Fatty acid composition of African yam beans was determined by Gas liquid Chromatography. The major fatty acids present in all the samples were linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids. Fermentation had a significant effect on the fatty and free fatty acids composition with a decrease in the total saturated and an increase in the unsaturated fatty acids. It was also observed that both the total fatty acids and free fatty acids for the cooked beans had very low values compared to the fermented beans. The total fatty acids recorded for cooked beans was 69.34% while 65.4%) was recorded for free fatty acids. This shows that there was an increase in the fatty acid content and a decrease in total free fatty acids on fermentation.


In order to account for non-traditional preference relations the present paper develops a new, richer framework for preference relations. This new framework provides characterizations of non-traditional preference relations, such as incommensurateness and instability, that may hold when neither preference nor indifference do. The new framework models relations with swaps, which are conceived of as transfers from one alternative state to another. The traditional framework analyses dyadic preference relations in terms of a hypothetical choice between the two compared alternatives. The swap framework extends this approach by analysing dyadic preference relations in terms of two hypothetical choices: the choice between keeping the first of the compared alternatives or swapping it for the second; and the choice between keeping the second alternative or swapping it for the first.


'Research literacy' is proposed as a key concept for advancing societal health. To examine whether improvements in research literacy would affect knowledge of and ethical participation in research, parents of young children received a brief educational intervention designed to enhance their understanding of child research. Results demonstrated that the intervention improved research-related knowledge and increased parents' comfort with their research participation decisions. Moreover, enhanced understanding of child volition increased parents' willingness to enrol their children in research. The proposed research literacy model identifies methods to enhance population knowledge and appreciation of research, strengthening links between scientific advancement and health.


Abstract Oniscidean isopods brood the eggs in a fluid-filled marsupium, and embryos undergo prolonged lecithotrophic development. After sloughing of the vitelline membrane (second embryonic molt), the mancas remain in the marsupium for several more days before emerging as free-living juveniles. Calcium is required for cuticle mineralization in crustaceans, and the time-course of net calcium uptake during these early developmental stages is thus of interest. We studied calcium uptake during embryogenesis and manca development in Armadillidium vulgare using Ca microelectrodes and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Total Ca increased approximately 17-fold during egg development, from 0.33 ± 0.12 nmol in Early Stage 1 eggs to 5.58 ± 2.73 nmol in Late Stage 2 eggs. However, the major period of uptake occurred after the second embryonic molt, with total Ca increasing rapidly to 197 ± 19.5 nmol per animal in Day 4 mancas; this represents a 35-fold increase from Late Stage 2 eggs. Mancas take up amaranth when cultured in vitro, showing that they imbibe fluid and probably acquire Ca in this way. Eggs reared in vitro in isopod saline show greatly reduced Ca accumulation, indicating that marsupial development provides other sources of Ca and/or metabolic substrates essential for normal uptake. Periembryonic fluid Ca concentrations measured in Late Stage 2 eggs (following blastokinesis) were 22.1 ± 3.5 mmol L−1, almost double the marsupial fluid levels. Stage 2 eggs reared in vitro in low-Ca (1 mmol L−1) saline show a similar capacity to up-regulate periembryonic Ca concentrations, and the trans-vitelline membrane potential (TVMP) of these eggs lies far from the calcium equilibrium potential (ECa). Inward calcium transport may occur across the dorsal organ; the same eggs show prolonged loss of Ca when the dorsal organ degenerates following blastokinesis.


The purpose of our study was to determine the effect of combined action of phytochemicals on early stages of skin tumorgenesis, i.e., initiation and promotion. We tested calcium D-glucarate (CG) given in the diet, while resveratrol (RES) and ursolic acid (URA) were applied topically. The 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-initiated, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-promoted multistage skin carcinogenesis model in SENCAR mice was used. Mice (6-7 weeks old) with shaved backs received one topical dose of DMBA (20 nmol), then after one month, two weekly doses (2 µg each) of TPA (tumor promoter) for 14 weeks until sacrifice. The phytochemicals RES (2.5 μmol) or URA (1 μmol) were applied topically 20 min prior to DMBA or TPA treatment and 2% dietary CG was given in the AIN-93G diet from 2 weeks prior to 2 weeks after the DMBA dose or continually beginning 2 weeks prior to the first dose of TPA. We determined the tumor incidence (% of mice with tumors) and tumor multiplicity (number of tumors per mouse) and using RT-PCR and immunochistochemical analyses, we checked the expression of some cell proliferation and inflammation related genes. URA applied alone and in combination with CG during the promotion stage was a strong inhibitor of tumor multiplicity and tumor incidence. Combinations of URA with dietary CG appeared to show some synergistic effects. All compounds and their combinations reduced epidermal proliferation, but only URA and a combination CG/URA applied during promotion significantly reduced hyperplasia, as determined by epidermal thickness measurements taken at 14 weeks of TPA treatment. DMBA/TPA treatments resulted in epidermal hyperplasia, characterized by significant increase in transcription factor AP-1 components and nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB) expression levels with a simultaneously increased expression of the inflammation markers COX-2 and IL-6, compared to untreated controls. All anti-promotion treatments (either single compounds or their combinations) caused a marked decrease of inflammation related genes levels compared to the DMBA/TPA control. On the other hand, only URA and URA with dietary CG diminished the induced expression of proto-oncogenes c-jun and c-fos (components of AP-1) and the expression of NFkB protein p50. These results show that URA is a potent inhibitor of skin tumor promotion and it may be useful in the prevention of skin cancer and other epithelial cancers in humans. Supported by NIH grants CA 102747 and P30 CA 54174-16S1. 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 3470.


The crystal structures of phase I and phase II of dimethyl sulfate, (CH3O)2SO2, have been determined using complementary high-resolution neutron powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. Below its melting point of 241 K dimethyl sulfate crystallizes in an orthorhombic structure (I) in the space group Fdd2. On cooling below approximately 175 K the crystal transforms to a monoclinic structure (II) in the space group I2/a. The molecule is located on a twofold axis (Z' = 1/2) in both structures. The phase transition is of first order with strong hysteresis. The phase transition results in changes to both the intra- and the intermolecular coordination environment.


This paper presents the first detailed examination of the relationship between cognitive ability and charitable giving using both cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis. Data from a nationally representative, longitudinal survey of U.S. adults over age 50 indicated that higher cognitive ability—measured through a variety of cognitive tests—was associated with a higher probability of charitable giving, even after controlling for such intervening mechanisms as age, income, wealth, health, and education. This was true in comparisons both across different people at one point in time and within the same persons at different points in time. Understanding this relationship may affect the content and timing of appropriate charitable marketing approaches and help to explain other associations found in previous research on charitable giving.

Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) is typically measured with hypercapnic challenges, which require considerable subject cooperation. Recent CVR mapping approaches using resting-state BOLD data are promising, but their sensitivity is low in subjects with minimal spontaneous changes in breathing pattern. Performed in conjunction with resting-state BOLD scans, intermittent breath modulation enhances variations in breathing pattern while requiring minimal subject compliance, and is a promising tool for CVR mapping without gas inhalation. Here we conducted simultaneous fMRI-EEG experiments to investigate origins of the global BOLD signal fluctuations during intermittent breath modulation, to verify the validity of this new approach.


Work-life balance (WLB) is one of an effective ways to boost up the working spirit of the employee in order for them to work effectively. When they get the right and adequate amount of WLB, employee will contribute more in their job performance. Thus, the organization will receive positive impacts which are; success and growth of the organization itself. Work hour (WH) and management support (MS) is one of the effective catalysts in increasing WLB among the workers. WLB is not solely lies on employee's shoulder but on employers as well. Nature of work in construction industry have different types of works, continuous and uncertainty in the projects. Therefore, these have created conflict in terms of work hours (WH) and management supports (MS) especially to the white collar workers. It is vital to know the level of WLB received by the workers and the relationship of WH and MS towards WLB among the construction workers. In this study, the independent variables are work hours and management support while the dependent variable is work-life balance. All the data were analyzed using SPSS such as descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation and regression analysis. The findings show positive relationship and moderate correlation between work hour and WLB. Whilst correlation for management support towards work-life balance shown a positive relationship and strong correlation for emotional and moderate correlation for instrumental. Other than that, work hours and management support have influence towards WLB.


Received Aug 22, 2021 Revised Dec 13, 2021 Accepted Feb 18, 2022 The aim of this paper is to conduct a mutual comparison of switching energy losses in cascade gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon "super junction" MOSFET" transistor, in both cases designed for a maximum operating voltage of (650 V). For the analysis of switching characteristics of transistors used double pulse test method by using detailed SPICE simulation model. Data on transient on and off processes were generated using the "LTspice" simulation package in a wide range of drain currents with two different gate resistance values of the tested transistors. The total energy losses in the GaN have been simulated during one transistor at (on and off cycle). The obtained results indicate that the superior switching characteristics of GaN devices for a drain current of (30 A) is five to eight times less than the switching characteristics of silicon "MOSFET" transistor when compared to silicon components, especially during operation of transistors with high drain currents.


Depth acquisition, based on active illumination, is essential for autonomous and robotic navigation. LiDARs (Light Detection And Ranging) with mechanical, fixed, sampling templates are commonly used in today's autonomous vehicles. An emerging technology, based on solid-state depth sensors, with no mechanical parts, allows fast, adaptive, programmable scans.
In this paper, we investigate the topic of adaptive, image-driven, sampling and reconstruction strategies. First, we formulate a piece-wise linear depth model with several tolerance parameters and estimate its validity for indoor and outdoor scenes. Our model and experiments predict that, in the optimal case, about 20-60 piece-wise linear structures can approximate well a depth map. This translates to a depth-to-image sampling ratio of about 1/1200. We propose a simple, generic, sampling and reconstruction algorithm, based on super-pixels. We reach a sampling rate which is still far from the optimal case. However, our sampling improves grid and random sampling, consistently, for a wide variety of reconstruction methods. Moreover, our proposed reconstruction achieves state-of-the-art results, compared to image-guided depth completion algorithms, reducing the required sampling rate by a factor of 3-4. A single-pixel depth camera built in our lab illustrates the concept.


The filamentous fungus Penicillium sp. strain TN-88 carries the endoinulinase gene inuC and the exoinulinase gene inuD that are linked head-to-head on the genome and divergently transcribed from an 859-bp intergenic region [Moriyama et al., Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem., 66, 1887-1896 (2002)]. Quantitative real-time PCR amplification revealed that the transcription levels of the inuC and inuD genes increased 42- and 3260-fold in inulin-grown mycelia, respectively. Sucrose as well as fructose did not induce the expression of the inuC or inuD gene at all. The levels of inuC and inuD transcripts in mycelia grown on the glucose/inulin mixture were both below their basal levels in glucose-grown mycelia. Thus, glucose exerts a strong carbon catabolite repression on the expression of the two genes.


A backward reasoning approach to verify a digital circuit is described. The proposed proof procedure is an augmentation of inductive reasoning over the states of a finite state machine. The augmentation addresses the issues related to reasoning with both the data and control paths of the circuit. The methodology has been illustrated with a lift controller example. Limitation of this proof approach is also identified.


Based on the project 'Construction of High Quality Curriculum Integrated with Information Technology' undertaken by the author, this paper makes a detailed discussion on the original ideas, goals and contents, strategies and measures of the project as well. Meanwhile, this paper describes comprehensive performance evaluation in terms of the degree to which the project influenced on best-curriculum construction, teachers' professional development and students' learning abilities. The purpose of the paper is to provide beneficial references and experiences to facilitate the further curriculum construction and reform in universities.


MOST CHINESE HAD NOT HEARD OF THE INTERNET before the mid-1990s; many are now rushing to embrace cyberspace. Internet service providers (ISPs) and internet content providers (ICPs) are mushrooming. Chinese are among the world's most active internet users, and internet growth rates are among the highest in the world. By the end of 2000 there were 265,000 websites and 22.5 million internet users in China.(1) If present trends continue, within five years China will have more users than the United States. The growing numbers have been seen as a potential gold mine in a population of about 1:3 billion customers and have attracted the attention of global investors in information technology fields.DEVELOPMENTSChina's computer market grew by more than 40 per cent per year after 1994 (except for a temporary decline in 1998).(2) In 1999, personal computer (PC) sales increased by 25.6 per cent to a total of 4.94 million PCs.(3) In 2000, 6.5 million PCs were sold on the domestic market.(4) By 30 June 2000, 6.5 million computers were logged on to the internet.(5) The world's fifth largest market for PCs and one of the most important PC manufacturers and exporters, China is set to become the world's largest PC consumer, manufacturer, and exporter.(6)According to government figures, the online population doubled in the first six months of 1999 from two million to four million, more than doubled by the end of the year to 8.9 million and nearly doubled again to 17 million in the first half of 2000.(7) Given that many Chinese share accounts to defray high line fees and other costs, the number of people using the internet in China may be between 67 million and 89 million. In addition, many people do not have internet access from home, but free e-mail boxes, most of which are unregistered, are easy to obtain in workplaces and elsewhere. The former president of the United States, Bill Clinton, may not have been far off the mark when he said that 'when over 100 million people in China can get on the Net, it will be impossible to maintain a closed political and economic society.'(8)The online population will continue to increase. A domestic prediction puts the number of internet users at 62 million in 2001 and 80 million by 2002. Overseas predictions are even more optimistic. One suggests that there could be 374 million users in China and that China will become the largest internet market in the world by the end of 2005.(9)Between June and December 1999, the number of websites in China rose from 9,906 to 15,153.(10) The winners of a competition for the country's top ten internet leaders and 100 best websites in ten categories were announced in January 2000.(11) In 1999, Sina, the top ISP, provided integrated online services to 5.5 million viewers per day and half a million frequent web users. Sohu, one of China's most successful websites, received an average of 2.7 million hits a day.(12)Online government projects are another important aspect of China's internet development. The government encourages various ministries and provinces to take the lead in developing information technology infrastructure and establishing websites to provide information and to help develop e-commerce. Both the central and the provincial governments have made much progress in building their internet networks. By the end of 1999, 68 state-level departments or 60 per cent of government agencies had their own websites. China hoped to have 80 per cent of its central and local government institutions on-line by the end of 2000, and it came close to meeting its target.(13) Most ministries now provide at least basic information about their functions on line. For example, in addition to statements by the government on Chinese foreign policy and government officials' remarks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website lists the names of various department heads. Even this basic information was previously available to ordinary people only with difficulty because of blocking communist bureaucrats. …


Abstract Aims: To analyse intratympanic gentamicin injection as a treatment option in patients with monolateral Ménière's disease resistant to medical treatment. Material and methods: Longitudinal, prospective, descriptive study of response to gentamicin treatment in 71 patients diagnosed with Ménière's disease and treated medically for more than a year, unsuccessfully. American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery criteria were used for diagnosis and follow up. Results: Complete vertigo control was obtained in 65.6 per cent of patients, and complete or substantial control in 84.37 per cent. Thirteen patients (18.3 per cent) suffered significant hearing loss. Conclusion: This intratympanic gentamicin injection protocol enabled effective vertigo control in most patients, and represents a good alternative to more aggressive techniques for the treatment of Ménière's disease which does not respond to medical treatment.


Oak trees are one of the most desirable landscape trees in North America because of their wide distribution, great ecological and aesthetic value. Yet, plant propagators have not been able to select oak trees with desirable physiological and ornamental features because vegetative propagation was quite difficult. With new techniques developed at Cornell University, selection within the white oak group has become possible. This study aimed at propagating hybrid oak crosses made between oaks native to New York Stateusing pollen collected all over the world. The primary objective was to test and better understand the layering propagation method combining rejuvenation, etiolation and plant hormone stimulation and then select individuals with both alkaline tolerance to urban soil and good growth vigor for urban landscape use. Approximately 360 hybrid oaks created during 2004 through 2006 were propagated twice in 2009 and 2010. Techniqueswere modified during propagation to better achieve better success. Due to these changes the percentage of new shootslost due to propagation treatment decreased 26%. Different rootabilities were observed among different hybrid types. Comparatively, female parents of stock plants had a stronger effect on the rootability than the male parent. Among the female parents, Quercus xwarei 'Long' REGAL PRINCE and Quercus macrocarpa had the highest rooting percentages, Quercus bicolor and Quercus macrocarpa 'Ashworth Strain' were intermediate and Quercus muehlenbergii was the hardest one to be propagated. There was a significant loss during the first winter of newly propagated oaks after harvested in fall. Those that survived were then used to conduct an alkaline tolerance evaluation in soil pH8.0 with a control treatment of soil pH6.0 in open field and in the greenhouse respectively,during 2010 and 2011. Growth was evaluated and alkaline tolerance rating was measured using a SPAD meter was taken to determine the ability to function in alkaline soil. Some plants grew equally well or even better in alkaline soil, while some other plants showed poor growth and chlorotic symptoms. Consistency can be found throughout the plants propagated in two years. However, due to the physiological features of plants, longer period of observation and further testing is needed to prove that individuals selected from new hybrids have consistent alkaline tolerance and may be very valuable in the urban landscape.


Abstract We analyse theoretically the interaction between water waves and a thin layer of fluid mud on a sloping seabed. Under the assumption of long waves in shallow water, weakly nonlinear and dispersive effects in water are considered. The fluid mud is modelled as a thin layer of viscoelastic continuum. Using the constitutive coefficients of mud samples from two field sites, we examine the interaction of nonlinear waves and the mud motion. The effects of attenuation on harmonic evolution of surface waves are compared for two types of mud with distinct rheological properties. In general mud dissipation is found to damp out surface waves before they reach the shore, as is known in past observations. Similar to the Eulerian current in an oscillatory boundary layer in a Newtonian fluid, a mean displacement in mud is predicted which may lead to local rise of the sea bottom.


Abstract This article proposes a new technology of container carriage of rocks without construction of transport communications in an open-pit mine and with technological and energy-saving advantages. These advantages are: simultaneous excavation of rocks, transportation of rocks by the shortest distance, small mass of a container and mobility of a complex of hoists which will reduce energy expenses and the cost of transportation of the mined rock. One of the principal advantages of the developed technology is the decrease in environmental emissions into the atmosphere of the open-pit mine thanks to the reduction of the vehicle fleet. This technology will enable significant improvement of the environmental situation in the area of mining operations.


Sparse-matrix vector multiplication is an important kernel that often runs inefficiently on superscalar RISC processors. This paper describes techniques that increase instruction-level parallelism and improve performance. The techniques include reordering to reduce cache misses (originally due to Das et al.), blocking to reduce load instructions, and prefetching to prevent multiple load-store units from stalling simultaneously. The techniques improve performance from about 40 MFLOPS (on a well-ordered matrix) to more than 100 MFLOPS on a 266-MFLOPS machine. The techniques are applicable to other superscalar RISC processors as well, and have improved performance on a Sun UItraSPARC I workstation, for example.


This paper represented the experience gained and discussed the works done under the title "Requirements Analysis For SBS System And Study Review Process Iteration During Requirements Phase" by the author during her Industrial Attachment 2 Period, from 13th October 2008 to 13th March 2009, at HeiTech Padu, Malaysia. The purpose of this paper is to analyze requirements for Shared Banking Services system and study reviews process that can be applied in requirement phase in order to get quality requirements document with reduced errors. The SBS system is aimed to provide the banking services, of one selected bank, through post office in order to give the customer other alternative way to perform his or her banking services. There were some studies is carried out to understand how the reviews process is important in requirement phase and to show how to make the reviews process more effective by iterate it during the development of SRS document. The required methodology to achieved objectives of this paper began from initiation and planning, an analysis of Shared Banking Services system, study about best practices in requirements engineering process and study requirements review process. Finally, documentation of the output was performed. The development team of SBS system used ADVISE methodology which is based in HeiTech Padu process development. The deliverables of analyzing SBS system are Software Requirement Specification (SRS), Requirement Traceability Matrix and User Manual documents. A workflow is introduced to show how the reviews process can be iterated during development of SRS document.


We simulate the interference patterns of solar systems, incorporating an Estrella and two Tierras, as detected by a rotational shearing interferometer, to compare with laboratory setup. Three rays are propagated to represent each wavefront in the interferometer, using the exact ray tracing technique. Then, the phase, with which light beams are incident into the detection plane is used to calculate the orientation of the incident wavefront. Finally, all the incident wavefronts are summed together to obtain the resulting interference pattern.


Nummular eczema is an inflammatory skin disease characterized by coin-shaped, well-delineated, erythematous plaques with lesions which may manifest as papules or vesicles. This case report presents a case of nummular eczema on a male patient treated with corticosteroids without any signs of improvement. Thus, alternative and complementary treatments of FCTI Active Specific Immunotherapy (ASI®) therapy and MF+"Mito Organelles" Super Transfer Factor (MO STF) were prescribed for the treatment of nummular eczema. By the combination of both therapies, both ASI and STF could successfully modulate the immune system and healed the skin lesions, hyperpigmentation and erythematous plaques. This effective method could serve as a promising alternative in the management of nummular eczema.


The paper presents the research results on the properties of the pulp coniferous and deciduous wood composition in its original state and paper made from it, proposes a mechanism to increase the waterfast and waterproof food packaging paper by surface treatment with a composition based on polyamidepichlorohydrin with polyvinyl alcohol and urea. The study was conducted in order to ensure an increase in the consumer properties of packaging paper, since when packaging materials encounter food products, their structure can change under the influence of moisture, steam, and gas. Polyamidaminepichlorohydrin was used as the main component of the composition for paper processing, as functional additives: polyvinyl alcohol and urea. The above-mentioned starting materials are environmentally friendly, since foreign inclusions in food packaging materials would pose a serious danger to human health and life, as well as to the brand image of the product in which they would be detected. It was proved that high waterfastness and waterproofness, as well as the necessary level of barrier, protective and operational properties of packaging material for food products cannot always be obtained by introducing a significant amount of polyamidaminepichlorohydrin, so the paper investigated the mechanism of interacting cellulose fibers of paper with polyamidaminepichlorohydrin, and also proved the possibility of its use to obtain packaging paper with a given set of properties. It was found that the consumption of up to 4–6% polyamidaminepichlorohydrin provides the main increase in the mechanical strength of packaging paper, both in wet and dry conditions. The resulting waterfast and waterproof material can be used for food packaging.


MCTPs (Multiple C2 domain proteins with two transmembrane regions) are evolutionarily and structurally related to other C2 proteins which play fundamental roles in exocytosis and membrane trafficking, however their specific role has been little studied. This work points out possible functional implications of MCTPs by comparing their primary amino acid sequence and functional domains. MCTP amino acid sequences were identified in non-chordates and chordates. The primary sequences grouped in three classes: MCTP, MCTP-1 and MCTP-2. MCTP is present only in non-chordates, while MCTP-1 and MCTP-2 are present in chordates. MCTP genes emerged early in metazoan evolution and are well conserved across species including humans. Genomic analysis of diverse species of representative phyla showed that the three C2 domains (C2A-C2C) and transmembrane regions (TMR) are well conserved. The C2 domains have eight β strands as well as aspartate residues known to bind calcium. Interestingly, we identified a lysine-rich cluster, also known as polybasic cluster in C2A and C2B, which is known to bind lipids in other proteins. We also describe the phylogenetic distribution of MCTPs and analyze conserved domains and their predicted secondary structure in metazoans. We highlight important motifs that have not been previously described in MCTPs C2A and C2B domains that suggest MCTPs potentially bind phospholipids. Our observations show MCTPs are proteins widely distributed in eukaryotic organisms and may play an important role in membrane fusion or exocytosis.


By invoking the concept of displaced number state in quantum optics, the complete eigenstates in one-dimensional mesoscopic rings with electron-phonon coupling are abtained and the eignevalues followed. It is shown that the eigenvalues and persistent current depend on both coupling strength and phonon number.


In order to investigate factors that contribute to eccentric contraction (ECC)-induced loss of tetanic force, Ca2+ uptake, Ca2+ release, and Ca2+-ATPase activity of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and sarcolemmal Na+-K+-ATPase activity were examined in rat fast-twitch skeletal muscles that underwent in situ ECC or isometric contraction (ISC) for up to 500 repetitions. The tetanic force at 60 Hz was more depressed in ECC-treated muscles than in ISC-treated muscles. SR Ca2+-ATPase activity displayed biphasic changes in response to ECC; after a temporary increase (up to 200 ECC repetitions), the activity decreased. With ECC, SR Ca2+ release rate and Na+-K+-ATPase activity decreased during the first 100 repetitions and remained almost constant thereafter. In contrast, the investigated variables (Ca2+-ATPase activity, Ca2+ release rate, and Na+-K+-ATPase activity) were unaltered in ISC-treated muscles. These results indicate that a more pronounced reduction in force output in ECC-treated muscles than in ISC-treated muscles might be attributable, at least in part, to impaired function of the SR Ca2+ release channel and/or Na+-K+-ATPase.


Many electronic boards or systems exhibit nonlinear behaviors during shock or vibration tests. One of the challenges for dynamics analysis of electronic boards or systems is to deal with these nonlinearities. In order to solve the nonlinear problem, the nonlinearities need to be revealed and characterized and their effects understood. This paper demonstrates the methods in identifying the nonlinearities and supported with empirical tests. Shock, random vibration and static bending were used to reveal the board system nonlinearities. The empirical results provided direction to update shock FE models.Copyright © 2005 by ASME


Composite aerogels can include fibers, opacifiers and binders but are rarely designed and optimized to achieve the best thermal/mechanical efficiency. This paper proposes a three-dimensional X-ray tomography-based method for designing composites. Two types of models are considered: classical and inexpensive homogenization models and more refined finite element models. XrFE is based on the material's real three-dimensional microstructure and/or its twin numerical microstructure, and calculates the effective conductivity of the material. First, the three-dimensional sample is meshed and labeled. Then, a finite element method is used to calculate the heat flow in the samples. The entire three-dimensional microstructure of a real or fictitious sample is thus associated with a heat flow and an effective conductivity. Parametric studies were performed to understand the relationship between microstructure and thermal efficiency. They highlighted how quickly a low volume fraction addition can improve or ruin thermal conductivity. A reduced set of three formulations was developed and fully characterized. The mechanical behavior was higher than 50 KPa, with thermal efficiencies ranging from 14 to 15 mW·m·K−1.


Social finance is fast becoming a mainstream source of funding for goods and services that target poor people across the globe. With social finance, impact investors put their capital behind enterprises that profitably cater to underserved populations by expanding access to critical goods and services, such as healthcare, affordable housing, credit, and quality employment. Social finance is hybrid in that it is driven by both social and commercial imperatives: Impact investors and social businesses want to generate financial returns alongside a positive social impact. While hybridity creates pathways for changing the role of business in society, it also creates openings for explosive conflicts of interest that can harm the very people whose lives are supposed to be improved. This article argues that social-financial hybridity presents a pressing regulatory challenge that must be addressed. It evaluates the potential for three newly established Social Stock Exchanges (SSEs) — platforms designed to connect investors with social businesses in need of capital — to bridge this regulatory gap. Treating SSEs as transnational rulemaking laboratories for social finance, this study reveals how current regulatory frameworks fall short of filling the hybridity cracks through which beneficiaries can slip and recommends measures for correcting this deficit.


Background: Digitoxin and valproic acid show strong binding to serum albumin. Thus, when present simultaneously in serum, digitoxin and valproic acid compete for binding sites. We studied digitoxin‐valproic acid interaction in normal and uremic sera. Methods: Fluorescence polarization immunoassays were used for measuring total digitoxin and total valproic acid concentrations. We used a modified protocol of improved sensitivity to measure free digitoxin concentrations. We supplemented 2 normal and 2 uremic pools with digitoxin and then aliquots of these pools were further supplemented with various concentrations of valproic acid. After incubation at 37°C for 2 hours in a water bath, specimens were allowed to re‐equilibrate at room temperature for 20 minutes. Free digitoxin concentrations were measured. We also investigated digoxin‐valproic acid interaction using 1 normal and 1 uremic serum pool. Results: We observed significant increases in free digitoxin concentrations in normal sera in the presence of valproic acid. In contrast, we observed a slight decline in free digitoxin concentration in the presence of valproic acid in uremic sera. We speculated that uremic sera contained inhibitors that block digitoxin‐valproic acid interaction and identified indoxyl sulfate as an inhibitor. However, another uremic compound, hippuric acid showed no inhibitory effect. Interestingly, we observed no significant interaction between digoxin and valproic acid in either normal or uremic serum pool. This is probably because of poor protein binding of digoxin. Conclusion: We conclude that valproic acid significantly displaces digitoxin from protein binding sites in normal serum. However, uremic sera contain inhibitors that block digitoxin‐valproic acid interaction.


Over the last three decades, there has been an increasing interest in the problem of the investor's optimal consumption and portfolio rules. Despite the substantial amount of related literature, there remain many areas for further investigation. The thesis, therefore, addresses a number of important issues relating to the theory and practice of dynamic portfolio strategies.
The thesis consists of five essays. The first two essays, Chapters 3 and 4, are concerned with efficient dynamic asset allocation programs under alternative market assumptions. Chapter 3 studies a situation where the simple time-invariant portfolio strategies are efficient and provides a complete characterisation of the strategies using the efficiency arguments. The popularised constant proportion portfolio insurance (CPPI) is embedded as a special case. Chapter 4 relaxes the assumption of a constant interest rate to allow the interest rate to follow a one factor stochastic process. The factor risk premium is then determined in a way that is consistent with the underlying equilibrium. These results are then applied to solve explicitly for an investor's optimal portfolio choice problem under the special case of a Vacisek short rate model and alternative utility functions.
The third essay, Chapter 5, relaxes the assumption of a constant equity risk premium to allow the risk premium to vary through time. The evolution of the market risk premium in a representative agent equilibrium (consistent with the Black-Scholes option pricing) is investigated using a unified approach. The presence of dividends and intermediate consumption proves to be the key element that enables us to obtain a stationary economy with decreasing relative risk aversion, a theoretical result that has not be established in the existing literature.
The last two essays. Chapters 6 and 7. are concerned with issues of portfolio efficiency and performance measurement. Chapter 6 uses the result from Chapter 5 that, without dividends and intermediate consumption, the market risk premium must satisfy the Burgers' equation, and applies Dybvig's payoff distribution pricing model to measure the inefficiency costs incurred when this condition is violated. The numerical results show that the degree of inefficiency is not very significant, at least for the cases which we postulate, but the findings also reassure negative result predicted from the model.
Finally, Chapter 7 proposes a new utility based performance measure that can be applied in the ex-post evaluation of dynamic portfolio strategies. We construct a contingent claim estimation approach to estimate the nearest efficient strategy from a single realisation and then quantify the opportunity cost resulting from the departure of the observed strategy from the nearest efficient one. The numerical examples show that the technique is remarkably robust.


Background Dietary factors are one of the most important risk factors for health loss worldwide, however there is limited information on dietary trends in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) and whether inequities in dietary patterns are changing.Methods We extracted data from the Household Economic Survey (HES), which was designed to provide information on impacts of policy-making in NZ. Three HES waves in 2006/07, 2009/10 and 2012/13 (n=9030) were used to examine the trends in household expenditure for key food groups by income-level and ethnicity, including food group expenditure (absolute amounts and as a proportion of total food expenditure, inflation adjusted).Results Overall, total household food expenditure per capita (CPI-adjusted) increased by 0.38% annually over this period (albeit not statistically significant). In absolute terms, low-income households spent around three quarters of what high-income households spent on food per capita. High-income households experienced a greater increase in expenditure on nuts and seeds (increasing the gap) and a greater reduction in expenditure on processed meat (reducing the gap because expenditure remained higher than in low-income households). There was increased expenditure over time on fruit and vegetables (NZ$273 per capita per year), nuts and seeds, and healthy foods (NZ$507) in Māori (Indigenous) households with little variations in non-Māori households. As a result, the relative health-related gap in food expenditure between Māori and non-Māori households declined over time. But there was little change in processed meat expenditure for Māori households and expenditure on less healthy foods also increased over time. Conclusions HES data were useful for understanding trends in food expenditure patterns, in the absence of nutrition survey data. Potentially positive expenditure trends for Māori were identified, which could indicate a shift towards healthier diets. However, food expenditure inequities in processed meat and less healthy foods by ethnicity and income continue to be substantial. Public policies that aim to support healthy diets for all could involve changes to the food environment and government support for culturally appropriate Māori-led interventions.


This study responds to the current demand for evidence of the effectiveness of music therapy in adult psychiatric care and rehabilitation. The qualitative, idiographic, and user-based perspective of the study also responds to the growing requirement that ''evidence-based practice'' take into account patients' needs, experiences, and evaluations of services. The study is based on verbal data from 19 patients with chronic mental health problems who completed at least 10 individual sessions of professional music therapy in a London mental health unit. In-depth analysis of semistructured interviews using interpretive phenomenological anal- ysis elicits patients' experiences of the process of music therapy and its varied benefits for them in relation to their symptoms, coping strategies, and overall quality of life. The data suggest how the approach to music therapy taken in this situation often works in relation to users' long-standing relationship to music, as expressed through their ''music-health-illness narratives.'' Participation in music therapy has benefits in itself but can also help reestablish patients' ongoing use of music as a health- promoting resource and coping strategy in their lives. Keywords music therapy, music improvisation, adult psychiatry, rehabilitation, evidence


The majority of the populations in the developing world rely on traditional
medicine for their primary healthcare needs. Herbal therapy predominates in traditional
medicine as well as in complementary or alternative medicine practiced in the developed
world. Among the various indications where traditional herbal medicines are used, skin
and skin related disorders are ranked top. Thus, the main objective of the present study is
to formulate and evaluate semi-solid dosage forms of Hypericum mysorense for its
wound healing activity.
The stem of Hypericum mysorense was extracted by continuous hot percolation/
soxhletation using methanol as solvent and was evaluated for its phytochemical property,
in-vitro antimicrobial and in-vitro antioxidant activity. Using this methanolic extract,
semi-solid dosage form(ointment) was formulated. Ointment was prepared using 2%
concentration of the extract by fusion method using emulsifying ointment as base and
then tested for physiochemical properties like colour, loss on drying, pH, viscosity,
melting point, spreadability and extrudability. HPTLC analysis, in-vitro diffusion studies,
kinetic studies and stability studies were also conducted on the preparation. The results of
in-vitro antimicrobial and in-vitro antioxidant activity added on to the wound healing
activity of the extract. Hence, the ointment containing 2% methanolic extract of
Hypericum mysorense was evaluated for its wound healing activity using excision wound
model. The formulation did not produce any skin irritation for about a week when applied
over the skin. The effect produced by the extract ointment, in terms of wound contracting
ability, wound closure time and histopathological characteristics were comparable to that
of a standard drug, povidone iodine ointment. Therefore, the present study concluded that
the Hypericum mysorense at 2% concentration of the methanolic extract formulated as an
ointment showed a better wound healing formulation for better patient care and pharmaco
economical.


Presents MARTI (Man-machine Animation Real-Time Interface) for simple interfacing to virtual environments. The system is designed for automated special-effect animation and human-computer interaction, and can immerse people, irrespective of their expertise, into new technologies. Previous research has used image recognition systems to extract control signals for lip synchronisation; however, the analysis requires that the key articulatory points be highlighted. Researchers have also considered acoustic soundtracks. However, these systems are limited by the accuracy of their speech recognition and must be trained on the single animator's voice. Furthermore, they do not provide timing information, which prevents accurate synchronisation. MARTI overcomes these limitations, allowing automatic lip synchronisation from a single speech input, and without the normal constraints of head-sets, reflectors and complex puppeteer control hardware. The system achieves a lip synchronisation performance in excess of 81% and does not require pre-training to the performer's voice, but instead operates with continuous speech in 'normal' non-laboratory conditions. Furthermore, the system returns timing information, and is invariant to regional accents and dialects, race, age and gender. MARTI introduces novel research from a number of engineering fields in order to realise the first natural interface and animation system to be capable of high performance for real users and real-world applications.


The purpose of this study is to observe the process of responding to a changing environment through dynamic capabilities. The study is focused particularly on cooperation at the organizational site level and on leadership. Dynamic capabilities include the inherent capabilities of a firm's executive management as well as the organizational capabilities process including leadership of the firm. The factor of leadership is important both theoretically and empirically, as a microfoundation of dynamic capabilities as organizational capabilities. The framework of the study shows that dynamic capabilities, organizations, and leadership have a close theoretical relationship. To demonstrate that the theoretical relationship was also empirically valid, a case study of a Japanese firm is referred to describe the interface between leadership and the environmental adaptation process in an actual cooperation situation. The findings are that shared leadership and situational leadership facilitate the coordinated work in the activity process and play a significant role in making use of organizational capabilities. The research implies that we must reconsider the process of manifesting organizational capability in today's Japanese companies from the aspect of coordinated workings of each organizational member and leadership rather than the inherent capabilities of a firm's executive management. The originality of this research is that it highlights shared leadership in the organization's adaptation process as strategic factor both theoretically and empirically as a microfoundation for dynamic capabilities of the firm.


Membrane separation is regarded nowadays as a preferred method for production of purified hydrogen. Palladium (Pd) is an attractive membrane material due to its ability to dissociate molecular hydrogen into atoms. It is usually deposited on the porous substrate that can provide good mechanical support and reduce the thickness of the membrane for maximizing hydrogen permeability. Pd membrane used for hydrogen separation must be thin enough to increase hydrogen flux and reduce cost while remaining thick enough to retain adhesion, attrition resistance and mechanical integrity during high temperature cycles. In this paper, the progress of electroless deposition of Pd around the pore area at surface of porous stainless steel was recorded and a bridge structure that was formed during the membrane deposition around the pore area of the substrate was illustrated. After that, the porous substrate was modified using micro-or nano-size metal or metal oxide particles in order to reduce pore size in the substrate surface. The experimental results obtained from hydrogen permeation through the Pd membranes having the thickness from 400 nm to 18 μm built on both modified and original porous stainless steel substrates demonstrate that these thin membranes are solid and they can be used at the temperature of 550°C and hydrogen pressure difference of 3.447x105 Pa. The proposed processing will allow optimizing the design and fabrication of thin Pd membranes on different porous substrates for hydrogen separation.


CONTEXT
Epithelioid hemangioma or angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia is an uncommon benign vascular neoplasm that is usually located on the face or neck. Exceptionally, it has been described affecting the colon, with only two such cases described in the worldwide literature. The aim here was to present a case of primary epithelioid hemangioma of the sigmoid colon with confirmation by immunohistochemical examination.

CASE REPORT
A 37-year-old woman had had a complaint of intermittent abdominal pain for six months. Two months after the condition started, she began to present changes in her intestinal habit, with evacuations containing blood and mucus and a weight loss of 4 kg over this period. At physical examination, a palpable mass was noted in the lower left quadrant of the abdomen. Neoplasia of the colon was clinically suspected and she underwent colonoscopy. This demonstrated the presence of a vegetating sessile lesion of approximately 5 cm in diameter, at a distance of 36 cm from the anal margin. It occupied 80% of the intestinal lumen. A biopsy collected during the examination suggested a diagnosis of neoplasia of vascular origin. After surgical resection, histopathological examination of the resected specimen confirmed the diagnosis of epithelioid hemangioma of the colon, which was backed up by the immunohistochemical panel (factor VIII, Ki-67, CD-34). At present, three years after the surgery, the patient is asymptomatic, she has recovered her normal weight and she has normal findings from control colonoscopy. Despite the rarity of neoplasia of vascular origin, this possibility should be considered in the differential diagnosis for colorectal tumors.


Synopsis Outcrops of Middle-Upper Jurassic rocks in northern Scotland are restricted to two sedimentary basins. In the east exposures at Brora (Sutherland) and Balintore (Ross-shire) are part of the Moray Firth basin. In the west major exposures at Staffin and in Strathaird (Isle of Skye) belong to the Minch basin. A formal lithostratigraphy is erected with five formations and twenty-six members, which have been correlated with the standard ammonite zone. Each basin presents a pair of sections, with thick sandy onshore sequences at Brora and Strathaird and condensed argillaceous offshore sequences at Balintore and Staffin. The two onshore/offshore localities show marked facies similarities, but are affected by different transgressions in the Oxfordian. A new species of Longaeviceras is described. It is the first authenticated record of this genus from the Oxfordian.


Previous research has shown that as the level of background noise increases, auditory word recognition performance drops off more rapidly for bilinguals than monolinguals. This disproportionate bilingual deficit has often been attributed to a presumed increase in cross-language activation in noise, although no studies have specifically tested for such an increase. We propose two distinct mechanisms by which background noise could cause an increase in cross-language activation: a phonetically based account and an executive function-based account. We explore the evidence for the phonetically based account by comparing cognate facilitation effects for three groups of native English listeners (monolinguals, late (L2) learners of Spanish, and heritage Spanish speakers) and four noise conditions (no noise, speech-shaped noise, English two-talker babble, and Spanish two-talker babble) during an auditory lexical decision task in English. By examining word recognition in the dominant language, the role of language control mechanisms is minimized, and by examining three different types of competing noise, the role of energetic vs. informational masking can be assessed. Contrary to predictions, we find no evidence that background noise modulates cross-language activation; cognate facilitation is constant across the four noise conditions. Instead, several indices of word recognition performance are found to correlate with aspects of linguistic experience: (1) The magnitude of the cognate facilitation effect is correlated with heritage listeners' self-ratings of Spanish proficiency; (2) Overall noise deficits are marginally larger for heritage listeners with lower English vocabulary scores; (3) Heritage listeners' Spanish self-ratings predict their magnitude of informational masking; (4) For all bilinguals, the degree of masking incurred in both English and Spanish two-talker babble is correlated with self-reported daily exposure to Spanish; and (5) The degree of masking incurred by Spanish babble is correlated with Spanish vocabulary knowledge. The results enrich our understanding of auditory word recognition in heritage speakers in particular and provide evidence that informational masking is most subject to modulation due to variation in linguistic experience. It remains to be seen whether cross-language activation is modulated by noise when the target language is the less dominant one.


A 3-year-old, castrated male Pekingese was examined 2 days after automobile-induced trauma. Multiple pelvic injuries and visual deficits in the right eye were identified. During a subsequent postmortem examination, multiple pelvic fractures were confirmed; however, there was no evidence of head injury. Both globes were bilaterally symmetrical and grossly normal. The intraorbital and intracranial portions of the right optic nerve were threadlike and rudimentary in appearance, while the left optic nerve was grossly normal. Moderate dilatation of the left lateral ventricle was noted. Microscopically the right optic nerve and left nerve tract contained few identifiable nerve fibers. The right optic disc was depressed, and there was thinning of the optic nerve fiber and ganglion cell layers of the retina. No microscopic abnormalities were evident in the left optic nerve, optic disc, retina and right optic tract. The histologic changes in the right eye are consistent with optic nerve hypoplasia. The relationship between the optic nerve/optic tract lesions and the hydrocephalus is unknown.


Wilms' tumor (WT) is a childhood renal neoplasm with histological features resembling fetal kidney development. Two members of the paired box family of genes, PAX2 and PAX8, are expressed in WT and are potentially involved in its induction. A zinc finger gene, WT1, which is involved in WT induction, encodes a DNA binding protein, and like PAX2 and PAX8 proteins is a transcription factor with an important role in kidney development. We have compared the expression patterns of PAX2, PAX8, and WT1 in fetal kidney and WTs by in situ hybridization. The PAX2, PAX8, and WT1 genes were transcribed in the condensed mesenchyme and early stages of epithelial differentiation in fetal kidney. WT1 gene transcription was observed in the glomeruli of fetal kidney until a later stage in development than PAX genes. In WTs all three genes were expressed in the condensed blastema, but WT1 expression was not detectable in the epithelial structures in two WTs. No evidence of attenuation of PAX gene expression was found in WT. These results suggest that in some WTs the expression of WT1 is attenuated in structures that continued to express PAX genes. It is unlikely that both PAX2 and PAX8 genes would be mutated in WT. However, failure of PAX gene expression to attenuate in WTs may result from mutations involved in the onset of the tumor.


This study aims to map educational games related to the sexuality of adolescents/young people, based on publications that occurred over the last decade (2011 to 2020). An integrative review was performed in the Web of Science, SCOPUS, MEDLINE/PubMed, and LILACS databases in September 2020, with the final inclusion of 16 studies. Games developed on four continents were identified, predominantly in high-income countries, with the United States of America and Brazil being those that published the most. The tools consisted mostly of videogames and digital games, with the adoption of simulated scenarios and plots. Regarding development, there was a preference for the participatory construction mode, while some also underwent a validation process. The tools addressed several areas of human sexuality and demonstrated a positive potential for use, with educational gains and changes in habits, but their results need to be carefully considered. Only the effects of three games were evaluated by randomized controlled trials.


The spindle checkpoint delays anaphase onset until all chromosomes have attached in a bi-polar manner to the mitotic spindle. Mad and Bub proteins are recruited to unattached kinetochores, and generate diffusible anaphase inhibitors. Checkpoint models propose that Mad1 and Bub1 act as stable kinetochore-bound scaffolds, to enhance recruitment of Mad2 and Mad3/BubR1, but this remains untested for Bub1. Here, fission yeast FRAP experiments confirm that Bub1 stably binds kinetochores, and by tethering Bub1 to telomeres we demonstrate that it is sufficient to recruit anaphase inhibitors in a kinase-independent manner. We propose that the major checkpoint role for Bub1 is as a signalling scaffold.


Abstract. We propose an in-depth investigation of all-solid microstructured optical fibers for the development of very large mode area (VLMA) fiber lasers. The inner cladding microstructure of these VLMA fibers is carefully optimized in order to get a robust single-mode laser operation in the high power regime. We describe the numerical approach used to devise a novel kind of fiber structures, the core of which should be larger than 50 μm while showing an improved single-mode emission compared to that of the state-of-the-art large pitch fibers. With the aim of overpassing the limitations of chemical vapor deposition techniques, we opted for a manufacturing process called Repusil, based on the sintering and vitrification of doped powders. Then, our opto-geometrical considerations result from the optical properties offered by this method and the use of the stack and draw. Finally, we present our very first fabrication for the proposed all-solid microstructured fibers in which a laser emission of 52 W in a continuous wave regime was obtained.


Correct diagnosis is the main problem at the beginning of Parkinson's disease. Treatment is symptomatic and begins with levodopa or dopamine agonists, depending on age and neuropsychiatric symptoms. When many drug intakes are necessary or major non-motor problems are present, the situation becomes complex and requires individual treatment plans including non-pharmacological therapies. Deep brain stimulation is an option when a satisfactory mobility cannot be reached without inacceptable side effects.


In this paper a class of coupled nonlinear dynamical systems subjected to stochastic excitation is considered. It is shown how the exact steady-state probability density function for this class of systems can be constructed. The result is then applied to some classical oscillator problems.


Irish prisons are costly, overcrowded and ineffective. Our prison population has almost doubled in a decade and is increasing at the rate of 10% each year. The average cost of providing a prison space in 2009 was €79,307, yet the latest figure show that the numbers of prisoners sentenced to three months or less is rising. And as the numbers increase, the prisons are even more dangerous and less effective. Almost 60% of all prisoners now share cells intended for single occupancy. Many still have to slop out their night waste and many are locked up for most of the day and night. And even with this overcrowding, our system is also among the most expensive prison systems (per person) in the world.

It ought to be clear that we cannot continue like this.

It will remain a fact of life that for some offenders there is no alternative to imprisonment. Undoubtedly, those engaged in serious criminal activity, and persons convicted of crimes of violence and offences against the person must be imprisoned to protect society. However, there are hundreds of people who enter our prisons because public policy has shown minimal interest in devising alternatives to imprisonment. Instead, more and tougher-sounding criminal laws have become the standard response Yet it is evident that "throwing legislation at the problem" is not working - and that re-offending rates remain high.

Generally Labour is not in favour of extending mandatory sentencing. In general, Labour favours judicial discretion over sentencing, but we want to see legislation introduced to guide sentencing practice and ensure greater consistency, while protecting the independence of the judiciary. Given the prevalence of very short sentences, we particularly want to see substantive reform of District Court sentencing practice. We also seek to address in this paper the area of youth justice, not only because of the devastating effect of crime and detention upon young people, but also because it is critical if we are to tackle the scourge of anti-social behaviour.

We believe that the measures proposed will enhance the effectiveness, the fairness and the justice of our penal system and will contribute significantly towards a fairer, safer and more secure society.

Deputy Pat Rabbitte, Senator Ivana Bacik


This paper looks in detail at the cases of two countries that exhibit extreme cases of transport organization. In both countries, the railway and most of the ports are under unitary control, with essentially no regulation and only limited information available to assess behavior. If economies of scale are important, if the "integration" achieved by organizational unification is truly beneficial, and if competition is not needed to limit the behavior of the unified organizations, then these countries should be at the cutting edge of system performance, with high efficiency, low costs and excellent service. If the reverse is true, then they furnish at least a few data points for the analysis of the importance of diversity of organization and competition within the system.


The elastic properties of rare-earth scandates were only reported at room temperature based on simulations and experimental measurements with poor agreement thus far. Using resonant ultrasound spectroscopy and inductive gauge dilatometry, we determined the elastic stiffnesses, their temperature dependence, and thermal expansion coefficients of SmScO 3, TbScO 3, and DyScO 3 between 103 K and 1673 K. Our set of elastic stiffnesses shows high internal consistency, e.g., the relations c 11 > c 33 > c 22, c 66 > c 44 > c 55, and c 13 ≥ c 12 > c 23 hold for all crystal species at room temperature. The structures become overall stiffer with decreasing R E-radius and increased charge density. The behavior of c 44 at low temperatures indicates in all R EScO 3 a structural instability that might lead to an orthorhombic →monoclinic transition involving shear of the (100)-plane upon increasing pressure. The transition seems to be promoted by a decreasing R E-radius. Anomalies in two mixed resistances of TbScO 3 below room temperature are indicative of at least one more structural instability that may also cause a phase transition where the structure is sheared. So far, only magnetic phase transitions at about 3 K have been observed in R EScO 3 in literature. The thermoelastic properties in [100] and [001] directions of all materials become increasingly isotropic at high temperatures, suggesting decreased structural tilt. (100) or (010) crystal cuts should be chosen for applications of a R EScO 3 as a substrate material, when mostly isotropic thermal expansion or longitudinal stiffness in-plane is desired, respectively.The elastic properties of rare-earth scandates were only reported at room temperature based on simulations and experimental measurements with poor agreement thus far. Using resonant ultrasound spectroscopy and inductive gauge dilatometry, we determined the elastic stiffnesses, their temperature dependence, and thermal expansion coefficients of SmScO 3, TbScO 3, and DyScO 3 between 103 K and 1673 K. Our set of elastic stiffnesses shows high internal consistency, e.g., the relations c 11 > c 33 > c 22, c 66 > c 44 > c 55, and c 13 ≥ c 12 > c 23 hold for all crystal species at room temperature. The structures become overall stiffer with decreasing R E-radius and increased charge density. The behavior of c 44 at low temperatures indicates in all R EScO 3 a structural instability that might lead to an orthorhombic →monoclinic transition involving shear of the (100)-plane upon increasing pressure. The transition seems to be promoted by a decreasing R E-radius. Anomalies in t...


The Siktefjellet Group of late Silurian or early Devonian age, consisting of the Lilljeborgfjellet Conglomerate and the overlying Siktefjellet Sandstone, is generally accepted as the oldest part of the Old Red Sandstone in Spitsbergen. Most of the clasts of the conglomerate are only slightly rounded and consist of lithologies typical for the underlying basement. A minor component of quartz porphyry clasts is present; these are well-rounded, indicating a longer transport. The provenance of the quartz porphyry clasts is discussed in relation to the known outcrops of quartz porphyry in Svalbard, one occurring in the neighbourhood of the conglomerate, the other ones far away. The quartz porphyry in close proximity is younger than the Lilljeborgfjellet Conglomerate and therefore not a possible source rock. A close petrographic and geochemical comparison with the quartz porphyries at three localities in Nordaustlandet (150-200 km in easterly direction and of probable Grenvillian age) is presented showing many similarities, but enough differences to question their interrelationship. The porphyries of the Hornsund area (300 km in southerly direction and also of probable Grenvillian age) are found to be chemically and pctrographically distinctly different from the Lilljeborgfjellet clast porphyry. Metarhyolite reported from the Planclfjella and Har-kerbreen Groups in Ny Fricsland are not comparable with the clast porphyry. As no unquestionable source rock among the quartz porphyries is known in outcrop, the possibility of a hidden or completely eroded parent rock is considered.


Aqueous suspensions of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) were obtained by sulfuric acid hydrolysis using the standard procedure. Suspensions, films and airgel of NCC were characterized by various methods: the degree of polymerization was determined, elemental analysis was carried out, the degree of crystallinity and crystallite size were calculated on the basis of X-ray data, the morphology of NCC aerogels was studied using scanning electron microscopy. The particle size of the NCC was determined using a transmission electron microscope, a scanning atomic-force microscope and the method of dynamic light scattering. NFC hydrosols with different pH were used to prepare lyophilized NCC samples. From NCC hydrosols with pH 2.2, by gradual replacement of water with an organic solvent, NCC organogels with acetone, acetonitrile and ethanol were obtained.
The process of dispersion of lyophilized NCC and NCC organogels (acetone, acetonitrile and ethanol) in water and in 11 organic solvents was investigated. The effect of the pH of the initial aqueous suspension of the NCC and the solvent forming the NCC organogel on the repeated dispersibility of the NCC is shown. The optimum pH value of the initial aqueous suspension of NCC was determined, which determines the maximum dispersibility of the lyophilized samples in each specific solvent. It was shown that dispersion of acetone, acetonitrile and ethanol organogels in most of the solvents studied occurs with the formation of particles less than 100 nm.


Pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) forests in Slovenia are experiencing widespread mortality. Changes in lowlands reflect in decline of complete forest complexes, high mortality, uneven stand structure and associated forest regeneration problems. Prediction of the present-tree response in disturbed forest ecosystems may significantly contribute to better guideline policies for the silvicultural and forest management practice in the changing environment in both stressed and stabile forest ecosystems. On pedunculate oak floodplain site two groups of vital and declining trees were selected according to the ICP methodology. During three consequent vegetation periods (2006, 2007 and 2008), ecophysiological response of trees in controlled conditions (maximal photosynthetic rates – Amax, water conditions) were recorded and compared with radial growth (tree ring width, pointer years). Growth was compared with meteorological data from closest meteorological stations to recognize and define tree response to changing growing conditions in all groups. Significant differences in light response (Amax) between declining and vital trees were observed as well as in water use efficiency (WUE) and in pre-dawn water potential (Ψpd). Beside the differences in tree-ring width, a significant difference in the year-to-year variability of tree-rings between both studied oak groups was confirmed. Vital oaks in floodplains responded positively to above average precipitation in May and June, while declining oaks with very narrow rings, usually consisting of only one row of vessels, responded negatively to above average temperature in March. Additional key words: Pedunculate oak, growth, tree-ring width, photosynthesis, water stress, lowland forests, climate response Addresses: M. Čater, Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University, 61500 Brno, Czech Republic, e-mail: email@example.com T. Levanič, Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia


The variation of the remanent magnetization with temperature of several synthetic and natural single crystals of haematite has been measured in the temperature range 60 to –90 °C. Particular attention was given to the measurement of the remanence at temperatures close to the transition temperature. The remanent magnetization of the synthetic crystals showed a sharp reduction over a narrow temperature range; the natural crystals showed a much smaller reduction over a wider temperature range. All the specimens were found to be magnetic at low temperatures which is not in accord with theoretical predictions. The effect of annealing at high temperatures on the behaviour of the remanent magnetization was investigated. The results of measurements of the remanent magnetization of specimens which had been subjected to fast neutron irradiation are also reported.


Development of the skin epidermis requires tight spatiotemporal control over the activity of several signaling pathways; however, the mechanisms that orchestrate these events remain poorly understood. Here, we identify a key role for the Wave complex proteins ABI1 and Wave2 in regulating signals that control epidermal shape and growth. In utero RNAi-mediated silencing of Abi1 or Wasf2 induced cellular hyperproliferation and defects in architecture of the interfollicular epidermis (IFE) and delayed hair follicle growth. Unexpectedly, SOX9, a hair follicle growth regulator, was aberrantly expressed throughout the IFE of the mutant embryos, and its forced overexpression mimicked the Wave complex loss-of-function phenotype. Moreover, Wnt signaling, which regulates SOX9+ cell specification, was up-regulated in Wave complex loss-of-function IFE. Importantly, we show that the Wave complex regulates filamentous actin content and that a decrease in actin levels is sufficient to elevate Wnt/&bgr;-catenin signaling. Our results identify a novel role for Wave complex– and actin-regulated signaling via Wnt and SOX9 in skin development.


Cross-cultural adaptation of study instruments is a difficult, time-consuming, but arguably cost-effective process. If conducted properly, it has the advantage that the translated study instruments are accurate, easy to understand, accessible, and culturally appropriate to the target audience and produce reliable and valid data. This article explores issues, challenges, and solutions for translating a set of research instruments used in a randomized, controlled trial for four separate community languages (Chinese, Vietnamese, Greek, Italian).


A new holistic numerical model based on Lattice Boltzmann and cellular automata methods (LBM-CA) is currently under development within a frame of an integrated modelling approach applied for studying the complex relationship between different physical mechanisms taking place during laser assisted additive layer manufacturing (ALM). The entire ALM process has been analysed and divided on several stages considering a powder bed deposition, laser energy absorption and heating of the powder bed by the moving highly concentrated energy source leading to powder melting, fluid flow in the melted pool and through partly or not melted material and solidification. The presented earlier results included the entire structure of the model consisting of different modules connected together demonstrating the homogeneity of the proposed holistic model. The modules, considering the mentioned above physical phenomena, were developed to different extent leaving many aspects of this integrated numerical approach for further consideration and analysis.
The aim of this work is more detailed analysis of energy transfer including solid-liquid phase transformation during the ALM process. The presented results are mainly related to consideration of melting and solidification of the powder bed including of the free surface flow, wettability, surface tension and other relevant phenomena. Initially, the absorbed thermal energy spreads by heat diffusion. The solid-liquid phase transformation starts when the temperature in the affected zone exceeds the solidus temperature. After consuming latent heat, when the volume of liquid phase exceeds a threshold, the solid particulate material exhibit signs of liquid behaviour, where heat transport is described by diffusion or convection including radiation and convection heat transfer from the liquid surface. The excess heat in the area of the liquid phase is dissipated by heat conduction into the deeper layers of the powder bed leading to re-solidification of the melt pool. The different stages and fragments of LBM-CA model development are presented and discussed. The validation of the general aspects of the obtained modelling data showed that the developed numerical algorithm is in good agreement with available experimental results and theoretical predictions. For example, Fig. 1 illustrates predictive abilities of the algorithm in terms of melting, free surface flow, wettability and solidification of the droplets on the solid basement.


Introduction: The following are considered risk factors for chronic infections such as rhinitis and sinusitis, socioeconomic conditions, passive smoking and breastfeeding. Knowledge of these factors and their possible correlations are needed to reduce the morbidity of respiratory infections in children. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation of bruxism with other risk factors for respiratory infections in children. Methods: Sixty-two children from a public nursery school were evaluated through a questionnaire applied to par- ents with issues regarding living conditions, duration of breastfeeding, passive smoking, type and frequency of respiratory infections in the last twelve months and diagnosis of bruxism. Results: The Bruxism was present in 55% of children with chronic respiratory diseases such as rhinitis and sinusitis (p = 0.04) and the prevalence of infections in the past twelve months occurred in 90% of children diagnosed with rhinitis and sinusitis. (P = 0.05). Conclusion: Bruxism and chron- ic infections of the upper airway shows a positive correlation with Respiratory infections in children of school age.


This paper deals with recent changes in the life and society of the Central Kalahari San, traditional hunter-gatherers living in the ;t:Kade area of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve . The sedentarization program of the Botswana government has had a profound influence on the subsistence of the Central Kalahari San. Gathering, which formerly supplied the San with 80% of the caloric value in their diet, has become less important, and their hunting methods have completely changed. Instead of traditional bow-and-arrow hunting, they were using horses for hunting in 1982. Equestrian hunting (hunting on horseback) is so effective that a great amount of meat is acquired in one hunting trip. They have begun to sell some of this meat to visitors to get cash. Inequality in the first distribution of meat has developed. The horse owners receive approximately half of the meat, while other participants receive only a small amount. Such inequality did not exist, when they led a nomadic life. Equality remains unchanged in the sharing of meat which is stored by horse owners. Al though the principle of equality remains influential, the flow of the meat is one-way, always from the minority of the horse owners to the majority of others. Such a one-way flow of dis tribution did not exist in their traditional society. Besides equestrian hunting, dog hunting (hunting with spear or club, with the help of dogs) became popular in 1987. Until recently, hunting with dogs was a subsidiary method. In con trast to equestrian hunting, everybody can participate in hunting with dogs on equal terms. The meat which is acquired by hunting with dogs is distributed equally among the par ticipants, then the participants share the meat with non-participants within the same camp. The sudden spread of hunting with dogs proves that their co-existence is still governed by egalitarianism. It is concluded that although sedentism has so deeply influenced their situa tion that a cultural change has occurred, their tradition of egalitarianism remains a fundamen tal part of the San society.


Abstract Distribution models are increasingly being used to understand how landscape and climatic changes are affecting the processes driving spatial and temporal distributions of plants and animals. However, many modeling efforts ignore the dynamic processes that drive distributional patterns at different scales, which may result in misleading inference about the factors influencing species distributions. Current occupancy models allow estimation of occupancy at different scales and, separately, estimation of immigration and emigration. However, joint estimation of local extinction, colonization, and occupancy within a multi‐scale model is currently unpublished. We extended multi‐scale models to account for the dynamic processes governing species distributions, while concurrently modeling local‐scale availability. We fit the model to data for lark buntings and chestnut‐collared longspurs in the Great Plains, USA, collected under the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions program. We investigate how the amount of grassland and shrubland and annual vegetation conditions affect bird occupancy dynamics and local vegetation structure affects fine‐scale occupancy. Buntings were prevalent and longspurs rare in our study area, but both species were locally prevalent when present. Buntings colonized sites with preferred habitat configurations, longspurs colonized a wider range of landscape conditions, and site persistence of both was higher at sites with greener vegetation. Turnover rates were high for both species, quantifying the nomadic behavior of the species. Our model allows researchers to jointly investigate temporal dynamics of species distributions and hierarchical habitat use. Our results indicate that grassland birds respond to different covariates at landscape and local scales suggesting different conservation goals at each scale. High turnover rates of these species highlight the need to account for the dynamics of nomadic species, and our model can help inform how to coordinate management efforts to provide appropriate habitat configurations at the landscape scale and provide habitat targets for local managers.


E-Loran, or enhanced Loran, is the latest in the longstanding and proven series of low frequency, LOng-RAnge Navigation systems. eLoran evolved from Loran-C in response to the 2001 Volpe Report on GPS vulnerability. It improves upon previous Loran systems with updated equipment, signals, and operating procedures. The improvements allow eLoran to provide better performance and additional services when compared to Loran-C, and enable eLoran to serve as a backup to satellite navigation in many important applications. Different applications impose specific requirements on the navigation system's accuracy, availability, integrity and continuity performance. In the maritime sector, accuracy requirements are the most stringent. In order to comply with the requirements of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for harbour entrance approach, eLoran has to provide an accuracy of better than 10 m (95%). Achieving this target is possible if the eLoran navigation receiver is equipped with an up-to-date database of signal propagation corrections and if real-time differential Loran corrections are applied. When these conditions are met, the achievable accuracy is largely determined by the transmitters' geometry, signal strengths and atmospheric noise levels, but also by the mutual interference among eLoran stations. This is also referred to as Cross-Rate Interference (CRI) and is inherent to the way all Loran systems operate. In this paper we present results of the eLoran research that is being conducted at the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU) and the University of Bath (UK) in cooperation with the General Lighthouse Authorities of the United Kingdom and Ireland. In our work we have focused on questions that arise when considering introducing new eLoran stations into an existing network. This particular paper investigates the achievable accuracy performance of eLoran for maritime applications. The sources of measurement error in eLoran are reviewed, and an eLoran accuracy performance model is presented. Special attention is paid to the problem of CRI and possible ways of its mitigation. JAN ŠAFÁR, CASPAR K. LEBEKWE, PAUL WILLIAMS 110 ANNUAL OF NAVIGATION This paper is an abridged version of a more detailed unpublished paper which can be found at the following address: http://safar.me.uk/pub/js_cl_pw_navsup_2010.pdf.


Background and aims: Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP) is an interstitial lung disease which may lead to lung fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension (PH). According to recent data, PH may be a frequent complication of HP but its exact prevalence is not fully explored. We aimed to assess the prevalence of increased pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) and right ventricular strain (RVS) in HP patients. Methods: HP patients undergoing rehabilitation between 1997 and 2015 at the Rehabilitation Clinic Bad Gleichenberg were enrolled in this single centre retrospective study. Demographic data, comorbidities and therapy as well as echocardiography (echo) and electrocardiography (ECG) were evaluated. The primary endpoint of the study was the frequency of elevated PAP and RVS in the echo and right axis deviation (RAD) in ECG. Association analysis with all-cause mortality was performed by Kaplan- Meier and Cox regression analysis. Results: 423 patients (283 male, 140 female) were enrolled in the study (mean age: 53.4±10.1). During the follow up period (median 7.0 years) 5.2 % of the patients died. 165 patients underwent echo and systolic PAP (SPAP) was assessed in 84 cases. Mean SPAP was 42.1±12.7 mmHg and 50 patients had SPAP>35 mmHg. 94 patients had evidence of RVS by echo. Patients presenting with both SPAP>35 mmHg and RVS (n=42) had worse survival (p=0.02). In patients with ECG (n=419), RAD was present in 32 (7.6%) subjects, and was strongly associated with worse survival (p Conclusion: Based on our study, elevated PAP values and/or RVS are present in a considerable proportion of HP patients and associated with a poor prognosis. Further investigation of the pulmonary hemodynamic in HP patients is warranted.


PURPOSE: To define the magnitude of optical aberrations before and after LASIK.METHODS: A Custom Cornea® wavefront sensor (CCWS) was used to analyze 113 eyes prior to LASIK. 105 of these eyes then had LASIK surgery in two consecutive cohort groups with a nomogram change in between (71 eyes and 34 eyes respectively). Wavefront sensing was performed postoperatively at one week, one month, and three months. The total wavefront Root Mean Square (RMS) error and co-efficient amplitudes were determined.RESULTS: The dominant preoperative wavefront aberrations were spherical refractive error and astigmatism. The higher order aberrations were of lower magnitude with preoperative coma being dominant (0 - 0.0005u. RMS). Spherical equivalent had the next highest magnitude ranging from -0.000lμ to -0.0003μ RMS. Postoperative RMS error was found to be significantly higher for hyperopes than myopes (p<0.05).CONCLUSION: Wavefront sensing demonstrates an increase in higher order aberrations after LASIK with greater total RMS values seen in hyperopic versus myopic treatments. Change in refractive nomogram improves the RMS outcome, making wavefront sensing a potentially useful tool in nomogram development.


This article shows that there is a lack of consistency in the interpretation of the meaning and scope of the obligation of traders to provide transparent pre-contractual and contractual information on consumer credit to consumers in EU law. On the basis of an analysis of transparency requirements prescribed by the Unfair Contract Terms Directive and the Consumer Credit Directive, differences in the understanding of transparency are highlighted. While the transparency test under the Unfair Contract Terms Directive focuses on the question of comprehensibility of credit information, the transparency test under the Consumer Credit Directive focuses on the format, position, length and font size of information. Consequently, the transparency of the same information provided in the course of concluding a consumer credit agreement could be evaluated differently on the basis of these two directives. This lack of consistency in the interpretation of transparency might pose a particular problem for national enforcement authorities. In the example of Croatia, it is demonstrated that the lack of guidance and consistency in the interpretation of various transparency requirements in the area of consumer credit at the EU level leaves space for national enforcement authorities to develop their own understanding of transparency. Where national enforcement authorities develop a narrower approach to transparency, consumers can be deprived of the protection guaranteed by EU law. In areas such as consumer credit, where the obligation of the transparent provision of information is the main tool of consumer protection and market integration, ensuring greater consistency in the interpretation of the content of this obligation is the key to ensuring its effectiveness.


Internal medicine residents at the University of Hawai'i were surveyed in 2005 to identify their attitudes regarding ethics consultation based on exposure to ethics education as part of residency training. Our hypotheses were that senior residents are more likely than interns to request an ethics consultation; and providing or forgoing life-sustaining treatment would outrank other situations for requesting a consult. After two mailings, 46 out of 65 residents completed the survey (71% response rate). Statistical methods included Fisher's exact test for categorical variables, and general linear models to compare means between groups. A majority of residents stated that instruction on ethics was received through lectures and rounds. They were most likely to request an ethics consult for issues concerning medical futility and disagreement resolution. Comparing residents by yearof training for reason for ethics consultation, senior residents were more likely to request a consult for questions about artificial nutrition and hydration (p = 0.06). There was no difference between residents with or without previous exposure to ethics consultation or formal instruction in ethics and the likelihood of requesting a consultation in the future. A majority of residents felt it appropriate for any team member to request an ethics consultation. Ethics consultation can potentially be utilized to strengthen post-graduate medical education in keeping with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requirements.


Experimental study on the LF refining of aluminum killed cold heading steel shows that calcium content in the molten steel increased to about 0.0010% at the end of refining, and the aluminum deoxized products were transformed from Al2O3 to the complex inclusions CaO–MgO–Al2O3 with lower melting point by the high basicity, high Al2O3, and strong deoxidizing slag. The inclusions are in liquid state and can be easily floated up during LF refining and continuous casting. The total oxygen content of the steel falls to about 0.0020%. The experimental technology uses only 50 m calcium wire to the 80‐t heat or even without calcium treatment. As compared to the traditional technology with higher amount of calcium for treatment, which forms CaS and CaO–MgO–Al2O3 inclusions with high melting point, the experimental technology improves the castability and reduces the manufacturing cost.


Fas/Fas ligand system was shown to be related to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the role of soluble Fas ligand (sFasL) in functioning of immune cells in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has not been studied yet. The aim of the present study was to determine in vitro effects of sFasL on neutrophil activation and apoptosis. We demonstrate here that sFasL exhibited proinflammatory effect and induced mRNA levels of caspase-1, NF-κB, IL-1β and CD18 expression. At the same time, sFasL induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Activation of caspase-1 activity abolished sFasL-dependent apoptosis, and suppressed Fas expression and mRNA levels of caspase-3 in neutrophils from T2DM patients. Collectively, our findings identify a novel proinflammatory role of sFasL in T2DM neutrophils that is dependent of caspase activity. Thus, sFasL enhances inflammatory response of neutrophils from T2DM patients without increasing apoptosis suggesting its triggering role in T2DM inflammation.


A rare case of an intramuscular hemangioma of the temporalis muscle is reported. The clinical examination, carotid arteriogram, computed tomographic scan, and aspiration cytology suggested the vascular nature of the tumor, but an exact diagnosis could only be made after histopathologic examination. Temporary occlusion of the ipsilateral external carotid artery and subperiosteal dissection permitted complete, wide excision without much bleeding.


Background : Gout is a metabolic disease by deposition of uric acid crystals, which undertakes joint and soft tissue in both acute and chronic stages. Is a rare event the onset of a tumor in the site of the lesion. Objective : To present a rare case of association between sarcoma and tophi. Methods : 83 year old man who consulted for tumor in his left elbow about 40 years of evolution, which spontaneously started to hurt. With the presumptive diagnosis of tophi treated surgically. The lesion recurred after 60 days, reintervention and radiotherapy was performed for diagnosis of malignant mesenchymal tumor associated with tophi. At 10 months developed ipsilateral nodal metastases, died within 2 years of the initial consultation. Results : The diagnosis of the first material resected was tophi. In the reintervention material was diagnosed mesenchymal spindle cell high grade neoplasm associated with tophi; immunohistochemistry revealed: vimentin + / +, MYO D1 - / - ASMA - / -, FVIII - / -, A1ATT - / -, CD68-/ -, S100-/ - with final diagnosis the undifferentiated high grade pleomorphic sarcoma. Conclusions : It is uncommon for gouty tophi are associated with other diseases and even fewer do so to tumors. In the literature have reported three previous cases concurrent with neoplasms, which were angiosarcoma, giant cell tumor and malignant fibrous histiocytoma. The latter have a high tendency to recur locally and have ability to distant metastases, especially lung and regional lymph nodes.


A flexible capacitive normal/shear force sensor design is presented. Fabrication on a flexible polyimide substrate allows the sensor to be molded to nonplanar gripper surfaces. The ability to measure normal and shear forces will greatly advance the tactile sensing capabilities of articulated grippers. The structure of the sensor also provides the ability to integrate additional sensors into a tactile sensing system. Integration of sensors to measure temperature, humidity, and hardness would provide more complete tactile information. Articulated robotic grippers require complete tactile data to facilitate the ability to sense by touch. The ability to reliably perform grasp control and object recognition is directly linked to the tactile sensing capabilities of the gripper.


(5) of PCCRC cases. Polyps were detected in 56% (13/23) of patients at the index scope, and the site of the polyps correlated with the CRC in 3 patients (surgical endoscopists). Curative treatment (surgery ± chemotherapy) was offered to 72% of patients (n=17). Conclusions Our study demonstrates that our department meets quality standard for units which includes a target of <5% PCCRC at 3 years (Rees CJ, et al. Gut 2016;65:1923 – 1929). However, review of individual cases identified higher rates of PCCRC amongst endoscopists with lower volumes of procedures and sub-optimal Adenoma Detection Rates (ADR). At a previous BSG, we have suggested that polyps bigger than 1 cm should be removed only by recognised endoscopists in each unit to minimise the risk of poor polypectomy technique leading to PCCRC. This review endorses the needs for a root cause analysis for each case of PCCRC, but we also recom-mend that endoscopy leads feed back to individuals their own PCCRC data for ref. endoscopy a ser-ies of events promoting assessment clinics. Social media events used to promote


A quantum mechanical theory of intramolecular energy transfer is presented which treats the approach to statistical equilibrium of the vibrations in isolated molecules. The theory is appropriate for nonreactive molecules which have at least 6–9 atoms and which are so highly excited that the vibrational interaction couples together many degrees of freedom at a time and causes the simultaneous exchange of a large number of quanta. A generalized master equation of the Van Hove type and a weak‐coupling master equation of the Pauli type are obtained for functions related to occupation probabilities of zero‐order states. The asymptotic behavior of the coarse‐grained occupation probabilities is examined and molecular ergodicity is proved. Convergent infinite expansions for the probabilities are also derived. These analytical expressions make it possible to study the intramolecular dynamics for all relevant times.


Although the fact of adaptation to changes itself does not guarantee the success in the future, an organization must adapt to changes as fast as possible in order to have sustainable business. This paper considers only one aspect of the adaptation process, which is related to changes in organization supporting software. Undoubtedly, the organization should assess the essentiality of software changes to its business activities, their impact on business supporting software, and the necessary speed of adaptation. Business complexity that is a problem for assessment can be handled by business models that represent different aspects of organization's work. This paper discusses the definition of change essentiality, as well as layers of a business model affected by changes, and proposes a common view of components and a way of determination of the essentiality of changes.