Lenalidomide- and pomalidomide-based therapies are effective drugs in the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma (MM), however most patients with MM eventually relapse or become resistant. CC-92480, a novel cereblon (CRBN) E3 ligase modulator (CELMoD) with multiple activities including potent immunomodulation and single-agent antiproliferative effects, is being investigated in a phase 1 clinical trial (CC-92480-MM-001; NCT03374085) for patients with relapsed/refractory MM (RRMM). The present study investigates the preclinical data and mechanism of action of CC-92480 in MM models.
 CELMoD agents bound to CRBN confer differentiated substrate-degradation specificity on the CRL4CRBN E3 ubiquitin ligase. CRBN-modulator agents mediate destruction of Ikaros and Aiolos, transcription factors that contribute to myeloma cell survival. CC-92480 was found to produce rapid, deep, and sustained degradation of Ikaros and Aiolos, with superior antimyeloma activity. Accordingly, in a CRBN protein competitive binding assay, CC-92480 displaced a Cy-5-labeled CELMoD analog from CRBN with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 0.03 μM, whereas lenalidomide competed with an IC50 value of 1.27 μM in the same assay, demonstrating a higher binding affinity of CC-92480 for CRBN. Additionally, CC-92480 promoted the recruitment of Ikaros to the CRBN E3 ligase complex more effectively than pomalidomide in 2 orthogonal CRBN/Ikaros binding assays; it also triggered a more extensive cellular ubiquitination of Ikaros, and a faster, more efficient depletion of cellular Ikaros and Aiolos than pomalidomide. In various MM cell lines, including those with acquired resistance to lenalidomide or pomalidomide and low levels of CRBN, CC-92480 produced robust degradation of Ikaros and Aiolos followed by strong reduction of 2 additional and highly critical transcription factors, c-Myc and interferon regulatory factor 4, which are linked to the induction of apoptosis as measured by cleaved caspase-3. The tumoricidal activity of CC-92480 was shown to be CRBN dependent, since the effect was prevented by complete loss of CRBN or by the stabilization of Ikaros and Aiolos.
 CC-92480 displayed broad and potent antiproliferative activity across a panel of 20 MM cell lines that are either sensitive, have acquired resistance, or are refractory to lenalidomide or pomalidomide; the cell lines also contained diverse chromosomal translocations and oncogenic drivers typically found in MM patients. Approximately half of the MM cell lines evaluated were highly sensitive to CC-92480, with IC50 values for antiproliferative activity ranging from 0.04 to 5 nM; only 2 cell lines had IC50 values > 100 nM. CC-92480 inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in MM cell lines that are not sensitive to lenalidomide or pomalidomide. This panel of cell lines includes both refractory cell lines and resistant cell lines generated through continuous exposure to lenalidomide and pomalidomide that acquired low levels of CRBN protein or mutations in the CRBN gene.
 CC-92480 also induced deep destruction of Ikaros and Aiolos in cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), which led to the activation of T cells and increased production of the cytokines interleukin-2 and interferon gamma. These responses occurred at the range of CC-92480 concentrations that show potent tumoricidal effect against MM cells. The T cell activation and enhanced cytokine production by CC-92480 led to the potent and effective immune-mediated killing of MM cells in co-cultures with PBMCs.
 CC-92480 is a potent antiproliferative and proapoptotic novel CELMoD with enhanced autonomous cell-killing activity in MM cells that are either sensitive, resistant, or have acquired resistance to lenalidomide and pomalidomide. CC-92480 has a unique and rapid degradation profile stemming from the enhanced efficiency to drive the formation of a protein-protein interaction between Ikaros and Aiolos and CRBN, inducing cytotoxic effects in a CRL4CRBN-dependent fashion that leads ultimately to the induction of apoptosis, even in the context of low or mutated CRBN protein. Additionally, similar to lenalidomide, CC-92480 conserves immunomodulatory activity against MM cells. These data support the clinical investigation of CC-92480 in patients with RRMM.

 Lopez-Girona: Celgene Corporation: Employment. Havens:Pfizer: Employment, Equity Ownership; Celgene: Equity Ownership. Lu:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Rychak:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Mendy:Celgene Corporation: Employment. Gaffney:Celgene: Employment. Surka:Celgene: Employment, Equity Ownership. Lu:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Matyskiela:Celgene corporation: Employment. Khambatta:Celgene: Employment. Wong:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Hansen:Celgene Corporation: Employment. Pierce:Celgene Corporation: Employment, Equity Ownership. Cathers:Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT): Employment; Celgene Corporation: Equity Ownership. Carmichael:Celgene plc: Employment, Equity Ownership.


Although recent clinical trials have shown that amlodipine exerts antiatherogenic effects, the mechanism of these effects remains unknown. This study was designed to examine which signal transduction pathway might be important for the antiatherogenic property of amlodipine, as assessed by aortic smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotypes in hypertension in vivo. Stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) were randomly treated with a vehicle, amlodipine, or enalapril while Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) used as controls were treated with only the vehicle. Both drugs were equally effective at reducing systolic blood pressure, and inhibiting the progression of aortic remodeling and fibrosis in comparison to those of vehicle-treated SHRSP. In the aortas of vehicle-treated SHRSP, the level of contractile-type smooth muscle (SM) myosin heavy chain (MHC) SM2 was significantly lower, whereas the level of synthetic-type MHC NMHC-B/SMemb was significantly higher compared with those in the WKY aortas. Compared to the vehicle-treated SHRSP group, both drugs significantly and equally shifted the aortic SMC phenotype in SHRSP toward the differentiated state by reducing NMHC-B/SMemb and increasing SM2. The levels of MKK6, p38 MAPK, MEK1 and p-42/44 ERK were significantly higher in the vehicle-treated SHRSP than in the WKY. Both drugs significantly reduced these values in the SHRSP aorta. Furthermore, the levels of MEK1 and p-42/44 ERK were significantly lower in the amlodipine- than in the enalapril-treated SHRSP group, whereas enalapril was more effective than amlodipine at increasing p-Akt and endothelial NO synthase in SHRSP aortas, which were significantly lower in the vehicle SHRSP group than in the WKY group. Thus, the MEK-ERK pathway might be one of the crucial determinants of the aortic SMC phenotype activated by amlodipine treatment of hypertension in vivo.


In this contribution, gravitational effects in gel-forming patchy colloidal systems are studied. We focus on how the gel structure is modified by gravity. Through Monte Carlo computer simulations of gel-like states recently identified by the rigidity percolation criterion [J. A. S. Gallegos et al., Phys. Rev. E 104, 064606 (2021)], the influence of the gravitational field, characterized by the gravitational Péclet number, Pe, on patchy colloids is studied in terms of the patchy coverage, χ. Our findings point out that there exists a threshold Péclet number, Peg, that depends on χ above which the gravitational field enhances the particle bonding and, in consequence, promotes the aggregation or clustering of particles; the smaller the χ value, the higher the Peg. Interestingly, when χ ∼ 1 (near the isotropic limit), our results are consistent with an experimentally determined threshold Pe value where gravity affects the gel formation in short-range attractive colloids. In addition, our results show that the cluster size distribution and the density profile undergo variations that lead to changes in the percolating cluster, i.e., gravity is able to modify the structure of the gel-like states. These changes have an important impact on the structural rigidity of the patchy colloidal dispersion; the percolating cluster goes from a uniform spatially network to a heterogeneous percolated structure, where an interesting structural scenario emerges, namely, depending on the Pe value, the new heterogeneous gel-like states can coexist with both diluted and dense phases or they simply reach a crystalline-like state. In the isotropic case, the increase in the Pe number can shift the critical temperature to higher temperatures; however, when Pe > 0.01, the binodal disappears and the particles fully sediment at the bottom of the sample cell. Furthermore, gravity moves the rigidity percolation threshold to lower densities. Finally, we also note that within the values of the Péclet number here explored, the cluster morphology is barely altered.


The Van Gogh museum was established in 1973 in Amsterdam, and it holds over 200 paintings as well as drawings and letters of Vincent van Gogh. More than 1.5 million people visit every year, making it the most visited museum in the Netherlands, and here's it's new identity designed by Amsterdam-based Koeweiden Postma. The theme…


Investigative study on macroinvertebrates and pollution tolerance index of four rivers in the derived savannah belt of Edo-North in Southern Nigeria was carried out from January to December, 2010. The study involved monthly field sampling and laboratory analysis of macrofauna. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the biodiversity status and importantly, the environmental integrity of the four selected rivers. Two dominant macroinvertebrate families were recorded; Baetidae and Chironomidae while, 53 macroinvertebrate taxa were identified across the rivers. The highest number of species (12) was recorded for Diptera, while, Hirudinea, Nematoda and Arachnida each had 1 species in the population. General diversity indices ranged from 2.02 to 2.78 with the least and highest recorded in Edion and Etuno Rivers, respectively. The fauna evenness index indicated that the water bodies had values less than 1.0. Meanwhile, Pollution tolerance index revealed spatial and seasonal variations in water quality conditions but only Edion River exhibited poor water quality in all the months of study.


The objective of this study is to analyze the thinking styles of wrestlers. 267 licensed wrestlers participated in the study. "Rational-Experiential Thinking Styles Inventory" developed by Epstein et al. (1996) and adapted into Turkish by Bulus (2003) was used to find out the thinking styles of wrestlers. In statistical analysis of the data, t test was used for independent groups while one way variance analysis was used for the comparison of multiple groups. When the rational thinking style levels of wrestlers were examined in terms of age, no statistical difference was found (p>0.05). When the intuitive thinking style levels of wrestlers were examined in terms of age, it was found that wrestlers between the ages 21 and 27 had higher intuitive thinking style levels than wrestlers between the ages 18 and 20 (p 0.05). It was found that being a national team athlete and sports age did not have an influence on rational or intuitive thinking styles of athletes (p>0.05). As a conclusion, when athletes' scores from thinking styles were examined, it was found that both thinking styles were used at an intermediate level. It was found that age had an influence on intuitive thinking style, while being in a high school or university student, being in a national team athlete and sports age did not have an influence on thinking styles.  Article visualizations:


There have been more interest and research towards multisensory aspects of sound as well as vision and movement, especially in the last two decades. An emerging research field related with multi-sensory research is 'motor imagery', which could be defined as the mental representation of a movement without actual production of muscle activity necessary for its execution. Emphasizing its close relationship and potential future use in new digital musical instruments (DMI) practice and reviewing literature, this paper will introduce fundamental concepts about motor imagery (MI), various methods of measuring MI in different configurations and summarize some important findings about MI in various studies. Following, it will discuss how this research area is related to DMI practice and propose potential uses of MI in this field.


Abstract The main objective of the study is to find out how social interaction among Muslim and Buddhist in Purbayan, Baki, Sukoharjo. Religious as the basis of human behavior has its own way in positioned himself in regulating social relationship society. It is i mportant to maintain the harmony of religious life in the midst of many cases of religious intolerance in Indonesia. The dominant culture and subculture become the main elements in this study. In addition, the uniqueness of oneself or the environment will eventually become the difference that should be given more attention. Effective communication will make it easier to build interaction in diversity ethnicity, religion, and groups that are growing up in the community. Researchers used a variable social interaction andchoose descriptive quantitative analysis with a total of 75 respondents representing Muslim and Buddhist in Purbayan. Collecting data using a questionnaire that is enclosed with the response "yes" and "no". The response of society based on processing the data yielded a mean value for the mix interaction of 0,54 and the sharing workplace of 0,44. The results indicate a positive social interaction between the Muslim and Buddhist both in the neighborhood and in the workplace. They also do not justify the negative things that can disrupt social relationship. This response creates an effective intercultural communication so that people strive to avoid potentially negative opinion on the conflict.


Abstract Ecologists increasingly recognize the need to understand how landscapes and food webs interact. Reservoir ecosystems are heavily subsidized by nutrients and detritus from surrounding watersheds, and often contain abundant populations of gizzard shad, an omnivorous fish that consumes plankton and detritus. Gizzard shad link terrestrial landscapes and pelagic reservoir food webs by consuming detritus, translocating nutrients from sediment detritus to the water column, and consuming zooplankton. The abundance of gizzard shad increases with watershed agriculturalization, most likely through a variety of mechanisms operating on larval and adult life stages. Gizzard shad have myriad effects on reservoirs, including impacts on nutrients, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish, and many of their effects vary with ecosystem productivity (i.e., watershed land use). Interactive feedbacks among watersheds, gizzard shad populations, and reservoir food webs operate to maintain dominance of gizzard shad in highly productive systems. Thus, effective stewardship of reservoir ecosystems must incorporate both watershed and food-web perspectives.


HIV-1 particles contain a core formed by ~1500 capsid protein monomers housing viral RNA. HIV-1 core uncoating---disassembly---is required for infection. HIV-1 reverse transcription (RT) occurs before or during uncoating, but the cellular compartment where RT and uncoating occurs is unknown. Using imaging and biochemical assays to track HIV-1 capsids in nuclei during infection, we demonstrated that higher-order capsid complexes or complete cores containing viral genome are imported into nuclear compartments. Additionally, inhibition of RT that stabilizes the core during infection does not prevent capsid nuclear import; thus, RT may occur in nuclear compartments. We separated infected cells into cytosolic and nuclear fractions to measure RT during infection. Most observable RT intermediates were enriched in nuclear fractions, suggesting that most HIV-1 RT occurs in the nuclear compartment alongside uncoating. Thus, nuclear import precedes RT and uncoating, fundamentally changing our understanding of HIV-1 infection.


We investigate optical transitions of non-interacting electron systems consisting of two symmetric energy bands touching each other at the Fermi energy (e.g. graphene at half filling). Optical conductivity is obtained using Kubo formula at zero temperature. We show that for particles whose pseudospin direction is determined solely by the direction of their momentum, the optical conductivity has power law frequency dependence with the exponent $(d-2)/z$ where $d$ is the dimension of the system and $z$ is the dynamical exponent. According to our result two-dimensional systems with the above pseudospin characteristics always exhibit frequency-independent optical conductivity.


Background: The advancement of the fourth industrial revolution has increased the penetrance of e-devices among younger populations, particularly with e-learning technology which has become widespread due to special circumstances such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Aim: The purpose of this review is to explore the prevalence of convergence insufficiency (CI) in younger populations and to map any associations between CI, near work and e-device usage. Method: A comprehensive literature search was conducted using Elsevier, PubMed, Medline and Ebscohost databases. The literature search used the following keywords in various combinations: 'Convergence Insufficiency', 'Binocular vision status of primary school children', 'E-learning', 'M-learning', 'Computer vision syndrome', 'Digital eye syndrome', 'E-devices and children'. Results: The observed prevalence of CI ranges from 5.46% to 13.00% among non-clinical studies and from 3.50% to 18.00% among clinical studies. The prevalence among primary school children ranges from 6.80% to 31.40% whilst CI among high school children may be as prevalent as 32.60%, depending on the diagnostic criteria employed. There is mixed evidence showing the association between screen time and myopia. No studies were identified showing a direct association between CI and e-device use. Conclusion: Convergence insufficiency has proven to be a prevalent condition among both young children and young adult populations. There is a need for studies to investigate the prevalence of CI in younger populations who learn in a digital environment. This may highlight exposure to the modifiable factor of screen time in managing the condition in the context of a tech-infused lifestyle.


The farm crisis of the 1980's precipitated much discussion from persons in all walks of life, especially in the Midwest where everyone knows someone who lost a farm or a business dependent on farming. Of special concern to the contributors to Is There a Moral Obligation to Save the Family Farm? is the decline of medium-sized farms which are operated by a family and/or extended family on a full-time basis.! It is the loss of a way of life, of farms passed from generation to generation, that is disturbing to most of the commentators who argue for the preservation offamily fanning. Economists bent on cost-benefit analyses with efficiency in dollars and cents terms are often cast as the opposition, although nobody that hardnosed is represented in this volume. On the affirmative side are those who try to give good reasons for what finally must be political and financial intervention to save a way of life that is fast-fading from American society. This collection of thirty-one essays brings together some of the best-known commentators and critics of agricultural policy, such as Wendell Berry, Gregg Easterbrook, Jim Hightower, Glenn Johnson, Richard Kirkendall, and Luther Tweeten. Expositions of the 1985 Farm Bill by Jesse Helms and of the alternative Save the Family Fann Act, by Tom Harkin, provide a useful discussion of the options Congress has considered. To my knowledge this volume is the only one of its kind, and despite my reservations about some of the essays, it should serve as a valuable source for anyone interested in the fann crisis of the 1980's. It should also serve well as a text for courses in which agricultural problems are considered. About two-thirds ofthe essays consistofpapers written for a 1985 Iowa State University Conference, and onethird are reprinted from other sources. Comstock has contributed a brief preface to each of the eight parts with additional suggested readings at the end ofeach, a general introduction, conclusion, and an index. The title notwithstanding, the essays do not constitute a sustained ethical or philosophical analysis of the question posed. Taken together, the articles do attempt to define the problems associated with family fanning in the 1980's. The volume has two apparent themes: (1) to show why failing small and mediumsized farmers cannot be assigned complete responsibility for their plight, and (2) to give positive arguments for saving these fanns and traditional rural American life. There is almost no one arguing for


The social and solidarity economy concept refers to enterprises, organizations, and innovations that combine production of goods, services, and knowledge with achieving economic and social goals as well as solidarity building.


The world is in need of sustainable and eco-friendly energy sources such as microalgal biodiesel due to global warming and fossil fuel shortages. In this study, we compared the effectiveness of liquid fertilizer produced from swine manure and agriculture grade solid fertilizers as nutrient sources for microalgal biomass production. Mixed culture (Chlorella spp., Scenedesmus spp., Stigeoclonium spp.; CSS) was cultivated for 28 days in Small Scale Raceway Pond (SSRP) using various nutrient sources (swine manure liquid fertilizer, agricultural solid fertilizer, and mixture of these two fertilizers). Biomass and lipid productivity of fertilizer mixture were the highest at 0.8 g/L and 5.8 mg/L/day, respectively. These results indicate that the fertilizer mixture can provide microalgae necessary nutrient sources for stable biodiesel production and biomass growth. In addition, overall cost of microalgal cultivation and subsequently biodiesel production would be significantly reduced.


Binary supermassive black holes (BSBHs) are expected to be a generic byproduct from hierarchical galaxy formation. The final coalescence of BSBHs is thought to be the loudest gravitational wave (GW) siren, yet no confirmed BSBH is known in the GW-dominated regime. While periodic quasars have been proposed as BSBH candidates, the physical origin of the periodicity has been largely uncertain. Here we report discovery of a periodicity (P=1607±7 days) at 99.95% significance (with a global p-value of ∼10−3 accounting for the look elsewhere effect) in the optical light curves of a redshift 1.53 quasar, SDSS J025214.67−002813.7. Combining archival Sloan Digital Sky Survey data with new, sensitive imaging from the Dark Energy Survey, the total ∼20-yr time baseline spans ∼4.6 cycles of the observed 4.4-yr (restframe 1.7-yr) periodicity. The light curves are best fit by a bursty model predicted by hydrodynamic simulations of circumbinary accretion disks. The periodicity is likely caused by accretion rate modulation by a milli-parsec BSBH emitting GWs, dynamically coupled to the circumbinary accretion disk. A bursty hydrodynamic variability model is statistically preferred over a smooth, sinusoidal model expected from relativistic Doppler boost, a kinematic effect proposed for PG1302−102. Furthermore, the frequency dependence of the variability amplitudes disfavors Doppler boost, lending independent support to the circumbinary accretion variability hypothesis. Given our detection rate of one BSBH candidate from circumbinary accretion variability out of 625 quasars, it suggests that future large, sensitive synoptic surveys such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time may be able to detect hundreds to thousands of candidate BSBHs from circumbinary accretion with direct implications for Laser Interferometer Space Antenna.


While Gaussian probability densities are omnipresent in applied mathematics, Gaussian cumulative probabilities are hard to calculate in any but the univariate case. We study the utility of Expectation Propagation (EP) as an approximate integration method for this problem. For rectangular integration regions, the approximation is highly accurate. We also extend the derivations to the more general case of polyhedral integration regions. However, we find that in this polyhedral case, EP's answer, though often accurate, can be almost arbitrarily wrong. We consider these unexpected results empirically and theoretically, both for the problem of Gaussian probabilities and for EP more generally. These results elucidate an interesting and non-obvious feature of EP not yet studied in detail.


The present study explored the differences between completers and terminators (including both refusers and dropouts) of an individual cognitive-behavioral treatment for childhood anxiety. Participants were 190 children with anxiety disorders and their parents: 146 completed treatment and 44 terminated. Terminators were more likely to live in a single-parent household, be ethnic minorities, and self-report less anxious symptomatology. Follow-up interviews indicated that identifiable child factors were influential in terminators' decisions to discontinue treatment. Among terminators, differences between refusers and dropouts were also investigated.


Vegetation clearing and land-use change have depleted many natural plant communities to the point where restoration is required. A major impediment to the success of rebuilding complex vegetation communities is having regular access to sufficient quantities of high-quality seed. Seed-production areas (SPAs) can help generate this seed, but these must be underpinned by a broad genetic base to maximise the evolutionary potential of restored populations. However, genetic bottlenecks can occur at the collection, establishment and production stages in SPAs, requiring genetic evaluation. This is especially relevant for species that may take many years before a return on SPA investment is realised. Two recently established yellow box (Eucalyptus melliodora A.Cunn. ex Schauer, Myrtaceae) SPAs were evaluated to determine whether genetic bottlenecks had occurred between seed collection and SPA establishment. No evidence was found to suggest that a significant loss of genetic diversity had occurred at this stage, although there was a significant difference in diversity between the two SPAs. Complex population genetic structure was also observed in the seed used to source the SPAs, with up to eight groups identified. Plant survival in the SPAs was influenced by seed collection location but not by SPA location and was not associated with genetic diversity. There were also no associations between genetic diversity and plant growth. These data highlighted the importance of chance events when establishing SPAs and indicated that the two yellow box SPAs are likely to provide genetically diverse seed sources for future restoration projects, especially by pooling seed from both SPAs.


Natural school is an educational institution that can answer the environmental problems and rigid education system problems with natural nuances. The green architecture approach is used as a design approach to achieve natural school goals that provide an understanding of how awareness of nature is applied in the school. The green architectural approach can be applied by the use of environmentally friendly local materials, natural ventilation, environmentally friendly waste management, and the use of the minimum natural resource. This study uses a glass box and a black box design method. The result of this study is a natural school design that is environmentally friendly and healthy in the suburb of Medan, Indonesia.


Gastro-intestinal nematode (GIN) infections are the leading cause of production losses in commercial goat farms worldwide. This study determined the level of gastro-intestinal nematodes (GIN) infection and identified the common GIN parasites in commercial goat production in Central Uganda. Faecal egg counts and morphological larval identification in coprocultures were used to estimate the burden of common GIN of goats in Central Uganda. Egg shedding was detected in 43% of the goats. Worm burdens were highest (498 -713 epg) in goats 3-5 and 8-9 months old. Goats of 6-8 and older than 9 months showed relatively lower egg counts (254- 491epg). Haemonchus (56%), Oesophagostomum (33%) and strongyloides species (11%) were the only nematode species identified on coprocultures. Key words: Gastro-intestinal nematode, Haemonchus species , Oesophagostomum, worms


This paper investigates the parameters that influence the structural response of typical wide nose locomotive short hoods involved in offset collisions. This accident scenario was chosen based upon the railway collision that occurred in Selma, North Carolina, on May 16, 1994. A raised overhanging intermodal trailer on a freight car struck the front of the oncoming passenger locomotive. The objective of the study is to determine the current baseline level of crashworthiness of locomotive hood structures and the potential effectiveness of stronger corner structures. The key issues addressed are: degree of overlap, material and thickness combinations, obliquity, and crush response dependence on initial impacting speed. For a raised offset collision where the intruding body is far away from any support structures, an analytical expression is developed to predict the mean crush force. Comparisons of the results with finite element calculation are favorable. The scenarios involving obliquity, and different initial impacting speeds are investigated using non-linear large deformation finite element analyses. Key results are: obliquity has little effect on the mean crush force for short penetration distances; increased material thickness improves crashworthiness performance; initial impacting speed does not dramatically alter mean crush loads predicted for large offsets away from supports; and the distances from supporting structures have a significant effect of the predicted mode of failure and hence predicted mean crush loads. The results of the study show that it is possible to dramatically increase the crashworthiness responses of short hood structures with minor increases in weight while staying within the original design volume envelope.


NK cell infiltration into solid tumors is often low and is largely represented by the poorly-cytotoxic CD56bright subset. Numerous studies have demonstrated that CD73, overexpressed under conditions of hypoxia, is involved in a variety of physiological processes, while its overexpression has been correlated with tumor invasiveness, metastasis and poorer patient survival in many cancers. Hypoxia itself favors aggressive glycolytic fueling of cancer cells, in turn driving reprogramming of NK cell metabolism. In addition, the hypoxia-driven activity of CD73 immunometabolically impairs NK cells in tumors, due to its catalytic role in the generation of the highly immunosuppressive metabolite adenosine. Adenosinergic signaling was shown to alter NK cell metabolic programs, leading to tumor-promoting environments characterized by NK cell dysfunction. Despite the demonstrated role of NK cell responses in the context of CD73 targeting, the engagement of NK cells in the setting of hypoxia/CD73 signaling has not been extensively studied or exploited. Here, we discuss available evidence on the role of hypoxic signaling on CD73-mediated activity, and how this relates to the immunometabolic responses of NK cells, with a particular focus on the therapeutic targeting of these pathways.


In this article, the author considers the features of the foreign policy strategy of Uzbekistan and the factors that predetermined them. The author considers Uzbekistan's choice of "balancing equidistance" strategy as a result of political reflection of the country's leadership in response to the challenges of global uncertainty in the situation of crisis of international institutions inherited from the "bipolar world". The author of the article describes Uzbekistan as a medium-sized state, deprived of access to the seas («landlocked») and unable to use the strategy of bandwagoning. At the same time, the strategy of «passive and isolationist neutrality» used by some of Uzbekistan's neighbors is appreciated by the author of the article as unacceptable for the consistently self-asserting Uzbek state in the international arena.


Consumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods has contributed to the rising incidence of obesity and may underlie insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction. Macronutrient intake patterns were examined in relation to anthropometric and metabolic traits in participants of BetaGene, a family-based study of obesity, insulin resistance, and β-cell dysfunction in Mexican Americans. Dietary intake, body composition, insulin sensitivity (SI), and β-cell function [Disposition Index (DI)] were assessed by food-frequency questionnaires, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and intravenous glucose-tolerance tests, respectively. Patterns of macronutrient intake were identified by using a K-means model based on the proportion of total energy intake per day attributable to carbohydrate, fat, and protein and were tested for association with anthropometric and metabolic traits. Among 1150 subjects aged 18-65 y (73% female), tertiles of fat intake were associated with greater adiposity and lower SI, after adjustment for age, sex, and daily energy intake. Moreover, 3 distinct dietary patterns were identified: "high fat" (35% fat, 44% carbohydrate, 21% protein; n = 238), "moderate fat" (28% fat, 54% carbohydrate, 18% protein; n = 520), and "low fat" (20% fat, 65% carbohydrate, 15% protein; n = 392). Compared with the low-fat group, the high-fat group had higher age- and sex-adjusted mean body mass index, body fat percentage, and trunk fat and lower SI and DI. Further adjustment for daily energy intake by matching individuals across dietary pattern groups yielded similar results. None of the observed associations were altered after adjustment for physical activity; however, associations with SI and DI were attenuated after adjustment for adiposity. These findings suggest that high-fat diets may contribute to increased adiposity and concomitant insulin resistance and β-cell dysfunction in Mexican Americans.


The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between parental mediation and victimization that occurs from being bullied on Facebook, and victimization from bulling in-person, both directly and indirectly being mediated by the intensity of Facebook use. Also examined in the study was the overall difference in frequencies from victimization on Facebook and victimization which occurs from bullying in-person, amongst middle school students at an International school in Bangkok, Thailand. All students who participated in the study were below the authorized age for Facebook use; 13. A total of 93 students participated in the study by filling out a self-administered survey questionnaire designed to measure the primary variables of the study (styles of parental mediation: intensity of Facebook use, victimization that occurs from bullying on Facebook, and victimization that occurs from in-person bullying). Results from the path analysis showed that certain forms of parental mediation directly influenced student's responses per intensity of Facebook use, victimization on the Facebook platform, and victimization that occurs in person. Also examined in the final analysis were the differences from overall victimization experiences on Facebook and those that occur in-person. The study found that students with parents that use parental mediation - guidance as a strategy for media use showed less frequency for intensity of Facebook use, victimization via Facebook bullying, and victimization from bullying in-person. Results also revealed that more students, overall, reported higher incidents of victimization from bullying on Facebook, than victimization that occurs from bullying face-to-face. The study's conclusions, implications, and avenues for future research are discussed.


Information ecology requires the support of intelligent information processing, while the latter requires the support of mathematical dialectical logic. This paper introduces the research status and prospect of mathematical dialectical logic for intelligent information processing, including: several basic assumptions (axioms) about information and intelligence; based on mathematical formal logic, gradually liberalizing the constraints to establish the research compendium of mathematical dialectical logic theory system; according to the forming mechanism of various uncertainties, the principles and methods of defining and generating the complete operator cluster of mathematical dialectical logic on propositional level, establishing the complete operator library of intelligent information processing; two application methods of the operator library in intelligent information processing; future work.


This paper addresses the largely under-researched theme of how entrepreneurs in Ireland manage their business lives in parallel with their family commitments, with specific reference to dependent children. Since the emergence of dual earner couples as 'typical', there has been an expanding attention to the working lives of parents and the issue of work-family conflict in the context of employment. This strand of literature sought to explain patterns of working, e.g. sector of employment, hours of work and flexibility, in terms of highly gendered preferences. The discourse has moved from woman/mother/family-friendly to more gender neutral work-life balance (WLB), in tracking the responses of organisations to the needs of their employees, in the broader context of ability to provide family care. Some research examined both sides of the 'reconciliation' divide by surveying the needs of employers and employees (O'Brien and Shemilt, 2003; Drew et al, 2003). These and subsequent studies noted that even in organisations with well developed policies in place, take-up of WLB arrangements was highly gendered and associated with lower level occupations (clerical/administrative). It has been further observed that, in an Irish context, managers fail to lead by example (Drew and Murtagh, 2005) and often adopt a gatekeeping role in the practice and availability of WLB arrangements for themselves and their staff (Drew and Daverth, 2009). With the growth of smaller enterprises a gap is evident in our knowledge of how entrepreneurs behave in their unique multi-functional roles (as owner employer/employee), particularly when they become parents.


Abstract. Recently, Earth system models (ESMs) have begun to
consider the marine ecosystem to reduce errors in climate simulations.
However, many models are unable to fully represent the ocean-biology-induced
climate feedback, which is due in part to significant bias in the simulated
biogeochemical properties. Therefore, we developed the Generic Ocean
Turbulence Model–Tracers of Phytoplankton with Allometric Zooplankton
(GOTM–TOPAZ), a single-column ocean biogeochemistry model that can be used
to improve ocean biogeochemical processes in ESMs. This model was developed
by combining GOTM, a single-column model that can simulate the physical
environment of the ocean, and TOPAZ, a biogeochemical module. Here, the
original form of TOPAZ has been modified and modularized to allow easy
coupling with other physical ocean models. To demonstrate interactions
between ocean physics and biogeochemical processes, the model was designed
to allow ocean temperature to change due to absorption of visible light by
chlorophyll in phytoplankton. We also added a module to reproduce upwelling
and the air–sea gas transfer process for oxygen and carbon dioxide,
which are of particular importance for marine ecosystems. The simulated
variables (e.g., chlorophyll, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, silicon) of
GOTM–TOPAZ were evaluated by comparison against observations. The temporal
variability in the observed upper-ocean (0–20 m) chlorophyll is well
captured by the GOTM–TOPAZ with a correlation coefficient of 0.53 at point 107 in the Sea of Japan. The
surface correlation coefficients among GOTM–TOPAZ oxygen, nitrogen,
phosphorus, and silicon are 0.47, 0.31, 0.16, and 0.19, respectively. We
compared the GOTM–TOPAZ simulations with those from MOM–TOPAZ and found that
GOTM–TOPAZ showed relatively lower correlations, which is most likely due to
the limitations of the single-column model.
Results also indicate that source–sink terms may contribute to the biases in
the surface layer (<60 m), while initial values are important for
realistic simulations in the deep sea (>250 m). Despite this
limitation, we argue that our GOTM–TOPAZ model is a good starting point for
further investigation of key biogeochemical processes and is also useful to
couple complex biogeochemical processes with various oceanic global
circulation models.


In wildlife, most of the studies focused on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) describe Escherichia coli as the principal indicator of the selective pressure. In the present study, new species of Enterobacteriaceae with a large panel of cephalosporin resistant (CR) genes have been isolated from wildlife in Catalonia. A total of 307 wild animals were examined to determine CR enterobacteria prevalence, AMR phenotypes and common carbapenem and CR gene expression. The overall prevalence of CR-phenotype was 13% (40/307): 17.3% in wild mammals (18/104) and 11.5% in wild birds (22/191) (p<0.01)). Hedgehogs presented the largest prevalence with 13.5% (14/104) of the mammal specimens, followed by raptors with 7.3% (14/191) of the total bird specimens. Although CR E. coli was obtained most frequently (45%), other CR-Enterobacteriaceae spp like Klebsiella pneumoniae (20%), Citrobacter freundii (15%), Enterobacter cloacae (5%), Proteus mirabilis (5%), Providencia spp (5%) and Serratia marcescens (2.5%) were isolated. A high diversity of CR genes was identified among the isolates, with 50% yielding blaCMY-2, 23% blaSHV-12, 20% blaCMY-1 and 18% blaCTX-M-15. Additionally, new CR-gene variants and resistance to carbapenems associated to OXA-48 were found. Most of the CR isolates, principally K. pneumoniae and C. freundii, were multiresistant with co-resistance to fluoroquinolones, tetracycline, sulphonamides and aminoglycosides. This study describes for the first time in wildlife a high prevalence of Enterobacteriaceae spp harbouring a large variety of carbapenem and CR genes frequently associated to nosocomial human infections. Implementation of control measures to reduce the impact of anthropogenic pressure in the environment is urgently needed.


For the key factors determining victory of combat, many works have been focusing on qualitative analyses in the past. As military training paradigm changes along with technology developments, demands for scientific analysis to prepare future military strength increase regarding military training results, and big data analysis has opened such possibility. We analyze the data from KCTC (Korea Combat Training Center) training to investigate the factors affected victory in offensive operations. In this context, we develop a way to measure the victory and the factors related to it from existing studies and military doctrines. We first identify Independent variables that affect offensive operations through variable selection and propose a mathematical model to explain combat victory by performing multiple regression analysis. We also verify our results with battalion-level live training data as well as previous studies on victory factors in the military doctrines.


This article presents the barriers hindering the expansion of the Polish e-shops on the foreign markets. This part focuses on issues related to discrepancies between provisions regulating the internet sales in different countries and logistics barriers in international trade. It concentrates also on the restrictions on software support for multiple languages, currencies and payment methods. The following chapter explains how many of the seemingly non-essential aspects of foreign sales have impact on its success. The authors emphasize the importance of being aware what the benefits from sales on foreign markets might be.


The adsorption modes of C on the clean Ni (111) surface had been investigated by first principles Density Functional Theory (DFT) within a periodic slab model and the generalized gradient approximation. The threefold hep and fee hollow sites on Ni (111) surface were preferred to be adsorbed strongly by the C atom with chemisorptions energy of-6.89 eV and -6.81 eV. The calculated binding energies had been compared with the previous experimental and theoretical results and good agreement was found. The local density of states (LDOS) showed that the formation of adsorption bonding was mainly due to the mixing between the carbon 2p and Ni 3d orbitals. The analysis of charge density difference and Mulliken population suggested that there were a net charge flow of electrons from the Ni surface to C atom induced by the adsorption.


Malaria develops in a significant number of servicemen who return from Vietnam. One hundred consecutive cases seen in a three-month period at Darnall Army Hospital, Fort Hood, Tex, are reported. One fourth to one half of such patients experience symptoms while on leave in a civilian community. Illness in the typical patient has its onset within two months following the return from Vietnam and is characterized by the sudden development of fever, chills, headaches, and myalgia. Splenomegaly, when present, is usually of only moderate degree and may represent the only significant abnormality on physical examination. Diagnosis is made by demonstrating the malaria parasites in peripheral blood smears. The most common species in this study was Plasmodium vivax (83%). Correct treatment depends on species identification and is effective. The incidence of malaria in Vietnam returnees represents a significant medical problem for civilian physicians.


My thesis focuses on the determinants of wage differentials. I analyse some of the immediate causes for wage differentials including different types of experience and coworker characteristics. In order to understand poverty and intergenerational wage inequality for marginalized groups we need to look at academic achievement in early schooling, I also investigate how reading achievement of non-affluent groups may be improved. The first chapter focuses on the effect of industry experience on wages. I estimate a simultaneous equation model using a large panel of Italian workers for the years 1986-2004. I find that wage returns to industry experience are much higher than wage returns to job seniority, and that returns to general labour market experience dominate the effects of both industry experience and job tenure. The second chapter investigates the effect of coworker characteristics on wages. I measure coworker characteristics by the average labor market value of coworkers' observed and unobserved characteristics The effect of interest is identified from within-firm changes in workforce composition, controlling for person effects, firm effects, and sector-specific time trends. My estimates are based on a very large linked employer employee dataset of workers and firms from the Italian region of Veneto for the years 1982-2001. I find that a 10-percent increase in the average labour market value of coworker skills is associated with a 3.6 percent wage premium. Between 10 and 15 percent of the immigrant wage gap can be explained by differences in coworker characteristics. The last chapter investigates the effects of providing school districts with supplemental funding to support the language development of students who speak a non-standard English dialect. Exploiting the staggered uptake of this funding across school districts in British Columbia we find that the policy substantially improved the reading scores of Aboriginal students between grade 4 and grade 7.


This article illustrates one aspect of the concept of "fit" between an organization's implementation of project management and its organizational context by exploring how the underlying drivers of an organization's strategy might influence not only the nature of the projects that it undertakes, but also the appropriateness of the arrangements that it makes to manage those projects. Using a model conceptualized from the literature on strategic management, an analysis of four organizations that have made significant investments in project management over the past 5 years supports the hypothesis that the degree of "fit" between an organization's strategic drivers of value and the configuration of its project management system influences the value it obtains from project management.


This paper builds on Asai and McAleer (2009) and develops a new multivariate Dynamic Conditional Correlation (DCC) model where the parameters of the correlation dynamics and those of the log-volatility process are driven by two latent Markov chains. We outline a suitable Bayesian inference procedure, based on sequential MCMC estimation algorithms, and discuss some preliminary results on simulated data. We then apply the model to three major cross rates against the US Dollar (Euro, Yen, Pound), using high-frequency data since the beginning of the European Monetary Union. Estimated volatility paths reveal significant increases since mid-2007, documenting the destabilizing effects of the US sub-prime crisis and of the European sovereign debt crisis. Moreover, we find strong evidence supporting the existence of a time-varying correlation structure. Correlation paths display frequent shifts along the whole sample, both in low and in high volatility phases, pointing out the existence of contagion effects closely in line with the mechanisms outlined in the recent contagion literature (Forbes and Rigobon (2002) and Corsetti at al. (2005)).


Pharmacological properties characterizing N-amidino-2-(2,6-dichlorophenyl)acetamide hydrochloride (BS 100-141) as a centrally acting antihypertensive agent are described. Its action resembles that of clonidine in many respects but with important differences which are discussed. In DOCA-NaCl--hypertensive conscious rats, BS 100-141 lowers systemic blood pressure with oral doses of 0.3-5 mg/kg. Evidence for a central site of action is provided by the following findings. Infusion of BS 100-141 into the vertebral artery of anaesthetized dogs reduces blood pressure, the same dose being ineffective by i.v. route. Injection into the lateral cerebral ventricle of anaesthetized cats causes a marked reduction in blood pressure and heart rate, the same dose being ineffective when given i.v. The effects of intraventricular injection are inhibited by phentolamine administered by the same route. Intravenous administration of BS 100-141 induces dose-dependent reductions in the splanchnic (sympathetic) nerve activity in the cat. BS 100-141 reduces noradrenaline turnover in the brain stem of the rat as a result of central alpha-adrenoceptor stimulation. Doses which are effective in the hypertensive rat do not reduce dopamine turnover in the corpus striatum. The peripheral, direct alpha-sympathomimetic action of BS 100-141 was demonstrated by the transient increases in blood pressure observed in rats. These increases were unaffected by pretreatment with reserpine, but were antagonized by phentolamine. BS 100-141 was shown to induce contractions of isolated veins and arteries which were competitively inhibited by phentolamine. It stimulates presynaptic cardiac sympathetic alpha-adrenoceptors, thus inhibiting transmitter release to the heart. The sedative effects of BS 100-141 observed in dogs were slight compared to those of clonidine.


A set of finite-temperature RPA equations is obtained within the framework of the quasiparticle-phonon nuclear model using a separable multipole interaction. The calculations have been performed for the isovector dipole and isoscalar quadrupole modes in 58Ni. The author finds that the centroids of the giant resonances undergo a bending in the critical temperature region where the collapse of the pairing gap takes place.


In 2004, Das presented a dynamic ID-based remote user authentication scheme using smart cards. Then in 2005, Liao showed that Das et al.'s scheme has some attacks and proposed a slight modification to their scheme to improve the weaknesses of it. This paper, however, will demonstrate that Liao et al.'s scheme has also some security flaws. Therefore, we propose an improved scheme to conquer their weaknesses. The improved scheme can enhance the security of Liao et al.'s scheme and is also efficient.


The analysis of structural and thermal stress values that are produced while the turbine is operating are the key factors of study while designing the next generation gas turbines. The present study examines structural, thermal, modal analysis of the first stage rotor blade of a two stage gas turbine. The design features of the turbine segment of the gas turbine have been taken from the preliminary design of a power turbine for maximization of an existing turbojet engine with optimized dump gap of the combustion chamber, since the allowable temperature on the turbine blade dependents on the hot gas temperatures from the combustion chamber. In the present paper simplified 3-D Finite Element models are developed with governing boundary conditions and solved using the commercial FEA software ANSYS. As the temperature has a significant effect on the overall stress on the rotor blades, a detail study on mechanical and thermal stresses are estimated and evaluated with the experimental values.


A perspective on the paper by Schulte et al (see page 31)

Despite the many advances of newborn intensive care over the past 20 years, periventricular haemorrhage (PVH) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality for the preterm infant. About 15% of infants with birth weight less than 1500 g develop PVH,1 and its presence significantly increases the risk of neurodevelopmental impairment.

New insights have been gained into the pathophysiology of PVH. The germinal matrix, a fragile network of blood vessels lining the ventricular system, is prone to bleeding in the preterm infant. The beagle puppy model of PVH has provided insight into our current understanding of the pathogenetic role of ischaemia and reperfusion.2 In the human preterm infant, depression of cerebral blood flow, associated with initial reduction in myocardial performance and presence of a patent ductus arteriosus, provides an environment in which ischaemia and reperfusion are likely, and PVH occurs more commonly under these circumstances.3

The absence of one unifying aetiological pathway to PVH has left those who practice neonatal medicine without a specific therapeutic strategy that has the capacity to decrease the incidence of PVH. Many therapeutic agents have been investigated over the past 30 years, in the hope of developing such a strategy.

One such agent is etamsylate (diethylammonium 1,4-dihydroxy-3-benzenesulphonate). This non-steroidal drug was shown to be effective in reducing blood loss from menorrhagia4 and after trans-urethral resection of the prostate.5 The benefits of etamsylate in reduction …


This paper presents a comprehensive experimental study of the effect of ply orientation on the ballistic performance of the multi-ply fabric panels. The fabric panels used in the experiments were constructed by laying plies of plain-woven fabrics in a selection of orientations. Particular attention was paid to the stacking sequence of fabrics with different laying angles. Ballistic impact tests were carried out on such angled fabric panels. The results showed significant improvement in energy-absorbing capacity of the angled multi-ply panel over the conventional aligned panel where all fabric plies are laid in the same orientation. The impact energy absorption by these angled fabric panels showed a 14% increase over the aligned counterpart, depending on the number of the plies. Optimizing the stacking sequence of the angled plies caused a 15% increase in impact energy absorption. For the panels with a large number of plies, such as the eight-ply panels, the effective panel construction can be determined according to the performance of the sub-level ply group.


WNTS are secreted glycoprotein molecules that signal through one of three signaling pathways. The best-characterized pathway involves stabilization of the multifunctional protein β-catenin, which in concert with members of the T-cell factor (Tcf) family activates specific gene transcription. We have examined putative Wnt/β-catenin in the murine ovary using transgenic mice harboring a reporter construct that activates β-galactosidase (lacZ) expression in response to β-catenin/Tcf binding (TopGal mice). Primordial and primary follicles did not stain for lacZ, and the proportion of β-catenin/Tcf signaling oocytes was lower than that of nonsignaling oocytes throughout estrous cycle. β-Catenin/Tcf signaling oocytes were observed in follicles from the secondary stage of development and their proportion increased with follicular maturation (secondary follicles, 20%; early antral and antral follicles, 70%). In contrast, the majority (>90%) of ovulated oocytes did not stain for lacZ. As the oocyte possesses components for WNT signal transduction, our data suggest that β-catenin/Tcf signaling is involved in the development of follicular ovulatory capability and identifies nonovulatory follicles.


This study investigates the importance of spatial dependence and inter-relations due to geographic localization over the supply response to agricultural prices, in the Brazilian Center-West. Specifically, we evaluated: the spatial error dependence in the input demand and output supply; and, the importance of input and output prices in farmers response. The contribution to the literature is to combine a translog profit share system of equations with spatial error dependence, cross-sectional and four agricultural censuses. There are econometric evidences of spatial dependencies in the residuals. There were high positive spatial autocorrelation in products. This demonstrates an influence of other factors not included in the model, modifying the residuals only due to localization. There are substitution relations mainly to rice price changes and some omplementarities among others. Among factors, they were complements. The spatial effects in this study were very important, changing decisively the calculated elasticities, and showing that all analyzed products suffer from these effects.


Introduction: Global developmental delay (DD), intellectual disability (ID), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are mainly evaluated under the neurodevelopmental disorder framework. In this study, we aimed to determine the genetic diagnosis yield using step-by-step genetic analysis in 38 patients with unexplained ID/DD and/or ASD. Methods: In 38 cases (27 male, 11 female) with unexplained ID/DD and/or ASD, chromosomal microarray (CMA) analysis, clinical exome sequencing (CES), and whole-exome sequencing (WES) analysis were applied, respectively. Results: We found a diagnostic rate of only CMA analysis as 21% (8/38) presenting 8 pathogenic and likely pathogenic CNVs. The rate of patients diagnosed with CES/WES methods was 32.2% (10/31). When all pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants were evaluated, the diagnosis rate was 44.7% (17/38). A dual diagnosis was obtained in a case with 16p11.2 microduplication and de novo SNV. We identified eight novel variants: TUBA1A (c.787C>G), TMEM63A (c.334-2A>G), YY1AP1 (c.2051_2052del), ABCA13 (c.12064C>T), ABCA13 (c.13187G>A), USP9X (c.1189T>C), ANKRD17 (c.328_330dup), and GRIA4 (c.17G>A). Conclusion: We present diagnostic rates of a complementary approach to genetic analysis (CMA, CES, and WES). The combined use of genetic analysis methods in unexplained ID/DD and/or ASD cases has contributed significantly to diagnosis rates. Also, we present detailed clinical characteristics to improve genotype-phenotype correlation in the literature for rare and novel variants.


Five central challenges must be met to advance the current state of the art in modeling heart disease and realizing heart repair. The promise of cardiac tissue engineering is in the ability to recapitulate in vitro the functional aspects of a healthy heart and disease pathology as well as to design replacement muscle for clinical therapy. Parts of this promise have been realized; others have not. In a meeting of scientists in this field, five central challenges or "big questions" were articulated that, if addressed, could substantially advance the current state of the art in modeling heart disease and realizing heart repair.


Abstract Background: Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors is reported to be increasing in Ethiopia. Multimorbidity of these risk factors is more likely to lead cardiovascular disease (CVD) with increased hospital admission, premature death, and poor quality of life and increase health care expenditure. There is little evidence regarding magnitude and outcome of CVD multimorbidity, particularly in the African setting. The aim of this study was to examine the magnitude of multimorbidity and predictors of mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease admitted to the Medical Intensive Care Unit of St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: A five-year retrospective study was conducted from 01 November 2015 to 01 January 2016. A total of 362 patients with cardiovascular disease who were admitted to the Medical Intensive Care Unit participated in the study. The primary endpoint was death from any cause in the Medical Intensive Care Unit while the secondary was a cardiovascular composite. For baseline characteristics and survival analysis we classified patients according to their level of multimorbidity. We used Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate the prognostic effect of the level of risk factors or multimorbidity at admission while controlling for confounding variables. Results : A total of 71 (19.6%) patients had a diagnosis of multimorbidity. The most common cases of cardiovascular admission were heart failure, 137 (37.8%), acute myocardial infarction, 83 (22.9%), hemorrhagic stroke, 95 (26.2%) and ischemic stroke, 24 (6.6%).There were 162 (45%) deaths. Myocardial infarction (COR 0.3; 0.18-0.53), hemorrhagic stroke (COR 3.3; 2.0-5.5) and age groups 55-64 years (COR 2.7; 1.2-6.1) and 65-74 years (COR 2.6; 1.1-6.1) were significantly associated with mortality. Conclusions : There is a significant proportion of multimorbidity in our study population. Multimorbidity may be used as a criterion to prioritize and improve the management of patients. Measures to prevent cardiovascular disease in people who already have hypertension, diabetes or underlying causes of heart failure in primary care settings need to be emphasized. At higher levels of care, capacity building is key to addressing the management of patients who present with acute cardiovascular diseases.  [ Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2018;32(4):218-224] Keywords: Cardiovascular disease, multimorbidity, mortality, intensive care


In recent years, Personal Mobility Vehicles (PMVs) have been attracting attention as a new means of transportation. They are environmentally friendly without exhausting harmful gases. These vehicle bodies are relatively smaller than cars, so they have a high affinity for pedestrian space. However, depending on the specifications of the vehicle, driver's behaviors have great effect on the vehicle movement because the weight of the vehicle is comparatively low. In addition, applying the automatic driving on PMV will be one of the next steps to make use of PMVs. It is important to understand the dynamic behavior of drivers not only during their intentional driving but also during the automatic driving. In this study, we focused on stand-up type PMVs. We measured driver's center of gravity and several forces on a standing PMV. From the measurements, we looked at the correlation coefficient, and used multiple regression analysis to derive the prediction equations of driver's center of gravity position on stand-up type PMVs. These results can be applied to simulate the dynamic motion of the PMV and a driver.


Geostatistical analysis is a powerful predictive tool typically used to define spatial variability in environmental data. The information from a geostatistical analysis using kriging, a geostatistical. tool, can be taken a step further to optimize sampling location and frequency and help quantify sampling uncertainty in both the remedial investigation and remedial design at a hazardous waste site. Geostatistics were used to quantify sampling uncertainty in attainment of a risk-based cleanup goal and determine the optimal sampling frequency necessary to delineate the horizontal extent of impacted soils at a Gulf Coast waste site.


The Department of Education in NUI Maynooth is pleased to publish the first of a
series of publications that commemorates the work of our colleagues and our graduates. The
series was conceived as a way to mark the contributions of two members of the department
on the occasion of their retirement. This publication marks the work of Dr. Rose Malone.
Colleagues and graduates were invited to contribute an article on a topic that related to the
overall theme of the publication, a theme chosen to reflect the multifaceted work that Rose
has engaged with over the course of her career in education, not just in our department but
in the education system as a whole. This collection allows others to dip into this world and to
experience it through the writings of practitioners in the field of education.


A major challenge of the twenty-first century is ensuring an adequate and reliable flow of essential ecosystem services to meet the needs of the world's burgeoning and increasingly wealthy population. This challenge needs to be addressed in the face of rapidly changing social, technological and environmental conditions that characterize the world today. Social–ecological resilience is one fast-growing approach that attempts to inform this challenge and provide practical guidance to decision-makers and practitioners. The resilience approach views humans as part of the biosphere, and assumes that the resulting intertwined social–ecological systems behave as complex adaptive systems – i.e. they have the capacity to self-organize and adapt based on past experience, and are characterized by emergent and non-linear behaviour and inherent uncertainty. A rapidly growing body of research on resilience in social–ecological systems has proposed a variety of attributes that are important for enhancing resilience. This book aims to critically assess and synthesize this literature. In this chapter we introduce the resilience approach and the process by which we identified seven generic principles for enhancing the capacity of social–ecological systems to produce desired sets of ecosystem services in the face of disturbance and change.


This paper offers a comprehensive analysis of proximity between the dialects within Khanty and Mansi languages, which form the Ob-Ugric group within the Uralic languages. Even though they are thought to be closely related, research has shown the discrepancy between the phonological and lexicostatistical distance between Khanty varieties vs. Mansi varieties. In the article, innovations in phonology, morphology and basic vocabulary are brought together and compared. New data from archives (18th century) and latest fieldwork shed the light on chronology of phonetic, morphological and lexical changes. Using comparative method, it is shown that in the late 18th century Mansi dialects were still not very distant from each other. Moreover, phonetic differences which hindered mutual understanding between speakers of eastern and northern dialects in the 20th century became distinctive not earlier than 250 years ago. On the contrary, Khanty dialects were as distant as separate languages back in the late 18th century. Judging by glottochronological calculations, the time of divergence of contemporary Kazym and Vakh Khanty can be dated back as early as the beginning of the first millennium AD. These Khanty varieties have more differences than any Slavic and even Turkic (except Chuvash) languages between each other. Therefore, they should be counted as different languages, not dialects. Overall, from the extensive analysis of phonetics, morphology and basic vocabulary, it is proved that Mansi varieties were still dialects (until all but one became extinct) and Khanty varieties were separate languages when they were first recorded in the late 1700s.


Results are summarized for the first 15 yr of an eight-site, long-term experimental network in China designed to assess the sustainability of cropping systems in environments representing 70% of Chinese cropland. Systems were wheat–maize double cropping (two crops per year) at four sites, wheat–rice double cropping, rice-based triple cropping, and wheat or maize single cropping. Without fertilizers, wheat yields were mainly ≤1 t ha⁻¹, and maize yields were ≥2 t ha⁻¹ With NPK fertilizer (rates averaging 154, 33, and 54 kg ha⁻¹ per crop of N, P, and K, respectively), wheat yields mainly ranged from 5 to 7 t ha⁻¹, and maize yields ranged from 6 to 9 t ha⁻¹ Without P fertilizer, yields declined (up to 4 t ha⁻¹ less than with NPK), and Olsen-P values in soil declined, although rates differed between sites. Decreasing yields from withholding K usually emerged more slowly. The results emphasize the value of long-term experiments to reveal trends in soil fertility not apparent within a few years and the need for research in these environments to define "critical concentrations" of plant-available P and K in soil for maintaining maximum crop yields. Results with manures show the risk of overfertilization and water pollution with N and P if inorganic fertilizer applications are not decreased to take account of nutrients from manure. At two sites, there was evidence of significant N and P inputs from irrigation water. At one site, the addition of N fertilizer gradually caused soil acidification; this caused inefficient utilization of nutrients and led to crop failure.


Hemodynamic instability is the major concern in surgical patients with pericardial diseases, since general anesthesia and positive pressure ventilation may precipitate cardiac tamponade. In advanced constriction diastolic impairment and myocardial fibrosis/atrophy may cause low cardiac output during and after surgery. Elective surgery should be postponed in unstable patients with pericardial comorbidities. Pericardial effusion should be drained percutaneously (in local anesthesia) and pericardiectomy performed for constrictive pericarditis before any major surgical procedure. In emergencies, volume expansion, catecholamines, and anesthetics keeping cardiac output and systemic resistance should be applied. Etiology of pericardial diseases is an important issue is the preoperative management. Patients with neoplastic pericardial involvement have generally poor prognosis and any elective surgical procedure should be avoided. For patients with acute viral or bacterial infection or exacerbated metabolic, uremic, or autoimmune diseases causing significant pericardial effusion, surgery should be postponed until the causative disorder is stabilized and signs of pericarditis have resolved.


In colorectal cancer, microsatellite instability (MSI) is a frequent occurrence which causes an increase in mutation rate leading to tumor progression. Previous studies in our laboratory established that MSH2 expression is mediated by ischemia, and that this leads to de novo point mutations in the transforming oncogene KRAS. Since the cells previously used had been genetically manipulated to loose an activating allele of KRAS, we wished to create an in vitro model that is able to sufficiently mimic the mutator phenotype seen in MSI colorectal cancer earlier in progression (i.e. prior to KRAS activation). We achieved this by knocking-down the expression of two key mismatch repair proteins, MSH2 and MLH1. This was done by stably transfecting Caco-2 colorectal cells (which are mismatch repair proficient and microsatellite stable) with a plasmid (BLOCK-iT; Invitrogen) containing chained microRNAs (miRNAs) designed to target both MSH2 and MLH1 mRNAs. Cells were then seeded at low density in selection media containing blasticidin and different clones were isolated. Protein knock-down in each clone was then examined through western blotting. Greater than 99% protein knockdown was achieved through miRNA targeting of MSH2 alone, and we found chained constructs were more effective than single miRNA sequences. Co-repression of MSH6 but not MLH1 was also observed in MSH2 knockdown cells. Further studies will be done to determine the MSI status of these cells as well as other molecular changes they have undergone. This study will further elucidate the effects of decreased MMR protein expression on cell behavior and aid in our understanding of its involvement in tumor progression. Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 1291.


ABSTRACTPascal can be readily inserted into familiar characterizations of the emergence of modernity (man's alienation from the cosmos). He himself theorized the proper relationship between innovation (legitimate in the physical sciences) and traditional authority (legitimate especially in theology). While accepting the mechanistic philosophy and in particular the rigid Cartesian distinction between immaterial and corporeal substance, he registers its divergence from our spontaneous understanding of experience; we find him encountering the view of one of his religious mentors that Cartesian science has deprived the cosmos of its spiritual significance as an image of the creator. His relationship to Latour's conception of (non-)modernity is considered. Though many of his attitudes are uncongenial to modern secular humanism, his theologically-motivated rejection of the concept of nature as normative has surprising echoes in aspects of twenty-first century thought and culture.


ABSTRACT In estuarine sands, microorganisms cause biotite grains to break apart faster than hornblende grains. This apparently happens because these minerals respond differently to penetration by microorganisms seeking the protected places in which they prefer to dwell. As a result of this, biotite has more contact with the chemically active interstitial water. Furthermore, the number of microorganisms inhabiting biotite grains greatly exceeds that of hornblende grains and this also accelerates the chemical disintegration of the biotite.


The cardiopulmonary profile of three different rat strains was compared after exposure to hypoxia (9% O2) for 0, 7, or 14 days. In Sprague-Dawley (SD), Wistar (W), and high altitude-sensitive (HAS) rats, pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) rose 30, 58, and 85% respectively, after 7 days of hypoxia, and by 108, 116, and 167%, respectively, at 14 days compared to strain- and age-matched normoxic controls. Right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH), expressed as the ratio of right free wall/left wall + septum weight, in SD, W, and HAS was increased by 24, 53, and 48%, respectively, at 7 days, and by 51, 93, and 55% at 14 days compared to normoxic littermates. Histologically, marked medial thickening and luminal stenosis of small and medium-sized arteries were observed in all hypoxic rats, being most pronounced in the HAS rats at 14 days. Treatment of HAS rats with the ET receptor antagonist SB 217242 (3.6 or 10.8 mg/day i.p. by osmotic pump) significantly inhibited the hypoxia-induced increases in PAP (70-75% decrease). RVH was inhibited by 40% at the dose of 10.8 mg/day. Histologically, the SB 217242-treated rats had almost "normal" small and medium-sized arteries, comparable to those of the normoxic HAS controls. This study demonstrates an exaggerated PAP response to chronic hypoxia in HAS compared to SD and W rats. The inhibitory influence of SB 217242 on the functional and morphologic changes induced by hypoxia provides further evidence for a role for ET and the potential utility of ET receptor antagonists in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension.


In this paper, the application scope of the average flow model is extended to grease lubrication considering the non-Newtonian characteristics. First, flow factor expressions applicable to both Newtonian fluids and non-Newtonian fluids are derived. Then, a model problem is established by coupling the Reynolds governing equation, film thickness function and boundary conditions and solved for the flow factor. Fit the result into empirical relations for conveniently using in the grease lubrication analysis. Finally, the influence of several parameters on the flow factor is studied. The results demonstrate that the film thickness ratio, rheological index and surface elastic deformation have a significant effect on the flow factor, and the influence law is affected by the orientation of the surface roughness.


James Buchanan, one of the founders of public choice theory and constitutional economics, began his career studying fiscal federalism in the doctoral program at the University of Chicago. This paper explores Buchanan's early interest in Australian experiences with federation and intergovernmental grants as a guide to fiscal federalism in the United States. In his dissertation, Buchanan cited Australia in his arguments against the consolidation of the American states into larger regional governments. He also drew lessons from the early years of the Commonwealth Grant Commission for the intergovernmental grants that he proposed for the United States.


Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) is commonly used to dredge soft
bed material. Problem .arises when the fme sediment which has low settling ability is
often released along the overflow of TSHD as suspended sediment. This contributes
to high turbidity which could continue over a time span. The objective of this study is
to measure the overspill's volume from hopper and to establish relations between
inflow discharge (Qi), hopper area (AI=50 m x 15m, Az=25 m x 15m and A3=12.5 m
x 15 m), settling velocity of sediment (i) v,=0.0004 m/s (ii) v,=0.0001 m/s (iii)
v,=0.000027 m/s, sediment concentration (i) Ci=IO kglm3 (ii) Ci=S kg/m3 (iii) Ci=3
kg/m3 (iv) C1=1 kg/m3
, and overspills (OV0 ). The scope of study will cover modelling
of sedimentation of fine sediment in Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) using
MIKE 21 Hydrodynamic (HD) and Mud Transport (MT) software. The constant
overspills is acquired through line discharge function and from there the trapping
efficiency is calculated. All values are plotted in Graph Trapping Efficiency versus
A/Qi. The result shows a function of trapping efficiency D A/Qi, where the trapping
efficiency will increase if inflow is decreased (inversely proportional) and efficiency
will increase if hopper area is increase (directly proportional). The inflow
concentration does not affect the trapping efficiency. However, low inflow
concentration and low inflow discharge will lengthen the dredging loading time which
is uneconomical and unproductive. The study provides good estimates on trapping
efficiency for a hopper. The higher the trapping efficiency the lesser the overspills
and there will be less negative impact towards the environment


Anthracene-based conjugated materials have recently been developed as efficient sensitizers for applications in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Anthracene DSSCs have been reported to show an impressive high power conversion efficiency of 12.6%. This paper reports a density functional theory study on a series of metal-free fused thiophene modified anthracene dyes. The effects of fused thiophene units on the spectra and electrochemical properties of the anthracene dyes are computationally demonstrated. Our calculations show that with the sizes of the oligothienoacene units increasing from thienothiophene, dithienothiophene, to tetrathienoacene, the lowest-energy absorption peaks basically remain the same, however the oscillator strength gradually increases and the adsorption bands systematically broaden. When cyclopentadithiophene with a similar size to dithienothiophene is incorporated into the donor part, a remarkable 43 nm red-shift of the absorption peak and a broader absorption band are found, with a similar oscillator strength. The calculated ultra-fast injection time of electrons from the excited state of all anthracene dyes to the conduction band of TiO2 is ideal for DSSC applications. The newly designed anthracene dyes in this article show desirable energetic, electronic, and spectroscopic parameters for future DSSC applications.


Enhancing the visible light responsiveness and photoactivity of TiO2 is of strategic significance and is one of the hottest research frontiers. Traditional papers focus on extending the universality of each method with a series of different mechanisms, but only a few studies have discovered the huge importance of the synergistic enhancement effect when two or more conventional strategies are combined for one TiO2 nanoparticle. Herein, a ternary pizza-like BE–Au–TiO2 hybrid is deliberately designed based on a conjugated polymer (a modified poly(benzothiadiazole) flake, B-BT-1,4-E, denoted as BE) acting as a photosensitizer, Au nanoparticles serving as a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) source, and TiO2 for electron collection and as a H2 production medium. The mechanisms of sensitization and SPR-enhancement can be combined together to overcome the drawbacks of insufficient electron separation and transfer, and significantly improve the internal electron transfer efficiency over each mono-mechanism. Finally, the visible light-driven H2 production rate of the BE–Au–TiO2 hybrid is ∼1.9 and ∼68 times faster than that of BE–TiO2 and Au–TiO2, respectively, and a high AQY of 7.8% at 420 nm is obtained. This work opens a new window leading to the design of highly efficient photocatalytic H2 production performance.


The synergies between Quality-Diversity (QD) and Deep Reinforcement Learning (RL) have led to powerful hybrid QD-RL algorithms that have shown tremendous potential, and bring the best of both fields. However, only a single deep RL algorithm (TD3) has been used in prior hybrid methods despite notable progress made by other RL algorithms. Additionally, there are fundamental differences in the optimization procedures between QD and RL which would benefit from a more principled approach. We propose Generalized Actor-Critic QD-RL, a unified modular framework for actor-critic deep RL methods in the QD-RL setting. This framework provides a path to study insights from Deep RL in the QD-RL setting, which is an important and efficient way to make progress in QD-RL. We introduce two new algorithms, PGA-ME (SAC) and PGA-ME (DroQ) which apply recent advancements in Deep RL to the QD-RL setting, and solve the humanoid environment which was not possible using existing QD-RL algorithms. However, we also find that not all insights from Deep RL can be effectively translated to QD-RL. Critically, this work also demonstrates that the actor-critic models in QD-RL are generally insuficiently trained and performance gains can be achieved without any additional environment evaluations.


It is a common belief that microfinance plays a dual role of poverty alleviation and socioeconomic upliftment of its women participants. However, there are enough researches that negates the positive impact of microfinance loans on spousal violence. Recognized as one of the most predominant social evils, violence against women is not only a violation of their human rights but also an act of exploitation and denial of freedom. In the present study, we have tried to investigate if microfinance loan takers experience more spousal violence as compared to their counterparts by analyzing the National Family Health Survey IV, 2015–16. Our results indicate that 40.8% of women microfinance participants experience spousal violence. Additionally, the likelihood of microfinance participants to experience spousal violence is much higher than the non-microfinance participants (odds ratio = 1.35, p value = .000). Microfinance programs are designed to increase the individual agencies of women participants, which, in turn, reduce the chances of them becoming victims of spousal violence. However, if the credit program participation induces the woman to be a victim of spousal violence together with becoming financially autonomous, then such hidden costs need to be taken into account while evaluating the effectiveness of the gendered policy design.


In order to solve the problem of manual area measurement,the traditional methods of medicinal planting area statistics are difficult to meet the needs of rapid area survey application. This paper uses the UAV remote sensing method with the advantages of unmanned,automatic,high efficiency,high score and short production cycle to monitor the shape of Callicarpa nudiflora. A solution for aerial photography,image data acquisition and data processing of drones were designed for characteristics and planting conditions. After data processing and statistical analysis,detailed information on the location and area of the C. nudiflora in the target area was obtained. Then the accuracy comparison analysis was carried out with the measured results of the C. nudiflora. The results show that the UAV is feasible for the monitoring of C. nudiflora,and has a good application prospect in the monitoring of Chinese herbal medicine planting.


Focal recordings of the vocalizations of squirrel monkeys, Saimiri sciureus, occupying an undisturbed Peruvian habitat were collected to evaluate the importance of both the ecological and social functions of female vocal behavior. The rates and sequences of six call types were examined by context: single, double, and multiple chuck, peep, tweet, and tweet-chuck. In contrast to laboratory studies, our findings emphasize the primacy of ecological functions in the wild, where calling permits females to operate as a convoy of spatially separated individuals in an arboreal habitat where visual contact is limited. Chuck calls are probably best interpreted as contact calls. The rate of chucks and tweet-chucks increased when the nearest adult female was > 5 m away. However, call production did not predict a change in the spatial separation between a female and her nearest adult female. During travel, the rate of single and double chucks was greater and the rate of multiple chucks was reduced. No direct relationship was found between foraging activities and vocal behavior. Although secondary, social factors did have a subtle effect on vocal behavior: the larger the social alliance of a female, the lower the rate and repetitiveness of her chuck vocalizations. We also consider the role of variations in vocalization rates among primates and the differing conclusions of field and captive studies of squirrel monkey vocal behavior.


Understanding how proteins interact with each other is of fundamental importance and is one of the most important goals of molecular biology. In order to study the characteristics of protein-protein interaction sites datasets of non-homologous protein-complexes have been compiled. These datasets include 142 obligate homocomplexes, 20 obligate hetero-complexes, 20 enzyme-inhibitor complexes, 15 antibody-antigen complexes, and 10 signaling complexes. Overall, the protein-protein interfaces of obligate complexes were found to be closely packed, relatively hydrophobic when compared to the entire protein exterior, planar, and enriched in residues such as tyrosine, phenylalanine, and isoleucine. In comparison to the protein-protein interfaces found within obligate protein-complexes the protein-protein interfaces of non-obligate protein-complexes were found to be on average much smaller in size and contain larger numbers of polar and charged residues. The bulk properties of the obligate and non-obligate protein-complexes are also discussed. A neural network was used together with the Patch Analysis method of Jones and Thornton (1997) to predict the location of the protein-protein interfaces in selected datasets of obligate homo and hetero-complexes. The Patch Analysis method is based upon defining a series of contiguous patches over the surface of a protein. The physical and chemical characteristics of each patch are encoded in the form of six parameters. One of these parameters is hydrophobicity. Another parameter that is used is accessible surface area (ASA). By comparing average values of these six parameters for the residues in a given surface patch with those covering known protein-protein interfaces the likelihood of a patch corresponding to a protein-protein interface can be assessed. Based upon the results for a dataset of 76 homo-dimers the use of a neural network enhances the accuracy of the original Patch Analysis method by some thirteen percent.


In this research, a web-based design support system is constructed for the design process of automotive steel pulley to gather engineering knowledge from pulley design data. In the design search module, a clustering tool for design data is proposed using K-means clustering algorithm. To obtain correlational patterns between design and FEA (Finite Element Analysis) data, a Multi-layer Back Propagation Network (MBPN) is applied. With the analyzed patterns from a number of simulation data, an estimation of minimum von mises can be provided for given design parameters of pulleys. The case study revealed fast estimation of minimum stress in the pulley within 12% error.


As part of their long range goals for disseminating information on measurement techniques, instrumentation, and experimentation in the field of hydraulics, the Technical Committee on Hydraulic Measurements and Experimentation formed the Task Committee on Experimental Uncertainty and Measurement Errors in Hydraulic Engineering in January 2003. The overall mission of this Task Committee is to provide information and guidance on the current practices used for describing and quantifying measurement errors and experimental uncertainty in hydraulic engineering and experimental hydraulics. The final goal of the Task Committee on Experimental Uncertainty and Measurement Errors in Hydraulic Engineering is to produce a report on the subject that will cover: (1) sources of error in hydraulic measurements, (2) types of experimental uncertainty, (3) procedures for quantifying error and uncertainty, and (4) special practical applications that range from uncertainty analysis for planning an experiment to estimating uncertainty in flow monitoring at gaging sites and hydraulic structures. Currently, the Task Committee has adopted the first order variance estimation method outlined by Coleman and Steele (1999) as the basic methodology to follow when assessing the uncertainty in hydraulic measurements. In addition, the Task Committee has begun to develop its report on uncertainty in hydraulic engineering. This paper is intended as an update on the Task Committee's overall progress.


Laser emission at 4.2-4.5 /spl mu/m has been observed at temperatures up to 310 K in pulsed optical pumping experiments on type-II quantum-well (QW) lasers with four constituents in each period (InAs-Ga/sub 1-x/In/sub x/Sb-InAs-AlSb). The characteristic temperature, T/sub 0/, is 41 K, and a peak output power exceeding 2 W/facet is observed at 200 K. The power conversion efficiency per facet of /spl ap/0.2% up to 200 K is within a factor of 2 of the theoretical value. The 300 K Auger coefficient of 4/spl times/10/sup -27/ cm/sup 6//s extracted from the threshold pump intensity demonstrates that Auger losses have been suppressed by a factor of four.


ABSTRACT Online communities have been identified as key platforms for innovation and knowledge sharing. While many studies have consistently identified that social capital and cultural factors are important for online knowledge sharing, their joint effect has to date received less attention. Addressing this gap helps us to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach of managing online communities to one which takes into account that social capital (i.e., trust, reciprocity, and a shared vision) may have differential effects on the sharing of high-quality knowledge. We therefore ask: To what extent does national culture shape the effect of social capital on perceived knowledge quality? We use survey data from two online communities from Germany and the Netherlands and demonstrate that the relationship between social capital and perceived knowledge quality differs in the two different national cultures, in particular for effects of reciprocity and shared vision. Besides practical contributions, we add to the literature by first integrating a social capital and online knowledge sharing lens and highlighting the moderating effect of national culture. Second, we provide a fine-grained understanding of the influence of national culture on knowledge sharing by delving deeper into differences between national cultures often regarded as similar.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop and present a conceptual model of expatriate–host country national (HCN) interaction that explains how organizations can help increase cooperation between expatriates and HCNs by facilitating interaction between expatriates and HCNs.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors draw upon intergroup contact theory to develop a process model which describes the processes critical to "the effectiveness of the expatriate–HCN relationship," from both the expatriate and HCN perspectives.

Findings
HCN–expatriate interactions are critical to the success of both expatriates and HCNs, but such interactions should not be left to chance – instead, organizations should intervene and facilitate conditions that foster such interactions, which can lead to better understanding and appreciation of each other. This would ensure that both expatriates and HCNs have a better understanding of the critical role played by the other party, and thus be willing to offer relevant and necessary support at the right time.

Practical implications
Prior research reveals that most expatriate–HCN interactions are left to the individuals themselves and are thus subject to stereotypes, misperceptions and even unfulfilled expectations. By intervening in this process, and providing relevant information about each other to both parties, organizations can facilitate higher quality interactions, help reduce or remove stereotypes and increase the chances that both parties receive required and relevant information on a timely basis from each other.

Originality/value
The authors specifically discuss how interpersonal expatriate–HCN interactions allow the two parties to become acquainted with each other, when the effects of such interactions can be strengthened, and what the resultant effects are in terms of expatriate–HCN relationships.


Abstract
Chilling injury of vegetative and generative buds, bark and wood during fall and winter seasons are mainly limiting factors for productivity of fruits. Selecting and expanding cultivars for more yield and quality without attention to the rate of their frost resistance are impossible. In this research, the rate of relative resistance of some peach and nectarine cultivars at a sudden downfall of temperature was analyzed in vivo weather conditions during the 2008 winter season in Mashhad. The meteorology station of the studied area (Golmakan station) registered -22°C for the minimum temperature of this year on 13th January, which was a little different from the weather of Mashhad. This test is performed as factorials in the form of a randomized complete block design with three replications. Relative ionic leakage is used on reproductive and vegetative buds, annual and biennial wood in peach cultivars (J.H.Hale, Elberta, Redhaven, Mashhad Sorkhosepfide and Mashhad Ghermez) and nectarine cultivars (Indipendens, Qiuota, Nectared 6 and Stargold). Between studied peach and nectarine cultivars, Mashhad Sorkhosephid and Mashhad Ghermez cultivars, which are cultivars native to Iran, were the most resistant reproductive buds that did not have a significant difference in comparison with other peach and nectarine cultivars with the exclusion of Indipendense cultivar. The most sensitive reproductive buds were nectarine Indipendense cultivar and the most resistant vegetative buds were Mashhad Sorkhosephid and Redhaven in peach cultivars and Nectared 6 and Qiuta cultivars in nectarine cultivars. The relative ionic leakage of annual wood in peach cultivars was more than nectarine cultivars. But the relative ionic leakage between peach cultivars was not significant and Nectared 6 cultivar did not have any difference compared to peach cultivars. The "Sorkhosephid" peach cultivar of Mashhad had more solution carbohydrates in generative buds and annual wood (93.33 and 136.50 mg/lit, respectively) than other studied cultivars. Results of sugar rate followed relative ionic leakage and visual observations and showed increasing sugar and decreasing ionic leakage in organ caused lower their susceptibility to cold.

Key words: Peach and nectarine Cultivars, Chilling injury, Relative ionic leakage, Visual observation, Sugar