Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is one of the most performed bariatric surgeries in clinical practice. Growing neuroimaging evidence shows that LSG induces brain functional and structural alterations accompany with sustained weight-loss. Meanwhile, for clinical treatment of gastric cancer, stomach removal surgery is a similar procedure to LSG. It is unclear if the gastric cancer surgery (GCS) would induce the similar alterations in brain functions and structures as LSG, and it would help to clarify the specificity of the LSG. We recruited 24 obese patients who received LSG in the LSG group and 16 normal weight patients with gastric cancer who received GCS as the control group. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was employed to investigate the differences and similarity of surgery's impact on resting-state brain activity and functional connectivity (RSFC) between LSG and GCS groups. Both LSG and GCS groups showed increased activities in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and supplementary motor area (SMA) as well as the decreased RSFC of PCC- dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and SMA- dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. There were decreased resting-state activity of hippocampus and putamen in LSG group and increases in GCS group. In LSG group, resting-state activities of hippocampus and putamen were correlated with craving for high-caloric food and body mass index after surgery, respectively. These findings suggest LSG induced alterations in resting-state activity and RSFC of hippocampus and putamen specifically regulate the obese state and overeating behaviors in obese patients.


Composite materials of β-FeOOH particles and carbon powder were prepared by hydrolyzing of FeCl3+Ti(SO4)2 (aq.) in which carbon powder was dispersed. β-FeOOH formed in the presence of Ti(IV) ions became amorphous and/or low crystallinity. The composite materials prepared in the presence of Ti(IV) ions worked as lithium intercalation electrodes in nonaqueous electrolytes including lithium ions. The electrodes exhibited a good cycle performance at large charge-discharge current density over 5 mA cm-2 ( 4 A g-1 per weight of active material). The composite materials are one of the promising candidates as electrode materials for energy storage devices, such as hybrid electrochemical supercapacitor, that require high-power operations.


Adrenomedullin (ADM) is a novel potent vasodilatory peptide that was isolated from human pheochromocytoma cells in 1993. It consists of 52 amino acids with 1 intramolecular disulfide bond and a C-terminal amide structure. The vasodilatory effect of ADM is mediated by the activation of secondary messengers, including cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) that are induced by nitric oxide (NO). The objective of the present study was to ascertain the protective effect of ADM against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury on isolated perfused rat liver (IPRL) model after 60 min of warm ischemic preservation and identify the pathways involved. Administration of ADM in the perfusate during initial perfusion and in the preserving fluid during reperfusion after preservation augmented portal flow by 1.3-fold (p < 0.01), increased bile production by 2.3-fold (p < 0.01), reduced the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) to 0.73-fold (p < 0.05), increased oxygen consumption by 1.28-fold (p < 0.01), and augmented tissue cAMP by 1.8-fold (p < 0.05) those observed in the absence of ADM. However, ADM administration did not increase tissue cGMP and the uptake of hyaluronio acid, which are the functions of endothelial cells. Histological examination revealed that ADM administration resulted in an improvement in the structural changes induced by the I/R insult; however, it could not prevent the destruction of the sinusoidal endothelial cells. These results indicated that the ADM-mediated increased portal flow in the liver under an I/R insult is not induced by the NO-cGMP pathway but by the activation of cAMP.


Together with the specimens of C. sciatherica, Leigh-Sharpe, presented to me by Michael G. L. Perkins, and taken by him from various Gadus morrhua at Lowestoft, in August, 1918 (vide Parasitology, XI, 118, and footnote), was another tube containing about a dozen further specimens taken by him at the same date, from the identical hosts. He first called my attention to the fact that we had two distinct species of Clavella from the same fish, and to him I am primarily indebted for most of the following observations. The claims of the other specimens to be considered as members of a distinct and new species are:— (1) Body less globose, longer than wide. (2) Ovisacs tapering.


Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the etiological agent behind hepatitis E infection. Domestic pigs and wild boars are the main animal reservoirs of HEV. Very few papers describe HEV infection in goats and sheep. As the data pertaining to the presence of HEV virus in the milk of small ruminants in Europe are lacking, the aim of this paper was to examine a representative number of milk samples from these animals. The detection of HEV genome (HEV RNA) was performed using reverse transcriptase real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). HEV RNA was found in 2.8% of the examined samples. Positivity ranged from 101 to 103 genome equivalents/mL (GE/mL) with a median of 9.99 × 102 GE/mL. On the basis of these results, the milk of small ruminants could represent a source of HEV infection to consumers.


Background. High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a method of delivering acoustic energy to a focal point, thus destroying it and causing coagulation necrosis. Repeating the fires, the whole needed volume of organ can be treated without damaging the adjacent tissue. Objective. To establish the clinical efficacy and safety of HIFU in the treatment of prostate cancer on the basis of the authors' 3-year experience in applying this technique. Materials and methods. A total of 101 patients with biopsy-proven prostate cancer (and 2 more patients had only high-grade PIN) have been treated in our clinic using an Ablatherm® device. Seventy-one of them were enrolled in this study. They were followed from sixth months to three years at a regular interval, the follow-up included PSA measurement and control sextant biopsies. Results. The median PSA nadir 1.5Р3.0 months after treatment ranged from 0.10 (in the low-risk localized prostate cancer group) to 2.50 ng/mL (in patients with a disseminated process). Negative control biopsies were in 75—80% of patients with localized prostate cancer and in 64—75% of the patients with disseminated process. Of all the patients, 91% underwent transurethral resection of the prostate before HIFU treatment. Such combination improved the efficacy of HIFU and reduced the treatment-related morbidity significantly. Grades 2 and 3 stress incontinence was observed in 1.9 and 0.9% of the patients, respectively. No other severe complications were recorded. Erectile function was preserved in 69.94% of the patients. Conclusion. Our results demonstrated the efficacy and low-associated morbidity of HIFU. HIFU does not exclude other treatment options and is repeatable if needed. HIFU seems to be a valid alternative treatment for patients who are not suitable for radical surgery.


BACKGROUND
There is little to no scientific data about the health benefits or risks to participating in hot yoga, in particular distinguishing it from the practice of non-hot yoga.

AIMS
This study aims to provide some preliminary evidence about the risks and benefits of participating in hot yoga. Future studies will be able to build off the findings herein.

METHODS
This study utilized online survey software (Qualtrics) and recruited participants through convenience sampling (n = 157) by targeting yoga websites and online forums. As there is currently no known questionnaire that has been developed to assess the risks and benefits of hot yoga participation, an exploratory measure was designed to gain more detailed responses from participants. Descriptive epidemiological analyses we re conducted.

RESULTS
Participants of hot yoga had a number of pre-existing health conditions. Both benefits and adverse outcomes were reported. The most frequently reported health benefits of hot yoga in this sample included increased flexibility (63%), improved mood (58%), increased fitness (43%), and improved stamina (42%). Just over half of the participants reported some sort of adverse event during a hot yoga session (n = 82). The most commonly reported adverse events included dizziness (60%), feeling light headed (61%), nausea (35%), and dehydration (34%), amongst others.

CONCLUSIONS
Further study on the risks and benefits of hot yoga participation is required.


The emission of helium neutrals recycling on a poloidal limiter is analysed, so as to combine passive spectroscopy with the He I line intensity ratio method, widely used in combination with atomic helium beams in fusion devices, to measure the plasma electron temperature Te and density ne. The inherent problem of passive spectroscopy, in contrast to active spectroscopy, is that the measured intensities result from the integration of the emission over the whole line of view. Local information is therefore difficult to obtain. Here, however, it is demonstrated that this problem can be overcome by choosing the correct observing geometry that integrates the dominant plasma emission over nearly constant Te and ne chords in front of a poloidal limiter. In this paper only radial electron temperature profiles are deduced from two He I lines, although ne measurements using a different He I line pair is also possible. The experimental results are in good agreement with other diagnostics. A future possibility of this method could be two-dimensional imaging of Te and ne in the plasma boundary with good temporal resolution. The combination of passive spectroscopy and the He I line intensity ratio technique would be especially attractive in reactor-relevant conditions, where helium will be naturally present in the plasma.


Labena is a primitive genus known from the Neotropic, Nearctic, Neantarctic, and Australian biogeographic regions. It parasitizes larvae of wood boring beetles in dead twigs and smaller branches of hardwood trees and shrubs. Descriptions are given of 2 new Chilean species: Labena canelensis Porter, from sclerophyll woodland in central Chile, is black with sparse white markings, has a strong tooth at the base of the submetapleural carina, and a short first gastric tergite (2.3-2.6 as long as wide at apex), whereas L. pucon Porter occurs in temperate wet forest of southern Chile and is black with profuse white markings, lacks a submetapleural tooth, and has the first tergite very elongate (4.0-6.2 as long as wide at apex).


Despite marked improvements in the modern treatment era, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals, particularly those who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) at advanced disease stages, continue to have increased age-related morbidity and mortality, compared with the general population. Immune activation and inflammation persist despite suppressive ART and predict many of these morbidities. The goal of this review is to examine the evidence suggesting a link between the persistent inflammatory state and morbidity and mortality in this setting, to describe the impact of early ART initiation on these factors, and to highlight important unanswered questions for the field. We also advance a hypothesis to explain why some morbidities-and their root inflammatory drivers-may be prevented more than others by early ART initiation.


We report on time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy to determine the oscillator strength (OS) and the quantum efficiency (QE) of site-controlled InAs quantum dots nucleating on patterned nanoholes. These two quantities are determined by measurements on site-controlled quantum dot (SCQD) samples with varying thickness of the capping layer. We determine radiative and nonradiative decay rates, from which we calculate an OS of 10.1±2.6 and an encouragingly high QE of (47±14)% for the SCQDs. The nonideal QE is attributed to nonradiative recombination at the etched nanohole interface.


In a retrospective study the long-term results of conservative treatment of acetabular fractures has been evaluated. From 1967 through 1983, 79 patients with 81 fractures of the acetabulum were treated. The fractures were classified according to Judet and Letournel (1). Out of these 79 patients 83% had multiple injuries. The mean Injury Severity Score was 34 (9-75). Follow-up examination was performed in 55 patients. Partial avascular necrosis of the femoral head appeared in 11%. Fractures without dislocation had all a good prognosis. Fractures with dislocation, where the anterior column was involved, had a relative similar prognosis. In 79% of patients, where the dorsal column or roof of the acetabulum was involved, had a moderate or bad result. We conclude that no optimal result can be expected, when in dorsal column or acetabular roof fractures the reposition achieved by conservative treatment is insufficient. In these cases operative reposition and fixation should be considered.


Ten term, normally grown newborn infants aged 3-5 days with hyperbilirubinaemia due to rhesus or ABO incompatibility have been studied. Blood samples were taken via an umbilical venous catheter at 10 minute intervals in order to study spontaneous changes in growth hormone, insulin, glucose and free fatty acid concentration. Mean plasma GH, insulin and glucose concentrations remained unchanged, but the FFA level rose, due probably to the low room temperature at which the investigations were performed. Analysis of individual changes showed large and bidirectional alterations in GH and insulin, which were much greater than the error of the analytical methods. The findings should be considered in the evaluation of diagnostic investigations performed on newborn infants.


The current political instability and economic uncertainty slow down and complicate urban transformations and their correspondent decisional processes. At the same time, however, "austerity urbanism" pushes cities to explore alternative policy-making approaches that might include new actors in the policy network. We investigate this democratic potentiality by analyzing different configurations of actors (2002-2016) that have been participating in the over two decades-long, and still incomplete, transformation of a former industrial area in Bagnoli, in western Naples (Italy). In 2015, the central Government took over the city's planning competences over the area. In response, several social movements have intensified their action against what they regard as an unchecked, "neo-liberal" transformation of the area. The compatibility of the respective views, as well as pragmatic considerations, led to an alignment between movements and the city and to their joint opposition to the Government. This configuration, we argue, makes room for usually excluded actors and is thus an innovative way of urban policy making.


The effect of cereal leaf surface wax on Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko), the Russian wheat aphid, probing behavior and nymphoposition was evaluated. Ultrastructure of leaf epicuticular wax from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) c.v. 'Arapahoe' and 'Halt' was different from barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) c.v. 'Morex', and oat (Avena sativa L.) c.v. 'Border'. Both wheat cultivars had similar rod‐shaped epicuticular wax, while barley and oat plants had flakes. The chemical composition comparison of gas chromatograms also indicated that the extract of the two wheat cultivars had similar pattern of peaks, while the barley and oat leaves had similar peaks. Cereal variety significantly affected aphid probing behavior (P < 0.05), but wax removal using ethyl ether swab did not (P > 0.05). Aphids initiated significantly more probes on Border oat leaves than on Morex barley irrespective of wax removal, although total probing duration per aphid was not significantly different among the four cereals examined. Accumulative salivation duration per aphid on oat leaves with wax was significantly longer than other cereal leaves with wax, while accumulative ingestion duration per aphid on Arapahoe wheat and Morex barley was significantly longer than on oat. Nymphoposition of D. noxia on cereal leaves maintained on the benzimidazole‐agar medium showed that aphids produced a greater number of nymphs on Morex barley and less on Border oat leaves, although wax removal did not affect aphid nymphoposition. Removal of leaf epicuticular waxes from the 4 cereal genotypes using ethyl ether swab indicated that the influence of wax on plant resistance to D. noxia probing and reproduction was limited. Morex barley was the most favorable, while Border oat was the least favorable cereal host of D. noxia.


Query performance prediction aims to determine in advance whether a user's search request will return a useful answer set. The success of such prediction attempts are currently evaluated by calculating the correlation between the predicted performance and standard information retrieval metrics of system performance such as average precision. However, recent work suggests that there is little relationship between average precision and the performance of users when carrying out search tasks. Direct measures of user performance offer another way of evaluating the effectiveness of search systems; this is of particular importance in the framework of query prediction, since one of the goals of prediction is to warn users when search results are likely to be poor. We therefore investigate the relationship between current prediction techniques and user-based performance measures. Our preliminary results show that the performance of the predictors differs strongly when using system-based compared to user-based performance measures: predictors that are significantly correlated with one measurement are often not correlated with the other. In general, the predictors are more correlated with average precision rather than with user performance.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the pregnancy potential of frozen-thawed surgically retrieved epididymal sperm when used with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

PATIENTS AND METHODS
From August 1994 to January 1997, 20 thawed samples of sperm from 19 patients, surgically retrieved and frozen after percutaneous or open epididymal aspiration, were used for ICSI. The results were compared with those obtained using fresh sperm obtained at the same procedure.

RESULTS
Of the specimens of surgically retrieved sperm which had been frozen, stored and thawed, 15 had sufficient motile sperm for use with ICSI. The fertilization, cleavage and pregnancy rates in those cycles were similar to the same couples' previous cycle using fresh sperm from the same collection and to the overall results in the NURTURE ICSI programme obtained with fresh epididymal sperm.

CONCLUSION
Scrotal exploration for diagnostic testicular biopsy and/or reconstructive surgery without having access to sperm-freezing and storage facilities could represent a lost opportunity for the patient.


There are significant differences in the construction and working of the alimentary system concerning species, habitat, and eating habits of any organism. Fish feed behavior is a major element responsible for their nourishment and development, alteration in the environmental opportunité such as eutrophication as well as anthropogenic activities affect fish species differently and also affect food availability. To understand the digestive system, Morphological studies in the digestive tract of fish were performed on Osteobrama vigorsii (Sykes, 1839). The average length of the alimentary canal is 27.57 cm. The relative intestinal index was calculated to be 1.20 ± 0.085. The alimentary canal is separated into the following regions namely, the buccal cavity (mouth) followed by the orobranchial cavity which opens up into the esophagus. The esophagus opens up into the stomach which leads into the intestines and retained the anus. The intestine shows 5 folds coiled and connected with mesenteries. In this current study osteology of the buccal cavity revolved, that the upper jaw and lower jaw are toothless, as well as palatine teeth are absent. Although the lower jaw displays strong dentary, which at the distal end is broader while it appears tapering towards the proximal end. The lower jaw is devoid of teeth. The oropharyngeal cavity was almost triangular made of strainer gill and pharyngeal teeth apparatus. All gill arches indicate the absence of denticles. Ceratobranchial V indicates the presence of a six oval-shaped tooth plate located on the ventral side of the oropharyngeal cavity.


Trichopus zeylanicus subsp. travancoricus, belonging to the family Trichopodaceae, is a small herbaceous plant exclusively present in Western Ghats of South India. The indigenous tribal community in Western Ghats traditionally use this plant for getting instant energy to combat fatigue. Recent pharmacological studies have revealed that besides its antifatigue property, this plant possess many medicinal properties such as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-stress, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, aphrodisiac, antihyperlipidemic, antitumor, antiulcer, antimicrobial and hepatoprotective activity. This article comprehensively review the results of pharmacological studies so far done in this plant and emphasizes perspectives that warrant future research to explore its full pharmacological potential.


From the early 1980s to the present day, the tech industry, the law, and media representations have evolved in tandem, all hypnotized by the myth of "The Hacker"---an ideal coder, stereotyped as an exceptional young white man.


The concept of militant democracy - understood as the restriction of rights in order to protect the democratic form of government from authoritarian threats - is fraught with tensions. The main one is this: is it possible for a democracy to limit democratic rights at its ontological core and still remain a democracy? The essay reviews Violeta Besirevic's edited volume Militant Democracy - Past and Present and in so doing endeavors to answer this question. In the first part, the author evaluates the contributions to the volume. The volume will be a point of reference for all future debates and research on militant democracy - it aptly deals with philosophical, sociological and legal issues, constantly reflecting on both the theoretical and practical implications of the main tension that haunts militant democracies. The essay concludes that Militant Democracy - Past and Present has an immense educational potential for all the relevant political and legal actors in contemporary Serbian society, and should be on their reading list in years to come. In the second part, the author analyzes the claim that recognition of equal autonomy exhausts the value of democracy, and that militant democracy is unjustified to the extent to which it restricts such autonomy. The claim needs refinement and a more nuanced understanding of both democracy and autonomy: it neglects the contingent character of democratic government and the distinction between the value and reality, and therefore leads to a paradoxical conclusion that no democracy is really a democracy; it also pays insufficient attention to the fact that the democracy is the only framework for achieving equal autonomy, and that the protection of democracy necessarily implies the protection of equal autonomy. The essay argues for an understanding of democracy as a system that maintains the conditions for flourishing of autonomy. It contends that the state should not sacrifice its duty to protect and preserve valuable autonomy for the sake of neutrality. The author concludes that the state can restrict invaluable autonomy to protect democracy, and that militant democracy is neither paradoxical nor necessarily unjustified.


This paper contributes to dynamic capabilities research by investigating how features of organization architecture provide a basis for superior firm performance and sustainable competitive advantage in dynamic markets. Using a simple model of organization architecture composed of networked employees with distinctive knowledge and dynamic markets composed of a flow of heterogeneous opportunities, I explore how knowledge mobilization mechanisms leveraging network ties – transfer, collaboration, and recombination – underlie dynamic capabilities. Prior theory predicts that the performance of these substitute network mechanisms increases with market dynamism, but produces unsustainable advantages under imitative conditions. By contrast, I find different performance effects of unpredictability and complexity, and a complementary impact of using transfer and recombination mechanisms together that can generate sustainable advantages, suggesting design conditions for dynamic capabilities.


Total scattering data of nanocrystalline gahnite (ZnAl2O4, 2–3 nm) have been collected with three of the most commonly used instruments: (i) ID31 high-resolution diffractometer at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) (Q max = 22 Å−1); (ii) ID11 high-energy beamline at the ESRF (Q max = 26.6 Å−1); and (iii) Empyrean laboratory diffractometer by PANalytical with molybdenum anode X-ray tube (Q max = 17.1 Å−1). Pair distribution functions (PDFs) for each instrument data-set have been obtained, changing some of the parameters, by PDFgetX3 software, with the aim of testing the software in the treatment of different total scattering data. The material under analysis has been chosen for its nanometric (and possibly disordered) nature, to give rise to a challenge for all the diffractometers involved. None of the latter should have a clear advantage. The PDF and F(Q) functions have been visually compared, and then the three PDF sets have been used for refinements by means of PDFgui suite. All the refinements have been made exactly in the same way for the sake of a fair comparison. Small differences could be observed in the experimental PDFs and the derived results, but none of them seemed to be significant.


Lavandula angustifolia Mill. has a great economic importance in perfumery, cosmetics, food manufacturing, aromatherapy, and pharmaceutical industry. This species finds its phytosociological optimum in the sub-Mediterranean region. Latitudinal and altitudinal gradients are expected to affect species diversification in peripheral alpine populations. In this study, phenotypic traits including morphometric parameters, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and essential oils (EOs) were analyzed in lavender peripheral populations selected in order to explore different ecological conditions. Plants were cultivated under uniform conditions to observe variations due to the genetic adaptation to native environments and to exclude the short-term response to environmental factors. Results showed qualitatively and quantitatively intra-specific variations in secondary metabolites, mainly along the latitudinal gradient, while minor effect was attributable to the altitude. This latter affected more the morphometric parameters. As the latitude augmented, VOCs showed lower content of monoterpene hydrocarbon (mh) and higher content of oxygenated monoterpenes (om); whereas EOs showed higher content of mh and non-terpene derivatives (nt) and lower content of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (sh). Lavender aroma and EO composition varied in every population, for a total of 88 and 104 compounds identified, respectively. Eleven and 13 compounds were responsible for 95% of the dissimilarity, with linalool, linalyl acetate and 1,8-cineole as major contributors. As the latitude augmented, linalool decreased and 1,8-cineole increased while linalyl acetate content was unaffected. These results are discussed with regards to the potential adoption of the lavender peripheral alpine populations for the improvement of quality and productivity of lavender cultivations, especially in mountainous areas.


The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between secondary school students' happiness and school satisfaction and positive experiences at school. The study group consisted of 328 secondary school students in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades in the provincial center of Canakkale. Among the students, 153 (47%) were male and 175 (53%) were female, 114 (34.8%) were sixth-graders, 130 (39.6%) were seventh-graders, and 84 (25.6%) were eighth-graders. The data were collected using the School Children's Happiness Inventory, Positive Experiences at School Scale, and Comprehensive School Satisfaction Scale for Children. A significant positive relationship between school satisfaction, positive experiences at school, and happiness was observed. The results of the regression analysis indicated that school satisfaction, persistence, and optimism were significant predictors of the happiness of secondary school students. The findings are discussed in accordance with the literature, and practical suggestions are made.


Multi-object tracking is an important ability for an autonomous vehicle to safely navigate a traffic scene. Current state-of-the-art follows the tracking-by-detection paradigm where existing tracks are associated with detected objects through some distance metric. Key challenges to increase tracking accuracy lie in data association and track life cycle management. We propose a probabilistic, multi-modal, multiobject tracking system consisting of different trainable modules to provide robust and data-driven tracking results. First, we learn how to fuse features from 2D images and 3D LiDAR point clouds to capture the appearance and geometric information of an object. Second, we propose to learn a metric that combines the Mahalanobis and feature distances when comparing a track and a new detection in data association. And third, we propose to learn when to initialize a track from an unmatched object detection. Through extensive quantitative and qualitative results, we show that when using the same object detectors our method outperforms state-of-the-art approaches on the NuScenes and KITTI datasets.


Retrospective study of 452 out of 4155 pneumoencephalograms continuously investigated by two independent observers over 20 years. Follow-up and statistics of frequency and sex-differences of asymmetries of lateral ventricles and posterior cornua. Criteria of selection: history and clinical findings in favor of a general cerebral cause and against circumscribed changes due to local damage. Technique standardized and equal bilateral filling in pneumoencaphalography. Results of the numerous findings: 1. Posterior cornua were symmetrical in 370 patients 81.9% (256 male, 114 female, 18.1%). Definite asymmetry of posterior horns in 72 males and 10 males. 2. These asymmetries showed variations from unilateral to bilateral, but clearly different sizes of posterior horns. 3. Unilateral posterior horn "anlagen" seen in 64 (14.1%) of all patients. Males predominated 8:1, left more common than right 3.5:1. 4. Bilateral "anlagen", with one posterior horn predominating, in 18 patients (3.9%). Once more males more common 8:1. Larger "anlagen" on left: 8:1. 5. Accompanying further asymmetries of lateral ventricles with equal bilateral posterior horns were of similar size in 73.7%. In 21.1% the lateral ventricle was larger on the right, in 5.1% on the left. The left side was more common 4.15:1. 6. Large ventricles were of equal size in 45.1 of patients with asymmetry of the posterior horns, 45.1% on left, 9.7% on right the ventricle was larger. Once more the left side predominated 4.6:1. 7. Trying to correlate clinical-neurologic, neurophthalmic, neurophysiologic and tachistocopic findings with pneumoencephalograms with or without asymmetry showed no regular relation with handedness, ocular dominance, limitations of visual fields or--neglect or shapes of ventricles. In all subgroups frequency and sex-distribution corresponded to the norm. 8. Numerical frequency of coupling of right-handedness and right predominant eye with left increased size of ventricle was within the statistically expected and was, therefore, not interpreted as a sign of functional dominance of the left cerebral hemisphere, as done by others. 9. When eliciting from the occiput visually evoked potentials 8 patients showed important findings, in spite of their small number. In 3 patients with symmetrical "anlagen" of the posterior horns, latency and amplitude of potentials were the same; in 5 patients, with asymmetry of posterior horns the side of the larger horn showed significant reduction of amplitude without exception. The investigations show, quantitative statistical findings of frequency and sex-distribution and their negative correlation with examined clinical parameters apart, the anatomic-morphologic variation of asymmetry of posterior horns corresponds to a correlate which can also be shown with a neurophysiologic technique.


In the manufacturing environments of today, human–machine systems are constituted with complex and advanced technology, which demands workers' considerable mental workload. This work aims to design and evaluate a Graphical User Interface developed to induce mental workload based on Dual N-Back tasks for further analysis of human performance. This study's contribution lies in developing proper cognitive analyses of the graphical user interface, identifying human error when the Dual N-Back tasks are presented in an interface, and seeking better user–system interaction. Hierarchical task analysis and the Task Analysis Method for Error Identification were used for the cognitive analysis. Ten subjects participated voluntarily in the study, answering the NASA-TLX questionnaire at the end of the task. The NASA-TLX results determined the subjective participants' mental workload proving that the subjects were induced to different levels of mental workload (Low, Medium, and High) based on the ANOVA statistical results using the mean scores obtained and cognitive analysis identified redesign opportunities for graphical user interface improvement.


In the title polymeric complex, [Mn(C6H8O4)(C7H6N2)2(H2O)]n, the MnII atom is surrounded by two adipate dianions, two benzimidazole molecules and one coordinated water molecule. The Mn atoms and coordinated water molecule are located on a twofold axis, and the bridging adipate ligand is located on an inversion center. The adipate dianions bridge neighboring MnII atoms to form polymeric chains. Each MnII atom is seven-coordinate, the longest Mn-O bond length being 2.5356 (16) A.


There has been a diachronic tendency to align gender and declension in West Nordic (Bjorvand 1972; Enger 2004), making it particularly interesting to consider "mismatches" that go against this general trend. This paper addresses such cases and discusses possible causes of the mismatches as well as the interaction between phonological and morphological changes in their diachronic development. It appears that the diachronic interaction of gender and declension forms complex patterns of processes related to semantics, phonology, and morphology. The West Nordic development corroborates the view that the connection of an inflection class to some extramorphological property, for instance a semantic or phonological one, is a favoured development (Wurzel 1989; Carstairs-McCarthy 2000).


A method of multipassing a pulse of light through an amplifier using an optical circulator, a nonreciprocal component composed of polarization beam splitters and a Faraday rotator, is presented. The pulse can be double, triple, or quadrupole passed through the amplifier depending upon the arrangement of the optical circulator. Numerical calculations and experimental results for multipass amplifiers are presented. >


Throughout most of the nineteenth century and especially after about 1825, when American landscape painting became the primary form of national artistic expression, painters strove to be as articulate as possible about the matters of national and historical purpose that were of such moment to the era. This ambition assumed different forms, but it is always prudent to assume that landscape paintings bear some deliberate charge of meaning, and that their makers used symbols that would make this meaning publicly accessible. Among such symbols are apocalyptic sunsets, autumnal foliage, scenes of untouched wilderness, and even a pronounced horizontal pictorial format, which responds to the nature of American space. The tree stump was also, I believe, employed in American landscapes as a widely understood iconographic device. Although the cut stump appears in European and English art, its frequency and numbers in American art are unique, and it is a special element of American artistic language.1


BACKGROUND
Large common bile duct (CBD) stones remain a major challenge for endoscopists. The capture of large CBD stones is a limiting factor for successful removal. The aim of the study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of stretching the basket out at the bottom of the stones to capture large CBD stones.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Sixty-five patients with large stones (>20 mm in diameter) were selected and randomly divided into Group A (33 cases) and Group B (34 cases). After appropriate sphincterotomy with balloon dilation, two different methods were used to capture stones. For Method A, the basket was inserted above a large stone and opened to capture it. For Method B, the basket was stretched out at the bottom of the large stone and opened slowly to capture it.

RESULTS
The success rate of capturing stones was 33.3% in Group A and 94.1% in Group B (P<.05). There was no statistically significant difference in complication rate between the two groups (P>.05).

CONCLUSIONS
The success rate for capturing large CBD stones can be increased by stretching the basket out at the bottom of the stones to capture the stone.


Because the chemical composition of groundwater in contact with a buried uranium deposit should be quite distinct from that of groundwater flowing through barren rock, analysis of the groundwater may provide 3-dimensional information useful to the explorationist. Because of the complex geochemistry of uranium, analysis for uranium only will not lead to an appropriate interpretation. The solution-mineral equilibria approach, using the computer program WATEQF, has shown to be useful for a regional exploration program in south Texas. The technique has outlined areas with known mineralization and with a high potential for mineralization. Groundwater samples were collected and analyzed for a single aquifer in existing water wells on a 1-2-mi grid over an area of approximately 169 mi2 (438 km2). The WATEQF computer program uses the chemical analyses to calculate saturation indices, which describe the state of saturation of the groundwater with respect to a particular mineral. In the study area, saturation indices for the uranium minerals coffinite and uraninite were highest over the most prospective areas. Hydrogeochemical information obtained in this study supports our geologic data that the known mineralization occurs as small reduced islands in oxidized ground. The solution-mineral equilibria approach suggests that larger deposits may exist downdip of the present-day redox front, which has moved updip since the main mineralizing event. Updip movement of the redox front may have resulted from leakage of H2S from downdip faults. End_of_Article - Last_Page 494------------


Bauxite deposits in the Amazon region are commonly covered by yellowish clays which can reach up to 25m thick, known as Belterra Clay (BTC). In Rondon do Para, Eastern Amazon, BTC is 13m thick and covers world-class bauxite reserves. Three pilot bauxite mines were investigated in Rondon do Para for an initial characterization of the local BTC. In discordant contact with the lateritic profile, the BTC has reddish brown colors at its base to ocher tones towards the top. It has a massive structure with silt-clayey texture and nodular bauxitic fragments at its base. Rietveld mineral quantification of the material attests that it is dominated by kaolinite, with goethite, gibbsite, hematite, anatase and residual quartz. The thermal behavior of the material also confirms its mineralogical composition. Kaolinite is of low structural order, which was considered the main difficulty in the application of the Rietveld method. Goethite has up to 33 mol% of Al. As observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the minerals represent pseudo-hexagonal crystals measuring from 150 to 700 nm. The BTC in the studied area is correlated to BTC on others bauxitic deposits of the Amazon region, suggesting this material experienced the same genesis and geological evolution, probably during the Pliocene.


In social insects, workers of different morphological castes and age are known to act differently. Yet, it is unclear how body size and ovarian development influence worker personalities (i.e. consistent behavioral variation) and task allocation in similar aged ant workers of monomorphic species. Behavioral variation is thought to be a key element of division of labor, but few studies have linked worker personality to task allocation. We investigated individual behavior in Leptothorax acervorum ant workers at two time points during the first three months of their life and in two different settings. We observed worker behavior in the nest (i.e. task allocation) and in standardized aggression, exploration and brood care experiments (i.e. personality) and found behavioral repeatability in foraging and exploration. Further, workers acted consistently across settings: workers with a more aggressive and exploratory personality type were more active in the nest. Moreover, ovarian development was associated with worker personality and task allocation: older workers with well-developed ovaries foraged less, but were more aggressive and exploratory. In accordance with the typical age-polyethism of social insects, workers became more active and foraged more as they grew older. Consequently, our study suggests that task allocation in Leptothorax acervorum is not only influenced by ovarian development and age, but moreover by the personalities of its workers.


At the London 2012 Olympic Games, a football team representing Great Britain &
Northern Ireland will take to the field for the first time since 1972. This research uses
the often fractious and acrimonious debate surrounding this issue to gain insights and
understandings about contemporary national identity and nationalisms in the United
Kingdom. In particular, the objective is to show how these concepts may be
influenced, affected or altered by the existence or absence thereof of a Great Britain
Olympic football team at London 2012. A virtual ethnographic approach is adopted
and a number of websites are identified where discussion and debate has already
been undertaken between fans of the home nations teams: England, Northern Ireland,
Scotland and Wales. The expectation was that the debate would reflect parallel
political arguments regarding the constitutional make up of the United Kingdom.
However, it transpired that this was not the case and the association between sporting
and political arguments was less fervent and profound than was anticipated. This
suggests that there is a degree of satisfaction among fans concerning the footballing
and political status quo, particularly now that the way football is organised in the UK
reflects the political make-up of the UK more than ever. A number of themes emerge,
most notably those relating to anti-Englishness and the common conflation of
England and Great Britain. The issue of social class is identified as being significant
to these processes and the working class following and ethos that football has is
central to this. Comparisons are made with cricket and rugby union to illustrate these
points, and the significance of the England team's continued use of symbols that are
usually associated with the UK, such as the anthem 'God Save the Queen', is
identified as contributing to instances of conflation. In these regards, the work of
several theorists is deemed to be helpful in detailing the contemporary significance of
nationalism. But it is the 'banal nationalism' of Michael Billig that is seen to be most
important and appropriate in describing the significance of the home nations teams to
continuing constructions of the nation.


This paper describes a new demand-driven technique that is able to identify both direct and indirect realizable data-dependencies between statements in the investigated code. Our method also involving control-dependencies and can thus be extended to perform precise forward and backward slicing of computer programs. The interprocedural algorithm presented considers realizable program paths when exploring individual definition-use chains by introducing backtrack information for traditional reaching definitions. Hence, our method is able to reveal deep and accurate information about very large programs on demand that makes it effectively applicable in either regression testing, debugging and program analysis.


Lancet 2012; doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61379-8 A survey of depressed adults from 35 countries suggests that discrimination is a common experience worldwide. Just under four fifths of the 1082 respondents (79%) reported discrimination in at least one area of their lives, most commonly their social and family lives or in the workplace. A third of respondents said they had been shunned by others because of their mental illness (34%). Fear of discrimination was also common and had prevented a third of respondents from embarking on a close personal relationship (37%), a quarter from applying for a job (25%), and a fifth from applying for education or training (20%). Researchers surveyed convenience samples of adults attending specialist mental health services, so these figures are not true prevalence rates, say the authors. But they are worrying and suggest levels of discrimination only slightly lower than those experienced by people with schizophrenia. The adults had a mean age of 45 years and had been in touch with mental health services for a mean of 10 years. Two thirds were women. In a series of cross sectional analyses, the researchers found significant associations between reported discrimination and poor social functioning, unwillingness to disclose the diagnosis, a higher number of depressive episodes, and inpatient treatment. It is impossible to know which direction these associations are operating in, however, and a linked comment calls for prospective longitudinal studies to try to find out (doi:10.1016/ S0140-6736(12)61457-3). Only then will we be able to develop effective ways to reduce discrimination and the fear of discrimination in all domains of life.


This contribution to the What Does a CPT Do? series is a dynamic case study from the Ministry of Economy, Macedonia. Two certified performance technologists provide an insightful analysis of the highlights of a complex international development human performance technology assessment and subsequent performance interventions. Told from the personal point of view of the consultants, with brief insights from the client minister, the focus is on key issues such as team alignment, strong client partnerships, balancing political versus effectiveness issues, and providing sustainable solutions with durable results.


The comparison of drug product selection rates determined approximately one year and four years after passage of Florida's Drug Product Selection (DPS) Law indicates very little change in the product selection and brand interchange behaviors of Florida pharmacists. Lack of adequate guidelines from the state and the liability concerns of pharmacists appeared to limit an expected increase in the state DPS rate.


In cooperation with: Seeds form the basis for agricultural production, but most organic growers know little about how their seedstocks have been produced. Within the organic movement the discussion on the compatibility of plant breeding techniques has been accelerated by the public discussion on genetic engineering. This decision-making is important to develop a framework for organic plant breeding and facilitate investment by breeding companies. This dossier explains all standard techniques used in modern plant breeding and why they have been developed. The consequences of not allowing certain techniques for organic plant breeding are outlined, along with suggestions for alternative techniques that could be adopted.


Community-acquired pneumonia is one of the most common infectious diseases of the 21st century and remains an important medical and social problem due to the relatively high rates of disability and mortality, as well as significant economic losses. Concomitant chronic diseases and conditions, the number of which increases with age, determine the severity and unfavorable prognosis of pneumonia. The combination of pathologies, the pathogenesis of which includes a hypoxic component, in one patient determines the crucial importance and need to understand the mechanisms of hypoxia (including at the cellular level), as well as the social significance of the problem of protecting the body from oxygen deficiency and concomitant energy deficiency, in particular with the help of antihypoxants with antioxidant and membrane-stabilizing action. Numerous experimental and clinical studies have shown data on the pleiotropic effects of succinate and succinate-containing antihypoxants in patients with diseases and conditions that are accompanied by hypoxic disorders. A sufficient evidence base of clinical studies has been created, in which the expediency of using ethylmethylhydroxypyridine succinate as a part of comprehensive therapy in patients with acute and chronic cerebrovascular disorders, anxiety disorders, stable angina, acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, arterial hypertension has been established. Early addition of the drug to the combination therapy at the prehospital stage of pneumonia treatment will help reduce the occurrence of acute complications or decompensation of concomitant chronic conditions, accelerate the regression of post-infectious asthenia, autonomic lability, cognitive deficits.


Some general effects and the action of eledoisin on a number of isolated smooth muscle preparations have been studied. It has been found that eledoisin possesses a potent stimulating action on all preparations of gastro-intestinal smooth muscle examined and also on the bronchial muscle of the guinea-pig in situ. Preparations of other smooth muscles were less sensitive. The rabbit colon, the guinea-pig ileum and, subordinately, the rabbit uterus and the frog stomach may be profitably used, owing to their sensitivity and the satisfactory dose/response relationship, for the quantitative bioassay of eledoisin in crude or pure preparations of the polypeptide. In parallel assays eledoisin could be easily distinguished from the biogenic amines and from all other known naturally occurring hypotensive polypeptides (bradykinins, wasp kinin, bradykinin-like polypeptides of the amphibian skin, physalaemin, substance P). In the unanaesthetized dog, subcutaneous doses of 25 to 100 mug/kg eledoisin caused a powerful stimulation of the motility and some secretions of the alimentary canal. This effect was much less pronounced in the rat and the rabbit.


The incidence of vertebral fractures in patients with osteoporosis is frequent. In elderly patients, the presence of vertebral fracture without history of trauma may be present. In addition, previous diagnosis of tumor pathology raises the suspicion of metastatic disease. The presence of known or unknown primary tumor raises the need for a correct diagnosis to tailor the best treatment. Mechanical pain and neurological compression have been described in both cases. Imaging tests, x-rays, CT and MRI may help the diagnosis. The existence of prior known tumor may not require the need of previous biopsy. Treatment can range from conservative treatment with bracing and analgesia, reinforcement techniques or decompression and stabilization in deformity or neurological deficit.


Personalization is important for search engines to improve user experience. Most of the existing work do pure feature engineering and extract a lot of session-style features and then train a ranking model. Here we proposed a novel way to model both long term and short term user behavior using Multi-armed bandit algorithm. Our algorithm can generalize session information across users well, and as an Explore-Exploit style algorithm, it can generalize to new urls and new users well. Experiments show that our algorithm can improve performance over the default ranking and outperforms several popular Multi-armed bandit algorithms.


Redesigning Humans Our Inevitable Genetic Future. Gregory Stock. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 2002. 287 pp. $24. ISBN 0-618-06026-X. Our Posthuman Future Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution. Francis Fukuyama. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2002. 270 pp. $25, C$39.95. ISBN 0-374-23643-7. Stock and Fukuyama offer dramatically different perspectives on how humans may be changed by the application of recent and forthcoming developments in biotechnology. Fukuyama focuses on social and political outcomes and argues against severe restrictions on genetic engineering. Stock believes that public pressures are likely to continue the trend toward choosing the embryo's genes.


Perceptions are important in determining performance appraisal system success. The growing body of research in this area has clearly documented the differences in perceptions between appraisers and appraisees. However, many of these findings are predominately based on aspects of the system in judging its overall effectiveness and rely heavily on self-report questionnaire responses with weak methodological rigor. Not much is known about the deeper cognitive perceptions of appraisers and appraisees in better explaining their attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. This paper breaks away from conventional questionnaire-generated perceptions and applies a unique clinical cognitive mapping methodology called the repertory grid technique to elicit the personal constructs of how real respondents perceive appraisal systems based on their real-life experiences. The method allowed the investigation to go much deeper than past research into the core perceptions that influenced respondents' attitudes and subsequent behaviors. Though the findings showed some commonality in personal constructions of appraisal systems with those found in the literature, new constructs, core perceptual dimensions, and collective cognitive maps were elicited for the very first time, opening up new questions and issues for further research. Implications to theory and practice are also discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The authors present an approach to feature detection, which is a fundamental issue in many intermediate-level vision problems such as stereo, motion correspondence, image registration, etc. The approach is based on a scale-interaction model of the end-inhibition property exhibited by certain cells in the visual- cortex of mammals. These feature detector cells are responsive to short lines, line endings, corners and other such sharp changes in curvature. In addition, this method also provides a compact representation of feature information which is useful in shape recognition problems. Application to face recognition and motion correspondence are illustrated.<<ETX>>


Introduction: Palmaris longus is a slender, fusiform muscle lying medial to flexor carpi radialis. It arises from the medial epicondyle of humerus by the common tendon, and from adjacent intermuscular septa and deep fascia of the arm. Palmaris longus is often absent on one or both sides.
Aim of the Study: To determine the incidence of unilateral and bilateral absence of palmaris longus in the north Karnataka region.
Materials and Methods: Dissection of 30 embalmed adult cadavers (60 upper limbs) of both sexes belonging to north Karnataka region were carried out and observed for the presence or absence of palmaris longus muscle.
Results: Bilateral absence of palmaris longus was observed in 2 cadavers (1 male and 1 female). Unilateral absence was observed in the right side of 1 male cadaver.
Conclusion: The incidence of absence of palmaris longus muscle in the north Karnataka region will be useful to surgeons doing tendon graft surgeries.


Abstract This article delves into the lives and careers of two significant Russian singers: the bass Osip Petrov and his wife, the mezzo-soprano Anna Vorobyova, who created or inspired leading roles in operas by Glinka, Dargomïzhsky and Musorgsky. Over the course of a career that spanned some four decades, Petrov would become the most celebrated Russian bass of the nineteenth century; Vorobyova, whose career was cut short by a tragic accident, would turn her attention to the private sphere and incubate a younger generation of musicians. Drawing on reviews, memoirs and personal correspondence, I chart the influence of this couple not only on individual composers and operas, but also on the development of stock characters such as the father, the buffoon, the antihero and the trouser role.


We apply photo-acoustic (PA) technique to examine plasmonic properties of 2D periodic arrays of nanoholes etched in gold/chromium layer upon a glass substrate. The pitch of these arrays lies in the near IR, and this, under appropriate wave vector matching conditions in the visible region, allows for the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) guided along a dielectric – metal surface. SPP offered new approaches in light guiding and local field intensity enhancement, but their detection is often difficult due to the problematic discrimination of their contribution from the overall scattering. Here PA measures the energy absorbed due to the non-radiative decay of SPPs. We report on the absorption enhancement by presenting the spatial mapping of absorption under the incidence angles and wavelength that correspond to the efficient excitation of SPPs. Moreover, a comparison with optical transmission measurements is carried out, underlining the applicability and sensitivity of PA technique.


The invention provides a mobile device for transaction payment delegation. Methods and systems are disclosed herein to provide payment delegation for transactions. A payment request may be transmitted to a point of sale system from a mobile device. The mobile device owner may request that payment details for the transaction be obtained from a third-party device, such as a parent's computer. The point of sale system may transmit an approval request to the third-party device, or the mobile device may transmit an approval request to the third-party device. Upon receipt of payment details, the payment details may be communicated, and the transaction may be completed.


The purpose of this study was to examine experiences related to self-discovered breast cancer symptoms from the perspective of Punjabi immigrant women residing in Canada. Interviews were conducted with 25 women, 19 of whom had received a diagnosis of breast cancer. Using narrative analysis, 4 types of stories were identified. In the stories that were based on constructions of breast symptoms as "nothing serious," women emphasized that they had not even considered the possibility of breast cancer and were encouraged to dismiss concerns about their health. Stories focusing on suspicions about the presence of a health problem included descriptions of mounting concern and tension as the women began to realize that the breast symptoms they experienced might not be of the regular or normal variety. In stories dominated by worry, vivid descriptions of fears of breast cancer were juxtaposed with explanations about how women protected family members by downplaying their symptoms. Finally, in stories that focused on gaining strength in readiness to deal with whatever may lie ahead, women drew on the support of their extended families, their religious beliefs, and their need to care for their families. These findings provide a basis for guiding the development of culturally appropriate health education for Punjabi women.


Random pairwise key pre-distribution schemes have been adopted widely as a favored approach to pairwise key agreement problem in distributed sensor networks (DSNs). However, regardless of the recent security improvement efforts of their variants, they are still susceptible to several types of attacks including large-scale node capture, threshold collusion ones and expose undesirable properties. Exploiting the clustering topology of DSNs, we design a pairwise key establishment scheme to address the aforementioned limitations. Security analysis shows that indeed our scheme completely eliminates the limitations by nature. Furthermore, it is shown that overall, our approach outperforms other outstanding schemes regarding desired security property. In fact, this security robustness is provisioned at no extra cost. Through performance analysis, our scheme is shown to be highly efficient, cost effective, and practical for resource-constrained sensor nodes.


The predictive validity of personality for important life outcomes is well established, but conventional longitudinal analyses cannot rule out the possibility that unmeasured third-variable confounds fully account for the observed relationships. Longitudinal hierarchical linear models (HLM) with time-varying covariates allow each subject to serve as his or her own control, thus eliminating between-individual confounds. HLM also allow the directionality of the causal relationship to be tested by reversing time-lagged predictor and outcome variables. We illustrate these techniques through a series of models that demonstrate that within-individual changes in self-control over time predict subsequent changes in GPA but not vice-versa. The evidence supporting a causal role for self-control was not moderated by IQ, gender, ethnicity, or income. Further analyses rule out one time-varying confound: self-esteem. The analytic approach taken in this study provides the strongest evidence to date for the causal role of self-control in determining achievement.


Elesclomol is a first-in-class investigational drug that exerts anticancer activity through the elevation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Our previous studies revealed that elesclomol selectively chelates copper and generates ROS via reduction of Cu(II) to Cu(I). In a Phase 3 trial in metastatic melanoma, the level of baseline lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in patients emerged as an important prognostic factor for treatment outcomes with elesclomol. Additional investigations were undertaken to evaluate the relation between elesclomol activity and LDH levels. Because the copper redox reactions necessary for elesclomol activity can be influenced by changes in cellular metabolic properties, we investigated whether elesclomol activity varies between normoxic conditions (active mitochondrial respiration, low LDH) and hypoxic conditions (decreased mitochondrial respiration, high LDH). To assess the influence of hypoxic conditions, we evaluated elesclomol activity under several situations in which cells express high levels of Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α (HIF1α), a transcription factor that induces a complete set of glycolytic enzymes, including LDH, and switches off glycolytic carbon flow to mitochondria. First, an increase in the level of HIF1α protein was observed in M14 melanoma cells at low oxygen level or high cell density. Elesclomol showed decreased cytotoxicity under both of these conditions. Second, we evaluated lines within the same cancer phenotype but showing distinct levels of HIF1α, and found that the high-HIF1α-expressing Caki-2 renal cancer line was resistant to elesclomol, while lower-HIF1α-expressing renal cancer cell lines were sensitive to elesclomol. Third, we assessed HIF1α levels and elesclomol activity in cells treated with CoCl 2 , a chemical mimetic of hypoxia. High levels of HIF1α induction were present in M14 cells treated with CoCl 2 , and elesclomol was significantly less active in these cells. The addition of oxamate, which selectively inhibits LDHA and activates pyruvate entry into mitochondria, restored the activity of elesclomol in the CoCl 2 -treated cells. These results support the hypothesis that elesclomol is more active under normoxic conditions (low LDH) and less active under hypoxic conditions (high LDH), consistent with the clinical findings. The results may be important for identifying patient populations for future clinical development of elesclomol. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4545.


ABSTRACT Our article revisits the Okun relationship between observed unemployment rates and output gaps. We include in the relationship the effect of labour market institutions as well as age and gender effects. Our empirical analysis is based on 20 OECD countries over the period 1985–2013. We find that the share of temporary workers (which includes a high and rising share of young workers) played a crucial role in explaining changes in the Okun coefficient (the impact of the output gap on the unemployment rate) over time. The Okun coefficient is not only different for young, prime-age and older workers but also it decreases with age. From a policy perspective, it follows that an increase in economic growth will not only have the desired outcome of reducing the overall unemployment rate but it will also have the distributional effect of lowering youth unemployment.


Achyranthes aspera Linn belonging to the family Amaranthaceae is used in the treatment of lipid disorders in the Indian system of medicine. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the hypolipidemic activity of saponin extract of A. aspera (SAA) at 1200 mg/kg body weight in male wistar rats fed on high fat (HF) diet for 8 weeks. Significant reduction (p<0.05) in food efficiency ratio (FER), body weight gain, visceral organ weight indices, serum total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), very low density lipoproteins (VLDL-C), low density lipoproteins (LDL-C), atherogenic index (AI), hepatic TC and TG levels was observed in SAA treated rats when compared to HF diet alone fed rats. Significant elevation (p<0.05) in levels of serum high density lipoproteins (HDL-C), fecal TC and TG was observed in SAA treated group when compared to HF diet alone fed group. These results suggest that SAA has both hypolipidemic and weight reducing effects on HF diet fed rats. This may be mediated through reduced absorption and elevated excretion of lipids by saponins of A.aspera extract. key words : Achyranthes aspera, high fat diet, hyperlipidaemia, orlistat, saponins.


Vertical transmission refers to the process in which a mother transmits bacteria or viruses to her offspring through childbirth, and this phenomenon takes place commonly in nature. This paper formulates an SIR epidemic model where the impact of vertical transmission and two state-dependent pulse controls are both taken into consideration. Using the Poincare´map, an analogue of Poincare´ criterion and the method of related qualitative analysis, the existence and the stability of a positive order-1 or order-2 periodic solution for the epidemic model are proved. Furthermore, phase diagrams are demonstrated by means of numerical simulations, illustrating the feasibility and correctness of our main results. It can be further implied that the epidemic can be controlled to a certain extent, with vertical transmission reduced and timely state-dependent pulse controls carried out.


Soil, as the primary receptor of anthropogenic urban contamination acts as a sink for a variety of toxic and other hazardous substances. It constitutes, therefore, an indicator of contamination and may be utilised geochemically to assess environmental quality of urban and suburban areas. In Nafplion, an urban and suburban area of 50 km2 , was investigated using for the first time in Hellas an integrated approach with all available geoscientific techniques to make an in-depth environmental impact assessment. One of these techniques was applied geochemistry, which mapped the geochemistry of surface soil (0-10 cm) with 144 samples, collected on a regular grid of 500 x 500 km. The following fifty determinands were measured on the soil samples: Ag, Al, As, B, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ga, Ge, Hg, K, La, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, Re, S, Sb, Sc, Se, Sn, Sr, Ta, Te, Th, Ti, Tl, U, V, W, Y, Zn, Zr, pH, electrical conductivity and grain-size distribution. The aim of the geochemical study was to distinguish, as far as possible, the origin of chemical elements, and (i) to classify them as geogenic or anthropogenic; (ii) to delineate contaminated areas, and (iii) to assess potential future impacts of human activities on soil. Interpretation of the resulting geochemical patterns has shown that those of Al, Fe, Be, Ce, Cr, Co, Ga, Ge, K, La, Li, Mg, Nb, Ni, Rb, Sc, Sr, Tl, V, Y, W and Zr are of geogenic origin, since they are directly related to parent rocks, whereas patterns of As, B, Ba, Bi, Ca, Cd, Cu, Mn, Mo, Na, P, Pb, S, Sb, Sn, Th, U and Zn are interpreted as being of dual origin, geogenic and anthropogenic. In this paper, the geochemical distribution of only five elements shall be described, i.e., Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni and Na. This case study was indeed very interesting, since for the interpretation of some patterns, even the military history of the area had to be unravelled.


At rest the myocardium extracts approximately 75% of the oxygen delivered by coronary blood flow. Thus there is little extraction reserve when myocardial oxygen consumption is augmented severalfold during exercise. There are local metabolic feedback and sympathetic feedforward control mechanisms that match coronary blood flow to myocardial oxygen consumption. Despite intensive research the local feedback control mechanism remains unknown. Physiological local metabolic control is not due to adenosine, ATP-dependent K(+) channels, nitric oxide, prostaglandins, or inhibition of endothelin. Adenosine and ATP-dependent K(+) channels are involved in pathophysiological ischemic or hypoxic coronary dilation and myocardial protection during ischemia. Sympathetic beta-adrenoceptor-mediated feedforward arteriolar vasodilation contributes approximately 25% of the increase in coronary blood flow during exercise. Sympathetic alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated vasoconstriction in medium and large coronary arteries during exercise helps maintain blood flow to the vulnerable subendocardium when cardiac contractility, heart rate, and myocardial oxygen consumption are high. In conclusion, several potential mediators of local metabolic control of the coronary circulation have been evaluated without success. More research is needed.


Within a pervasive computing environment, we see content on shared displays that we wish to acquire and use in a specific way i.e., with an application on a personal device, transferring from point-to-point. The eyes as input can indicate intention to interact with a service, providing implicit pointing as a result. In this paper we investigate the use of gaze and manual input for the positioning of gaze-acquired content on personal devices. We evaluate two main techniques, (1) Gaze Positioning, transfer of content using gaze with manual input to confirm actions, (2) Manual Positioning, content is selected with gaze but final positioning is performed by manual input, involving a switch of modalities from gaze to manual input. A first user study compares these techniques applied to direct and indirect manual input configurations, a tablet with touch input and a laptop with mouse input. A second study evaluated our techniques in an application scenario involving distractor targets. Our overall results showed general acceptance and understanding of all conditions, although there were clear individual user preferences dependent on familiarity and preference toward gaze, touch, or mouse input.


This paper describes the characterization and modeling of the performance and reliability of SiC devices. A fundamental study of material defects and process techniques in SiC is needed for significant material purification. It will also result in a comprehensive physics-based defect model, a high-voltage diode behavioral circuit model, and improved edge-termination and passivation techniques. This paper shows initial results of experimental determination and modeling of the role of material defects and surface passivation on 100-V diode breakdown and electrical performance. The devices are subjected to dynamic stresses typical of switching applications to determine the dynamic SOA and avalanche rating of the devices.


Exponential-family random graph models are probabilistic network models that are parametrized by sufficient statistics based on structural (i.e., graph-theoretic) properties. The ergm package for the R statistical computing environment is a collection of tools for the analysis of network data within an exponential-family random graph model framework. Many different network properties can be employed as sufficient statistics for exponential- family random graph models by using the model terms defined in the ergm package; this functionality can be expanded by the creation of packages that code for additional network statistics. Here, our focus is on the addition of statistics based on graphlets. Graphlets are classes of small, connected, induced subgraphs that can be used to describe the topological structure of a network. We introduce an R package called ergm.graphlets that enables the use of graphlet properties of a network within the ergm package of R. The ergm.graphlets package provides a complete list of model terms that allows to incorporate statistics of any 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-node graphlets into exponential-family random graph models. The new model terms of the ergm.graphlets package enable both exponential-family random graph modeling of global structural properties and investigation of relationships between node attributes (i.e., covariates) and local topologies around nodes.


The authors report the results obtained in a comparative study of effects of clofibrate and simvastatin. The investigation was carried out on 44 patients with type IIB hypercholesterolemia subdivided into two groups. Throughout the study, patients observed a diet of about 1500 Kcal daily. Thirty days before starting drug treatment, all patients were given a placebo daily, either of the two drugs being administered during the subsequent 30 days. Plasma cholesterol level was examined before starting placebo and before drug treatment and every five days throughout drug treatment. The results obtained showed that both drugs reduced cholesterol plasma level significantly but the reduction obtained with simvastatin was greater than that obtained with clofibrate. The specificity of the use of these drugs in the management of hypercholesterolemia is stressed.


Abstract Several surges of maritime tropical air into the deserts of Arizona and California are investigated. These surges are related to the large cloud masses of tropical origin located over the Gulf of California. A natural channel exists for this surge transport; it is about 200 mi in width, the western boundary being the rugged ridge line extending the length of Baja California and the eastern boundary being the broad Sierra Madre Range. The surge process resembles that of a very large-scale sea breeze with the greatest energy transport occurring near the surface and disappearing in the middle troposphere. Four case studies are analyzed in detail.


As a contribution toward improving our ability to identify robust patterns of variability in complex, noisy climate datasets, we have compared a relatively new technique, Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs), to the well-established method of principal component analysis (PCA). Recent results suggest that SOMs offer advantages over PCA for use in climatological and other studies. Here each analysis technique was applied to synthetic datasets composed of positive and negative modes of four idealized North Atlantic sea-level-pressure fields, with and without noise components, to identify the predefined patterns of variability. PCA, even with component rotation, fails to adequately extract the known spatial patterns, mixes patterns into single components, and incorrectly partitions the variance among the components. The SOMs-based analyses are more robust and, with a sufficiently large set of generalized patterns, are able to isolate all the predefined patterns with correct attribution of variance. With PCA, it is difficult, if not impossible, to detect pattern mixing without prior knowledge of the patterns being mixed.


The aim of concurrent model synchronization is to merge pairs of updates  on interrelated models. For instance, this situation may occur in the context of model driven software development when the work is distributed between different teams. A first problem is that, if the updates are in conflict, this conflict is never explicit. The reason is that the updates do not interfere directly since they are assumed to modify different models. For this reason, detecting and solving conflicts becomes already more difficult than in the more standard case of synchronizing concurrent updates over a given model. Existing general approaches define the solution to this problem in terms of the solution to the simpler  problem of update propagation in bidirectional model transformation. We call these approaches \emph{propagation based}. In this paper, we first state some properties that, in our opinion, must be satisfied by a concurrent synchronization procedure to be considered correct. Then, we show how to check whether the given updates are conflict-free and, in this case, we present a correct synchronization procedure based on this check. Finally, we  consider the case where the given updates are in conflict and we show how we can build solutions that satisfy some of the correctness properties but, in general, not all of them. Specifically, we present counter-examples that show how some of these properties may fail.


Viet Nam has faced with trade deficits for a long time since opening the economy in 1986 until 2012. Improving trade balance is one of the main objectives of Vietnam's Government. This study's objective is to analyse main factors that affect to trade balance in Vietnam from 1989 to 2013. The examined factors are Gross domestic product (GDP), Foreign direct investment (FDI), Government expenditure (GEXP), Household expenditure (HEXP), Oil price (OIL) and Industrial growth rate (INDGR). The study uses annual data from 1989 to 2013 and applies Ordinary Least Square (OLS) method in order to investigate impact of those factors on trade balance in Vietnam. The results show that Gross domestic product, Foreign direct investment and oil price have positive impacts on trade balance while Government expenditure, Household expenditure and industrial growth rate have negative impacts on trade balance.


In the present work, we have investigated the reaction of nitrous acid with the simplest Criegee intermediate using chemical kinetics and quantum chemical calculations. It was found that reactions can occur through four different paths. Among them, one path involves hydrogen atom transfer and leads to the formation of hydroperoxymethyl nitrite, while two paths involve cycloaddition leading to the formation of ozonide and formic acid and the remaining path involves oxygen atom transfer leading to the formation of HNO3 as a final product. Although there are various oxidation reactions of HONO present in the literature, which produce nitrogen dioxide as a final product, the possibility of in situ generation of HNO3 and formic acid from HONO is reported for the first time. Nevertheless, the hydrogen atom transfer path, which leads to the formation of hydroperoxymethyl nitrite as a final product, was found to be the fastest, and hence dominating the Criegee reaction with HONO. By comparing the title reaction with other dominant Criegee reactions, it was found that although it will be more effective than Criegee oxidation by Cl˙ or ClO˙ and can compete with Criegee oxidation by OH˙ under special circumstances, it is negligible compared to the reaction of the Criegee intermediate with a water molecule.


In India, the last few years have seen an increase in the school enrolment rates of children with disabilities; however, there are continuing concerns about the outcomes of these efforts, especially in terms of employment. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative enquiry into how young people (aged 15–30 years) with various impairments (namely, hearing, seeing and mobility) understand the role played by education in their lives. The research, carried out in urban and rural Madhya Pradesh, India, contrasts the poor outcomes for these young people in terms of employment with young people's own sense of the value of schooling in enhancing their social skills and opportunities, and their cultural capital, particularly in terms of how they are able to confront stigmatising attitudes. Whereas the 'significant others' (primarily, parents) regard schooling as a failure if it does not lead to jobs, the young people themselves focus on education's enabling roles. The paper concludes with policy proposals with respect to the nature and content of schooling and improvements in how government benefits are accessed by these young people.


In this contribution, the problem of identifiability of nonlinear channel is addressed. We use the algebraic approach, that we have presented in preceding communication (S. E. Asmi et al., 2001), to analyse the question of perfect equalization of multi-user channels. We give a new definition of identifiability of nonlinear channel. This definition clarifies the fundamental link between the problem of observability of input-output system and the channel parameters identification. We provide a test of that definition in terms of ranks of Jacobian matrices.


Purpose: World Health Organization (WHO) potentiates the goal of occupational health and safety as protecting employees' mental, bodily, and social health while they are working. Using Toyota Tsusho Corporation as a case study, this study aimed at examining the impact of occupational health and safety measures on employee commitment.
Methodology: The study utilized a quantitative analysis of published data from Toyota Corporation health and safety initiatives report. Descriptive statistics was employed for the data analysis, and the independent sample test was performed to assess the study's hypothesis.
Findings: This study found that management initiative and commitment to health and safety had a positive influence on employee commitment. It was also revealed that health and safety measures had an association with employee commitment and presenteeism level.
Recommendations: The study recommend businesses to adopt healthy lifestyles and encourage employee motivation to lower presenteeism in both high-risk and low-risk environments. Policies on employee safety and provision of appropriate equipment that reduce the frequency of accidents, illnesses, and injuries should be the priority of management.


The only gastrin-dependent gastric endocrine cells are the fundic ECL cells. Excessive hypergastrinemia stimulates ECL cell proliferation in animals and man. The growth of other gastric endocrine cells is regulated by the gastric pH. Hypergastrinemia in man results in diffuse and linear hyperplasia of the ECL cells, while micronodular hyperplasia is correlated to the grade of corpus gastritis. ECL cell dysplasia and gastric carcinoids in man have been observed only in patients with gastrinoma as part of the MEN I syndrome and with pernicious anemia. Gastrin dependence of GI adenocarcinoma has not been established. Experimental findings may be explained by the presence of gastrin receptors and the role of gastrin as an autocrine growth factor. Epidemiological data do not support gastrin dependence of carcinoma of the stomach, the pancreas and the colon.


The biopsychosocial model, as well as a number of approaches and paradigms based on it (scientific, clinical, preventive, therapeutic), currently cause a lot of criticism up to the complete denial of its use in psychiatry possibilities. The aim of this paper is to propose a modern interpretation of the biopsychosocial model in psychiatry for the further studies of the mental disorders etiopathogenesis and for the research of new opportunities for their therapy and prevention. Progress in biological medicine and the emergence of new research technologies today open up new opportunities for the actual interpretation of the biopsychosocial model and its application for the modern biopsychosocial paradigm, which can be used both as a research strategy and for the relevant scientifically based methods of therapy and prevention. Thus, it is important to understand that the biopsychosocial model is not a competitor or antithesis of the biomedical model, but allows one to expand the biological boundaries beyond a simple description of the organs and systems functioning.


We present a self-supervised sensorimotor pre-training approach for robotics. Our model, called RPT, is a Transformer that operates on sequences of sensorimotor tokens. Given a sequence of camera images, proprioceptive robot states, and past actions, we encode the interleaved sequence into tokens, mask out a random subset, and train a model to predict the masked-out content. We hypothesize that if the robot can predict the missing content it has acquired a good model of the physical world that can enable it to act. RPT is designed to operate on latent visual representations which makes prediction tractable, enables scaling to 10x larger models, and 10 Hz inference on a real robot. To evaluate our approach, we collect a dataset of 20,000 real-world trajectories over 9 months using a combination of motion planning and model-based grasping algorithms. We find that pre-training on this data consistently outperforms training from scratch, leads to 2x improvements in the block stacking task, and has favorable scaling properties.


The interdigital transducer (IDT)/ZnO/metal/diamond structure is investigated for use in the design surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices in the super-high-frequency (SHF) band. Simulation results indicate that adding a metal buffer layer with a finite thickness significantly increases the coupling coefficient. In the Sezawa mode, the coupling coefficient is 4.71% when an Al interlayer is applied. This coupling coefficient is 75% and 77% larger than those in the IDT/ZnO/diamond and IDT/ZnO/shorted surface/diamond structures, respectively. The results in this study are useful in designing SAW devices using diamond-based structures with a large coupling coefficient in the SHF band.


The author starts with the fundamental observation that hedge funds are generally tax-unfriendly. They often employ trading strategies that generate attractive pre-tax returns, but unfortunately these strategies also produce income taxed at the highest rate of 35%. In addition, while the funds generate no cash income for their investors, those same investors must nevertheless pay taxes each year on their shares of partnership income. He suggests that there are two approaches to minimizing the tax treatment of hedge fund investments: portfolio-level management and investor-level management. None of these ideas will wipe out taxes; they are meant to defer taxes as long as possible, and when tax is to be paid the goal is to only pay a 15% rate. Care is given to not disturbing the investment goals in achieving tax efficiency; in other words, don't let the tail wag the dog. Thus, the article breaks the possibilities into what can be done at the fund level and what investors can do on their own if the hedge funds do not employ such opportunities.


The role of information technology (IT) is critical in many applications, including accounting. However research into spread sheeting errors indicates financial data emanating from computer applications may contain errors. Auditors review financial data and report, among other things, as to its mathematical accuracy. This study evaluates the reliance trainee auditors place upon IT produced financial data and their application of the concept of mathematical accuracy. Data emanating from a supposedly reliable source was intentionally prepared with mathematical errors and given to participants for evaluation. Despite exposure to concepts such as computer error and audit scepticism, a significant proportion either erroneously concluded the data was accurate and/or failed to appropriately apply the concept of mathematical accuracy. The implications for educators are significant. Basic topics such as data integrity and over-reliance upon IT generated data may need further emphasis during training programs across many disciplines, especially accountancy.


Recent advances in artificial neural networks now have a great impact on translation technology. A considerable achievement was reached in this field with the publication of L'Apprentissage Profond. This book, originally written in English (Deep Learning), was entirely machine-translated into French and post-edited by several experts. In this context, it appears essential to have a clear vision of the performance of MT tools. Providing an evaluation of NMT is precisely the aim of the present research paper. To accomplish this objective, a framework for error categorisation was built and a comparative analysis of the raw translation output and the post-edited version was performed with the purpose of identifying recurring patterns of errors. The findings showed that even though some grammatical errors were spotted, the output was generally correct from a linguistic point of view. The most recurring errors are linked to the specialised terminology employed in this book. Further errors include parts of text that were not translated as well as edits based on stylistic preferences. The major part of the output was not acceptable as such and required several edits per segment, but some sentences were of publishable quality and were therefore left untouched in the final version.


UNLABELLED
We investigated whether weight gain alters insulin sensitivity and leptin levels in physically active individuals. Six (5 males and 1 female; age 26.6+/-1.0 years; BMI 21.5+/-0.9, body fat 17.4+/-2.2%) healthy individuals were enrolled in an overfeeding study (caloric surplus 22.5-26.5 kcal/kg/day) to achieve up to 10% weight gain over 4-6 week period with subsequent weight maintenance over additional 2 weeks. The participants were requested to maintain their previous physical activity which in all of them included 45-60 min training sessions at the gym 2-3 times/week.

RESULTS
BMI increased to 23.4+/-0.9 (4.4 kg weight gain; p<0.05) and body fat to 21.0+/-2.8% (p < 0.05) over the period of active weight gain and remained stable over the two week period of weight maintenance; fasting plasma glucose and serum insulin remained unchanged; serum leptin nearly doubled (3.8+/-1.0 vs 6.4+/-1.9 ng/ mL; p < 0.05); insulin sensitivity, when expressed per kg of the total body (11.1+/-1.6 vs 12.4+/-2.1 mg/kg/min; p = NS), and lean body mass (13.4+/-1.9 vs 15.7+/-2.6 mg/kgLBM/min; p = NS), did not decrease after weight gain. On the contrary, insulin action had improved in 5 out of 6 individuals. In conclusion, the data presented in this preliminary report indicate that a small weight gain due to overfeeding in lean, healthy, physically active individuals is associated with rise in circulating leptin levels but not with worsening of insulin action.


BACKGROUND: Dual-patient, single-ventilator protocols (ie, protocols to ventilate 2 patients with a single conventional ventilator) may be required in times of crisis. This study demonstrates a means to titrate peak inspiratory pressure (PIP), PEEP, and FIO2 for test lungs ventilated via a dual-patient, single-ventilator circuit. METHODS: This prospective observational study was conducted using a ventilator connected to 2 test lungs. Changes in PIP, PEEP, and FIO2 were made to the experimental lung, while no changes were made to the control lung. Measurements were obtained simultaneously from each test lung. PIP was titrated using 3D-printed resistors added to the inspiratory circuit. PEEP was titrated using expiratory circuit tubing with an attached manual PEEP valve. FIO2 was titrated by using a splitter added to the ventilator tubing. RESULTS: PIP, PEEP, and FIO2 were reliably and incrementally titratable in the experimental lung, with some notable but manageable changes in pressure and FIO2 documented in the control lung during these titrations. Similar results were measured in lungs with identical and different compliances. CONCLUSIONS: Pressures and FIO2 can be reliably adjusted when utilizing a dual-patient, single-ventilator circuit with simple, low-cost modifications to the circuit. This innovation could potentially be lifesaving in a resource-limited or crisis setting. Understanding the interactions of these circuits is imperative for making their use safer.


In marine and coastal ecosystems, the proliferation of non-indigenous species (NIS) is among the top causes of biodiversity loss. Thus, it is essential to prevent the entrance and proliferation of NIS by detecting their presence as early as possible at the most susceptible locations, such as ports and marinas. Molecular techniques, like DNA metabarcoding, may be faster and more effective in the early detection of NIS. Its high sensitivity allows the detection of species at any stage of their life cycle and when present at very low densities. However, the detection power can be affected by the methodologies employed through the DNA metabarcoding analytical chain. This study aimed to assess the seasonal effects, sampling method (hard and artificial substrates, zooplankton and eDNA) and genetic marker (COI and 18S) in the recovery of NIS through DNA metabarcoding. Sampling was conducted in 3 seasons (spring, autumn, and winter of 2020/2021) in the "Porto Atlântico" marina, which is located near a major commercial port of the North of Portugal (Leixões). Overall, 626 species were identified through DNA metabarcoding, with the dominance of Crustacea, Ascidiacea and Mollusca. The sampling method and season significantly affected the marine invertebrate species recorded, for both molecular markers, with a high proportion of species detected exclusively using one method (7 to 20%). Overall, 31 NIS were detected, 7 of which are considered invasive and 6 are presumed new records in mainland Portugal. Zooplankton sampling and winter were, respectively, the method and the season where the highest number of NIS was detected, but the maximum number was only attained when pooling the results from all sampling methods and seasons. Our study highlights that different sampling methods and genetic markers, over different seasons, are needed to detect NIS in marine habitats, since the number of species shared by these factors is low.


An electromagnetic levitation system comprising a detuned microwave cavity is investigated. The cavity takes the form of a ring-resonator supporting a TM mode, the fields of which generate suspension forces on an unattached 'free' wall of the cavity. The electromagnetic forces over the surface of the free-wall or 'float', which in the most basic format takes the form of a flat disc, are determined by solving the modal equations for a range of possible levitated positions of the float, both aligned and misaligned. These force estimates are then used to determine the dynamic responses of the disc-shaped float to assess the stability and robustness of the suspension mechanism.


Nowadays, the world of technologies is evolving. We used to do business within big companies and now, there is e-commerce. The revolution of e-commerce is only just getting started. Over the next few years, e-Commerce is predicted to be widely accessible. E-commerce would have a significant effect on the formation of a truly mass-market phenomenon. It will also have a profound impact on the way trade is done by each person and company. In addition, e-commerce is responsible for implementing digital interactive TV that will bring further e-commerce beyond the realms of PC literacy. The fact that e-commerce is a future way of business really change the landscape of business. The proliferation of e-commerce companies saw the rise of the worldwide number of online companies. Consumers are now opted for business online, which in contrast to conventional transactions is dramatically convenient. E-commerce firms have, in any case, more advantages compared to conventional brick and mortal companies, but the difficulties and problems facing e-commerce businesses cannot be missed. This study illustrated the difficulties and problems of e-commerce and a range of solutions. Trust, readiness and protection are among the problems. Proposed solutions are proposed for each of the problems and challenges. Alibaba Group for example also face this common challenges. Alibaba Group being chosen in this case study as Alibaba was exceptionally skilled in establishing credibility. Despite its revealed vulnerability in intellectual property rights, Alibaba keep on continued give efforts to create credibility and will help to facilitate the evolution of e-commerce platform. Such attempts have made Alibaba is a standard model for e-business but overall, the challenges in this study are collected among all e-commerce platform, not only Alibaba Group.


Firstly, this article proposes a brief summary of the history of psychological evaluation and the reflection about candidates' attitudes in their responses to psychological tests. It starts by focusing on a series of considerations about Personnel Search and Selection as a process and includes the topic of evaluation -complex and criticizedof such a pluriconditioned variable: the honesty. The arising question is twofold: from the scientific point of view, whether it is possible to measure people's honesty or not; from the ethical point of view whether there is someone able to conclude whether a person is honest. The challenge is to reduce the margin of error of "estimative" which can be reached without essentially impairing the requirements the market demands to personnel selectors.