period of surgical stress, epidural catheter inserted despite possibility of epidural hematoma or bleed because of thrombocytopenia. Patient had an enhanced recovery in term of decrease oxygen demand, decrease postoperative nausea and vomiting, early ambulation and patient satisfaction. Intraoperative epidural also decreases need of neuromuscular blocking agent and intravenous analgesia. This lead to faster awakening from anaesthesia even in the presence of decrease oxygen carrying capacity due to anaemia and acidosis (anaerobic metabolism). Use of regional anesthesia should be considered in similar cases after assessing risk and benefits for individual cases.


Based on "kicking the barking dog" effect, this study investigated the mechanism of triggered displaced aggression from the perspectives of individuals and groups. The results revealed that (1) when the provocation and triggering situation appeared simultaneously, individuals showed a stronger hostile attribution and aggression toward the trigger; (2) The hostile attribution played a complete mediating role in the influence of anger on the triggered displaced aggression, and the triggering situation played a moderating role. In case of triggering situations, individuals showed stronger hostile attribution with an increase in anger. When there was no triggering situation, the change in anger had no significant effect; (3) Trigger identity played a moderating role in the path of "anger → hostile attribution → triggered displaced aggression" in the triggering situation. Compared with the in-group of the trigger, individuals made stronger judgments of hostile attribution to the out-group of the trigger, when in a state of anger, and subsequently activated the triggered displaced aggression. However, for the out-group of trigger, there was no significant effect. This study expands the scope of application of kicking the barking dog effect and provides suggestions for controlling the escalation of intergroup conflicts.


High quality RNA extraction is a prerequisite for various types of genetic analyses. Many a time, the existing RNA isolation methods and commercial kits are either time consuming or fail to isolate high quality RNA from plants rich in polysaccharides, oil and other secondary metabolites since different plants contain different amounts of nucleic acids (Khan et al. 2004, Loomis 1974). This problem is particularly acute in case of jute ( Corchorus spp.), which is rich in mucilage and other polysaccharides that tends to interfere with the downstream processes (Kundu et al. 2011, Pandey et al. 1996). Several guanidium salt based methods have been successful for RNA isolation from jute seedlings (Khan et al. 2004), but are often cumbersome and expensive; hence limit simultaneous processing of large number of samples. Here we report a simplified and swift protocol for isolating high quality RNA from jute by making key modifications in tissue denaturation and precipitation steps in the protocol described by Ghawana et al. (2011). The protocol allows consistent production of high quality RNA from different species, which makes it particularly suitable for comparative plant genome research. The extraction time has been reduced from two days (for standard guanidium-acid-phenol extraction protocols) to about one hour and the extracted RNA was suitable for downstream processes like cDNA synthesis and expression pattern analysis. Key words: Jute, Corchorus spp. , Swift method, RNA isolation, RT-PCR D. O. I. 10.3329/ptcb.v21i2.10244 Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 21 (2): 207-211, 2011 (December) - Short communication


The effect of sintering temperature on the microstructure and AC magnetic susceptibility of Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O samples has been carefully studied. A nominal starting composition of BiSrCaCu2Ox has been used together with sintering temperatures of 820, 860, 870, 880 and 890 degrees C. It has been shown that within the temperature range 860-880 degrees C small changes in temperature can profoundly influence the volume fraction of the phase with a Tc of 112 K which forms. At 890 degrees C samples have been found to partially melt and exhibit no superconducting transition above 60 K. Microstructural analysis has shown that Bi-containing, high-Tc phases are plate-like and closely interwoven in the microstructure. The compositions of the various phases has been determined semi-quantitatively using electron probe microanalysis, but the mechanism by which the higher-Tc phase grows from one of lower-Tc phases during sintering is not yet understood.


The Court may stay the Application for a determination of damages pending any appeal on the merits pursuant to Rule 295(g) on a reasoned request by the unsuccessful party. The applicant shall be given the opportunity to be heard. If the Court continues the proceedings on the Application it may order the applicant to render a security according to Rule 352.


Compounds comprising a series of 7-[2-(4-fluorophenyl)-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-2H-indazol-3-yl]-3,5- dihydroxy-6-heptenoic acid sodium salts (18) were synthesized and tested for their ability to inhibit HMG-CoA reductase in a partially purified enzyme preparation and cholesterol biosynthesis from acetate in cultured HEP-G2 cells. Changing the size of the saturated ring of the tetrahydroindazole nucleus did not improve potency, but incorporation of substituents at the 7-position resulted in up to 1700-fold improvement in inhibitory potency. Structure-activity studies revealed that the most potent compounds possess a substituted benzyl group at the 7-position, with a preference for steric bulk at the para position of the benzene ring. The most potent enzyme inhibitor (18t, IC50 = 3.0 nM) is approximately 3-fold more potent than lovastin sodium salt (2). The most potent cholesterol biosynthesis inhibitor in HEP-G2 cells (18q, IC50 = 0.078 microM) is slightly less potent than 2 (sodium salt). Molecular modeling studies suggested that, when compared to the parent compound (18b) lacking the appropriate 7-substituent, 18t overlaps better with 2 and literature inhibitors 5 and 6 in a hydrophobic binding region adjacent to the enzyme active site.


Developing information technology to democratize scientific knowledge and support citizen empowerment is a challenging task. In our case, a local community suffered from air pollution caused by industrial activity. The residents lacked the technological fluency to gather and curate diverse scientific data to advocate for regulatory change. We collaborated with the community in developing an air quality monitoring system which integrated heterogeneous data over a large spatial and temporal scale. The system afforded strong scientific evidence by using animated smoke images, air quality data, crowdsourced smell reports, and wind data. In our evaluation, we report patterns of sharing smoke images among stakeholders. Our survey study shows that the scientific knowledge provided by the system encourages agonistic discussions with regulators, empowers the community to support policy making, and rebalances the power relationship between stakeholders.


In this paper, we present experimental studies on Multi-channel Multi-radio Multi-hop (M3) wireless networks. The interference of multiple channels and multiple radios is studied. The result may help to understand effect of multi-channel and multi-radio in real system and is useful as reference for network performance optimization. We evaluate the coexistence of real-time traffic and best-effort traffic in multi-hop wireless networks. Our experiments show that coordination among wireless nodes is critical for optimal network performance, especially in the scenarios with quality of service (QoS) requirements. To perform the experiments, an M3 testbed with 32 nodes is built. The testbed is based on Windows operating system and provides convenient programming interface and management tools. The architecture and key modules of the testbed design are described.


Apigenin is a naturally occurring plant flavone that exhibits strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor properties. A MEKC-UV based method was developed for the determination of total apigenin in selected herbs. Application of pseudostationary phase in the form of SDS micelles resulted in great repeatability of retention times and peak areas. A buffer solution consisting of 30 mmol/L sodium borate (pH 10.2), 10% acetonitrile, and 10 mmol/L sodium dodecyl sulfate was found to be the most suitable BGE for the separation. The method was validated and calibrated for total apigenin in the range of 1.0–100 μmol/L (R 2 = 0.9994). The limits of detection and quantification were 0.48 μmol/L and 0.92 μmol/L, respectively. This precise and robust method was successfully applied to the analysis of plant samples for total apigenin content.


The aim of the work was to decrease the costs of bioconversion process by using chip and simple chromatographic columns containing immobilized C. freundii cells during fermentation. The goal was also modification of medium to control of pH of process in these columns. The purpose of the study was also to ascertain the new systems of biopolymers used for encapsulation of bacterial cells. The stability of obtained membranes in different mediums has been examined. The waste glycerol conversion to 1,3-PD over continuous process has been analyzed as well. The results of the study showed that the double crosslinked alginate beads are better carriers than alginate capsules coated by chitosan during conversion of waste glycerol to 1,3-PD. Unfortunatrly these two kinds of capsules should not be used for continuous process and repeated bioconversions because of low mechanical properties of the beads. PDADMAC beads and modified (e.g. by additions) PDADMAC capsules should not be used for continuous and repeated bioconversions as well.


Elderly patients with polypathology and DNI orders frequently present with acute respiratory failure. There are data supporting the effectiveness of NIV in this context. Our center, a chronic disease hospital, developed in 2010 an integrated care pathway for NIV in acute respiratory failure in the emergency room and wards

AIMS : Assess the outcome of NIV in patients with acute respiratory failure with a DNI order in a subacute care hospital

METHODS: Observational, one year-follow up study. Variables recorded were: demographics, clinical and functional data, performance of daily life activities, dementia, arterial blood gases, readmisisions and 1-year mortality

RESULTS: We included 102 patientes. mean age 81+/-7, with a Charlson Index 3,7+/-1, 22% were institutionalized. The overall mortality during the admission was 33% (n=34). 14 patients (13%) were ventilated outside the protocol indications. In this group mortality was 71%, (p>0.05). One year survival rate was 47%. This survival rate was statistically higher in patients with obesity hypoventilation sindrome (OHS), NIV at discharge and Barthel> 50

View this table:

Conclusions

NIV is an useful technique in an elderly population with a therapeutic ceiling. Despite their disease severity and comorbidity, acceptable survival rates are achieved. A correct case selection is needed. OHS and those with Barthel index >50 have better prognosis.


This paper investigates the effect of displacement on wages of socially insured German workers, who became unemployed in 1986. Because detailed information on job loss is unavailable, displacement status is predicted using a probit, estimated on the German Socioeconomic Panel. In contrast to US findings, post-displacement wages decline only slightly upon re-employment. The lowest earnings quartile, in which displacement is concentrated, even gains slightly (2%), while wage growth losses for the upper three quartiles are higher (17%). Limited wage adjustment of displaced workers is likely to play an important role in explaining aggregate wage rigidity in Germany.


Today technology has changed across the world in a way human interact with the physical world. Internet of Things has paved the way for us allowing us to insert technology into day to day physical objects. In this paper an Energy Meter with Smart Monitoring of Home Appliances based on the Internet of Things is built. This paper proposes a system which eliminates manpower by self-regulating meter readings and bill generation reducing the flaws which are one of the major cause for energy-related corruption. The demand for transparency in the domain of energy estimation has emerged as there isn't a verification facility. Arduino Mega 2560 is used as the central controlling unit in this system. For energy meter, the ZMPT101B voltage sensor and ACS712 current sensor are interfaced with a microcontroller. The readings of voltage, current, the power consumed, no. of units and the corresponding price are calculated and are displayed over the 16*2 LCD Display module. An Infra-red based flame sensor is used as a fire safety measure. Monitoring of home appliances is done by using an 8 channel relay module to which loads are connected and operated over voice commands using Google Assistant with IFTTT (If this then that) platform which is interfaced with IoT based Blynk app on mobile. A DHT11 sensor is used for monitoring the temperature and humidity inside the house. All the readings obtained from the sensor is sent over the ESP8266 Wi-Fi module to Thingspeak cloud storage.


Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with a cobalt phthalocyanine screen-printed carbon electrode (CoPc-SPCE) was developed and validated for quantitative analysis of ethylenethiourea (ETU) and propylenethiourea (PTU). CoPC-SPCE provided high catalytic properties for ETU and PTU oxidation. This fabricated electrode is inexpensive, disposable, and easy to prepare by an in-house screen-printing technique. The chromatographic separation was performed in isocratic mode on a reversed phase C18 (100 mm × 4.6 mm, 3 μm) column, using a 90 : 10 (v/v) ratio of 0.05 M phosphate buffer solution (pH 4) and methanol as the mobile phase with a flow rate of 1.0 mL min-1 at an oxidation potential of +0.7 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The separation could be achieved within 3 min, and a wide linear range of 0.01-100 μg mL-1 (r2 > 0.99) was obtained for both analytes. The limits of detection (3 S/N) were found to be 0.006 and 0.009 μg mL-1 for ETU and PTU, respectively. Furthermore, this proposed method was utilized to determine ETU and PTU in fruit samples with satisfactory results, yielding excellent intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations and recoveries. These results demonstrated that the proposed assay can be used as a new alternative way for inexpensive, rapid, selective and sensitive determination of ETU and PTU in fruit samples.


Attachment anxiety and avoidance might explain gender differences in psychotherapy use, which is generally lower in men. In addition, university students are a particularly vulnerable group for mental health problems, and understanding psychotherapy use, especially among mentally distressed male students, is pivotal. A total of 4894 students completed an online survey answering questions regarding psychotherapy use and completing the PHQ-D identifying psychological syndromes. In addition, the ECR-RD12 was used to measure attachment anxiety and avoidance. Significant gender differences for attachment anxiety and avoidance emerged, showing higher attachment anxiety in female students and higher attachment avoidance in male students. Male students used psychotherapy significantly less than female students. Male students' attachment anxiety and avoidance predicted psychotherapy use, while for female students, only attachment anxiety emerged as a significant predictor. Attachment anxiety is positively associated with psychotherapy use, and lower attachment anxiety in men may explain lower psychotherapy use in male students.


In this study, we fabricated γ-cyclodextrin (γCD)-based nanoparticles (NPs) for dual antitumor therapy. First, γCD (the backbone biopolymer) was chemically conjugated with low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid (HA; a tumoral CD44 receptor-targeting molecule) and 3-(diethylamino)propylamine (DEAP; a pH-responsive molecule), termed as γCD-(DEAP/HA). The obtained γCD-(DEAP/HA) self-assembled in aqueous solution, producing the γCD-(DEAP/HA) NPs. These NPs efficiently entrapped paclitaxel (PTX; an antitumor drug) and triiron dodecacarbonyl (FeCO; an endogenous cytotoxic gas molecule) via hydrophobic interactions between PTX and FeCO with the unprotonated DEAP molecules in γCD-(DEAP/HA) and a possible host–guest interaction in the γCD rings. The release of PTX and FeCO from the NPs resulted from particle destabilization at endosomal pH, probably owing to the protonation of DEAP in the NPs. In vitro studies using MCF-7 tumor cells demonstrated that these NPs were efficiently internalized by the cells expressing CD44 receptors and enhanced PTX/FeCO-mediated tumor cell apoptosis. Importantly, local light irradiation of FeCO stimulated the generation of cytotoxic CO, resulting in highly improved tumor cell death. We expect that these NPs have potential as dual-modal therapeutic candidates with enhanced antitumor activity in response to acidic pH and local light irradiation.


ABSTRACT. The purpose of this study was to document gamma diversity of Chironomidae in Outer Mongolia by documenting alpha and beta diversity of chironomids from streams sites within Gorkhi Terelj National Park and in the surrounding area. Pupal exuviae of Chironomidae were collected from streams using standardized, semi-quantitative sampling methods so that patterns in community structure could be compared to patterns in the study sites. Gamma diversity for the twelve sites in this study was 98 species, including 26 new records for Mongolia; alpha diversity of Chironomidae ranged from 3 to 37 species. Beta diversity ranged from 0–0.44 and mean beta diversity was 0.17. Species diversity did not correlate to distance between sites. The Chao 1 species estimator estimated 126 species of Chironomidae from the streams in Gorkhi Terelj National Park. Ad hoc analysis comparing chironomid communities from Gorkhi Terelj National Park and Lake Hovsgol area stream and lake sites increased the estimated number of species to 144. Dominant species were used in a double dendrogram analysis which yielded three distinct communities of chironomids which corresponded to three clusters of study sites that differed by habitat type, water quality, and physical characteristics. This study produced data for use in conservation of streams in Gorkhi Terelj National Park.


Icosahedral virus-like particles (VLPs) derived from bacteriophages Qβ and PP7 encapsulating small-ultra red fluorescent protein (smURFP) were produced using a versatile supramolecualr capsid dissassemble-reassemble approach. The generated fluorescent VLPs display identical structural properties to their non-fluorescent analogs. Encapsulated smURFP shows indistinguishable photochemical properties to its unencapsulated counterpart, exhibits outstanding stability towards pH, and produces bright in vitro images following phagocytosis by macrophages. In vivo imaging allows biodistribution to be imaged at different time points. Ex vivo imaging of intravenously administered encapsulated smURFP reveleas localization in the liver and kidneys after 2 h blood circulation and substantial elimination constructs as non-invasive in vivo imaging agents.


VLSI layout generation of a programmable CRC chip with a CRC of 16-bits is presented. The hardware of CRC generator is specified in a hardware description language (HDL). The hardware compiler and functional level simulator of HDL are used for logic synthesis. The second stage of the compilation process generates a net list of logic gates. The net list so produced is translated to RNL compatible net list by a translator program. The layout subsystem of VPNR is used to generate the VLSI layout of the programmable CRC chip from RNL netlist. The design rules and technology files of MOSIS are used. The layout is viewed in the MAGIC layout editor and simulated by irsim at the transistor-level. The CRC chip can be used in a number of applications. These include areas such as data communications for error detection and correction, digital system testing for test pattern generation and signature analysis, and mass storage devices for parallel information transfers. >


Most interactive stories, such as hypertext narratives and interactive movies achieve an interactive "feel" by allowing the user to choose among multiple story paths. In this paper we discuss physically interactive environments with narrative structure in which the ability to choose among multiple story lines is replaced with having users, first, interact with the story characters in small, local "windows" of the narrative and, second, actively engage their bodies in movement, In particular, we found that compelling interactive narrative story systems can be perceived as highly responsive, engaging, and interactive even when the overall story has a single-path structure, in what we call a "less-choice, more-responsiveness" approach to the design of story-based interactive environments. We have also observed that unencumbering, rich sensor technology can facilitate user immersion in the experience as the story progresses--users can act as they typically would without worrying about manipulating a computer interface. To support these arguments, the paper describes the physical setup, the interactive story, the technology, and the user experience of four projects developed at the MIT Media Laboratory: KidsRoom, It/I, Personal Aerobics Trainer, and Swamped!


Functional integrity of the auditory brainstem was examined using maximum length sequence brainstem auditory evoked response in 72 term neonates who were receiving intensive care. Compared with normal term controls, the neonates receiving intensive care showed an increase in wave V latency and I to V and III to V interpeak intervals of the response. Wave V latency was significantly increased at very high click rates 455 and 910/s. I to V and III to V intervals were significantly increased at all 91 to 910/s, particularly 455 and 910/s, while I to III intervals were slightly increased. III to V/I to III interval ratios were increased at 455 and 910/s clicks. The slopes of wave V latency-rate, I to V interval-rate, III to V interval-rate and III to V/I to III-interval-ratio-rate functions were significantly steeper than in normal controls. These abnormalities suggest that neonates receiving intensive care are at high risk of brainstem, mainly more central regions, auditory impairment. The MLS BAER abnormalities and brainstem auditory impairment might be the result of collective adverse effects, produced by more than one perinatal risk factor.


Obesity is associated with systemic inflammation and impaired bone health. Vitamin D regulates bone metabolism, and has anti-inflammatory properties and epigenetic effects. We showed that exposure to high dietary vitamin D during pregnancy and lactation beneficially programs serum concentration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and bone structure in male offspring fed an obesogenic diet. Here we assessed if this effect is also apparent in females. C57BL/6J dams were fed AIN93G diet with high (5000 IU/kg diet) or low (25 IU/kg diet) vitamin D during pregnancy and lactation. Post-weaning, female offspring remained on their respective vitamin D level or were switched and fed a high fat and sucrose diet (44.2% fat, 19.8% sucrose) until age seven months when glucose response, adiposity, serum LPS, and bone mineral, trabecular and cortical structure, and biomechanical strength properties of femur and vertebra were assessed. There was no evidence for a programming effect of vitamin D for any outcomes. However, females exposed to a high vitamin D diet post-weaning had higher bone mineral content (p = 0.037) and density (p = 0.015) of lumbar vertebra. This post-weaning benefit suggests that in females, bone mineral accrual but not bone structure is compromised with low vitamin D status in utero until weaning in an obesogenic context.


Android is preferred platform for mobile devices. Smartphone's and mobile tablets are speedily indispensable in way of life. Android has been the most widespread open sources mobile OS. On the one aspect android users are increasing, but other side malicious activity also at the same time increasing. The risk of malware (Malicious apps) is sharply increasing in android platform, android mobile malware detection and prevention has become a very important research topic. Some malware attacks will build the phone partially or totally unusable, cause unwanted SMS/MMS (short message service/multimedia messaging service) charge, money, or expose personal data various applications contain wrong or incorrect info conduct code, however those don't seem to be really malicious apps. Present system categories such apps as malware apps, which may create problems in a system. The more accurate/proper system is required to classify malware apps. This NASAM system classifies android applications with the help of recent feature extraction algorithm. In this system android features are taken from feature set to detect malware on four phases: package, user, application, and validation phase. The malware detection is based on behavioural and classified according to their risk (High, Medium, and Low). This is useful for the user to handle the system (Application) very smoothly & will provide more secure system.


The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has and continues to have far-reaching global economic and environmental implications. In developing economies and regions, the pandemic's disruption of the agriculture commodity supply chain has made it difficult for smallholder farmers to exist. Smallholder farmer's traditional struggles have worsened. However, technology may provide promise of improving conditions for vulnerable farmers even in a period of crises such as the COVID-19 period. In this article, we draw on lessons learned in developed and developing countries to propose critical digital transformation for building a resilient and sustainable post-COVID- 19 supply chains for developing countries, especially for smallholder farmers operating in global value chains. We discuss how digital technologies and specifically digital inclusion of smallholder farmers can prevent major disruptions from damaging the livelihoods of society's most vulnerable. We discuss feasibility and provide some caveats for a post-COVID-19 digital inclusion in developing countries.


El-Bermani, Al-Walid I. (1978).Thorax, 33, 167-174. Pulmonary noradrenergic innervation of rat and monkey: a comparative study. The noradrenergic innervation of rat and monkey lungs was studied using the fluorescence histochemical method for norepinephrine of Falck (1962). In both species the noradrenergic nerves enter the lung at the hilum in association with the bronchial arteries. Major differences were noted in the distribution and pattern of these nerves, the most important of which are as follows: (1) Noradrenergic nerves have terminal varicosities in all divisions of the rat bronchial artery but are varicose in only the medium and small bronchial arteries of the monkey. (2) Noradrenergic terminals (varicosities) are in direct association with the bronchial smooth muscle in the monkey, but in the rat most of the noradrenergic nerves pass through the smooth muscle layer without forming terminal varicosities. Smooth muscle noradrenergic innervation is seen only at bifurcation points. (3) In the monkey pulmonary artery, noradrenergic terminals are restricted to the adventitio-medial junction while they appear in the media of the rat pulmonary artery. (4) Noradrenergic terminals are present in all pulmonary vein divisions of the monkey whereas in the rat the large pulmonary veins lack noradrenergic nerves. Both rat and monkey bronchial arteries and pulmonary veins were found to have adrenergic terminal varicosities deep in the medial layer. The rat pulmonary artery also has such medial terminations. In both species there is a preponderance of noradrenergic terminals in the vasa vasorum, and we think that this may be important in regulating the delivery of humoral substances to vascular walls.


Outlines the ways in which the clearing of native vegetation has been regulated in NSW from 1788 to the present. Summary This paper outlines the ways in which the clearing of native vegetation has been regulated in NSW, from 1788 to the present. Since the 1980s the extent to which governments can regulate the clearing of native vegetation on private land has been the subject of continued debate. This debate is now playing out before the Independent Biodiversity Legislation Review Panel, established by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) to review biodiversity legislation in NSW, including the Native Vegetation Act 2003. Note that the focus of this paper is chiefly on the regulation of native vegetation clearing in rural areas, as currently regulated under the Native Vegetation Act 2003. The regulation of tree clearing in non-rural local government areas under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act 1979) and the Trees (Disputes Between Neighbours) Act 2006 is beyond the ambit of this paper. Also not considered are the regimes established at the Commonwealth and State level for protected species of native vegetation, and harvesting in native State forests. "Native vegetation" typically encompasses all vegetation present in NSW prior to European settlement. Since settlement, a significant proportion of vegetation present has been cleared for urban areas, infrastructure, industry and agriculture. Native vegetation provides many benefits, including controlling erosion and salinity, maintaining water quality, providing habitat, economic benefits to landholders, and acting as carbon sinks absorbing greenhouse gases. Conversely, broadscale clearing of native vegetation contributes to a decrease in native species, land degradation, increased salinity, and the disruption of many ecosystems. Throughout the 1980s, political and public awareness of these issues increased significantly, and action began to be taken at both State and Federal levels to arrest the clearing of native vegetation. The clearing of native vegetation in NSW has been regulated, to varying degrees, since 1881. The timeline below lists the significant regulatory developments with respect to native vegetation. Note that the timeline does not identify when provisions were repealed, where that applies.


This work describes the technological solutions that were used in the development of the Novoportovskoye field - a large oil and gas condensate field in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. In particular, optimization of the associated gas utilization strategy is considered by organizing the reservoir pressure maintenance. The decisions were based on 3D mathematical calculations, analytical estimates, analysis of field information and reservoir simulation.
 The paper presents the results of calculations performed to determine the specific efficiency of gas injection at productive formation. Additionally, weight coefficients of gas injection were calculated for gas well sites to identify the best injection zones. The paper provides the estimation of the current effect of the continuous two-year gas injection. The formation response to the gas injection into the gas cap was estimated by the usage of pressure-observation wells data, data from wells equipped with fiber-optic monitoring systems and by performing retrospective simulation.
 The calculations made it possible to achieve complete utilization of associated petroleum gas and significantly increase the oil recovery factor.


: Introduction: Simultaneous estimation of blood weights of all four appendages can improve the accuracy of cardiovascular disease detection. The purpose of this review is to explore association among estimated blood pressure at four appendages and cardiovascular pressure as a non-intrusive analytical technique for cardiovascular illness in the care. Methods: 238 subjects (69 men, mean age 65.54 ± 12.14 years; 168 females, mean 61.48 ± 8.34 years of age) were enrolled. Our current research was conducted at Services Hospital, Lahore from February 2018 to January 2019. Estimates of circulatory strains in four appendices are as follows using a gadget for analyzing circulatory stress and heartbeat in the prostrate position. The limits of cardiovascular utility have also been estimated using a heart similarly located hemodynamic identifier. The information was examined in a factual manner with SPSS23.0. Results: The average age of 235 respondents was 61.57 ± 7.69 years. Cardiovascular the practical limits reduced with age also weight file, just aggregate marginal obstruction was interesting. Age, BMI, left leg diastolic weight, upper arm mean arterial pressure, left arm diastolic weight (LARDP) In addition, right leg diastolic weight was totally associated with cardiovascular problems. useful limits. The limits of cardiovascular utility are enormous contrasts with the distinction between the arms with respect to the systolic circulatory strain among ≥12 and <12 mmHg, between leg distinction in SBP somewhere among ≥16 and ≥21 mmHg, between legs contrast in the SBP somewhere between ≥16 and <11 mmHg and the brachial survey of the right lower leg somewhere between ≤0.9 and ≥2.0. After exclusion of 97 hypertensive patients, a piece of utilitarian boundaries still present enormous contrasts with distinction between the arms in SBP somewhere among ≥10 and ≥15 mmHg and RABI somewhere among ≤0.8 and ≥1.0. Conclusion: Age, BMI, LADP, HARMAP, LARDP and RADP remained factors of cardiovascular utility limits. Also, a piece of cardio utility. The limit is related to the contrast between the arms in the SBP ≥10 mmHg, the distinction between the legs in SBP ≥17 mmHg and RABI ≤0.8, even though these distinctions existed after with the exception of 105 hypertensive patients. Subsequently, the simultaneous estimation of quadruple appendix blood pressure has become a plausible and useful means of coping with non-intrusive evidence for cardiovascular disease as a key consideration.


The climactic scene in chapter 22 of The Pickwick Papers describes the embarrassment that occurs when Mr. Pickwick tries to find his way back to his bedroom at night while staying at the Great White Horse at Ipswich, with its dark and labyrinthine passages. Having found what he thinks is his own room, he starts undressing and dons his nightcap, at which point he is horrified by the entrance of a middle-aged lady in curl-papers, returning to her bedroom (for it is her bedroom after all) and beginning to prepare for bed. A Fieldingesque scene of misunderstanding ensues which parallels the earlier misunderstanding between Mr. Pickwick and Mrs. Bardell. Further embarrassment results in chapter 24, depicting the morning after the night before, when Pickwick's traveling companion, Mr. Magnus, introduces his betrothed, Miss Witherfield, who is, of course, the middle-aged lady in curl-papers. Miss Witherfield screams, Magnus and Pickwick quarrel, and Magnus tells Pickwick that "he should hear from him." This leads Miss Witherfield to vividly imagine a duel in which Pickwick shoots and possibly kills Magnus, and thus she sets off the rest of the action in this chapter and the next by making her way to the local magistrate, Mr. George Nupkins, Esquire, in order to have not Magnus but the innocent Pickwick and his unwitting second, Tupman, arrested for inciting a duel. And so begins Mr. Pickwick's first brush with the law, a bildungsroman episode which helps to prepare him for the later courtroom drama of the breach of promise case. What follows Miss Witherfield's alerting the magistrate ("'I fear a duel is going to be fought here'") is an anarchic series of events characteristic of nineteenth-century farce and pantomime, in which, as Michael Booth explains, "man is initially responsible for his own absurd predicament, although chance and an implacable universe drive him inexorably thereafter over the edge of comic catastrophe." (1) According to the work which was a vade mecum for magistrates in Dickens's time, Richard Burn's The Justice of the Peace and Parish Officer (2 vols., 1755), a duel constituted an "affray": "a public offence to the terror of the king's subjects". (2) Moreover, "it is certain, that it is a very high offence to challenge another either by word or letter to fight a duel" (3. 27). In law, duelling was a felony. Burn also explains Nupkins' duty on hearing Miss Witherfield: "There is no doubt but that a justice of the peace may and must do all such things to [suppress an affray].... in such case he may make his warrant to bring the offender before him, in order to compel him to find sureties for the peace" (3.29). Neither Burn nor another well-known handbook for magistrates, William Robinson's Formularies, or, the Magistrate's Assistant (2 vols., 1827), contains an example of a warrant specifically regarding a duel, but Burn prints a model of a warrant for an affray: Warrant to apprehend Affrayers To the constable of--Whereas A. I. of--yeoman, hath this day made oath before me J. P. esquire, one of his majesty's justices of the peace for the said county, that on the--day of--in the-- year of the reign of--A. O. of--yeoman, and B. O. of--yeoman, at--in the said county, in a tumultuous manner made an affray, wherein the person of the said A. I. was beaten and abused by them the said A. O. and B. O. without any lawful or sufficient provocation given to them, or to either of them, by him the said A. I. These are therefore to command you forthwith to apprehend the said A. O. and B. O., and bring them before me, or some other of his said majesty's justices of the peace for the said county, to answer the premises, and to find sureties as well for their personal appearance at the next general quarter sessions of the peace, to be holden for the said county, then and there to answer to an indictment to be preferred against them by the said A. …


This report identifies and describes what current evidence indicates are the main behavioral and contextual factors that are driving the HIV epidemic in Namibia. The report is intended to assist in the development of a national prevention strategy for combating the HIV / AIDS epidemic. Data from several sources are triangulated to assess which factors are most likely to contribute to the spread of HIV across the population. In the absence of a national seroprevalence survey the following were examined to identify the main drivers of the Namibian HIV epidemic: 1. The prevalence distribution and trends over time of proximate determinants of HIV infection within Namibia (obtained from an analysis of the Namibia Demographic and Health Surveys [NDHS] and other local surveys); 2. Socio-demographic factors associated with HIV infection among clients who were tested for HIV in select New Start voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) facilities throughout Namibia (obtained from analysis of these data); 3. The findings and conclusions of other researchers who have investigated various aspects of HIV / AIDS vulnerability in Namibia; 4. Factors most associated with HIV infection in neighboring countries and in other generalized epidemics for which representative HIV prevalence surveys exist. A number of factors are likely contributing to the high levels of HIV in Namibia. As described in this report these various factors are often inter-related and operate in unison to create one of the worst HIV epidemics in the world. (Excerpt)


This paper describes the SINAI team participation in the ImageCLEF campaign. The SINAI research group has participated in both the ad hoc task and the medical task. The experiments accomplished in both cases result from very different approaches. For the ad hoc task the main Information Retrieval (IR) system used combines the document lists retrieved by two IR systems, and uses online translators for the bilingual experiments. For the medical task, we have used the MeSH ontology to expand the queries. The expansion consists in searching terms of the query in the MeSH ontology in order to add similar terms. We have processed the set of collections using Information Gain (IG) in the same way as in ImageCLEFmed 2006.


An improved method for determination of cholesterol in processed food with only one extraction and without solvent removal was developed. Total time to analyze a sample including gas chromatographic (GC) analysis is 45 min. Food samples spiked with internal standard are hydrolyzed in a screw-capped vial with saturated methanolic KOH. Cyclohexane is added to the mixture, and the upper layer is analyzed by GC on a capillary column. Average recoveries of spiked white eggs are 99 +/- 0.5%. Fifteen types of processed food containing shrimp, fish, meat, cheese, eggs, and vegetables were analyzed with this method and with the AOAC method.


Despite a decade of litigation, there is no consistent understanding of the reasonable accommodation requirement of Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (the 'ADA'). Indeed, there are three inconsistent distributive outcomes that appear to comport with the reasonable accommodation requirement: cost-shifting, cost-sharing, and cost-avoidance. One reason for such inconsistent outcomes is a failure to develop a coherent and consistent theory of disability. Because disability has been and continues to be medicalized, this Article takes a fresh look at the medical literature on health, illness, and disability. It recommends the use of the experiential health model over the currently accepted functional health model to understand disability in the context of the ADA because it captures the contextual, socially-constructed, and political nature of disability. A second, related reason for inconsistent outcomes is an ambivalent attitude toward the costs of antidiscrimination law, often expressed as a tension between efficiency and rights. This Article examines disability-based discrimination in the workplace in this context, revealing the underlying tension between disability discrimination as a civil rights issue, and the view of disability discrimination as a social safety net issue. Using a theory of disability informed by an experiential definition of health and the distributive analysis to evaluate the three distributive outcomes demonstrates that, although flawed, cost-shifting is the best outcome because it embodies a social-experiential model of disability and the potential for both socioeconomic and political reconstruction.


Data mining is the extraction of knowledge from large amounts of data [HK01] and brings together the fields of databases, machine learning and statistics. Technological advances have enabled the creation of huge data repositories. The need to turn such data into useful knowledge has fueled the development of data mining techniques. From a database perspective, the emphasis is often placed on scalability and efficiency. Practical approaches can afford only a single or, at best, a few passes over the data, i.e., the algorithmic complexity must be linear with respect to dataset size.
Recently, in addition to the data warehouse model where data from multiple sources are integrated into a large store, the streaming model is emerging as an alternative data processing paradigm. Several applications produce a continuous stream of data (e.g., phone call detail records, web clickstreams or sensor measurements) that is too large to store in its entirety. Therefore, in stream mining we are allowed only a single pass over the data, without random access. Upon arrival of new observations, we have to incrementally update the data model. Furthermore, space complexity must be sublinear with respect to dataset size.
In this thesis we develop spatial and stream mining tools for discovery of interesting patterns. These patterns summarise the data, enable forecasting of future trends and spotting of anomalies or outliers. Beyond the emphasis on efficiency and scalability, we focus on simplifying or eliminating user intervention. Data mining algorithms must make the discovery task easy for average users. Unfortunately, many of the existing techniques require non-trivial user intervention at several steps of the process. Eliminating the requirement for user intervention should be a top priority in designing data mining methods.
We show that multi-resolution analysis (i.e., examining the data at multiple resolutions or scales) is a powerful tool towards these goals. In particular, for spatial data we employ the correlation integral . For time series streams we use the wavelet transform and related techniques. Furthermore, we leverage tools from signal processing (again wavelets and, also, subspace tracking algorithms) to extract patterns from streams. Finally, we also employ compression principles coupled with multi-level partitionings to automatically cluster spatial data.
The first two parts of this thesis focus on spatial mining methods. In the first part we examine homogeneous spatial data, where all points belong to one class. In the second part we examine heterogeneous spatial data, where the points may belong to two or more different classes (e.g., species, galaxy types, etc). Finally, in the third part we focus on numerical, time series streams and mining techniques for both single and multiple streams.


Background: The ability to achieve quality recovery of cell-free foetal DNA is important for making non-invasive prenatal diagnoses. In this study, we performed quantitative and qualitative analyses of isolated DNA from maternal plasma, using different DNA-isolation methods. Method: DNA was isolated from 30 iso-immunized women via the QIAamp column-based method, using four different elution volumes and two conventionally based methods. Real-time polymerase chain-reaction quantification of RHD and β-globin genes was performed in order to determine foetal-specific sequences and total genome equivalents, respectively. Results: The column-based method at a 3 μl elution volume yielded the highest quality and quantity of total DNA (67.0±0.6 ng/μL). At a 3 μl elution volume, the β-globin and RHD‐gene sequences were estimated to be the highest among all isolation procedures, with 2778.13±1.5 and 66.9±0.6 GEq/mL, respectively, and a 100% sensitivity for RHD‐gene sequence detection. Among the two conventional manual methods, the boiling lysis method yielded a higher DNA concentration (53.8±0.8 ng/μL) and purity (1.73±0.05). In addition, the method's sensitivity for foetal-detection sequences was only 80%, whereas the salting-out method's sensitivity was just 70%. Conclusions: This study confirms the theory that the QIAamp method is a specific and sensitive approach for purifying and quantifying plasma DNA, when used in the minimum elution volume.


Lengthy review times for institutional review boards (IRBs) are a well-known barrier to research. In response to numerous calls to reduce review times, we devised "Real-Time IRB," a process that drastically reduces IRB review time. In this, investigators and study staff attend the IRB meeting and make changes to the protocol while the IRB continues its meeting, so that final approval can be issued at the meeting. This achieved an overall reduction in time from submission to the IRB to final approval of 40%. While this process is time and resource intensive, and cannot address all delays in research, it shows great promise for increasing the pace by which research is translated to patient care.


Learning an effective distance metric between image pairs plays an important role in visual analysis, where the training procedure largely relies on hard negative samples. However, hard negatives in the training set usually account for the tiny minority, which may fail to fully describe the distribution of negative samples close to the margin. In this paper, we propose a deep adversarial metric learning (DAML) framework to generate synthetic hard negatives from the observed negative samples, which is widely applicable to supervised deep metric learning methods. Different from existing metric learning approaches which simply ignore numerous easy negatives, the proposed DAML exploits them to generate potential hard negatives adversarial to the learned metric as complements. We simultaneously train the hard negative generator and feature embedding in an adversarial manner, so that more precise distance metrics can be learned with adequate and targeted synthetic hard negatives. Extensive experimental results on three benchmark datasets including CUB-200-2011, Cars196 and Stanford Online Products show that DAML effectively boosts the performance of existing deep metric learning approaches through adversarial learning.


This paper explores the duties owed by investments managers in the UK, comprised of duties derived from equity, common law, regulation and contract. It offers a critical analysis of how private law duties apply to investment managers, and discusses the challenges of applying such general duties to modern investment management businesses which serve many clients at a global level. A review of relevant case law, statutory law and regulation is undertaken to identify the duties and interactions between the different branches of law. It is argued that the duties under regulatory framework applicable to investment managers incorporates fiduciary duties of trust and loyalty and the common law duty of care, but applies such principles in a more practical and proportionate way. This paper concludes that the tailored and sophisticated approach of regulation and under contract creates an appropriate balance between ensuring adequate investor protection and enabling investment managers to operate without undue impediments.


Competition is one of the determinants that influences banks' liquidity creation. Political transitions in the MENA region have affected many aspects of the region, including its economy. The banking sector, being a crucial element in the financial system, is also affected. This study aims to examine the impact of 'competition', 'political risk' and 'stability of banking industry' on liquidity creation, vis-a-vis political transition (i.e. Arab Spring). The 'availability of deposit insurance system', bank 'type' and 'size' are used as control variables in this study. The sample in this study includes 55 banks from the MENA region (i.e. Arab Saudi, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, and Tunisia), for the period between 2006 and 2015. This study finds that liquidity creation is negatively related to competition in the period before political transition and positively related in the period after political transition. Moreover, political risk positively influences liquidity creation for both pre and post political transition periods. However, the 'stability of the banking industry' and the 'availability of deposit insurance system' reduce liquidity creation in both periods.


Effects of Prenatal Stress on Lever-Press Acquisition, Delay Discounting, and Ethanol Self-Administration in Rats Natalie R. Bruner It is well established in animal research that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays a central mediating role in the detrimental effects of prenatal stress in mother and offspring. The prenatally stressed (PS) rat exhibits a number of behaviors indicative of increased HPA activity relative to control (CON) rats. Because of these behaviors, PS rats may learn novel responses more quickly than CON rats. However, there are mixed findings in the literature as to whether prenatal stress facilitates or impedes learning. Experiment 1 was designed to examine effects of prenatal stress on lever-press acquisition using 10-s delays to food pellet delivery in rats. Because of the paucity of literature on the link between stress and impulsive choice, Experiment 2 was designed to assess effects of prenatal stress on delay discounting (impulsive choice) in rats. Previous research has demonstrated that increased stress is correlated with greater facilitation and maintenance of drug taking. There is also evidence that increased rates of delay discounting are correlated with increased drug taking. Experiment 3 was designed to assess effects of prenatal stress on ethanol self-administration in rats. The present set of studies is the first to investigate the variables of stress, delay discounting, and ethanol self-administration using a within-subject design. During Experiment 1, PS rats obtained significantly more food pellets and responded at a higher rates on the lever correlated with food than CON rats. Prenatal stress did not differentially affect impulsive choice (Experiment 2) or ethanol consumption (Experiment 3). As is consistent with past research, a negative correlation was found between indifference points and g/kg of ethanol consumed for the lowest ethanol concentration during the two-bottle choice test. Lower indifference points (i.e., greater impulsivity) were correlated with greater g/kg of ethanol consumed for one of the testing concentrations.


The boundary between song and some forms of verse or declamation which are nowadays classified as "oral literature" is a blurred one and calls for co-operation between linguists and ethnomusicologists. Very little study has yet been made of musical characteristics found in the border-line art of praise-poetry or praise-singing which is practiced very widely throughout Africa.
Among the Eastern and South-Eastern Bantu, what small evidence there is reveals considerable differences between the traditional style of delivery associated with Zulu izibongo praises, and that, for example, of the Heroic Recitations of the Banyankore, a Bantu people of East Africa. A.N. Tucker has recorded some of the latter and they were taken as the subject for a thesis by H.F.R. Morris. They are uttered with quite phenomenal rapidity and the overall intonation contour of each line is a gradually descending one, without the observance of fixed musical pitches.


The approach to treating rheumatoid arthritis is changing. Greater emphasis on the exercise component of physical therapy can improve patients' muscle strength, endurance, and emotional well-being, and may even result in decreased joint inflammation.


In the past decade, the reach of social network sites such as MySpace and Facebook has extended to a point where for many young people, participation is now mandatory for inclusion amongst peer groups. For some of these young people, large parts of their social lives have been played out on these sites. The shift from one site (MySpace) to another (Facebook) can also be understood as marking an important change in the way young people manage their 'digital trace'. This shift corresponds with narratives in which participants signal their movement towards forms of online sociality that are concerned with their relationships with others on Facebook rather than the often introspective and performative forms of sociality emphasized on MySpace. This article examines elements of each site that participants point towards as contributing to their own shift – both in terms of their functionality and the broader social milieu in which the sites operate. More broadly, this article also considers the 'trace' that is generated by participation on these sites (creating profiles, uploading images, commenting on pages and so on) as representing a key mechanism by which young people's transition narratives can be made accessible and visible amongst their network. This article draws on research from two linked small-scale qualitative studies conducted on the Gold Coast in Australia, the first with a group of 10 young people in 2007 and the second with 30 young people in 2009/2010.


Malpositioning of the acetabular component in total hip arthroplasty (THA) increases the risk of dislocation, reduces the range of motion and may contribute to bearing surface wear. During computer assisted navigation, the anterior pelvic plane is registered intraoperatively by percutaneous palpation, but this may be unreliable. The aim of our study was to evaluate the reliability of imageless navigation in acetabular positioning employing data acquisition in the supine position and surgery in the lateral position ('flip technique'). We report 24 patients affected by primary osteoarthritis undergoing THA in which implants were placed with a conventional free-hand technique using the acetabular transverse ligament for cup orientation. For imageless navigation we used Orthopilot-Aesculap software. All patients had a postoperative computed tomography (CT) scan at three months, using previously validated dedicated software for cup orientation. Data collected using navigation software were compared with CT measurements. The mean acetabular inclination and anteversion recorded intra-operatively using navigation software were respectively 41°5' (SD: 9.61) and 9°5' (SD: 4.01) respectively. The mean inclination and anteversion calculated post-operatively by the CT based image software were 44°2' (SD 5.83) and 14°4' (SD 6.42) respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the anteversion values (p=0.04). Therefore, the acquisition of parameters in the supine position with surgery performed in the lateral decubitus position creates unreliable data concerning cup anteversion using an imageless navigation system, and therefore the 'flip technique' cannot be recommended.