In this paper, we consider a simple coding scheme for spatial modulation, where the same set of active transmit antennas is repeatedly used over consecutive multiple transmissions. Based on a Gaussian approximation, an approximate maximum likelihood (ML) detection problem is formulated to detect the indices of active transmit antennas. We show that the solution to the approximate ML detection problem can achieve a full coding gain. Furthermore, we develop a low-complexity iterative algorithm to solve the problem with low complexity based on a well-known machine learning approach, i.e., variational inference. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can have a near ML performance. A salient feature of the proposed algorithm is that its complexity is independent of the number of active transmit antennas, whereas an exhaustive search for the ML problem requires a complexity that grows exponentially with the number of active transmit antennas.


This paper examines the differential characteristics of commodities and products and their respective 13 marketing systems. It identifies the circumstances under which wool and/or its derivatives might be 14 classified as either a commodity or a product and argues that in today's dynamic consumer markets where 15 intangible factors are increasingly important purchase drivers, consumer value may be lost through the use 16 of inappropriate marketing systems. The paper examines the theory of supply chain management (SCM) 17 and proposes that the adoption of SCM may be a useful mechanism for dealing with these problems under 18 certain conditions. 19 20


CodEs and prinCiplEs Ethics is a branch of philosophy. It is the study of how moral ideas develop, how they interact, how they relate to other aspects of human learning and how they may be applied in practice. Medical ethics should be a systematic study of how moral principles can be applied to the practice of medicine. This chapter reflects the bias of this book and focuses on medical ethics, but many of the issues considered have relevance for other professions as well. Medicine is a highly value laden subject. The very definitions of disease and the attending on sick people are based on moral assumptions. These moral assumptions have changed with time, and will change further in the future, keeping within the broader ethical framework of the society in which they are placed, and they have to be tested within the peer group of other doctors. Morality so pervades psychiatry that every chapter in a psychiatric textbook will embrace moral issues either implicitly or explicitly. Questions about the suitability of retaining and treating people with mental disorder in prison are, for example, in large part moral ones. Scientific information about the efficacy of treatment in prison will influence the argument, but such scientific knowledge is unlikely ever to override completely the moral debate. This chapter on ethics is a chapter more for raising questions than for providing answers. Discourse on ethics frequently starts with the Greeks and the Hippocratic Oath (see appendix 4), or with Hammurabi and the Babylonians. Musto (1991) takes the reader from Greece and Rome to the religions of the middle ages, up to the French Revolution, and into nineteenthcentury Britain. This is appropriate as the modern medical profession did not really begin until the nineteenth century in spite of its apparently long history. In 1803, Thomas Percival published his famous Medical Ethics. It is even now of interest and resonant with some modern values, but it also illustrates our point that ethics are related to time and culture and some elements are subject to change. Percival says, for example:


Educational technology in higher education has not managed to match the ubiquity of technology in everyday life. Is this because higher education institutions are inherently resistant to change? The organization, structure, culture and climate of higher education institutions reflect the wider agendas of current and predominant practice. They may particularly influence the success or failure of initiatives to establish technology enhanced learning (TEL). This paper reports on analysis of a long term study of change in a UK university, and sets those findings in the context of wider experience across the sector and identifies significant issues which may enable or inhibit success


The aim of this research is to identify an appropriate systematic forecasting method for a Thai Nutrition Manufacturing Company which needs to increase utilization of its warehouse storage space and reduce dead-stock inventory. A systematic forecasting method will be able to predict the future demand as the demand follows a standard pattern, although with some irregular features. The highest sales volume SKU was selected as a pilot. Historical data was used to plot and analyze the demand, which revealed a horizontal data pattern. Marketing campaign data was collected to analyze customer behavior. Three theoretical forecasting methods were applied: Moving Average, Exponential Smoothing, and Holt's Model. Use was made of MAPE (mean absolute percentage error) to evaluate forecast error in these models The results of the theoretical methods proved to be unsatisfactory because the demand changes rapidly in promotion campaigns, and these methods could not include that feature. Thus, a mixed model for forecasting was developed, which is a mixture of Moving Average for Two Periods, which was selected to eliminate data variation, and an adjusted rule-based method was also developed to cope with marketing campaigns. The period of each campaign was analyzed from the historical demand patterns of 2007 and 2008. The result of the mixed model proved to be satisfactory as the MAPE was les than the present unsystematic method of forecasting. Sales targets can be achieved, as required by management. The firm gains from reducing total opportunity-lost and inventory costs when compared with the current method. This leads to warehouse utiliza- tion improvement and less inventory handling.


Pregnancy is a well-known risk factor for venous insufficiency. However, even nulliparous women experience venous problems. Therefore, we aimed to assess the possible associations between the number of pregnancies, veins condition and treatment outcome in women with venous disease. The retrospective assessment concerned data of 297 women with diagnosed venous insufficiency. Based on their pregnancy history, the patients' records were divided into: nulliparous women (15.5%), those after 1–2 term pregnancies (57.9%) and those after ≥3 pregnancies (26.6%). The analysis concerned data from the diagnostics of the abdominal/pelvic and leg veins and the treatment results expressed as a symptoms/satisfaction score. Most of the nulliparous women developed venous disease due to mild anatomic abnormalities of the abdominal/pelvic veins. They responded to treatment (mostly unilateral embolization) very well. In the second group, the majority of the combined venous abnormalities responded to treatment with significant improvement, even after embolization alone, although nearly two-thirds still required further leg treatment. The third group was comprised of more advanced cases; nearly 40% of them with recurrence. In order to improve their condition, three-fourths of the cases required sequential treatment in both the pelvic and leg veins compartments. In conclusion, the number of pregnancies is a potent modifying factor in the pathogenesis of venous disease, especially in multiparous women. Together with abnormal venous anatomy, it may determine the treatment outcome.


The article discusses the features of civil law in different countries. The authors studied the origins of the modern tradition of civil law, comparing the legal systems of two European countries. One of the traditional classifications of duties in civil law is analyzed, the conclusion is made about the inappropriateness of the allocation of personal and universal duties.
In comparative law, there are many situations where the same legal term has different meanings, or where different legal terms have same legal effect. This confusion most often occurs when civil lawyers have to deal with common law, or vice versa, when common law lawyers deal with civil law issues. While there are many issues which are dealt with in the same way by the civil law and common law systems, there remain also significant differences between these two legal systems related to legal structure, classification, fundamental concepts, terminology, etc.
As lawyers know, legal systems in countries around the world generally fall into one of two main categories: common law systems and civil law systems. There are roughly 150 countries that have what can be described as primarily civil law systems, whereas there are about 80 common law countries. The main difference between the two systems is that in common law countries, case law – in the form of published judicial opinions – is of primary importance, whereas in civil law systems, codified statutes predominate.


An analysis of Rogers', Gendlin's and Jung's theory of personality revealed that the processes of actualization and congruence are common to all three theorists. The same two processes are fundamental to the Scripture's discussion of Christian maturity. These two processes are described as forming a model of personality and Christian maturity in which the processes in these two spheres are the same but the contents are different. The similarities and differences are discussed but it is maintained that genuine integration is only possible when some processes or principles are common to Christianity and psychology.


This article reflects upon preaching Old Testament texts from the Revised Common Lectionary in light of a recent three-year experiment of favoring the Old Testament readings for sermon development. Old Testament texts in the lectionary experience re-contextualization due to their appropriation as supporting material for the Synoptic Gospel readings and the metanarrative of the "church year." Countering the resulting transformation or loss of meaning calls for attention to canonical context, including the trajectory that Old Testament texts themselves set toward New Testament themes.


This document pertains to the case study of Genophobia & Anxiety. The subject of the disorder was Mrs. M (Initial instead of real name), age 35 years and Housewife. She visited my clinic along with her husband. Her husband informed that she is refusing for sexual intercourse for last two years since the first day of their marriage. He told that her wife (client) starts crying and shouting sometimes suddenly and. aggressive behavior also present It was inquired from her husband if he has had the medical check-up of the client been carried out anytime during this period of two years. He told that she has gone through complete medical check-up by an experienced gynaecologist and no problem found. Any way a psychiatrist informed her husband that his wife is a patient of depression. Assessment made after taking semi-structured interviews from Mrs. M and her Husband. In light of assessment and DSM-IV (1), Mrs. M was diagnosed by Genophobia & Anxiety.


The aim of the opening speech is to present the most discussed issues in relation to inequality in personal distribution of income and wealth. In particular, it first examines the current trends in economic inequality (§ 1-4). Overall, some certainty has been achieved on these trends over the last century. In a second part of this opening speech (§ 5-7), some knowledge we have about pre-modern inequalities is summarized. In this regard, uncertainties are much more numerous than certainties.


This paper describes a methodology for simulating the virtual assembly of heavy machinery. Heavy machinery or parts are described in this paper as objects too heavy to safely lift with two hands. Virtual assembly of heavy machinery poses special problems that are not seen in assemblies composed of parts easily manipulated with human hands. This paper identifies some of the difficulties associated with realtime virtual assembly of heavy machinery, and proposes methods for addressing these problems. We describe a method for reorganizing the assembly tree outside of traditional CAD systems to better simulate assemblies with numerous parts. This allows the user to control the assembly sequences, which are simulated in the virtual environment without changing the assembly hierarchy of the original CAD model. This paper also proposes methods for simulation of overhead cranes and the physical modeling of crane-part interactions, providing real-time virtual manipulation of heavy objects.


Twenty spinal injured wheelchair bound individuals were tested to peak VO2 on a wheelchair ergometer. Sixteen subjects were paraplegics (5 females, 11 males) and four were quadriplegic (2 females, 2 males). The level of injury ranged from C4-5 to L2-3. The mean age of the subjects was 29.9 years, with a mean weight of 63.66 kg. Prior to the peak VO2 and during the rest immediately after peak VO2, each subject was tested for the ability to discriminate touch over the skin of the thigh, leg, and foot. A chi square statistical technique was used to test for differences between pre- and postexercise sensitivity. The chi square was significant at the .003 level of significance. Because the increase in sensitivity was short, it was theorized that under peak exercise stress the body may recruit pathways that have been dormant, but not injured, explaining the increase in sensitivity.


The distribution of state of cure in a molded rubber component is usually nonuniform due to the slow heat transfer processes involved in the molding–cooling cycle. The minimum in the distribution usually occurs in the center of the rubber section. For large components, one method of reducing molding time is to preheat the uncured rubber prior to molding, thus carrying out a portion of the required heat transfer in a more favorable geometry than the molded shape. In this work, computation of the state of cure distribution in preheat–molding–cooling cycles for one-dimensional rectangular geometry shows that as the preheat temperature is increased, the locus of the minimum state of cure will move outward from the center toward the surface of the component. This has important implications for the range of cure states existing in an article and calls into question the convention of removing samples for state of cure tests from the center of the component. The variables considered in this work are the preheat temperature, the component thickness, and the target state of cure of the rubber compound. A design curve is developed whereby the preheat temperature to optimize the distribution of the cure can be established. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 25:195–207, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.20070


Multiple-valued logics are useful for dealing with uncertainty and imprecision in knowledge-based systems. In this paper, we present the foundations of QMORPH: a tool that assists users in the declaration of such logics and in the declaration of the communication mechanism between two of these different logics by preserving inference.


This study analyzed the extent to which differences in graduate employment can be explained by differences in where the graduates studied. In Europe and Japan there seem to be large cross-country and field differences in the importance, in terms of graduate employment, of the institution where the graduate studied. The study attempted to explain these differences in terms of Human Capital theory (illustrated by the teaching quality of each institution) and Filter theory (indicated by the reputation of each institution). Data were obtained for business studies in 17 institutions in Italy, 19 in France, 19 in Denmark, 21 in the Netherlands, 13 in the United Kingdom, 11 in Sweden, and 13 in Japan. Given that the research literature on institutional effects on graduate employment has mostly dealt with the U.S. context, it is interesting to note that this study shows some significant results for European countries and Japan. The results are interesting in terms of a comparison between the prestige of the Imperial universities and Grandes Ecoles, respectively in Japan and France, and the "Ivy League" universities of the United States. An appendix traces some links between teaching quality and income in Business. (Contains 2 tables and 34 references.) (SLD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. The effect of the reputation and the teaching quality of higher education departments on graduate employment A comparison across 6 European countries and Japan


A mathematical model for a neural control system of ant locomotion was developed. Contrast-based detectors using excitation and inhibition were tuned to specific contrast orientations. A control system using multiple orientation contrast detectors was then developed and optimized for a model ant, which could move via a biased random walk. The system allowed sufficient control to guide the ant through various mazes.


OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that there is no difference in the active treatment effects for maxillary advancement induced by bone-anchored maxillary protraction (BAMP) and the active treatment effects for face mask in association with rapid maxillary expansion (RME/FM).

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This is a study on consecutively treated patients. The changes in dentoskeletal cephalometric variables from start of treatment (T1) to end of active treatment (T2) with an average T1-T2 interval of about 1 year were contrasted in a BAMP sample of 21 subjects with a RME/FM sample of 34 patients. All subjects were prepubertal at T1. Statistical comparison was performed with t-tests for independent samples.

RESULTS
The BAMP protocol produced significantly larger maxillary advancement than the RME/FM therapy (with a difference of 2 mm to 3 mm). Mandibular sagittal changes were similar, while vertical changes were better controlled with BAMP. The sagittal intermaxillary relationships improved 2.5 mm more in the BAMP patients. Additional favorable outcomes of BAMP treatment were the lack of clockwise rotation of the mandible as well as a lack of retroclination of the lower incisors.

CONCLUSIONS
The hypothesis is rejected. The BAMP protocol produced significantly larger maxillary advancement than the RME/FM therapy.


Indoor space navigation has always been an issue without GPS localization. Especially for complicated cases such as emergency evacuation and dynamic navigation, there is no existing efficient solution to the best of our knowledge. Localization in indoor spaces has to rely on sensing devices (e.g., Radio Frequency Identification(RFID) readers, WiFi routers, bluetooth beacons) rather than GPS, and indoor floor plans are more complicated than road networks. Consequently, existing spatial outdoor query techniques are not suitable for this new challenge. However, raw data generated by sensing devices suffers from false negatives and errors. As a result, filtering methods are necessary for accurate localization. We propose a novel dynamic shortest path navigation strategy to enable efficient navigation for emergency evacuation in indoor spaces. This strategy achieves optimal time efficiency by: 1) using a Bayesian inference based concurrent model, which integrates dynamic shortest path searching into the filtering process, thus achieving an efficient and accurate search for any time-sensitive situation; 2) storing alternative parent nodes along the shortest path search for a fast, dynamic search. We use both particle filters and the Kalman filter to study which one is more suitable for dynamic environments. In general, we develop an innovative, dynamic shortest path navigation solution based on Bayesian inference localization.


This paper presents the idea of Trostksyms in George Orwell's Animal Farm. While critics often portray Orwell as anticommunist due to his critiques on the character Napoleon as the representation of Stalin. On the other hand, this paper describes that Orwell through the character Snowball shows great sympathy on Snowball. This paper finds that it describes that Snowball is the portrayal of Trostky.


Power system protection plays a very significant role in the reliable operation of the power grid, by safeguarding the personnel, equipment, and property against any undesirable events. These protection systems are traditionally analyzed using computer simulation and physical testing. However, the sampling-based nature of these analysis techniques does not allow us to cover all the possible scenarios and thus the resulting protection systems may not guarantee complete protection. This fact can lead to partial or complete power loss/blackouts, which can have devastating consequences. Formal verification methods have been successfully used to overcome the incomplete analysis issues in many domains of engineering. We believe that their introduction in the analysis of protection systems can lead to more reliable power grid operations. With this motivation, we propose to formally verify the correctness and reliability of the conventional and dual setting directional overcurrent relays. In this regard, we propose the development of the generic Markovian models of the conventional and dual setting directional overcurrent relays. To illustrate the effectiveness of the developed models a simple three bus distribution system network is analyzed to formally verify the efficiency and reliability of these models using PRISM, which is a probabilistic model checking tool. Furthermore, the failure and success probabilities of isolation of the faulty section are also determined.


New seismic acquisition can generate enormous volume of data, about 30TB per day, which resorts to parallel computation for supporting data processing on time. However, complex parallel computation pattern (such as MPI, OpenMP, CUDA or their combination) makes program design more difficult, especially when repeated modification of source program is necessary due to system software and hardware resources variation. To facilitate seismic parallel software development and enhance its operation efficiency, a universal seismic process frame on heterogeneous parallel multi-core architecture is designed based on analyses of various parallel patterns. Its key characteristic is automatic pattern matching by integrating various parallel modes to fully play their respective advantages, which also greatly improves parallel development feasibility and efficiency. A shot domain seismic wave equation pre-stack depth migration module is developed on this frame which runs 20 times faster than its serial CPU algorithm in the same precision and shows linear increment as more GPU nodes are used.


Efficient generation regime with a high power output has been experimentally realized in a klystron-like relativistic backward wave oscillator, in which a modulation cavity is inserted between the slow wave structure to decrease the energy spread of modulated beam electrons, and an extraction cavity is employed at the end of the slow wave structure to further recover energy from the electron beam. At a guiding magnetic field of 2.2 T, a microwave pulse with power of 6.5 GW, frequency of 4.26 GHz, pulse duration of 38 ns, and efficiency of 36% was generated when the diode voltage was 1.1 MV, and diode current was 16.4 kA. When the diode voltage was 820 kV, efficiency up to 47% with microwave power 4.4 GW was also realized experimentally.


Paraneoplastic syndromes (PS) represent a large spectrum of symptoms, associated with malignant diseases. PS can be diagnosed in asymptomatic patients with occult carcinoma, clinically active cancer, and during clinical remission, suggesting a recurrence of the neoplasm. The underlying mechanisms of PS are not completely understood but several authors have suggested that the increased production of biologically active immune factors and cytokines from the neoplastic cells may underlie the etiology of PS. Although rare, the renal involvement of patients with prostatic carcinoma has been reported. The most common paraneoplastic-associated glomerulopathy in prostatic cancer is the membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis with nephrotic syndrome (NS). In this review, we aimed to discuss the incidence of nephrotic syndrome secondary to prostatic carcinoma, its challenging diagnosis, clinical manifestation, and treatment.


on Pathology and Physiology at the ninety-second annual session of the American Medical Association. Apart from giving a description of their cases, they dealt mainly with two questions: First, is there a pathological entity such as that described by Schiller, and second, if so, what is the evidence for its histogenesis? The evidence at hand seems to justify the belief that this group of tumours has sufficient distinguishing pathological features to require separate classification. They point out that tumours of this group reach various degrees of differentiation. Kazancigil, Laqueur and Ladewig's tumours belong to the more immature forms, while Jones and Seegar Jones have included in their study only well-differentiated tumours and have excluded a number of borderline cases. In Schiller's series tumours in various stages of differentiation are described. With regard to the histogenesis, Jones and Seegar Jones are of the opinion that Schiller's suggestions are plausible, but that more evidence is needed before they can be finally accepted. If Kazancigil, Laqueur and Ladewig's interpretation of the tumours as being angiomatous in nature is correct, it has to be explained why similar tumours do not occur in other organs. In the discussion following the presentation of Jones and Seegar Jones's paper, Eo Novak also took the view that this group of tumours presented a definite entity, but he did not consider the evidence for their mesonephric origin as conclusive. Reports on such tumours have not yet been forthcoming from this country. They cannot be extremely rare, as Jones and Seegar Jones have collected fifteen cases within a few years. A careful histological examination, especially of semi-cystic ovarian tumours, is likely to lead to the discovery of examples of tumours of this group, which seems now sufficiently well established, and may reveal further evidence towards their histogenesis.


........................................................................................................... 4 Document Conventions................................................................................... 4 Introduction.................................................................................................... 5 Overview of VoIP techniques.................................................................... 6 VoIP components.......................................................................................... 6 VoIP Data handling ................................................................................... 8 Quality of Service for VoIP ................................................................ 9 VoIP protocols.......................................................................................... 11 H.323 protocol ...................................................................................... 12 Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).............................................. 14 MGCP and Megaco/H.248 ....................................................................... 15 Security threats of VoIP ........................................................................ 16 Confidentiality threats....................................................................... 16 Eavesdropping of phone conversation ......................................... 16 Unauthorized access attack............................................................. 16 Countermeasures .................................................................................... 17 Integrity Threats ................................................................................... 17 Caller Identification spoofing .................................................... 18 Registration hijacking ..................................................................... 19 Proxy Impersonation............................................................................ 20 Call redirection or hijacking ...................................................... 20 Countermeasures .................................................................................... 22 Availability threats ............................................................................. 23 VoIP Signaling DoS Attacks............................................................. 23 VoIP Media DoS Attacks ..................................................................... 23 Physical DoS Attacks ......................................................................... 24 Countermeasures .................................................................................... 24 Firewall and Network Address Translation challenges........... 25 Security Guidelines for VoIP ............................................................... 27 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 29 References ...................................................................................................... 30


BACKGROUND
Migraine is a common disorder characterized by headache attacks frequently accompanied by vestibular symptoms like dizziness, vertigo, and balance disorders. Clinical studies support a strong link between migraine and vertigo rather than between other headache types and vertigo or nonvertiginous dizziness. There is a lack of consensus regarding the pathophysiology of migrainous vertigo. Activation of central vestibular processing during migraine attacks and vasospasm-induced ischemia of the labyrinth are reported as the probable responsible mechanisms. Because vestibular examination alone does not provide enough information for diagnosis of migrainous vertigo, posturography systems which provide objective assessment of somatosensory, vestibular, and visual information would be very helpful to show concomitant involvement of the vestibular and somato-sensorial systems. There are few posturographic studies on patients with migraine but it seems that how balance is affected in patients with migraine and/or migrainous vertigo is still not clear. We want to investigate balance function in migraineurs with and without vertigo with a tetra-ataxiometric posturography system and our study is the first study in which tetra-ataxiometric static posturography was used to evaluate postural abnormalities in a well-defined population of patients with migrainous vertigo.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate balance functions in migraineurs with and without vertigo with a tetra-ataxiometric posturography system.

STUDY DESIGN
Prospective, nonrandomized, controlled study.

SETTING
Pamukkale University Hospital, Neurology and Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation outpatient clinics.

METHODS
Sixteen patients with migrainous vertigo, 16 patients with migraine without aura and no vestibular symptoms, and 16 controls were included in the study. Computerized static posturography system was performed and statistical analyses of fall, Fourier, Stability, and Weight distribution indexes were performed. The tetra-ataxiometric posturography device measures vertical pressure fluctuations on 4 independent stable platforms, each placed beneath 2 heels and toe parts of the patient; inputs from these platforms are integrated and processed by a computer digitally. Four separate plates are used and perpendicular pressures of the anterior and posterior feet are measured. Pressure of each force plate is measured and data was analyzed by the software program.

LIMITATIONS
A very small, non-randomized, and controlled study with the inability to find an answer to the mechanism of involvement of the somatosensorial system and vestibular system in migrainous headaches.

RESULTS
The distribution of patients with posturographical abnormalities in the migrainous vertigo group was significantly different than the control group. Distribution of the patients with posturographical abnormalities in the high frequencies of the head-right position was significantly different in the migrainous vertigo group than in the control group and distribution of the patients with posturographical abnormalities in high frequencies of the head-right position was significantly different in the migraine group than in the controls groups. The stability index of the migrainous vertigo group was significantly higher than in the control group when tested on in the neutral-head position with open eyes.

CONCLUSION
In this first study of tetra-ataxiometric static posturography evaluating postural abnormalities in a well-defined population of patients with migrainous vertigo, the central part of the vestibular apparatus would be responsible of postural abnormalities in patients with migraine and migrainous vertigo.


We report here the complete genome sequence and characterization of Yersinia bacteriophage vB_YenP_ϕ80-18. ϕ80-18 was isolated in 1991 using a Y. enterocolitica serotype O:8 strain 8081 as a host from a sewage sample in Turku, Finland, and based on its morphological and genomic features is classified as a podovirus. The genome is 42 kb in size and has 325 bp direct terminal repeats characteristic for podoviruses. The genome contains 57 predicted genes, all encoded in the forward strand, of which 29 showed no similarity to any known genes. Phage particle proteome analysis identified altogether 24 phage particle-associated proteins (PPAPs) including those identified as structural proteins such as major capsid, scaffolding and tail component proteins. In addition, also the DNA helicase, DNA ligase, DNA polymerase, 5′-exonuclease, and the lytic glycosylase proteins were identified as PPAPs, suggesting that they might be injected together with the phage genome into the host cell to facilitate the take-over of the host metabolism. The phage-encoded RNA-polymerase and DNA-primase were not among the PPAPs. Promoter search predicted the presence of four phage and eleven host RNA polymerase –specific promoters in the genome, suggesting that early transcription of the phage is host RNA-polymerase dependent and that the phage RNA polymerase takes over later. The phage tolerates pH values between 2 and 12, and is stable at 50°C but is inactivated at 60°C. It grows slowly with a 50 min latent period and has apparently a low burst size. Electron microscopy revealed that the phage has a head diameter of about 60 nm, and a short tail of 20 nm. Whole-genome phylogenetic analysis confirmed that ϕ80-18 belongs to the Autographivirinae subfamily of the Podoviridae family, that it is 93.2% identical to Yersinia phage fHe-Yen3-01. Host range analysis showed that ϕ80-18 can infect in addition to Y. enterocolitica serotype O:8 strains also strains of serotypes O:4, O:4,32, O:20 and O:21, the latter ones representing similar to Y. enterocolitica serotype O:8, the American pathogenic biotype 1B strains. In conclusion, the phage ϕ80-18 is a promising candidate for the biocontrol of the American biotype 1B Y. enterocolitica.


Recently, the distributed generation (DG) based on renewable energy sources (RESs) is quickly penetrating and integrating into the power systems. Moreover, a large number of intelligent infrastructures are installed into the power systems in order to establish a future power system, called smart grid. However, the increased grid integration of these sources leads to significant structural changes for grid automation and control. Nevertheless, there are still no sufficient available strategies for active grid integration of the distributed generation units and their participation in grid control. A new flexible cluster control concept of the power system is required to ensure stable and secure operation. This paper introduces a multi-level hierarchical control strategy for efficient grid control for the distributed generation units. This proposed control strategy provides availability and reliability for future power systems.


This literature review was conducted to summarize the main points of maternal thyroid function tests, with particular attention in the first trimester of pregnancy which accompanied with significant biochemical and metabolic alteration. The evaluation of thyroid function of either hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism should be assessed by determination of serum Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), Thyroxine (T4), Triiodothyronine (T3), Iodine and Thyroid Autoantibodies. Glomerular filtration rate is increased during pregnancy; therefor iodine deficiency should be evaluated during the pregnancy to prevent hypothyroidism. The role which can be played by Human Chronic Gonadotropin (hCG) on stimulating the thyroid gland to become over-active was investigated. Serum level ofthyroglobulin (Tg) and Thyroxin Binding Globulin (TBG) should be assessed for proper assessments of thyroid gland during pregnancy. Thyroid function tests during first-trimester of pregnancy and particularly the reference interval for thyroid function tests for pregnant women in each region has to be established, to prevent mis-diagnosis and irreversible mental and physical adverse affect for growing fetus.


Author(s): Rothblatt, Donald N.; Colman, Steven B. | Abstract: We compare Metropolitan Planning Organization(MPO) Regional Transportation Plans (RTP) and planning processes in California with selected regions. Seventeen MPOs were included to provide a balance of geographic location, growth rate, transit orientation, size, density, and air quality conformity status. The MPOs' planning processes and documentation were compared in terms of the history and current progress in regional transportation planning; approaches toward addressing the transportation impacts of land use decisions; methods and degree of citizen participation in the process; the project evaluation process used; and the databases available in each MPO to support evaluation. Based on oral and written surveys and the examination of planning documents, we present conclusions and recommendations about public involvement in the regional planning process; coordination with other planning institutions at various levels of governance; the frequency of updates; scoring criteria for projects; the use of planning data in the RTP; and the evolving role of MPOs with regard to plan preparation.


Abstract. We provide a new sea ice and water classification product with high spatial and high temporal coverage using Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. The classification is applied in the Fram Strait region in the Arctic during melting seasons, when the contrast between backscatter intensities of different ice types observed by SAR is reduced due to the melted ice surface and wet snow on sea ice. The wet or melted snow strongly reduces the SAR penetration depth and thus suppresses the volume scattering contribution of sea ice. Furthermore, within the marginal sea ice zone (MIZ)ambiguities between ice and water can result from the effects of winds and ocean currents on the ocean SAR backscatter. On the other hand, under calm conditions the contrast between thin ice and flat open water can be reduced, and thusdecrease the separability of some ice. In summary, the melting season represents the most challenging time of the year forreliable ice-water classification from SAR data. We propose here a new approach to overcome these problems by using amixture statistical distribution based conditional random fields (MSTA-CRF) model. To obtain reliable ice-waterclassification whilst maintaining a fast computation time suitable for operational applications, the MSTA-CRF adopts a superpixel approach in the fully connected CRF model. The MSTA-CRF is a semantic model, which integrates statisticaldistributions (Gamma, Weibull, Alpha-Stable, etc.) to model the backscatters of ice and water and overcome the effects ofspeckle noise and wind-roughened water. Dual-polarization Extended Wide (EW) mode Sentinel-1A/1B SAR data with40 m spatial resolution is available several times per day within the Fram Strait region. Observations from June toSeptember during the six years 2015–2020 are collected and classified into ice and water categories. The classification performance of algorithm is evaluated using ice charts from the Ice Service at the Norwegian Meteorological Institute(MET Norway). The methods of training sample selection, and their application to processing large data volumes andautomatic classification of ice-water are discussed. In the experiment part, we demonstrate that the MSTA-CRF can providea good performance with about 90 % accuracy for ice-water classification, which is better than most of other state-of-theart algorithms. Compared with the 89 GHz microwave radiometer ASI sea ice concentration product, the sea ice extent in Fram Strait derived from MSTA-CRF algorithm is lower during melting seasons from 2015 to 2020, and the monthly Juneto September sea ice area does not change so much in 2015–2017 and 2019–2020, but it has a significant decrease in 2018.


This work aims to study the healing potential properties of a reversible thermoplastic adhesive. The adhesive is activable by using induction heating systems that can induce thermal heat in the particles throughout the electromagnetic field so they can melt the adhesive for bonding or separation procedures. The healing procedure consists of damaging single lap joint (SLJ) specimens with quasi-static and fatigue tests and then using an inductor to generate an electromagnetic field able to heat the adhesive to its melting point in order to heal the damaged SLJ specimens. SLJ tests were performed on damaged and healed specimens to assess, respectively, the residual mechanical properties of the damaged specimens and the mechanical properties after healing. SLJ tests showed that the healing procedure can completely recover the joint stiffness of the damaged adhesive joints, a huge part of the maximum shear strength and the SLJ absorbed energy. This work shows also the possibility of re-bonding completely failed or separated SLJs by using the same procedure. The mechanical properties of SLJs after healing and re-bonding are compared to the SLJ compared on virgin specimens to assess the recovered mechanical properties.


The ductile fracture toughness of steel is used to assess the ability o f a pipeline to resist long running ductile fractures in a burst event. In modem low carbon clean steels with high toughness, conventional measures of ductile fracture toughness (standard Charpy and DWTT energy) are under review, and alternatives are being studied. The major factor causing concern is the inability o f these tests to isolate the energy associated with crack propagation from the total energy absorbed dining the specimen fracture. This is significant in modern high toughness steels because their initiation toughness is extremely high. To resolve crack propagation energy, a novel modification was evaluated for both Charpy and DWTT specimens by employing a back-slot including a snug fitting shim to replace the removed material. In most cases, this modification was effective in curtailing the loaddisplacement trace when the propagating crack interacted with the slot on the backside of the specimen, without affecting the initial portion o f the trace; this allowed crack propagation energies to be resolved. The propagation energy determined by this method is compared with the total energy and conventional test parameters. The crack propagation energy values inferred based on this should be validated, in future burst test.


Biosensors are used to identify and monitor different types of pollutants and its effect on the ecosystem. The nature of pollutants, their source and bioavailability can be identified with a high level of specificity and sensitivity with the help of the biosensors. Various biosensors used in pollutant studies for monitoring eutrophication, food safety, detection of pathogenic microorganisms, tracemetals, pesticides, herbicides and organic wastes are analysed.


Purpose

– In a time that could be described as a "perfect storm" in higher education, faculty and administration have been exploring all possible tools to attract students and help them stay on a curriculum path so they can graduate within a reasonable time. The purpose of this paper is to explore three strategies for riding the storm in a large mid-western USA university.

Design/methodology/approach

– The authors identify three strategies for increasing student retention and course completion, including: increased choices in scheduling; redesigning the curriculum; and offering multiple options for mode of delivery. In addition, the pilot of these strategies in a Technical Data Analysis class will be described and evaluated.

Findings

– Providing choices in scheduling courses (strategy 1), redesigning the curriculum to offer flexible pathways to graduation (strategy 2), and offering students options in delivery modes (strategy 3) increase the likelihood of student success, allowing them to find a way out of and therefore escape the "perfect storm" that higher education finds itself in today.

Practical implications

– Flexibility in scheduling courses by offering multiple delivery modes increases student access while maintaining the same learning objectives and outcomes.

Originality/value

– This paper addresses a known challenge in higher education and offers three strategies to improve retention and completion.


Based on characteristics of the architecture specialty, the teaching method based on constructivism was set up to improve students' interests, enhancing the teaching effect by combining the knowledge of structure and the design course as well as professional practice concerned.


The article is devoted to a philosophical analysis of the fundamental ontological principles of the political world. The author pays attention to the three main manifestations of the political: (i) antagonistic, which is presented through relations between friend and enemy; (ii) agonistic, which demonstrantes politics as a competition between different ideologies and positions; and (iii) imaginary and symbolic, which appears as strong connection between politics and socio-cultural situation. These manifestations of the political are often intertwined and realized as a network of relationships and political actions that create a three-dimensional model of the political world.


A two-year-old cat with episodic dyspnea was diagnosed with an intrapericardial cyst via two-dimensional echocardiography. The cyst directly compressed the right ventricle, resulting in cardiac tamponade. Centesis of the cyst was performed to reduce tamponade prior to surgery. At surgery, a large, fluid-filled cystic structure was found within the pericardium. The cystic structure was continuous with a pedicle of liver that passed through a small peritoneopericardial diaphragmatic hernia. Surgical resolution was achieved by median sternotomy, midline pericardotomy, resection of the cyst, and diaphragmatic herniorrhaphy.


BACKGROUND
Olfactory ensheathing glia (OEG) has been shown to have a neuroprotective effect after being transplanted in rats with spinal cord injury. This study was conducted to determine the possible beneficial results of olfactory mucosa transplantation (OMT) which is a source of OEG on functional recovery and axonal regeneration after transection of the sciatic nerve.

METHODS
In this study, 36 adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were used. The sciatic nerve was transected in 24 rats and immediately repaired by sciatic-sciatic anastomosis, and randomly divided equally into two groups. The experimental group received the OMT at the transected site and the control group received the respiratory mucosa transplant. In another twelve rats as sham-operated animals, the sciatic nerve was exposed but no transection was made. DiI retrograde tracing was injected in the gastrocnemius muscle two months after surgery to allow visualization of the extent of axonal regeneration. Functional recovery was also assessed at 15, 30, 45 and 60 days after surgery using walking track analysis and sciatic function index (SFI) calculations.

RESULTS
The total number of DiI labeled motorneurones in the ventral horn (L4-L6) and the SFI scores were significantly higher in the group of rats that received olfactory mucosa rather than respiratory mucosa.

CONCLUSIONS
The outcome indicates that olfactory mucosa is a useful treatment to improve nerve regeneration in mammals with peripheral nerve injury.


Background and Objectives
There is a growing evidence base that informal caregivers can identify positive aspects of providing care and that this may have a beneficial influence on their well-being. The aim of this systematic review was to explore how positive aspects of caregiving (PAC) affects the well-being of caregivers of people with dementia.

Research Design and Methods
We searched electronic databases for quantitative studies exploring the association between PAC and caregiver well-being. Studies were included if they involved informal (unpaid) caregivers of people with dementia, at least 75% of whom had to be residing in the community. A narrative synthesis was used to explore patterns within the data.

Results
Fifty-three studies were included in the narrative synthesis. Most studies utilized a cross-sectional design. The majority of samples consisted primarily of spouses and female caregivers. Twenty different PAC measures were employed and studies referred to a variety of constructs, such as satisfactions, gains, meaning, and rewards. PAC was associated with lower depressive symptoms and burden. Conversely, PAC was associated with better mental health, quality of life, satisfaction with life, and competence/self-efficacy. PAC was not associated with self-rated health or personal strain/stress.

Discussion and Implications
The findings suggest that identifying PAC is associated with better caregiver well-being, although further longitudinal studies are required to explore how this relationship changes over time. Interventions that enable caregivers to gain a more positive experience of caregiving could be beneficial for their well-being.


Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal X-linked neuromuscular disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration due to lack of dystrophin, a protein essential for the integrity of sarcolemma during contraction. Chronic inflammation is a hallmark of muscles in DMD subjects, and contributes to progressive muscle wasting. RAGE (receptor for advanced glycation end-products) is a multiligand receptor of the immunoglobulin superfamily involved in physiological and pathological processes including inflammation and myogenesis [1]. While absent in healthy adult muscle tissue, RAGE is expressed in regenerating myofibers during muscle regeneration [2,3], in dystrophic muscles and activated immune cells. To have information about the role of RAGE in the pathophysiology of DMD we generated a double mutant mouse lacking dystrophin and RAGE (mdx/Ager–/– mouse) by cross-breeding dystrophic (mdx) mice with RAGE-null (Ager-/-) mice. Comparison of Quadriceps femoris of mdx and mdx/Ager–/– mice at different ages (i.e., 2, 3, 4 and 5 weeks, and 6 and 12 months of age) showed that the absence of RAGE in dystrophic mice did not affect the onset of the pathology. However, compared with age-matched mdx mice, muscles of 5 week- and 6 and 12 month-old mdx/Ager–/– mice showed i) significantly reduced numbers of necrotic myofibers, ii) a shift towards higher values of the cross-sectional areas (CSA) of myofibers, which was also evident in regenerating (centrally-nucleated) myofibers, and iii) reduced areas of immune cell infiltrate. The expression of MAC3, a marker of activated macrophages, was strongly reduced in muscles of mdx/Ager–/– mice compared with mdx mice. Moreover, muscles of mdx/Ager–/– mice exhibited significantly reduced PAX7+ve and myogenin+ve cell numbers, suggesting a reduced recruitment of muscle precursor cells and more efficient regeneration in dystrophic mice lacking RAGE. Our results suggest that RAGE may sustain inflammatory and degenerative processes in dystrophic muscles, and the inhibition of its expression/activity might represent a potential therapeutic approach in DMD patients.This work was supported by grants from MIUR 2012N8YJC3, AFM-Telethon 16812 and Fondazione CRP 2015.0325.021.


Two patients with anorexia nervosa with evidence of pancreas and liver injury are reported. Both showed evidence of organ dysfunction in the presence of cachexia. Serum amylase, ASAT (GOT), and ALAT (GPT) became normal parallel with body weight. On the basis of reports on the effects of malnutrition on pancreas and liver function, it is suggested that nutritional pancreas and liver dysfunction might represent hitherto unrecognized complications of anorexia nervosa.


The trans-Golgi network is one of the main sorting stations for proteins and lipids in the eukaryotic endomembrane system. Yet, the mechanisms for sorting and transport out of the trans-Golgi network remain poorly understood. In this work, an in vitro procedure to reconstitute carrier formation at the trans-Golgi was established. Using this assay, it could be shown that formation of carriers containing the asialoglycoprotein receptor H1 and the cation dependent mannose 6-phosphate receptor is independent of the clathrin machinery, but dependent on GTP hydrolysis. This is in contrast to the common notion that the mannose 6phosphate receptor exits the Golgi in clathrin coated vesicles, but is consistent with recent evidence for tubular export carriers or maturation. The assay is based on sulfation, which can only take place in the trans-Golgi and thus defines the starting compartment. To improve the radioactive sulfation signal in the assay, a novel tag was developed that contains an attachment site for glycosaminoglycans (long, linear and heavily sulfated carbohydrate polymers). To investigate the influence of glycosaminoglycan attachment on protein sorting, biosynthetic exocytosis, endocytosis, endocytic recycling, and overall stability of H1 with or without glycan was examined. While stability and recycling were unaffected, exocytosis was accelerated and endocytosis was slowed down by carbohydrate attachment. Endocytosis was impaired due to interactions of glycosaminoglycan with the extracellular matrix, but the alteration of exocytosis rate requires further investigation, as it suggests that the glycan diverts the protein to a different sorting route.


Many image processing problems require the detection of objects in an image. In problems such as these, active contours are widely used to extract features of interest from an image or model for computer analysis. Many examples of active contour applications come from biomedical image processing, where both healthy and diseased areas of the body can be detected, counted, and/or measured; however, a number of other applications of active contours exist outside of the biomedical field. This paper will survey the state of active contours and deliver software that can be used to explore the various nuances of active contour application. The topics in this paper include an explanation of internal energy and external energy using the Marr method, Gradient Vector Flow (GVF) method, and Vector Field Convolution (VFC) method. This paper will focus on 2-D active contours, but almost all of these methods can also be used to fit an active surface to 3-D objects. In the appendix, a Matlab program is provided that implements these methods.


OBJECTIVE
The main purpose of the present study was to assess the beneficial effect of Lactobacillus plantarum GM11 (LacP GM11), screened from Sichuan traditional fermented food, in depressive rats induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS).

METHODS
Male SPF SD rats were randomly assigned to 3 groups: the control group, CUMS group and CUMS + LacP GM11 group (n = 10). The rats in the CUMS and LacP GM11 groups received CUMS stimulation for 42 d. The behavioral tests and levels of monoamine neurotransmitter, glucocorticoid hormone and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the serum and hippocampus were measured. The effects of LacP GM11 on the mRNA and protein expression of BDNF and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) in the hippocampus were also investigated.

RESULTS
After supplementation for 21 d, LacP GM11 was associated with alleviation of depressive-like behavior, not anxiety-like behavior, in depressive rats. LacP GM11 increased the levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and BDNF and decreased the level of cortisol (CORT) in the serum and hippocampus in depressed rats. In addition, treatment with LacP GM11 also increased the mRNA and protein expression of BDNF and CREB in the hippocampus.

CONCLUSIONS
This work has revealed that LacP GM11 has potential beneficial effects on depression. This effect might be related to alleviating monoamine neurotransmitter deficiency, HPA axis hyperfunction and CREB-BDNF signaling pathway downregulation. This study demonstrates that LacP GM11 could be a potential therapeutic approach to treat depression and other mental health problems.


A structured-geometry model for dispersed and graded deposits was developed for chemical vapor infiltration of multiply-woven substrates of carbon filters. An earlier model was modified to allow for two reactants in the feed. The model predicts gas-phase concentration profiles in the voids of substrates and deposition amounts of two reactants as a function of time and location. Results are shown for feeding reactant gases simultaneously for dispersed deposition and periodically for the study of the graded deposition for a typical substrate. The variation in relative contents of reactants in the feed with time shows how the composition of the deposit varies. Porosities and changes of dimensions with time everywhere in the substrate are also predicted. This is an advantage of the structured-geometry model vs. a simplified homogeneous geometry for the substrate. Such a simplification may preclude predicting failure, such as delamination, which would require a local description of the composite structure. Sensitivity to input parameters such as temperature, pressure, and reactant feed concentration is discussed, and two substrate geometries are compared. The behavior of the system is predicted to be dominated by the times to fill gaps between filaments at the ply surfaces and the outermost space between plies. Furthermore,more » faster kinetics and slower reactant diffusion favor deposition of one material near the surface of a ply or the matrix and the other near the center of the ply or matrix. By manipulating feed rates of reactants, uniformity of material and overall porosity of the composites are predicted to be enhanced.« less


Helicobacter pylori was found to be a promoter factor of peptic ulcer that has an incidence higher in patients with hepatic cirrhosis. To clarify the role between H. pylori and peptic ulcer in patients with hepatic cirrhosis, a serological test (ELISA test, HEL-p, AMRAD, Australia), was used to measure the presence of H. pylori of patients with hepatic cirrhosis. Within two years, 108 cirrhotic patients who had received a panendoscopic examination were enrolled in this study. There were 79 males and 27 females with a mean age of 53.2 years. Sixty-four cases had positive serum HBsAg and 44 had negative serum. The results showed that the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in cirrhosis was 43.5% (47/108). There was no difference of HEL-p-positive rate between peptic ulcer and normal gastroduodenal mucosa (45.2% vs 46.1%, P > 0.05). According to this study, there appears to be no relation between peptic ulcer and H. pylori in patients with hepatic cirrhosis. The etiology of peptic ulcer in cirrhotic patients need further study.


We performed a strain analysis of a 32-nm-node microprocessing unit by Raman spectroscopy in conjunction with transmission electron microscopy. The channel surface was exposed by chemical etching and mechanical polishing for Raman spectroscopy. Some defects and Ge concentration variation were observed in embedded SiGe of a p-channel metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (pMOSFET). Uniform defects lying at the same angle were observed in the source and drain regions of an n-channel MOSFET (nMOSFET). From the Raman measurement, the Raman peak from strained Si in the pMOSFET shifted toward a higher frequency at approximately 7.5 cm-1, which corresponds to -3.75 GPa (compressive) under the assumption of uniaxial stress along the channel direction. On the other hand, the Raman peak shift from strained Si in the nMOSFET was -1.7 cm-1 corresponding to 0.85 GPa (tensile) under the assumption of uniaxial stress. From the nanobeam diffraction measurements, the compressive strain at the channel edge was larger than that at the channel center in the pMOSFET. On the other hand, the tensile strain in the nMOSFET was induced uniformly in the channel region. We think that understanding and control of channel strain introduction are indispensable in the state-of-the-art complementary MOSFET technology.


Climate change concerns have forced the automotive industry to develop more efficient powertrain technologies, including the potential for fuel cell systems. Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) demonstrate exceptional fuel flexibility and can operate on conventional, widely available hydrocarbon fuels with limited requirements for fuel reformation. Current hybrid powertrains combining fuel cell systems with internal combustion engines (ICEs) fail to mitigate the disadvantages of requiring fuel reformation by placing the engine downstream of the fuel cell system. This work, thus investigates the upstream placement of the engine, eliminating the need for fuel processing catalysts and the heating of complex fuel reformers. The ICE burns a fuel-rich mixture through rapid compression ignition, performing partial oxidation fuel reformation. To test the feasibility of a fuel cell system operating on such ICE exhaust, chemical kinetic model simulations were performed, creating model exhaust containing ∼43.0% syngas. A micro-tubular SOFC (μT-SOFC) was tested for power output with this exhaust, and generated ∼730 mW/cm2 (∼86% of its maximum output obtained with pure hydrogen fuel). Combustion testing was subsequently performed in a test chamber, and despite insufficient equipment limiting the maximum pressure of the combustion chamber, began to validate the model. The exhaust from these tests contained all of the predicted chemical species and, on average, ∼21.8% syngas, but would have resembled the model more closely given higher pressures. This work examines the viability of a novel combined ICE and fuel cell hybrid system, displaying potential for a more cost-effective/efficient solution than current fuel cell systems.


A process simulator for prediction of separation performance of a cryogenic air separation plant by packed columns with structured packing is developed by use of our heat and mass transfer model. The basic equations for the simulation are mass transfer correlations which were proposed in our previous work (Egoshi et al., 2000). Comparison of observed data from a pilot-scale cryogenic air separation plant, which consisted of a 710 mm-diameter high pressure sieve plate column for feed to low pressure column, a 500 mm-diameter low pressure packed column with structured packing for production of pure grade nitrogen and oxygen, and a 380 mm-diameter argon column with structured packing for production of crude argon is made. Predicted concentration profiles in the low pressure column and the ones in the argon column show good agreement with observed data. The effect of liquid feed location, side-cut location, vapor-liquid ratio of the feeds to the low pressure column on purity of the product nitrogen, oxygen and crude argon are also discussed.


The paper presents the main results of the research on "Organisational innovations, human resources and industrial relations for the food sector in Emilia Romagna" realised by the research team of the University of Ferrara and IRES (Economic and Social Research Institute) of Emilia Romagna. The aim of the reserch is the analysis of industrial relations, industrial organisation and pay for performance systems, as well as the connections between the three topics. The research wants to deliver a tool for analysis and discussion on organisational changes occurring in firms and on the degree of involvement of worker representative committees in these changes. ♣ The paper results from the research carried out in cooperation with IRES-Emilia-Romagna and FLAI-CGILER (Emilia-Romagna trade union for the food industry and agriculture). We thank Davide Antonioli, Annaflavia Bianchi, Giovanni Camatti, Loris Lugli, Maurizio Dondi, Giordano Giovannini, and the officers of regional trade unions who contributed to the interviews. The research has been carried out within the project Infrastructures, competitiveness and levels of government: knowledge and development of the new economy (PRIN 2001-2002), research unit of University of Ferrara. § Doctorate in Institutions and Policy for Economic Development, University of Ferrara, Department of Economics Institutions Territory. ^ Full professor in Economics, University of Ferrara, Department of Economics Institutions Territory. § Doctorate in Economics and Institutions, University of Ferrara, Department of Economics Institutions Territory.


NASA and the Astrophysics and Planetology Research Institute (IRAP), located in Toulouse, France, have signed an Affiliate Member statement with NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI), which supports lunar and planetary science research to advance human exploration of the solar system through scientific discovery.


The new environment in which current military operations take place is often characterized by unpredictable and ambiguous situations. This places new demands on military personnel. In combination with high levels of violence and threat, these situations will elicit acute stress reactions, which can impair performance and the ability to operate effectively. It may be questioned whether the current practices to train military personnel to cope with stress are still appropriate. The topic of this study is to examine whether the current training practices are appropriate to prepare military personnel for the new demands of these challenging situations. To answer this question a research program was set up. This program focuses on the current stress training practices and their effectiveness in acute stress situations in the military environment. The study consists of a review and analysis of literature on current military stress training practices and research. Also, interviews were held with military personnel to get a deeper understanding of the demands that acute, unpredictable and ambiguous threatening situations place on military personnel. Interviews with instructors of the Dutch army in the field of stress training were conducted to help asses the successful factors and constraints of the current training methods. Supported by knowledge about acute stress reactions, this will provide criteria for structural factors that have to be present in the stress training. The results of the review and interviews will be presented and discussed.


Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the health status and needs of the Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) population with diabetes in Texas. Methods: This was a cross-sectional secondary analysis of data collected from the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System in Texas from 2015 to 2019 for non-Hispanic White (NHW) and AAPI adults. Results: Although the overall crude diabetes prevalence was lower in AAPI adults, age-adjusted diabetes prevalence was higher than in NHWs. Significant risk factors associated with diabetes in the AAPI group included being male, marital status, lower education levels, lower income, being overweight/obese, and having a sedentary lifestyle. Engagement in self-management activities (checking blood glucose, checking feet, attending a diabetes management course) was lower in AAPIs than in NHWs. Conclusions: Given stiff barriers to adequate screening and self-management support in diabetes care among ethnic populations such as AAPIs, targeted efforts to improve diabetes screening and effective care are warranted. Because today's AAPI populations are predominantly first-generation immigrant groups who suffer from language barriers, efforts should be made to develop health surveys in multiple languages for wider inclusion of understudied groups like AAPIs in diabetes-related research.


Box core samples BC26 and BC36 from geologically different settings were examined to test the hypothesis that autochthonous microbial communities from polymetallic-nodule-rich Central Indian Basin sediments actively participate in immobilising metal ions. The bottom water dissolved oxygen concentration was reported to be 4.2–4.3 mL·L−1 in the northern siliceous ooze (BC26) and 4.1–4.2 mL·L−1 in the southern pelagic red clay (BC36); the sedimentation rates for these regions were 0.834 and 0.041 cm·kyr−1, respectively. An onboard experiment, conducted under oxic and sub-oxic conditions with 100 μmol of Mn, Co and Ni, showed that microbial immobilisation under sub-oxic conditions was higher than in azide-treated controls in BC26 for Mn, Co and Ni at 30, 2 and 4 cm below sea floor (bsf), respectively, after 45 days. The trend in immobilisation was BC 26>BC 36, Co>Mn>Ni under oxic conditions and Mn>Co>Ni under sub-oxic conditions. The depth of maximum immobilisation for Co in BC26 under sub-oxic conditions coincided with the yield of cultured Co-tolerant bacteria and Ni only with organic carbon at 4 cm bsf. This study demonstrates that the organic carbon content and bioavailable metal concentrations in sediments regulate microbial participation in metal immobilisation.


DNA methylation is essential for the survival of bacteriophages (phages), yet, we know little about the methylation of their genomes. Here, we analyze the DNA methylation patterns of 8,848 metagenome-assembled high-quality phages across 104 fecal samples using single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing. We show that 97.60% of gut phages could be methylated, and reveal factors that correlate with methylation densities. Phages having higher methylation densities are more prevent, suggesting putative viability advantages of the DNA methylation. Strikingly, more than a third of the phages encode their own DNA methyltransferases (MTases). More MTase copies are associated with increased genome methylation densities, methylation motifs, and higher prevalence of certain phage groups. Most MTases are closely homologous to gut bacterium-encoded ones, likely exchanged during phage-bacterium interactions, and could be used to accurately predict phage-host relationships. Taken together, our results suggest that the gut DNA phages universally use DNA methylation to escape from host defense systems with significant contribution from phage-encoded MTases.


Free fatty acids (FFAs) are not only essential nutritional components, but they also act as signaling molecules in various physiological processes. Recently, a G-protein-coupled receptor deorphanizing strategy has successfully identified a family of receptors that are activated by FFAs. FFA receptors (FFARs) are proposed to play critical roles in a variety of physiological and pathophysiological processes, especially in metabolic disorders. Among the FFARs, FFAR1 (GPR40) and GPR120 are activated by medium- and long-chain FFAs. FFAR1 facilitates glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells, whereas GPR120 regulates the secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1 in the intestine, as well as insulin sensitivity in macrophages. Because these receptors are potential therapeutic targets for metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, selective ligands have been developed. In this review, we discuss recent advances in the identification of ligands, structure activity relationships, and pharmacological characterization of FFAR1 and GPR120, and we present a summary of recent progress in understanding their physiological roles and their potential as drug targets.


Background and Objectives: The extent of SARS-CoV-2 infection among a population may be assessed by the presence of serum SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, which indicates previous exposure. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the adult population from Western Romania. Materials and Methods: Samples of 2443 consecutive individuals, referred for routine laboratory investigations, were tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies using the Elecsys immunoassay that targets the nucleocapsid protein, for identifying the presence of the total antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Results: The overall SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was 45.60%. SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was significantly higher in age group 30–49 years (53.94%) compared to age groups 50–69 years (43.53%) and 70–91 years (30.79%) (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). No significant difference in seroprevalence was observed between females (44.83%) and males (47.05%). Conclusions: Our data revealed a high seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the adult population from Western Romania and indicate the rapid and significant spread of the virus. The estimated prevalence of 45.60% was 6 times higher than the rate of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in the study area. This indicates the magnitude of virus transmission in the community.


This article pursues two interconnected inquiries into the work of M.A. Macauliffe. Firstly, the paper examines Macauliffe's work in light of general discussion in the historiography of colonial and modern South Asia regarding the relative influence of colonial forms of knowledge in the formation of South Asian subjectivities and texts in the period. This allows for understanding of the differentials in power imbedded within the 'dialogues' that produced texts like Macauliffe's. The paper explores the specifics of this question by, secondly, demonstrating the ways in which Macauliffe's work—presumably through his interaction with his interlocutors among the Sikhs and/or reading of Sikh texts—reflects existing Sikh historiographical commitments. In this, we attempt to assess the work in relation to a range of existing works in Punjabi and determine the genealogy of its creation, in Sikh historiographical terms. Assessment of these two seemingly contradictory contexts allows us to assess what was new—and what was not—in Macauliffe's representation of the Sikh past, and how we can assess the purportedly dialogical nature of the text within a broader field of power and knowledge.


Dykes minimise flood risks among riparian communities. In Nyando basin, Kenya, dykes were constructed to minimise flood impacts on human activities in the riparian plains. The dyke characteristics could change the rate of silting. In spite of these dynamics, some farmers now use fertilisers as a new way of coping with nutrient deficiency. Several researches have been done in Kenya on the effects of floods on human activities; however, there is no clear link between dyke characteristics like period of existence, length and height and their influence on food crop production. The dykes in Nyando have reduced floods in the region; however, it is not clearly understood how the dyke characteristics influence the food crop. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of dyke characteristics on food crop production. Planning Theory was used. Descriptive cross-sectional research design applied. The target population stood at 34,460 households. At least 384 Household heads were recruited via simple random sampling and a questionnaire administered, while purposive sampling was useful in identifying relevant experts in the field of study. Primary data was obtained by interviewing key informants and focused group discussions. Other tools include observation and photography. Secondary data was obtained from publications and print media, and SPSS was utilised in data analysis. Qualitative data was analysed by coding and organisation of data into themes and sub-themes where generalisation was made. The results from the multiple coefficients of determination (R2) indicated that 45.4% (R2 = .454, p = .039) of the variation in the general crop yield was explainable by the combined change in Dyke Characteristics. The dykes' characteristics significantly influenced crop production


Rms amplitude and spectral decomposition attribute have been extracted for hydrocarbon potential identification in Amandah area, Talangakar Formation, North West Java Basin. Purpose of rms amplitude extractions is to see the change of lithology which is extreme. Example is like reservoir existence. Spectral decomposition has been used to see reservoir at thin thickness. The seismic attributes has been extracted from seismic data 3D Pre Stack Time Migration (PSTM). Log data has been taken from a well (AMD-01) to interpret and determine reservoir thickness in interest zone. Seismic attribute analysis has been used to see existence and shape of channel's geometry spreading. The result of rms amplitude attribute extraction is reservoir which can be detected clearly at 10 ms, 20 ms, 30 ms and 40 ms window analysis. Whereas the result of spectral decomposition attribute extraction is reservoir which can be detected at 15 Hz – 25 Hz frequency with 30 ms and 40 ms window analysis. The result of rms amplitude and spectral decomposition attribute analysis shows hydrocarbon in Amandah area, Talangakar Formation is potential in channel depositional facies with depositional direction at north-south (N-S) and north nort east – south south west (NNE-SSW) and  thickness high of channel is concern at 36-60 m. Key words : Seismic attribute, rms amplitude, spectral decomposition, reservoir,


Twitter offers an explicit mechanism to facilitate information diffusion and has emerged as a new medium for communication. Many approaches to find influentials have been proposed, but they do not consider the temporal order of information adoption. In this work, we propose a novel method to find influentials by considering both the link structure and the temporal order of information adoption in Twitter. Our method finds distinct influentials who are not discovered by other methods.


Abstract Peirce's concept of the sign can be qualified in terms of inter-dependence, inter-relatedness, and inter-action, from icons to indices to symbols, from Firstness to Secondness to Thirdness, and with respect to sign generacy and degeneracy. This entails a contradictory complementary coalescence of signs, within a temporal-spatial flux and flow wherein everything is always becoming something other than what it was becoming. In this vein, the present article suggests that (1) topological models, (2) certain facets of twentieth-century science up to the present, and (3) avant-garde art — specifically, Cubism and the work of Mavrits C. Escher — when qualified by (4) a non-Boolean, non-linear, context-dependent, contradictory complementary lattice, which reveals (5) sign convergence and blending, or signs becoming signs, can offer (6) a synthetic account of the general semiosic process.


Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are commonly used in asset monitoring applications, where it is often desirable for the location of the asset being monitored to be kept private. The source location privacy (SLP) problem involves protecting the location of a WSN source node from an attacker who is attempting to locate it. Among the most promising approaches to the SLP problem is the use of fake sources, with much existing research demonstrating their efficacy. Despite the effectiveness of the approach, the most effective algorithms providing SLP require network and situational knowledge that makes their deployment impractical in many contexts. In this paper, we develop a novel dynamic fake sources-based algorithm for SLP. We show that the algorithm provides state-of-the-art levels of location privacy under practical operational assumptions.


Multimodal sensing can provide a comprehensive and accurate diagnosis of biological information. This paper presents a fully integrated wireless multimodal sensing chip with voltammetric electrochemical sensing at a scanning rate range of 0.08–400 V/s, temperature monitoring, and bi-phasic electrical stimulation for wound healing progress monitoring. The time-based readout circuitry can achieve a 1–20X scalable resolution through dynamic threshold voltage adjustment. A low-noise analog waveform generator is designed using current reducer techniques to eliminate the large passive components. The chip is fabricated via a 0.18 μm CMOS process. The design achieves R2 linearity of 0.995 over a wide current detection range (2 pA–12 μA) while consuming 49 μW at 1.2 V supply. The temperature sensing circuit achieves a 43 mK resolution from 20 to 80 degrees. The current stimulator provides an output current ranging from 8 μA to 1 mA in an impedance range of up to 3 kΩ. A wakeup receiver with data correlators is used to control the operation modes. The sensing data are wirelessly transmitted to the external readers. The proposed sensing IC is verified for measuring critical biomarkers, including C-reactive protein, uric acid, and temperature.


Background The disease concept, CPFE is proposed recently. It is rare that clinical course of CPFE and relationship between serum markers and survival are reported. We conducted a retrospective clinical study of CPFE in patients of IPF. Methods A hundred and seven patients with interstitial pneumonia who visited Sapporo Medical University Hospital and Teine Keijinkai Hospital from 2007 to 2012 were investigated retrospectively. Seventy-two patients were diagnosed as IPF according to the ATS/ERS statement and were enrolled in this study. The patients were diagnosed as CPFE who were scored more than two points according to Goddard classification by HRCT. Thirty-four patients were CPFE and 38 were "non-CPFE". Their medical records including pulmonary function test and serum markers (SP-A, SP-D, KL-6) were reviewed. Results In CPFE patients, lung capacity was kept and diffusion capacity was decreased as same as past reports. CPFE patients showed significantly worse survival than non-CPFE (p=0.0059). Worsening of diffusion capacity and high level of serum SP-D at the initial status showed poor prognosis. There was a significant difference in serum SP-D between CPFE and non-CPFE. Moreover, in CPFE patients, higher serum SP-D group (more than 150 ng/ml) showed significantly worse survival than another group (p=0.0089). Conclusion In IPF, CPFE patients showed significantly worse survival than non-CPFE, and CPFE patients with high serum SP-D showed poor prognosis. It is suggested IPF patients with emphysema on HRCT and high SP-D level in sera should be needed careful observation.


The literature on bloodstream infections (BSIs) have predominantly been biased towards bacteria, given their superior clinical significance in comparison with the other types of microorganisms. Fungal pathogens have epidemiologically received relatively less attention, although they constitute an important proportion of BSI aetiologies. In this review, the authors discuss the clinical relevance of fungal BSIs in the context of Candida species, as well as treatment options for the infections, emphasizing the compelling need to develop newer antifungals and strengthen antimicrobial stewardship programmes in the wake of the rapid spread of antifungal resistance.


Aging is known to be a dominant risk factor in the progression of hypertension. Thus, accompanied by an increasing mean age of the population in developed countries, prevention and management of hypertension in the elderly is a task of pressing urgency. Age-associated blood pressure elevation is a result of the aging process in organ systems, which play a key role in the regulation of blood pressure. In addition, advanced aging of the cardiovascular system contributes to the presence of a varied phenotype in elderly hypertension, such as nocturnal hypertension and morning hypertension. Therefore, in order to detect and treat age-associated hypertension appropriately, it is important to assess ambulatory blood pressure monitoring throughout the 24-h period.


To the Editor. —The recent reports on the interactions between retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and endothelium in vitro point out that an RPElocated inhibitor of neovascularization and an endothelium-located chemoattractant for RPE cells explain only part of the story of how neovascularization and the status quo at Bruch's membrane are controlled.1,2I would like to point out the following evidence derived from experimental animals and human pathologic studies that suggest interesting and relevant interactions between RPE and endothelium in vivo. Animal experiments have shown that choriocapillaris atrophies (its endothelium thickens and loses its fenestrae; endothelial cells die, and the capillary plexus retracts) when and where RPE is destroyed. This is seen, for example, in rabbits that receive sodium iodate intravenously.3The chemical destroys the RPE in a patchy manner. Choriocapillary atrophy ensues at sites of RPE loss—and only there. In histologic studies of human eyes with RPE degeneration


The crystal structure of bis(2-aminopyridinum) tetrachlorocuprate (II) has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The triclinic unit cell, space group Pī, contains a single formula unit in the asymmetric unit. The CuCl42- ions occur as isolated groups having a highly flattened tetrahedral geometry. The chloride ions are hydrogen-bonded to both nitrogen atoms of the cation, and the influence of this upon the geometry of the copper(II) complex is discussed. The low-temperature single-crystal electronic spectrum of the compound is reported, and the intensities and energies of the d-d transitions are related to the degree of distortion of the CuCl42- ion. The electronic spectrum of a crystal of bis (2-aminopyrimidinium) tetrachlorocopper (II), which contains a tetragonally elongated octahedral complex in which the cation forms long axial bonds to the copper(II) ion, was also measured for comparison. Angular overlap metal-ligand bonding parameters are derived for the two compounds, and discussed in terms of the different geometries of the complexes.


Two new species of Marasmius secton Sicci are described based on field work conducted in Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park, Thailand. Marasmius thailandicus is characterized by small, thin yellowish white basidiomes, ellipsoid basidiospores and dimorphic caulocystidia. Marasmius rongklaensis is distinguished by a conical, velutinous pileus, ellipsoid basidiospores, dimorphic cheilocytidia and pileipellis a hymeniderm with pileosetae. Comprehensive description along with illustrations, photographs, and a comparison with phenetically similar taxa are provided. The taxonomic position has been confirmed by phylogenetic analyses of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) sequences of the ribosomal DNA.


A quasiclassical trajectory study with the sixth-order explicit symplectic algorithm for the N(4S)+O2(X3Σg−)→NO (X2Π)+O(3P) reaction has been reported by employing a new ground potential energy surface. We have discussed the influence of the relative translational energy, the vibrational and rotational levels of O2 molecules on the total reaction cross section. Thermal rate constants at temperatures 300, 600, and 1000 K determined in this work for the reaction are 4.4×107, 1.8×1010, and 3.1×1011 cm3mol−1s−1, respectively. It is found that they are in better agreement with the experimental data than previous theoretical values.


The fertilization of crops with swine wastewater is a common practice and attractive for the reduction of natural resources and environmental pollution control. The feasibility of such use is due to the large volume of waste generated and the amount of nutrients that are easily mineralized when applied in soil. However, copper and zinc, added in high concentrations in swine rations, can accumulate on soil-water-plant system after successive applications. Thus, this study aimed at evaluating the effects of doses of swine wastewater associated with mineral fertilization in the levels of copper and zinc in an intensive no-tillage system (maize, black oats and soybeans) for four years. The experiments were carried out in area with twenty-four lysimeters of drainage, in typical oxisol. Swine wastewater treated in stabilization ponds and biodigester was applied in doses of 0, 100, 200 and 300 m3 ha-1 associated with presence and absence of mineral fertilization, resulting in eight treatments with three repetitions each. Increases of 15.60% copper and 188% zinc in soil were found after four years of swine wastewater application. In the presence of mineral fertilization, zinc was 57% higher than in its absence. Copper and zinc levels detected were within the recommended range of mineral nutrition for maize, black oats and soybeans.

 Key words: Fertilization, heavy metals, leaching, pig slurry, water reuse.


Abstract Objective: General population studies have demonstrated that good school functioning protects children and adolescents against mental health problems. However, no such studies of clinical populations have been conducted. Therefore, we explored the association between school functioning and mental health in patients referred to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). We also examined whether good school functioning and general social competence at referral predicted better mental health outcomes after six months of outpatient treatment. Method: Of 345 patients, aged 8–15.5 years, referred as outpatients to CAMHS in a Norwegian county, 192 were eligible for a six-month follow-up study. Parents filled out the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) for 120 of these children and teachers completed the Teachers' Report Form (TRF) for 122 children. Results: Teacher-reported adaptive functioning (r = −0.65) and academic skills (r = −0.42), and parent-reported social competence (r = −0.35) and school competence (r = −0.27) were significantly (p < 0.01) negatively associated with total emotional and behavioral problems at baseline. Parent-reported school competence and the total level of emotional and behavioral problems at referral significantly (p < 0.05) predicted the total level of emotional and behavioral problems six months after referral. Conclusion: Both teacher- and parent-reported school functioning were associated with mental health in CAMHS patients. Only parent-reported school competence predicted total levels of emotional and behavioral problems six months after referral. Therapists, teachers, and parents should cooperate closely when planning and conducting child and adolescent psychiatric treatments, and school should be considered an important area for intervention.


Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park (CVNP) in central Brazil is one of the most important protected areas of Brazilian Cerrado yet the diversity that this park harbors remains unknown for many taxa. From 2006 to 2009, we studied the snake assemblage of CVNP to determine the species composition, abundance, seasonal and daily activity patterns, morphology, and habitat use. We documented 47 snake species from seven families within CVNP, with the most common species being Bothrops marmoratus, Oxyrhopus trigeminus, Crotalus durissus and Bothrops moojeni. The incidence of snakes was highly seasonal and appeared to be associated mainly with rainfall. Daily activity patterns revealed that the majority of snakes are strictly diurnal, whereas others are nocturnal or active during both periods. Species richness estimators suggest that more snake species than the 47 we documented likely occur within CVNP, indicating that it harbors one of the richest snake faunas among South American open biomes studied to date.


Cancer survivors are encouraged to have a healthy lifestyle to reduce health risks and improve survival. An understanding of health behaviors, such as diet, is also important for informing post-diagnosis support. We investigated the diet quality of cancer survivors relative to participants without cancer, overall and by cancer site and time from diagnosis. A cross-sectional study design within the Atlantic PATH study was used which included 19,973 participants aged 35 to 69 years from Atlantic Canada, of whom 1,930 were cancer survivors. A diet quality score was derived from a food frequency questionnaire. Comparisons of diet quality between cancer survivors and non-cancer controls, cancer site and years since diagnosis were examined in multivariable multi-level models. Cancer survivors had a mean diet quality of 39.1 out of 60 (SD: 8.82) and a higher diet quality than participants without cancer (mean difference: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.84) after adjustment for confounders. Odds of high diet quality was greater in breast cancer survivors than participants without cancer (OR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.90), and higher among survivors diagnosed ≤2 years versus >10 years (OR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.05, 2.80). No other differences by cancer site and years since diagnosis were observed. The difference in diet quality, although statistically significant, is unlikely to be meaningful, suggesting that cancer survivors have similar diet quality as participants without cancer. There was considerable room for dietary improvement regardless of cancer status, highlighting the need for dietary interventions, especially among cancer survivors, who are at higher risk for secondary health problems.


In applications of modern power distribution with distributed energy resources, grid-tied energy storage systems (ESS) will be increasingly incorporated. Energy storage devices (ESD) such as lithium-ion battery or super-capacitor cells however have low DC terminal voltages. It is essential to develop a bidirectional DC/AC converter to interface ESS based on low voltage cells to the higher voltage grid without using high number of cells in series. In this paper a bidirectional current-fed converter with high frequency transformer isolation is proposed. In this proposed topology, a current source inverter (CSI) is used to interface to the grid. A DC/DC converter with High frequency(HF) transformer is used to feed the current to CSI. Low voltage and high voltage side of DC/DC converter can be either Push-Pull or Full-Bridge. The proposed topology has the advantage of reduced component count and simple control strategy. Simulation and hardware results have shown that the proposed circuit can work in charging and discharging of the ESS and the control strategy is effective.


Five months ago, the Polish President Duda vetoed the PiS laws on the judiciary as unconstitutional. Currently, the President and the PiS are negotiating about a solution to this conflict. But make no mistake: The Presidential vetoes have not triggered any new proposals which would be qualitatively better in terms of consistency with the Constitution than the initial PiS bills that he vetoed. Both the PiS and the President's proposals are glaringly unconstitutional, though in different ways.


A survey was mailed to 72 institutions in the USA requesting information on Salmonella spp. cultures in black rhinoceroses (Diceros bicornis), white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum), and Indian rhinoceroses (Rhinoceros unicornis). Sixty-one institutions responded (85% return rate), with seven reporting positive cultures (11% prevalence rate; 10% if survey nonresponders had negative cultures). There were 17 positive cultures from 16 different animals, with nine different serotypes of Salmonella and 2 additional cultures identified to the group level.


This article reports on the experience of internet-enabled cognitive behavioural therapy (IECBT) for older people diagnosed with depression and anxiety. IECBT involves synchronous real-time communication between the therapist and patient via instant messaging and has been found to be effective in the treatment of patients over eighteen diagnosed with depression. While younger populations are an obvious focus for studies into the potential of internet-based therapies, older people's experience of such therapies can be overlooked due to assumptions about their relatively lower rates of internet use. However, rapid increases in this generation's levels of internet access make this an important avenue of enquiry. In addition, such therapies may offer a route to address the underdiagnosis and undertreatment of depression and anxiety among older people. Once older people are diagnosed, evidence suggests that they tend to prefer psychological therapies, and these can be effective in this age group. This article therefore builds on the positive findings about IECBT as a treatment option in general by, for the first time, analysing quantitative data relating to older people's use of this form of therapy. It analyses secondary data on patient characteristics, take-up of treatment, and treatment outcomes, finding that older men are over-represented among IECBT patients and that rates of self-referral are higher in this age group.


Intravenous injection of acetaldehyde produced hypotensive actions in pentobarbital-anaesthetised whole rats, but hypertensive actions in pithed rats. The hypotensive effects of acetaldehyde in whole rats were abolished by pre-treatment with yohimbine. In pithed rats, the hypertensive effects of acetaldehyde were significantly attenuated by prazosin and phentolamine, and in rats that had been pre-treated with reserpine. Our results suggest that the hypertensive actions of acetaldehyde in pithed rats are due to the release of catecholamines, which subsequently leads to vasoconstriction. In whole rats the hypotensive actions of acetaldehyde may be due to alpha2-adrenoceptor stimulation in the central nervous or peripheral system.