This paper propounds a new music recognition method which is based on singing splitting, MFCC characteristic parameter and BP Neural Network, and the origin of this idea comes from speech recognition. Firstly, fundamentals and key techniques of speech recognition are presented. In what flows is a brief introduction to a music recognition system that is designed and implemented by comparing speech recognition and music recognition. Then, we illustrate applications of BP neural network in music recognition. Finally, 10 English songs are chosen as experiment subjects and are inputted into the music recognition system. The experiment results show that this music recognition method which combines speech recognition can effectively recognize music signals.


Call Admission Control (CAC) is one of the resource management functions, which regulates network access to ensure QoS provisioning. However, the decision for CAC is very challenging issue due to user mobility, limited radio spectrum, and multimedia traffic characteristics. In this paper, we propose a new CAC scheme which considers for acceptance decision except other parameters also the security. We call the proposed system FACS-S (Fuzzy Admission Control - with Security). We evaluated by simulations the performance of proposed system and show that the FACS-S has a good behavior.


The radiographic appearances of intracranial metastases from primary osteogenic sarcomas in three patients are presented. In two patients, the diagnosis of metastatic disease could be made on conventional roentgenograms of the skull since mineralization of tumor osteoid could be seen within the brain parenchyma. This had a similar appearance to the primary bone tumor. Angiography in two of the three patients revealed the cerebral metastases to be hypervascular with tumor vessels, tumor stain and early draining veins. Cancer 43:707–710, 1979.


We make an experimental HFV apparatus in which the mass-spring system is utilized as the vibration actuator. When this apparatus is operated near the characteristic frequency of the mechanical vibration system, the efficiency is quite good and trivial motor is enough to realize the vibrating flow for the experimental ventilator. In this paper we first investigate the flow-frequency relations and found that above the characteristic frequency of the mechanical vibration system the oscillating volume of flow is nearly constant. Next we check the gas exchange between model-lung and atmosphere and obtain the relations among pressure vs. flow rate, pressure vs. rate of gas exchange.


The number of lymphocytes/monocytes in peripheral blood was determined in 105 patients with viral hepatitis B, viral hepatitis C and mixed hepatitis, as well as in 44 clinically healthy donors. The diagnosis of viral hepatitis was verified using the standard set of viral, biochemical, including PCR, and instrumental tests. Acute viral hepatitis B and C infections were shown to be accompanied by a considerable decrease in the number of lymphocytes CD22+ in comparison with that in healthy donors. In mixed hepatitis changes in the subpopulation composition also affected cells CD16+. In load tests with biogenic amines changes in the capacity of lymphocytes to express CD8, CD16 and HLA-DR markers were established.


Recommendations for anticoagulation following major venous reconstruction for pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PA) are not clearly established. The aim of our study was to find out the relation between postoperative anticoagulant treatment and thrombosis rate after portal venous resection. Materials and methods. Between 1986 and 2006, twenty seven portal vein resections were performed associated with pancreaticoduodenectomies (n = 27) (PD).We defined four types of venous resection: type I was performed 1 cm above the confluent of the superior mesenteric vein (SMV) (n = 12); type II lateral resection and venorrhaphy at the level of the confluent SMV (n = 12); type III (n = 1) resulted from a primary end-to-end anastomosis above confluent and PTFE graph was used for reconstruction for type IV (n = 2). Curative anticoagulant treatment was always indicated after type IV (n = 2) resection, and after resection of type II when the length of venous resection was longer than ≥2 cm. Results. Venous thrombosis rate reached: 0%, 41%, and 100% for type I, II, IV resections, respectively. Among them four patients received curative anticoagulant treatment. Conclusion. After a portal vein resection was achieved in the course of a PD, curative postoperative anticoagulation does not prevent efficiently the onset of thrombosis.


We present a novel multiple-source unsupervised model for text classification under domain shift. Our model exploits the update rates in document representations to dynamically integrate domain encoders. It also employs a probabilistic heuristic to infer the error rate in the target domain in order to pair source classifiers. Our heuristic exploits data transformation cost and the classifier accuracy in the target feature space. We have used real world scenarios of Domain Adaptation to evaluate the efficacy of our algorithm. We also used pretrained multi-layer transformers as the document encoder in the experiments to demonstrate whether the improvement achieved by domain adaptation models can be delivered by out-of-the-box language model pretraining. The experiments testify that our model is the top performing approach in this setting.


This study explores the playful dimension of the fait divers through Maupassant's use of it in the short story Le Crime au Pere Boniface. The superimposition of two crime stories - one is read in the newspaper, in the form of a fait divers, by the factor Boniface; the other is invented by him because of a misunderstanding under the influence of the same fait divers - exposes the problem of reproduction, an obvious feature in Maupassant's work. Here, it is examined through literary parody, a form intimately linked, according to some theoreticians, to the denunciation of a fixed, too conventional form. The form of this short story thus shows an aesthetic awareness which could be related to Maupassant's literary evolution, i.e. towards more developed formats and also to more complex reflections on the referential world.


A total of 87 cases of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction were identified as fitting the criteria for the syndrome. Five families, three with autosomal dominant inheritance, accounted for 15 cases. The remainder were single cases in families, indicating either autosomal recessive inheritance, spontaneous mutation, or acquired disease. Of the 87 patients, 47 were male; 19 patients were symptomatic at birth and 37 (43%) within the first month of life; 64% were diagnosed by the first year of age and the remainder were diagnosed by 18 years of age. Patients currently range in age from 3 months to 24 years. Abdominal distension in 70, vomiting in 50, and constipation in 50 of the 87 cases were the three commonest presenting symptoms. Diarrhea and failure to thrive were present in 20 cases. Urinary tract infection and failure to void were present in 10 cases. Diagnosis was established by clinical presentation, radiographic studies, and at exploratory laparotomy. Esophageal motility was abnormal in 14 patients. Anal manometric studies were done in 16 and showed normal recto-anal inhibitory reflex in all but one. Only 34 patients had biopsy studies as part of their evaluation and, of these, only 12 were full-thickness. Abnormal plexuses were found in eight and degeneration of smooth muscles in four. There was little or no benefit from the use of any medication to promote motility. One patient with intractable pseudo-obstruction benefited from a subtotal enterectomy. Of those patients not lost to follow-up, 31.4% died; 43% of these deaths occurred within the first 6 months from complications of total parenteral nutrition. One infant had a complete spontaneous remission by 1 year of age, with normalization of radiographic findings; another had partial remission by 6 months of age.


A large number of patients previously affected by polio have symptoms, including increased weakness and fatigue, which are collectively known as a post-polio syndrome. Prospective measurements of strength and endurance using twitch interpolation in post-polio patients are lacking and hence the exact rate of decline in muscle function in these patients is not well defined. We therefore measured performance of the elbow flexor muscles twice, at a mean of 2.5 years apart in a group of selected post-polio subjects (Group A, n = 13) and matched control subjects (n = 11), and in a second group of unselected polio patients from a post-polio clinic (Group B, n = 40) at a mean of 1.7 years apart. All subjects performed 10 attempted maximal voluntary isometric contractions of the elbow flexor muscles, during which voluntary activation of the elbow flexor muscles was measured using a sensitive form of twitch interpolation. The first group of selected polio subjects (Group A) and matched control subjects also performed 45 min of submaximal exercise. During this time, at 5-min intervals, maximal voluntary force, voluntary activation and the amplitude of twitch responses to single and paired stimuli were measured in order to investigate central and peripheral components of muscle fatigue. There was no change in the polio patients' strength, voluntary activation or peripheral muscle endurance between testing sessions, despite an 80% probability of detecting a 2.5% change per year in these variables. The unselected group of patients from the post-polio clinic (Group B) showed no change in maximal voluntary strength or voluntary activation between the first and second test. There was an absence of decline in muscle performance in these polio patients over the test interval, despite a subjective deterioration in muscle function consistent with the 'post-polio syndrome'. This supports the view that symptoms of the post-polio syndrome are not due to a progressive neuronal dysfunction.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the results of the treatment of lymphoedema by intra-arterial infusion of autologous lymphocytes.

DESIGN
Open study.

SETTING
University Hospital.

SUBJECTS
13 patients with refractory lymphoedema.

INTERVENTIONS
Lymphocytes were separated from the patient's own blood using a blood cell separator; about 100 cc of lymphocyte dominant blood separated from this blood was immediately infused into the proximal artery of the affected limb. Infusion was practiced once a week, and repeated 4 to 6 times.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Change in size of the affected limb (defined as the difference between the affected limb and the normal limb after treatment), and softening of the edema (measured with a tension gauge).

RESULTS
In all 13 patients there was softening of the affected hard limb followed by a reduction in the size of the limb (mean 64%), and the ache and sensation of heat in the limb lessened. The reduction in size was maintained in 9 of the 13 patients for three months, despite returning to their normal activities.

CONCLUSION
Intra-arterial infusion of autologous lymphocytes is a promising treatment for refractory lymphoedema.


Abstract We examined the feeding habits of the Indian giant flying squirrel (Petaurista philippensis) in a rain-forest fragment in southern Western Ghats, India, from December 1999 to March 2000. Flying squirrels consumed 4 major plant parts belonging to 9 plant species. Ficus racemosa was the most-eaten species (68.1%) during the period of the study, followed by Cullenia exarillata (9.57%) and Artocarpus heterophyllus (6.38%). The most commonly consumed food item was the fruit of F. racemosa (48.93%). Leaves formed an important component of the diet (32.97%) and the leaves of F. racemosa were consumed more than those of any other species. Flying squirrels proved to be tolerant of disturbance and exploited food resources at the fragment edge, including exotic planted species.


Background: Thrombocytopenia is the hallmark laboratory finding in dengue fever and leads to bleeding manifestations when reduced markedly. So, this causes panic amongst the patient and relatives about the possibility of severity and leading to various complications including bleeding tendencies. Platelet transfusion is the only definitive treatment and it is indicated only in severe cases with bleeding manifestations. Prophylactic platelet transfusion is not much useful unless it's reduced below 10,000cells/cumm. Carica papaya leaf extract (CPLE) are believed to have some role in improving platelets and its role is unclear. Hence, this study is taken up to evaluate the role of CPLE in improving dengue thrombocytopenia. Methods: Total 500 patients were included in the study; out of which 380 were males and 120 were females. Patients of dengue fever with thrombocytopenia (Platelet count <1, 50,000 cells/cumm) matching inclusion criteria were included in the study. After the inclusion, patients were randomized into two groups. Study group and control group by simple randomization (even/odd method). The study group treated with CPLE 1100mg three times daily for five days along with symptomatic and supportive treatment. The control group was given only symptomatic and supportive treatment. The average platelet count, average duration of stay and transfusion requirement of platelets were compared using student 't' test. Results: Increased platelet counts were noted early in the treated group than the controlled group. The average duration of hospital stay was 5.42±0.98 days in study group and 7.2±0.97 days in controlled group. The requirement of platelets is more in control group than study group and it was statistically significant. Conclusions: Carica papaya leaf extract tablets can be used in patients with dengue thrombocytopenia with clear advantages over control group.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Selective neuronal death is a well-recognized histopathologic sequel to moderate ischemic brain damage. However, radiologic visualization of these changes has not been established, even with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). We sought to determine whether DTI with b values > or =1900 s/mm(2) reveals occult diffusion abnormalities in patients with cerebral arterial occlusive disease.

METHODS
Six patients (five men, one woman; mean age +/- standard deviation, 66 +/- 8 years) with unilateral internal carotid or middle cerebral arterial occlusive disease but not parenchymal T2 hyperintensity underwent 3T fast DTI with b < or = 1300 s/mm(2) and slow DTI with b > or = 1900 s/mm(2). We postprocessed mean diffusibility and fractional anisotropy (FA) images from the fast and slow DTI datasets. Standardized asymmetry indices (AIs) were used to identify regional asymmetries. Diagnostic accuracy among the DTI modalities was assessed by means of receiver operating characteristic analysis.

RESULTS
In hemispheres ipsilateral to occluded vessel, AIs were significantly elevated on fast mean-diffusibility images of white matter at the levels of the internal capsule (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00, 1.09; P = .045) and corona radiata (95% CI: 1.01, 1.12; P = .034). AIs were significantly decreased on slow FA images at the internal capsule (95% CI: 0.84, 0.98; P = .018) and white matter at the internal capsule level (95% CI: 0.92, 1.00, P = .043). The slow FA map had the highest accuracy (89.8%) for detecting the hemisphere ipsilateral to arterial occlusion.

CONCLUSION
Slow FA maps acquired by using DTI with high b values are useful for visualizing ischemic brain damage in apparently normal WM.


This paper presents a multi-agent framework based on argumentative agent technology for the automation of the workflow selection and execution. In this framework, workflow selection is coordinated by agent interactions governed by the rules of a dialogue game whose purpose is to evaluate the workflow's properties via argumentation. Once a workflow is selected using this process, the workflow is executed by dynamically configuring workflow engines to coordinate the participating agents' workflow activities. We illustrate the overall framework with an example of workflow composition that allows an agent to book an appropriate ticket and rent a car.


The focus of this paper is to examine the determinants of individual-level trust in global institutional actors, namely the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, and multinational corporations (MNCs). This study is guided by two lines of inquiry. First, consistent with the social capital theory, it investigates the role of social or generalized trust in creating institutional trust. Second, in keeping with the extant literature on economic and cultural globalization, it also probes into how and to what extent transnational identity shapes people's perception and evaluation of international organizations. Based on the Asian Barometer Survey (2003), a cross-national dataset covering 10 Asian countries (N = 8086), this study finds that both factors significantly shape the level of institutional trust, while controlling for a host of relevant variables. More specifically, logistic regression analyses reveal that the tendency to trust generalized others has a positive association with the degree of trust placed in institutional actors. Transnational identity, on the contrary, has the reverse effect. The implications of the empirical findings and the suggestions for future research are discussed.


The aims of this study were to investigated how far study
processes, learning strategies and achievement goals are variant,
predicting achievement goals through study processes and learning
strategies and for casting achievement through study processes,
learning strategies and achievement goals. The researcher translated
three instruments (Study Processes Questionnaire /Learning
Strategies Checklist and Achievement goals scale).
First, they were administered to a pilot sample of 113 students
and then to a final sample 227 students at Bisha Teachers College,
Saudi Arabia. Factor analysis and regression analysis were applied in
data analysis . The study came to the following conclusions:
• Surface study processes (surface strategy /surface motive) were variant learning strategy Surface study processes were not variant from performance objectives as a dimension of achievement goals.
• Interpersonal help seeking strategies motivation control were variant from study processes and the two dimensions of achievement goals (performance /learning).
• Beta values proved that surface strategies /deep strategies /surface motive / motive control are the factor which help predict performance goals.
• Beta values proved that )rehearsal /active reflection and deep motive) could help predict achievement.


Cloud-based services often follow the same logical structure of private networks. The lack of physical boundaries and the dependence on third party's infrastructural security mechanisms often undermine the confidence in the overall security level of virtualized applications. Integrating software instances of common security middleboxes into cloud networks helps overcome most suspicions, but leads to inefficient solutions. In this paper, we describe the vision behind the ASTRID project. The novelty of our concept lies in decoupling detection algorithms from monitoring and inspection tasks, seeking better integration with virtualization frameworks. We briefly elaborate on the overall conceptual architecture and the foundation of its implementation components. Additionally, we give insights on the expected impacts and opportunities brought by this novel paradigm over the existing approaches.


Supplemental polyethylene glycol (PEG) increases intake of foods high in tannins, but it is not known if PEG affects preference when herbivores forage on a variety of foods that differ in concentrations of macronutrients and tannins. We investigated how macronutrients, tannins, and PEG affected preferences of goats (Caprus hircus) for current season's and older growth twigs from the shrub blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima Torr.). In blackbrush, current season's twigs are higher than older twigs in macronutrients, but goats prefer older twigs because high levels of tannins in current season's twigs decrease preference. We conducted a pen trial and a paddock trial. During the 7-day pen trial, goats were offered current season's twigs and older twigs throughout the day. Eight goats were supplemented with 20 g PEG mixed with 100 g ground alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) pellets, and 8 goats were supplemented with 100 g ground alfalfa pellets. Goats supplemented with PEG ate more current season's twigs than goats that did not receive PEG (P = 0.04). During the 17-day paddock trial, 10 goats were supplemented with 50 g PEG mixed with ground alfalfa/barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), and 10 goats were supplemented with ground alfalfa/barley. Goats supplemented with PEG preferred current season's to older twigs, whereas PEG-unsupplemented goats preferred older to current season's twigs (P = 0.0001). Goats had equal preference for juniper (Juniperus osteosperma Torr.) trees (P = 0.243). Collectively, our findings show that supplemental PEG can change food preferences. DOI:10.2458/azu_jrm_v54i2_titus


The early 17th century comedies by Amsterdam authors Bredero, Tengnagel and Coster are written in a vernacular-like style resembling the variety spoken in Amsterdam at the time. The 17th century Amsterdam vernacular in those texts both morphologically and phonologically resembles 20th century Hollandic dialects as the Marken or Katwijk dialects or West-Frisian. The present corpus-based investigation deals with word order in verb clusters in this 17th century Amsterdam vernacular and the extent to which this deviates from present-day Standard Dutch and Hollandic dialects. The aim is twofold: first, contribute to the description of word order phenomena in older Dutch; and second, as word order is found to be an indicator for substrate influence, to investigate a Frisian substrate in Holland. Indeed correspondences between West-Frisian and Frisian word order are commonly interpreted as revealing a Frisian substrate. As far as the syntax of verb clusters is concerned, the language of the investigated comedies closely resembles present-day Dutch. While Coster seems to write rather South-Hollandish, word order in Bredero and Tengnagel resembles 20th century Katwijks and Zaans. 17th century Amsterdams does not resemble the 20th century West-Frisian which, syntactically speaking, closely resembles Frisian in being consistently verb-final, and having a distinct gerund, a restricted usage of gaan 'go' and blijven 'remain', and no ipp-effect. These findings cast doubt over the hypothesis that Frisian features used to be diffused over an area stretching much further to the south. Hence Frisian syntax does not directly testify to a historical Frisian language area in Holland, which has been reconstructed by means of other evidence.


Background Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common and potentially debilitating syndrome characterized by chronic and widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and physical and psychological impairment. The aetiology of FM remains unknown however, central nervous system (CNS) dysregulation is believed to play a key role in the pathogenesis of the condition. Naltrexone, a competitive antagonist of opioid receptors, is a potential novel treatment for chronic pain. More recently, naltrexone has been shown to attenuate the production of proinflammatory cytokines and neurotoxic superoxides via suppressive effects on CNS microglia cells. Objectives To evaluate the efficacy of naltrexone in the treatment of FM. Methods Seventy-four consecutive FM patients diagnosed according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1990 criteria for FM were randomized into 2 groups, the first group(n = 37) received 4.5mg/d of naltrexone and the second group(n = 37) received placebo for 6 months. Patients were excluded from the study if they were taking any opioid analgesic or were pregnant. All subjects underwent a comprehensive clinical examination. Global pain status was assessed separately by the participant and the study physician, who was unaware of the group assignment, with the use of a visual-analogue scale (VAS) (range, 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater pain). The number of tender sites (of 18 sites in total) were also determined according to the standardized protocol. The primary end point was a change in pain. The secondary end point was a change in the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) score (ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms) at the end of 24 weeks. All assessments were repeated at 24 weeks to test the durability of the response. Safety and tolerability were also assessed. Results There was a significant reduction in pain in the naltrexone group compared to the placebo group. Mean (±SD) baseline and 24-week VAS scores for the naltrexone group were 65.6± 13.5 and 45.5±14.1, respectively, versus 66.0±13.5 and 55.3±13.9, respectively, for the control group, p<0.001). Of the 37 patients assigned to the naltrexone group, 16 had clinically important improvements in the FIQ total score and quality of life. Mean (±SD) baseline and 24-week FIQ scores for the naltrexone group were 63.7±13.2 and 38.5±16.1, respectively, versus 63.0±13.0 and 57.9±15.6, respectively, for the control group, p<0.001). The drug was well-tolerated with minimal side effects in the form of headache (15% vs 5%) and vivid dreams (33% vs 14%) occurring more often in the naltrexone group. Conclusions Naltrexone may be an effective and useful treatment for fibromyalgia. However, long-term larger study population studies are required. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


The kinetics of Fc-mediated functions following SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination in people living with HIV (PLWH) are not known. We compared SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific Fc functions, binding, and neutralization in PLWH and people without HIV (PWOH) during acute infection (without prior vaccination) with either the D614G or Beta variants of SARS-CoV-2, or vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19. Antiretroviral treatment (ART)–naïve PLWH had significantly lower levels of IgG binding, neutralization, and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) compared with PLWH on ART. The magnitude of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), complement deposition (ADCD), and cellular trogocytosis (ADCT) was differentially triggered by D614G and Beta. The kinetics of spike IgG-binding antibodies, ADCC, and ADCD were similar, irrespective of the infecting variant between PWOH and PLWH overall. However, compared with PWOH, PLWH infected with D614G had delayed neutralization and ADCP. Furthermore, Beta infection resulted in delayed ADCT, regardless of HIV status. Despite these delays, we observed improved coordination between binding and neutralizing responses and Fc functions in PLWH. In contrast to D614G infection, binding responses in PLWH following ChAdOx-1 nCoV-19 vaccination were delayed, while neutralization and ADCP had similar timing of onset, but lower magnitude, and ADCC was significantly higher than in PWOH. Overall, despite delayed and differential kinetics, PLWH on ART develop comparable responses to PWOH, supporting the prioritization of ART rollout and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in PLWH.


Unstable microtearing modes are discovered by the GS2 gyrokinetic siimulation code, in the pedestal region of a simulated ITER H-mode plasma with approximately 400 WM DT fusion power. Existing nonlinear theory indicates that these instabilities should produce stochastic magnetic fields and broaden the pedestal. The resulted electron thermal conductivity is estimated and the implications of these findings are discussed.


Self-government is one of the most popular terms in left-wing political thought. In the second half of the twentieth century, it was used and discussed both in Western liberal democracies and in the communist bloc. The Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev used this notion from the mid-1980s onwards, forming part of his wider policy of perestroika. Although the Czechoslovak leaders were not interested in political reforms and were largely sceptical about economic changes, the Soviet example resonated with the public and impacted on official discussion in Czechoslovakia. In this context, the Czechoslovak parliament adopted the Act on State Enterprise in July 1988, which was preceded by the discussion of the Proposal on the Act on State Enterprise (1987). This article draws attention to Czechoslovak dissident milieus and the response to the parliament's proposal. It focuses on the Slovak philosopher Miroslav Kusý (1931-2019), who articulated the most substantial critique of the official plans. While accepting the principle of self-government, he argued that the proposal was subject to fundamental misinterpretations. In assessing his arguments, the article traces a particular intervention within the wider debates on state socialism in the 1980s.


Large numbers of frail elderly people spend some time of their lives in care homes. Increasing age is associated with altered physiology, multiple diagnoses and complex comorbidity, and polypharmacy. Those living in care homes often take larger numbers of medications than those who live in the community and the risk of morbidity as a direct or indirect result of medications is high. Many methods have been suggested to revise the number and type of medications prescribed for individuals at risk of adverse drug reactions (ADRs), both in the community and in hospital with variable success and implementation. Assessment of prescribed and nonprescribed medications by pharmacists, nurses and general practitioners all have a role in optimizing therapeutics with evidence that improved prescribing can reduce the risk of ADRs. In conjunction with these professionals, community geriatricians undertaking a comprehensive geriatric assessment can reduce the number of medications prescribed or optimize therapy where there may be underprescribing (e.g. in depression), thereby reducing the overall risk of hospital admission ADRs.


Author(s): Vyas, Nimish B. | Abstract: Incident data can support risk assessments by providing evidence of adverse effects of rodenticides to birds following operational applications. Traditionally, field monitoring for rodenticide incidents has focused primarily on raptors. However, non-raptor birds may also be poisoned (rodenticide exposure resulting in adverse effects including mortality) by rodenticides through consumption of the rodenticide bait and contaminated prey. I conducted a literature search canvassing 12 government and scholarly databases for rodenticide incidents (evidence of exposure to a rodenticide, adverse effects, or exposure to placebo baits) involving non-raptor birds. I used the search terms 'rodenticide' and 'birds' and from these results, I excluded entries of raptor incidents, laboratory toxicology studies, duplicate records, and unpublished literature (except for entries in the US Environmental Protection Agency's Incident Data System). I ended up with 641 non-raptor rodenticide incident records spanning the years 1931 to 2016. The incident records included 17 orders, 58 families, and 190 non-raptor bird species ranging from emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) to songbirds (Order Passeriformes). Nineteen anticoagulant and non- anticoagulant rodenticide active ingredients were associated with the incidents. Rodenticide formulations including bait blocks, cereal based pellets, carrot baits, pastes and jams, liquids, and loose grain baits following above-ground, below-ground, in-bait stations, and in-meat applications have results in non-raptor incidents either through direct ingestion of the rodenticide or via contaminated invertebrate and vertebrate prey. The availability of incident records affected the numbers of incidents in this review. The availability is in turn is affected by the infrastructure for monitoring and reporting incidents. For example, although rodenticides are used worldwide, I found non-raptor incident records from only 15 countries. I compared the number of incidents and species detected by surveillance method (passive vs. active surveillance) and by the purpose of application (for ecological restoration vs for human welfare). More incidents were reported from passive surveillance and following applications for human welfare but a significantly greater number of species were detected in proportion to the number of incidents found through active surveillance and following applications for ecological restoration. In conclusion:1) A broad diversity of non-raptor species are affected by rodenticides with a variety of modes of action, formulations, and application methods; 2) Surveillance method and the purpose of application can influence the quantity and quality of incident data; 3) The lack of evidence does not imply the lack of hazard but signifies poor infrastructure for monitoring and reporting non-raptor avian incidents; 4) Awareness of the breadth of species diversity of non-raptor bird poisonings from rodenticides may increase the incentive for monitoring and reporting them and this in turn can strengthen the predictions of harm characterized by risk assessments.


Shifting the charging demand of electric vehicles away from peak load times is regarded as one of the most important challenges to keeping electricity grids operational. One way to achieve this is through dynamic grid tariffs. Dynamic grid tariffs provide a financial incentive to charge point operators and EV owners to move the charging demand of electric vehicles to moments at which the grid is not congested. In this work, a novel stacked dynamic grid tariff system is proposed. This grid tariff system is applied to electric vehicle charging in a large- scale, real-world experiment. This experiment is conducted at >150 low-voltage grids and >300 public charging stations in the city of Utrecht, the Netherlands. This work provides insight into the practical potential of mitigating grid congestion problems by reporting the results of the experiment for five grids. The results of this experiment are that the share of time with grid congestion is reduced by 21% compared to uncontrolled charging. In addition, model simulations have been performed to analyze the theoretical potential of the proposed system in contributing to the mitigation of grid congestion problems. Theoretically, the share of time with grid congestion can be reduced to 0.9% of the time, but the difference with day-ahead market optimization without considering grid tariffs is marginal. Furthermore, the results of this study show that the effectiveness of the grid tariff system can be considerably increased if no minimum charging current for EV charging is required.


Abstract In this paper, we report the frequency that family business research has been published by year and by discipline in top-tier journals as listed in the Journal Quality List (JQL) (Harzing 2008) to argue that family business research has reached a tipping point threshold. We suggest that the acceptance of family business research in top-tier journals is the tipping point that will enamor the field to a wider researcher audience and thereby further contribute to paradigmatic development.


Customer relationship management (CRM) has been a cornerstone of marketing for sustainable profitability for many years.CRM means leveraging databases of customers to increase profitability. These databases primarily contained information on customers and their past customer-firm interactions to a varying degree (e.g. just purchases and promotions, or purchases and returns). The variables tracked were commonly used to evaluate customers (i.e. customer lifetime value), and analyze customer behavior for customer management strategy (e.g. customer acquisition, retention, upselling, and cross selling). All this aimed at increasing the value of the customer base over time. While consensus is yet to develop regarding customer purchase behavior over lifetime with the firm, technological changes have brought in more complexities. In this chapter, we first discuss the extant literature on customer purchase behavior over lifetime with the firm and present our new research; we then discuss the commonly accepted framework for measuring customer lifetime value, and present a new framework that is better suited in our current environment.


Multimorbidity is defined as the coexistence of multiple chronic conditions in one person. It affects the way people lead their lives and might be a heavy burden, especially for those with limited material resources. This study explores the prevalence of multimorbidity in the working population and discusses the distribution of multimorbidity in specific sub-groups. We conducted a longitudinal analysis of nationally representative data in South Korea (Korea Health Panel, 2010–2015). Generalized estimation models were applied to examine the individual effect of socioeconomic status (SES) and job-related variables. We found that about five percent of workers who initially had no or one chronic condition developed multimorbidity during within five years. About 20% of working women had multimorbidity at age 55, about 10 years earlier than working men. A higher prevalence appeared in working women with school-age children, non-standard employment, no autonomy at work, or unskilled occupation. SES was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of multimorbidity in both gender after controlling for the effect of age and other covariates. Multimorbidity is a major health concern in the working population and prevention and control should be promoted in the workplace.


DISCLAIMER
In an effort to expedite the publication of articles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, AJHP is posting these manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

PURPOSE
The current evidence regarding iodine-containing compounds and iodine allergy cross-reactivity is reviewed.

SUMMARY
Iodine is an essential human nutrient found in the thyroid gland. It is used in the synthesis of the thyroid hormones thyroxine and triiodothyroxine. Patients who report having adverse reactions to iodine-containing substances are often labelled as having an "iodine allergy," which can result in delays in care or patients being denied essential ICM or other iodine-containing drugs. A literature review was conducted to evaluate the evidence regarding iodine allergy and iodine-containing drugs. Of 435 articles considered potentially appropriate for full review (plus 12 additional articles included on the basis of references from the eligible articles), 113 could not be obtained. After exclusion of 353 articles that did not meet all inclusion criteria, the remaining 81 articles were included in the review. The results of the literature review indicated that iodine has not been shown to be the allergen responsible for allergic reactions to iodinated contrast media, amiodarone, povidone-iodine, and other iodine-containing compounds.

CONCLUSION
There is a lack of evidence to support cross-reactivity between iodine-containing compounds in so called iodine-allergic individuals.


This tutorial provides an overview of various characteristics of effective branch and cut type algorithms for the maximum stable set problem. We discuss several facet-defining inequalities for the stable set polytope along with their separation routines. In particular, we review implementation tweaks for the separation routines and reference empirical studies, illustrating the performance of these cutting planes for benchmark graphs. In addition to the polyhedral study, we present basic preprocessing, discuss heuristic methods particularly suited within a branch and cut framework, and examine a branching rule.


A quantitative method has been developed to measure the water extraction fraction of rat brain after successive intravenous bolus injections of [15O]water and [11C]butanol based on a mathematical equation developed by the authors. This new method is noninvasive to the brain or craniocervical large vessels and does not require sacrifice of the rats. Arterial concentration curves and total head counts were measured in 8 rats by means of external coincidence detectors. Water extraction fraction in rat brain was 0.67 +/- 0.13 (mean +/- SD) and permeability-surface product was 1.75 ml/g min, where cerebral blood flow and arterial carbon dioxide tension were 1.71 +/- 0.86 ml/g min and 44.8 +/- 14.0 mm Hg, respectively. Water extraction fraction was stable with different measurement times from 20 to 80 seconds.


The ultimate limit of direct modulation bandwidth of a semiconductor laser diode is the intrinsic bandwidth determined by rate equations. In this paper we show that the intrinsic bandwidth can be significantly increased through the use of injection-locking. Our analysis shows that for moderate and high injection levels, the bandwidth of a laser diode can be increased to several times the bandwidth of a free running laser diode operating at the same bias current. The required injection power depends on laser parameters but is less than the power of the free running laser. However, the injected photon number and detuning must lie within the range of values required for the dynamic injection-locked state.


There are many apparent similarities between the current political and economic situations of France and Italy. The mainstream view is that at least part of the neo-liberal strategy could be a solution to the economic problems of both variants of the European model of capitalism. However, the difficulties met by the implementation of these strategies by Sarkozy and Berlusconi lead to believe that the success or failure of neo-liberalisation has less to do with its (lack of) macroeconomic merits than with the stability of the socio-political alliances that support it. In this respect, France and Italy are markedly different. This paper shows that even if the "hard core" of the neoliberal social bloc is roughly the same in both countries, this core constitutes a minority of the electorate ; a neoliberal strategy must therefore rely on an extended social coalition, which might not be similar between countries. The Great Recession revealed part of the structural characteristics that set both countries apart. The aim of this article is to show that the consideration of the different socio-political alliances found in each country can help to understand how Italy and France ended up on different economic trajectories.


N on-H ydrothermal ynthe'is f opper-, Zinc-And Copper-Zin Hydro iIi Me T.M. lim"'I ;!(J), GN A-'NIII.I(J), T.1'.,I /tnlllf..CII,I{/). £ A: rod, (l),A l1fid (1), M. r. n'lIIc,Mm.1 (/ J. L .I/. 1'.1,.1,,11;1 (n. T. 1'1. A'ricl:r:r(/), I ~ I. Zlif..""f.. Ii (I) 1--lal. Tech & Ad,'. Perf. Mal. 2002 17.1:4b-56 55 (I) Rorc,Am' In.,riwrc 01 CII,lh.'I', X,)\"C)'I"lr'A 6hJ(W(J, R'b,i.1 "-I11./t!: 1·/Irit"l" ... IfA·,lt,tlpi.,.n.,k .. ,/1 Tcl.: +7-J/lJl-J./-/I-(J9, F.II": +7J/lJl-J-/-JOiti (l) L /lIil t·rsit)",)/~m.,rt'rt"'lII. Am'tertil/n. 77k' J\'crh .. riIlJJ, C u/ SiO" Zn/ SiO, and Cu-Zn! iO, samples have been prepared by the homogen~ou deposition-p;ecipiratio n method. Tht:: samples were analyzed by the rmal analysis, X-ray Jiffraction and infrared spectroscopy after various heat treatments and compared with d ata obtained for several mineral. It ha been shown that interacti o n between the components occurs through formation of hyd ro silica tes. opper-silica sy tem at a Cu: i ratio \ Ieq I, gives ri~e to a hyJ ro ili ca te stable up to a calcination temperature of 930 K resembling the mineral Chri ocolla; at higher ratios a hydroxonitrate (gerh ardite type) i al 0 formed. Zincilica interaction produces two hydrosi licate uch a a well cl)' tallized Hemimorphite at Zn: i = 2 and highly di per ed Zincsilite at Zn: i \ Ieq 0.75, both stable up to 1073 K. The Zin ilite tructure con i t of three layered sheets (an octahedral layer andwiched by two tetrahedral o ne ) like the Stevensite miner;!1 grou p. For the copperzinc-s ilica ystem no copper hydro ilicare i formed. Copper merely enters th e Zincsilite structure independenly of the applied (Cu + Zn}:Si ratio. Resulting layered copper-zinc hydro i1icate may bc d escribed by formula where Zn \<, u: 1 ions are located in octahedral site, Zn, Cli -ions in the interlayer; & quf; are vacancies in the layers. )" } " opper and zinc in exces of the Zinc iliteratioofMe: i=0.75, gives rise to copper and copper-zinc hydroxonitrate . Variation In Electric • .,1 Propertie During Chemic • .,1 R eaction Between Iron Powder A nd Concentrated Nitric Acid


Several finite complex reflection groups have a braid group which is isomorphic to a torus knot group. The reflection group is obtained from the torus knot group by declaring meridians to have order $k$ for some $k\geq 2$, and meridians are mapped to reflections. We study all possible quotients of torus knot groups obtained by requiring meridians to have finite order. Using the theory of $J$-groups of Achar and Aubert, we show that these groups behave like (in general infinite) complex reflection groups of rank two. The large family of"toric reflection groups"which we obtain includes, among others, all finite complex reflection groups of rank two with a single conjugacy class of reflecting hyperplanes, as well as Coxeter's truncations of the $3$-strand braid group. We classify these toric reflection groups and explain why the corresponding torus knot group can be naturally considered as its braid group. In particular, this yields a new infinite family of reflection-like groups admitting a braid group which is a Garside group. Moreover, we show that a toric reflection group has cyclic center by showing that the quotient by the center is isomorphic to the alternating subgroup of a Coxeter group of rank three. To this end we use the fact that the center of the alternating subgroup of an irreducible, infinite Coxeter group of rank at least three is trivial. Several ingredients of the proofs are purely Coxeter-theoretic, and might be of independent interest.


Introduction: There are conflicting reports on the effects of convectional boiling/heating on the phytochemicals and antioxidants in seed legumes. Methods: In the present study, we determined the effect of boiling on total phenolics, Vitamin C and antioxidant potential by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH) on Phaseolus vulgaris and Vigna unguiculata seed extracts. Results: The total phenolic content of boiled Phaseolus vulgaris increased compared to the raw extract while for Vigna unguiculata, the raw extract had a higher phenolic content than the boiled extract. The results showed that boiling reduced the Vitamin c contents of both extracts. The IC of the cooked Phaseolus vulgaris extract was 0.94mg/ml showing higher antioxidant 50 activity relative to the raw extract. Conclusion: It can be concluded that boiling reduced the antioxidant potential of Vigna unguiculata seed extract while increasing the DPPH and phenolic content of Phaseolus vulgaris.


The effects of regulated deficit irrigation technique on growth and yield of sorghum was examined in a greenhouse at the Faculty of Agrotechnology and Food Science Research Farm, University Malaysia Terengganu. The experiments regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) consisted of a factorial combination of irrigation regimes and soil types laid in a randomised complete block design with eight treatments for each experiment which resulted into a total of sixteen  treatments. Irrigation regimes were at four levels namely: I 100 , I 75 , I 50 and I 25 and the soil types were at two levels namely: Rhu Tapai and Rengam soil series. The treatments were randomly assigned to experimental pots and replicated four times. A total of thirty two pots were used for the study. All agronomic practices starting from land preparation to harvesting were adhered to and growth parameters were recorded for both experiments. The result of the study shows that sorghum performance improved under regulated deficit irrigation techniques. The results further revealed that, irrigation regimes I 100 and I 75 performed better in terms of growth parameters, crop water use efficiency, economic performance and profitable measures under RDI and compared to I 50 and I 25 irrigation regimes. The study also revealed that there were interaction effects of deficit irrigation and the two types of soil on some of the parameters used for the study. The study, therefore, recommended the use of I 75 , for optimizing sorghum growth in this agro ecological zone. Keywords : Regulated deficit irrigation, Growth, Yield, Sorghum, Water use efficiency


The review describes recent progress in the characterization of size-selected negatively charged clusters in the gas phase using vibrational predissociation spectroscopy. Examples from the authors' laboratory are used to demonstrate the way in which spectra are obtained and interpreted to provide information on anion-neutral interactions. Infrared studies of simple dimer complexes consisting of hydrogen molecules attached to halide anions (Cl m -H 2, Br m -H 2, I m -H 2 ) are described. From rotationally resolved spectra in the 2.5 µm H-H stretch region one can deduce that the complexes have linear equilibrium structures and can ascertain intermolecular separations. Corresponding spectra of the Cl m -D 2 and Br m -D 2 isotopomers display a series of clearly resolved doublets, highlighting the importance of hindered internal rotation of the D 2 subunit. Studies of Cl m -(C 2 H 2 ) n, Br m -(C 2 H 2 ) n and I m -(C 2 H 2 ) n clusters containing up to nine C 2 H 2 molecules illustrate how infrared spectra can be used to explore the progressive 'solvation' of halide anions. The smaller clusters ( n h 6) have morphologies in which equivalent acetylene molecules are hydrogen bonded to the interior halide anion. For n > 6 there is evidence for structures in which one or more acetylene molecules are situated in the second solvation shell and also for the existence of multiple isomeric forms. The article concludes by discussing prospects for extending spectroscopic studies to hitherto uncharacterized anion complexes.


Two set partitions are said to be complementary or connected if their least upper bound is the full unpartitioned set. An equivalent condition is that their only common superpartition is the full unpartitioned set. Such pairs arise naturally in calculations involving cumulants of linear and nonlinear forms. To make such calculations feasible in practice, it is essential to have tabulated in a reasonably concise manner, all pairs of connecting partitions. This paper discusses the computation and design of such a table of complementary pairs of up to ten elements.


The 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (CSICH) was not intended to have legal repercussions in international trade. Nevertheless, ICH may interact with trade regulation under various scenarios. The CSICH "Representative List" inscribes numerous ICH elements with real and potential international commercial aspects, and consequent trade law implications. These emergent trade law-ICH regime dynamics require not only some critical reflection (e.g., is safeguarding of ICH ultimately dependent on commodification or at least in some cases significantly prone to commercial capture?), but also doctrinal legal analysis. This article undertakes a survey of many plausible ICH-trade interactions (generally excluding intellectual property issues), providing an analytical framework with reference to a series of case-sketches of selected CSICH inscriptions such as Kimjang, Beer Culture in Belgium and Yoga. These and other cases may indeed raise issues under world trade law, including GATT, GATS, TBT/SPS, and subsidies regulation. Trade law may have underestimated the significance of ICH as a growing field. At the same time, ICH law may be developing without thinking through how it is impacted by commercial interests and international trade law.


Abstract : A diagnostic system to measure the beam power and quality of the Air Force Aero Propulsion Laboratory 15-kW CO2 electro-aerodynamic laser has been designed, fabricated, and tested. An anti-reflection-coated ZnSe beam splitter was employed to split off a small fraction (0.5%) of the main laser beam for diagnostic purposes. The low-power beam was split again to provide two beams for power and energy-distribution measurements, concurrent with sample irradiation by the main beam. An electrically calibrated disc calorimeter was used to measure beam power. The temporal and spatial energy distributions were measured by means of a mechanically scanned, one-dimensional pyrolytic array. This provided a 16 x 16-element two-dimensional map of the beam profile at a rate of up to 10 Hz. High-speed data acquisition was accomplished by transmitting the digital data to a PDP-8A minicomputer system (located in a central control room) configured for tape-cassette mass storage and hard-copy plotting. Initial experimental spatial/temporal beam-energy distributions obtained with this system have demonstrated the efficacy of this beam-profiling technique. (Author)


Computing the volume and integral points of a polyhedron in is a very important subject in different areas of mathematics, such as: number theory, toric Hilbert functions, Kostant's partition function in representation theory, Ehrhart polynomial in combinatorics, cryptography, integer programming, statistical contingency and mass spectroscope analysis .Therefore a method for finding the coefficients of this polynomial are to be listed. A program in visual basic language is made for finding the general differentiation of the function that are used for finding the coefficients of the Ehrhart polynomials.


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

Background

The metabolic preference of malignant glioma for glycolysis as an energy source is a potential therapeutic target. As a result of the cellular heterogeneity of these tumors, however, the relation between glycolytic preference, tumor formation, and tumor cell clonogenicity has remained unknown. To address this issue, we analyzed the metabolic profiles of isogenic glioma-initiating cells (GICs) in a mouse model.

Methods

GICs were established by overexpression of H-RasV12 in Ink4a/Arf-null neural stem cells. Subpopulations of these cells were obtained by single-cell cloning, and clones differing in extracellular acidification potential were assessed for metabolic characteristics by quantification of intra- and extracellular metabolites. Tumorigenicity was assessed by implantation of 100 cells of each subpopulation into the forebrain of wild-type mice. Tumors were examined for pathological features of glioma and expression of glycolytic enzymes.

Results

Malignant transformation of neural stem cells resulted in a shift in metabolism characterized by a significant increase in glucose uptake and lactic acid production. Clonal populations of GICs also manifested pronounced differences in their metabolic profiles. Certain GICs consumed more glucose and produced more lactate, while others had higher oxygen consumption. These differences were reflected in the levels of intracellular metabolites and they were paralleled by a differential expression of glycolytic enzymes such as hexokinase 2 and pyruvate kinase M2. GIC clones with different metabolic profiles had the same level of tumorigenic ability and the tumors formed by all types of GICs displayed the histopathological features of glioblastoma. However, the differential expression of the glycolytic enzymes was also evident in the tumors formed by each of the clones. Implantation of a mix of GICs with different metabolic profiles showed that clones with higher glycolytic ability were the major component of the tumor mass and that they provided a scaffold for the less glycolytic clones, supporting their expansion.

Conclusions

The metabolic characteristics of glioma cells appear early during malignant transformation and persist until the late stages of tumor formation. Even isogenic clones may be heterogeneous in terms of metabolic features, however, and this heterogeneity may play a role in tumor cell proliferation and survival. Our results suggest that a more detailed understanding of the metabolic profile of malignant gliomas is imperative for their effective therapeutic targeting.

Citation Format: Oltea Sampetrean, Isako Saga, Shunsuke Shibao, Jun Okubo, Satoru Osuka, Nobuyuki Onishi, Hideyuki Saya. Crosstalk between initiating cells with different metabolism in a murine model of malignant glioma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4342. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4342


Optimisation-based algorithms known as Moving Horizon Estimator (MHE) have been developed through the years. This paper illustrates the implementation of the policy introduced in the companion paper submitted to the 18th IFAC Workshop on Control Applications of Optimization [Oliva and Carnevale, 2022], in which we propose two techniques to reduce the computational cost of MHEs. These solutions mainly rely on output filtering and adaptive sampling. The use of filters reduces the total amount of data used by MHE, shortening the length of the moving window (buffer) and conse-quently decreasing the time consumption for plant dynamics integration. Meanwhile, the proposed adaptive sampling policy discards those sampled data that do not allow a sensible improvement of the estimation error. Algorithms and numerical simulations are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed strategies.


The conception of functional adaptation of woody plants in the changing conditions of natural ecotopes and the urban ecosystem is substantiated. The new integrated methods for estimation of the natural environment transformation under the pressure of urbanization are suggested. The objects of our research are 49 species and forms of woody plants inhabiting the urban ecosystem of Lviv, natural and artificial tree stands of Ukrainian regions. Also, we focused our attention on the anthropotransformation of microclimate, soil changing in tree plantations and problems of edaphotopes contamination. The main subject of the original plant studies were the general phenotypic functional changes in the assimilation apparatus of tree species, which can be estimated by the complex of conventional and new indicators of chemical and biochemical composition of leaf dry matter from ecotopes with different living conditions and origin. We investigated the morphological, physiological and biochemical reactions of assimilating organs of woody plants affecting their growth and development in the conditions of the Lviv city and in the natural conditions of forests and parks. As a result of long-term studies of such reactions, we have suggested an original methodological approach to elucidating the levels of phenotypic functional adaptation. Also, the ability of autochthonous and allochthonous (exotic) tree species to adapt their growth and development to new or modified anthropogenic environment has been studied out. The average level of sugars in the leaves during vegetation was considered as a normal level with the maximum at the beginning, and subsequent decrease in the middle while the minimum of content was determined at the end of the growing season. The appropriate character of starch metabolism are displayed by average levels in different species, with the maximum concentration in July and subsequent minimization of their content at the end of the growing season. The naturally determined dynamics of fiber (cellulose) concentrations implies gradual decline in the period from spring to autumn of its proportion in the leaves dry matter at the high level of concentration, similarly as in the native species. The gradual increase in the proportion of all water-soluble carbohydrates about insoluble in adapted native plants was considered as a natural. A small amount of sugars in a ratio with the general concentration of ash in the leaves at the end of the growing season, we consider as auspicious. Suggested by us clusterization of native and exotic tree species concerning of the efficiency of their introduction in different urban plantations, and depending on the degree of anthropogenic ecotope transformation, allows diversely and effectively recommend different tree species and their forms in varied scopes of application. We used indicators of phenotypic functional adaptation while inventorization of Lviv botanical gardens collections has taken place. The informative criteria for assessing the status of plants, selection of resistant local and introduced individuals with high adaptive potential were elicited by mentioned above indices. A comprehensive approach to the study of ecotope qualities is effective for assessing the acclimatization conditions for tree exotics in the botanical gardens of Western Ukraine and for developing agrotechnical measures for their cultivation.
Key words: Adaptation; Endurance; Ecotope; Nitrogen; Proteins; Carbohydrates; Fats; Fiber; Acclimatization
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Tracing a Du Boisean cultural-racial line, Tricia Rose posits in Black Noise: Rap music and Black Culture in Contemporary America that it is the "dynamic and often contentious relationship between... larger social and political forces and (B)lack cultural priorities- that centrally shape and define hip hop."1 This paper explores the "African" side of Du Bois and Rose's dialectic and challenges Western approaches to the study of Hip Hop (HH) signification and semeiotics by offering a cultural history that synthesizes Africana cultural texts as crucial components lacking in HH cultural studies. I share Harry Allen's desire to know HH's origins; a query he articulates in his essay, "Dreams of a Final Theory," which examines the dawn of the HH cultural universe when its core elements "were united in one never-to-reappear 'superforce.'"2 The present article pursues the cultural and historical dialectic that programmed HH's impulse toward originality and systems of sign-making. This is a challenge to the Western cultural studies canon, yet I do not seek to dismiss any voices. Instead, I argue for bringing pre-colonial African cultural voices to the table of discussion to enrich the dialog.The paper synthesizes pre-colonial Africana cultural texts and artistic traditions, which should inform Hip Hop cultural studies, as the artistic culture exhumes, reinvents, and presents its own provocative challenge to semeiotic tradition by claiming that it is among the newest and oldest of signifying art forms. In some regards the present work follows the sociologist Mark Gottdiener as he argues for a historical approach to the study of mass culture:Finally, the study of mass culture as signification involves the identification of those codes that, in structuring the behavior of producers and consumers, thereby explain the meaningful relation of human subjects to objects and, in turn, to each other. Basically, therefore, the semeiotic approach often involves a historical sociological study of codes that have been discovered and identified by the analyst.3Taking up Gottdiener's challenge to uncover mass culture's codes of communication, calls for a framework and context for the study of HH iconography, lyricism, and musical artistry as a part of a suppressed artistic culture of meaning making that resists dismissals of HH cultural agency.Raising the question of cultural semiosis addresses what are the African sources of HH's oral and aural hieroglyphic traditions that often serve as hidden allegories within hidden transcripts. My objectives in this study are: 1) demonstrating African origins of cultural semiosis, 2) connecting texts, cultural power and the sociology of African oral artists, 3) relating Afro-Kemetic orality to Afro-diasporic culture, 4) suggesting an African-centered interdisciplinary model of HH cultural semiosis.Africa matters: Hip Hop studies and the missing classical African cultural matrixWhat Cheryl Keyes calls "Rap music and its African Nexus" evident in the cultural heritage indicated by Nation-conscious rappers is of particular interest for several reasons. First, it signifies the experiences of African Diasporic cultures that converged in the 1970s Bronx to create HH culture. Second, it indicates resistance by people of color, generally, and African-descended people in particular to Western cultural othering. Third, it draws attention to two significant HH cultural institutions, the Universal Zulu Nation founded by Afrika Bambaattaa and the Five Percent Nation. Both institutions base their core beliefs around African-centered themes. Fourth, significant though latent aesthetic practices inspired by the African Nexus suggest the appropriateness of an Africana Studies, if not African-centered cultural philosophy and methodology. That an African-centered semeiotic context pertains to HH culture is consistent with scholarship that argues that Black culture and language are extensions of African agency,4 especially Hurston's instinct and research as she suggested the agency of African cultural continuity in establishing African American oral culture. …


Retinoids are a family of vitamin A-derived molecules and include the biologically active metabolite, retinoic acid (RA). RA acts as a specific modulator of neuronal differentiation and proliferation. However, teratogenicity and a large excess of RA have been found in animal studies. Thus, development of effective and stable retinoids is desirable. In this study, we showed that treatment with novel synthetic retinobenzoic acids promotes neurite outgrowth in a selected subpopulation of the human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-SH. Furthermore, we found that, although acting via a different mechanism, retinobenzoic acids have the same neurite outgrowth-inducing effect as RA. Retinoids, including RA, bind to nuclear retinoic acid receptors (RARs). Therefore, we examined the expression of RARs in retinobenzoic acid-treated cells. Similar to already known retinoids, novel synthetic retinobenzoic acids promote the upregulation of RARβ and have no effect on RARα or γ. These results suggest that retinobenzoic acids act via RARβ during neurite outgrowth. Moreover, stimulation with RA or retinobenzoic acids significantly increased the phosphorylation levels of both ERK1/2 and mTOR. ERK1/2 and mTOR inhibition blocked the retinobenzoic acid-induced increase in neurite outgrowth, suggesting that retinobenzoic acids promoted neurite outgrowth by activating the ERK1/2 and mTOR signaling pathways. Notably, the RA-induced increase in neurite outgrowth was blocked by the ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126, but not by the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin. In addition, ERK1/2 inhibition blocked the upregulation of RARβ promoted by RA and retinobenzoic acids. In contrast, mTOR inhibition had no effect on upregulation of RARβ. Our results show that novel synthetic retinobenzoic acids induce neurite outgrowth by a different mechanism than RA. These findings suggest that activation of both ERK1/2, which results in downstream regulation of RARβ, and mTOR, are responsible for the novel synthetic retinobenzoic acid-induced neurite outgrowth in human neuroblastoma cells.


Introduction: Evaluation of the nerve fascicular structure can be useful in diagnosing nerve damage, but it is a very challenging task with 3T MRI because of limited resolution. In this pilot study, we present the feasibility of high‐resolution 7T MRI for examining the nerve fascicular structure. Methods: A 3‐dimensional (3D) gradient‐spoiled sequence was used for imaging peripheral nerves in extremities. Images acquired with different in‐plane resolutions (0.42 × 0.42 mm vs. 0.12 × 0.12 mm), and different main field strengths (7T vs. 3T) were compared. Results: The individual nerve fascicles were identified at 0.12 × 0.12 mm resolution in both field strengths but not at 0.42 × 0.42 mm resolution. The fascicular structure was more sharply depicted in 7T images than in 3T images. Discussion: High‐resolution 3D imaging with 7T MRI demonstrated feasibility for imaging nerve fascicular structures. Muscle Nerve 57: 494–498, 2018


In this study, it was aimed to model the school characteristics in multivariate structure, and according to this model, aimed to test the invariance of this model across five randomly selected countries and economies from PISA 2012 sample. It is thought that significant differences across group in the context of school characteristics have the potential to explain the effectiveness of schools and educational systems. This study was conducted with correlational model as a basic research. Secondary level analyses were conducted on PISA 2012 School Questionnaire data. To construct "school characteristics model", whole data from 65 participant countries and economies were considered. One country from each proficiency level and totally 5 countries were randomly selected for the research sample. These countries and economies are Shanghai-China, Korea, Ireland, Turkey and Uruguay. In this way sample was composed of totally 835 schools. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the invariance of school characteristics across countries. According to the results, Shanghai and Uruguay differed from each other and other countries. Across Korea, Ireland and Turkey, School characteristics provide strong invariance. These three cultures were more similar. Main result of this study is that school characteristics cannot be invariant across some cultural groups or sub-groups. In order to provide equal opportunity to all stakeholders of the educational system, and also provide school effectiveness, such kinds of differences are considered carefully.


PI3K inhibitors have shown promise for the treatment of anti-estrogen-resistant breast cancers. Dose determination in clinical studies is often performed in a dose-escalation fashion until toxicities are observed; however, this approach does not provide information on target inhibition or allow optimization of scheduling for maximal anti-cancer effects. Current PI3K inhibitor treatment regimens incompletely and transiently inhibit the pathway in carcinomas, and are accompanied by adverse effects in patients. We hypothesize that short-term, complete inhibition of PI3K will have a greater anti-tumor effect and reduced adverse effects than chronic, partial inhibition. Through detailed analysis of the timing and magnitude of drug effects on tumor biology, drug doses and schedules may be optimized during early clinical development to improve anti-tumor effects in subsequent trials. Pharmacokinetic analysis of the PI3K inhibitor GDC-0941 at low (100 mg/kg) and high (800 mg/kg) doses in mice revealed that plasma levels peaked after 15-30 min (18.6 uM and 20.7 uM, respectively), and decreased to a plateau phase after 1 h that was maintained for 8 h with low-dose GDC-0941 (6.8-10.7 uM) and for 23 h with high-dose GDC-0941 (7.9-15 uM). Thus, GDC-0941 appears to be retained in a tissue compartment and slowly released back into plasma over time. Mice bearing MCF-7 tumors were treated with the anti-estrogen fulvestrant (5 mg) for three days, and then low- or high-dose GDC-0941, or 2 low doses of GDC-0941 12 hours apart, to assess pharmacodynamic effects and tumor cell response. PARP cleavage (marker of apoptosis) occurred within 1 h and 3 h of high- and low-dose treatments, respectively, and apoptosis increased over time. Phosphorylated AKT and S6 levels (markers of PI3K and mTORC1 activities) were maximally suppressed after 1 h and 3 h of high- and low-dose treatments, respectively, and returned to baseline within 16 h after low-dose treatment. In vitro analysis revealed that PI3K inhibition induced upregulation of growth factor receptors upstream of PI3K, indicating a requirement for sustained and robust PI3K inhibition. Re-treatment of mice with low-dose GDC-0941 after 12 h induced continued inhibition of PI3K and mTORC1 for >9 h, suggesting that twice daily low-dose treatment may be sufficient to continually inhibit PI3K. In contrast, high-dose GDC-0941 suppressed PI3K and mTORC1 for >24 h. Analysis of these doses and schedules on tumor growth is ongoing. Citation Format: Wei Yang, Jennifer R. Bean, Lloye Dillon, Laurent Salphati, Michelle Nannini, Todd W. Miller. Pharmacodynamic analysis of PI3K inhibition in breast tumors: A model to improve early clinical investigation of novel agents. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5512. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5512


Antonio Marussi, one of the most prominent geodesists of this century, died in Trieste, Italy, on April 24, 1984, at the age of 75. Blessed with good health and a robust physical constitution for most of his life, he was struck down by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) which he had contracted in 1982.

Marussi is best known among geodesists as the father of modern three-dimensional geodesy. Following an initial presentation at the 1948 Oslo General Assembly of the IUGG, he published in 1949 in the Bulletin Geodesique an article entitled "Fondements de geometrie differentielle absolue du champ potential terrestre," acknowledged now as one of the seminal works of the geodetic literature. In this and subsequent papers, Marussi developed in a general, rigorous, mathematical setting a unified approach to the solution of both geometric and physical problems in geodesy, obliterating the artificial distinction between horizontal and vertical which had been built up by geodesists over many years because of observational difficulties. He thus introduced many geodesists to the 20th century by demonstrating the value and, indeed, the necessity of advanced mathematical techniques like the tensor calculus and by anticipating useful data to be obtained by observations on close extraterrestrial objects like satellites.


The EEG of patients in non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) often displays delta oscillations or generalized spike-wave discharges. In some patients, these delta oscillations coexist with intermittent epileptic spikes. In this study we verify the prediction of a computational model of the thalamo-cortical system that these spikes are phase-locked to the delta oscillations. We subsequently describe the physiological mechanism underlying this observation as suggested by the model. It is suggested that the spikes reflect inhibitory stochastic fluctuations in the input to thalamo-cortical relay neurons and phase-locking is a consequence of differential excitability of relay neurons over the delta cycle. Further analysis shows that the observed phase-locking can be regarded as a stochastic precursor of generalized spike-wave discharges. This study thus provides an explanation of intermittent spikes during delta oscillations in NCSE and might be generalized to other encephathologies in which delta activity can be observed.


During neuronal circuit formation, local control of axonal organelles ensures proper synaptic connectivity. Whether this process is genetically encoded is unclear and if so, its developmental regulatory mechanisms remain to be identified. We hypothesized that developmental transcription factors regulate critical parameters of organelle homeostasis that contribute to circuit wiring. We combined cell type-specific transcriptomics with a genetic screen to discover such factors. We identified Telomeric Zinc finger-Associated Protein (TZAP) as a temporal developmental regulator of neuronal mitochondrial homeostasis genes, including Pink1. In Drosophila, loss of dTzap function during visual circuit development leads to loss of activity-dependent synaptic connectivity, that can be rescued by Pink1 expression. At the cellular level, loss of dTzap/TZAP leads to defects in mitochondrial morphology, attenuated calcium uptake and reduced synaptic vesicle release in fly and mammalian neurons. Our findings highlight developmental transcriptional regulation of mitochondrial homeostasis as a key factor in activity-dependent synaptic connectivity.


The article considers the notions of «cognition» and «understanding» in everyday speech and in the philosophy of language. The modules of understanding are built and hypothetical interpretations of the perceived speech are verified from the cognitive point of view. Correlations between the model world and reality, and the «tone» of perception and understanding of speech are discussed.


In this work, we propose to employ information-geometric tools to optimize a graph neural network architecture such as the graph convolutional networks. More specifically, we develop optimization algorithms for the graph-based semi-supervised learning by employing the natural gradient information in the optimization process. This allows us to efficiently exploit the geometry of the underlying statistical model or parameter space for optimization and inference. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that has utilized the natural gradient for the optimization of graph neural networks that can be extended to other semi-supervised problems. Efficient computations algorithms are developed and extensive numerical studies are conducted to demonstrate the superior performance of our algorithms over existing algorithms such as ADAM and SGD.


We present a Gaussian packet migration method based on Gabor frame decomposition and asymptotic propagation of Gaussian packets. A Gaussian packet has both Gaussian‐shaped time–frequency localization and space–direction localization. Its evolution can be obtained by ray tracing and dynamic ray tracing. In this paper, we first briefly review the concept of Gaussian packets. After discussing how initial parameters affect the shape of a Gaussian packet, we then propose two Gabor‐frame‐based Gaussian packet decomposition methods that can sparsely and accurately represent seismic data. One method is the dreamlet–Gaussian packet method. Dreamlets are physical wavelets defined on an observation plane and can represent seismic data efficiently in the local time–frequency space–wavenumber domain. After decomposition, dreamlet coefficients can be easily converted to the corresponding Gaussian packet coefficients. The other method is the Gabor‐frame Gaussian beam method. In this method, a local slant stack, which is widely used in Gaussian beam migration, is combined with the Gabor frame decomposition to obtain uniform sampled horizontal slowness for each local frequency. Based on these decomposition methods, we derive a poststack depth migration method through the summation of the backpropagated Gaussian packets and the application of the imaging condition. To demonstrate the Gaussian packet evolution and migration/imaging in complex models, we show several numerical examples. We first use the evolution of a single Gaussian packet in media with different complexities to show the accuracy of Gaussian packet propagation. Then we test the point source responses in smoothed varying velocity models to show the accuracy of Gaussian packet summation. Finally, using poststack synthetic data sets of a four‐layer model and the two‐dimensional SEG/EAGE model, we demonstrate the validity and accuracy of the migration method. Compared with the more accurate but more time‐consuming one‐way wave‐equation‐based migration, such as beamlet migration, the Gaussian packet method proposed in this paper can correctly image the major structures of the complex model, especially in subsalt areas, with much higher efficiency. This shows the application potential of Gaussian packet migration in complicated areas.


The presence of activation peptides (AP) of the vitamin K-dependent proteins in the phlebotomy blood of human subjects suggests that active serine proteases may circulate in blood as well. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the influence of trace amounts of key coagulation proteases on tissue factor-independent thrombin generation using three models of coagulation. With procoagulants and select coagulation inhibitors at mean physiological concentrations, concentrations of factor IXa, factor Xa, and thrombin were set either equal to those of their AP or to values that would result based upon the rates of AP/enzyme generation and steady state enzyme inhibition. In the latter case, numerical simulation predicts that sufficient thrombin to produce a solid clot would be generated in ∼2 min. Empirical data from the synthetic plasma suggest clotting times of 3–5 min, which are similar to that observed in contact pathway-inhibited whole blood (4.3 min) initiated with the same concentrations of factors IXa and Xa and thrombin. Numerical simulations performed with the concentrations of two of the enzymes held constant and one varied suggest that the presence of any pair of enzymes is sufficient to yield rapid clot formation. Modeling of states (numerical simulation and whole blood) where only one circulating protease is present at steady state concentration shows significant thrombin generation only for factor IXa. The addition of factor Xa and thrombin has little effect (if any) on thrombin generation induced by factor IXa alone. These data indicate that 1) concentrations of active coagulation enzymes circulating in vivo are significantly lower than can be predicted from the concentrations of their AP, and 2) expected trace amounts of factor IXa can trigger thrombin generation in the absence of tissue factor.


We have developed a new driving assistance system that can help low-skilled drivers improve their driving skills. We did this in three steps. First, we developed a statistical method to extract distinctions between high- and low-skilled drivers on the basis of AdaBoost, which selects a small number of critical operation features between high- and low-skilled drivers. Second, we built a driving skill evaluation model on the basis of the extracted features. Finally, we performed a series of experiments using a driving simulator, in which advice based on extracted features was supplied to low-skilled drivers and was expected to improve their driving skill. We also proposed an index for evaluating driving skill change, and results show the advice effectively improved the drivers' driving skills. Language: en


Important claims have been made for what has been termed the dynamic analysis of poverty. However, apart from references to Rowntree's mention of the life cycle in his 1901 survey, the earlier history of these approaches has been neglected. This article seeks to document the historical origins of the two main UK birth cohort surveys—the 1946 National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD) and the 1958 National Child Development Study (NCDS). It locates their origins within wider historical contexts, and shows how their focus changed. In the absence of guaranteed long-term funding, especially for the NCDS, each generation of researchers needed to make a fresh case for a follow-up survey. It is this need, and for this reason, that the birth cohort surveys can shed so much light on the history of social science research in post-war Britain.


Attitudes toward the elderly have been examined in a number of empirical studies, yet the question of whether the elderly are viewed more negatively than younger persons has not been resolved. A meta-analysis of the literature was conducted to examine this question; results demonstrated that attitudes toward the elderly are more negative than attitudes toward younger people. However, smaller differences between the evaluations of elderly and younger targets were found when (a) the study used measures of personality traits (compared with measures of competence), (b) there were a larger number of dependent measures included in the effect size, (c) specific information was provided about the target person (compared with when a general target such as old person was used), and (d) a between-subjects design (compared with a within-subjects design) was used. These results support Lutsky's (1981) conclusion that age, in and of itself, seems to be less important in determining attitudes toward the elderly than other types of information. The methodological limitations within the literature and a need to consider multiple components of attitudes toward older individuals are discussed.


Background : COVID-19 reached Brazil in February 2020 after spreading throughout Asia and Europe. The disease first struck in Brazil´s major cities, affecting high-income groups, subsequently spreading to the socially-vulnerable outlying areas. The objective of this preliminary study was to the estimate the seroprevalence of COVID-19 in the Baixada Santista Metropolitan Area - RMBS, to inform policies for prevention and preparation of primary care, hospital services, hospital beds, intensive and critical care in a bid to reduce lethality. Methods: This study is the first of a four-phase cross-sectional survey to include all cities within the Baixada Santista metropolitan area. The probabilistic population-based sample was based on a 7% prevalence with a 2% delta, a 5% level of significance and 90% power, and considered the estimated population, stratified by age, gender and city. The sample was randomized in each city and street selection was based on data drawn from the 2010 Brazilian census. The serology test was chosen from the available test kits approved by the National Health Agency (ANS) of the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Information on socioeconomic characteristics, health service use, symptoms and adherence to social distancing measures was collected. All variables were expressed as absolute and relative frequencies and confidence intervals. Results: The final sample comprised 2,342 respondents with a mean age of 37.78 (±19.98) years and equal gender distribution. Respondents predominantly lived in an abode with 4 or more rooms, 71.9% had an income of ≤3 minimum wages and no formal employment. Over half of the sample reported being reliant on the National Health Service (SUS) for health care, while 26.5% held private health insurance. Social distancing was practiced by 61.4% of respondents who answered this question. Seroprevalence measured was 1.4% for a 95% CI (0.93-1.93) based on mathematical estimates, with a ratio of 15 actual infections for every case notified, and lethality of 0.48%. Conclusion: Results revealed a flattening of the epidemiological curve in the region and high underreporting of cases.


Abstract. While engineers have been quantifying rainfall-runoff processes since the mid-19th century, it is only in the last decade that artificial neural network models have been applied to the same task. This paper evaluates two neural networks in this context: the popular multilayer perceptron (MLP), and the radial basis function network (RBF). Using six-hourly rainfall-runoff data for the River Yangtze at Yichang (upstream of the Three Gorges Dam) for the period 1991 to 1993, it is shown that both neural network types can simulate river flows beyond the range of the training set. In addition, an evaluation of alternative RBF transfer functions demonstrates that the popular Gaussian function, often used in RBF networks, is not necessarily the 'best' function to use for river flow forecasting. Comparisons are also made between these neural networks and conventional statistical techniques; stepwise multiple linear regression, auto regressive moving average models and a zero order forecasting approach. Keywords: Artificial neural network, multilayer perception, radial basis function, flood forecasting


The crescendo of celebrities endorsing brands has been steadily increasing over the past years. Marketers overtly acknowledge the power of celebrities in influencing consumer-purchasing decisions. It is a ubiquitously accepted fact that celebrity endorsement can bestow special attributes upon a product that it may have lacked otherwise. This paper elaborates some concepts of brand endorsement with Indian and global example.


In this paper we investigate the word problem of the free Burnside semigroup satisfying x^2=x^3 and having two generators. Elements of this semigroup are classes of equivalent words. A natural way to solve the word problem is to select a unique "canonical" representative for each equivalence class. We prove that overlap-free words and so-called almost overlap-free words (this notion is some generalization of the notion of overlap-free words) can serve as canonical representatives for corresponding equivalence classes. We show that such a word in a given class, if any, can be efficiently found. As a result, we construct a linear-time algorithm that partially solves the word problem for the semigroup under consideration.


New augmented-reality near-eye displays provide capabilities for enriching real-world visual experiences with digital content. Most current research focuses on improving both hardware and software to provide digital content that seamlessly blends with the real world. This is believed to not only contribute to the visual experience but also increase human task performance. In this work, we take a step further and ask the question of whether the capabilities of current and future display designs combined with efficient perception-inspired content optimizations can be used to improve human task performance beyond the human capabilities in the natural world. Based on an in-depth analysis of previous literature, we hypothesize here that such enhancements can be achieved when the human visual system is provided with content that optimizes the oculomotor responses. To further investigate possible gains, we present a series of perceptual experiments that built upon this idea. More specifically, we focus on speeding up accommodation response, which significantly contributes to the eye-adaptation when a new stimulus is shown. Through our experiments, we demonstrate that such speedups canbe achieved, and more importantly, they can lead to significant improvements in human task performance. While not all of our results give definite answers, we believe that they reveal plentiful opportunities for further enhancing the human experience and task performance when using new augmented-reality displays.


ABSTRACT The encapsulation of imidazoles was conducted to prepare the latent imidazole curing agents by using the copolymers as the wall materials. The latent imidazole curing agents are essential to manufacturing anisotropic conducting films (ACFs). The copolymers, which were used for the encapsulation, were the copolymers of methacrylic acid (MAA) and octadecyl methacrylate (ODMA). The method for encapsulation was the spray-drying method. The curing behaviors of the microcapsules to epoxy resin were investigated using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). Using the encapsulated microcapsules, the curing reaction to epoxy resin was conducted at 150°C and 180°C, and the curing time was measured. The fabricated microcapsules using the copolymers showed an improved latent character compared with the previously reported results.


Twin reversed arterial perfusion (TRAP) sequence develops in 1% of monozygotic twins. One normal twin (donor) provides circulation for itself and for a more or less incomplete twin (recipient) with a high incidence of mortality in the donor twin. However, if the condition is detected and treated early, one twin or two triplets may survive. The study of TRAP sequence helps to better understand the pathophysiological pathways of this condition. We present two cases of TRAP sequence seen in our center with different courses. In these cases the increased nuchal translucency thickness and the pathological ductus venosus flow pattern may have been prognostic of the pregnancy outcome. Copyright © 2002 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology


Since the linguistic turn of New Criticism and the advent of reader-response approaches in the previous century, the category of history has come under pressure in biblical interpretation. New developments in general historiography have also emphasised that the past is forever past, and that only constructions of the past remain. These developments bring many to the conclusion that the past offers no assistance in the interpretation process. In my paper I would like to re-emphasise that 'historical consciousness' does not mean an anachronistic clinging to something which no longer exists, but rather refers to the ability to sense the multidimensionality of interpretation, particularly in the case of ancient biblical texts.