Imagine you meet the person you will spend the rest of your life with on your wedding day! This books deals with Indian arranged marriages and investigates whether globalisation processes affect the Indian marriage market. It focuses on the aspiring Indian urban middle class which is exposed to the Western way of life to the greatest extent due to its high level of education, mobility, and way of life. Do these young modern Indians still cling to traditional marriage patterns? As only little investigation has been done in this field so far, this study gives an overview of the current state of research and delves deeper into Indian culture in order to understand the Indian way of entering marriage. The meaning of marriage in both the Western and the Indian context is compared in order to approach the topic from different angles. Conclusions are drawn from literary sources as well as interviews with experts from India. The findings reveal that the system of arranged marriages is robust towards forces of globalisation. Even today, the majority of Indians find their life partner by having their marriage arranged. However, marriage patterns have been re-arranged in the modern age.


We present the first images of the v = 1 and v = 2 J = 1 → 0 SiO maser lines taken with KaVA, i.e., the combined array of the Korean Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Network and the VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry (VERA), toward the OH/IR star WX Psc. The combination of long and short antenna baselines enabled us to detect a large number of maser spots, which exhibit a typical ring-like structure in both the v = 1 and v = 2 J = 1 → 0 SiO masers as those that have been found in previous VLBI observational results of WX Psc. The relative alignment of the v = 1 and v = 2 SiO maser spots are precisely derived from astrometric analysis, due to the absolute coordinates of the reference maser spot that were well determined in an independent astrometric observation with VERA. The superposition of the v = 1 and v = 2 maser spot maps shows a good spatial correlation between the v = 1 and v = 2 SiO maser features. Nevertheless, it is also shown that the v = 2 SiO maser spot is distributed in an inner region compared to the v = 1 SiO maser by about 0.5 mas on average. These results provide good support for the recent theoretical studies of the SiO maser pumping, in which both the collisional and the radiative pumping predict the strong spatial correlation and the small spatial discrepancy between the v = 1 and v = 2 SiO maser.


Abstract To explain the emergence of suicidal ideation within an individual we developed the emotion self-confidence model of suicidal ideation (ESC-SI Model). The modelproposes that, when faced with the stressor of negative emotionality, an individual with low expectations for coping with or changing the negative emotionality (low emotion self-confidence) is more likely to consider suicidal ideation. A preliminary study in adolescents supported this hypothesis. The present paper investigated the model more fully; following up 71 adolescents 2.2–3.7 years later. The main aims were to: (a) provide further validation of the ESC-SI Model through replication; (b) evaluate stability and change in key variables over time; (c) assess the causal hypothesis that emotion self-confidence appraisals would predict later suicidal ideation. Cross-sectional analysis replicated results obtained at baseline, supporting the model. Longitudinal analysis showed negative emotionality to be moderately stable, emotion self-confidence highly stable, and suicidal ideation highly variable, over time. Baseline emotion self-confidence did not explain unique variance in later suicidal ideation, failing to establish a causal relationship over this time frame. Links between emotion self-confidence and suicidal ideation were strongest during concurrent observations; a future focus on specific emotional experiences is recommended.


The ecological risks to the receptor organisms salmon and trout in the Gota alv river basin
posed by five groups of pollutants; pharmaceuticals, nutrients, pesticides, metals and organic
pollutants, have been studied in this thesis. The ecological risks were characterised with
regard to both subareas within the river basin as well as with regard to the different pollutants.
This study was performed according to the PETAR procedure, a procedure of ecological risk
assessment, and the data used was obtained from both literature and model calculations.
Two subareas were identified as being of higher risk than the others; one area around
Trollhattan and one located at Alvangen. In both of these areas, there is a relatively large
wastewater treatment plant located that emits large amounts of several pollutants. Regarding
the risk characterisation of the different pollutants, pharmaceuticals were identified as being
of the highest risk to the aquatic ecosystem. For the pharmaceuticals, both literature and
model calculations indicate that the environmental concentrations in water are higher than the
corresponding PNEC values. For the pharmaceutical propranolol, the model calculations
showed that the environmental concentrations were six times higher than the PNEC value. T
herefore, the pharmaceuticals in Gota alv may cause adverse effects to the aquatic ecosystem.
The results for the pesticides and organic pollutants are inconclusive; there are large
differences in expected concentrations between the literature and the model calculations. One
explanation for this may be differences in dilution between the sites studied in the literature
and the conditions in Gota alv. Concentrations of metals and nutrients are low, close to
background concentrations, and are therefore believed not to pose a risk to salmon and trout.
Due to the lack of data, both of site specific and general data for some of the pollutants, there
are uncertainties within these results. The results from this study should therefore be seen as
indicative and they can be used to prioritise the need for further studies. To confirm these
results, site-specific measurements and/or more detailed model calculations are necessary.
There is a need to perform more detailed risk assessments for pharmaceuticals, pesticides and
organic pollutants since the knowledge about these pollutants is incomplete and regional
studies like this one indicate that they may be problematic in the environment. Further studies
can increase the understanding of the risks that they pose and how this risk is best managed.


The demand for a predictive tool to help in designing ion-cyclotron radio frequency (ICRF) antenna systems for today's fusion experiments has driven the development of codes such as ICANT, RANT3D, and the early development of TOPICA (TOrino Polytechnic Ion Cyclotron Antenna) code. This paper describes the substantive evolution of TOPICA formulation and implementation that presently allow it to handle the actual geometry of ICRF antennas (with curved, solid straps, a general-shape housing, Faraday screen, etc) as well as an accurate plasma description, accounting for density and temperature profiles and finite Larmor radius effects. The antenna is assumed to be housed in a recess-like enclosure. Both goals have been attained by formally separating the problem into two parts: the vacuum region around the antenna and the plasma region inside the toroidal chamber. Field continuity and boundary conditions allow formulating of a set of two coupled integral equations for the unknown equivalent (current) sources; then the equations are reduced to a linear system by a method of moments solution scheme employing 2D finite elements defined over a 3D non-planar surface triangular-cell mesh. In the vacuum region calculations are done in the spatial (configuration) domain, whereas in the plasma region a spectral (wavenumber) representation of fields and currents is adopted, thus permitting a description of the plasma by a surface impedance matrix. Owing to this approach, any plasma model can be used in principle, and at present the FELICE code has been employed. The natural outcomes of TOPICA are the induced currents on the conductors (antenna, housing, etc) and the electric field in front of the plasma, whence the antenna circuit parameters (impedance/scattering matrices), the radiated power and the fields (at locations other than the chamber aperture) are then obtained. An accurate model of the feeding coaxial lines is also included. The theoretical model and its TOPICA implementation have been fully validated against measured data both in vacuo and in plasma-facing conditions for real-life structures.


This paper presents a framework to answer the questions that require various kinds of inference mechanisms (such as Extraction, Entailment-Judgement, and Summarization). Most of the previous approaches adopt a rigid framework which handles only one inference mechanism. Only a few of them adopt several answer generation modules for providing different mechanisms; however, they either lack an aggregation mechanism to merge the answers from various modules, or are too complicated to be implemented with neural networks. To alleviate the problems mentioned above, we propose a divide-and-conquer framework, which consists of a set of various answer generation modules, a dispatch module, and an aggregation module. The answer generation modules are designed to provide different inference mechanisms, the dispatch module is used to select a few appropriate answer generation modules to generate answer candidates, and the aggregation module is employed to select the final answer. We test our framework on the 2020 Formosa Grand Challenge Contest dataset. Experiments show that the proposed framework outperforms the state-of-the-art Roberta-large model by about 11.4%.


ABSTRACT Accumulating evidence suggests that individuals exposed to victimization at key developmental stages may have different epigenetic fingerprints compared to those exposed to no/minimal stressful events, however results are inconclusive. This study aimed to strengthen causal inference regarding the impact of adolescent victimization on the epigenome by controlling for genetic variation, age, gender, and shared environmental exposures. We conducted longitudinal epigenome-wide association analyses (EWAS) on DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles of 118 monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs from the Environmental Risk study with and without severe adolescent victimization generated using buccal DNA collected at ages 5, 10 and 18, and the Illumina EPIC array. Additionally, we performed cross-sectional EWAS on age-18 blood and buccal DNA from the same individuals to elucidate tissue-specific signatures of severe adolescent victimization. Our analyses identified 20 suggestive differentially methylated positions (DMPs) (P < 5e-05), with altered DNAm trajectories between ages 10–18 associated with severe adolescent victimization (∆Beta range = −5.5%−5.3%). Age-18 cross-sectional analyses revealed 72 blood (∆Beta range = −2.2%−3.4%) and 42 buccal (∆Beta range = −3.6%−4.6%) suggestive severe adolescent victimization-associated DMPs, with some evidence of convergent signals between these two tissue types. Downstream regional analysis identified significant differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in LGR6 and ANK3 (Šidák P = 5e-09 and 4.07e-06), and one upstream of CCL27 (Šidák P = 2.80e-06) in age-18 blood and buccal EWAS, respectively. Our study represents the first longitudinal MZ twin analysis of DNAm and severe adolescent victimization, providing initial evidence for altered DNA methylomic signatures in individuals exposed to adolescent victimization.


Abstract The authors report on the status of osteopathic graduate medical education training for the 2010-2011 academic year. Data are presented on approved programs and trainee positions, including distribution by state and by specialty. The authors also examine other trends in postdoctoral training including programs dually accredited by the American Osteopathic Association and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.


In this paper, we study spiking synchronization in three different types of Hodgkin—Huxley neuronal networks, which are the small-world, regular, and random neuronal networks. All the neurons are subjected to subthreshold stimulus and external noise. It is found that in each of all the neuronal networks there is an optimal strength of noise to induce the maximal spiking synchronization. We further demonstrate that in each of the neuronal networks there is a range of synaptic conductance to induce the effect that an optimal strength of noise maximizes the spiking synchronization. Only when the magnitude of the synaptic conductance is moderate, will the effect be considerable. However, if the synaptic conductance is small or large, the effect vanishes. As the connections between neurons increase, the synaptic conductance to maximize the effect decreases. Therefore, we show quantitatively that the noise-induced maximal synchronization in the Hodgkin—Huxley neuronal network is a general effect, regardless of the specific type of neuronal network.


Gundersen, Wenche B. (Oslo University, Oslo, Norway). New type of streptomycin resistance resulting from action of the episomelike mutator factor in Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 86:510–516. 1963.—Analyses have been performed to elucidate the genetic nature of the streptomycin resistance that results from the action of the previously described episomelike mutator factor in Escherichia coli. This streptomycin resistance has been found to differ from ordinary one-step streptomycin resistance. The new type of streptomycin resistance, "mutator resistance," can be lost, either spontaneously or by treatment with ultraviolet light and acriflavine. It is more stable in a K-12 strain than in the original E. coli strain 635. Mutator resistance segregates like a chromosomal marker in genetic crosses, and is located near the ordinary streptomycin locus. The locus for mutator resistance is distinct from that of ordinary streptomycin resistance, apparently located further toward the threonine region. Mutator resistance, unlike ordinary one-step streptomycin resistance, appears as a dominant character. The possibilities of its being a suppressor or regulator mutation are discussed.


Manufacturers of organic matrix composites face a number of mounting enwonmen:: concerns Because a variety of hazardous materials are use0 in proauctior of ccr- posites. manufacturers are concernea with stiffening regulations ana inereas c: liabilities Cost efficient waste and pollution reduction programs can be establishec +c' composites fabricators, if a long-term view toward managirg resources s acoo!ec Management must look beyond simple one step solutions wnich sidestep or de 2, dealing with basic problems. Consideration must be given :o selecting aporoac-e? which interact with all areas including basic production strategies. facility deslcn 5- z management strategies. Cost-eff icient approaches are best developed through care'- attention to refining material flow patterns, conserving materials eliminating wis'i utilizing new technologies, separating incompatible operations. eliminating IiaDiilt e: and controlling inventory


Coated conductors employing rolling-assisted-biaxially-textured-substrates offer a viable alternative to the BSCCO power-in-tube tapes. These conductors are based on the deposition of biaxially oriented buffer layers and YBCO films on textured nickel alloy substrates. Researchers are becoming increasingly aware that the cleanliness of the nickel surface plays a crucial role in making it conducive to epitaxial film deposition. Several cleaning techniques are currently being explored. In this work we report the results obtained from a simple chemical cleaning procedure based on an aqueous solution of formic acid and hydrogen peroxide. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies were performed to understand the effect of the cleaning treatment on the nickel surface. It was found that the cleaning treatment significantly enhances the ability of the nickel to act as a crystallographic template for the deposition of strontium titanate using a metallorganic decomposition process. These results give promise for the development of scalable cleaning procedures for coated conductor applications.


This article provides a view on the state-of-the-art literature on slum tourism. It points to the rapid growth of slum tourism research in recent years and highlights the main avenues that research has thus far explored in areas such as slum tourism history, slum tourist subjectivity, resident perspectives, slum tourism operations, economics, and mobilities. With the advent of slum tourism the relationship of poverty and tourism has changed. Tourism is no longer only a means to fight poverty, but poverty is an attraction of tourism. This has consequences for the relationship of slum tourism to other forms of tourism where poverty functions as an attraction, like volunteer or developmental tourism. The article identifies research gaps as well as avenues for further research.


This report is based on the information generated through a survey, meetings with stakeholders, visits to farms, and research information already available to the organisation. The acquired knowledge has provided a realistic view of how dairy systems in the study areas in Ethiopia are managed and allowed the realisation of an analysis of the situation at the farm level. This information has then been used to propose the development of future actions so that the efficiency in the utilization of the spent brewery grain on Ethiopia dairy farms is optimised. The presence of numerous breweries in the area studied with a potential capacity of 10,660.000 hl of beer per year and their projected growth in the near future, offers an excellent opportunity to farmers in the area to have access to spent brewery grain at a very affordable price. The information gathered in this study reveals that spent brewery grain is a key ingredient in the dairy cow's diet in Ethiopia, especially considering the scarcity of land to grow fodders and the quality of available feed. Yet the efficiency at which this by-product is currently utilised is very low. In order to improve the efficiency of its use it will be fundamental to take action in different aspects of the production chain, as listed below: •Improvement of the commercialization chain: At present there is a lack of transparency in thechain, along with transport issues and the lack of compromise of the stakeholders involved. Thissituation limits the ability of farmers to develop a feed budget based in the spent brewery grainutilization. •Storage: Condition and capacity of storage are the main on-farm limitations. Key aspects that willneed to be addressed are the improvement of the storage infrastructure and their capacity. Thepossibility to make silage of spent brewery grain, alone or combined with other feeds, can be aninteresting option to be considered. •Management: There is a manifest lack of knowledge and information on how to manage this by-product, and especially on how to avoid spoilage and heating. Farmers are requesting informationto overcome these issues. •Feeding: The current inefficient use of spent brewery grain as a component of the diet of dairycows is due to a combination of factors which includes not only those just mentioned, but also thelack of knowledge on the nutritional properties of the spent brewery grain and its potential use asan ingredient in the complete diet. According to the information gathered, we can conclude that spent brewery grain is a key ingredient in the diet of dairy cows of the study area and will be a crucial component in the profitability of the Ethiopian dairy farms in the future. The nutrient content of spent brewery grain combined with the low-quality feed available for dairy cows will allow to improve the expression of the animal genetic potential, increment their productivity, and improve animal condition. At the same time, the competitive price of the by-product will help improve the profitability of the dairy farm


The European Climate Pact provides opportunities for individuals, communities and organisations to declare their commitment to climate action. This study analyses the publicly available web profiles of the European Climate Pact Ambassadors (PAs) as of January 2023. First, it explores the extent to which people who volunteer as PAs demonstrate commitment to young and future generations. Second, it investigates whether PAs who self-identify as young people are more likely than other PAs to justify their mandate by referring to the interests of young and future generations. Third, it examines whether PAs who self-identify as young people are more likely to indicate other young people as the target audience of their activities. The manual coding and quantitative analysis of the PAs' web profiles revealed that members of older generations as well as parents and grandparents are most likely to rationalise their engagement in the programme by referring to young and future generations. The data also showed that young people do target other young people when they act as PAs, but they are not the only group to do so. When compared to individuals with other professional identities, educators are also more likely to flag young people as their target audience.


At present, development in the St. Paul Central Corridor is occurring piecemeal and lacks an integrative vision. This study's aim was to devise design approaches that create a district which integrates light industrial job creation and retention with the incorporation of a permanent, value-added public open space armature that performs multiple functions with the ability to adapt to changes in employment. The development of an industrial parkway district along the Pierce Butler route in the corridor would create a linear redevelopment district in the heart of St. Paul. The research team will work in conjunction with public policymakers and planners to establish general goals for the corridor to guide future development of infrastructure, neighborhoods, and specific sites.


The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is implementing a Profilograph-based QC/QA smoothness specification wherein surface smoothness in measured using the Profile Index (PI) determined from Profilograph data. In view of the relative importance of the daily average PI, it is imperative that the reduction of profilograms be completed expeditiously. Failure to do so can result in construction delays. This report presents a method for automated reduction of profile data from manual Profilographs. From experience, the manual method of reducing profilograms is both time consuming and subjective, and a faster and more consistent alternative is definitely warranted. To address this need, researchers evaluated a computerized data reduction system called ProScan to establish its accuracy and consistency in determining the Profile Index and defect stations from profilograms. In this method, a profilogram is scanned, and the determination of PIs and defect stations is accomplished automatically via software. Output shows the calculated Profile Indices for the scanned segments and the locations of defects (bumps and dips). In view of the potential improvement in productivity that ProScan may bring, TxDOT requested the product evaluation presented in this report. This evaluation consisted of comparing the results obtained automatically by ProScan with the results obtained manually using the method specified by TxDOT under Test Method Tex-1000-S, "Operation of Pavement Profilograph and Evaluation of Profiles". The main finding from the study is that ProScan gives accurate and consistent results, at significantly less time and effort, compared to the manual method. The operational experience in using ProScan is described, along with recommendations for additional improvements.


We describe a technique useful in complex coronary interventions wherein timed bilateral contrast injections are given in both coronary arteries. This technique is useful in chronic total occlusions in which the distal coronary vessel is not visualized except by collateral filling via the contralateral artery. This technique was applied in 12 patients; 11 with native coronary occlusion and one in whom the target site was visualized by contrast injections into a vein graft supplying competitive flow to an otherwise patent native vessel. With this technique, the distal coronary artery segment can be better visualized, which helps to aim and track the guide wire across the occluded segment.


Short RNA sequences exhibiting the activity of a target RNA cleavage are promising for cellular gene regulation and biosensor research, but the reaction media different from an aqueous solution may cause unanticipated molecular interactions and properties. In this study, we investigated the molecular crowding effects arising from steric crowding and altered solvent properties on the hammerhead ribozyme activity using water-soluble neutral cosolutes. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and other cosolutes at 20 wt % increased the RNA hydrolysis rate by a factor of 2.0-6.6 at 10 mM MgCl(2) and much more at lower MgCl(2) concentrations. Remarkably, although the cosolutes decreased the stability of the ribozyme stem helices, the thermal inactivation temperature of the ribozyme was significantly raised, resulting in a higher reaction rate, up to 270 times at 50 degrees C. More significantly, PEG decreased the metal ion concentration to perform the reaction even with a limiting Mg(2+) or Na(+) concentration, facilitated the catalytic turnover, and activated a catalytically less active ribozyme sequence. These observations agreed that the cosolutes acted as an osmolyte stabilizing the water-release reaction of the RNA tertiary folding but destabilizing the water-uptake reaction of Watson-Crick base pairing. The opposite cosolute effect on the stabilities of RNA secondary and tertiary structures, which is fundamentally different from a protein folding, suggests how RNA stabilizes a tertiary structure and enhances the catalytic activity in molecular crowding media.


Abstract Nasal obstruction is often multifactorial and knowledge of the contributing factors is critical to appropriate evaluation, diagnosis, and execution of a treatment plan. Recognizing and appropriately managing all components of nasal obstruction will increase the likelihood of symptomatic improvement and patient satisfaction.


The carboxylic 3-hydroxypropanoic acid (3-HP, CAS number 503-66-2), has enormous potential as a platform molecule for the synthesis of bio-based polymers and the production of commercially valuable chemicals such as 1,3-propanediol, acrylic and malonic acid. In the actual environmental and economic context, there is an increased interest in the microbial production at a large industrial scale of 3-HP [1]. As for organic acid production, 3-HP concentration is suspected to exhibit inhibitory effects on the microorganism, thus leading to low productivity. A potential strategy to increase the performance of the bioconversion step and to recover 3-HP is to implement an integrated process, by which upstream bioconversion is combined to downstream extraction, namely " In Situ Product Recovery " (ISPR). Although there are currently no ISPR technique developed in the literature for the extraction of 3-HP, some patents suggest that processes which proved to be effective for the extraction of its positional isomer, 2-HP (lactic acid), could also be applied to 3-HP [2]. A promising technique that drew a lot of attention lately for the extraction of 2-HP is the reactive extraction in an organic phase containing an extractant [3]. In the present work, the reactive extraction of 3-HP was studied using tertiary trioctylamine and quaternary ammonium salt tri-n-octylmethylammonium chloride (Aliquat 336) as extractants, and n-decanol as diluent. Comparison was made with 2-HP acid. Impact of the aqueous phase pH and acid concentration as well as the amines concentration were addressed. Results showed that, although 3-HP was not extracted as efficiently as 2-HP, its reactive extraction by TOA under acidic conditions proved to be favorable. Indeed, the hydrophobicity and pKa differences between these two isomers had a significant impact on the performances of their reactive extraction. More importantly, extraction by a synergistic mixture of amines showed highly interesting apparent distribution coefficients over a wide range of pH values, including the optimal pH range for fermentation. The reactive extraction was also shown to be predominantly controlled by interfacial chemical reactions. Performing it in a membrane contactor provided a high interfacial area and allowed an optimized use of the extraction process potential. These pioneering results represent a potential breakthrough in understanding the specific mechanisms of 3-HP reactive extraction, prior to its implementation in an integrated extractive bioconversion process.


In order to realize the intelligent production of sapphire crystal, it is important to obtain the growth status from the furnace by charge coupled device (CCD). However, a significant challenge is that traditional approaches are often not valid to separate the images of the melting interface well due to the low contrast and uneven brightness from the heater. In this paper, an improved Otsu algorithm based on dynamic particle swarm optimization (DPSO) is proposed to find the exact threshold band as contour of the crystal. In this method, the Otsu method is constructed firstly, then DPSO is used to find the optimal threshold band. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can separate the texture of crystal growth images well and has high robustness.


The first example of an intramolecular enantioselective Michael addition of nitronates onto conjugated systems utilizing a chiral phase-transfer catalyst is described. A range of five-membered gamma-nitro esters with up to three stereocentres have been prepared and the relative and absolute configurations proven by chemical and crystallographic methods. The products are rapidly obtained and are precursors to five-membered cyclic gamma-amino acids.


This paper describes the feasibility study result for a variable optical attenuator (VOA) realized by a new concept of self-assembled polysilicon structures and a continuously position-controllable curved beam actuator based on surface micromachining technology. The self-assembly mechanism includes a residual stress induced curved beam which lifts up the reflective mirror shutter first. This self-assembled reflective pop-up shutter is locked and fixed on a curved polysilicon beam actuator which is connected with a polysilicon frame clamped on the substrate. Secondly, a set of polysilicon scratch drive actuators drives the frame, curved beam actuator and shutter moving forward and sliding into the space between the two ends of the input and output fiber ports. The optical attenuation range of the proposed VOA is determined by the vertical position of the self-assembled reflective shutter which is controlled depending on the applied voltage value. This new VOA has demonstrated continuous attenuation capability and wide attenuation range. This device demonstrates 70 dB attenuation range and less than 1 dB insertion loss.


The use of manuka honey for the topical treatment of wounds has increased worldwide owing to its broad spectrum of activity towards bacteria in both planktonic and biofilm growth modes. Despite this, the potential consequences of bacterial exposure to manuka honey, as may occur during the treatment of chronic wounds, are not fully understood. Here, we describe changes in antimicrobial susceptibility and virulence in a panel of bacteria, including wound isolates, following repeated exposure (ten passages) to sub-inhibitory concentrations of a manuka honey based wound gel. Changes in antibiotic sensitivity above 4-fold were predominantly related to increased vancomycin sensitivity in the staphylococci. Interestingly, Staphylococcus epidermidis displayed phenotypic resistance to erythromycin following passaging, with susceptibility profiles returning to baseline in the absence of further honey exposure. Changes in susceptibility to the tested wound gel were moderate (≤ 1-fold) when compared to the respective parent strain. In sessile communities, increased biofilm eradication concentrations over 4-fold occurred in a wound isolate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (WIBG 2.2) as evidenced by a 7-fold reduction in gentamicin sensitivity following passaging. With regards to pathogenesis, 4/8 bacteria exhibited enhanced virulence following honey wound gel exposure. In the pseudomonads and S. epidermidis, this occurred in conjunction with increased haemolysis and biofilm formation, whilst P. aeruginosa also exhibited increased pyocyanin production. Where virulence attenuation was noted in a passaged wound isolate of S. aureus (WIBG 1.6), this was concomitant to delayed coagulation and reduced haemolytic potential. Overall, passaging in the presence of a manuka honey wound gel led to changes in antimicrobial sensitivity and virulence that varied between test bacteria.


Melz, Cheng, Holyoak, and Waldmann (1993) argue that the partial blocking of cue A that I reported (Shanks, 1991a) when subjects were presented with intermixed AB → 1, B → 1 category learning trials is not consistent with the associative Rescorla and Wagner (1972) theory analysis that I offered, given that the theory predicts complete blocking at asymptote. However, this claim assumes that subjects' were trained to asymptote in my experiments, and there is no reason to believe this was the case. Melz et al.'s further argument that there has been no reported evidence of complete blocking in associative learning tasks is incorrect. I show that, on the contrary, there is abundant evidence of it. The Rescorla and Wagner theory analysis of my results is therefore sound. The results I reported were inconsistent with contingency theories as they are normally formulated. Melz et al. propose a revised contingency theory which, they argue, can account for data from a range of learning tasks. In particular, Melz et al. claim that their theory can accommodate my results. I show that the theory can be refuted on the following grounds: (a) It is contradicted by a wealth of data from other associative learning experiments, (b) it does not in fact account for the data I obtained, and (c) for many situations in which the Rescorla and Wagner theory makes clear testable predictions, the revised contingency theory is either undefined and hence makes no predictions, or else has so many degrees of freedom that it can essentially predict any result that might be obtained.


Emiliania huxleyi (Lohm.) Hay et Miller is an important component of the phytoplankton in open ocean waters. The sensitivity of this cosmopolitan alga to natural levels of UVB radiation has never been tested. Since DNA is believed to be a major target of natural UVB radiation (UVBR: 280–315 nm) in living cells, experiments with E. huxleyi were performed using growth rate reduction and DNA damage as indicators of UVBR stress. Specific growth rate, cell volume, pigment content, and CPD (cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer) formation (a measure for DNA damage) were followed during and after prolonged exposure of a series of cultures to a range of UVBR levels. E. huxleyi was found to be very sensitive to UVBR: at a daily weighted UVBR dose of only 400 J·m−2 ·d−1 (BEDDNA300nm), growth was halted. At this UVBR level, both cell volume and contents of the major photosynthetic and photoprotective pigments had increased. The UVBR vulnerability of E. huxleyi cannot be explained by a high potential for cyclobutane thymine dimer formation (the most abundant CPD type) due to a high T content of nuclear DNA: the CG content of this E. huxleyi strain is high (68%) compared with other species. The high UVBR sensitivity may be related to the stage of the cell cycle during UVBR exposure, in combination with low repair capacity. It is concluded that E. huxleyi may experience UVBR stress through the formation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, with subsequent low repair capacity and thereby arrest of the cell cycle.


The ability to deliver high-dose chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy followed by marrow rescue has made marrow transplantation the treatment of choice for children with AML in first remission, juvenile CML, and adult-type CML in chronic phase. For patients with ALL or NHL who relapse, transplantation in second remission represents a reasonable therapeutic option. The role of marrow transplantation for patients in the advanced stages of their disease will continue to be explored to develop promising new therapies, which may improve results of transplantation earlier in the disease course. Development of transplant preparative regimens that have the same or improved therapeutic efficacy with less late effects is especially important for growing and developing children. In the meantime, all children who have received a marrow transplant must be followed for development of delayed effects, which may not appear until years after the transplant procedure. Children who are cured of their leukemia continue to occasionally visit the pediatric hematologist/oncologist, but they do so less often with increasing time after curative therapy. Thus, it is necessary for the primary care pediatrician to be familiar with the details regarding the child's previous therapy in order to anticipate and to be prepared to treat the delayed effects. Attention to school performance is of particular importance for early identification of those children who may need special educational attention. Advances in the treatment of children with leukemia continue to be made both with chemotherapy and with marrow transplantation that should result in greater numbers of children being cured.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


AIM
This paper reports a study investigating the psychometric properties of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire among nurses.

BACKGROUND
Although the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire is one of the most widely used instruments to measure the multifactor leadership theory in organizational sciences, inconsistent research findings have been reported for its psychometric properties. Little is known about these properties.

METHOD
Data were gathered by postal questionnaires in 2001-2002 with nurses working in different healthcare organizations in Finland. A follow-up study was performed 1-year later. The sample consisted of 601 nurses and nurse leaders, and the follow-up study had 78 respondents. The internal consistency of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire was explored using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and item-analysis, and the test-retest reliability using Pearson product moment correlation coefficient and intra-class correlation coefficient (single measure intra-class correlation coefficient). The factor structure was studied using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.

RESULTS
The internal consistencies of the leadership subscales were satisfactory. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire was fairly stable measured at the 1-year interval. Although the data fail to support the full nine-factor model, a reduced set of items from the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire appears to show evidence of the three- and six-factor structures. Exploratory factor analysis showed evidence for the three-factor structure consisting of three distinctive, yet partly related leadership subscales. Confirmatory factor analysis showed evidence for the six-factor structure.

CONCLUSION
The psychometric data suggest that a modified version of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire is a highly suitable instrument to measure multidimensional nursing leadership. Validity and reliability were supported. The results can be used in studies applying the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire.


NTRU is an open-source public key cryptosystem that uses lattice-based cryptography to encrypt and decrypt data. Unlike other popular public-key cryptosystems, it is resistant to attacks using Shor's Algorithm and its performance has been shown to be significantly greater. This paper talks about how Koblitz encoding from Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) can be used to convert each character in a dataset to a point on an elliptic curve. A sum of squares analogy is pitted against the cantor pairing function to turn the point to a single number, which is converted to a sequence of coefficients in . A polynomial is then generated for each of these characters. Then the polynomial is reduced, and then shown that choosing appropriate parameters for the cryptosystem can make it highly secure and that the decryption algorithm turns out taking linear time. Since each character is represented by its own polynomial, it increases obscurity thereby increasing the complexity for decryption and thus the security level. A form of data compression has also been implemented and it has been tested whether data compression and expansion during the encryption-decryption process results in original data with no or minimal loss. General Terms Data Security


Primary stomatodynia involves mainly women after menopause presenting somatization, depression and anxiety at values higher than control subjects. This chronic pain is often an intense burning pain beginning in the tongue the entire oral cavity, increasing in intensity through the day with a high level of emotional after effects. These patients often describe two associated symptoms: mouth dryness sensation and altered taste. The causes remain uncertain. The participation of female sexual hormones and neuropathic factors has been suggested possibly through a sensory neuropathy of small fibers of the oral mucosa. Normal clinical examinations and non clinical tests differentiate primary from secondary stomatodynia. The management consists in using low doses of topical clonazepam without swallowing or systemic clonazepam. The association of this drug with tricyclic antidepressants has given variable results. A cognitive behavioural management has been successfully attempted.


Traumatic carotid-cavernous fistulas (CCF) usually occur after closed head injuries. In addition, CCFs can also be caused by penetrating injuries with stab or gunshot injuries. We present the case of traumatic CCF that was caused with a knitting needle directly penetrating through the temporal region. A 46-year-old man consulted with a progressive left swollen eye. His head computed tomography (CT) revealed a left temporal lobe contusion and fracture of the left temporal bone. Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) showed a direct high-flow fistula (Type-A lesion). After the balloon occlusion test, which was well tolerated by the patient, the internal carotid artery was occluded by the interventional radiologist. A review of the literature demonstrated that all of the traumatic CCFs occurred due to penetrating stab injuries through the orbita. To our knowledge, such a case has not been previously reported.


This paper presents the preparation and analysis of Al2O3, TiO2 nano lubricant and Al2O3–TiO2 nano composite lubricant for domestic refrigerator using R134a refrigerant as working fluid. The nano particles and nano composite particles were added to the Polyol ester (POE) oil lubricant with volume concentration of 0.02 g/200 ml in the ratio of 0.1 gL−1. The experiments are conducted for six different samples. The sample S1 contains only POE oil which is presently used in all domestic refrigerators and considered as a base line sample for comparison. There are two nano lubricant samples S2 and S3 with Al2O3/POE oil and TiO2/POE oil respectively. There are three nano composite lubricants samples S4, S5 and S6 mixed with different composition of Al2O3 and TiO2 in the ratio of 75% Al2O3/25% TiO2/POE oil, 50% Al2O3/50% TiO2/POE oil and 25% Al2O3/75% TiO2/POE oil respectively. The test conducted at different evaporator temperature such as −10 °C, −12 °C, −14 °C, −16 °C and −18 °C in evaporator with reference to 27 °C environment state. Based on the analysis, R134a with nano lubricant and nano composite lubricants were found to improve the performance of the system compared to R134a with POE oil lubricant. The results revealed that best performance is given for R134a with 50% Al2O3/50% TiO2 nano composite particle mixture in POE oil.


reactive species such as radicals, but proceed instead by conventional functional group transformations of polyfunctional reactants. These polymerizations often (but not always) occur with loss of a small byproduct, such as water, and generally (but not always) combine two different components in an alternating structure. The polyester Dacron and the polyamide Nylon 66, shown here, are two examples of synthetic condensation polymers, also known as step-growth polymers. In contrast to chain-growth polymers, most of which grow by carbon-carbon bond formation, step-growth polymers generally grow by carbon-heteroatom bond formation (C-O & C-N in Dacron & Nylon respectively). Although polymers of this kind might be considered to be alternating copolymers, the repeating monomeric unit is usually defined as a combined moiety.


The efficacy of the combined treatment of cisplatin and radiation therapy for mouse C1 300 neuroblastoma was studied. Intraperitoneal cisplatin injections and/or radiation were given from 7 to 21 days after inoculation of the tumor cells into the thigh region of A/Jax mice. The combination of 15 Gy radiation and 6 mg/kg cisplatin had an additive effect on both tumour growth delay and survival rate, while that of 30 Gy radiation and 6 mg/kg cisplatin had a synergistic effect. The efficacy of the combined therapy was dependent on the dose of radiation but not on the dose of cisplatin. The normal skin of the mouse was damaged in the similar pattern with both treatments. Thus, cisplatin has a potent radiosensitising effect in the treatment of mouse neuroblastoma.


This article aims to show what the implications of gender ideology are and how it affects the social dimension of the human being. To that extent, an approach will be made from a philosophical-theological perspective, which seeks to account for the genesis of this ideology, its evolution, its fundaments and its practical consequences


The aim of this article is to analyze the philosophy of Richard Rorty through the poetic theories of Harold Bloom. It is shown that redescription, the primary means by which Rorty addresses philosophy, pragmatism and culture, can be interpreted as misreading, a revisionist literary tool that implicates appropriation (revision), distortion (deviation), and correction (redirection). Finally, I propose a crossroad between the paths of Bloom and Rorty, a conversation between the Bloomian literary criticism and the Rortyan philosophy: the philosophy as a literary conversation.


Human beings are cognitive misers. One facet of this effort avoidance is the reluctance to voluntarily switch tasks when repeating the same task is allowed. Yet participants voluntarily switch despite the resulting costs. This paradox might be resolved if the individual switching ability or sensitivity is considered. Here, we investigated whether the voluntary switch rate (VSR) is governed by the objective or the subjective (introspective) switch costs. Three experiments were conducted utilizing voluntary task switching with forced and free task choices intermixed. In Experiments 1 and 3, objective switch costs were measured on forced tasks, and subjective switch costs were calculated from (introspectively) estimated reaction times in a separate phase. In Experiment 2, objective and subjective costs were measured in the same phase. In Experiments 2 and 3, we additionally manipulated the forced switch rate. Results show that objective and subjective switch costs were lower in blocks with higher forced switch rates. The objective switch costs predicted VSR in Experiments 1 and (partially) 3. The subjective switch costs predicted the VSR only in Experiment 3 (the lower the costs, the higher the VSR). Hence, the present study offers first insight into under which circumstances introspection guides decision-making during voluntary task switching. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).


The National Institute for Transport and Logistics (NITL) is Ireland's centre of excellence for supply chain management (SCM). As part of its mission to promote the development of supply chain expertise in Irish business, it designs and delivers executive modular learning programmes. In 2004, as part of a drive to create more flexible learning opportunities for course participants, NITL designed and implemented an eLearning programme, which involved converting traditionally tutored modules to online modules. This paper describes the rationale behind this initiative and the significance of technology as an enabling tool for executive education, as well as detailing the design and implementation processes for the pilot module. The paper concludes with a critique of the expected and actual benefits realised, as well as future development considerations.


A new method of in situ electrically induced self-assembly technology combined with electrochemical deposition has been developed for the controllable preparation of organic/inorganic core/shell semiconductor heterojunction nanowire arrays. The size of the interface of the heterojunction nanowire can be tuned by the growing parameter. The heterojunction nanowires of graphdiyne/CuS with core/shell structure showed the strong dependence of rectification ratio and perfect diode performance on the size of the interface. It will be a new way for controlling the structures and properties of one-dimensional heterojunction nanomaterials.


A pilot study at a large metropolitan hospital in Auckland identified a specific group of patients that can be safely monitored outside the Coronary Care Unit using Flexible Monitoring technology. This article describes the project management processes used to further develop the remote monitoring system into a hospital network of remote monitoring. The educational and staff support resources required throughout the project are described as are the strategies adopted to meet those needs including the utilization of online learning. Outcomes from the introduction of the system include improved electrokardiogram interpretation by nursing staff and improved ECG resource allocation.


The problem of global stability for a class of uncertain cellular neural networks with time delays has been discussed. The uncertainty is assumed to be of norm-bounded form. A less conservative robust stability condition is derived on the basis of a new Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Two numerical examples are given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.


Cardiomyocyte apoptosis has been demonstrated in animal models of cardiac injury as well as in patients with congestive heart failure or acute myocardial infarction. Therefore, apoptosis has been proposed as an important process in cardiac remodeling and progression of myocardial dysfunction. However, the mechanisms underlying cardiac apoptosis are poorly understood. The present study was designed to determine whether the family of caspase proteases and stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK/JNK) are involved in cardiac apoptosis. Cultured rat neonatal cardiac myocytes were treated with staurosporine to induce apoptosis as evidenced by the morphological (including ultrastructural) characteristics of cell shrinkage, cytoplasmic and nuclear condensation, and fragmentation. Nucleosomal DNA fragmentation in myocytes was further identified by agarose gel electrophoresis (DNA ladder) as well as in situ nick end-labeling (TUNEL). Staurosporine-induced apoptosis in myocytes was a time- and concentration-(0.25-1 micro M)-dependent process. Staurosporine-induced apoptosis in myocytes was reduced by a cell-permeable, irreversible tripeptide inhibitor of caspases, ZVAD-fmk, but not by the ICE-specific inhibitor, Ac-YVAD-CHO. At 10, 50 and 100 muM of ZVAD-fmk, staurosporine-induced myocyte apoptosis was reduced by 5.8, 39.1 (P<0.01) and 53.8% (P<0.01), respectively. Staurosporine, at 0.25-1 micro M, increased caspase activity in cardiomyocytes by five- to eight-fold, peaking at 4-8 h after stimulation. Based on substrate specificity analysis, the major component of caspases activated in myocytes was consistent with caspase-3 (CPP32). Moreover, the appearance of the 17-kD subunit of active caspase-3 in staurosporine-treated myocytes was demonstrated by immunocytochemical analysis. In contrast, staurosporine induced a rapid and transient inhibition of SAPK/JNK in myocytes. The SAPK activity in myocytes was reduced by 68.3 and 58.3% (P<0.01 v basal) at 10 and 30 min after treatment with 1 micro M of staurosporine, respectively. Our results suggest that staurosporine-induced cardiac myocyte apoptosis involves activation of caspases, mainly caspase-3, but not activation of the SAPK signaling pathway.


[Objective] The research aimed to study the coupling model of water and fertilizer for the yield of winter eggplant in greenhouse in Ningxia southern mountain region and provide reference for the criteria and cost-saving cultivation of agriculture vegetables in Ningxia southern mountain region.[Method] By using quadratic general rotary unitized design,the mathematics simulation was made on the main cultivation factors(irrigated amount,N application amount,K application amount)that affected the greenhouse eggplant yield in winter cropping in Ningxia southern mountain region.[Result] Three cultivated factors had obvious effects on the eggplant yield in winter cropping and the water and K showed negative effects on the eggplant yield generally.And N showed the positive effect.The order of the influences of three factors on the eggplant yield was as:potassiumnitrogenwater.The single factor effect showed that the eggplant yield increased gradually with the irrigated amount when the irrigation amount was lower than 8 250 m3/hm2.When the irrigation amount was 8 250 m3/hm2,the eggplant yield was the highest,being 159 253.5 kg/hm2.And then the eggplant yield decreased gradually with the irrigated amount.When N application amount was lower than 900 kg/hm2,the eggplant yield increased significantly with the increase of N application amount.When N application amount was 900 kg/hm2,the eggplant yield was the highest,being 158 782.5 kg/hm2.And then the eggplant yield decreased gradually with N application amount.When K application amount was lower than 712.5 kg/hm2,the eggplant yield increased gradually with K application amount.When K application amount was 712.5 kg/hm2,the eggplant yield was the highest,being 160 195.5 kg/hm2.And then the eggplant yield decreased significantly with K application amount.[Conclusion] When the greenhouse eggplant yield in winter cropping in Ningxia southern mountain region,it was recommended that the irrigated amount was 7 500-8 000 m3/hm2,N application amount was 900-950 kg/hm2 and K application amount was 850-900 kg/hm2.


A powerful way of using existing information has been presented by Smits and Annoni (1999), who focus on a cost-based feature subset selection in the framework of the (interactive) verification and updating of land-cover maps with imagery from different space-borne sensors. Each feature comes with its own cost, and the user specifies a "budget" which the final feature vector may not exceed. As feature subset selection constitutes an important aspect of data fusion in general, this paper exploits further the concept of cost-based feature selection. The novelty is that the feature subset selection itself is also subject to a (computation) cost.


Recent model-based studies of two geothermal systems in New Mexico (Socorro and Truth or Consequences) suggest that the measured temperatures and chemical compositions of the fluids in these systems are best explained by deep (4–8 km) circulation of groundwater within permeable (10 -14 to 10 -12 m 2 ) fractured Proterozoic basement. A detailed investigation of joint density and connectivity in the Proterozoic Tajo Granite in the Quebradas Backcountry Byway area east of Socorro was initiated to determine if circulation of fluids in fractured Proterozoic crystalline rocks is an important geothermal process. The southernmost outcrop, which is incised by the southern tributary of Arroyo del Tajo, is the focus of this presentation. The Great Unconformity, which separates the granite from the Pennsylvanian Sandia Formation, forms the eastern boundary of the outcrop and the Quaternary Coyote fault forms the western boundary. Fractures in this 1 km (N-S) by 0.35 km (E-W) granite outcrop that are visible on Google Earth images were evaluated. In addition, 16 areas within the exposure near some of the larger fractures were examined in detail. North-northwest striking joints are common 40 to 70 m to the east of the Coyote fault and many of these fractures are filled with fluorite, barite, and quartz. Fracture density is 22 to 27/m within 4 m of the fault zone, dropping to 12/m at a distance of 18 m west of the fault zone. Most of these fractures near the fault zone are short, only 2.6 to 10.8 m long. Connectivity, which is based on the number of systematic joint intersections (nodes) in a square meter, ranges from 42 to 23/m 2 in this same area. In contrast to the relatively short fractures near the fault zone, several E-striking fractures that can be traced 60 to 270 m are common in the southern 0.27 km of the exposure. The spacing between these long, continuous fractures along the southern edge of the exposure ranges from 5.5 to 18.7 m. Northeasterly strikes are more common in the northern half of the exposure and northwesterly strikes are found throughout the outcrop. A NE-striking (65–75°) zone located approximately 0.15 km south of the northern tip of the exposure appears to cut across NW-striking (330–340°) fractures on the Google Earth images; the zone is 40–50 m wide. Field data support this observation; NE-striking iron oxide, calcite, and quartz veins cut the NW-striking fractures and cm-scale offsets across the NW-striking fractures were noted in this area. Iron-rich fluids clearly flowed through fractures in the Tajo Granite throughout the exposure, suggesting that fluids do move through fractured crystalline basement. The spatially variable fracture patterns in this large exposure of granite are related to the fact that the this fault block is rotated to the east above an east-vergent reverse fault along the eastern margin of the Laramide Sierra uplift (perhaps opening the E-striking structures) that was subsequently cut by Rio Grande rift extensional faults.


We present a study of the group purchasing behavior of daily deals in Groupon and LivingSocial and formulate a predictive dynamic model of collective attention for group buying behavior. Using large data sets from both Groupon and LivingSocial we show how the model is able to predict the success of group deals as a function of time.We find that Groupon deals are easier to predict accurately earlier in the deal lifecycle than LivingSocial deals due to the total number of deal purchases saturating quicker. One possible explanation for this is that the incentive to socially propagate a deal is based on an individual threshold in LivingSocial, whereas in Groupon it is based on a collective threshold which is reached very early. Furthermore, the personal benefit of propagating a deal is greater in LivingSocial.


This Paper deals with power-efficient architecture of static/dynamic edge triggered flip flops with clock Overlap-based logic. Clock overlap is the major issue in sequential circuits. The Overlap based Logic cell is more efficient in terms of power consumption and have acceptable overlap periods when compared to other dynamic/static logic architectures. When compared to conventional dynamic logic method, the proposed logic style consumes low power. The result of this logic is that static power consumption gets improved in CMOS technology. Finally the power comparison is done between the overlap logic and conventional dynamic C 2 MOS logic. Low Power utilization is


Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by chronic synovial inflammation with aberrant epigenetic alterations, eventually leading to joint destruction. However, epigenetic regulatory mechanisms underlying RA pathogenesis remain largely unknown. Here, we showed that Ubiquitin-like containing PHD and RING finger domains 1 (UHRF1) , a key molecule involved in maintenance of DNA methylation during cell division, is a central epigenetic regulator that orchestrates the suppression of expression of multiple factors that exacerbate RA. We found that murine arthritis tissue and human RA tissue, particularly synovial fibroblasts (SF), exhibit remarkable up-regulation of expression of Uhrf1. SF-specific Uhrf1 conditional knockout mice showed more severe arthritic phenotypes and apoptosis-resistant SF. Integrative analysis of the transcriptome and methylome showed that expression of several cytokines including Ccl20 was up-regulated in Uhrf1-deficient SF. In RA patients, disease activity scores, CCL20 expression, Th17 accumulation and apoptosis resistance were negatively correlated with UHRF1 expression in synovium. Finally, stabilization of UHRF1 by Ryuvidine administration diminished disease pathogenesis in arthritis model mice. Our results demonstrated that UHRF1 expressed in SF can contribute to suppression of multiple pathogenic events associated with RA such as Th17 recruitment, SF apoptosis and bone destruction, suggesting that targeting UHRF1 could represent a novel therapeutic strategy for RA.


Positron Emission Computed Tomography (PET) with carbon 1 1 labeled glucose was studied at rest and under auditory stimuli presented as music. The subjects were nine cases: 3 normal right-handed males, 1 normal aged, 3 schizophrenics and 2 manicdepressives. No neurological deficits were revealed in these cases. Scanning began 20 minutes after an oral administration of 1 1C-glucose. PET images were obtained under two different conditions: 1 ) at rest (eye closed), and 2) under auditory stimuli in the form of music. Distributions of activities were studied based on the visual survey of the images. The three normal subjects showed an increase in frontal activities during the stimulation and one of them showed hyperactivity especially in the right inferior frontal gyrus. In four of five cases, an increase in activities in the right temporal lobe was observed with auditory stimuli. In three of the cases, hypoactivities in the frontal regions were observed at rest, which were not influenced by music as an auditory stimulation. In the case of the aged normal, a marked increase in left temporal activity was evidenced when music with verbal component was loaded. Asymmetry in the PET of Endogenous Psychoses


Question generation (QG) from a given context can enhance comprehension, engagement, assessment, and overall efficacy in learning or conversational environments. Despite recent advancements in QG, the challenge of enhancing or measuring the diversity of generated questions often remains unaddressed. In this paper, we introduce a multi-question generation model (mQG), which is capable of generating multiple, diverse, and answerable questions by focusing on context and questions. To validate the answerability of the generated questions, we employ a SQuAD2.0 fine-tuned question answering model, classifying the questions as answerable or not. We train and evaluate mQG on the FairytaleQA dataset, a well-structured QA dataset based on storybooks, with narrative questions. We further apply a zero-shot adaptation on the TellMeWhy and SQuAD1.1 datasets. mQG shows promising results across various evaluation metrics, among strong baselines.


Background: During menopause the quality of life of women can be seriously deteriorated and influenced by lifestyles. Aim: To assess the prevalence of menopausal symptoms and their relationship with lifestyles and quality of life. Material and Methods: The Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), a survey that measures menopausal symptoms and has questions related to lifestyles, was applied to 1023 women aged 54 ± 6years (range 45 to 64years), consulting in primary health care clinics. A multiple linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between menopausal symptoms and lifestyle. Results: Fifty six percent of women did not have a paid work, 64% were nonsmokers and 90% did not perform any physical exercise. The most frequent menopausal symptoms referred were muscle and joint ailments (85%) followed by mental and physical exhaustion (80%). Sedentary women, smokers or those who did not to have time for leisure activities showed worst quality of life scores. Conclusions: Postmenopausal women with unhealthy lifestyles had the lower quality of life scores and more menopausal symptoms.


Aim of this research was to gather information on group size and habitat use by the different ungulate, Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla, species and spatial overlap among species. Data were collected in the dry season (OctoberNovember 2003) in a fenced area (5,021 ha) of a game ranch in Namibia during 44 game drives along five different routes. For each sighting, we recorded species, day, time, location (on a map divided into square grid units of 500-m sides), number of animals and habitat type. Duiker, Sylvicapra grimmia, was the more solitary species, followed by steenbok, Raphicerus campestris, and warthog, Phacochoerus africanus, while hartebeest, Alcelaphus buselaphus, blue wildebeest, Connochaetes taurinus, eland, Tragelaphus oryx, and mountain zebra, Equus zebra hartmannae, usually formed large groups. This is in agreement with the normal social behaviour of these species. Nevertheless, the high percentage of solitary oryx, Oryx gazella, greater kudu, Tragelaphus strepsiceros, springbok, Antidorcas marsupialis, and impala, Aepyceros melampus, is unusual. The frequent presence of isolated individuals in gregarious species may indicate a dispersion of the animals in the territory due to reduced food availability. Some of the species showed their typical habitat use; however, some species also used less suitable habitats. A low degree of spatial overlap was observed between most of the species. In spite of this, in some cases a considerable overlap occurred. For example, kudu and springbok, which had a wide spatial distribution, showed a high degree of spatial overlap with other species (e.g., all of the grid units used by zebra were used in common with kudu, and 88% of the grid units used by blesbok was in common with springbok). Data indicate that animals are overabundant in this fenced area and they are suffering from the dry season. 0199_inter_onc_tome2_part7 19/10/05 20:25 Page 735


AIM
To determine clinicoimmunological and microbiological efficacy of ronkoleukine in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric ulcer (GU).

MATERIAL AND METHODS
A total of 108 H. pylori-associated GU were randomized into two groups. Patients of group 2 received standard 3 or 4 component therapy including proton pump inhibitor and two antibiotics (amoxicillin and clarithromycin). Patients of group 1 received the same treatment but antibiotics were replaced for recombinant interleukine-2 ronkoleukine (Biotech, Russia) which was delivered via gastroscope and injected submucously along the periphery of the ulcer defect in 4-6 points in a dose 0.1 mg; 0.4 mg of the drug was simultaneously injected intravenously. The procedure was made 3 times with a 72 hour interval.

RESULTS
One month after the treatment H. pylori eradication was 81.5 and 95.4% in groups 1 and 2, respectively. Mean duration of ulcer epithelization was 35.23 +/- 1.58 and 10.79 +/- 0.46 days, respectively.

CONCLUSION
Clinically and pathogenetically sound method of H. pylori-associated GU with application of systemic and local (paraulcer) immunotropic ronkoleukine therapy is more cost and immunologically effective than standard treatment and can be used both in hospital and outpatient setting.


Introduction It is crucial to understand psychosocial outcomes in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and their families to provide optimal family-centered care. Hence, the aim of this study was to explore psychosocial outcomes in young people with T1D and their parents using currently available glucose monitoring devices in a real-life clinic setting. Methods Children and adolescents aged 2-18 years with T1D for more than 6 months and their parents were recruited into a cross-sectional study to complete the Hypoglycemia Fear Survey (HFS) and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) Generic Score Scales, Diabetes Module and Family Impact Module. Demographics and diabetes-specific parameters were obtained from medicals records. Results Fifty-nine children and adolescents (mean age 15.1 ± 3.0 years) and 49 parents of children (mean age of children 12.5± 3.3 years) of which 44 were child-parent dyads completed the questionnaires. Parents had a higher mean (SD) FOH total and worry subscore than children, total score was 37.9 (14.6) vs. 32.2 (11.9), p = 0.047 and worry subscore was 17.8 (10.4) vs. 12.8 (9.0), p = 0.01. Furthermore, lower parental diabetes-specific QoL score was observed in parents, 78.8 (12.2) vs. 82.7 (10.3), p=0.02. No difference in FOH and QoL between real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rtCGM) and intermittently scanned glucose monitoring (isCGM) users and users of devices with and without alerts was observed. In isCGM users (n=36 completing the child questionnaires, n=33 completing parent questionnaires), higher parental FOH and lower parental diabetes-specific QoL correlated with higher scanning frequency, r = 0.399, p = 0.021, and r = -0.464, p = 0.007 respectively. No significant correlation was documented between scanning frequency and child questionnaire scores. Conclusions Parents are more likely to perceive higher levels of psychosocial burden related to their child's diabetes than children and adolescents with T1D, especially parents of younger children. This highlights the need for family-based education and treatment resources to support parents in diabetes management in addition to rapidly advancing diabetes technology. In isCGM users, higher parental FOH and lower parent-perceived QoL correlated with a higher scanning frequency, indicating the potential impact of glucose monitoring modality on psychosocial outcomes or vice versa.


Photograph of slingshot expert John Milligan shooting an egg balanced on Joe Clark's fingers. Narrative by Junebug Clark: Put two talented, daring and creative people together and what do you get... something very unique and incredible. Preparing for a photograph Joe visualized of a John "scrambling an egg as it dropped into a fry pan by a waitress" Joe had John scramble three dozen eggs off of the back of his hand. No Photoshop, no fancy laser or sound triggering systems... Plain and simple "Hillbilly Ingenuity," nerves of steel and steady hands. John Milligan, a machinist in Detroit, Michigan who was also the "country's greatest slingshot expert. "He won local fame by shooting the marks out of playing cards, hitting objects in mid air and bagging game in the field." Joe took John national with his photos documenting his talent and accuracy. To assure accuracy, he has designed his own precision-built aluminum sling, called the Milligan Special. Additional photos and information can be found in the Clark Family Collection. Photos from this series appeared in eight national publications. Here you can find articles in "Life Magazine . February 3, 1961. Pages 80-83. And in a fifteen page pictorial in the book "Photojournalism" by Joe Clark, HBSS. Photo by: Joe Clark, HBSS. Clark PhotoFile: 8001-57


The position of foreign literature in France is highly related to the positions of the countries and languages these texts are coming from. Clearly dominated by the Anglo-Saxon culture, the French market has been opened to the Scandinavian literature and to the South-American one. African literatures remain one of the poor parts of the foreign literature in the French publishers' lists. Human sciences don't stay away from the dominating systems' rules and the mood (or the need) of best-sellers. This paper strives to analyse the evolution of this situation. If we could consider that the mainstream logics will continue to dominate the publishing activity, we would choose to focus, from a socio-economic point of view, on some practices and conditions potentially able to modify the circulation of texts. Our hypothesis consists in thinking it is useless to wait that the economic system of publishing industry make place for minority books. As a consequence, the question is to look for new ways of the international circulation of intellectual goods.


Background: Nrf2 is up-regulated in response to reoxygenation after hypoxia. Results: Hypoxia suppressed Nrf2 expression and induced Siah2 expression. Knockdown of Siah2 rescued hypoxic suppression of an Nrf2 mutant that mimicked phosphorylation at serine 40 or lacked this phosphorylation site. Conclusion: Siah2 serves as a novel regulator of Nrf2. Significance: Association of Siah2 with Nrf2 causes the degradation of Nrf2 irrespective of its phosphorylation status at serine 40. Under pathological conditions such as ischemia-reperfusion, Nrf2 acts as a key regulator of cellular oxidative response. Provided that Nrf2 is sensitive to hypoxia during ischemia, Nrf2 may affect reactive oxygen species metabolism during reoxygenation. In this study, hypoxia suppressed Nrf2 protein, and its hypoxic suppression was not recovered with knockdown of the Nrf2 repressor Keap1. Moreover, an Nrf2 mutant lacking the Keap1 binding domain was suppressed under hypoxia, suggesting that Keap1 does not contribute to hypoxic Nrf2 suppression. HIF-1α and Siah2 are both key regulators of hypoxic responses. Hypoxia induced the Siah2 protein. Although inhibition or knockdown of Siah2 prevented the suppression of Nrf2, knockdown of HIF-1α did not. Moreover, Siah2 interacted with Nrf2 through a binding motif, suggesting that Siah2 contributes to the suppression of Nrf2. Some cytosolic kinases also play important roles in Nrf2 regulation. In this study, PKC phosphorylates serine residues of Nrf2 during hypoxia. Knockdown of Siah2 rescued hypoxic decreases in an Nrf2 mutant that mimicked phosphorylation at serine 40 or lacked this phosphorylation site, suggesting that Siah2 contributes to the degradation of Nrf2 irrespective of its phosphorylation status. Moreover, knockdown of Siah2 attenuated ubiquitination of the Nrf2 mutant, suggesting that association of Siah2 with Nrf2 causes proteasome-mediated degradation of Nrf2.


The insulation condition monitoring of a power transformer has an important role for insulating materials which are subjected to extensive breakdown stress. In this study, a test setup has been constructed in order to simulate real world breakdown characteristics of transformerboards which are widely used as the insulating material. During the service life transformerboards may display undesired surface discharge damage due to increased rated voltages, which reduces the lifetime of transformerboards. The probabilistic neural network is used to detect the surface degradation of a transformerboard by analyzing electrical and ultrasound discharge data obtained from the test setup. The principle component analysis is employed to eliminate the messy matrix and vector calculations of the probabilistic neural network operations. Results of the classification procedure are given.


The authors have previously shown that 26-kDa membrane-bound tumour necrosis factor precursor (proTNF) on the cell-surface of primed human monocytic cell line THP-1 is involved in positive feedback regulation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-dependent TNF-production. Here, we provide direct evidence for modulation of responsiveness of the THP-1 cells against LPS by membrane-bound pro-TNF. When THP-1 cells were cocultivated with a heterogeneous cell line (proTNF/3T3 cells) which constitutively expressed membrane-bound proTNF, LPS-dependent TNF-production by THP-1 cells was significantly suppressed and the normal level was restored by the presence of anti-TNF antibody during cocultivation. The proTNF-3T3-induced decline of TNF-production of THP-1 was observed primarily at the mRNA level, although no difference was observed in the mRNA level of interleukin 1 beta, another LPS-inducible cytokine. These results suggest that proTNF could also be involved in the negative feedback regulation of LPS-dependent TNF-production through cell-to-cell contact. The augmentation of LPS-dependent TNF-production accompanied by the production of endogenous proTNF induced by exogenous agent was inhibited by protein kinase C inhibitor, whereas proTNF/3T3-induced suppression of TNF-production could not be restored to the normal level. It thus seems possible that proTNF might act on macrophages as a bidirectional regulator of its production by THP-1 cells depending on co-induced signals.


Repeatedly performed bone marrow biopsies were studied in 30 patients with chronic idiopathic myelofibrosis (CIMF) by fluorescence in situ hybridization to detect and quantify trisomy 8 anomaly during the evolution of disease. For the establishment of threshold values we used negative and positive control specimens. At least 500 cells were evaluated in each specimen and only nuclei with three distinctive signals were regarded as positive. According to the controls, 27 patients revealed false-positive signals ranging from 0 to 1.2% (0.88 ± 1.12). On the other hand, 3 patients showed an incidence of more than 6.5% (up to 10.1%) in the initial prefibrotic as well as advanced fibro-osteosclerotic stages of CIMF. In conclusion, trisomy 8 has been demonstrated already in the prodromal stages of CIMF and therefore is not limited to classical fibro-osteosclerotic manifestations.


This paper explores sensitivity of RTOS kernels in safety-critical systems. We characterize and analyze the consequences of transient faults on key components of the MicroC kernel, a popular RTOS. We specifically focus on its task scheduling and context switching modules. Classes of fault syndromes specific to safety-critical real-time systems are identified. Results reported in this paper demonstrate that 34% of faults led to scheduling dysfunctions. In addition 17% of faults results in system crashes. This represents an important fraction of faults that cannot be ignored during the design phase of safety-critical applications running under an RTOS.


Mikhail Gorbachev, President of Green Cross International, once declared: "Water is one of the most important ingredients for development and stability. Without access to basic water supplies, disease and ill-health, poverty, environmental degradation and even conflict may be the result – all of which lead, in turn, to greater water stress. Water-related conflict does not have to take on the attributes of war in order to be debilitating – it can fester between groups, ignite between neighbouring farmers or industrialists, and can cause loss of trust between people and their governments. When water conflict erupts between sovereign states, the victims may not perish on any clearly discernible battlefield, but the people and the watercourse itself will suffer the consequences of the absence of either co-operation or communication between those sharing a basin." (Hartnady & Hay, 2004). This statement shows the whole importance of the science of management of water and related issues. In fact, scientists long ago sought to understand the process of water cycle. This understanding helped them monitor the changes in the quantity and the quality of water occurring through the fluxes of water from the atmosphere to the surface of the earth and underground, fluxes of solutes and sediments and the effects of gravity and radiation. Science based knowledge of these hydrological processes assisted in explaining and predicting water-related hazards, notably droughts, floods, tornadoes, cyclones, landslides, mudslides, etc. Yet, due to the high risk associated to environmental changes, traditional scientific postulates and models have become inadequate to controlling water disasters, particularly in the "Arid and semi-arid lands" (ASALs) (Brasington et al., 1998). Under the effect of population pressure on natural resources, water disasters tend to cause agricultural inefficiency resulting in food insecurity and poverty outreach in most ASALs (FAO, 1995; Shisanya, 1996; UNDP, 2007; World Bank, 2007). There is thus need for reviewing traditional premises, hypotheses and theorems of water disaster management to adapt them to environmental changes. Hydro-economic risk assessment offers a novel framework towards sustainable management of agricultural water disaster in ASALs. This study evaluates hydro-geomorphologic risks, and their social and economic impacts associated with farming water use in dry and marginal lands of Kenya. The risk assessment conducted in Muooni Dam Catchment of Kenya utilized an "hydroeconomic" procedure to assess the risks related to farming water and land use, and served


We have examined in detail the activities of IL-13 on monokine production in vitro and compared its effects with those of IL-10 and IFN-gamma. IL-13 and IL-10 show qualitatively and quantitatively similar activities on cytokine production by monocytes when administered simultaneously with LPS i.e. inhibition of IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-alpha, up-regulation of IL1-ra. However when either LPS and IFN-gamma or fixed S. aureus Cowan (SAC) are used to activate monocytes, IL-10 is a much more potent inhibitor of TNF-alpha production than is IL-13. IL-10 is also an extremely potent inhibitor of IL-12 (p70) production when given with either SAC or LPS, while IL-13 has little effect. Indeed, IL-13 actually increases SAC-induced IL-12 production. When IL-13 is administered prior to the LPS stimulation, its modulation of cytokine production is drastically different. Production of IL-12, MCP-1, TNF-alpha and to a lesser extent IL-6 induced by LPS is now "primed", whereas that of IL-1, IL-8, and IL-10 is still inhibited. IL-10 does not show this "priming" effect, and is a dominant inhibitor of IL-13. The initial IL-13 priming effect is not however due to an inhibition of endogenous IL-10 production; nor is it due to inhibition of PGE2 production. The priming effect of IL-13 on IL-12 production is additive with that of IFN-gamma, and is partly independent of IFN-gamma. The earliest event in IL-13 priming so far noted is an increase in TNF-alpha mRNA production at 1-2 hours. IL-13 priming of IL-12 production can be completely abolished by anti-TNF-alpha antibodies suggesting that IL-13 may be priming via increased TNF-alpha expression, although merely substituting TNF-alpha for IL-13 does not reproduce the priming effect. IL-13 is a thus a more subtle immune regulator than IL-10 or IFN-gamma. When administered with LPS or SAC, it dampens the resulting inflammatory response, though in a more selective way than IL-10. In contrast, when it is added before an inflammatory signal, it primes an immunostimulatory monokine secretion profile resembling that of IFN-gamma, but without the proinflammatory IL-1 component. Early in response to an inflammatory stimulus, IL-13 may thus play an essentially anti-inflammatory role, switching to a primarily immunostimulatory role in the case of an ongoing infection.


Repeated oral doses (120mg or 240mg, once daily) of the human renin inhibitor ES-8891 were given for 10 days to 16 normotensive male subjects on a normal sodium diet. Both doses produced significant inhibition of plasma renin activity (complete inhibition at 0.5 and 1 hour, 50% inhibition at 2 hours) which was inversely correlated with the plasma level of ES-8891. Plasma immunoreactive active renin was not enhanced in spite of significant decreases in plasma angiotensin I and aldosterone levels. There was no significant change in blood pressure or heart rate. No adverse reactions were evident. These results suggest that ES-8891 is an orally active human renin inhibitor which may be clinically useful. (Hypertens Res 1992; 15: 41-44)


Rare or endangered tree species are important components of forest ecosystems and play a crucial role in management and conservation. Understanding what influences their presence is critical for managers, conservationists and planners. This study presents results of a comprehensive inventory of the tree species and site characteristics in the Vietnamese Cat Ba National Park (CBNP). An adaptive cluster sampling technique was applied to study the effect of human disturbance, soil properties, and terrain conditions on the presence of IUCN Red List tree species (all individuals > 5 cm diameter at breast height) in three strictly protected areas in CBNP, which have varying levels of isolation. Data from 239 sample plots (500 m2 each) were analyzed. Tree species recorded during the inventory were assigned to two categories: IUCN Red List and other. Our results showed that site characteristics differed in the three protected areas along with the presence of IUCN Red List tree species. IUCN Red List tree species were more frequently found on less favorable soils (low soil depth) and in terrain with more pronounced slopes and with a higher rock surface area (%). However, there is no indication from existing information on the autecology of the different Red List species that the site conditions hosting the species are the ones favored by the species, even on the contrary for some. Although direct signs of human activity (paths, animal traps) could not be related to the presence of Red List tree species, the data suggest that the accessibility of the sites is a strong negative driver for the presence of Red List tree species. We conclude that protection of the forests of the Cat Ba Island should be stricter to allow the IUCN Red List tree species to grow under more appropriate conditions, which then would allow studying their ecology in more detail. This would further allow deriving more precise recommendations for their future protection.


This article focuses on systemic conceptualizations that attempt to explicate why academic achievement may be challenging for some urban African American high school students. In addition, the author delineates the important roles that high school counselors can play in ensuring urban African American high school students' academic success.


A study of sedimentary structures of cold-climate coastal dunes along Eastern Hudson Bay, Canada, showed that in areas of very sparsely vegetated surfaces, tractional sedimentary processes are dominant while in partly and well vegetated areas, grainfall deposition is the dominant sedimentary process. Alternating fine and coarse sand strata are characteristic of the vegetated foredune ridge. Coarse strata are interpreted to be mainly related to niveo-aeolian deposition. In poorly vegetated areas deformed strata associated with the melting of snow were preserved. A vaguely stratified strata interpreted as a dimpled surface as well as coarse lenses with irregular basal contact were found. Such distinctive sedimentary structures may represent good indicators of cold-climate conditions and could serve as criteria to identify aeolianites that may have been deposited in similar cold-climate environments in palaeoenvironmental reconstructions.


The objective of this study was to detect the expression of Angiotensin-II (Ang-II), Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and Endothelin-1 (ET-1) in the kidneys of patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN) and to investigate their relationship with renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF). A total of 47 paraffin specimens of patients with DN and six controls were enrolled in this study, and all were diagnosed by histopathology. We studied the expressions of Ang-II, HIF-1α and ET-1 by immuno-histochemical staining and the level of RIF by Masson staining. The following results were found: (a) RIF existed in the kidneys of patients with DN, (b) the expressions of Ang-II, HIF-1α and ET-1 were lower in the control group but increased significantly in the DN group, (c) the expression of Ang-II, HIF-1α and ET-1 in tubular epithelial cells directly correlated with RIF (r s = 0.659, 0.633, 0.716, P <0.01) and (d) the expression of Ang-II, ET-1 and HIF-1α in the kidneys of patients with DN positively correlated with serum creatinine (Scr) levels (r s = 0.391, 0.594, 0.531, P <0.01) but they did not correlate with the 24-h urinary protein, blood glucose and serum albumin levels. These results provide new insights suggesting that over-expression of Ang-II, HIF-1α and ET-1 promote the progression of RIF in DN. Thus, targeting reduction in the expression of Ang-II, HIF-1α and ET-1 can delay RIF in DN. Further studies are needed to validate this observation.


An increasing body of protocols has been proposed in recent years for detecting node replication attack in sensor networks. Most of them however expose the following limitations: high performance overheads, unreasonable assumptions, etc. To address these issues, we propose two new protocols in this paper: LANCE and SACRED. LANCE is designed to be light-weight in performance at the cost of slightly weaker security robustness while SACRED obtains much greater security by trading off small performance. Theoretical analysis and simulations have also been conducted to evaluate the protocols in terms of security features and performance overheads.


Local secretion of complement components in the human intestine has been previously reported. However, the cellular source has not been identified. In this study, we demonstrate complement C3 and factor B mRNA expression in the normal colonic mucosa by in situ hybridization analysis. C3 and factor B genes were found to be expressed at high levels in the epithelial cells of the lower parts of the crypts in colonic mucosa, and this expression decreased gradually from the crypt base to the luminal surface. At the upper crypt and the luminal surface, these genes almost disappeared. C3 and factor B genes were expressed in all crypts at the same level. Furthermore, C3 and factor B gene expression was also identified in adenomas and carcinomas. In these neoplastic tissues, C3 and factor B genes were expressed uniformly, and the polarized distribution observed in the normal crypts was not detected. It is likely that complement components are locally synthesized in the intestine, and that these complement components may actively participate in normal immune and inflammatory responses over the enormous surface area of the intestinal mucosa.


Abstract Two new theraphosine genera and one new species are described from Peru, based on material from the collections in the Natural History Museum, London. Anqasha gen. n. is described to house Anqasha picta (Pocock, 1903) gen. et comb. n., ex. Hapalopus. The holotype male of A. picta is redescribed, with the female described for the first time. Two new localities for A. picta are recorded, extending the distribution of this species. Another monotypic genus, Murphyarachne gen. n., is described to house a new species Murphyarachne ymasumacae gen. et sp. n. based on a holotype female.


A two-dimensional Particle-in-Cell based Monte Carlo Collision model is used to study the dynamics of a spark-type electric discharge pulse within narrow dielectric cavities of submillimeter dimensions. The gas within the cavity is taken to be air at atmospheric pressure. The development of an avalanche through primary and secondary ionization processes, is followed till extinction. Secondary processes including photo-emission and ion-emission from the cathode are considered. The model is seen to successfully simulate the evolution of the discharge and yield useful information about the build-up of space charge within the gaseous channel, consequent modification of the electric field, ionic and electronic currents, and charge accumulation on the electrodes at end of discharge pulse. A significant contribution of this work is that the simulated discharge within the cavity is coupled through the electrodes, with an external circuit comprising of a voltage source. The effect of different electrode configurations viz. metallic-metallic, dielectric-metallic and dielectric-dielectric, as might occur at pd initiation sites, is studied. This is seen to significantly affect many of the parameters studied, especially the charge deposition at discharge extinction. The magnitude of the discharge pulse and its rise-time are also seen to be affected. The phase-space scatter plots for electrons, positive and negative ions are obtained, which help to understand the manner in which the discharge progresses over time.


The magnetic anomaly associated with the premartensitic transformation (PT) in Heusler alloy Ni2MnGa is investigated by using the Green's function technique based on the magnon-TA phonon interaction. The results of the numerical calculations suggest that the magnetic anomaly during the PT may originate from the strong magnon-TA phonon interaction, because this kind of coupling effect will destroy the magnetic ordering in some local zones and reduce the magnetization of the system. Magnon-magnon interaction plays a positive role in enhancing the magnetization and tends to reduce the PT temperature while this kind of interaction has little effect on the characteristic TA phonon-wavevector corresponding to the anomaly of spontaneous magnetization at the PT temperature.


We discuss a case of severe respiratory depression in a child, with ultrarapid CYP2D6 genotype and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, after taking tramadol for pain relief related to a day-case tonsillectomy.


An attempt is made to demonstrate if not the dispensability of Gardner's (1983) theory of multiple intelligences, at least that it is not foundational, to understanding what motivated Picasso's creative development. Gardner used the theory of multiple intelligences to account for the extraordinariness of various figures, including Picasso, who is supposed to illustrate bodily ability and low scholastic aptitude. The theory of multiple intelligences, however, is undetermined by the facts of Picasso's life. After interpreting Picasso in terms of his interpersonal relations, generic problems with the theory of multiple intelligences are reviewed, and the benefits of assuming a single one are propounded. It is argued that the case of Picasso illustrates the social cognitive and interpersonal dimensions of thinking as such.


Posterior fossa hygroma is a rare entity. In a series of 553 cases of surgically treated traumatic subdural lesions, reported by Jamieson and Yelland, only 14 were in the posterior fossa; of these 7 were hygromas and 7 haematomas, giving an incidence of only 1,4% of all subdural haematomas. This report describes a case of a posterior fossa hygroma, that occurred in a 16-years-old boy, 4 days after an occipital head injury.


In response to the rise in the number of MP3 players in use, and anecdotal evidence of their annoyance value, this paper examines the link between passive MP3 player listening and violence. In examining the link, it first presents the concept of a "passive listener," then looks at the issue of control and choice, and the different levels to which these are present in controlled and passive listening. It then examines the unique elements of passive listening which make it different from many other acts of musical violence, before summarizing the effect on the passive listener. Finally, the paper suggests strategies to minimize the effects of passive listening as a form of violence, before suggesting areas for further research.


The primary goal of the Words Work (WW) early literacy initiative was to prepare diverse students to become successful learners in school. Four groups of students were followed over 6 years: students from traditional Head Start (HS) centers, students from augmented HS centers (WW students), students eligible for HS but not enrolled (waitlist or WL), and a random sample of non-Head Start students (NHS). Students received school readiness instruction at approximately 4 years of age, and their performance on standardized tests was followed from 1st grade through 5th grade. WW students significantly outscored HS, WL, and NHS students of similar backgrounds in reading and outscored WL and NHS students in mathematics on 2nd-grade standardized assessments. In addition, WW students were able to maintain their lead through 5th grade in both reading and mathematics. Based on these results, WW is an effective HS enhancement for minimizing the achievement gap often observed between students who may be at risk for academic difficulty and students who are at low risk.


Abstract The chapter focuses on the nature of intergenerational transmission of parenting during adolescence, namely how parents' past experiences with their own parents in adolescence are related to their parenting of their adolescents. This issue was examined in relation to attachment theory and psychoanalytic conceptualizations. Five case studies from a research project that included seventy 15-year-old adolescents (35 girls) and their parents are presented. Parents were interviewed with regard to their experiences in adolescence and their representations with regards to their relationship with their adolescent offspring. Adolescents were interviewed about their relationships with both parents. The case studies involve narratives of parents with favorable and difficult experiences and describe parents who have and have not resolved their difficult experiences. The cases presented demonstrate the powerful grip of experiences in one's family of origin, revealing that the past continues to play an active role in present life. It also demonstrates how parents try to correct and undo their past, in many cases unsuccessfully. It is argued that the ability to achieve flexible and integrative reflection of the past enables people to accept the imperfection of their parents, themselves, and their children, to relinquish the need to fulfill longed-for wishes, and paves the way to breaking the intergenerational transmission of adverse parenting. A large body of research and theoretical conceptualizations has been devoted to the study of developmental processes in adolescence, focusing mainly on the challenges experienced by the adolescents and their social context.