Mutations in the WDR62 gene cause primary microcephaly, a pathological condition often associated with defective cell division that results in severe brain developmental defects. The precise function and localization of WDR62 within the mitotic spindle is, however, still under debate, as it has been proposed to act either at centrosomes or on the mitotic spindle. To explore the cellular functions of this protein in human epithelial cell lines, I used both short-term siRNA protein depletions and long-term CRISPR/Cas9 gene knockouts. Results indicated that WDR62 localizes to microtubule minus-ends and is essential to localize the microtubule-severing enzyme katanin at spindle poles. Depletion or loss of WDR62 stabilizes spindle microtubules due to insufficient microtubule minus-end depolymerization but does not affect plus-end microtubule dynamics. During chromosome segregation, WDR62 and katanin promote efficient poleward microtubule flux and favor synchronous poleward movements in anaphase to prevent lagging chromosomes that might be linked to developmental defects in primary microcephaly.


This paper studies a special type of binomial splitting process. Such a process can be used to model a high dimensional corner parking problem as well as determining the depth of random PATRICIA (practical algorithm to retrieve information coded in alphanumeric) tries, which are a special class of digital tree data structures. The latter also has natural interpretations in terms of distinct values in independent and identically distributed geometric random variables and the occupancy problem in urn models. The corresponding distribution is marked by a logarithmic mean and a bounded variance, which is oscillating, if the binomial parameter p is not equal to ½, and asymptotic to one in the unbiased case. Also, the limiting distribution does not exist as a result of the periodic fluctuations.


In today's world, aluminium and its alloy is showing promising characteristics for replacing other materials due its excellent properties like light weight, corrosion resistance, high strength and toughness. Conventional welding for these materials creates some challenges like porosity, hot cracking and void formation. Ultrasonic welding gives some ultimate solution to these problems as the material experience only 30% of its melting point temperature. Ultrasonic welding is a creative system for joining metals and composites rapidly and safely owing to a high-frequency vibration consolidated with pressure. The process has a widespread application in electrical, automotive, aerospace, medical and packaging industry. In the present research work, a numerical model is proposed for the evaluation of heat generation due to deformation and friction during welding. The developed model is equipped for predicting the interface temperature and stress distribution during ultrasonic welding and their impacts on sonotrode, anvil and welded parts. The effect of tool (sonotrode) shape also studied. Response surface methodology (RSM) with Box-Behnken design has been implemented to design the experimental setup and establish a co-relation between process parameters viz. pressure, amplitude and welding time with the output response as tensile strength. RSM is coupled with desirability function is utilized to optimize the parameters for a desired tensile strength of the joint. The result of numerical model is compared with the experimental value and found to be in good agreement.


The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of ultraviolet-C light on physicochemical, bioactive, microbial, and sensory characteristics of carrot beverages. Beverages were formulated with different concentrations of carrot juice (60, 80, and 100% [v/v]) and treated with ultraviolet-C light at different flow rates (0, 0.5, 3.9, and 7.9 mL s−1) and times (5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 min), equivalent to ultraviolet-C dosages of 13.2, 26.4, 39.6, 52.8, and 79.2 J cm−2. Total soluble solids, pH, and titratable acidity were not affected by the ultraviolet-C light treatment. Ultraviolet-C light significantly affected (p < 0.05) color parameters of pure juice; however, at low concentration of juice, total color change was slightly affected (ΔE = 2.0 ± 0.7). Phenolic compounds (4.1 ± 0.1, 5.2 ± 0.2, and 8.6 ± 0.3 mg of GAE 100 mL−1 of beverage with 60, 80, and 100% of juice, respectively) and antioxidant capacity (6.1 ± 0.4, 8.5 ± 0.4, and 9.4 ± 0.3 mg of Trolox 100 mL−1 of beverage with 60, 80, and 100% of juice, respectively) of carrot beverages were not affected by ultraviolet-C light treatment. Microbial kinetics showed that mesophiles were mostly reduced at high flow rates in carrot beverages with 60% of juice. Maximum logarithmic reductions for mesophiles and total coliforms were 3.2 ± 0.1 and 2.6 ± 0.1, respectively, after 30 min of ultraviolet-C light processing. Beverages were well accepted (6–7) by judges who did not perceive the difference between untreated and Ultraviolet-C light treated beverages.


We describe a new class of nanoelectronic circuits which exploits the charging behavior in resistively/capacitively linked arrays of nanometer-sized metallic islands (quantum dots), self-assembled on a resonant tunneling diode, to perform neuromorphic computation. These circuits produce associative memory effects and realize the additive short-term memory (STM) or content addressable memory (CAM) models of neural networks without requiring either large-area/high-power operational amplifiers, or massive interconnectivity between devices. Both these requirements had seriously hindered the application of neural networks in the past. Additionally, the circuits can solve NP-complete optimization problems (such as the traveling salesman problem) using single electron charge dynamics, exhibit rudimentary image-processing capability, and operate at room temperature unlike most quantum devices. Two-dimensional (2D) processors, with a 100/spl times/100 pixel capacity, can be fabricated in an area of 10/sup -8/ cm/sup 2/ leading to unprecedented functional density. Possible routes to synthesizing these circuits, employing self-assembly, are also discussed.


Size effects are the main problem in micro-forming process and material behavior with miniaturization of feature size. In the paper, size effects of grain size and foil thickness on deformation behavior and fracture were investigated by using micro tensile test of SUS304 foil. The results show that the yield strength of SUS304 stainless foil increases with the decrease of foil thickness and grain size in micro tensile tests. Meanwhile, the fracture mechanism of SUS304 foil changes from ductile fracture with lots of dimples to ductile fracture with slip separation with the decrease of foil thickness. A compound material model by considering grain size, foil thickness and surface effects is proposed and constitutive relation of SUS304 foil is established. The calculation curves well match with experimental results. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.M2013016]


In the arid and semi-arid tropics, low annual rainfall together with high intensity rains has resulted in excess runoff, soil erosion and low moisture intake leading to poor crop yields. Therefore, adoption of soil and water conservation measures is necessary for the optimal utilization of natural resources and to increase the productivity of land on a sustainable basis. Remote sensing and GIS techniques can be used for generating development plans for the watershed area in consonance with the production potential and limitation of terrain resources, and can also be used for assessing the impact of these measures before actual implementation in the field. This paper describes a case study for the Jasdan taluka (district) of Rajkot in Gujarat, India. The aims are to prioritize watersheds on the basis of runoff generated, expressed as yield, due to existing land use conditions; to suggest soil and water conservation measures; and to evaluate the hydrologic response of these measures on runoff. The Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (CN) method was used for computing the runoff; subsequently runoff yield in percentage was calculated for prioritizing the watersheds. Satellite and other collateral data were used to identify the problems and potential in the watersheds and recommend measures for soil and water conservation. The impact of these measures was assessed by computing runoff under alternative land use and management practices. It was found that the runoff yield decreased by 42.88% of the pre-conservation value for the watershed.


Complementary investigation tools (2D and 3D observations by optical microscopy and fast X-ray microtomography and then image analysis) were developed in order to examine the effects of cellulose ethers on the cement paste microstructure. The obtained results show that the presence of cellulose ether may induce an increase of both 50-250 µm-diameter air voids. The chemistry of the cellulose ethers appears as a main controlling factor of this porous media modification. In particular, cellulose ethers seems to play an important role on the air bubbles morphological characteristics, the content of air volume and the stabilisation of the porosity from the fresh cement paste to the hardened cement paste.


the aim of this article is to identify the types of rural households with the highest number of durable goods and an indication of the types of households with modern durable goods. We analysed the following characteristics of the household: household size, type of household biological and socio-economic status. research methods were analysis of variance and correlation analysis. the results indicate the changes in consumer behaviour of rural residents in 2004-2014 and on the processes of modernization of consumption.


In this paper, the review of the multiple input multiple output using space time block code on WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) system. The Worldwide Interoperability for Microwaves Access technology which can offer high speed voice, image, and video and data service up to base on standard 802-16 wireless MAN is configured in the same way as a traditional cellular network. The range of WiMAX makes the system very attractive for users, but there will be slightly higher BER at low SNR. KeywordsWiMAX, OFDM, RAYLEIGH CHANNEL, MIMO-OFDM, BER


The aim of the study was to determine the epidemiology of type 1 diabetes mellitus in the 0 to 14 years age group on the territory of the Tuzla Canton. Primary case identification was based on the data from the local register of Type 1 diabetes, which is held at Department of pediatrics, University Clinical Center in Tuzla. Secondary independent sources were data from 13 public health centers in the Tuzla Canton. The ascertainment was based on the capture-recapture method and was estimated to be 100%. Medical records of the children with diabetes were retrospectively reviewed. In the Tuzla Canton the prevalence of the disease on December 31st of 2005 was 0.56 per 1000. The prevalence was the highest in AŒeliA‡ (1.43) and Tuzla (1.01), and the lowest (0.13) in Srebrenik. A prevalence higher than average (0.56) was found in AŒeliA‡ (1.43), Tuzla (1.01), Kalesija (0.84) and Lukavac (0.66). The highest number of patients was diagnosed in January, March, October and December and the lowest in May and June. According to age the highest incidence was found at ages 10 and 12. The mean yearly incidence in the period 2001 – 2005 was 10.5 per 100 000. In conclusion, the results of our research provide means for adequate consideration of epidemiological indicators of type 1 diabetes in children in the Tuzla Canton, which may be useful for planning preventive, organizational, and therapeutic programs in pediatric health care in the Tuzla Canton.


Based on the results of the first Russia—Africa Summit and Economic Forum, priority areas of economic cooperation, according to which concrete results can be achieved in the coming years, were identified. These are modern and high-tech mining and processing of minerals, geological exploration, energy (including renewable energy sources), infrastructure development (specifically the construction of railways and housing), agriculture, digital technology, medicine, science and education. Cooperation between Russian universities and African countries occupies a special place. Currently implemented by the Sergo Ordzhonikidze Russian State University for Geological Prospecting (MGRI), the scientific and educational initiative for the development of the mineral resource base of Uganda, presented in June 2019 to the country's President Yoweri Museveni, is the basis for International cooperation between Russian universities in the East African region.


We propose and experimentally demonstrate an all-optical differentiator-based computation system used for solving constant-coefficient first-order linear ordinary differential equations. It consists of an all-optical intensity differentiator and a wavelength converter, both based on a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and an optical filter (OF). The equation is solved for various values of the constant-coefficient and two considered input waveforms, namely, super-Gaussian and Gaussian signals. An excellent agreement between the numerical simulation and the experimental results is obtained.


The case has been previously made that the feeling of time 'passing' is accountable in terms of the perception of change. However, there is a long-standing intuition that time itself plays a role at a basic level of awareness in addition to external sensory inputs. Recent findings in neuroscience might be interpreted as supporting this intuition. Some implications are discussed and suggestions made for the conduct of further empirical studies.


High-throughput DNA sequencing development for mutation screening and identification is essential to realize the goal of pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine, which will lead to a new era in clinical medicine and healthcare. Molecular engineering approaches to modify the building blocks of DNA by introducing functional groups for purification and detection has led to the development of high-throughput genetic analysis technologies. This review is focused on the following two DNA sequencing approaches. The first approach is based on the use of molecular affinity and mass spectrometry to perform quick and highly accurate mutation screening, heterozygote identification and insertion/deletion detection. The second approach is based on a sequencing-by-synthesis platform that has the potential for generating DNA sequencing data in a massive, parallel manner. The basic principles, fundamental challenges and methods of implementation of these exciting new technologies will be discussed.


Flavone content and glucosidase activity were analyzed in various species of the genera Chamomilla, Matricaria, and Anthemis, especially during the development of the chamomile flower heads. The accumulation profile of flavonoids and the increase in enzyme activity were similar during ontogenesis. The accumulation of apigenin derivatives in closely related species was always linked to the occurrence of a catabolic beta-glucosidase in the respective plant organ. The flavone-glucoside-cleaving beta-glucosidase (FGG) from the ligulate florets of chamomile was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by the following procedure: ammonium sulphate fractionation, anion exchange on Mono Q, hydrophobic interaction chromatography on Bio-Gel TSK Phenyl-5-PW, and gel filtration on Superose 12. The M (r) of the native enzyme was determined by gel filtration (500 kDa) and native PAGE (334 kDa). Only one subunit with an M (r) of 60 kDa could be detected after SDS-PAGE. The isoelectric point as determined by chromatofocussing on Mono P was at pH 4.6. During the purification procedure only one glucosidase activity appeared. A partially purified enzyme was used for characterization. The temperature optimum was at 37 degrees C and the pH-optimum 5.6. Energy of activation was 32.9 kJ/mol. The determination of the kinetic constants with various aryl glycosides proved a high affinity of the FGG towards flavone 7- O-glucosides. alpha-Glycosides and disaccharides were not hydrolyzed. Transglucosylation to an acceptor other than water was observed. Reagents interacting with sulfhydryl-groups strongly inhibited the enzyme.


This paper explores which types of firms benefit more from the R&D fiscal incentives and the effect of this type of instrument on the performance of R&D activities. Spain is considered the most generous countries in the OECD in fiscal treatment of R&D, yet our data reveal that tax incentives are little known and, especially, seldom used by firms. Res- tricting our empirical analysis to those firms that do report knowing about such incentives, we investigate the average effect of tax incentives on innovation, using both nonparametric me- thods (matching estimators) and parametric methods (Heckman's two-step selection model). First, we find that large firms, especially those that implement innovations, are more likely to use the tax incentives, while small and medium enterprises encounter some obstacles to using them. Secondly, the average effect of the policy is positive, but significant only in large firms. Our main conclusion is that tax incentives increase innovative activities by large and high-tech sector firms, but may be used only randomly by small medium enterprises.


The sea urchins Arbacia incisa and Eucidaris thouarsii (Echinodermata) as fouling biocontrol agents in culture cages of Crassostrea gigas (Mollusca: Ostreidae). Fouling clogs cultivation cages of bivalves afecting their growth. We tested biocontrol with sea urchins in the suspended culture of C. gigas during one month. The experimental design included: 1) oysters without sea urchins, 2) oysters with the black sea urchin Arbacia incisa (50.5 ± 0.43 mm of diameter testa-DT), 3) oysters with the pencil sea urchin E. thouarsii (34. 2 ± 2.13 mm DT) and 4) oysters without sea urchins with a pearl net protective bag (to avoid predation). The dry mass of the pearl nets and the oyster soft tissues were determined at the beginning and end of the experiment. There was similar fouling in cages without urchins (55.3 ± 5.80 g) and with A. incisa (46.1 ± 2.84 g). These amounts were significantly higher than those found in cages with E. thouarsii (39.1 ± 1.9 g) and with protective sacs without urchins (35.6 ± 5.17 g). The growth of C. gigas with E. thouarsii was significantly higher (0.49 ± 0.089 g). We recommend E. thouarsii as a fouling biocontrol agent for C. gigas . Rev. Biol. Trop. 65(Suppl. 1): S35-S41. Epub 2017 November 01.


A multi-agent model of travelers competing to utilize a roadway in time and space is presented in this paper in order to illustrate the effect of congestion and pricing on traveler behavior and network equilibrium. To realize the spillover effect among travelers, N-player games are constructed in which the strategy set include (N+1) strategies. The paper also solves the N-player game (for N?7) and finds Nash equilibriums if they exist. This model is compared to the bottleneck model. The results of numerical simulation show that the two models yield identical results in terms of lowest total costs and marginal costs when a social optimum exists.


This article verifies the existence of diversification gains from considering the "quality option asset strategy," which adds the portfolio replicating the interest rate future quality option, as proposed by Balbás and Reichardt (2010), and a portfolio composed of stock and bonds. The empirical results show that the gains are statistically and economically significant, especially in the negative one-month Euribor rate period. The out-of-sample optimal tangency portfolio, which includes "quality option replicas," delivers an increase in the Sharpe ratio of around 40%, as well as a positive return-loss offsetting the costs of higher turnover. The main source of the diversification gains emanates from the very low correlation between quality options and stocks.


A rapidly developed satellite technology is used in comprehensive fields such as spatial data aquisition and applications. Especially a GPS positioning is expected to reinvigorate at the national reference system changes to ITRF (International Terrain Reference Frame). Currently the National Geographic Information Institute (NGII) issues a triangulation point coordinate by separating old and new coordinates and in the year of 2007 it will be scheduled to be changed ITRF. The triangulation point coordinate in Cheju area causes some problems due to the difference original observation and re-observation. Thus in this study a GPS observation is conducted after re-organizing geodetic network based on 1st and 2nd order triangulation in order to check the current triangulation points in Cheju area. After the GPS observation data analysis, stable points were extracted, proposed a geodetic network and its application.


Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) remain the most popular dark matter candidate as of 2018. DarkSide-50 is a dark matter direct detection experiment at Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy. The primary mission of DarkSide-50 is to detect the nuclear recoil signals created by WIMPs scattering off Argon nuclei in a background-free operation. While DarkSide-50 had demonstrated various background suppression techniques toward the background-free operation, Cherenkov radiation in coincidence with LAr scintillation remains the most severe background. In this work, I will first describe the discovery of this troublesome background in a non-blind analysis, followed by detailed background characterizations in a GEANT4-based Monte Carlo simulation. I will take you through various benchmarks of the background study, from tuning the Cherenkov related optics, to building data-driven F90 and S2 models, to exploring the analysis cuts, and finally to validating the background predictions in a recently published blind analysis. The study of Cherenkov background turns out to be crucial to establishing the background-free liquid argon technology in the field.


Pose graph optimization is a special case of the simultaneous localization and mapping problem where the only variables to be estimated are pose variables and the only measurements are inter-pose constraints. The vast majority of pose graph optimization techniques are vertex based (variables are robot poses), but recent work has parameterized the pose graph optimization problem in a relative fashion (variables are the transformations between poses) that utilizes a minimum cycle basis to maximize the sparsity of the problem. We explore the construction of a cycle basis in an incremental manner while maximizing the sparsity. We validate an algorithm that constructs a sparse cycle basis incrementally and compare its performance with a minimum cycle basis. Additionally, we present an algorithm to approximate the minimum cycle basis of two graphs that are sparsely connected as is common in multi-agent scenarios. Lastly, the relative parameterization of pose graph optimization has been limited to using rigid body transforms on $SE(2)$ or $SE(3)$ as the constraints between poses. We introduce a methodology to allow for the use of lower-degree-of-freedom measurements in the relative pose graph optimization problem. We provide extensive validation of our algorithms on standard benchmarks, simulated datasets, and custom hardware.


The structural anisotropy of layered materials leads to disparate lattice responses along different crystallographic directions following femtosecond photoexcitation. Ultrafast scattering methods are well-suited to resolving such responses, though probe size and specimen structure and morphology must be considered when interpreting results. Here we use ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM) imaging and diffraction to study the influence of individual multilayer terraces and few-layer step-edges on acoustic-phonon dynamics in 1T-TaS2 and 2H-MoS2. In TaS2, we find that a multilayer terrace produces distinct, localized responses arising from thickness-dependent c-axis phonon dynamics. Convolution of the responses is demonstrated with ultrafast selected-area diffraction by limiting the probe size and training it on the region of interest. This results in a reciprocal-space frequency response that is a convolution of the spatially-separated behaviors. Sensitivity of phonon dynamics to few-layer step-edges in MoS2, and the capability of UEM imaging to resolve the influence of such defects, is also demonstrated. Spatial frequency maps from the UEM image series reveal regions separated by the step-edge having 60.0-GHz and 63.3-GHz oscillation frequencies, again linked to c-axis phonon propagation. As with ultrafast diffraction, signal convolution is demonstrated by continuous increase of the size of the selected region of interest used in the analysis.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of technology on performance. The study employed descriptive and explanatory design. The target population consisted of 381 respondents and the sample size was 170 respondents from the four mobile phone companies in Kenya. The research adopted stratified random sampling technique. The study used mainly primary data which was collected using self-administered questionnaires. Reliability of the instrument was tested using cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of 0.7 which was considered acceptable, hence the instrument was reliable. Data was analyzed using inferential statistics. An inferential statistics simple linear regression was used to test the hypothesis. The analysis used stata statistical package version 11.0 to aid data analysis. The results were presented using tables. Technology was found to be significant in explaining the variation of performance of mobile phone companies. The study concluded that there is need for the companies to invest more in modern technology to cope with the changes that are necessary to enhance performance. Finally, the study recommended that further research be done by replicating the same study in other companies or industries like banks.


The Biomedical Engineering Department at Texas Children's Hospital developed a portable virtual instrument using object oriented programming to combine an existing nitric oxide analyzer with a respiratory profile monitor. Pulmonary mechanics and exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) measurements for pre and post cardiopulmonary bypass procedures (CPB) are of primary concern to pediatric physicians. Patients with normal lung function prior to CPB demonstrate a transient gas exchange abnormality and some develop acute lung injury. The relationship of pulmonary mechanics to changes in eNO is described by opposing views (Pearl JM, 2000 and Morita K, 1996). As such, quantification of lung mechanics is important and can lead to better understanding of the mechanism for eNO changes and its clinical management. The goals of this project were twofold. First, to provide portable means for accurate measurements of eNO and pulmonary mechanics in the operating rooms and critical care environments. Second, to synchronize pulmonary mechanics data on a breath-by-breath basis with eNO tagged breaths. Validation procedure for respiratory profile monitor was performed and the average error (±SD) for compliance (ranges 2–8 ml/cm H2O) and volume measurements were 3.49% ± .11 and 1.99% ± .34 respectively. A portable system that met space and environment requirements for eNO is described as well as its ability to capture serial data streams from each device and correlation of nitric oxide analyzer tagged breaths with those of the respiratory profile monitor.


A distributed biosphere hydrological model, WEB-DHM has been evaluated from point scale to basin scale at a sub-basin of Himalayan river (The Dudhkoshi river basin of Nepal). At point scale (Syangboche CEOP reference site), the model performance was carefully checked by the longterm hourly upward shortwave radiation (USR) and soil surface temperature (ST). In general, the model performed well in the point scale simulation but it was found that the USR was underestimated and the ST was overestimated during highly snow-covered days. The results were successfully improved by modifications of albedo and bulk soil heat capacity. For basin scale simulation, the model can reproduce the seasonal variation of the discharges at the basin outlet, but needs further improvements in snow accumulation for better representation of snowmelt runoff in the basin.


Latvia in 2003-2008 saw rapid increases in the levels of consumer debt growing at an average annual rate of 80 percent in years 2004-2006 and then slowing to 39 percent and 7 percent in 2007 and 2008. Mortgage debt rose from 8 percent to 31 percent of GDP in 2003-2008 — second in Central Europe only to Estonia at 32 percent in 2008. Such high levels of household debt left the Latvian economy vulnerable to the global financial crisis. By June 2009, the Latvian economy had dramatically slowed with an 18 percent decline in output from the previous year and a 50 percent reduction in average housing prices in Riga. Exacerbating the vulnerabilities were weaknesses in the levels of consumer protection and financial literacy. According to surveys, only 35 percent of Latvians felt they were adequately protected as consumers, and 46 percent felt they lacked sufficient basic financial knowledge. While Latvia has adopted the required EU Directives, it still struggles in protecting its financial consumers. This World Bank Diagnostic Review analyzes financial services in Latvia and offers recommendations in five key areas of its financial consumer protection framework. Volume I of the Review describes Latvia's policy strategy, provides statistics, and sets out the key findings and recommendations of the Review. Volume II provides an assessment against the international good practices for the six main segments of the financial sector — banking, non-banking credit institutions, securities, insurance, private pensions and credit reporting systems.


Megafauna assemblages have declined or disappeared throughout much of the world, and many efforts are underway to restore them. Understanding the trophic ecology of such reassembling systems is necessary for predicting recovery dynamics, guiding management, and testing general theory. Yet, there are few studies of recovering large‐mammal communities, and fewer still that have characterized food‐web structure with high taxonomic resolution. In Gorongosa National Park, large herbivores have rebounded from near‐extirpation following the Mozambican Civil War (1977–1992). However, contemporary community structure differs radically from the prewar baseline: medium‐sized ungulates now outnumber larger bodied species, and several apex carnivores remain locally extinct. We used DNA metabarcoding to quantify diet composition of Gorongosa's 14 most abundant large‐mammal populations. We tested five hypotheses: (i) the most abundant populations exhibit greatest individual‐level dietary variability; (ii) these populations also have the greatest total niche width (dietary diversity); (iii) interspecific niche overlap is high, with the diets of less‐abundant species nested within those of more‐abundant species; (iv) partitioning of forage species is stronger in more structurally heterogeneous habitats; and (v) selectivity for plant taxa converges within guilds and digestive types, but diverges across them. Abundant (and narrow‐mouthed) populations exhibited higher among‐individual dietary variation, but not necessarily the greatest dietary diversity. Interspecific dietary overlap was high, especially among grazers and in structurally homogenous habitat, whereas niche separation was more pronounced among browsers and in heterogeneous habitat. Patterns of selectivity were similar for ruminants—grazers and browsers alike—but differed between ruminants and non‐ruminants. Synthesis. The structure of this recovering food web was consistent with several hypotheses predicated on competition, habitat complexity, and herbivore traits, but it differed from patterns observed in more intact assemblages. We propose that intraspecific competition in the fastest‐recovering populations has promoted individual variation and a more nested food web, wherein rare species use subsets of foods eaten by abundant species, and that this scenario is reinforced by weak predation pressure. Future work should test these conjectures and analyse how the taxonomic dietary niche axis studied here interacts with other mechanisms of diet partitioning to affect community reassembly following wildlife declines.


ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. STS, marker, Spilocea oleaginea, Olea europaea Abstract. A sequence-tagged site (STS) was developed to identify a genetic marker linked to resistance to olive leaf spot caused by the pathogen, Spilocea oleaginea (Cast) (syn. Cycloconium oleaginum Cast.). The STS was based on a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker of about 780 base pairs (bp) linked to olive leaf spot resistance. Several primer pairs were developed to flank the sequence, and one pair produced the expected polymorphism between resistant and susceptible individuals tested, and was used as an STS marker. This primer pair was tested against parents and 34 individuals from a population segregating for resistance to olive leaf spot, and 12 commercial olive (Olea europaea L.) cultivars showing various levels of resistance to the disease. The STS marker was present in 71.4% of the parents and progeny that were designated as resistant, and was absent in 87% of the parents and progeny showing susceptibility. These primers were also able to distinguish cultivars such as 'Koroneiki' and 'Leccino', that are reported to show resistance to olive leaf spot, from 'Barouni' and 'Mission', that are reported to be susceptible. This is the first report of a STS marker for olive, and its use will assist greatly in screening olive progeny for resistance to leaf spot in breeding programs.


The First Human. The Race to Discover Our Earliest Ancestors. By Ann GIbbons. Doubleday, New York, 2006. 341 pp. $26, C$37. ISBN 0- 385-51226-0. Highlighting recent findings, the author provides a popular account of the earliest fossil hominins and the competition among the scientists involved in the discoveries.


In the sea anemone Anthopleura elegantissima contact between non-clonemates often elicits inter-clonal fighting, involving the application of nematocyst-laden fighting tentacles (acrorhagi) and the locomotory retreat of losing polyps. This study confirms that isoclonal aggregations of A. elegan- tissima display an inducible polymorphism, such that polyps at the inter-clonal boundaries (warriors) are typically smaller and carry more fighting tentacles (acrorhagi) than more central (reproductive) polyps. Based on the outcomes of eight separate contests between each combination of like and unlike morphs for each of seven pairs of neighbouring clones (i.e.N=224 contests), this study provides thefirst direct evidence that warriors are aptly named. All sets of neighbouring warriors and reproductives were mutually aggressive, and warriors, despite their overall size disadvantage, won 41 out of 81 contests with the reproductive polyps of their neighbouring clone. In addition, warrior and reproductive polyps were almost equally likely to initiate an attack and to retaliate. Thus, the success of warriors against the typically far larger reproductive polyps primarily reflects the proportionately greater allocation by warriors of resources to acrorhagi. The outcomes of the inter-clonal contests further indicate that pairs of neighbouring clones are unevenly matched in terms of their fighting ability, and that inter-clonal dominance is again largely determined by relative allocation of resources to acrorhagi. In five of seven inter-clonal combinations the warriors of the apparently dominant clone defeated the majority of opposing warriors (in three cases winning all eight contests). This result represents an apparent paradox, as earlier work showed that inter-clonal borders may persist for several years. Further work is needed to determine the extent to which agonistic behaviour determines the outcomes of inter-clonal competition for space and whether the outcomes of contests between pairs of individuals reflect the true dominance relationships of entire clones. ? 1996 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour


This study analyses foreign aid effectiveness and development strategies in Eritrea. It attempts to draw a lesson for Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. The study seeks to answer the following question: "what are the conditions for foreign aid effectiveness in SSA countries"? The data for this study was collected in 2015 in six months period from February to August. In this study, both primary and secondary data sources were used. Interviews were conducted with 45 key government officials and development partners. The study adopts a deductive approach to explaining aid and development in Africa. In this study, it is found that ownership, alignment, harmonization, result orientation, strong institutions and policies, accountability, and coordination and monitoring among aid agencies and partner institutions were the main conditions for aid effectiveness. The study further reveals that, in most SSA countries, absence of good governance was the main challenge for aid effectiveness. Aid is not effective when recipient countries do not have enough "absorptive capacity" as a result of their poor policies and/or weak institutions. Eritrea's emphasis on self-reliance and national 'ownership' of development projects is of considerable interest given the aid dependence of much of SSA countries. Aid should be used to deepen country ownership of development policies; support and strengthen institutions; align more closely to national priorities; and strengthen the country's ability to oversee, manage and coordinate incoming aid and donor activities. To this end, drastic and concrete changes should be made at national, sub-regional, regional, and international levels to pave the way towards sustainable development and economic growth.

 Key words: Foreign Aid, ODA, Eritrea, Self-reliance,  Sub-Saharan Africa


We demonstrate the use of chirped porous-silicon broadband optical reflectors for thin-film epitaxial silicon solar cells. The benefits of chirped multilayer structures over conventional Bragg reflectors on the cell level are presented. By combining these chirped reflectors with shallow emitters, we show that both low- and high-energy photons are more effectively absorbed in the thin (20-mum ) epitaxial active layer of the cell. This resulted in a high conversion efficiency of 14.2% on screen-printed epitaxial solar cells made on highly doped multicrystalline silicon substrate. The corresponding photogenerated current densities are well above 30 mA/cm2 .


Naïve CD4+ T cells can differentiate into distinct subsets of effectors that express unique cytokine profiles upon activation. T helper 1 (Th1) cells robustly secrete IFNγ, a cytokine essential for clearance of intracellular pathogens and anti-tumor responses, while Th2, Th17, and regulatory T cells (Tregs) do not. The silencing of "off-pathway" cytokine genes during differentiation is incompletely understood, but may involve epigenetic mechanisms of gene repression. CpG dinucleotides in the ifng promoter, which are largely unmethylated in naïve CD4+ T cells and Th1 cells, are sites of substantial de novo methylation in non-IFNγ-producing lineages. To determine whether such de novo DNA methylation contributes to ifng gene silencing, we used mice with T cell-specific deletion of the de novo DNA methyltransferase, DNMT3a. While "on-pathway" cytokine expression polarized normally, DNMT3a-deficient CD4 T cells did not accumulate de novo ifng promoter methylation seen in wild-type cells during Th2, Th17 or Treg differentiation. Maintenance DNA methylation at the ifng intronic enhancer was not affected. Failed de novo methylation was associated with failed silencing, as DNMT3a-deficient Th2, Th17 and Treg cells produce significant levels of IFN-γ after secondary re-polarization toward the Th1 lineage. These results indicate that DNMT3a restricts the plasticity of CD4+ T helper cell fates via de novo DNA methylation of the ifng promoter in Th2, Th17 and Treg cells.


This paper describes the research conducted by a WHO collaborative study group for the development of a questionnaire method for the assessment of quality in child-care settings. The results of an inter-rater reliability study undertaken in Greece and Nigeria suggest that the Child Care Facility Schedule (CCFS), composed of 80 items, offers a satisfactory system of rating, especially after modifications were made to refine certain items, alter the scoring system so as to grasp nuances, and clarify the instructions in the users' manual, including revisions in the interviewing technique. A validity study to confirm the usefulness of this method is being carried out in Athens.


With the emergence of antibiotic-resistant Staph. sp., search for antimicrobial agents other than antibiotic is of great concern. The study aimed to determine both MIC and MBC of different honey samples against these strains. The study was conducted with 64 different Staph sp. isolated from bovine mastitis and tested in vitro against 11 antimicrobial agents. The most MDR strains (19) were tested in vitro against six honey batches; marjoram, cotton, two fennel samples and two different trefoil samples as well as against 10% propolis-fennel honey mixture. Both MIC & MBC of the tested honey samples against every tested strain were determined. Propolis-fennel honey mixture showed the lowest both MIC & MBC values against all Staph sp. all over the study with highly significant differences, while against different Staph sp., also it had the lowest MIC and MBC values against S. intermedius followed by S. aureus. The study revealed that among the different Staph. sp., S. aureus was the most sensitive species to the honey antimicrobial action with highly significant differences. The study concluded that all tested Staph. sp. –despite of being MDR- were sensitive to the antimicrobial activity of all tested honeys where S. aureus was the most sensitive one, while adding 10% propolis powder would maximize its antimicrobial activity significantly


Background Spinal fusion is a surgical procedure utilized to treat or alleviate several spinal diagnoses including: tumor, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, scoliosis, and spondylolisthesis. Previous studies have explored clinical outcomes for this intervention. This study aims to further investigate short-term outcomes of patients after spinal fusion by looking at the impact of coagulation disorders. Methods This retrospective cohort study utilized data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) to identify adult patients (18+) from 2012–2015 who underwent spinal fusion. ICD-9 codes identified these patients; specifically patients diagnosed with a coagulation disorder. Any patients missing important clinical identifiers (age, gender, cause of death) and patients without spinal fusion intervention were excluded. Data analyses assessed hospital length of stay (LOS), inpatient charges, average age of admission and mortality rate. Results Of the 290,752 patients that underwent spinal fusion procedure, 182 had the diagnosis of a coagulation disorder (CD): Mean mortality rate of patients was significantly increased (4.9%, CD vs. 0.6% no CD, p = 0.0001) LOS in patients with CD who underwent spinal fusion was significantly increased (12.87 days, CD vs. 4.02 days, no CD, p = 0.0001) Total hospital charges were significantly increased ($289,377.06, CD vs. 98,232.87, no CD, p = 0.0001) Mean age of patients at admission was significantly increased (60.68 years, CD vs. 57.69 years, no CD, p = 0.008) Conclusion Patients with coagulation disorders who undergo a spinal fusion procedure suffer from increased mortality rate, LOS, total hospital charges, and age at admission. This study aims to provide physicians with information in the management of patients with coagulation disorders that undergo spinal fusion procedures. Peri-procedural patient optimization could provide a potential avenue to lower LOS, total in-hospital charges, and mortality in patients. Disclosures T. Colburn: None. K. Tong: None. A. Wang-Selfridge: None. B. Wright: None.


Abstract This article explores some key considerations around determining who should have the right to control access to, and benefit from, traditional knowledge and intangible cultural heritage. It highlights the complexities involved in these considerations by examining in detail the different claims to control by different segments of the population in regard to two case studies: Samoan tattooing and the Vanuatu land dive. It uses insights from this analysis to problematize the assumptions about the use of concepts such as "community" in legislation designed to protection traditional knowledge and expressions of culture, and it also reflects on what effect such legislative developments may have on the cultural industries initiative and the implementation of the Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage.


African American adults are less likely to meet the recommended physical activity guidelines for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity than Caucasian adults. The purpose of this study was to assess whether a text message intervention would increase physical activity in this population. This pilot study used a pre-/post-questionnaire non-randomized design. Participants in a faith-based weight loss competition who agreed to participate in the text messaging were assigned to the intervention group (n = 52). Participants who declined to participate in the intervention, but agreed to participate in the study, were assigned to the control group (n = 30). The text messages provided strategies for increasing physical activity and were based on constructs of the Health Belief Model and the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model. Chi square tests determined the intervention group participants increased exercise time by approximately eight percent (p = 0.03), while the control group's exercise time remained constant. The intervention group increased walking and running. The control group increased running. Most participants indicated that the health text messages were effective. The results of this pilot study suggest that text messaging may be an effective method for providing options for motivating individuals to increase physical activity.


Background
Why resistance to specific antibiotics emerges and spreads rapidly in some bacteria confronting these drugs but not others remains a mystery. Resistance to erythromycin in the respiratory pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae emerged rapidly and increased problematically. However, resistance is uncommon amongst the classic Bordetella species despite infections being treated with this macrolide for decades.

Objectives
We examined whether the apparent progenitor of the classic Bordetella spp., Bordetella bronchiseptica, is able to rapidly generate de novo resistance to antibiotics and, if so, why such resistance might not persist and propagate.

Methods
Independent strains of B. bronchiseptica resistant to erythromycin were generated in vitro by successively passaging them in increasing subinhibitory concentrations of this macrolide. Resistant mutants obtained were evaluated for their capacity to infect mice, and for other virulence properties including adherence, cytotoxicity and induction of cytokines.

Results
B. bronchiseptica rapidly developed stable and persistent antibiotic resistance de novo. Unlike the previously reported trade-off in fitness, multiple independent resistant mutants were not defective in their rates of growth in vitro but were consistently defective in colonizing mice and lost a variety of virulence phenotypes. These changes rendered them avirulent but phenotypically similar to the previously described growth phase associated with the ability to survive in soil, water and/or other extra-mammalian environments.

Conclusions
These observations raise the possibility that antibiotic resistance in some organisms results in trade-offs that are not quantifiable in routine measures of general fitness such as growth in vitro, but are pronounced in various aspects of infection in the natural host.


Abstract Carcinomas of the sebaceous glands of the skin are uncommon. These tumours metastasize frequently. A case of cutaneous sebaceous carcinoma localized in the postauricular region is presented with its exceptional large size and very poor prognosis.


This paper is consideration of strategic aspects of national saving policies in a game theory setting. In pure exchange economy involving two countries, each government chooses a future time path of the national consumption-wealth ratio in order to maximize its citizens' utility. When private time preference rates of two countries are different, the government of the country with the lower time preference rate has an incentive to slow down the national asset accumulation. The government of the higher time preference rate country has an incentive to slow down the national asset reduction. In Cournot-Nash equilibria of this dynamic game, international capital flows are depressed as compared with competitive equilibria, which are Pareto-optimal. It is shown that the governments achieve the Cournot-Nash equilibrium path of consumption-wealth ratio using a set of taxes and subsidies. A large country intervenes into the market more than a small one. In this sense, a large country exploits a small one. Dynamics of world interest rates are also analyzed.


Business improvement districts (BIDs), which are formed when spaces that are legally public are put under private or semi-private forms of administration, have become increasingly prominent features of many cities internationally. This paper provides an in-depth, empirically grounded analysis of the practices of political activism and issue advocacy in one widely admired BID (Church Street Marketplace, Burlington, Vermont) in light of recent theoretical concerns about the decline of 'public' space within the current neo-liberal context of privatisation. The paper examines the ways in which various kinds of political activity are constructed by Marketplace management as either assets or liabilities, and how different forms of activism are differentially regulated and policed in pursuit of maintaining the carefully themed environment of the BID. The research raises important questions about the extent to which downtown (and other) spaces that have been (re)organised as BIDs can fulfil the role of public space in democratic societies.


An unusual xerophytic composition of mosses in Qinghai spruce (Picea crassifolia) forest in Helanshan is discussed. Abietinella abietina, Hypnum vaucheri, Pseudostereodon procerrimus, Trachycystis ussuriensis and Timmia bavarica are dominants of the moss layer under dense canopy of spruce. This composition is somewhat similar to that in P. schrenkiana forest in Middle Asia.


As viewdata systems expand rapidly to meet the estimated huge market demand coming into view, the graphics quality, legibility and display standards that they offer also come under in creasingly cut teal s cru tiny. The author rep o rts on an important study earned out for the EEC Commission, focussing on this aspect of the videotex story.


In this paper we are trying to analyze the common features of the recent advances in Structural Convex Optimization: polynomial-time interior-point methods, smoothing technique, minimization in relative scale, and minimization of composite functions.


This paper deals with Markov decision processes (MDPs) on Euclidean spaces with an infinite horizon. An approach to study this kind of MDPs is using the dynamic programming technique (DP). Then the optimal value function is characterized through the value iteration functions. The paper provides conditions that guarantee the convergence of maximizers of the value iteration functions to the optimal policy. Then, using the Euler equation and an envelope formula, the optimal solution of the optimal control problem is obtained. Finally, this theory is applied to a linear-quadratic control problem in order to find its optimal policy.


This protocol describes detailed procedures for rapid labeling of cells in a variety of preparations by means of particle-mediated ballistic (i.e., Gene Gun) delivery of fluorescent dyes. The method has been used for rapid labeling of cells with either lipid- or water-soluble dyes, in a variety of preparations at different ages. Tissue preparations include fixed mouse brain slices (described here), cell cultures, and tissue explants. This ballistic labeling technique is useful for studying neuronal connectivity, function, and pathology in the nervous system of living as well as fixed specimens.


The regularized and restored semilocal meta-generalized gradient approximation (meta-GGA) exchange-correlation functional r2SCAN [Furness et al., J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 11, 8208-8215 (2020)] is used to create three global hybrid functionals with varying admixtures of Hartree-Fock "exact" exchange (HFX). The resulting functionals r2SCANh (10% HFX), r2SCAN0 (25% HFX), and r2SCAN50 (50% HFX) are combined with the semi-classical D4 London dispersion correction. The new functionals are assessed for the calculation of molecular geometries, main-group, and metalorganic thermochemistry at 26 comprehensive benchmark sets. These include the extensive GMTKN55 database, ROST61, and IONPI19 sets. It is shown that a moderate admixture of HFX leads to relative improvements of the mean absolute deviations for thermochemistry of 11% (r2SCANh-D4), 16% (r2SCAN0-D4), and 1% (r2SCAN50-D4) compared to the parental semi-local meta-GGA. For organometallic reaction energies and barriers, r2SCAN0-D4 yields an even larger mean improvement of 35%. The computation of structural parameters (geometry optimization) does not systematically profit from the HFX admixture. Overall, the best variant r2SCAN0-D4 performs well for both main-group and organometallic thermochemistry and is better or on par with well-established global hybrid functionals, such as PW6B95-D4 or PBE0-D4. Regarding systems prone to self-interaction errors (SIE4x4), r2SCAN0-D4 shows reasonable performance, reaching the quality of the range-separated ωB97X-V functional. Accordingly, r2SCAN0-D4 in combination with a sufficiently converged basis set [def2-QZVP(P)] represents a robust and reliable choice for general use in the calculation of thermochemical properties of both main-group and organometallic chemistry.


A one-year longitudinal study was undertaken in Kingston, Jamaica, to examine (i) the experience of side effects among female contraceptive users, (ii) the role of side effects in method continuation, and (iii) counselling regarding side effects. The study consisted of 463 women who utilized public health centres in Kingston and were either new users of contraceptives or who were switching contraceptive methods. They were recruited over a two-month period in 1998 and followed up for one year. All follow-up, interviews were done at the women's homes and complete interviews were obtained for 323 women. Information was collected about socio-economic characteristics, contraceptive history, service factors, experience with method and length of use. Forty-eight per cent of the women experienced side effects with the method accepted on recruitment to the study. Common side effects were irregular bleeding no period, headaches, nausea/dizziness and weight gain/loss. These side effects occurred mainly among pill and injection users. The occurrence of side effects had a negative impact on continuation rates. Forty-seven per cent of the women stated that they had received counselling regarding side effects. The level and impact of side effects among family planning acceptors at public health centres in Jamaica is of significance to the family planning programme. Method options need to be widened and counselling needs to be improved to ensure that women fully understand the issue of side effects and make informed choices about contraception.


Salinity currently has the highest priority of all environmental issues nowadays. The only means of preventing the development of soil salinity was combining leaching and artificial drainage. Recently a new method of capturing and removing salt from the soil surface called a dry drainage method [1-4] has been studied (fig.1) to help arid soils prevention against such threat. This work is a numerical simulation of the simultaneous water, solute and heat transfer in an unsaturated porous media during the simultaneous evaporation and drainage of saline dry land soils. A detailed mathematical model was formulated to describe the non-isothermal transport of water in the unsaturated porous media [5]. The model consists of the coupled conservative equations of mass for liquid phase, gas phase, water vapour, species and the energy. The boundary conditions at the soil–atmosphere interface include dynamical mass flux and energy flux. Comparison of numerical simulations with analytical results demonstrated that the present model is able to describe water and energy transport dynamics.


This paper describes a robust control design for automatic steering of passenger cars. Previous studies showed that reliable automatic driving at highway speed may not be achieved under practical conditions with look-down reference systems which use only one sensor at the front bumper to measure the lateral displacement of the vehicle from the lane reference. An additional lateral displacement sensor is added here at the tail bumper to solve the automatic steering control problem. The control design is performed stepwise: an initial controller is determined using the parameter space approach in an invariance plane; and this controller is then refined to accommodate practical constraints and finally optimized using the multiobjective optimization program. The performance and robustness of the final controller was verified experimentally at California PATH in a series of test runs.


Abstract Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is a major cause of child mortality and morbidity. Children treated for SAM are at risk of refeeding hypophosphataemia (HP). The study was done to find out the incidence and various predictors of moderate/severe HP in SAM among North Indian children. This prospective observational study was conducted from August 2014 to July 2015 in the inpatients' department of Department of Paediatrics at King George's Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, North India, a tertiary care teaching hospital. Before inclusion, ethical approval and written informed consent was obtained. Included in the study were sixty-five children aged 6–59 months of age, who were admitted to the hospital with SAM as per the WHO guidelines. SAM was defined as a mid-upper arm circumference <115 mm and/or weight-for-height/length <–3 z-scores of the WHO growth standards and/or have bilateral oedema. Serum P levels were measured on admission and for five consecutive days after starting feed. HP was defined as mild, moderate and severe with a cut-off of 1·19–0·65, 0·65–0·32 and <0·32 mmol/l, respectively. About 60 % children had HP, with 20 % having moderate/severe HP at admission. The proportion of HP increased to 83·1 %, with 38·5 % having moderate/severe HP on day 3 after feeding. It was concluded that HP is a common biochemical abnormality in SAM. Considering its impact on the health of the child, serum P levels should be monitored in patients with SAM who are treated with enteral feeding.


Application of antibodies against the neural cell adhesion molecule (N‐CAM) to O4‐positive murine glial precursor cells in vitro results in a reduction of two distinct K+ currents measured using the whole cell patch clamp technique. Both the A‐type and delayed rectifier K+ currents are reduced in amplitude within a few minutes of the application of poly‐ or monoclonal antibodies against N‐CAM. This effect is not due to the binding of any antibody to the surface of the glial precursor cells because monoclonal antibody directed against the O4 surface antigen, or polyclonal antibodies directed against liver cell membranes (which also bind to the surface of glial precursor cells), do not affect membrane currents. Activators of protein kinase C, such as phorbol esters or diacylglycerol, also induce changes in potassium currents that appear, both in magnitude and kinetics, to be similar to those induced by antibodies against N‐CAM. In contrast, activation of G proteins upregulates K+ currents. Glial precursor cells thus respond to triggering of N‐CAM by altering channel properties. These observations suggest that adhesive events between neural cells can influence the intracellular ionic milieu.


This paper describes a 2.7 to 4.5 V single chip GSM transceiver IC. The addition of a power amplifier, LNA and filters are all that is required to implement a GSM terminal's radio section. This chip includes two fixed-frequency synthesizers (for transmit and receive IF frequencies), a programmable frequency agile UHF synthesizer (for channel selection in both receive and transmit modes), RF mixer, single IF down conversion with quadrature demodulation and variable gain for the receive path, and a direct-up modulator with offset oscillator to avoid spurious signals and oscillator pulling. The circuit also contains control circuitry for separate receive, transmit, and UHF synthesizer modes to minimise power consumption. The IC is implemented in a l2 GHz bipolar technology with a 1.5 /spl mu/m minimum feature.


Summary By guiding initial warfarin dose, pharmacogenetic (PGx) algorithms may improve the safety of warfarin initiation. However, once international normalised ratio (INR) response is known, the contribution of PGx to dose refinements is uncertain. This study sought to develop and validate clinical and PGx dosing algorithms for warfarin dose refinement on days 6–11 after therapy initiation. An international sample of 2,022 patients at 13 medical centres on three continents provided clinical, INR, and genetic data at treatment days 6–11 to predict therapeutic warfarin dose. Independent derivation and retrospective validation samples were composed by randomly dividing the population (80%/20%). Prior warfarin doses were weighted by their expected effect on S-warfarin concentrations using an exponential-decay pharmacokinetic model. The INR divided by that "effective" dose constituted a treatment response index. Treatment response index, age, amiodarone, body surface area, warfarin indication, and target INR were associated with dose in the derivation sample. A clinical algorithm based on these factors was remarkably accurate: in the retrospective validation cohort its R2 was 61.2% and median absolute error (MAE) was 5.0 mg/week. Accuracy and safety was confirmed in a prospective cohort (N=43). CYP2C9 variants and VKORC1–1639 G→A were significant dose predictors in both the derivation and validation samples. In the retrospective validation cohort, the PGx algorithm had: R2= 69.1% (p<0.05 vs. clinical algorithm), MAE= 4.7 mg/week. In conclusion, a pharmacogenetic warfarin dose-refinement algorithm based on clinical, INR, and genetic factors can explain at least 69.1% of therapeutic warfarin dose variability after about one week of therapy.


Rendang is traditional minang food, West Sumatra, Indonesia. The raw materials of rendang are beef and spices. Nowadays, rendang is produced from other raw materials, such as chicken/duck eggs (which is called 'Rendang Telur') or meat from duck ('which is called Rendang Suir Itik'). The objective of this research was to analyse and compare the Value Added through processing of poultry products into "Rendang Telor" "or "Rendang Suir Itik". The performance of Small Firms producing those products can be measured from the achieved value added . Most of the performance is measured by financial ratio analysis, ratio of profitability (such as ROA, ROI, ROE, etc.). In the present study, the performance of the firm is measured by value added resulting from product processing. The measurement of value added used Value Added (VA). Value added was the difference between output and input (OUT – IN). Output (OUT) is revenue from operational of firm and Input (IN) is All of cost that can be earn revenue, example cost of manufacturing but exclude direct labour. This research method uses descriptive and comparative analyses, which will be conducted on small firms producing rendang telur and rendang suir itik. The research data, obtained from the small firm's financial statements and field research which will be analysed using comparative analysis. The results of this research are value added rendang suir (63,49% ) given higher percentase than rendang telur ( 36,37%), and break even point (BEP) rendang itik is 180 pack (each pack is 0.25kg) or 39,98% that's  lower than rendang telur 346 pack or 56,66%


Abstract Histological structure of the Utricularia trap and of the associated trichomes are reviewed. The diversity of quadrifids hairs organisation were also presented in different species.


This study aims to analyze economic growth as a moderating variable in firm value determination of the property and real estate sub-sector companies listed on the IDX. The independent variables used in this study are Return on Assets (ROA), Long Term Debt to Assets Ratio (LTDAR), Dividend Payout Ratio (DPR), and Sales Volume. Firm value in this study is proxied by Market Value Added (MVA). This study uses a quantitative approach and secondary data. The population of this study was 48 property and real estate sub-sector companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2012-2018, the sample selection was carried out by purposive sampling method so that a sample of 17 companies was obtained. The analytical method used is Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA). The results show that ROA and sales volume have a partial effect on firm value, LTDAR and DPR partially have no effect on firm value. The moderating variable used can strengthen the relationship between X and Y. The economic growth variable cannot moderate the ROA, LTDAR and DPR variables on firm value and can only moderate the sales volume variable on firm value


This paper discussed different issues related to the usability of speech interaction system. It includes the usability concept, different design approaches, design process and evaluation questions for speech interaction system. Usability is a very fuzzy concept, especially when it related to the speech interaction system: it is hard to measure and it is very much context dependent. The traditional user-centered design approach may not be suitable for the speech interaction system design since the users might not have enough knowledge to see what the technology can do. Usage-centered design may be the better method but there is not comprehensive theory and methodology for the design process and evaluation.


We introduce a new generalization for the boat-sail distance. Whereas the boat-sail distance was originally defined for static flows of water, we generalize using a time-varying flow. This generalization can be used to model the behavior of a boat on a stormy ocean or in a bay with a tidal ebb and flow. We construct a robust method for computing the boat-sail distance. We then define a new generalized Voronoi diagram, called a ``rescue boat Voronoi diagram'', which identifies the rescue boat that can reach a broken-down ship the fastest. This involves more than a simple generalization for the boat-sail distance, because the broken-down ship hanges its location according to the ocean flow. We examine the properties of this Voronoi diagram and discuss its relationships with existing Voronoi diagrams.


Recently, developing molecular biology and system biology, the mechanism of the circadian rhythm in which the inside of the body rhythm of the living thing is ruled is being clarified at the cell level. On the other hand, it is said that various sicknesses are related in the medicine and pharmacology to the disorder of the circadian rhythm. Therefore, it is thought that to restore an altered rhythm is a goal of these therapies. In this paper, we study the 10-states circadian model of Drosophila and propose a close-loop control based on flatness-based adaptive control to achieve circadian rhythm restoration.


Abstract Leaf trait variations in five deciduous species (Quercus robur, Corylus avellana, Populus alba, Acer campestre, Robinia pseudoacacia) growing in an old broadleaf deciduous forest in response to light variation within the tree crown was analyzed. Net photosynthetic rate (PN), leaf respiration rate (R) and the photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency were, on average, more than 100% higher in sun than in shade leaves. A. campestre and C. avellana sun leaves had the highest specific leaf area (SLA, 156.0 ± 17.9 cm2 g-1) and the lowest total leaf thickness (L, 101.9 ± 8.8 μm) underlining their shade-tolerance. Among the shade-intolerant species (Q. robur, P. alba and R. pseudoacacia), Q. robur had the lowest SLA and the highest L in sun leaves (130.6 ± 10.0 cm2 g-1 and 160.8 ± 9.6 μm, respectively) since shade-intolerant species typically have thicker leaves. The higher PN decrease in respect to R decrease from sun to shade leaves attested the higher sensitivity of PN than R to light variations within the crown. This determined a 69% lower R/PN in sun than in shade leaves. This result is further attested by the significant correlation between PN and the relative photosynthetic photon flux density. The shade-tolerant species have a 76% higher R/PN ratio than the shade-intolerant ones. The measured leaf phenotypic plasticity (PI = 0.35) was in the range of broadleaf deciduous species. Plasticity is a key trait useful to quantify plant response to environmental stimuli. It is defined as the ability of a genotype to produce different phenotypes depending on the environment. Among the considered species, Q. robur showed the highest PI (0.39) and P. alba the lowest (0.29). Knowledge on phenotypic plasticity is important in making hypotheses about the dynamics of the studied forest in consideration of environmental stress factors, including invasive species competition and global climate change.


In the current era of austerity free movement of labour has produced an ongoing but also contingent flow of migrant labour, an austeriat, moving from poorer crisis-hit regions of Europe to those countries such as Sweden where the crisis has been less severe. This article describes the working and living experiences of Bulgarian Roma berry pickers in Sweden. It argues that, in the context of a previously well-regulated labour market, an erosion of labour standards based on the exploitation of seasonal unskilled labour migrants from Bulgaria is occurring in the Swedish berry industry, in turn posing challenges for labour market actors and regulatory authorities. The article concludes with a discussion of what might be appropriate European and national trade union responses to the issues of labour precariousness which have emerged.


Abstract:Since it was awarded a Round 4 Trans-Atlantic Platform Digging into Data Challenge grant in 2017, the Mapping Manuscript Migrations project has been working to develop and test a methodology to link disparate datasets from Europe and North America with the aim of providing large-scale analysis and visualizations of the history and provenance of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts.Guided by a set of research questions identified at the outset of the project, MMM developed an innovative Linked Open Data model and dataset which unifies three separate manuscript-related databases in a semantically consistent way, together with the workflows for transforming the institutional data contributions into the common structure. The dataset has been made available through a Linked Open Data service hosted by the Linked Data Finland platform and the MMM semantic portal.The aggregated data can be queried and visualized at scales ranging from a single manuscript to a total of more than 216,000 manuscripts as a group. Visualization tools developed in the portal show how the manuscripts have traveled across time and space from their place of production to their current locations, where they continue to find new audiences.The following report summarizes our methodology and results, and lays the groundwork for further research using our processes.


The study aims to investigate the organizational commitment and loyalty among millennial generation employees in Integrated Islamic Schools. The study gathered information and data from three different Islamic education institutions in Central Java, Indonesia. A total of 261 responses gathered using an online questionnaire distributed among millennial generation employees on each institution. The result then analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis with the help of SPSS and SEM AMOS. From the analysis, it is found that employee trust and satisfaction strongly impacted employee organizational commitment, and employee organizational commitment strongly impacted employee loyalty, both attitudinal and behavioral. Test for model robustness was also conducted accordingly within suggestions from the previous research, resulted in quite different findings especially in continuance commitment variable. This study pointed out the importance of trust and satisfaction to maintain the millennials employee, and the importance of millennial understanding especially in the education sector. This study provides the reference for future organizational commitment and loyalty study among the millennial generation especially in a growing nation like Indonesia and pointed out the importance of the generational study on organizational behavior topics.


A golden-colored, flaky mineral from Morro do Niquel, Minas Gerais, Brazil, gives an X-ray diffraction pattern of a IIb chlorite polytype, with basal spacing 14·21 ± 0·02 Å and b = 9·23 Å. Thermogravimetric analysis shows a progressive weight (water) loss up to 500°C, followed by a rapid weight loss corresponding to dehydroxylation of the interlayer material and a slower weight loss due to dehydroxylation of the 2:1 layer. The structural formula derived from the chemical analysis on the basis of O10 (OH)8, or total cation valence of +28, shows 5·3 total octahedral cations, i.e. probably 2·3 in the interlayers where normally 3 cations are found. This deficiency together with the appreciable loss of water below 500°C suggests a partially vermiculitized interlayer. A new method for deriving the interlayer composition gives R1·67(OH)4·08(H2O)0·59, and a ratio (OH + H2O)/R = 2·80, which approaches that of a dioctahedral interlayer and is consistent with a predominance of R3+ ions. The mineral may resemble the golden, vermiculitized biotite described by Walker and others.


Viruses are the most abundant life form and infect practically all organisms. Consequently, these obligate parasites are a major cause of human suffering and economic loss. Rossmann‐like fold is the most populated fold among α/β‐folds in the Protein Data Bank and proteins containing Rossmann‐like fold constitute 22% of all known proteins 3D structures. Thus, analysis of viral proteins containing Rossmann‐like domains could provide an understanding of viral biology and evolution as well as could propose possible targets for antiviral therapy. We provide functional and evolutionary analysis of viral proteins containing a Rossmann‐like fold found in the evolutionary classification of protein domains (ECOD) database developed in our lab. We identified 81 protein families of bacterial, archeal, and eukaryotic viruses in light of their evolution‐based ECOD classification and Pfam taxonomy. We defined their functional significance using enzymatic EC number assignments as well as domain‐level family annotations.


Handwriting requires coordination of motor skills and cognitive skills which reflects the pictorial effect of the writer and their social and cultural patterns. It creates a unique combination of graphics and motor control of hands which is accepted by the society. Personality traits and characteristics are defined and have the unique handwriting, which gives the writer its individuality. Every writer is individual in their own way based on the handwriting features which can undergo variation when the writer shows commotion and disruptions in its normal neurological and muscular control. This paper reviews and focuses on the natural variation of the writing and also if these variations are caused under the influence of any externally induced elements, such as alcohol.


ABC elite, a novel artificial bee colony algorithm with elite-guided search equations, has been put forward recently, with relatively good performance compared with other variants of artificial bee colony (ABC) and some non-ABC methods. However, there still exist some drawbacks in ABC elite. Firstly, the elite solutions employ the same equation as ordinary solutions in the employed bee phase, which may easily result in low success rates for the elite solutions because of relatively large disturbance amplitudes. Secondly, the exploitation ability of ABC elite is still insufficient, especially in the latter half of the search process. To further improve the performance of ABC elite, two novel search equations have been proposed in this paper, the first of which is used in the employed bee phase for elite solutions to exploit valuable information of the current best solution, while the second is used in the onlooker bee phase to enhance the exploitation ability of ABC elite. In addition, in order to better balance exploitation and exploration, a parameter Po is introduced into the onlooker bee phase to decide which search equation is to be used, the existing search equation of ABC elite or a new search equation proposed in this paper. By combining the two novel search equations together with the new parameter Po, an improved ABC elite (IABC elite) algorithm is proposed. Based on experiments concerning 22 benchmark functions, IABC elite has been compared with some other state-of-the-art ABC variants, showing that IABC elite performs significantly better than ABC elite on solution quality, robustness, and convergence speed.


Serum samples from different groups of adults were tested for HBsAg and IHxAg, using a complement-fixation microtest and the Indian-ink immune reaction, respectively. (i) In healthy men 18-24 years of age, living in camps in closed communities, HBsAg was demonstrated in 1.5%, IHxAg in 12.2%, and both antigens in 0.7%. The incidence of HBsAg positivity seems to be age-dependent and influenced by environmental factors. (ii) For patients hospitalized with liver and/or biliary-tract diseases other than hepatitis, the respective percentages were 10, 13.5 and 4.5%. (iii) Of the cases clinically diagnosed as infectious hepatitis (IH, hepatitis A) or serum hepatitis (SH, hepatitis B), 14% were positive for both antigens whereas 10% were double-negative; 76% were positive for either HBsAg or IHxAg. In two-thirds of the single-positive cases the demonstrated antigen agreed with the clinical diagnosis, in one-third the unexpected antigen was present. (iv) SGPT and thymol turbidity values agreed better with the serological findings that with the clinical diagnosis. The number of days in hospital appeared to be related to both the serological findings and the clinical diagnosis. The clinical course was the most severe for those having both antigens in blood. (v) IHxantibodies from early convalescence were sensitive, those from a later stage were resistant, to 2-mercaptoethanol. (vi) No correlation was found between the presence of IHxAg and that of the rheumatoid factor. (vii) The IHx Indian-ink reaction is disturbed by the presence of labile serum proteins while the essentially similar reverse passive haemagglutination reaction was not affected by them. (viii) Testing for IHxAg seems to be a procedure valuable in the differential diagnosis of IH and SH, though the results are less convincing in adult age than in childhood.


Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) enables optimal tumor targeting and sparing of organs-at-risk, which ultimately results in improved outcomes for patients. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revolutionized diagnostic imaging with its superior soft tissue contrast, high spatiotemporal resolution, and freedom from ionizing radiation exposure. Over the past few years there has been burgeoning interest in MR-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) to overcome current challenges in X-ray-based IGRT, including but not limited to, suboptimal soft tissue contrast, lack of efficient daily adaptation, and incremental exposure to ionizing radiation. In this review, we present an overview of the technologic advancements in IGRT that led to MRI-linear accelerator (MRL) integration. Our report is organized in three parts: (1) a historical timeline tracing the origins of radiotherapy and evolution of IGRT, (2) currently available MRL technology, and (3) future directions and aspirations for MRL applications.


As the process technology scales down and the number of bits per cell increases, NAND Flash memory is more prone to bit errors. In this paper, we employ a rate-0.96 (68254, 65536) Euclidean geometry (EG) low-density parity-check (LDPC) code for NAND Flash memory error correction, and evaluate the performance under binary input (BI) additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and NAND Flash memory channels. The performance effect of output signal quantization is also studied. We show the strategies for determining the optimum quantization boundaries and computing the quantized log-likelihood ratio (LLR) for the NAND Flash channel model that is approximated as a mixture of Gaussian distributions. Simulation results show that the error performance with the NAND Flash memory channel is much different from that with the BI-AWGN channel. Since the distribution of NAND Flash memory output signal is not stationary, it is important to accurately assess the stochastic distribution of the signal for optimum sensing.


An in-depth analysis of first-wave SARS-CoV-2 genome is required to identify various mutations that significantly affect viral fitness. In the present study, we performed a comprehensive in silico mutational analysis of 3C-like protease (3CLpro), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), and spike (S) proteins with the aim of gaining important insights into first-wave virus mutations and their functional and structural impact on SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Our integrated analysis gathered 6000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences and identified 92 mutations in S, 37 in RdRp, and 11 in 3CLpro regions. The impact of these mutations was also investigated using various in silico approaches. Among these, 32 mutations in S, 15 in RdRp, and 3 in 3CLpro proteins were found to be deleterious in nature and could alter the structural and functional behavior of the encoded proteins. The D614G mutation in spike and the P323Lmutation in RdRp are the globally dominant variants with a high frequency. Most of the identified mutations were also found in the binding moiety of the viral proteins which determine their critical involvement in host–pathogen interactions and may represent drug targets. Furthermore, potential CD4+ and CD8+ T cell epitopes were predicted, and their overlap with genetic variations was explored. This study also highlights several hot spots in which HLA and drug selective pressure overlap. The findings of the current study may allow a better understanding of COVID-19 diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics.


Review: To Heal the Earth: Selected Writings of Ian L. McHarg Ian L. McHarg and Frederick L. Steiner (Eds.) Reviewed by Eric Weir Decatur, Georgia, USA Ian L. McHarg and Frederick L. Steiner (Eds.) To Heal the Earth: Selected Writings of Ian L. McHarg. Washington, DC: Island Press, 1998. 310 pp. ISBN 1-55963-573-8 (cloth). US$34.95. Recycled acid-free paper. Forward by Robert D. Yaro In an essay in this book, Ian McHarg writes, The time has come to discover and celebrate the accomplishments of our predecessors. [191] He was speaking to his fellow landscape architects, about the founders of the profession, Frederick Law Olmsted and Charles Eliot. He could just as well have been speaking to us, about himself. McHarg's ideas about the relevance of ecology to landscape architecture became familiar to many through his 1968 book, Design With Nature. With his colleagues in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania, he exerted a profound influence on planning education and practice throughout 70's and 80's. He played a significant role in shaping national environmental policy. While today neither his ideas nor his work are well-known to the broader public, they remain as refreshingly relevant as when first articulated. This book is not the ideal vehicle for reviving interest in McHarg. It is a collection of papers written largely for specialists; there are thoughtful essays on the history of landscape architecture, the relevance of ecology to planning, and broader policy issues, as well as numerous detailed planning reports. The basic ideas are powerful and appealing, and are elaborated with clarity and conviction, yet the contexts and subthemes are many. As a result, many readers will find themselves struggling, simultaneously, with the redundancy and the disjointedness of the collection. Still, with persistence the vision, the work, and a sense of the man come through. The vision is of a harmony between man and nature. What is good for nature is good for man. If we bring science to bear on understanding how, in particular settings, nature functions, it will provide us with a determinate sense of the place and how we should be related to it. McHarg's ecological planning model provides a clear, comprehensive, and replicable process for carrying through on this vision. The inventory phase


The outcoupling of whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) lasers is crucial for the realization of various photonic functionalities, yet present material structures still suffered the unexpected surface damages or contaminations in the multistep micro/nanofabrications. Here, we propose a strategy to achieve controlled outcoupling of WGM lasers in self-assembled organic single-crystalline microrings. The microrings with molecular-smooth surfaces functioned as organic crystalline whispering-gallery-mode microlasers with a lasing threshold of ∼14.2 μJ cm-2 and a quality factor on the order of 103 to 104. The circular self-assembly allowed us to design different derived ring-based structures toward desired outcoupling of the WGM lasers, including unidirectional laser output from wire-ring coupled structures, and single-mode lasing in double-ring coupled systems. The results would provide an alternative avenue to construct versatile organic nanoscale lasers and related components with specific photonic applications.


Attempts to secure the difficult airway, especially the pediatric airway, can have nightmarish consequences if not successful and may be followed by complications even when successful. Some complications are common and some are rare. To minimize the risk of any complications, the clinician needs to be prepared mentally and technically to manage the difficult airway, must prepare the equipment, and must educate the patient/parents regarding possible difficulties with airway management.


Background: Multi-drug resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, as well as resistance to radiation therapy is a major cause of treatment failure in breast cancer. The expression of the excision repair cross-complementation 1 (ERCC1) enzyme in tumor tissue has been associated with resistance to platinum based chemotherapy but also with radiation therapy in different cancer diseases. However, studies on ERCC1 in breast cancer are limited. Furthermore, after primary tumor resection, there is no validated clinical parameter to predict the sensitivity to radio/chemotherapy. Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs), as potential surrogate markers for minimal residual disease, would be an ideal 'surrogate tissue' to identify such biomarkers. Here we evaluated ERCC1 expression in CTCs of primary and metastatic breast cancer patients as a potential biomarker for radio/chemoresistance and correlated these findings with the presence of HER2-positive and stemness like CTCs (slCTCs), including cells being able to perform epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Patients and Methods: 2 × 5 ml blood from primary (n = 110) and metastatic (n = 56) breast cancer patients were analyzed for CTCs with the AdnaTest BreastCancer (AdnaGen AG, Hannover, Germany) for the detection of EpCAM, MUC-1, HER-2, and beta-Actin transcripts. The recovered c-DNA was additionally tested for the presence of a) ERCC1 b) slCTCs using the AdnaTest TumorStemCell for the expression of ALDH1 (both using single-plex RT-PCR) and c) CTCs in EMT applying the AdnaTest EMT (multiplex RT-PCR for TWIST, AKT2, PI3K). The analysis of PCR products was performed by capillary electrophoresis on the Agilent Bioanalyzer 2100. Results: In primary breast cancer, the overall detection rate for CTCs was 27% (30/110 patients) with the expression rate of 83% for HER2. ERCC1 was detected in 51/110 patients (46%), slCTCs in 27/110 patients (25%) and CTCs in EMT in 47/110 patients (43%), respectively. ERCC1 expression was significantly associated with the presence of HER2-positive CTCs (p = 0.001), slCTCs (p = 0.014) and CTCs in EMT (p = 4×10E-8), respectively. In metastatic breast cancer, the positivity rate for CTCs was 36% (20/56 patients) with the expression rate of 40% for HER2. ERCC1 was detected in 15/56 patients (27%), slCTCs in 16/56 patients (29%) and CTCs in EMT in 12/56 patients (22%), respectively. ERCC1 expression was significantly associated with the presence of HER2-positive CTCs (p = 0.0019), slCTCs (p = 0.00014) and CTCs in EMT (p = 0.00037), respectively. Conclusion: The tumor stem cell phenotype and EMT are widely discussed to be correlated with increasing cell survival and chemotherapy resistance including increased DNA repair capacity characterized by the overexpression of genes like ERCC1. Using CTCs as a potential surrogate marker for radio/chemoresistance, we could show a significant correlation of the ERCC1 profile and CTCs displaying tumor stem cell or EMT characteristics but also a HER2-positive phenotype. Thus, the presence as well as the molecular profile of CTCs might become an important tool to predict radio/chemoresistance in breast cancer patients. The clinical relevance on prognosis and therapy response has to be evaluated in a prospective trial. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P1-04-13.


Objectives: Higher rate of slime production has been found in pathogen bacteria strains. Accordingly, the factors that contribute to higher slime production rate increase the infection risk, while the factors that reduce the slime production rate will reduce the infection risk. The effect of some drugs that are administered through catheters in intensive care units on slime production with coagulase negative Staphylococci was investigated. Materials and methods: In this study, the effect of four different preparations containing Glyceryl trinitrate (Perlinganit®), Dexmedetomidine (Precedex®), Esmolol (Brevibloc®), and Propofol (Propofol®) on slime production of 24 Staphylococcus epidermidis strains isolated from blood cultures of patients, and reference strain were investigated. Slime production was determined using 'the quantitative microdilution plaque test' described by Christensen. Results: Under controlled medium, eight strains formed slimes, and in the media containing esmolol, glyceryl trinitrate, dexmedetomidine, and propofol slimes were positive for five, 21, 15, and 18 strains, respectively. The rate of slime pro duction in glyceryl trinitrate, dexmedetomidine, and propofol containing media were higher than that of the controls. Conclusions: In the light of the results of this study, it is concluded that the drugs and/or additives increase the rate of slime production. The effects of the preparations administered through catheters on slime production should be investigated, and these effects should be kept in mind during their use. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2012; 2(4): 150-154


Heat Recovery Seam Generator (HRSG) tube failure is one of the most frequent causes of power plant forced outage. In one of the local power plants, one of the boilers has experienced several defects and failures after running approximately 85,000 hours. 17 tube failures were found at the High Pressure High Temperature Superheater (HPHTSH) outlet header. The aim of this study is to find the root cause of the tube failures and to suggest the remedial action to prevent repetitive failure event. Several analysis methods were conducted to ascertain the potential cause(s) of failure. The results showed that the tubes failed due to long-term creep and thermal fatigue based on the cracking behaviour. Furthermore, the power plant has been operating as a peaking plant which concluded that the tubes have undergone the thermal stress due to frequent temperature change in the tubes. Flow correcting device (FCD) was also found damaged, causing flow imbalance in the tubes. Flow imbalance accelerated the creep degradation on the tubes. It was recommended that the FCD has to be repaired and improved to balance the flow. Furthermore, the extensive life assessment was recommended to be done on all the tubes to avoid future tube failures.


The article brings out a special attention paid by historians and demographers to the smallest demographic and social unit after the second world war. It resulted from the will to understand the transformation of the whole society in the past, which to a certain degree became possible thanks to the analyses of the ancient family structures, including the changes they had undergone and the trends that had been identified. Against the background of the basic achievements of the West-European historiography of historical demography, the author also emphasises a significant development of the Polish research in this sphere, yet he notices that it has been achieved mainly by the efforts of individual researchers, hardly linked to any institution. Generally speaking, in spite of some revival of the last 30 years the knowledge of the basic biological function of the family, i.e. fertility, is still not satisfactory.
That is why the author stresses the need to intensify research on demographic structures of families in Polish lands from the beginning of the 20th century and presents its programme. At the same time he underlines that now some former restrictions, which somehow hindered Polish research in which L. Henry's method was used, have disappeared. At the moment, there are no bigger obstacles to track down hundreds of register books of births, deaths, marriages and baptisms, as well as marriage records of the 19th century. What is more, in the era of laptops and other digital carriers, there are no restrictions as far as equipment is concerned; information may be collected and processed in no time. The author reminds that for the last 25 years there have appeared only a few valuable studies on the basic biological function of the family, its fertility (inter alia Cezary Kuklo, Krzysztof Makowski, Agnieszka Zielinska).
The article indicates that future studies on demographic and historical statistics of the family should fall back on the research potential included in L. Henry's method to a much wider degree. Thanks to a more common use of the method procreative attitudes of the inhabitants who lived in Polish lands before the end of the 19th century should become more wid ely known, and – at the same time – make it possible to answer the question whether the procreative strategies were conscious or not. Future investigations, according to the author, should also take into consideration the problem of mortality. In the presented research programme what has been strongly stressed is the postulate of a more detailed description of the smallest social cell through its socio-economic – as well as religious and ethnic – differentiation, wherever it is possible. The programme also takes into account the need to describe the relations between spouses and between parents and children, and other members of the ancient households.


Purpose: To present a case of deep orbital dermoid cyst with emphasis on clinical presentation, imaging spectrum, differential diagnosis and management. Case Report: A 28-year-old female was referred to our hospital with chief complaint of drooping of right eyelid and progressive headache. Ocular motility, visual acuity and fundus examination were normal. computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a well-defined, intraosseous deep orbital dermoid cyst (5.9 mm × 12.5 mm) located near the apex of right orbit, extending from greater wing of sphenoid into the superior orbital fissure. Due to occulomotor nerve (superior and inferior divisions) compression which passes through the superior orbital fissure, ipsilateral headache and ptosis occurred. Complete surgical excision of cyst was performed using noninvasive extracranial lateral orbitotomy approach. After removal of the cyst, curette and cutting drill were used to thoroughly remove any residual cystic content. Histopathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis. The healing was uneventful postoperatively. Conclusion: CT and MRI are easy, reliable, safe and effective imaging methods for establishing the diagnosis of orbital dermoid cyst. Size, location and manifestations are the most important determinants of the disease management. Complete surgical excision without rupture of the cyst is the treatment of choice.