Scholars understand shopping malls as central commercial and social settings. Some argue that malls' designs attract and seduce consumers, while others contend that mall authorities exclude vulnerable groups and prohibit free expression. Ethnographic studies, by contrast, document how consumers interpret and shape malls as social settings. Drawing on qualitative research in two Santiago, Chile, malls, we contend that Santiago's patterns of socioeconomic segregation and ample public transport facilitate cross-class interactions in malls. These characteristics encourage visitors to transpose practices and meanings from other public settings to the mall, drawing on rules for public interaction. Residents adapt mall infrastructures for noncommercial uses and engage in informal and formal resistance, reflecting conflicts between abstract and social space. The analysis shows that distinctive urbanization patterns significantly shape how consumers access and use malls as social spaces.


In the smart grid environment, in order to improve the electricity habits of residential users and optimize the residential electricity structure, the idea of a home energy management system is applied to intelligent buildings. The building users and loads are classified and analyzed separately, a model of automatic demand response for building intelligent electricity scheduling is built and it is optimized for daily total electricity bill, user discomfort, and power peaks and valleys. Renewable energy, the energy storage of household electric vehicles is also considered. The multi-objective grey wolf optimization algorithm based on the fuzzy crowding judgment based on dimension review is used to solve the model. Finally, the effectiveness of the MATLAB example simulation is verified.


Introduction: BRCA1, as well as BRCA2, were identified as the hereditary breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility genes that can account for almost all of inherited cases of breast cancers. BRCA1 is a multifunctional nuclear protein with a RING domain at the N-terminus. Heterochromatin is chromatin containing inactive genes. Pericentromeric heterochromatin is composed of highly repetitive tandem DNA repeats whose transcription is constitutively silenced. In mice, the repeats are classified as major and minor satellite repeats. Heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1) plays a critical role in maintaining heterochromatin structure. Methods: To study the biological function of the tumor suppressor BRCA1, we deleted BRCA1 in nestin positive neuronal stem cells in the brain and showed that the animals displayed severe neuro-developmental deficits. In the course of this work we discovered a novel molecular defect in BRCA1 deficient cells, i.e., a failure to maintain integrity of the heterochromatic structure. Results: In the absence of BRCA1, the number of heterochromatic centers is severely reduced in mouse neuronal cells. HP1 proteins are destabilized, and more importantly, the transcription of satellite DNA is derepressed in mouse neural progenitor cells, mouse fibroblasts, and human cancer cells, including a BRCA1 deficient breast cancer cell line. The defect in silencing invariably appears after the loss of the BRCA1 allele in our paradigm prior to exhibiting any neoplastic phenotype. What is the mechanism of BRCA1 in regulating the heterochromatin integrity? ChIP analysis showed that BRCA1 physically associates with both major satellite DNA and minor satellite DNA, whereas the association is diminished in the BRCA1 knockout animals. More intriguingly, the absence of BRCA1 binding to satellite DNA correlates with a drastic reduction of ubiquitinated histone H2A at the constitutive heterochromatin region. Because BRCA1 contains an E3 ubiquitin ligase activity which is enhanced by BARD1 and the complex ubiquitinate histone H2A in vitro, we examined the heterochromatin silencing in cells with different BRCA1 mutants. These experiments showed that the E3 ligase activity of BRCA1 is required for repression of satellite DNA transcription. Conclusions: Our working model is that mutations of BRCA1 may destabilize the protein complex and lead to defects in the heterochromatin integrity, thereby affecting the stability of the genome which is a hallmark of cancer. Given that mutants in the RING domains are the same as in women who have pathological diseases, we hypothesize that deregulation of satellite DNA transcription can be explored as an early detection marker for breast cancer progression in BRCA1 patients.


Housing is more than a living space; it represents a social status capable of promoting several forms and levels of socialization and segregation. Housing is characterized by a set of attributes and functions that are valued differently, in which the consumption of "good housing" is made considering the preferences of their attributes, perceived tangibly/intangibly by the consumers. The reciprocal relation between housing and space, and the lack of structured information capable of apprising the key drivers of such dimensions increase the complexity of understanding the rational mechanisms of evaluating the real housing value. Despite the challenges associated with the modelling of housing markets, urban studies and spatial econometric literature provide a broad (but unfinished) theoretical framework and practical tools that are able to describe, understand, and predict households' housing consumption. Thus, the aim of this chapter is to present concepts and techniques to rationally capture individual and collective housing preferences, and the way in which they interact.


The director of a research coalition and the founder/coordinator of an NGO consortium meet to discuss the possibility of jointly drafting a proposal for an integrated research and development project in the Congo River basin. Approved projects will receive an annual operating budget of $2 million. Together they must develop a joint plan for how the money should be spent.Learning Objective:Provides a platform to discuss a multi-issue negotiation in which cooperation is vital but the two parties have different perspectives and interests. To learn how to create value through bundling and tradeoffs. To gain a better understanding of Pareto optimality. To explore the effects of complex social contexts on negotiation processes.


A series of surfactant–copper(II) Schiff base complexes (1–6) of the general formula, [Cu(sal-R2)2] and [Cu(5-OMe-sal-R2)2], {where, sal = salicylaldehyde, 5-OMe-sal = 5-methoxy- salicylaldehyde, and R2 = dodecylamine (DA), tetradecylamine (TA), or cetylamine (CA)} have been synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic, ESI-MS, and elemental analysis methods. For a special reason, the structure of one of the complexes (2) was resolved by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and it indicates the presence of a distorted square-planar geometry in the complex. Analysis of the binding of these complexes with DNA has been carried out adapting UV-visible-, fluorescence-, as well as circular dichroism spectroscopic methods and viscosity experiments. The results indicate that the complexes bind via minor groove mode involving the hydrophobic surfactant chain. Increase in the length of the aliphatic chain of the ligands facilitates the binding. Further, molecular docking calculations have been performed to understand the nature as well as order of binding of these complexes with DNA. This docking analysis also suggested that the complexes interact with DNA through the alkyl chain present in the Schiff base ligands via the minor groove. In addition, the cytotoxic property of the surfactant–copper(II) Schiff base complexes have been studied against a breast cancer cell line. All six complexes reduced the visibility of the cells but complexes 2, 3, 5, and 6 brought about this effect at fairly low concentrations. Analyzed further, but a small percentage of cells succumbed to necrosis. Of these complexes (6) proved to be the most efficient aptotoxic agent.


In this report we deal with the problem of global output feedback stabilization of a class of $n$-dimensional nonlinear positive systems possessing a one-dimensional unknown, though measured, part. We first propose our main result, an output feedback control procedure, taking advantage of measurements of the uncertain part, able to globally stabilize the system towards an adjustable equilibrium point in the interior of the positive orthant. Though quite general, this result is based on hypotheses that might be difficult to check in practice. Then in a second step, through a Theorem on a class of positive systems linking the existence of a strongly positive equillibrium to its global asymptotic stability, we propose other hypotheses for our main result to hold. These new hypotheses are more restrictive but much simpler to check. Some illustrative examples, highlighting both the potential complex open loop dynamics (multi-stability, limit cycle, chaos) of the considered systems and the interest of the control procedure, conclude this report.


Structural parameters of graph (such as degeneracy and arboricity) had rarely been considered when designing algorithms for (edge) clique cover problems. Taking degeneracy of graph into account, we present a greedy framework and two fixed-parameter tractable algorithms for clique cover problems. We introduce a set theoretic concept and demonstrate its use in the computations of different objectives of clique cover. Furthermore, we show efficacy of our algo-


User generated content on social media sites is a rich source of information about latent variables of their users. Proper mining of this content provides a shortcut to emotion and personality detection of users without filling out questionnaires. This in turn increases the application potential of personalized services that rely on the knowledge of such latent variables. In this paper we contribute to this emerging domain by studying the relation between emotions expressed in approximately 1 million Facebook (FB) status updates and the users' age, gender and personality. Additionally, we investigate the relations between emotion expression and the time when the status updates were posted. In particular , we find that female users are more emotional in their status posts than male users. In addition, we find a relation between age and sharing of emotions. Older FB users share their feelings more often than young users. In terms of seasons, people post about emotions less frequently in summer. On the other hand, December is a time when people are more likely to share their positive feelings with their friends. We also examine the relation between users' personality and their posts. We find that users who have an open personality express their emotions more frequently, while neurotic users are more reserved to share their feelings.


Few elements of the living world are as ubiquitous as the circadian rhythm. Derived from Latin (circa = approximately; diem = day), the circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour intrinsic cycle that is the direct result of evolving on a planet with a 24-hour day–night period. The clock is found in animals, plants, fungi, and even unicellular organisms, allowing for the living world to be physiologically, metabolically, and behaviorally in tune with the external environment.1

In humans, the reaches of the 24-hour cycle are far greater than many realize. The most well-known function of the circadian rhythm is to provide an alerting signal that waxes and wanes in a predictable fashion throughout the day. Perhaps not as well known is that organ systems and even individual cells display a 24-hour periodicity, all of which are kept in sync by the suprachiasmatic nucleus within …

Address correspondence to Sujay M. Kansagra, MD, Division of Pediatric Neurology, DUMC 3936, Durham, NC 27710. E-mail: sujay.kansagra{at}duke.edu


Author(s): Smith, Martin H; Meehan, Cheryl L; Ma, Justine; Dasher, H Steve; Camarillo, Joe D; Moses, Adele; Wong, Joyce | Abstract: Part 9 of the Youth Development through Veterinary Science Series, a 4H Youth Development curriculum that introduces youth to many aspects of veterinary science.


This report concerns some aspects of the problem of establishing valid and reliable criteria for post-traumatic amnesia, and of relating this to other cognitive functions in the post-injury period. Of specific interest are the variability of the duration of retrograde and anterograde amnesia on attempts at repeated assessment, and the relationship between the time of return of full orientation and the end of the period of anterograde amnesia. A prospective study was undertaken of sixty consecutive patients who had suffered severe head injuries and had been admitted to the neurosurgical service of the Winnipeg General Hospital. The object of this study was to obtain information regarding organic, psychological and social indices of the future clinical course.


The scientific reasoning strategies used to discover a new concept in a scientific domain were investigated in two studies. An innovative task in which subjects discover new concepts in molecular biology was used. This task was based upon one set of experiments that Jacob and Monod used to discover how genes are controlled, and for which they were awarded the Nobel prize. In the two studies reported in this article, subjects were taught some basic facts and experimental techniques in molecular biology, using a simulated molecular genetics laboratory on a computer. Following their initial training, they were then asked to discover how genes are controlled by other genes. In Study 1, subjects found no evidence that was consistent with their initial hypothesis. Subjects then set one of two goals for conducting experiments and evaluating data. One goal was to search for evidence consistent with the current hypothesis (and they did not attend to the features of discrepant findings); none of the subjects who only had this goal succeeded at discovering how the genes were controlled. Other subjects in Study 1 used a different goal: Upon noticing evidence inconsistent with their current hypothesis, these subjects set a new goal of attempting to explain the cause of the discrepant findings. Using this goal, a subset of these subjects discovered the correct solution to the problem. Study 2 was conducted to test the hypothesis that subjects' goals of finding evidence consistent with their current hypothesis blocks consideration of alternate hypotheses and generation of new goals. It was predicted that if subjects could achieve their initial goal of discovering evidence consistent with their current hypothesis, they would then attend to particular features of discrepant evidence and solve the problem. To test this prediction, an additional mechanism of genetic control that was consistent with subjects' initial goal was added to the genes. Here, subjects had to discover two mechanisms of control: one mechanism consistent with their current hypothesis, and one inconsistent with their hypothesis. Twice as many subjects reached the correct solution in Study 2 than in Study 1. The findings of the two studies indicate that goals provide a powerful constraint on the cognitive processes underlying scientific reasoning and that the types of goals that are represented determine many of the reasoning errors that subjects make.


An Augmented Virtual Environment (AVE) fuses dynamic imagery with 3D models. An AVE provides a unique approach to visualizing spatial relationships and temporal events that occur in real-world environments. A geometric scene model provides a 3D substrate for the visualization of multiple image sequences gathered by fixed or moving image sensors. The resulting visualization is that of a world-in-miniature that depicts the corresponding real-world scene and dynamic activities. This paper describes the core elements of an AVE system, including static and dynamic model construction, sensor tracking, and image projection for 3D visualization.


Although every US state has its own statutes governing wrongful death litigation the general objectives of the tort system require that tort-feasors make some compensation for the value of life lost. Consequently the systems success depends heavily on how accurately that value can be calculated. Clearly some elements that make life valuable cannot be quantified and survivors can hardly be compensated for their loss. However settlement negotiations and court awards operate on the assumption that the economic loss resulting from an individuals death can be reasonably calculated. Conceptually that assumption is justified but in practice there is no accepted standard for calculating economic loss in wrongful death cases. Moreover many of the existing methods are deficient and some assumptions held by expert witnesses have been inconsistent with scientific principles of economics. This study develops a methodology to overcome these deficiencies and improve the means for accurately calculating the economic loss associated with the death. This effort is part of a larger study of litigation over aviation deaths. The data files contain information on 88% of the aviation deaths that occurred between 1970 and 1984 involving major US airlines.


By investigating the second hand clothing trade and consumption discourse in the Philippines, this paper enlarges existing global knowledge and serves as an initial attempt to map this phenomenon in South East Asia. It argues that regional and national opinions could be located in a continuum. At one end is a noticeably modern and functional outlook, and on the other is a distinctly postmodern and constructionist perspective. It shows that a nation's particular discourse is an expression of its socio-economic context. However, since the used clothing trade is a global phenomenon that transcends national boundaries, used clothing traders, retailers, and consumers unite in challenging the beliefs driven by institutions that regulate and compete with this trade. The response of these institutions has blurred the boundaries separating the formal and informal, the legal and illegal, and the Philippines exemplifies this.


In this paper, we present a Bayesian-based superresolution algorithm that uses approximations of symmetric alpha-stable (SαS) Markov random fields as prior. The approximated SαS prior is used to perform maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation for the high-resolution (HR) image reconstruction process. Compared with other state-of-the-art prior models, the proposed prior can better capture the heavy tails of the distribution of the HR image. Thus, the edges of the reconstructed HR image are preserved better in our method. As the corresponding energy function is nonconvex, the graduated nonconvexity method is used to solve the MAP estimation. Experiments confirm the better fit achieved by the proposed model to the actual data distribution and the consequent improvement in terms of visual quality over previously proposed super-resolution algorithms.


Classical persistent homology is a powerful mathematical tool for shape comparison. Unfortunately, it is not tailored to study the action of transformation groups that are different from the group Homeo(X) of all self‐homeomorphisms of a topological space X. This fact restricts its use in applications. In order to obtain better lower bounds for the natural pseudo‐distance dG associated with a group G ⊂ Homeo(X), we need to adapt persistent homology and consider G‐invariant persistent homology. Roughly speaking, the main idea consists in defining persistent homology by means of a set of chains that is invariant under the action of G. In this paper, we formalize this idea and prove the stability of the persistent Betti number functions in G‐invariant persistent homology with respect to the natural pseudo‐distance dG. We also show how G‐invariant persistent homology could be used in applications concerning shape comparison, when the invariance group is a proper subgroup of the group of all self‐homeomorphisms of a topological space. In this paper, we will assume that the space X is triangulable, in order to guarantee that the persistent Betti number functions are finite without using any tameness assumption. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Marine tourism is all activities undertaken to create a fun, challenges, new experiences, and health that can only be done in the territorial waters. The study was conducted in June - July 2013 on the Balai Island of Aceh Singkil Regency, the Province of Aceh. The aims of the study were to determine the marine ecotourism potential and to formulate a strategy development of Balai Island. The method used in this study is a survey method, with respondents comprising of local people, tourists, business tourism stakeholders and policymakers. There were seven station observeds interen of water brightness, temperature, salinity, acidity, (pH), and the flow velocity carried.The results showed that the object and the potential appeal of ecologically Balai Island is a white sand with clear waters and coral reefs have great beauty, as well as activities that can be done such as fishing, snorkeling and enjoy activities such as walking around the island. From the SWOT analysis, it can be recommended as many as ten nautical tourism development strategies in the island: 1) optimization (travel packages), 2) to increase the easy transportation to get to the island, 3) to create a collaboration with the universities in research and conservation, 4) to provide counseling role and function of the importance of protecting the environment, 5) to create a bulletin board in the form of banners, pamphlets and the like to the areas that you can reach and make the print media and social media for external promotion, 6) to improve the quality of human resources, especially skills needed for ecotourism activities, 7) to increase the assurance of safety for tourists such as installing Tsunami alarms, 8) to intensity monitoring and enforcement of regulations in protecting the environment, 9) to empower the local communities in tourism promotion and marketing at the same time travel, and 10) to recom a zonation of activities of tourism.


The present study investigated the clinical significance of miR-138 in patients with malignant melanoma (MM), which has previously been associated with tumor growth. In patients with MM, we found that the expression of miR-138 was significantly downregulated when compared with healthy control subjects. Overexpression of miR-138 in the human melanoma cell line A2058 inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell apoptosis, and increased caspase-3 and Bax protein expression when compared with a negative control group. Meanwhile, miR-138 overexpression promoted cell autophagy, induced LC3 protein expression, and suppressed the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and PDK1 protein expression in A2058 cells. LY294002, an inhibitor of PI3K, suppressed PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling, induced apoptosis, inhibited cell proliferation, increased caspase-3 and Bax protein expression, and decreased PDK1 protein expression in A2058 cells following miR-138 overexpression. Collectively, our findings indicate the clinical significance of miR-138 in patients with MM through its targeting of PDK1 expression in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR autophagy signaling pathway.


The study investigated the strategies that 7to 12-year-old children spontaneously apply to the solution of novel combinatorial problems. The children were individually administered a set of six problems involving the dressing of toy bears in all possible combinations of tops and pants (two-dimensional) or tops, pants, and tennis rackets (three-dimensional). Two sets of solution procedures were identified, each comprising a series of five increasingly complex strategies ranging from trial-and-error approaches to sophisticated odometer procedures. Results suggested that experience with the twodimensional problems enabled children to adopt and subsequently transform their efficient 2-D odometer strategy (where one item is held constant) into the most sophisticated 3-D odometer strategy, which involved working simultaneously with two constant items. The study highlights the importance of discrete mathematics as a source of problem-solving activities in which children are motivated to create, modify, and extend their own theories.


This paper poses two interrelated questions. (i) What aspects of pitch movement and the segmental stream are aligned? (ii) What does it mean for these aspects to be aligned? Our basic claim is that these aspects are unlikely to be found at the acoustic surface level, and that alignment itself involves an abstract relationship rather than, for example, the simple coincidence of certain discrete pitch events (e.g. peaks) with discrete segmental events (e.g., syllable boundaries.) This abstract relationship consists of a mathematical mapping between intonational and segmental trajectories that is invariant within a given phonological category and "speech state." We present a conceptual framework that makes this claim more precise, and illustrate the framework by discussing in detail a specific model, the Linear Alignment Model (A Model of Fundamental Frequency Contour Alignment", in A. Botinis, Ed., Intonation: Analysis, Modeling and Technology.)


From Eczema. 1. The history of the case is a means of dia.nosis. 2. In porrigo the scab is a psydracium; but in eczema the scab resembles that of chronic psoriasis. 3.*In porrigo we have a pustular, in eczema we lhave a serous scab. 4. In eczema we have great heat of parts, and sm-all superficial ulcerations, more or less constanit oozing of a serous discharge, which we lave not in porrlgo; but in both we have glandular enlargernent. 5. Eczema is non-conitagious, whilst porrigo is contagious. (1. Eczema aifects all ages, and the eruption is chiefly general, extendling over large surfaces; whilst in porrigo it affects children and is more local. CAu-SE. The disease arises from direct infection, by using combs, brushes, caps, towels, etc. It often occurs in children during the period of dentition, and most frequently during the damp season of the year, and in sudden changes of the atmosphere. It most commonly attacks children between the ages of 3 months and 12 years. Improper feeding and bad ventilation produce it; and it is sometimes (though rarely) caused by vaccination. The general health is as usual, except in severe cases. WVhat is the cause of the infection ? In my mind, this depends upon a vegetable parasite, which, I believe, lhas not hiitherto been described by any author. I have examined fifty or sixty cases carefully, with only a vague result; for in some I have found the same parasite, and in others I have quite failed to discover it. The parasite which I lhave iound is a cryptogam, and is very similar to that found in sycosis, but differing in size. It conIsists of a stem with branches and spores; about the lhair itself I have failed to discover any disease. I am of opinion that this disease is very similar to sycosis; botlh being dependent upon the same parasite. I tried the following experiment three years ago. J. 13., a warder at Cold Bath Fields, camiie under my care for sycosis menti, wbhich had resisted treatment. lie allowed me to inoculate his arm from his chlin. In seven days, there was a distinct porriginous scab; viz., a psydracium surrounded by no inflammatory base. The same parasite was found in it as in the chin; and the disease yielded to the same treatment, except that the arn got well first. TREATMENT. This is very simple and effective. I genierally treat all the cases comning under my care as MIr. Startin does at the Skin Hospital; viz., by the internal admninistration of iodide of potassium, and the application of compournd sulphur ointment of the Skin Hospital Pharmacopcciaj+ But any other antiparasitic treatment would do; and, in a large number of cases, no Tnedicine is at all necessary. I have very often used, with a good effect, alkalies; viz., magnesia, sesquicarbonate of soda conmbined with a little colchicum, and an ointment composed of three grains of nitric oxide of mercury and half an outiice of lard, with three drops of creasote. But the most important point is to r-emizove the scab. The head must be kept clean by waslhirng it with the yolk of an egg and warm w-titer, the use of soap bein, avoided. In somie extremne cases, bread and water poultices over the scab are of great service. A regulated diet is important; it should not be overstimulating, and tlle meals should be taken at regular hours. Sweets of every kind, pastry, salted food, are not to be taken. Beer, wine, and spirits should be strictly prohiluited. I n0ow cite the foliowing cases, in proof of the correctniess of nmy diagrnosis, and the treatment consequent thereon. CASE T. J. S., aged 4 months, applied at the Farringdon Dispensary, March 1860. About a week previously,


Roadside Units (RSUs) aided distributed certificate service is a promising approach for ensuring security and privacy preservation in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs), where the existence of RSUs is critical for such a scheme in order to allow On-Board Units (OBUs) to update their short-time certificates on time. However, RSUs may only be deployed at some critical points along roads due to the cost. In this paper, we propose a cost-efficient RSUs deployment scheme to guarantee that OBUs at any place could communicate with RSUs in certain driving time (DT), and the extra overhead time (ET) of adjusting routes to update short-time certificate is small. Based on a real-world map, several deployment examples are given illustrating the influence of key factors in RSUs deployment such as wireless communication range, DT and ET. Furthermore, extensive analysis demonstrates that our RSUs deployment scheme can meet the required design goals.


This paper explores changes in employment policies and practices that are typically associated with the classical `model' of the internal labour market. Drawing on documentary information and interviews with managers in four large organisations in the UK, the evidence suggests that many of the `traditional' pillars of the internal labour market have been dismantled. New policies around training, recruitment, pay, job security and career progression have been introduced in response to pressures and opportunities for change, both internal and external to the organisation. Changes in the external labour market involve a shift in the balance of power between labour and capital, coupled with a weakening of the mechanisms which coordinate and regulate labour market exchange. Within the organisation, there are a range of pressures to transform production, or service delivery, including the restructuring of traditional forms of work organisation, the extension of working-time and changes in organisational structure. This paper analyses evidence of new employer-led `market solutions' to this range of conflicting pressures. The aim is to highlight the tendency for contradictory outcomes as new policies capitalise on changing external conditions, but at the expense of meeting organisational demands. Also, new policies implemented by individual employers may be unsustainable where, on aggregate, they fail to develop workforce skills or to fulfil career expectations.


In microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis, the guide-strand of miRNA integrates into the RNA induced silencing complex (RISC), whereas the passenger-strand is inactivated through degradation. Analysis of our miRNA expression signature of bladder cancer (BC) by deep-sequencing revealed that microRNA (miR)-145-5p (guide-strand) and miR-145-3p (passenger-strand) were significantly downregulated in BC tissues. It is well known that miR-145-5p functions as a tumor suppressor in several types of cancer. However, the impact of miR-145-3p on cancer cells is still ambiguous. The aim of the present study was to investigate the functional significance of miR-145-3p and BC oncogenic pathways and targets regulated by miR-145-5p/miR-145-3p. Ectopic expression of either miR-145-5p or miR-145-3p in BC cells significantly suppressed cancer cell growth, migration and invasion and it also induced apoptosis. The gene encoding ubiquitin-like with PHD and ring finger domains 1 (UHRF1) was a direct target of these miRNAs. Silencing of UHRF1 induced apoptosis and inhibited cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in BC cells. In addition, overexpressed UHRF1 was confirmed in BC clinical specimens, and the high UHRF1 expression group showed a significantly poorer cause specific survival rate in comparison with the low expression group. Taken together, our present data demonstrated that both strands of miR-145 (miR-145-5p: guide-strand and miR-145-3p: passenger-strand) play pivotal roles in BC cells by regulating UHRF1. The identification of the molecular target of a tumor suppressive miRNAs provides novel insights into the potential mechanisms of BC oncogenesis and suggests novel therapeutic strategies.


Traumatic events may give rise to invalidating and chronic situations of distress. The concept of post-traumatic growth suggests that trauma may help people who have experienced it to mature and make positive changes in their lives, especially teenagers. This concept and its limits deserve to be studied in greater depth.


[1] Line-normal, vertical cross sections of Houston Lightning Detection and Ranging (LDAR) VHF radiation sources and radar reflectivity provide new insights into the three-dimensional total lightning structure and evolution of a leading-line, trailing-stratiform (LLTS) mesoscale convective system (MCS) over Houston, Texas, on 31 October 2005. Previous research examining only the mature stage of an MCS showed that the overwhelming majority of VHF lightning sources occurred in the convective region with a lightning pathway extending rearward and descending in altitude into the stratiform region. This descending pathway was most likely associated with small, charged ice particles advected from the convective line. Unlike previous research, the lightning pathway observed during the evolution of the MCS on 31 October 2005 initially extended rearward 40 km at a nearly constant height of 9–10 km. In less than an hour, the lightning pathway evolved into a sloped pathway, similar to that found by previous research, with a horizontal extent between 50 to 60 km and downward descent of 4 to 5 km. During the lightning pathway evolution, radar analysis showed an increase of reflectivity in the midlevels of the stratiform region, consistent with increased depositional and aggregational growth above the melting layer. Broadening (increased range of values) of radar reflectivity above the melting layer was most likely an indication of a strengthening mesoscale updraft in the stratiform region. This strengthening updraft may have contributed to an increase in the growth of the small, charge carrying ice crystals giving them a greater fall speed. In addition, the mesoscale updraft may have promoted an environment conducive to local stratiform region charge generation in the mixed phase region just above the melting layer.


The effect of natural condiments on peptic hydrolysis of casein in vitro has been studied, peptic activity was determined by the colorimetric method using folin reagent. The obstructive compounds on colorimetry from hydrolyzates of casein were separated by gel filteration method using sephadex G-10 column and 0.05M NaCl. Zinger and red pepper were found to have slightly supressing effect for protein digestive action of pepsin. But garlic, green onion and onion acted as synergist for protein digertive action of pepsin.


Abstract : The use of decoys in combat has become more advanced in recent years. Some of the newest military aircraft, such as the US Navy's F/A-18E/F Superhornet, have the capability to deploy a towline with an attached decoy when entering hostile territory as a defense mechanism against enemy threats. In steady state, the towline extends behind and below the aircraft. A major concern is the position of the towline, as aircraft maneuvers can cause the line to enter the engine plume. The high exhaust heat can cause problems, such as damaging electrical equipment and severing the line. In order to better understand the behavior of the towline, as well as setting up a method to analyze the heat transfer to the towline, computer modeling has been utilized using numerical integration with the method of characteristics. The method of characteristics has been applied to 4 hyperbolic equations of motion, leaving 2 parabolic equations of motion to be calculated at each timestep. The energy equation for heat transfer to the towline was also derived, which provides a means to find local air density and towline temperature. From these a model was created to observe towline behavior and temperature, which is shown to be consistent with past research. This model is applicable to any towed body in any medium with zero slack conditions. The effects of transient aircraft maneuvers on towline behavior in a predetermined temperature field were analyzed under different conditions using a code developed in MATLAB. This code is included such that aircraft maneuvers in unique temperature fields can be analyzed for future research.


This study attempts to obtain the user requirements for the EmoViLE during the data collection and to identify the user requirement for the EmoViLE. This VLE will be benefited to the student by improving the user experience and increasing their engagement when using the VLE, and lecturer in helping them to understand their student better and to come out with a better future plan for their learning assessment. The methodology in doing this study are Phase 1 which involved the initial study on the previous work, Phase 2 is the data collection on the user requirement, Phase 3 which involves the design process of the VLE, Phase 4 is the development phase of the VLE and Phase 5 is the testing on the prototype of the VLE. The expected outcome is a prototype of the VLE with the emotive interface feature that can contribute for the improvement and betterment on teaching and learning process between students and lecturer.


The aim of this study is to investigate the change in flavonoid composition and antioxidative activity during fermentation of onion (Allium cepa L.) by Leuconostoc mesenteroides with different NaCl concentrations. In order to qualify and quantify the flavonoids during fermentation of onion, 7 flavonoids, [quercetin 3,7-O-β-d-diglucopyranoside (Q3,7G), quercetin 3,4'-O-β-d-diglucopyranoside (Q3,4'G), quercetin 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (Q3G), quercetin 4'-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (Q4'G), isorhamnetin 3-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (IR3G), quercetin (Q), and isorhamnetin (IR)], were isolated and identified from onion. During fermentation, the contents of flavonoid glucosides (Q3,7G, Q3,4'G, Q3G, Q4'G, and IR3G) gradually decreased, whereas the contents of flavonoid aglycones (Q, IR) gradually increased. Decline rates of the flavonoid glucosides increased with the addition of L. mesenteroides. Furthermore, the activity of β-glucosidase, which is produced by L. mesenteroides, is dose-dependently inhibited with different NaCl concentrations during fermentation. The presence of L. mesenteroides enhanced the antioxidative activity of onion as demonstrated using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), and reducing power assays. The enhancement of antioxidative activity was considered because the content of flavonoid aglycones increased during fermentation. However, the addition of NaCl may decrease the antioxidative activity; we surmise that this phenomenon occurs because of the inhibition of β-glucosidase by NaCl. Therefore, we conclude that the addition of NaCl may be useful for the regulation of antioxidative activity via the control of β-glucosidase action, during the fermentation of flavonoid glucoside-rich foods.


New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) that employ artificial intelligence (AI) for predicting adverse effects of chemicals have generated optimistic expectations as alternatives to animal testing. However, the major underappreciated challenge in developing robust and predictive AI models is the impact of the quality of the input data on the model accuracy. Indeed, poor data reproducibility and quality have been frequently cited as factors contributing to the crisis in biomedical research, as well as similar shortcomings in the fields of toxicology and chemistry. In this article, we review the most recent efforts to improve confidence in the robustness of toxicological data and investigate the impact that data curation has on the confidence in model predictions. We also present two case studies demonstrating the effect of data curation on the performance of AI models for predicting skin sensitisation and skin irritation. We show that, whereas models generated with uncurated data had a 7–24% higher correct classification rate (CCR), the perceived performance was, in fact, inflated owing to the high number of duplicates in the training set. We assert that data curation is a critical step in building computational models, to help ensure that reliable predictions of chemical toxicity are achieved through use of the models.


Among all the existing segmentation techniques, thresholding technique is one of the most popular one due to its simplicity, robustness and accuracy. Multi-thresholding is an important operation in many analyses which is used in many applications. Selecting correct thresholds to get better result is a critical issue. In this research, a multilevel thresholding method is proposed based on combination of maximum entropy. The maximum entropy thresholding algorithm selects several threshold values by maximizing the cross entropy between the original image and the segmented image. This method can effectively integrate partial range of the image histogram. The proposed algorithm is compared with single thresholding method based on maximum entropy and multilevel thresholding method The proposed multi thresholding method is tested on license plate application. From the experiment, multi-threshold method further improved to increase the segmentation accuracy in the future.


Recently, the amount of attention paid towards convolutional neural networks (CNN) in medical image analysis has rapidly increased since they can analyze and classify images faster and more accurately than human abilities. As a result, CNNs are becoming more popular and play a role as a supplementary assistant for healthcare professionals. Using the CNN on portable medical devices can enable a handy and accurate disease diagnosis. Unfortunately, however, the CNNs require high-performance computing resources as they involve a significant amount of computation to process big data. Thus, they are limited to being used on portable medical devices with limited computing resources. This paper discusses the network quantization techniques that reduce the size of CNN models and enable fast CNN inference with an energy-efficient CNN accelerator integrated into recent mobile processors. With extensive experiments, we show that the quantization technique reduces inference time by 97% on the mobile system integrating a CNN acceleration engine.


1 The membrane/buffer partition coefficient of [14C]‐pentobarbitone has been determined as a function of the lipid composition of bilayer membranes. 2 A new technique based on ultrafiltration gave comparable results to conventional techniques but required less time for equilibration. 3 The membrane/buffer coefficient was independent of pentobarbitone concentration in the range studied. 4 The apparent partition coefficient varied with pH and was a linear function of the degree of dissociation of pentobarbitone. 5 Both the charged and uncharged forms of pentobarbitone partitioned into the membrane, the latter to a much greater extent than the former. 6 At low pH the highest partition coefficient observed was in egg phosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes. 7 Incorporation of cholesterol or phosphatidic acid into phosphatidylcholine membranes greatly reduced the partition coefficient. 8 High pressures do not greatly change these partition coefficients.


A study was made of the nuclear RNA in HeLa cells with particular reference to the rapidly labelled fractions. It was found that if cells were incubated at a high density, that is, under 'step-down' conditions, there was a rapid accumulation of RNA in the nucleus. The fraction of the nuclear RNA which includes rapidly labelled RNA and which binds tightly to columns of methylated albumin on kieselguhr increased in amount and reached levels which permitted enough of the material to be isolated for direct measurement of its base composition. This was found to be very similar to that of 16s ribosomal RNA.

When cells growing logarithmically were treated with low concentrations of actinomycin D and then incubated in the presence of [3H]uridine it was found that an RNA fraction which bound tightly to methylated albumin on kieselguhr again accumulated in the nucleus. This fraction resembled that which accumulated under 'step-down' conditions. It contained over 85% of the total radioactivity in the nuclear RNA and again had a base composition very similar to 16s ribosomal RNA. Since nucleolar RNA synthesis was inhibited by the concentrations of actinomycin D used, it appeared that an RNA closely resembling 16s ribosomal RNA was synthesized outside the nucleolus.

Sedimentation patterns on sucrose density gradients and thermal denaturation profiles lent support to the view that the RNA which binds tightly to columns of methylated albumin on kieselguhr probably represents 'nascent' 16s ribosomal RNA.

Member of staff, British Empire Cancer Campaign Cell Biology Unit.


Spontaneous cases of canine distemper virus (CDV) infection were serologically evaluated. The 192 dogs in which CDV antigen was confirmed from tonsil by immunohistological examination were 2- to 4-months old, of various breeds, and unvaccinated. The prognoses were good in 74 dogs with significantly high levels of anti-CDV passive hemolytic aggregation (PHA) titer. In the other 118 dogs with poor prognoses, anti-CDV PHA titer was not detected. Anti-CDV PHA titer had the most significant association with the prognoses of CDV infection, and could be the most reliable and useful indicator for evaluating such prognoses.


The first edition of the UCGIS Body of Knowledge (BOK) is a recommended baseline for the geographic information science and technology (GIS&T) undergraduate curriculum. Part of a larger seven-year effort to rebuild the top of the world's GIS&T intellectual pyramid, it attempts to define the knowledge base that one might expect students receiving an undergraduate specialty in the field should be exposed to. Although it is not a set of lecture notes, exercises or laboratories for educators, it does provide over 1600 learning objectives spread over 10 general knowledge areas. Because the document is designed to serve the needs of the educational community it is important to know whether these learning objectives are set at appropriate cognitive learning levels. This paper examines the range of cognitive levels suggested by the learning objectives enumerated for each of the 10 Knowledge Areas. By using text-based content analysis of the BOK learning objectives, the author compares the action verbs associated with Bloom's cognitive levels to those in the learning objectives. Results show a surprisingly consistent distribution of requisite cognitive levels for the learning objectives, with distributional modes for most Knowledge Area averages falling between Bloom's levels 2 and 3 (knowledge and comprehension, respectively). The single exception to this pattern is the Design Aspects (DA) knowledge area where the frequency of action verbs is normally distributed, with the mode falling just between Bloom's levels 3 and 4. The underlying premise of the curriculum project is that students graduating from a GIS&T programme should be able to identify and solve spatial temporal problems; in short that they should demonstrate critical thinking skills commonly associated with Bloom's levels 4, 5 and 6. This suggests that there is a need to increase the number of learning objectives requiring analysis, synthesis and evaluation. These results further indicate that the existing learning objectives, while amenable to use in developing course materials and evaluative rubrics for GIS&T coursework, materials and rubrics focusing on critical thinking will need carefully to be selected to include higher cognitive level objectives. Given that the BOK is meant to evolve as the discipline's foci and directions change, the learning objectives and content of the document will necessarily have to change. This will require continued dialogue between the educators and those responsible for revising the BOK document.


Schizophrenia is a chronic psychiatric disorder with a lifetime prevalence of about 1% in the general population. Recent studies have shown that Neuregulin-1 (Nrg1) is a candidate gene for schizophrenia. At least 15 alternative splicing of NRG1 isoforms all contain an extracellular epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like domain, which is sufficient for Nrg1 biological activity including the formation of myelin sheaths and the regulation of synaptic plasticity. It is known that Nrg1 can be cleaved by β-secretase (BACE1) and the resulting N-terminal fragment (Nrg1-ntf) binds to receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB4, which activates Nrg1/ErbB4 signaling. While changes in Nrg1 expression levels in schizophrenia still remain controversial, understanding the BACE1-cleaved Nrg1-ntf and Nrg1/ErbB4 signaling in schizophrenia neuropathogenesis is essential and important. In this review paper, we included three major parts: (1) Nrg1 structure and cleavage pattern by BACE1; (2) BACE1-dependent Nrg1 cleavage associated with schizophrenia in human studies; and (3) Animal studies of Nrg1 and BACE1 mutations with behavioral observations. Our review will provide a better understanding of Nrg1 in schizophrenia and a potential strategy for using BACE1 cleavage of Nrg1 as a unique biomarker for diagnosis, as well as a new therapeutic target, of schizophrenia.


The article presents a philosophical understanding and real interpretation of the existence and evolution of pedagogical (educational) discourse in the postmodern space. The results of scientific research are analyzed and the structural-semantic relationship of the concepts, terms and categories associated with the terminological field "discourse" is defined. The authors raise the problem of the postmodern significance of discourse in the period of the global transformation of the educational environment, caused by the pandemic COVID-19, which has put humanity before the fact of actualization of remote communication and receipt of educational services. The authors believe that distance learning should be provided with strong technical and technological support on the one hand and the use of this vector set of educational, pedagogical, learning and development technologies in the preparation of future specialists in the system of higher education on the other. The article deals with new approaches to the application of discourse-supporting technologies and methods. Thus, the emphasis is placed on the relevance of an open informational and educational environment of higher education institutions in the postmodern space where the role of discourse as a constructive tool of postmodernism is determined by the new interpretation, and the teacher becomes a generator of innovations in this context.


The economic feasibility of producing ethanol from sweet sorghum juice is projected using Monte Carlo simulation models to estimate the price ethanol plants will likely have to pay for sweet sorghum and the uncertain returns for ethanol plants. Ethanol plants in high yielding regions will likely generate returns on assets of 11%-12% and in low yield areas the returns on assets will be less than 10%.


Malpractice claims filed against anesthesiologists for care involving obstetric (OB) anesthesia (n = 190) were taken from the American Society of Anesthesiologists' Closed Claims Database and compared to claims not involving OB cases (n = 1351). The most common complications in the OB claims were (percentage of all OB claims): maternal death (22%), newborn brain damage (20%), and headache (12%). In contrast, the most common complications in the nonobstetric (non-OB) group were (percentage of all non-OB claims): death (39%), nerve damage (16%), and brain damage (13%). The group of OB claims contained a proportionately greater number of minor injuries, such as headache, backache, pain during anesthesia, and emotional injury (32%) compared to the non-OB claims (4%). Complications due to aspiration and convulsions were more common among the OB cases. The standard of care was judged to have been met in 46% of OB and 39% of non-OB claims. This difference is not statistically significant. Claims involving general anesthesia were more frequently associated with severe injuries and resulted in higher payments than did claims involving regional anesthesia. Payments were made in a similar proportion of OB and non-OB claims (53 and 59%, respectively). For cases in which payments were made, the median payment for OB claims was significantly greater ($203,000) than for non-OB claims ($85,000; P less than or equal to 0.05).


The induction of micronuclei in mouse bone marrow by the organophosphorous insecticide 'Dursban' was tested. 3 routes of administration were used for the pure insecticide: intraperitoneal, oral and dermal. The different routes of treatment with Dursban induced a statistically significant increase in the percentage of polychromatic erythrocytes over that of the control. Both intraperitoneal and oral treatments with the insecticide induced a high percentage of polychromatic erythrocytes with micronuclei, whereas dermal treatment did not induce micronuclei.


The apex cardiogram should normally include a flat part, but when one looks carefully, one may note that this flat part normally includes a flat wave between the descending part from the first summit and the part rising towards the second summit. This is therefore something which occurs in the middle of systole. Now, quite different curves, such as those of ventricular volume collected by rheography or cineangiography, also show a mesodiastolic occurence. As far as clinical medicine is concerned, it is expressed more frequently during proto or telesystole, rather than during mesosystole, which may be totally free of abnormal waves. What thus occurs in mesosystole? This is the question which is raised by these findings]


Ordered Kronecker functional decision diagrams (OKFDD's) are a data structure for efficient representation and manipulation of Boolean functions. OKFDD's are a generalization of ordered binary decision diagrams (OBDD)s) and ordered functional decision diagrams and thus combine the advantages of both. In this paper, basic properties of OKFDD's and their efficient representation and manipulation are given. Starting with elementary manipulation algorithms, we present methods for the construction of small OKFDD's. Our approach is based on dynamic variable ordering and decomposition-type choice. For changing the decomposition type, we use an efficient reordering-based method. We briefly discuss the implementation of PUMA, an OKFDD package, which was used in all our experiments. These experiments demonstrate the quality of our methods in comparison to sifting and interleaving for OBDD's.


Abstract We study after-hours trading (AHT), price contributions, and price discovery following quarterly earnings announcements released outside of the normal trading hours. For Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 index stocks from 2004–2008, AHT is heightened on announcement days. A significant portion of the price change and price discovery occurs immediately after the earnings releases. Prices in AHT show a large degree of informational efficiency, further demonstrating the importance of price discovery in AHT. We also provide evidence suggesting that firms prefer after-hours earnings announcements, as trades are mainly from informed traders, and those trades are relied upon to convey information to the general public.


Chronic infection by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease with an estimate worldwide prevalence of over 200 million people. Acute hepatitis C infection is usually asymptomatic and rarely identified in clinical practice, leading to chronic infection in about 80% of all cases. However, when symptomatic, only about 50% of acute infections progress to chronicity. Correctly identifying acute HCV infection is of paramount importance once it presents itself as an unique treatment opportunity with sustained virological response of about 90%, which is very distant from the 30% to 80% of sustained virological response achieved with standard chronic HCV treatment. The authors present four cases of acute HCV infection. There was spontaneous viral clearance in two pa- tients at week 12 of follow-up. In one case viral RNA was positive at week 12 but sustained virological response was eventually achieved after peginterferon alpha2a monotherapy.


A strain of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) was isolated from rakkyo plants in Miyazaki Prefecture. This strain was distinguished by reactions on host plants from other strains of TMV occurring in Japan. It systemically infected four Allium species, but did not infect three tomato cultivars tested. In most of the tobacco species or cultivars tested, the symptoms induced by this strain were similar to those by TMV-OM, but the strain did not systemically infect a tobacco cultivar Bright Yellow, and multiplied only in the inoculated leaf without causing any symptoms. Although this strain is similar to TMV-OM in morphology, physical properties and mobility of the coat protein or RNA by electrophoresis, it is serologically discernible from TMV-OM, TMV-L and TMV-P through Ouchterlony agar double diffusion test, intragel cross absorption test in agar gel and DAS-ELISA. These results indicate a new strain of TMV, and the name rakkyo strain (TMV-R) of TMV is hereby proposed.


We investigated in vitro and in vivo the optoacoustic responses of silicon 2,3-naphthalocyanine bi(trihexylsilyloxide) (SiNc), considered herein as a reporter molecule for optoacoustic imaging, elucidating its efficiency for optoacoustic (photoacoustic) signal generation and examining the in vivo performance achieved. Methods: SiNc solutions were prepared using Cremophor EL in water and evaluated for light-absorbing and optoacoustic contrast-generating properties. Photostability and singlet oxygen generation were investigated under pulsed laser illumination and validated using photoabsorbance. HT-29 mouse tumor models were used to assess the biodistribution of the compound and its performance as an optoacoustic contrast agent in vivo. Results: SiNc was found to generate superior optoacoustic signals compared with the commonly used indocyanine green. Multispectral optoacoustic tomography of mouse tumors efficiently resolved the biodistribution of SiNc and the underlying perfusion parameters in vivo. In addition, we demonstrate how light-triggered SiNc reactions with molecular oxygen can be potentially sensed and discuss the relation of these measurements to the biochemical process involved in photothermal treatment. Conclusion: SiNc appears to be a promising family of contrast agent for optoacoustic imaging. Further development possibilities promise to expand its use in purely contrast generation settings, as well as its photodynamic therapy application.


Nonmuscle myosin IIA and IIB distribute preferentially toward opposite ends of migrating endothelial cells. To understand the mechanism and function of this behavior, myosin II was examined in cells treated with the motor inhibitor, blebbistatin. Blebbistatin at > or = 30 microM inhibited anterior redistribution of myosin IIA, with 100 microM blebbistatin causing posterior accumulation. Posterior accumulation of myosin IIB was unaffected. Time-lapse cinemicrography showed myosin IIA entering lamellipodia shortly after their formation, but failing to move into lamellipodia in blebbistatin. Thus, myosin II requires motor activity to move forward onto F-actin in protrusions. However, this movement is inhibited by myosin filament assembly, because whole myosin was delayed relative to a tailless fragment. Inhibiting myosin's forward movement reduced coupling between protrusive activity and translocation of the cell body: In untreated cells, body movement followed advancing lamellipodia, whereas blebbistatin-treated cells extended protrusions without displacement of the body or with a longer delay before movement. Anterior cytoplasm of blebbistatin-treated cells contained disorganized bundles of parallel microfilaments, but anterior F-actin bundles in untreated cells were mostly oriented perpendicular to movement. Myosin II may ordinarily move anteriorly on actin filaments and pull crossed filaments into antiparallel bundles, with the resulting realignment pulling the cell body forward.


Valvular heart disease (VHD) is highly prevalent in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) from the early stages to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Aortic and mitral valves are the most frequently affected, leading to aortic valve and/or mitral annular calcification, which, in turn, causes either valve stenosis or regurgitation at an accelerated rate compared with the general population. Tricuspid regurgitation is also prevalent in CKD and ESRD, and haemodialysis patients are at an increasingly high risk of infective endocarditis. As for pathophysiology, several mechanisms causing VHD in CKD have been proposed, highlighting the complexity of the process. Echocardiography constitutes the gold standard for the assessment of VHD in CKD/ESRD patients, despite the progress of other imaging modalities. With regard to treatment, the existing 2017 European Society of Cardiology/European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery guidelines on the management of VHD addressing patients with normal kidney function are also applied to patients with CKD/ESRD.


Mucuna is an important legume for livestock feed and is widely used as a cover crop. It is particularly difficult to grow in vitro owing to the production of phenolic compounds, which oxidize the growth media within a few days and prevent plant tissues to develop. Traditional tissue culture methods using basal nutrients (Murashige and Skoog and Gamborg-B5 salts), shoot inducing hormones (6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), Kinetin, 2-isopentenyladenine acid (2-iP) or Gibberelic acid) as well as vitamins, gave good induction of shoots from meristems, but slow shoot growth and plant regeneration. Recent reports proposed a simulation of the chemical composition of passion fruit and hazelnuts to growth the same plants in vitro. A much simpler and cheaper solution is proposed in this paper, using extracts of leaves as a basis for the nutrient media. Mucuna plants also contain phenolic compounds which were removed from the plant extract. Experiments were carried out to remove the phenolic components and adjust the concentration of plant extracts to produce a tissue culture media favourable for shoot growth and plant regeneration. Good in vitro growth of both callus and shoot tissues was obtained using low concentrations of either dry or fresh leaf extracts. There was a significant genotypic and physiological response to the media. Autoclaving the media rendered inactive the heat labile phenolics, thus eliminating the need for their removal from the extracts. Mucuna plants growing on plant extract medium grew better and lived longer than those on a traditional medium. This seems to be a promising alternative to traditional tissue culture media as well as a viable option to grow not only Mucuna, but other crops in vitro. It is a natural and easy method to apply, particularly in developing countries where budgets and access to modern technologies can be limited.


After the horrors of World War II in Asia - not least the systematic appalling mistreatment of Allied prisoners-of-war by the Japanese military - few would have predicted that Britain's relationship with Japan would flourish into a booming partnership of economic interdependence by the start of the twenty-first century. This ambitious examination of Anglo-Japanese relations over the course of the 20th century charts the fascinating history of how both nations overcame many years of prejudice and bitter conflict to form a bond fused by financial, political and military cooperation. In the 1930s, many Japanese became convinced that their exports were being kept out of India by British tariffs and it was not until the 1980s that the British government fully accepted the futility of any protectionist impulse and encouraged Japanese companies to invest in Britain. Today, each country not only assists the other economically but also no longer blames the other for its own domestic problems. "Britain and Japan in the Twentieth Century" elucidates how both nations have struggled to achieve stability and harmony in their relations with each other in the face of contrasting cultural identities.


A new adaptive backstepping controller with estimation for uncertain systems is presented in this study. The uncertainties are due to an unknown control coefficient and unknown or uncertain terms included in the system equations. The backstepping control technique is preferred because it has a systematic design procedure and guarantees the stability of the system, since it is based on Lyapunov's direct method. The proposed controller is used for the vibration isolation of a nine-story building model with an active tuned mass damper installed on the top floor. The results indicate that the proposed controller effectively suppresses the vibrations of the building.


This retrospective study aimed to clarify the risk of older adults' nursing home placement in terms of basic movements and activities of daily living (ADLs) by analyzing data from a long-term care insurance certification survey in 2016‒2018 in City A. Of the 21,520 people certified as needing care, 16,865 could be followed up until 2018. Data on sex, age, household structure, and level of care required were obtained. Those who lived at home and at nursing homes were categorized as the "Unchanged group" and the "Changed group," respectively. Multivariate binomial logistic regression analysis was performed, with group type as the dependent variable and basic movement and ADL scores as the independent variables. For factor analysis according to care level, participants were classified into support need levels 1 and 2, care need levels 1 and 2, and care need levels 3, 4, and 5. For those categorized into support need levels 1 and 2, standing on one leg and transferring (basic movements) and urination and face cleaning (ADLs) were associated with nursing home placement. For those in care need levels 1 and 2, getting up and transferring (basic movements) and bathing, urination, face cleaning, and hair styling (ADL) were significantly associated with nursing home placement. For those in care need levels 3, 4, and 5, sitting and transferring (basic movements) and self-feeding and defecation (ADL) were significant. Occupational therapists must focus on older adults' declining ADLs and basic movements and relay the necessary information to patients, families, and other healthcare professionals to ensure appropriate and prompt care delivery.


The household mobility dynamics of young adults are widely acknowledged as some of the central indicators of residential satisfaction and the quantitative housing deficit. Regardless of this, hardly any studies have been conducted to investigate the trend in South African neighbourhoods. This study investigated the dynamics of household mobility among young adults in the Kenneth Gardens, a subsidised council rental estate in the city of Durban, South Africa. It is based on a survey focusing on household characteristics, profiles of young adults, likely household mobility behaviour of young adults and the factors that influence the mobility of young adults. Descriptive statistical tabulations, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and cross tabulations were used in the analysis. The paper notes that established suburban council rental housing estates are multi-cultural and diverse. Likewise, household formation aspirations and mobility factors among young adults are influenced by ethnic cultural factors and cross-cultural socio-economic factors. The paper argues that the residential satisfaction of young adults and household mobility factors in diverse neighbourhoods should be differentially understood within the context of ethnic and cultural geographies. Furthermore, cross-cultural socio-economic constraints that delay the wishes of young adults to form new households must also be taken into consideration.


Mental health professionals often move across services in the National Health Service (NHS) as a result of organizational change. However, little is known about the impact this has on people who are in receipt of psychiatric services (service users). We conducted an exploratory qualitative study into the experiences of service users under a community mental health team following a service restructure. Nine service users took part in face-to-face interviews, which were subsequently analysed following the principles of Grounded Theory. We found that service users were affected by their consultant leaving in a variety of ways, ranging from grief reactions to improved self-effi cacy. We concluded that service users can be signifi cantly affected by their consultant leaving, and this should be taken into account when planning restructures of mental health services.


The paper presents a novel, theoretically sound approach to the analysis of defence policy and force models and first results of its implementation. The approach is based on comparison of defence policies and cost data under the hypothesis that a particular defence policy relates to a specific set of defence capabilities with the respective impact on cost. We identified six factors, or dimensions, of defence policy with major impact on the cost of the respective capabilities, and used publicly available data to construct a model of capability cost, expressed in defence budget per active duty military personnel in constant purchasing power parity dollars, as a function of the six factors. Then the model was used to define what might be the reasonable force size of the Bulgarian Armed Forces in 2015 under three plausible alternative defence policies. The final section of the paper outlines strengths and limitations of the approach, as well as outputs and potential outcomes from its implementation.


Objective. We used EEG to investigate cortical oscillatory activities during the tactile discrimination task and characterize the correlation between the EEG features and subjects' discrimination performance. Approach. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) was applied on two finger areas (thumb and index for healthy hands, thumb and index-projected areas for disabled hands) to evoke two kinds of tactile sensations (vibration and pressure) with three levels of intensities (low, medium and high). Four forearm amputees and thirteen able-bodied subjects were recruited to discriminate the specific intensity and area of the applied stimulation. We assessed the discrimination performance [discrimination accuracy rate (AR) and response time (RT)] to quantify the tactile acuity. During the stimulation, EEG signals were recorded and the evoked cortical oscillatory activities were analyzed. Linear regression analyses were performed between EEG features and tactile discrimination performance. Main results. Spectral analysis revealed that alpha ERD over somatosensory regions persisted the whole task period and was related to the sensory information processing. Alpha ERD over prefrontal regions was only found during the stimulation judgement period and might reflect advanced cognitive process. There was no linear correlation between prefrontal alpha ERD and tactile discrimination performance. While contralateral somatosensory alpha ERDs exhibited significantly negative correlations with ARs ( r<−0.7,p<0.05) and positive correlations with RTs ( 0.65, p \lt 0.05$?> r>0.65,p<0.05). Specifically, the fitting results of higher alpha band (10–13 Hz) were superior to lower alpha band (8–10 Hz). Significance. Alpha ERD over contralateral somatosensory cortex could be used as an objective index for the evaluation of tactile acuity and might have the potential to be applied in sensory rehabilitation for amputees.


We report a rare case of symptomatic hypoglycemia in a patient with intra-abdominal recurrence of a previously resected gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). The patient is a 65-year-old woman who underwent resection of a large abdominal mass arising from the stomach, histologically diagnosed as a high-grade leiomyosarcoma. She was lost to follow up. Five years later, the mass recurred; core biopsy demonstrated a CD 117-positive, spindle-cell tumor, consistent with a GIST. She was placed on Gleevec, as there was evidence of multifocal disease, but imaging revealed only mild improvement. Subsequently, her clinical status deteriorated, and she was hospitalized for dehydration, vomiting, and mental status changes. Her blood glucose on admission was 22 mg/dL, and a dextrose infusion (50%) was necessary to maintain adequate blood glucose levels. Measurements of insulin, proinsulin, c-peptide, β-hydroxybutyrate, and thyroid-stimulating hormone were normal, as were cosyntropin stimulation and glucagon response tests. Suspicions arose for tumor-secreted insulin-like factor. She underwent resection of the dominant 44-cm recurrence, with immediate rebound hyperglycemia, followed by complete normalization of her blood glucose levels. She was discharged on postoperative Day 5 without symptoms or insulin, and is alive with disease at 20 months. Paraneoplastic syndromes occur in only 15 per cent of patients with known malignancies (e.g., lung cancer and metastatic carcinoid), and are rarely reported in the setting of GIST. Hypoglycemia is most often observed in presence of insulinoma and only isolated case reports in GIST patients exist. Overexpression of insulin-like growth factor II is thought to be the mechanism of action. Supportive management and palliative resection or debulking is recommended when possible.


Despite numerous efforts to better understand binary star evolution, some aspects of it remain poorly constrained. In particular, the evolution of eccentric binaries has remained elusive mainly because the Roche lobe formalism derived for circular binaries does not apply. Here we report the results of our smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulations of mass transfer in eccentric binaries using an alternate method in which we model only the outermost layers of the stars with appropriate boundary conditions. Using this technique, along with properly relaxed model stars, we characterize the mass transfer episodes of binaries with various orbital parameters. In particular, we show that these episodes can be described by Gaussians with an FWHM of ∼0.12Porb and that the peak rates occur after periastron, at an orbital phase of ∼0.58, independently of the eccentricity and mass of the stars. The accreted material is observed to form a rather sparse envelope around either or both stars. Although the fate of this envelope is not modeled in our simulations, we show that a constant fraction (∼5%) of the material transferred is ejected from the systems. We discuss this result in terms of the non-conservative mass transfer scenario. We suggest that our results could be incorporated in analytical and binary population synthesis studies to help better understand the evolution of eccentric binaries and the formation of exotic stellar populations.


Despite recent successful efforts to shorten the door-to-balloon time in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), prehospital delay remains unaffected. Nonetheless, the factors associated with prehospital delay have not been clearly identified in Korea. We retrospectively evaluated 423 patients with STEMI. The mean symptom onset-to-door time was 255 ± 285 (median: 150) min. The patients were analyzed in two groups according to symptom onset-to-door time (short delay group: ≤ 180 min vs long delay group: > 180 min). Inhospital mortality was significantly higher in long delay group (6.9% vs 2.8%; P = 0.048). Among sociodemographic and clinical variables, diabetes, low educational level, triage via other hospital, use of private transport and night time onset were more prevalent in long delay group (21% vs 30%; P = 0.038, 47% vs 59%; P = 0.013, 72% vs 82%; P = 0.027, 25% vs 41%; P < 0.001 and 33% vs 48%; P = 0.002, respectively). In multivariate analysis, low educational level (1.66 [1.08-2.56]; P = 0.021), symptom onset during night time (1.97 [1.27-3.04]; P = 0.002), triage via other hospital (1.83 [1.58-5.10]; P = 0.001) and private transport were significantly associated with prehospital delay (3.02 [1.81-5.06]; P < 0.001). In conclusion, prehospital delay is more frequent in patients with low educational level, symptom onset during night time, triage via other hospitals, and private transport, and is associated with higher inhospital mortality.


The paper considers the problem of fire safety assurance by means of fire risk indexing and fire risk assessment. Attention is focused on the comparison of these two principal approaches and the possibilities of applying them in a combined set. The paper is aimed at defining, comparing and analyzing fire safety assessment by applying the aforementioned approaches. The practicability of both approaches is compared by means of an example considering fire safety of an existing office building. It is stated that fire risk indexing is more practicable than formal risk assessment despite all shortcomings of the former approach. It is highly probable that comprehensive decision-making concerning fire safety assurance will be based on fire risk indexing rather than on formal risk assessment. Article in English


Technology of colonoscope has being advancing from the ancient period where the first proctoscope has used up to the period of latest colonofiberscopes and colonovideoendoscopes found. Practice of Colonoscopy is increasing as a diagnostic tool and also as a treatment method. Chances of colonic bleeding, perforation, splenic injury etc. are high even with the latest endoscopes. Complication rates of colonoscopy can be minimize by following standard protocol while patient preparation and during the procedure. It will also helpful for increasing the quality of colonoscopy procedure and patients satisfaction. This review article will be described the guidelines and standards of colonoscopy in current practice.


Climate change and socioeconomic developments will have a decisive impact on people exposed to hunger. This study analyses climate change impacts on agriculture and potential implications for the occurrence of hunger under different socioeconomic scenarios for 2030, focusing on the world regions most affected by poverty today: the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and Sub‐Saharan Africa. We use a spatially explicit, agroeconomic land‐use model to assess agricultural vulnerability to climate change. The aims of our study are to provide spatially explicit projections of climate change impacts on Costs of Food, and to combine them with spatially explicit hunger projections for the year 2030, both under a poverty, as well as a prosperity scenario. Our model results indicate that while average yields decrease with climate change in all focus regions, the impact on the Costs of Food is very diverse. Costs of Food increase most in the Middle East and North Africa, where available agricultural land is already fully utilized and options to import food are limited. The increase is least in Sub‐Saharan Africa, since production there can be shifted to areas which are only marginally affected by climate change and imports from other regions increase. South Asia and Sub‐Saharan Africa can partly adapt to climate change, in our model, by modifying trade and expanding agricultural land. In the Middle East and North Africa, almost the entire population is affected by increasing Costs of Food, but the share of people vulnerable to hunger is relatively low, due to relatively strong economic development in these projections. In Sub‐Saharan Africa, the Vulnerability to Hunger will persist, but increases in Costs of Food are moderate. While in South Asia a high share of the population suffers from increases in Costs of Food and is exposed to hunger, only a negligible number of people will be exposed at extreme levels. Independent of the region, the impacts of climate change are less severe in a richer and more globalized world. Adverse climate impacts on the Costs of Food could be moderated by promoting technological progress in agriculture. Improving market access would be advantageous for farmers, providing the opportunity to profitably increase production in the Middle East and North Africa as well as in South Asia, but may lead to increasing Costs of Food for consumers. In the long‐term perspective until 2080, the consequences of climate change will become even more severe: while in 2030 56% of the global population may face increasing Costs of Food in a poor and fragmented world, in 2080 the proportion will rise to 73%.


Abstract This article investigates the role of architectural research in addressing the current ecological, geopolitical, and socioeconomic challenges by exploring the potential of symbiotic ecosystems, particularly microorganisms such as microalgae, in architectural and design applications. Microalgae biotechnologies have the potential to offer a wide range of applications in architecture and design, encompassing small-scale objects, living systems on building exteriors, as well as urban and rural scenarios, thereby allowing for systematic research. When using these biotechnologies in architectural designs, it is crucial to consider maintenance requirements, environmental impacts, and the potential for enhancing public spaces and society across various dimensions in both short-term and long-term perspectives, and potential environmental impacts before implementing microalgae-based systems in real-life scenarios. This study describes a collection of interdisciplinary projects and research that involve microbiology, architecture, and design and proposes various experimental scenarios concerning the integration of both human and non-human perspectives. Through collaborative academic efforts, these projects demonstrate the potential for combining microalgae cultivation with architectural applications. The projects include Photosynthetic Landscape, a modular photobioreactor system, Synthesizing/Distancing which addresses coexistence in global epidemics, Biotopia, a permanent interior installation incorporating microalgae, Exchange Instruments, a semi-closed cultivation system, and Cultivated Environment, a small-scale microalgae cultivation apparatus. The article highlights the implication of controlled environments, maintenance, and interdisciplinary cooperation while showcasing the potential for these systems.


A close review of Aletta Jacobs's actions in the international birth control movement reveals that they have been exaggerated in most historiographical representations. Thus the unsubstantiated claim that the pessary known as 'Dutch cap' was named that way due to Aletta Jacobs's interventions on behalf of anti-conception could not be confirmed. Ironically the overemphasis on Jacobs's role in birth control hinges on her reputation as international leader in suffrage and peace, but also on stereotypical images of Dutch domesticity and common sense. Relativizing her pioneering activities does not diminish Jacobs's role in history, but makes for a more collective and more interesting view of the past. In this view there is also room for two male doctors, the Dutch/German Wilhelm Mensinga, who experimented with birth control in his practice in Flensburg long before Aletta Jacobs did so, and Dr. Jan Rutgers, the long time populariser of birth control techniques in the Dutch Neo-Malthusian Association.


Wireless ad hoc networks are going to be an emerged multi-hop communication exploit among mobiles to deliver data packets. The special characteristics of Wireless network make the communication link between mobiles to be unreliable. To handle high mobility and environmental obstacles, most of physical routing protocols do not consider stable links during packet transmission which lead to higher delay and packet dropping in network. In this paper, we propose path observation based physical routing protocol named POPR for WANET. The proposed routing protocol incorporates relative distance, direction and mid-range forwarder node with traffic density to forward the data toward destination in order to improve physical forwarding between and at the intersection. Simulation results show that the proposed routing protocol performs better as compared to existing solutions.


Cleavage crack propagation has been tested for three different geometries of Compact Tensile (CT) specimens: CT25, CT50 and extended CT25 (CT25 with CT50 width) (Figure 3). The experimental results show that the crack paths are straight for CT25 and CT50, but they are unstable and curved for extended CT specimens (Figure 5 to 7).Numerical computation had been performed by extended finite element method (XFEM) in CAST3M software. 2D modeling was used in order to predict the crack path. The analysis was based on a local non-linear dynamic approach with a RKR fracture stress criterion depending on temperature and strain rate.In order to simulate the curvature of the cracks path, a statistical effect was introduced in the model to take into account the spatial distribution of cleavage initiators, which is the characteristic of cleavage fracture. At each step of propagation during the modeling, the direction was randomly chosen, according to a uniform defects distribution.The numerical results show a good agreement with experience. The different crack paths were curved in extended CT25, but remained almost straight in CT25 and CT50 specimens, despite of the instability introduced in the modeling in the propagation direction. These results show that the statistics of micro-defects can induce, jointly with the geometry of specimen, a large scatter of crack propagation paths.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


Brewe, Bruun, and Bearden first applied network analysis to understand patterns of incorrect conceptual physics reasoning in multiple-choice instruments introducing the Module Analysis for Multiple-Choice Responses (MAMCR) algorithm. Wells {\it et al.} proposed an extension to the algorithm which allowed the analysis of large datasets called Modified Module Analysis (MMA). This method analyzed the network structure of the correlation matrix of the responses to a multiple-choice instrument. Both MAMCR and MMA could only be applied to networks of incorrect responses. In this study, an extension of MMA is explored which allows the analysis of networks involving both correct and incorrect responses. The extension analyzes the network structure of the partial correlation matrix instead of the correlation matrix. The new algorithm, called MMA-P, was applied to the FCI and recovered much of the structure identified by MMA. The algorithm also identified sets of correct answers requiring similar physical reasoning reported in previous studies. Beyond groups of all correct and all incorrect responses, some groups of responses which mixed correct and incorrect responses were also identified. Some of these mixed response groups were produced when a correct response was selected for incorrect reasons; some of the groups helped to explain the gender unfairness previously reported for the FCI.


The incidences of both benign prostatic hyperplasia and erectile dysfunction are increasing with aging, so the coexist of the two disease in the same patient is not rare. However, it is stumble for the clinicians to treat the patients. The problem of the combination of phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) inhibitors with alpha-blockers is getting more and more attraction. The article reviews the drug information of the combination of sildenafil, vardenafil and tadalafil with alpha-blockers respectively, and reports the results of the latest studies regarding it. The purpose is to help clinicians understand the problem across the board, so as to make the application of this class of drug correctly and the treatment of the disease suitably.


Aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides correlates with the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. However, the inter-molecular interactions between Aβ protofibril remain elusive. Herein, molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area analysis based on all-atom molecular dynamics simulations was performed to study the inter-molecular interactions in Aβ(17-42) protofibril. It is found that the nonpolar interactions are the important forces to stabilize the Aβ(17-42) protofibril, while electrostatic interactions play a minor role. Through free energy decomposition, 18 residues of the Aβ(17-42) are identified to provide interaction energy lower than -2.5 kcal/mol. The nonpolar interactions are mainly provided by the main chain of the peptide and the side chains of nine hydrophobic residues (Leu17, Phe19, Phe20, Leu32, Leu34, Met35, Val36, Val40, and Ile41). However, the electrostatic interactions are mainly supplied by the main chains of six hydrophobic residues (Phe19, Phe20, Val24, Met35, Val36, and Val40) and the side chains of the charged residues (Glu22, Asp23, and Lys28). In the electrostatic interactions, the overwhelming majority of hydrogen bonds involve the main chains of Aβ as well as the guanidinium group of the charged side chain of Lys28. The work has thus elucidated the molecular mechanism of the inter-molecular interactions between Aβ monomers in Aβ(17-42) protofibril, and the findings are considered critical for exploring effective agents for the inhibition of Aβ aggregation.


Monte Carlo simulations are widely considered to be the gold standard for studying the propagation of light in turbid media. However, traditional Monte Carlo methods fail to account for diffraction because they treat light as a particle. This results in converging beams focusing to a point instead of a diffraction limited spot, greatly effecting the accuracy of Monte Carlo simulations near the focal plane. Here, we present a technique capable of simulating a focusing beam in accordance to the rules of Gaussian optics, resulting in a diffraction limited focal spot. This technique can be easily implemented into any traditional Monte Carlo simulation allowing existing models to be converted to include accurate focusing geometries with minimal effort. We will present results for a focusing beam in a layered tissue model, demonstrating that for different scenarios the region of highest intensity, thus the greatest heating, can change from the surface to the focus. The ability to simulate accurate focusing geometries will greatly enhance the usefulness of Monte Carlo for countless applications, including studying laser tissue interactions in medical applications and light propagation through turbid media.


Titles in the Core Text series take the reader straight to the heart of the subject, providing focused, concise, and reliable guides for students at all levels. The rule against hearsay is one of the great exclusionary rules of the law of evidence. The underlying idea seems sound enough. In a system that places a premium on orality, with witnesses delivering their testimony in person, it is an understandable corollary that witness A should be forbidden from giving testimony on behalf of witness B. This chapter discusses the following: the rationale underlying a rule against hearsay; the hearsay rule in criminal cases, and its exceptions; and the hearsay rule in civil proceedings.


Cinque (1988) notices that Italian impersonal si can be interpreted so as to include the speaker and that such a reading is actually mandatory in certain contexts. A similar conclusion holds for impersonal man in a language such as Swedish, with the difference that, in the relevant contexts, man takes on the reading of 1st person singular, hence 'I' and not 'we'. In this paper, I argue that Cinque's observation can only be understood in a theory explaining how impersonal readings (generic and existential) are restricted, rather than in a general theory of "inclusiveness". The first part of paper is dedicated to showing how impersonal readings are restricted by the temporal and aspectual specification of the clause. This part summarizes some by now well-known facts concerning the interpretation of man. The second part of the paper discusses a further restriction on impersonal readings, stemming from focus and contrastiveness. The relevant effect is shown in cases of topicalizationof SELF-anaphora in impersonal constructions in some Germanic languages.To my knowledge, these data have so far gone unobserved in the literature. (Less)


Genetic biodiversity is the vaflatlOn among individuals within and between units of interbreeding individuals (populations) of a species. It includes inheritable and transmittable differences that occur between individuals andlor popuhitions of a given species through reproductive interaction. There exists enormous variability among individuals andlor populations of a species for most living organisms, and most of this variation is inheritable. differences among individuals arise through mutation and via recombination of genes during meiosis. These ifferences are then transmitted to successive generations through sexual reproduction and maintained in the populations through processes such as natural selection and genetic drift. Unfortunately much of this variation is normally threatened and often in danger of extinction because most focus in conservation of natural resources is put at saving species or habitats than varieties or strains of a species


This paper critically examines our framework of social resilience (Obrist et al. 2010) in the light of recent literature and has two objectives: First, it intends to refine our understanding of social resilience through a conceptualization of agency, and secondly, it aims at contributing to the growing body of literature on resilience, ageing and health. In the language of sustainable development, "agency" is commonly used as a synonym for "capacity" or "capability". We will draw on approaches developed in the social and cultural theory to sharpen the analysis of the relationship between resilience and agency. To illustrate this refined perspective, we draw on empirical research on ageing, agency and health in Tanzania. We will take the threat of old age frailty and disability as a starting point, explore empirical situations of old age care as an engagement (or disengagement) by actors of the multiple social and cultural configurations that constrain or enable actions, and examine whether, through the interplay of habit, imagination, and judgment, these engagements reproduce or transform those structures and thus build social resilience to the threat of old age frailty and disability. This approach enabled us to identify several constellations which opened up interactive spaces for the public or private deliberations of available options (practical-evaluative agency), the active generation of possible future trajectories (projective agency) and sometimes even for structural modifications (transformative agency) with regard to old age care. Our findings further indicate that individual and collective actors positioned at the intersection of diverse fields of practice can develop more evaluative, projective and even transformative agency.


BACKGROUND
We wanted to investigate the treatment milieu in two psychogeriatric hospitals by use of the Ward Atmosphere Scale (WAS), a self-report questionnaire that has been used in studies of the treatment climate in several psychiatric wards.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
22 patients and 54 staff members in four psychogeriatric wards rated the WAS. The staff's perception of the working environment was also examined (the Working Environment Scale, WES-10).

RESULTS
Both patients and staff had higher scores for "order and organization" and lower scores for "anger and aggressive behaviour" than mean scores of the Norwegian normative sample of wards (mainly for patients with psychosis). Three wards obtained higher patient scores for "support" and three obtained lower ones for "staff control". The psychogeriatric patients seemed to be more satisfied with the wards in general and with the staff, whereas the staff's satisfaction and evaluation of the working environment was similar to that of the Norwegian normative sample.

INTERPRETATION
The common trend of the four wards, convincingly shows that the psychogeriatric ward atmosphere differs from that of the wards mainly for psychotic patients. The WAS seemed to be suitable to describe this environment.