Author(s): Stornaiuolo, Amy | Advisor(s): Sterponi, Laura | Abstract: This two-year ethnographic study of five teachers and their adolescent students in India, South Africa, the U.S., and Norway traced how participants negotiated social media in educational settings, especially the challenges and benefits of incorporating social networking in teaching and learning. We are at a critical juncture in educational research, as texts, ideas, and people rapidly circulate around the world (Appadurai, 1996) and social networks connect audiences, authors, and texts in new relationships with heightened responsibilities and obligations (Silverstone, 2007). This dissertation study represents an effort to map how teachers and students negotiated these new relationships in a globally networked environment, in what is arguably the first empirically documented educational social networking project (Hull, Stornaiuolo, a Sahni, 2010). Using a cultural historical activity theory lens (Cole a Engestrom, 1993; Engestrom, 1999a), I analyzed the activity system of the networked community, looking particularly at the contradictions that participants faced in incorporating new digital and social technologies into educational spaces. Employing a multi-sited ethnographic approach (Marcus, 1995), I collected interview, observational, artifactual, and informatic data about how teachers and students used the resources of the networked community for learning and literacy development. This ethnographic study was designed to help educators identify how we might productively incorporate social media into classrooms and foster students' development of the compositional facility needed to communicate with diverse audiences across multiple composing contexts.One of the central findings of the study is that teachers have a crucial role to play in creating opportunities for young people to develop as thoughtful and capable 21st century communicators but that this enterprise is fraught with difficulty, requiring persistence and collaboration between participants in addressing those challenges. Specifically, participants in this study struggled with the contradiction of incorporating seemingly `social' practices into more `academic' contexts, and teachers grappled with what role to take up in their classrooms and in the networked community in relation to these hybrid social/academic practices. While this enterprise was fraught with difficulty, however, teachers persisted across challenges, working together to open spaces for dialogue and to highlight participants' responsibilities to one another as authors and audiences. The study revealed that educationally-turned Web 2.0 tools and practices can play a generative role in expanding participants' transliterate capacities, flexible composing and interpretive strategies for communicating with diverse audiences across complex and varied texts.This study contributes to a still-nascent empirical research base around how young people's communicative capacities can be supported by an educational framework that integrates digital tools and practices, particularly for adolescents whose experiences and beliefs are not always taken into account. Highlighting the generative role of contradiction and the centrality of mediational artifacts in driving innovation, this study represents an empirically grounded example of expansive learning (Engestrom, 1987) in a virtual community. It also offers implications for extending the theory of expansive learning for literacy studies by demonstrating that learning across (horizontal or expansive learning) is a kind of transliterate practice, a form of literate action that plays an important transcontextualizing role in the world in building and sustaining connections across time and space (Brandt a Clinton, 2002). As participants in this study engaged in these transliterate practices, I argue that their artfulness and generosity in doing so illustrates a cosmopolitan stance in the world (Hansen, 2011; Hull, Stornaiuolo, a Sahni, 2010). As one of the central challenges facing educators in the current age, maintaining a stance of both openness to the new and loyalty to the known is a challenging yet ever more imperative prerequisite for learning from, about, and with others across our ever-more connected world (Hansen, 2010). This study offers implications for the ways that teachers can model these cosmopolitan dispositions - by inhabiting shared spaces, listening to others with respect, and accepting the obligation to be hospitable interlocutors, all crucially important capacities as we seek to become ethically alert citizens in and of the world (Silverstone, 2007).


The enhancement of organic-matter maturation and petroleum generation by the migration and accumulation of active hydrothermal fluids in the high thermal-gradient, strongly overpressured environments in the Yinggehai and Qiongdongnan basins is systematically demonstrated by combination of geological, geochemical analysis and basin modeling. The retardation of organic-matter thermal evolution by abnormal pore-pressure is recognized, its manifestation and dynamic mechanism are illustrated, and chemical kinetic modeling of the pressure retardation is carried out. On this basis, the model of organic-matter thermal evolution and petroleum generation in high thermal-gradient, strongly overpressured environments is summarized. A correct understanding of the effects of active hydrothermal fluids and abnormal pore-fluid pressures on organic-matter thermal evolution is of great theoretical and practical significance for thermal history analysis, basin modeling and petroleum resource evaluation.


security has became one of the major concern in Information System (IS) development. Different security modeling language or security extension is used to model security features of IS. Mal Activity Diagram (MAD) is used at the design stage to represent security aspect. But it cannot model all the security risk management concepts. Without full coverage of concepts, it is not possible to model an IS efficiently and correctly. In this paper, first we propose a meta model for MAD which will help developers or other stakeholders to understand and use MAD correctly. Then we propose syntactic and semantic extensions of MAD to model all the risk management concepts. We have used this meta model and extension in a case study. This study shows that the meta model and extensions help us to correctly identify and model different security components of the system.


The redox evolution of Archean mantle impacted Earth differentiation, mantle melting and the nature of chemical equilibrium between mantle, ocean and atmosphere of the early Earth. However, how and why it varies with time remain controversial. Archean mantle-derived volcanic rocks, especially basalts are ideal lithologies for reconstructing the mantle redox state. Here we show that the ~3.8-2.5 Ga basalts from fourteen cratons are subdivided geochemically into two groups, B-1, showing incompatible element depleted and modern mid-ocean ridge basalt-like features ((Nb/La)PM ≥ 0.75) and B-2 ((Nb/La)PM < 0.75), characterized by modern island arc basalt-like features. Our updated V-Ti redox proxy indicates the Archean upper mantle was more reducing than today, and that there was a significant redox heterogeneity between ambient and modified mantle presumably related to crustal recycling, perhaps via plate subduction, as shown by B-1 and B-2 magmas, respectively. The oxygen fugacity of modified mantle exhibits a ~1.5-2.0 log units increase over ~3.8-2.5 Ga, whereas the ambient mantle becomes more and more heterogeneous with respect to redox, apart from a significant increase at ~2.7 Ga. These findings are coincident with the increase in the proportions of crustal recycling-related lithologies with associated enrichment of associated incompatible elements (e.g., Th/Nb), indicating that increasing recycling played a crucial role on the secular oxidation of Archean upper mantle.


Sustainable Tourism has been a growing trend in the last couple of years and with it emerged several different certification and accreditation schemes promoting a sustainable way of travelling and spending the holidays. The book takes a closer look at what Sustainable Tourism is, why it is needed and how different forms of voluntary mechanisms like certification and accreditation schemes evolved within the industry. For this purpose it uses the theory of Global Governance and more importantly of Private Governance Systems as a framework. It illustrates on two different cases, namely the Green Globe and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, what different types of voluntary mechanisms exist within the tourism industry, what their characteristics are and which factors fostered their emergence and development. This way the book not only contributes to the scientific debate about Private Governance Systems, especially in the field of sustainability, but moreover fosters and supports the transparent development of Sustainable Tourism.


Matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP7) expression is quickly up-regulated after injury, and functions to regulate wound repair and various mucosal immune processes. We evaluated the global transcriptional response of airway epithelial cells from wild-type and Mmp7-null mice cultured at an air-liquid interface. The analysis of differentially expressed genes between genotypes after injury revealed an enrichment of functional categories associated with inflammation, cilia, and differentiation. Because these analyses suggested that MMP7 regulated ciliated cell formation, we evaluated the recovery of the airway epithelium in wild-type and Mmp7-null mice in vivo after naphthalene injury, which revealed augmented ciliated cell formation in the absence of MMP7. Moreover, in vitro studies evaluating cell differentiation in air-liquid interface cultures also showed faster ciliated cell production under Mmp7-null conditions compared with wild-type conditions. These studies identified a new role for MMP7 in attenuating ciliated cell differentiation during wound repair.


Despite the massive scale of the voucher privatization, there still remains a substantial number of companies where the state has been involved. The residual state property is quantified from the point of ownership and ownership rights that enable control over the assets of privatized companies. By the beginning of 1999, the state was able to control 76 % of assets of the companies in the portfolio of the National Property Fund. This means that the state has been able to control quite a significant part of the Czech economy and interfere with the concept of property rights. The results thus question achievement of the voucher privatization. There exists a clear consensus that further privatization of the residual state property is both necessary and inevitable. It is a condition for further economic growth.


Using land resources quantity change model and land use/cover change index, dynamic changes and driving forces of land use/cover change were discussed in Tianshui, Gansu Province during the resent twenty years. The results showed that slope farmland area declined sharply, terrace area increased rapidly, forestland area and orchard area increased steadily from 1986 to 2004. According to the change of land-use type transfer, the entering speed of terrace was slightly less than the exiting speed, which was in a state of equilibrium for two-way high-speed conversion, while the entering speed of shrub land was less than the exiting speed, and presented a scale reduced trend. The change degrees of the land use types in the previous period (1986-1995) was much more obvious than that in the later period (1995-2004). Besides special topography and climate factors, national policies, population growth and economic development are driving forces of land use types change. After the implementation of the natural forest protection project and returning farmland to forest projects, land use situation in the region has been improved.


Cholesterol content is critical for membrane functional properties. We studied the influence of cholesterol and its precursors desmosterol and lanosterol on lateral diffusion of phospholipids and sterols by1H pulsed field gradients (PFG) magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy. The high resolution of resonances afforded by MAS NMR permitted simultaneous diffusion measurements on 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DPPC) and sterols. The cholesterol diffusion mirrored the DPPC behavior, but rates were slightly higher at all cholesterol concentrations. DPPC and cholesterol diffusion rates decreased and became cholesterol concentration dependent with the onset of liquid-ordered phase formation. The activation energies of diffusion in the coexistence region of liquid-ordered/liquid-disordered phases are higher by about a factor of 2 compared to pure DPPC and to the pure liquid-ordered state formed at higher cholesterol concentrations. We assume that the higher activation energies are a reflection of lipid diffusion across domain boundaries. In lanosterol- and desmosterol-containing membranes, the DPPC and sterol diffusion coefficients are somewhat higher. Whereas the desmosterol rates are only slightly higher than those of DPPC, the lanosterol diffusion rates significantly exceed DPPC rates, indicating a weaker interaction between DPPC and lanosterol.


This study is to select food offered with higher frequency at restaurants such as hamburger, pizza, chicken, gimbap(boiled rice rolled in laver with seasonings stuffed), and calgooksu(Korean traditional noodles); identify customers' expectation and satisfaction levels on food and service quality and analyze correlation according to each food. The survey was conducted from March 1 to March 24, 2000, by distributing questionnaires. Statistical data analysis was completed using SPSS for t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation analysis. The results of this study were as follows: 1) It is revealed that overall average satisfaction levels on food quality according to individuals' trait came out significantly low compared to their expectation levels, and that balance in nutrition and reasonable prices had problems in relation to food quality. 2) Customers' expectation levels on food quality came out the highest with calgooksu and gimbap, and their satisfaction levels came out the highest with pizza. 3) Customers' overall average expectation levels on service quality showed a very high point, while their satisfaction levels showed a low point with significance. 4) Hamburger was poor in hygiene; pizza showed the highest satisfaction levels over its quality with significance, and calgooksu and gimbap showed very low satisfaction levels over their service quality. 5) Correlation between customers' expectation and satisfaction levels over the nutritional balance and proper taste of the food quality came out significant. 6) Pizza and chicken showed significant correlation with regard to atmosphere, service, and hygiene variables (p


Chikungunyna virus is expanding globally and continue to cause major public health threat to Indian populations. Vaccine efforts are underway, and it is hoped that these will eventually progress to human evaluation. However, currently we have little understanding of the phenotypes and functions of the human T cells in chikungunya patients, a knowledge that is essential for improving vaccine design/testing and evaluation efforts. Here, we provide a detailed analysis of the CD8 T cell responses in chikungunya patients from India. We found that CD38+ HLADR+ CD8 T cell subset expanded dramatically in chikungunya febrile patients with frequencies averaging about 20% of the total CD8 T cells, and reaching as high as 50% of the CD8 T cells in some patients. The frequencies of these activated CD8 T cells were substantially low and barely above background levels in afebrile patients reporting to the clinic with persistent arthralgia/arthritis that was lasting for more than 30 days. These massively expanding CD8 T cells observed in the acute febrile patients were highly proliferating (KI67 ), robustly expressing markers indicative strong Th1 differentiation (T-bet), cytotoxic functions (Perforin) and inflammatory/synovial tissue homing characteristics (CX3CR1 and CXCR4). Interestingly, antigen-stimulation mediated IFN-g producing functions of these cells was highly compromized, reminiscent of the "cytokine stunned" phenotype. Taken together, these results suggest that these highly differentiated effector CD8 T cell that were massively expanding during acute chikungunya febrile infection might be involved in protection by homing to infected tissues and eliminating infected targets rather than causing inflammation.


The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a key role in the modulation of cancer cell invasion. In urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UC) the role of ECM proteins has been widely studied. The mechanisms, which are involved in the development of invasion, progression and generalization, are complex, depending on the interaction of ECM proteins with each other as well as with cancer cells. The following review will focus on the pathogenetic role and prognostic value of structural proteins, such as laminins, collagens, fibronectin (FN), tenascin (Tn-C) and thrombospondin 1 (TSP1) in UC. In addition the role of integrins mediating the interaction of ECM molecules and cancer cells will be addressed, since integrin-mediated FN, Tn-C and TSP1 interactions seem to play an important role during tumor cell invasion and angiogenesis.


Drug development has a high failure rate, with safety properties constituting a considerable challenge. To reduce risk, in silico tools, including various machine learning methods, have been applied for toxicity prediction. However, these approaches often confront a serious problem: the training data sets are usually biased (imbalanced positive and negative samples), which would result in model training difficulty and unsatisfactory prediction accuracy. Multitask networks obtained significantly better predictive accuracies than single-task methods, and capsule neural networks showed excellent performance in sparse data sets in previous studies. In this study, we developed a new multitask framework based on a capsule neural network (multitask CapsNet) to measure 12 different toxic effects simultaneously. We found that multitask CapsNet excelled in toxicity prediction and outperformed many other computational approaches using the multitask strategy. Only after training on biased data sets did multitask CapsNet achieve significantly improved prediction accuracy on the Tox21 Data Challenge, which gave the largest ratio of highest accuracy (8/12) among compared models. Our model gave a prediction accuracy of 96.6% for the target NR.PPAR.gamma, whose ratio of negative to positive samples was up to 36:1. These results suggested that multitask CapsNet could overcome the bias problems and would provide a novel, accurate, and efficient approach for predicting the toxicities of compounds.


Research has consistently documented that the quality of the therapeutic alliance is related to the outcome of diverse psychotherapies. Insufficient attention, however, has been directed at identifying the nature and magnitude of the causal relationship between the alliance and outcome. In this commentary, we discuss the major threats to causal interpretation of alliance-outcome correlations and provide suggestions for future research that would help clarify the extent to which the alliance causes positive outcomes. Assuming the alliance is a causal factor in relation to outcome, we provide recommendations for research on the alliance that would attempt to improve patient care by enhancing the alliance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).


The Mitochrondrion Molecular Basis of Structure and Function by Albert L Lehninger pp xx+263 illustrated $9.90 New York & Amsterdam: WA Benjamin 1964 Professor Albert Lehninger is widely known as one of the leading authorities on the biochemistry of mitochondrial function; he is also an exceptionally able and articulate expositor who can make complicated themes intelligible to those not immediately involved in his own subject. One can be confident therefore that any scientific writing by Dr Lehninger will be of the highest quality as well as extremely readable. With the present monograph Dr Lehninger has exceeded all expectations and has produced a model for reviews on broad topics such as his. All the detailed biochemistry is, of course, admirably covered, but what makes the book so exceptional is the way that this has been set in a general survey of many related aspects of the field. The history of our knowledge of mitochondria is dealt with in the introductory chapter and, thereafter, the fine structure of the organelle as well as its behaviour and role in the intact cell. After a lucid exposition of the respiratory and other functions of mitochondria, the implications of their configuration at the molecular biological level are considered in terms of what they do. Each chapter is followed by a bibliography covering both useful up-to-date reviews and key research papers relating to its special subject and there is a comprehensive general index for the whole book. This monograph is therefore admirably suited for those interested in any specialized aspect of mitochondria and it has been so written that it can equally be recommended to anyone in the much wider field of biology as a whole who would like to follow an authoritative account of one of the most important components of living cells.


OBJECTIVES
To assess the association between risk factors, including socioeconomic deprivation, and mortality, recurrence and chemo- or radiation toxicity in cervical cancer patients.

METHODS
Retrospective study of cervical cancer patients diagnosed between January 2007 and July 2018. Patient characteristics and mortality data, including recurrence, were assessed, together with socioeconomic deprivation measures evaluated using the English Indices of Multiple Deprivation. Markov multi-state models were used to model mortality and recurrence, and logistic regression models were used to model chemo- or radiation toxicity.

RESULTS
Included were 243 women with a median age of 49 years. A total of 57 patients died (23%), of which 41 due to cervical cancer, and 21 (9%) had recurrent disease. Hazard ratios (HR) showed no evidence of association between socioeconomic deprivation and cancer-specific hazard of mortality from diagnosis or recurrence, hazard of mortality due to other causes or hazard of cancer recurrence. Furthermore, there was no evidence of association between socioeconomic deprivation and chemo- or radiation toxicity (bowel, bladder or vaginal stenosis).

CONCLUSIONS
No associations were found between socioeconomic deprivation and cancer mortality or recurrence in cervical cancer patients in the population of Cornwall. In addition, no association was found between socioeconomic deprivation and chemo- or radiation toxicity.


The notion of accommodation, or the adaptation of one's message to one's audience, has been regarded as a central feature of the Jesuit way of proceeding at least since the seventeenth century. In recent years, scholars have come to understand accommodation as a rhetorical principle, which—while rooted in the rules of classical oratory—permeated all the works and ministries performed by the Jesuits of the Old Society. By comparing the theoretical notions about accommodation and the advantages and risks of adapting both the Christian message to native cultures and vice versa, this paper shows how and under what conditions the Jesuit missionaries were able to translate this rhetorical principle into a proselytizing praxis. By focusing on the examples of Jose de Acosta in Peru, Matteo Ricci in China, and of those Jesuits working in the missions in Paraguay and Chile, this essay will show how the needs in the missionary field superseded and overruled the theoretical requirements set beforehand. They revealed the ways in which the political and cultural context in which the missionaries operated determined the negotiations needed in order to achieve a common ground with their would-be converts if their mission was going to happen at all.


Air pollution is considered to be a major threat to human health. Protection of human health from adverse effects of air pollutants and elimination or reduction of exposure to hazardous air pollutants was therefore the major consideration of the World Health Organization to establish the Air Quality Guidelines for Europe. The 2nd edition of the WHO guidelines has recently been published. In establishing pollutant levels below which exposure does not constitute a significant public health risk, the guidelines provide information for regulatory authorities on a national or international level to set standards or limit values for air pollutants. The guidelines also form a basis for the development of risk management or risk abatement strategies. During the recent revision of the WHO Air Quality Guidelines for Europe, DG Environment of the European Commission developed a Framework Directive on Air Quality (96/62/EC) and a number of Daughter Directives dealing with individual pollutants. It was agreed that the European Commission should use the WHO Air Quality Guidelines as starting point for deriving limit values for a number of major air pollutants in the European Union. This paper describes the revision of the WHO guidelines and addresses the differences between guidelines and legally binding standards as for instance the limit values established by the EU.


The optimum extraction conditions for integral use of Phaseolus lunatus seed, in alkaline medium, are 1:6 (w/v) flour:water ratio, pH 11 and a 1 h extraction time. Three main fractions were produced under these conditions: starch; protein isolate and fibrous residue by-product. The yield is 288.4 g kg−1 starch, 188.2 g kg−1 protein isolate and the remaining quantity, fibrous residue. The starch has 98.4% purity, a 75 °C gelatinization temperature and high syneresis even at high concentrations. It also has high viscosity, good stability and middle retrogradation during the heating–cooling cycle. The protein isolate contains 711.3 g kg−1 protein as well as 75.5 g lysine kg−1 protein, 10.1 g methionine kg−1 protein and 12.2 g tryptophan kg−1 protein. Its in vitro digestibility is 79% with a 2.5 c-PER. The fibrous residue contains 63 g kg−1 of protein, 328.4 g kg−1 of crude fiber and 567.3 g kg−1 of NFE. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry


ABSTRACT We describe the evaluation of culture-negative synovial fluid from a 3-year-old boy by PCR and electrospray ionization followed by mass spectrometry (PCR/ESI-MS). Our patient developed a diffuse rash and fever with systemic signs and symptoms of sepsis, but four sets of blood cultures obtained prior to initiation of antibiotics were negative. After 1 week of illness, he developed right-knee swelling. Analysis of synovial fluid was consistent with infection, but cultures of specimens obtained following initiation of antimicrobial treatment were negative for growth. PCR/ESI-MS detected Streptobacillus moniliformis in the synovial fluid sample. Our patient completed an appropriate course of antibiotic treatment and remained completely asymptomatic in follow-up evaluation. This unique case suggests that PCR/ESI-MS may be a useful diagnostic tool for direct detection of unusual or unexpected pathogens directly from clinical specimens, particularly when samples have been obtained from patients following initiation of antibiotic therapy.


A coupled line narrowband filter with second harmonic suppression is presented. A Novel narrow bandpass filter with sharp rejection at the lower frequency is proposed using open loop resonator. The stopband characteristics of complementary square split ring resonator (CSRR) are studied and designed to suppress the second harmonic frequency. CSRR loaded with the proposed filter for harmonic suppression is demonstrated. The CSRR is optimized to create the required bandstop characteristics without affecting the desired bandpass frequency. The proposed CSRR configuration provides a harmonic suppression at 2.8 GHz and open loop resonator resonates at 1.5 GHz to bandpass the desired frequency. Results are compared with the full wave simulation analysis and presented.


Balanced truncation (BT), as applied to date in model order reduction (MOR), is known for its superior accuracy and computable error bounds. Positive-real BT (PRBT) is a particular BT procedure that preserves passivity and stability and imposes no structural constraints on the original state space. However, PRBT requires solving two algebraic Riccati equations (AREs), whose computational complexity limits its practical use in large-scale systems. This paper introduces a novel quadratic extension of the alternating direction implicit (ADI) iteration, which is called quadratic ADI (QADI), that efficiently solves an ARE. A Cholesky factor version of QADI, which is called CFQADI, exploits low-rank matrices and further accelerates PRBT.


Two-person design sessions were studied in three different settings: face-to-face, geographically separated with an audio/video link, and a telephone-only connection. In all settings, the designers' uses of a drawing surface were noted. Many similar drawing surface activities occurred in all design settings even though the settings did not each allow for the same sharing and interaction with the drawing surfaces. Observations suggest that the process of creating drawings may be as important to the design process as the drawings themselves. These preliminary results raise issues for further study, particularly with respect to computer support for collaborative drawing surface use.


This paper describes iTrust over SMS, a peer-to-peer search andretrieval service for social networks of mobile devices. iTrust overSMS enables mobile devices to collaborate with other mobile devices to distribute, search for, and retrieve information using SMS. With iTrust over SMS, there is no centralized search engine or centralized control and, thus, iTrust over SMS is less vulnerable to filtering and censorship by governments, corporations, or other organizations. In this paper, we describe the iTrust over SMS search and retrieval service, as well as participation in the iTrust over SMS social network. We present the user interface of iTrust over SMS, which enables a user to share information with other users, together with use cases of the iTrust over SMS service. We also show how frequent usage of the iTrust over SMS search and retrieval service encourages further participation in the social network.


The stoichiometries and geometric structures formed by the segregation of C, Al and S on a Fe(100) surface have been investigated by Auger electron spectroscopy and quantitative low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). Step-wise annealing of a sputtered surface with increasing annealing temperature reveals the successive segregation of C, Al and S. According to quantitative LEED analyses, each segregand forms a distinct c(2 × 2) long-range ordered structure. Also, each segregand removes the preceding one from the surface entirely, i.e. segregation in the Fe(100)–(C, Al, S) system is purely competitive with no ordered co-segregation regimes involving two or even three elements. The c(2 × 2) phases of segregated carbon and sulfur consist of elemental surface adlayers with the adatoms residing in four-fold symmetric hollow sites of the iron substrate. This is in contrast to segregated Al which, according to an earlier analysis, forms a c(2 × 2)-symmetric surface alloy layer with iron. In all cases there is some chemical disorder within subsurface layers with Fe atoms substituted by Al. The bond lengths between the segregated adatoms and iron neighbours are close to the sum of the covalent radii of the elements involved whereby carbon appears to be five-fold coordinated, in contrast to four-fold coordinated sulfur.


OBJECTIVE
To observe the skin surface microcirculation of acupoints of conception vessel, governor vessel and thoroughfare vessel in patients with primary dysmenorrhea using laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI), and provide acupoint selection basis of acupuncture-moxibustion for primary dysmenorrhea.

METHODS
Ninety-nine healthy female college students with regular menstrual cycles (normal group) and 94 female college students with primary dysmenorrhea (dysmenorrhea group) were recruited. Before menstrual period, on the first day of menstruation, and on the third day after menstruation, LSCI was used to observe the surface microcirculation at the abdominal acupoints of conception vessel, i. e. Yinjiao (CV 7), Qihai (CV 6), Shimen (CV 5), Guanyuan (CV 4), Zhongji (CV 3) and Qugou (CV 2), acupoints of thoroughfare vessel, i. e. Huangshu (KI 16), Zhongzhu (KI 15), Siman (KI 14), Qixue (KI 13), Dahe (KI 12), Henggu (KI 11) and acupoints of lumbosacral region of governor vessel, i. e. Xuanshu (GV 5), Mingmen (GV 4), Yaoyangguan (GV 3), Yaoshu (GV 2) as well as two non-acupoints.

RESULTS
Before menstrual period, there was no significant difference in the surface blood perfusion of the acupoints between the dysmenorrhea group and the normal group (P>0.05). On the first day of menstruation, the surface blood perfusion of Xuanshu (GV 5), Mingmen (GV 4), Yaoyangguan (GV 3) and right Huangshu (KI 16) in the dysmenorrhea group was higher than that in the normal group (P<0.05, P<0.01). On the third day after menstruation, the surface blood perfusion of the right Henggu (KI 11) in the dysmenorrhea group was lower than that in the normal group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION
In patients with primary dysmenorrhea, on the first day of menstruation, the surface blood perfusion of Xuanshu (GV 5), Mingmen (GV 4), Yaoyangguan (GV 3) of governor vessel, and the right Huangshu (KI 16) of thoroughfare vessel is increased, while on the third day after menstruation, the surface blood perfusion of the right Henggu (KI 11) of thoroughfare vessel is decreased. These findings might provide a basis for acupoint selection in the acupuncture-moxibustion treatment of primary dysmenorrhea.


Young chicks were fed a vitamin K-deficient soybean concentrate basal diet containing graded levels of menadione from menadione nicotinamide bisulfite (MNB) or menadione dimethyl-pyrimidinol bisulfite (MPB) to assess prothrombin time as a function of menadione intake. Prothrombin time decreased linearly as menadione dose increased from 0 to 400 micrograms/kg. Multiple linear regression slope-ratio calculations indicated that both sources of menadione were of equal potency. To assess niacin bioactivity of MNB, graded doses of nicotinamide (0 to 5 mg/kg) from MNB or nicotinamide were added to a niacin-deficient diet based upon corn, corn gluten meal and vitamin-free casein. Weight gain increased linearly as a function of nicotinamide dose, and multiple linear regression analysis of weight gain as a function of supplemental nicotinamide intake revealed no significant differences in slope between the two sources of nicotinamide. Using excess doses, MNB was compared with MPB in acute (single crop intubation) or chronic (fed in the diet for 14 d) toxicity trials. With a single menadione dose of 1600 mg/kg body wt, weight gain in the subsequent 14-d period was reduced by MNB but not by MPB. Mortality rates of 25 and 17% occurred for MPB and MNB, respectively, at this dose level. Doses lower than 1600 mg/kg body wt caused neither morbidity nor mortality. When provided in the diet for a 14-d feeding period, menadione doses of 3000 mg/kg diet from MNB reduced gain, feed intake, gain:feed ratio and blood hemoglobin concentration. Menadione doses of 6000 mg/kg diet were required to produce morbidity of this type when MPB was fed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


This is a cohort study of pediatric outpatients receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN) and follow-up care in a Tennessee hospital between January and June 1999. The study was conducted following an increase in the incidence of candidemia. Of 13 children receiving home TPN, five had candidemia; three were due to Candida parapsilosis. Case patients were more likely to have an underlying hematologic disease (P = 0.02) as well as previous history of fungemia (P = 0.02). Two case patients had successive candidemia episodes 3 months apart; karyotypes and RAPD profiles of each patient's successive C. parapsilosis isolates were similar. Candida spp. were frequently detected in hand cultures from cohort members (four of 10) and family member caregivers (nine of 11); C parapsilosis was isolated from five caregivers. Our findings underscore the challenges of maintaining stringent infection control practices in the home health care setting and suggest the need for more intensive follow-up and coordination of home TPN therapy among pediatric patients.


Because of the absence of the time course of histological nonalcoholic fatty hepatitis with subsequent fibrotic progression, the effective approaches available for controlling the onset and progression of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) remain limited. Therefore, we detected the serum and liver tissue related lipid metabolism disorder, liver pathology and relative molecular makers alteration dynamically in a high fat-sucrose diet during different time points. High fat-sucrose diet significantly increased the serum lipid level on day 10. The excess lipid accumulation in liver was referred to as simple steatosis after the feeding of a high fat-sucrose diet for 20 days. The high fat-sucrose diet induced a hepatic inflammation response on day 30. Similarly, hepatic fibrosis was also initiated on day 30 and gradually formed from the 30th to the 50th day. Oxidative stress may be related with the process from NASH to liver fibrosis. Insulin resistance was involved in the progression from hepatic steatosis to NASH with hepatic fibrosis from the 20th to the 50th day. In conclusion, we established a high fat-sucrose diet induced nonalcoholic fatty hepatitis with liver fibrosis rat model, which presented the time course of histological nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and the initiation and progression change of characteristic molecular makers in the process from steatosis to hepatic fibrosis.


This study aims to explore the relationship between customer orientation, innovative and organizational performance as well as to ascertain crowdsourcing's mediating role in augmenting innovative performance in the Turkish Defense and Aerospace Industry. A survey was distributed to 54 C-level executives who are members of Turkish Defense and Aerospace Manufacturers Association (SaSAD). First, a regression analysis was used to predict the impact of customer orientation on innovative and organizational performance. Then, a hierarchical regression analysis was performed to assess if crowdsourcing has a positive impact on enhancing innovative performance. While customer orientation has a somewhat moderate impact on organizational performance, it enhances organizations' innovative performance to a great extent. Furthermore, while innovative performance does not have an immediate positive impact on organizational performance in the short-term, crowdsourcing significantly helps organizations to augment their innovative performance. Whereas extant studies of strategic orientation have focused mainly on the orientation–performance relationship, very few studies provided quantitative evidence regarding the exclusive impact of customer orientation on performance. More importantly, this study aims to explore the mediating role of crowdsourcing between customer orientation and innovative performance in the Turkish defence and aerospace industry, which has a completely peculiar structure.


Construction is one of the most important activities increasing the demand for Portland cement resulting significant amount of CO2 emission, natural resources degradation, and a high amount of energy consumption. The use of geopolymer has been studied as a potential substitute for Portland cement. Geopolymers are environmentally-friendly binding materials that are produced by the polymerization of alumino-silicates in presence of alkali polysilicates forming Si-O-Al bonds, which are used for several building applications. In this study, red and white clays which contain solid alumino-silicate have shown reactive in presence of an alkaline activator. The addition of lime has shown improvement in the mechanical and physical properties of the geopolymer products. The FTIR analysis and SEM images of the product have shown the formation of aluminosilicate gel in the geopolymeric product. The maximum compressive strength of the geopolymer products RCW and RWL were achieved to be 15.91 and 20.30 MPa, respectively. Such geopolymer products are in good agreement with cementitious products and can be used in building applications.


Spore inoculation is a low cost alternative to produce seedlings of ectomycorrhizal plants to degraded lands. The objective of this work was to identify and evaluate the occurrence of ectomycorrhizal fungi basidiocarps in a Eucalyptus urograndis plantation in Rio Pomba. We identified fungi belonging to the genera Pisolithus sp. and Scleroderma sp. The highest production of basidiocarps was observed 40 to 60 days after the beginning of the raining period. Most part of basidiocarps was observed in sites with direct incidence of the sun light in soil. This information will subsidize strategies of basidiocarps collection in order to obtain spores to inoculation programs in nurseries.


BACKGROUND
Deep sequencing could improve understanding of HIV treatment failure and viral population dynamics. However, this tool is often inaccessible in low- and middle-income countries.

OBJECTIVES
To determine the genetic patterns of resistance emerging in West African HIV-1 subtypes during first-line virological failure, and the implications for future antiretroviral options.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Participants were selected from a Nigerian cohort of people living with HIV who had failed first-line ART and subsequently switched to second-line therapy. Whole HIV-1 genome sequences were generated from first-line virological failure samples with Illumina MiSeq. Mutations detected at ≥2% frequency were analysed and compared by subtype.

RESULTS
HIV-1 sequences were obtained from 101 participants (65% female, median age 30 years, median 32.9 months of nevirapine- or efavirenz-based ART). Thymidine analogue mutations (TAMs) were detected in 61%, other core NRTI mutations in 92% and NNRTI mutations in 99%. Minority variants (<20% frequency) comprised 18% of all mutations. K65R was more prevalent in CRF02_AG than G subtypes (33% versus 7%; P = 0.002), and ≥3 TAMs were more common in G than CRF02_AG (52% versus 24%; P = 0.004). Subtype G viruses also contained more RT cleavage site mutations. Cross-resistance to at least one of the newer NNRTIs, doravirine, etravirine or rilpivirine, was predicted in 81% of participants.

CONCLUSIONS
Extensive drug resistance had accumulated in people with West African HIV-1 subtypes, prior to second-line ART. Deep sequencing significantly increased the detection of resistance-associated mutations. Caution should be used if considering newer-generation NNRTI agents in this setting.


An on-chip microreactor was proposed toward the acceleration of protein digestion through the construction of a nanozeolite-assembled network. The nanozeolite microstructure was assembled using a layer-by-layer technique based on poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and zeolite nanocrystals. The adsorption of trypsin in the nanozeolite network was theoretically studied based on the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. It was found that the controlled trypsin-containing nanozeolite networks assembled within a microchannel could act as a stationary phase with a large surface-to-volume ratio for the highly efficient proteolysis of both proteins at low levels and with complex extracts. The maximum proteolytic rate of the adsorbed trypsin was measured to be 350 mM min-1 microg-1, much faster than that in solution. Moreover, due the large surface-to-volume ratio and biocompatible microenvironment provided by the nanozeolite-assembled films as well as the microfluidic confinement effect, the low-level proteins down to 16 fmol per analysis were confidently identified using the as-prepared microreactor within a very short residence time coupled to matrix-assisted laser desorption-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The on-chip approach was further demonstrated in the identification of the complex extracts from mouse macrophages integrated with two-dimensional liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. This microchip reactor is promising for the development of a facile means for protein identification.


A complete theory is developed in Part I of these two papers for the analysis of oscillating airfoils in cascade in uniform incompressible flows. The theory fully accounts for the geometry of the airfoils and cascade parameters. It is shown that the strong mean velocity gradient near the leading edges of the airfoils significantly affects the unsteady pressure, forces and moments acting upon the airfoils. In Part II the aeroelastic characteristics of a loaded cascade are investigated for one and two degrees of freedom oscillations.


Abstract The Trail Making Test (TMT) is a popular neuropsychological test derived from the Army Individual Test Battery, which was used by the U.S. Army. Its content was obviously designed within the English cultural context. Consequently, there is ongoing debate regarding TMT's applicability on non-English speaking population. The objective of this study was to selectively review the major variants of TMT that had been created to address this issue, including color trail test (CTT), shape trail test (STT), and language-specific versions of TMT. Meanwhile, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can be conducted along with TMT to clarify the brain activity underlying TMT performance. This review drew conclusions on the clinical utility of these TMT variants. All research articles reviewed were published in English-language, peer-reviewed journals.


Some results concerning the effects of annealing galena in air atmosphere on its dislocation density and microhardness are presented. It is shown that the decreases in the dislocation distribution and hardness are related to the temperature and duration of annealing, and that the results are substantially similar to those of Stanton on naturally deformed crystals.


In this thesis I explore the possibility of developing an approach to literary criticism oriented by the work of the British psychoanalyst, Wilfred Bion. Although his work is the subject of renewed interest within clinical psychoanalysis, Bion's theoretical ideas and standing as a writer have not yet been the subject of sustained interest within the field of literary criticism.
I seek to demonstrate how his ideas can generate productive readings of literary texts in ways that extend existing scholarship or supplement the insights of a Freudian literary criticism. The thesis draws widely from Bion's clinical contributions from the 1960s (Learning from Experience, Elements of Psycho-Analysis, Transformations and Attention and Interpretation), the later collections of seminars and lectures, and his final experimental autobiography, A Memoir of the Future. I reference a number of his theoretical insights, including his theory of thinking (thoughts without a thinker, the container-contained relationship), his description of 'psychotic' modes of functioning (beta-elements, bizarre objects), the theory of transformations and the caesura. Although his work is oriented to the clinical context, the idiosyncrasies of his written and pedagogical style, along with his deep attention to the language and imagery of a number of thinkers and poets, open a rich seam of critical resources for the literary critic.
Each chapter of the thesis develops a critical reading of an individual text: Freud's Project for a Scientific Psychology, Stevie Smith's Novel on Yellow Paper, B. S. Johnson's The Unfortunates, Mary Butts' short story 'With and Without Buttons', Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea, J. G. Ballard's The Atrocity Exhibition, Nicholas Royle's Quilt, and Wilfred Bion's A Memoir of the Future. The last of these, exploring Bion's late foray into experimental literary writing, also considers Bion's interest as a writer.


OBJECTIVES
For the last three decades, although colorectal cancer incidence has been decreasing in those over 50 years of age, it has been increasing in those under 50 included in the pre-screening group (PSG). The present study aims to explain the screening-related factors and compliance of individuals in PSG who are not included in the colorectal cancer screening programme.

METHODS
This cross-sectional study was conducted with a total of 323 participants, 143 of whom were from the pre-screening group (40-49 years), and 180 from the screening included group (SIG) (50-70 years).

RESULTS
Individuals included in PSG were more likely to have accepted that both faecal occult blood test (FOBT) (2.23 ± 1.22 vs. 1.89 ± 1.33, p = 0.018) and colonoscopy (2.37 ± 0.97 vs. 2.02 ± 1.14, p = 0.003) were useful and suitable screening tests in colorectal cancer. Adequate health literacy (OR = 4.3, 95% CI: 1.8-10.0, p = 0.001) and better education level (OR = 3.3, 95% CI: 1.3-8.4, p = 0.010) were factors of increased knowledge of colorectal cancer screening.

CONCLUSIONS
The findings show that PSG has different characteristics than SIG and may be more fitting in the colorectal cancer screening programme if included.


Background: S.pneumoniae is the most significant bacterial cause of community-acquired pneumonia among children worldwide. Nasopharyngeal carriage plays the essential role in pathogenesis of pneumococcal invasive diseases. For the past decades the resistance rates to penicillin has been increased. This is a study of the risk factors associated with nasopharyngeal carriage of Penicillin-Nonsusceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae (PNSP) in healthy children and adults.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in March-April 2010 in 16 districts in Semarang, 497 children and adults were recruited. We collected nasopharyngeal samples and questionnaires to get demographic data, data on antibiotic consumption, family and household data, history of middle ear infection, and history of chronic respiratory diseases. Nasopharyngeal samples were assessed by standard procedures to identify S.pneumoniae. Oxacillin disk were used for screening of penicillin resistance.
Results: Of 497 samples, 408 were considered qualified to be analyzed. A number of 108 (26%) carried S.pneumoniae, and 28 (7%) were non-susceptible to penicillin. Exposure to cigarette smoke was the only risk factors found to be associated with nasopharyngeal carriage of S.pneumoniae in healthy adults. No risk factors found to be associated with healthy children and adults carrying PNSP in this study.
Conclusions: The prevalence rate of PNSP carriage is increasing compared to the past study counducted in Lombok, Indonesia. Avoiding exposure to cigarette smoke might reduce the risk of nasopharyngeal carriage of S.pneumoniae, further study is required.
Keywords: PNSP, risk factors, nasopharyngeal colonization


An efficient synthesis of the 5-HT2C receptor agonist Org 37684 is presented. The synthesis utilises the regioselective demethylation of an arylether as the key step.


Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is one of the most common forms of soft tissue sarcoma with approximately 2,500 cases per year in the United States. The symptoms LMS vary depending upon the location, size, and spread of the tumor. In early stages, it may not be associated with any obvious symptoms so diagnosis and treatment may be delayed. In some cases, it can grow quickly and behave aggressively. Most types of LMS occur in the abdomen or in the uterus; although, scrotal LMS can be a very rare presentation of the disease. Here we present our case of a large, ulcerated scrotal LMS originating from subcutaneous tissue but not invading spermatic cord or tunica. Radical orchiectomy with high ligation of spermatic cord was performed, and patient had an uneventful postoperative course. This disease entity remains rare in the literature, and warrants larger studies in order to better understand treatment and oncologic outcomes. When LMS is identified early and is removed by surgical excision, prognosis can be good and full recovery quite likely. When LMS is already large or has spread to other parts of the body, treatment is relatively more complex and the prognosis poor. Hence, prompt diagnosis and treatment of genitourinary LMS require prompt attention, referral to tertiary, referral center should be strongly considered.


Ambroxol hydrochloride has relatively short plasma half life. The need for the administration of the drug for two to three times a day can decrease patient compliance. Sustained release formulations that would maintain plasma level for 8-12 h might be sufficient for daily dosing of Ambroxol Hydrochloride. The overall objective of the present work was to develop an oral sustained release Ambroxol Hydrochloride tablet prepared by direct compression method using hydrophilic Eudragit RSPO and RLPO alone or in combination with hydrophobic ethylcellulose polymer as rate controlling factor. All the batches were evaluated for thickness, weight variation, hardness, friability and drug content and in vitro drug release for 12 h. The in vitro drug release study revealed that when Eudragit RSPO, RLPO and Ethylcellulose were used alone as the only retarding polymer, a sustained drug release pattern was not observed while, Combining Eudragit with ethylcellulose, the drug release pattern was observed in a sustained manner for 12 h. F7 formulation sustained the drug release for longer period of time as compared to other formulations. So F7 was selected as the best formulation. Kinetic modeling of in vitro dissolution profiles revealed that the drug release mechanism ranges from diffusion controlled to anomalous type. Fitting the data to Korsmeyer equation indicated that diffusion along with erosion could be the mechanism of drug release.


Social capital is a very important value for the individual and society. While the presence of this value makes a positive contribution, many negative conditions are likely to occur in its absence. In this study, it is aimed to determine the social capital levels of the licensed athletes in the school team and the licansed students who are not in the school team and to compare them with demographic characteristics. For this purpose, the Turkish version of the Social Capital Scale of Primary School Students, developed by Huang (2008), was adopted by Ardahan and Ezici (2014) for secondary school students. The study group consisted of 198 students from 6th, 7th and 8th grades attending 4 different secondary schools in Islahiye, Gaziantep. As the obtained data showed normal distribution, in addition to descriptive statistics, Independent Sample T Test and One Way Variance Analysis were used. According to the research findings; A significant difference was found between the social capital levels of the students and being in the school sports team in favor of the licensed sportsmen students in all sub-dimensions of the scale. Although the social capital level of female students in the four sub-dimensions of the gender variable was higher than the male students, a significant difference in favor of female students appeared only in the Asking for Help from the Teacher sub-dimension. In general, there was no difference between the students in the grade level variable but there was a significant difference in favor of the 7th grade students in the Asking for Help from Friends sub-dimension among the students in the school team. According to these results, in order to improve the social capital levels of the students in the educational environment, it is suggested to create sporting environments where they can gather together only outside the environments they are in with academic concern and develop as a whole (cognitive, affective and psychomotor).


Dear Sir, Johnstone et nl. [Br J Obstet Gynnecnl(lYX7) 94, 753-7571 determined a 15" tilt by placing a pillow or towels under the right hip; they do not provide evidence first of all that a 15" tilt was consistently achieved by this method and that it adcquatcly supported the patient at 15" in second stage, nor d o they provide cvidcnce that during the second stage this position improves placental perfusion i n comparison with the dorsal position. Kauppila at a/ . (19SU) compared the dorsal position with the left lateral (45") position. In fact the importance of maternal position in first stage may have been underestimated. In endeavouring to compare the two positions the authors studied two dissimilar groups of paticnts who were not matched for gestation, parity or risk factors; for example, from Table I , nine patients in the 'back' group had meconiunistained amniotic fluid compared with four in the '15" tilt' group. No mention is made of when meconium staining was first noted, was it on presentation or did it develop in labour. the amniotic fluid being initially clear. Furthermore 40% of the patients rcceivcd oxytocin but it is not stated who received it, why. or when it was administered in I-elation to the first or second stage. In a study on the second stagc it is surprising that the authors did not clearly state their working definition and how they made the diagnosis. The impression from their report is that the onset of the second stage was timed when the patient developed the urge to push. Clinical experience indicates that the patient is not always right in her diagnosis. For the day-to-day management of a busy labour ward such a working diagnosis is in general satisiactory but, I suggest. it is not acceptable in a research setting. Cord artery p H values, as with so many other fetal and neonatal variables, show a wide range of 'normal' values, Two recent studies, using cord artery pH values in normal pregnancies and labours, in which the duration and position o f the patient in the second stage were not considered, reported wide ranges of values for infants normal at birth (Yeomans et nl. 1985; Ingermarsson & Arulkumaran 19%). Finally the benefits of the left lateral position to patient and fetus during the second stage may outweigh the disadvantages to the midwife more accustomed to delivering patients in the dorsal posit ion. Desrnund P. J . Barton Nrrtionnl Moternity Hospitul Holles Street. Dublin 2 Irelaii d


In this paper, our objective is to devise a new defence
mechanism using automation, which will seek to provide a viable
solution to tighten the security around the border areas and
simultaneously reduce the burden on soldiers. With the help of
automation, we can increase the efficiency of safeguarding our
borders in remote areas to a great extent, and this will also result
in a better quality of surveillance due to this technological
intervention. The main focus for us will be in the creation of an
active and real-time device for the armed forces, which will help
safeguard the relatively remote border areas where human
mobility is restricted. The devised mechanism will consist of three
modules: face detection of a human intruder, wireless
communication, and hardware detection of an intruder. The
automation system in this defence mechanism majorly consists of
face detection of a human intruder, which is supported and
complemented by Ultrasonic and IR Sensors. This system is
implemented using Arduino microcontroller, which will be
complemented with NodeMCU to provide necessary wireless
communication for sending intruder detection and location
information to the cloud, which will trigger the gun to shoot down
the enemy. The use of wireless communication over GSM is
preferred solely because the control stations receive Wi-Fi signals
directly from the satellite, which is very reliable and fast. The main
application of our research work is to ensure safeguarding border
region around remote areas where patrolling is difficult for army
personnel and will be implemented by the armed forces.


This paper details a methology for the active recovery of contact free levitation of a rotor from a state of persistent contact with auxiliary bearings. An analytical method to describe contact dynamics of flexible rotors is presented. It shows that synchronous unbalance forces can cause a rotor to adopt stable contact modes, which are characterized by periodic motion and a fixed contact point in a rotating frame of reference. Based on these observations, a recovery strategy is developed to return the rotor to a contact free state. Compensation forces may be applied by magnetic bearings to reduce the effective synchronous forcing which is driving the contact, so that the rotor can progress to a contact free orbit. It is shown that even in the presence of highly nonlinear contact dynamic effects, a linear finite element rotor model can be used to calculate appropriate influence coefficients. The contact recovery procedure is successfully verified by simulations and measurements on a flexible rotor test facility. Allowable bounds on the phase of the synchronous recovery forces are investigated and limitations of the method are discussed.


Experimental results on mean inclination angle and its fluctuation due to thermal noise in tank-treading motion of a vesicle in shear flow as a function of vesicle excess area, normalized shear rate, viscosity, and viscosity contrast between inner and outer fluids, , are presented. Good quantitative agreement with theory made for was found. At the dependence is altered significantly. Dependence of the vesicle shape on shear rate is consistent with theory. A tank-treading velocity of the vesicle membrane is found to be a periodic function close to that predicted by theory.


OBJECTIVE
Rizatriptan is a serotonin 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonist for acute treatment of migraine. Its pharmacokinetics were assessed in healthy elderly males and females receiving a single 10 mg tablet oral dose. The pharmacokinetic data (AUC(0-infinity) and Cmax) for the elderly in this study were compared with historical data from previous studies for healthy young adults (n = 65).

METHODS
In a double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled study, healthy elderly female and male subjects aged 65 or older (n = 8 each) received a single oral dose of 10 mg rizatriptan. Plasma and urine concentrations of drug were determined by HPLC with tandem mass spectrometry detection at several collection time points or intervals starting at predose and postdose over 24 h.

RESULTS
In elderly subjects, the geometric mean values for AUC(0-infinity) and Cmax were 77.7 ng/h/ml and 21.9 ng/ml; the average values for tmax, half-life (t 1/2), renal clearance (Clr), and percent urinary excretion of dose (Ue) were 1.2 h, 1.8 h, 197 ml/min and 9.3%, respectively. The AUC(0-infinity) and Cmax of rizatriptan were similar in elderly and young subjects. The geometric mean AUC ratio of elderly to young was 0.96 with 90% confidence interval (0.83, 1.11), p > 0.25. The geometric mean Cmax ratio was 0.89 with 90% confidence interval (0.72, 109), p > 0.25. No significant pharmacokinetic differences were observed between elderly males and females.

CONCLUSIONS
The plasma pharmacokinetics of rizatriptan appear to be similar in the elderly and young. In the elderly, the pharmacokinetics of rizatriptan do not appear to differ between male and female to a clinically significant extent.


Approximately one third of patients suffering from Acute Myeloid Leukemia harbor a FLT3 Internal tandem duplication mutation (FLT3-ITD). When mutated, this receptor tyrosine kinase increases the activity of pathways for proliferation and blocks apoptosis. Quizartinib is a 2nd generation FLT3 inhibitor that inhibits FLT3-ITD in AML, but has a median duration response of 12.1 weeks. Studies revealed a secondary mutation in FLT3 at the aspartate of codon 835 (D835X) is responsible for relapse. The D835 substitution renders FLT3 constitutively active. Type 2 inhibitors like Quizartinib bind to FLT3 in its inactive state and fail to inhibit FLT3-ITD harboring a D835 mutation. Here, we tested the utility of ON150030, developed by our group, as a novel therapeutic agent to treat AML. Structural studies suggest ON150030 binds to the active form of FLT3 (Type 1 inhibitor) so mutations such as D835X do not affect the inhibitory activity of the compound. In vitro kinase assays demonstrate that ON150030 potently inhibits Wildtype and FLT3-D835Y forms, while Quizartinib fails to inhibit FLT3-D835Y. Additionally, ON150030 demonstrated time and temperature dependent inhibition of FLT3, suggesting that the compound is an irreversible inhibitor of FLT3. Biological studies reveal that ON150030 specifically inhibits the growth of MV4-11 cells harboring the FLT3-ITD mutation (GI50: 10nM). Western blot analysis demonstrates that MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways in these cells are inhibited with increasing dose of ON150030. The JAK independent phosphorylation of STAT5 seen in the context of FLT3-ITD is also reduced in response to ON150030. Future goals are to introduce FLT3 and its various mutant isoforms into the mouse myeloid cells (32Dcl3) and examine how it affects proliferation and differentiation, and then compare the effects of ON150030 and Quizartinib. In addition to strongly inhibiting FLT3, ON150030 inhibits SRC, which was shown to induce resistance to targeted therapies in several leukemias including AML. We will introduce SRC into the 32D-FLT3-ITD cell lines sensitive to ON150030 and test whether these cells retain their sensitivity to the drug. Next, we will perform cytotoxicity and biochemical assays on patient-derived primary AML cells using ON150030. Mouse xenograft models will be used to determine if ON150030 synergizes with standard chemotherapy agents and inhibits cancer progression in vivo. At the conclusion of this project, we hope to demonstrate that ON150030 can be used in combination therapies in all AML patients harboring a FLT3 mutation, and result in sustained remission of disease. Citation Format: Helya Ghaffari, M.V. Ramana Reddy, Stephen C. Cosenza, Rodrigo Vasques del Carpio, E. Premkumar Reddy. Dual inhibition of FLT3 and Src pathways by ON150030, a type 1 inhibitor, as a novel strategy for relapsed and refractory AML therapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2094. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-2094


Geochemical study of superficial sediments of Tangier bay and its continental emissaries was carried out with the aim of evaluating the contamination degree of the sediments by heavy metals and their impact on the coastal marine environmental. In Tangier bay, two sectors are distinguished: the Eastern one, with prevalence of sandy facies, and the western sector characterized by fine sediments and rich in organic carbon. The carbonates are localized to offshore of the bay. In the continental emissaries, the granulometrics facies distribution shows an increasing grain evolution from downstream to upstream. The carbonates and organic carbon show a slightly increasing enrichment from the upstream to the downstream of the emissary. The results of the geochemical analyses show that the high contents of heavy metals are located in the western sector of the bay, in front of the Souani and Mghogha rivers mouths and on the downstream part of the continental emissaries. The high variations of the metals contents reveal the existence of anthropogenic origin pollution, in direct relation with the domestic and industrial liquid and solid discharges. The results of the statistical data show in the bay the presence of heavy metal association constituted by Pb>Zn>Cu>Cd>Ni, while in the continental emissaries, the dominant association is represented by Pb>Cu>Sable>Ni>Cr. These two metallic associations testify an increasing gradient of sediments pollution and the anthropic degree of the studied zone. On the socio-economic level, these data will contribute to a better management of the protection of coastal marine environment as well as the economic and tourist development of the Tangier region.


The effects of pH and Aluminum treatment on the seedling growth were examined with 11 cultivar under three levels of pH in nutri-culture.. Growth and yield responses of soil pH and nitrogen fertilization were also studied with five cultivars under 3 levels of soil pH and 3 levels of nitrogen application in the field experiment. The effect of pH on the seedling growth was not significant, but Aluminum treatment significantly decreased the seedling growth in nutri-culture except Dusan #12. Chlorophyll contents of leaves, dry weight of plants, culm length, spike numbers per unit area, grain numbers per spike, grain weight, and yield were decreased as the decrease of soil pH, and thus highly significant correlation between soil pH during barley growth and yield was observed in all cultivars examined. The stable cultivars to different soil pH with high yield was not found although the decreases of yield were different with cultivars. The increase of nitrogen fertilization significantly increased the nitrogen and chlorophyll contents of leaves, and dry weight of plants, while showed a little effects on the culm length, spike number per unit area, grain number per spike, grain weight and yield. The yield was significantly correlated with culm length, dry weight of plants, grain numbers per spike and 1000 grain weight at each pH levels.


In this study, stationary polarisation curves were obtained for a porous nickel electrode under varying temperatures and anode gas compositions. The exchange current densities were determined from the slopes of the polarisation curves at low overpotentials, i.e. the assumption was made that the porous electrode is under kinetic control. The outlet gas compositions were measured by analysis in a gas chromatograph. The gases were found to be far from equilibrium. However, almost the same reaction orders were found independently of the assumptions of gas compositions but they were rather high and therefore difficult to explain by the generally assumed mechanisms.


In recent decades, scientists have developed a wide array of hydrological, hydrodynamic, and other models to understand the dynamics of the Mekong River Basin. Indeed, the area has been described as 'flooded' with models. Drawing on STS and the philosophy of modeling – which has described models as mediating instruments – the first half of this article discusses how and why this proliferation has occurred, focusing on the Cambodian context. Highlighting that models are developed comparatively, with reference to one another, the analysis shows how they have generated a partially connected ecology of comparisons. As each model makes its own image of the Mekong, the ecology as a whole creates a kaleidoscopic effect. In principle, this ecology is important for that of environmental policy-making. In practice, however, it is tremendously difficult for scientists to bridge the ecologies. Examining two cases of NGO-based modeling aiming to influence policy, the second half of the paper offers a comparative analysis of the challenges modeling knowledge faces in Mekong environmental politics.


Correct specification of a conditional quantile model implies that a particular conditional moment is equal to zero. We nonparametrically estimate the conditional moment function via series regression and test whether it is identically zero using uniform functional inference. Our approach is theoretically justified via a strong Gaussian approximation for statistics of growing dimensions in a general time series setting. We propose a novel bootstrap method in this nonstandard context and show that it significantly outperforms the benchmark asymptotic approximation in finite samples, especially for tail quantiles such as Value-at-Risk (VaR). We use the proposed new test to study the VaR and CoVaR (Adrian and Brunnermeier (2016)) of a collection of US financial institutions.


Debate on the relevance (or otherwise) of federalism to the development of the European Union is often characterised by mutual incomprehension on either side. Close inspection, however, reveals that the high temperature of argument may not be solely due to differing visions of the finalite politique. For the precise meaning of the federal concept in political science remains unsettled. This article looks back to the earliest origins of federalism, in order to establish a firm basis for suggesting improvements. The idea of divided sovereignty, 'invented' in America and now thought to lie at the heart of the federal concept, is identified to be a false construction. On these grounds, it is proposed that the definition of federalism be clarified today as not 'a division of sovereignty between two levels of government', but instead 'a division of the powers flowing from sovereignty between two levels of government of equal status'.


Professor Jean Gottmann has written Jour books in the past six or seven years which constitute his main contribution to geography, especially in the field of political and economic geography.Some of his ideas are and will be discussed ; they certainly bring forward new approaches to old problems and new techniques to old methods. His four books are analyzed and reviewed together : l'Amerique (1949), A Geography of Europe (1950), la Politique des Etats et leur geographie (1952), Virginia at mid-century (7955).


Biogenic amines (BAs) are a group of substances that are formed from amino acids by decarboxylation or amination and transamination of aldehydes and ketones. They may have either an aliphatic, aromatic, or heterocyclic structure. Their quantity determines their effects and optimum amounts are essential for physiological functions, but excess BAs causes various toxic effects throughout the human body. In our study, to rapidly determine 14 BAs (histamine, tyramine, dopamine, tryptamine, serotonin, putrescine, spermine, spermidine, octopamine, benzylamine, 1-Phenylethanamine, cadaverine, 2-Phenethylamine, and agmatine) in real fish samples, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was established. The fish sample was extracted by acetonitrile with 0.1% formic acid and stable biogenic amine derivatives could be obtained by benzoyl chloride derivatization with a shorter reaction time. The method showed good linearity with a linear range of 3–4 orders of magnitude and regression coefficients ranging from 0.9961 to 0.9999. The calculated LODs ranged from 0.1 to 20 nM and the LOQs ranged from 0.3 to 60 nM. Satisfactory recovery was obtained from 84.6% to 119.3%. The proposed method was employed to determine the concentration levels of biogenic amine derivatives in different fish. The results indicated that this method was suitable for the analysis of biogenic amines.


The diffusion of the short food supply chains in Sardinia, at present, is not the same as in other Italian regions. Several structural and economic conditions of the Regional food supply chain, prevent an extensive diffusion. Forms of cooperation between primary producers and final consumers, as the responsible buying groups, will promote the shortening of the food supply chain, offering to the primary producers an alternative way of marketing for the wide array of locally grown farm produce.


This paper reports the finite element modeling of axial crack growth in a thin aluminum tube under gaseous detonation loading. The finite element method was used to handle the movi of the problem. The simulation results were compared with the experimental results reported in the literature and also with the results obtained from an analytical model. Moreover, the cohesive element with tr used for the crack growth modeling. The final part of the paper is devoted to comparisons between the numerical crack growth simulations obtained from the current work and the numerical results based on the CTOA criteria previously reported in the literature. The very good agreement between the two methods was indicative of the robustness of the implemented procedures.


A passively mode-locked laser with a 2.1-GHz fundamental repetition rate is demonstrated using a 20-mm-long monolithic two-section quantum-dot laser. A pulsewidth as short as 15.4 ps was measured using a high-speed sampling scope. The product of the peak power and average power in this laser is treated theoretically and shown experimentally to nearly double by roughly quadrupling the cavity length.


CEO duality occurs when the same individual holds both the CEO and board Chair positions. In some countries (such as Britain) CEO duality is considered to impair good corporate governance. In the United States, however, CEO duality is still a common practice. The Sarbanes–Oxley Act (SOX) included many corporate governance reforms, but the Act did not address the issue of CEO duality. However, we suggest that the corporate governance environment surrounding the passage of SOX may have influenced corporate board decisions regarding CEO duality when appointing new CEOs. In this study, we seek to determine whether CEO duality changed in the post-Sox environment by investigating the likelihood of CEO duality when CEO changes took place before and after SOX. Using a sample of 182 CEO succession events before and after the passage of SOX, we find that the likelihood of combining the CEO and Chair positions for newly appointed CEOs significantly decreased in the post-SOX period relative to the pre-SOX period. Our results suggest the SOX environment fostered a greater focus on governance issues even beyond the specific provisions of SOX.


Two multilayer (ML) structures, composed of five layers of silicon-rich oxide (SRO) with different Si contents and a sixth layer of silicon-rich nitride (SRN), were deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition. These SRN/SRO MLs were thermally annealed at 1100 °C for 180 min in ambient N2 to induce the formation of Si nanostructures. For the first ML structure (MLA), the excess Si in each SRO layer was about 10.7 ± 0.6, 9.1 ± 0.4, 8.0 ± 0.2, 9.1 ± 0.3 and 9.7 ± 0.4 at.%, respectively. For the second ML structure (MLB), the excess Si was about 8.3 ± 0.2, 10.8 ± 0.4, 13.6 ± 1.2, 9.8 ± 0.4 and 8.7 ± 0.1 at.%, respectively. Si nanopyramids (Si-NPs) were formed in the SRO/Si substrate interface when the SRO layer with the highest excess silicon (10.7 at.%) was deposited next to the MLA substrate. The height, base and density of the Si-NPs was about 2–8 nm, 8–26 nm and ~6 × 1011 cm−2, respectively. In addition, Si nanocrystals (Si-ncs) with a mean size of between 3.95 ± 0.20 nm and 2.86 ± 0.81 nm were observed for the subsequent SRO layers. Meanwhile, Si-NPs were not observed when the excess Si in the SRO film next to the Si-substrate decreased to 8.3 ± 0.2 at.% (MLB), indicating that there existed a specific amount of excess Si for their formation. Si-ncs with mean size of 2.87 ± 0.73 nm and 3.72 ± 1.03 nm were observed for MLB, depending on the amount of excess Si in the SRO film. An enhanced photoluminescence (PL) emission (eight-fold more) was observed in MLA as compared to MLB due to the presence of the Si-NPs. Therefore, the influence of graded silicon content in SRN/SRO multilayer structures on the formation of Si-NPs and Si-ncs, and their relation to the PL emission, was analyzed.


In this book the details information about stability constants is involved.In present investigation, the dependence of stability constants on the ionic strength of the medium was examined by taking fixed concentrations of metal nitrates and nitric acid during pH-metric titrations. The system has been studied at, 0.02M, 0.04M, 0.06M, 0.08M and 0.1M ionic strengths by varying the concentrations of potassium nitrate. In addition to potassium nitrate, the titrating system contained ions from nitric acid, metal nitrate and sodium hydroxide. It is observed that there is good agreement of proton ligand stability constants between half integral method and point wise calculation methodDetermination of metal-ligand stability constants requires the accurate values of proton-ligand stability constants. Higher values of log K1 and log K2 showed that ligands are stronger chelating agents and vice versa


The inventory-routing problem (IRP) dates back 30 years. It can be described as the combination of vehicle-routing and inventory management problems, in which a supplier has to deliver products to a number of geographically dispersed customers, subject to side constraints. It provides integrated logistics solutions by simultaneously optimizing inventory management, vehicle routing, and delivery scheduling. Some exact algorithms and several powerful metaheuristic and matheuristic approaches have been developed for this class of problems, especially in recent years. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of this literature, based on a new classification of the problem. We categorize IRPs with respect to their structural variants and the availability of information on customer demand.


In recent years high throughput screening operations have become a critical application in functional and translational research. Although a seemingly unmanageable amount of data is generated by these high-throughput, large-scale techniques, through careful planning, an effective Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) can be developed and implemented in order to streamline all phases of a workflow. Just as important as data mining and analysis procedures at the end of complex processes is the tracking of individual steps of applications that generate such data. Ultimately, the use of a customized LIMS will enable users to extract meaningful results from large datasets while trusting the robustness of their assays. To illustrate the design of a custom LIMS, this practical example is provided to highlight the important aspects of the design of a LIMS to effectively modulate all aspects of an siRNA screening service. This system incorporates inventory management, control of workflow, data handling and interaction with investigators, statisticians and administrators. All these modules are regulated in a synchronous manner within the LIMS.


To compare growth processes of feminine human beings with such one of masculine we have taken as realizations of the growth characteristic the morphological height of face (distance between nasion and gnathion), length of nose (distance between nasion and subnasale) and body length of two spatially and temporally different populations. Measured values of these characteristics for different ages of individuals provide the basis for mathematical evaluation. The parameters of the following three types of mathematical functions were adjusted to the measured time course of the growth characteristics: Gompertz' function, inverse tangent and the generalized logistic growth function. The principal possibilities are explained which a mathematical expression can offer for qualitative and quantitative description of dynamical processes. The results of fitting the 3 competitive function types to the course of the measured values are given and several quantitative conclusions are demonstrated arising from comparisons of corresponding growth processes of feminine and masculine human beings.


Viral infections trigger the innate immune system to produce interferons (IFNs), which play important role in host antiviral responses. Co-evolution of viruses with their hosts has favored development of various strategies to evade the effects of IFNs, enabling viruses to survive inside host cells. One such strategy involves inhibition of IFN signaling pathways by non-structural proteins. In this review, we provide a brief overview of host signaling pathways inducing IFN production and their suppression by picornavirus non-structural proteins. Using this strategy, picornaviruses can evade the host immune response and replicate inside host cells.


MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs regulating gene expression, through base paring with their target mRNAs, which have been actively investigated as key regulators in a wide range of biological processes. Conventional methods such as Northern blot are generally time-consuming, non-repeatable, and cannot be applied in vivo due to the requirement for cell fixation. Therefore, a noninvasive imaging system is required for the monitoring of microRNA biogenesis to understand the versatile functions of microRNAs in vivo as well as in vitro and to accelerate the clinical application of microRNA-based therapy. In this paper, we reviewed noninvasive molecular imaging systems for the monitoring of the biogenesis of microRNAs and post-transcriptional regulation of genes by microRNAs and the roles of microRNAs in various biological processes.


PurposeThe design for deconstruction (DfD) technique, a contemporaneous solution to demolition by optimizing disassembly activities to enable reuse, has recently emerged with several promises to promote the circular economy. However, little attention has been given to its implementation among design professionals, especially in the Global South. Therefore, this study aims to explore the drivers for DfD implementation among design professionals in the Ghanaian construction industry (GCI).Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a mixed research approach (explanatory sequential design) with an initial quantitative instrument phase, followed by a qualitative data collection phase. Data from the survey were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, one-sample t-Test, and normalization value (NV) test after a review of pertinent literature. These data were then validated through semistructured interviews with ten design professionals with in-depth knowledge of DfD.FindingsThe findings revealed that although all ten drivers are important, the eight key drivers for the DfD implementation were identified as, in order of importance, "Availability of computer software applications regarding DfD," "Inclusion of DfD in the formal education of design professionals," "Increasing public awareness of the concept of DfD," "Organizing workshops/seminars for design professionals on the concept of DfD," "Availability of DfD training," "Regulation regarding DfD," "Industry guidance regarding DfD" and "Establishing a market for salvaged construction components."Originality/valueThis study's findings provide insights into an under-investigated topic in Ghana and offer new and additional information and insights into the current state-of-the-art on the factors that drive DfD implementation.


Seeking Adam Smith provides a fascinating insider's explanation for why business school faculty members, including the author, bear some responsibility for the highly destructive corporate practices evident throughout the first sixteen years of the 21st century. Since the Great Recession substantial resources and effort have been expended to incorporate ethics and corporate social responsibility into business curricula. The effectiveness of these efforts has been limited because they have little impact on the technical and core business courses serving as the gateway to the highest paying jobs. Students and practitioners may be led to conclude falsely that the business world is an ethics-free zone. Seeking Adam Smith demonstrates that greed is highly destructive motive for conducting business and the notion that greed is good is nowhere to be found in the Wealth of Nations despite claims by some of the world's leading economists. Cox offers alternative economic perspectives that are more realistic and less prone to misuse than those permeating the current business curricula. Seeking Adam Smith also contains a forward written by Thomas J. Ward who served as Senior Managing Partner of Bear Stearns during its demise and an afterward by Sherron Watkins, Enron whistle-blower and Time Person of the Year 2002.


This collection explores of some of the many ways in which Native American, Irish, and immigrant Irish-American cultures negotiate the complexities of how they are represented as 'other,' and how they represent themselves, through the literary and cultural practices and productions that define identity and construct meaning. The core issue that each chapter examines is one of authenticity and the means through which this often contested and vexed notion is performed. The Irish and American Indian points of view which I explore are certainly not the only ones that shed light on this issue, but these are the ones I know best from my own life and studies. I have sought to combine main stream scholarly rigor with the ways of theorizing that reside within these two cultures, ways that have been excluded from the academy except in very limited and very recent forms. Literary criticism is combined with elements of personal essay in some chapters. In addition, the final chapter explores authenticity and identity through a chapbook collection of original poetry.


Research activities on self development in Evolutionary Psychology research have a long tradition. Man, from birth, possibly earlier, has a subjective sense of self. Out of this sense of self, man learns about himself and classifies himself and his environment. The aim of the present study was to build a positive self-concept in preschool children by offering motor activities and finally to study this issue. The method adopted for the study was a review of the relevant literature. By analyzing various research findings, we discovered that self-esteem and self-confidence develop as a result of children's experiences with their own body during the early years of life. Successes are recorded as positive experiences. Equally imprinted are the unsuccessful endeavours, which as failures influence essentially the self-esteem of children. Limits of their own performance are recognized and make it clear to the children early on whether they are strong or weak. In addition, children are always in comparison with others. In a game the objective of which is the comparison with others or in everyday situations, the child is compared many times with peers. Thus, the self-concept of children develops not only based on their own observations, but also on the ascriptions that others attribute to them. The child-centred approach imputes the cause of a variety of disorders to a child's negative self-concept characterized by low confidence in one's own abilities and a lack of self-esteem. From this consideration, arises conversely the approach of child-cantered development promotion, which examines the possibility of a positive change in body concept and, as a consequence, of self-concept through positive physical and motor experiences. As a consequence of this, thoughts arose about the possibilities of promoting self-concept by offering opportunities for motor games and movement activities.


In reply I thank Drs Shin and Hughes for their comments, especially for correctly pointing out my omission of the first reported series of transscleral suture-fixated posterior chamber lenses through the limbal approach. However, Drs Shin and Hughes incorrectly interpreted my comments. My article never claims, and I do not believe, that a transscleral suture-fixated posterior chamber lens requires four-point fixation for stable placement. Stable placement without torsion can be achieved with two-point fixation if the lens is placed far enough anteriorly so that the iris prevents any lens torsion. Broad contact in the ciliary sulcus or over the ciliary body prevents improper centering but not lens torsion. My method of suture fixation is simply a means of stabilizing the attachment of the suture to the lens haptic against torsion in case the placement of the suture is slightly posterior. Placement of sutures through the ciliary sulcus depends on the


Lignin is one of the most abundant biopolymers on Earth, carrying out important biological roles in vascular plants. It has somewhat higher energy content than polysaccharides, but has a complex and heterogeneous structure including covalent bonds to polysaccharides. The partly random structure of lignin is explained by the fact that it is created by an uncatalyzed radical polymerization. Lignin is obtained as a by-product of various types of technical processes based on biomass, of which chemical pulping of wood is the most important. These technical lignins have structures that differ from native lignin. Sulphite pulping of wood generates a water soluble lignin derivate, which among other things, is used as a dispersing agent and dust binder. Kraft pulping generates a lignin that is insoluble at neutral pH, which today is mainly burned for heat generation in the chemical recovery system of the kraft pulp mill. Recently, efficient methods have been developed for the preparation of lignin from the process liquids, for use in energy generation or other applications. Conversion of technical lignin to liquid fuels for use in combustion engines is an interesting possibility that represents a technical challenge. This chapter reviews the structure and biopolymerisation of lignin, reactions of lignin during technical processes, and different applications of technical lignins.


Small businesses are entrepreneur driven initiatives and are usually influenced by the entrepreneur's cultural environment including their attitudes, and beliefs. This paper attempts to study the nature of cultural diversities of the entrepreneurs across two different regions in India. The six cultural dimensions enunciated by Geert Hofstede and the ethnic orientation dimension brought out by Thampi et al. (2015) are the core constructs for this study. Data collected from small business entrepreneurs across two sample Indian states were analysed. Significant variations were observed in the cultural attributes of small entrepreneurs across the two sample states, and within these states across locations (rural-urban), and business types (manufacturing and service). In all these contexts power distance, risk propensity, collectivism, masculinity, indulgence, and ethnic orientation significantly varied across different segment combinations. The finding of this study, therefore, could be useful pointers towards explicitly incorporating cultural factors in policy design.


BODY IRON IN MAN is estimated at 35 to 45 mg/kg or a total of about 3 g.1 The major portion of body iron, some 30 mg/kg, is held in the circulating red cell mass and erythroid marrow as hemoglobin. The only other fraction of quantitative significance is storage iron, amounting to another 15 mg/kg in the adult male and varying from 0 to 10 mg/kg in the female. The manner in which body iron is maintained and its movement within the body become important in understanding anemia and iron overload states. For the purposes of this discussion, three aspects of iron exchange will be considered: exchange between man and his environment, internal iron exchange and, more specifically, storage iron exchange.


Major changes in healthcare delivery are needed to ease the pressures caused by global increase in ageing population and prevalence of chronic diseases. Recent care initiatives address these problems by delivering care in community-based settings, away from hospitals. The community care model requires that a patientpsilas health condition is also monitored in the home environment to allow assessment and follow-up of the health status. Our work presented in this paper aims to design a system architecture and data model that would provide efficient means to perform essential information management for ambulatory monitoring in a home health care setting. We describe a general purpose architecture and data model that is designed for collecting ambulatory data from various existing devices and systems, as well as for analyzing, storing and presenting clinically significant information to the care personnel.


This research examines the effects of three defining features of bureaucratic organizations – hierarchy, centralization of decision-making, and the formalization of administrative procedures and rules – on the fiscal health of city governments in the US. It utilizes data from a national survey of top appointed city officials in the US to measure the bureaucratic features of city governments, and assesses budgetary solvency using actual financial data from audited financial reports. Using factor analysis to develop a composite bureaucracy index, and addressing unobserved heterogeneity and possible simultaneity bias through least squares dummy variable regression and instrumental variable regression, the empirical analysis shows that excessive bureaucracy leads to poorer fiscal health. Analysing the effects of the individual components of the index, the results indicate that centralization and formalization exert a statistically significant and negative effect on city budgetary solvency.


In recent years, the information technology world have faced broad security issues due to the large amount of data flowing over the network. HW security solutions are often preferred in contexts where an high level of performance is required. Multiple HW implementation of the Advanced Encryption Standard can be found in literature. Although several optimization methods based on optimum composite field isomorphic mappings have been shown and evaluated, there is a lack of results coming from automatic synthesis tools. This work presents an optimization of the AES core using synthesis tools that exploits composite field arithmetic for the SBox module implementation. The Parametric syntheses are repeated for both FPGA technology, using Xilinx Vivado on a Xilinx Zynq 7000 board, and for Standard Cell technology, using Synopsys Design Compiler and 40nm CMOS Standard Cell libraries. Results highlight the discrepancies between analytic and synthesized optimum parameters.