The article seeks to search for new pathways to increase the performance efficiency of higher education institutions. In particular, it is argued that the key point in shaping a new role of universities in society, which assumes building a development strategy, is the idea of a "technological mode". The social innovation process paradigm is being realized through technological change accompanied by the emergence of products with new functional properties to meet new demands. The role of higher education institutions within a certain technological mode is not limited to traditional issues of workforce training for the economy, it should be also focused towards developing organizational and economic innovations to reduce the implementation cycle and building an innovation-driven management system in an organization. Modern universities not only maintain but also expand their role in the transition to the sixth technological mode of the economy, as they are viewed as the few institutional societal structures that are capable to build relevant competencies for a successive technological mode in the process of their educational, research and innovative activities. The paradigm to enhance the research potential of universities should rely upon a fundamentally new development strategy for higher education institutions which can ensure their active participation in the new technological mode on a regular, sustainable basis and thus realize the new role of universities in society. Insights into development strategies of domestic universities have revealed that on the whole they are quite typical consisting of following sections: general provisions, mission, strategic goal and objectives of university development, program activities and stages of their implementation, financial support for the program; expected outcomes and program implementation risks. The research findings on higher education practices in Ukraine demonstrate that they are based on competitive strategies which are viewed as a set of actions to meet the overall goals of HEIs with due regard to education and labour market demands. It is argued that a robust development strategy and its consistent implementation might become a driving factor to boost the efficiency of higher education institutions.


Isidore of Seville is a Visigothic Bishop of Late Antiquity, author of an exegetical, and theological work, as well as historiography. This article aims to understand the function and purpose of the isidorian historiographic works in the context of the evangelization of the Iberian Peninsula and the quest for legitimization and the strengthening of the Catholic monarchy, having the Church as an ally. The writing of history in Isidore has different motivations, being molded from theological interpretations and intent on generating behavioral models to kings, nobles and clergy, and other social sectors. The pedagogical sense stands, along with the teleological view.


The topology of troponin, the calcium binding regulatory protein in muscle, has been studied by cross-linking with different length dimethylimido esters. The results show that the three components of troponin are close to each other and that the troponin-I and -T are preferentially cross-linked being 0.6 nm or less apart. The largest cross-linked product is a complex which corresponds in molecular weight to the native troponin complex of 1 mol of each of the three components. Cross-linked troponin has lost the ability to make the actomyosin ATPase calcium sensitive although it does bind to actin-tropomyosin and tropomyosin, and it binds calcium normally. No effect of calcium on cross-linking could be detected.


This research is conducted in Kandahar province situated in the southern part of Afghanistan. Kandahar province, due to its strategic location plays a vital role in the economy and politics of Afghanistan. Considering its role in the politics and economy of the country makes this study more essential for policy-makers and further researches.The focus of this research has been on the participation of the undergraduate youths in the decision-making process at local governance level. The scope of the research is limited to Kandahar Province only. The research is a descriptive research in nature and uses both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The primary data is collected by using questionnaire and unstructured personal interviews and the secondary data involves desk research comprising books, articles, reports and newsletters. The findings of this study show that perception of the majority of undergraduate youths regarding their future role in the decision-making process at local governance in Kandahar province is positive though their current role in the decision-making process at local governance level is vague and weak. It is believed that the current government led by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has paid some attention to the inclusion of youths in the government which is a sign of hope for the youths. The creation of youths' parliament and National Youth Policy are some of the achievements of the current government in promoting youths' participation. The youths believed that the current rapid development of the world has a significant impact on the behavior of the governments in the developing countries. Illiterate warlords and tribal leaders will ultimately lose their power and will be overtaken by the youths in the years to come.


Augmented reality emerges as a tool, on which it is necessary to examine its real educational value. This paper shows the results of a bibliometric analysis performed on documents collected from the Web of Science repository, an Internet service that concentrates bibliographic information from more than 7,000 institutions. Our analysis included an overall universe of 12,000 indexed journals and 148,000 conference proceedings. From those, we selected a sample targeting the terms "mobile-learning" or "m-learning" and "augmented reality" as descriptors or components of titles of scientific works. The analysis on journals (n=741) and in conference proceedings (n=913) reveals a differentiated perspective in each area in the last two years. A qualitative ana¬lysis of 67 scientific productions addressing these subjects complements the research. This highlights five themes: conceptualization of the phenomenon, development of new methodologies, motivation, spatial delocalization, and implementation in subject-matter areas. The research highlights logical changes, such as greater and differentiated access to information, transcendent innovations, such as increasing informal and ludic activities, insertion into virtual environments, membership of specific groups, and networks of friendly interaction, along creation of new scales of values. These elements are now beginning to constitute fundamental parts of teaching methodologies. Education appears to be subsidiary to technical advances, thus imposing a drastic methodological change.


BACKGROUND
The present observational study aimed to clarify the association between bridging therapy with heparin before starting rivaroxaban and clinical outcomes after ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).Methods and Results:Patients with NVAF who experienced acute ischemic stroke or TIA of the middle cerebral artery territory and started rivaroxaban within 30 days after onset were enrolled and were followed up for 90 days. Outcome measures were ischemic events, major bleeding, their composite, and death or disability 90 days after onset. Ischemic events were defined as ischemic stroke, TIA, and systemic embolism. Of 1,308 analyzed patients, 638 received bridging therapy with unfractionated or low-molecular-weight heparin with a median of 10,000 IU/day. Associations between bridging therapy and ischemic events or major bleeding were not statistically significant individually, but the association between bridging therapy and their composite was statistically significant (multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio, 1.80; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-3.29). The association between bridging therapy and death or disability 90 days after onset was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS
The composite of ischemic events and major bleeding was more frequent in patients with NVAF who received bridging therapy with low-dose heparin than in those who started treatment directly with rivaroxaban after ischemic stroke or TIA.


3D human pose estimation can facilitate various applications, such as assistive technologies and AR/VR. Most existing monocular 3D pose estimation approaches only focus on a single body part, neglecting the fact that the essential nuance of human motion is conveyed through a concert of subtle movements of face, hands, and body. In this paper, we present FrankMocap, a fast and accurate whole-body 3D pose estimation system that can produce 3D face, hands, and body simultaneously from in-the-wild monocular images. The idea of FrankMocap is its modular design: We first run 3D pose regression methods for face, hands, and body independently, followed by composing the regression outputs via an integration module. The separate regression modules allow us to take full advantage of their state-of-the-art performances without compromising the original accuracy and reliability in practice. We develop three different integration modules that trade off between latency and accuracy. All of them are capable of providing simple yet effective solutions to unify the separate outputs into seamless whole-body pose estimation results. We quantitatively and qualitatively demonstrate that our modularized system outperforms both the optimization-based and end-to-end methods of estimating whole-body pose.


The rat UDP glucuronosyltransferase, UGT2B1, is expressed in the liver where it glucuronidates steroids, environmental toxins, and carcinogens. A region between -88 and -111 base pairs upstream from the UGT2B1 gene transcription start site contains a CCAAT enhancer binding protein (C/EBP)-like element and was previously shown by Dnase I footprint analysis to bind to proteins in both rat liver and human hepatoma (HepG2) cell nuclear extracts. In this study, the importance of this region in the regulation of the UGT2B1 gene was assessed by functional and DNA binding assays. Varying lengths of the UGT2B1 gene promoter, with and without the C/EBP-like element, were fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene and transfected into HepG2 cells. Transcriptional activity of the UGT2B1 promoter construct containing the C/EBP-like element was strongly elevated in the presence of a cotransfected C/EBPalpha expression vector. In contrast, no change was observed when an expression vector encoding C/EBPbeta was cotransfected with the UGT2B1 promoter constructs. Introduction of point mutations into the C/EBP-like element prevented any C/EBPalpha-mediated increase in chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity. Gel shift analyses demonstrated that the C/EBP-like element binds a complex of nuclear proteins present in both HepG2 cells and rat liver. The presence of C/EBPalpha in this complex was confirmed by supershift analysis with antiserum to this factor. These data strongly suggest that the liver-enriched factor C/EBPalpha binds to, and activates, the UGT2B1 gene promoter. The importance of C/EBPalpha in the regulation of the homologous mouse UGT2B1 gene was also assessed in vivo. Transcripts homologous to UGT2B1 were detected in the livers of mice containing intact c/ebpalpha and c/ebpbeta genes and in mice containing a homozygous null mutation in the c/ebpbeta gene. In contrast, these transcripts were not detected in mice with a disrupted hepatic c/ebpalpha gene. These data extend the findings with the rat UGT2B1 gene promoter and establish that C/EBPalpha, but not C/EBPbeta, is an essential transcriptional regulator of the homologous UGT2B1 gene in the mouse.


One benefit of a study such as this one is the visual aspect of the results. Urban planners and policy makers might better understand the patterns and trends of urban growth and non-urban land use/cover conversions if they were able to see it. Hard numbers do not always present a convincing argument for the need of sound policy making and planning practices. Often times these numbers are skimmed over and make no real impact on the people reading through them. Indeed, sometimes the accuracy of these numbers is highly questionable. However, it is much harder to ignore graphical depictions of lands being converted to urban uses, especially in China where such conversions entail serious implications for food security and sustainable development. It is possible to see where urban growth has occurred and the corresponding disappearance of non-urban land use/cover categories. Visual depiction of urban growth has the potential to make a lasting impact on policy makers and urban planners and show them the changing landscape in a way that they are not used to seeing.


Fault detection at rotating machinery with the help of vibration sensors offers the possibility to detect damage to machines at an early stage and to prevent production downtimes by taking appropriate measures. The analysis of the vibration data using methods of machine learning promises a significant reduction in the associated analysis effort and a further improvement in diagnostic accuracy. Here we publish a dataset which is used as a basis for the development and evaluation of algorithms for unbalance detection. For this purpose, unbalances of various sizes were attached to a rotating shaft using a 3D-printed holder. In a speed range from approx. 630 RPM to 2330 RPM, three sensors were used to record vibrations on the rotating shaft at a sampling rate of 4096 values per second. A development and an evaluation dataset are available for each unbalance strength. Using the dataset recorded in this way, fully connected and convolutional neural networks, Hidden Markov Models and Random Forest classifications on the basis of automatically extracted time series features were tested. With a prediction accuracy of 98.6 % on the evaluation dataset, the best result could be achieved with a fully-connected neural network that receives the scaled FFT-transformed vibration data as input.


Using seven complete genomes of human SARS-CoV-2 (retrieved from GISAID) isolated in Malaysia forphylogenetic tree construction, the current study showed that these strains formed four distinct clades when compared with other representative strains from Asia, Europe and US. In light of that, the genome sequences of these strains isolated in Malaysia suggested that there is currently more than one "type" of strain within the country. Complementing with epidemiological and experimental studies, these findings allow better understanding the prevalence of certain types in Malaysia and permits further in-depth studies on the virulence and pathogenic mechanisms of these strains which is particularly critical to speed up the development of effective treatment regime.


SARAL/AltiKa GDR-T are analyzed to assess the quality of the significant wave height (SWH) measurements. SARAL along-track SWH plots reveal cases of erroneous data, more or less isolated, not detected by the quality flags. The anomalies are often correlated with strong attenuation of the Ka-band backscatter coefficient, sensitive to clouds and rain. A quality test based on the 1 Hz standard deviation is proposed to detect such anomalies. From buoy comparison, it is shown that SARAL SWH is more accurate than Jason-2, particularly at low SWH, and globally does not require any correction. Results are better with open ocean than with coastal buoys. The scatter and the number of outliers are much larger for coastal buoys. SARAL is then compared with Jason-2 and Cryosat-2. The altimeter data are extracted from the global altimeter SWH Ifremer data base, including specific corrections to calibrate the various altimeters. The comparison confirms the high quality of SARAL SWH. The 1 Hz standard deviation is much less than for Jason-2 and Cryosat-2, particularly at low SWH. Furthermore, results show that the corrections applied to Jason-2 and to Cryosat-2, in the data base, are efficient, improving the global agreement between the three altimeters.


Immune checkpoint inhibitors are becoming of more use as clinicians are prescribing them for patients with different malignancies. As their use continues to increase, clinicians must be aware of the side effects, which are autoimmune in nature. Autoimmune diabetes has been described in the past while patients were being treated with programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors, but it usually occurs after the patient's fourth or fifth cycle. In this case presentation, we describe a patient with no history of type 1 or 2 diabetes presenting to the emergency department with severe diabetic ketoacidosis. At the time of presentation, he was on his 22nd cycle of nivolumab for metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The patient was eventually treated successfully, but upon discharge, he was prescribed a large dose of insulin regimen to control his blood sugar levels at home. We attributed his new diagnosis of insulin-dependent diabetes to the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab.


Measuring the mass distribution of infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) over the wide dynamic range of their column densities is a fundamental obstacle in determining the initial conditions of high-mass star formation and star cluster formation. We present a new technique to derive high-dynamic-range, arcsecond-scale resolution column density data for IRDCs and demonstrate the potential of such data in measuring the density variance - sonic Mach number relation in molecular clouds. We combine near-infrared data from the UKIDSS/Galactic Plane Survey with mid-infrared data from the Spitzer/GLIMPSE survey to derive dust extinction maps for a sample of ten IRDCs. We then examine the linewidths of the IRDCs using 13CO line emission data from the FCRAO/Galactic Ring Survey and derive a column density - sonic Mach number relation for them. For comparison, we also examine the relation in a sample of nearby molecular clouds. The presented column density mapping technique provides a very capable, temperature independent tool for mapping IRDCs over the column density range equivalent to A_V=1-100 mag at a resolution of 2". Using the data provided by the technique, we present the first direct measurement of the relationship between the column density dispersion, \sigma_{N/ }, and sonic Mach number, M_s, in molecular clouds. We detect correlation between the variables with about 3-sigma confidence. We derive the relation \sigma_{N/ } = (0.047 \pm 0.016) Ms, which is suggestive of the correlation coefficient between the volume density and sonic Mach number, \sigma_{\rho/ } = (0.20^{+0.37}_{-0.22}) Ms, in which the quoted uncertainties indicate the 3-sigma range. When coupled with the results of recent numerical works, the existence of the correlation supports the picture of weak correlation between the magnetic field strength and density in molecular clouds (i.e., B ~ \rho^{0.5}).


OBJECTIVE
In the United States, interest in quality of life and social disabilities associated with mental illness intensified in the wake of the deinstitutionalization of the late '60s and '70s. Although mental health professionals in the United States have begun to recognize the importance of quality of life considerations to patient management and treatment outcomes, review of the literature shows there is minimal research in mental health on this important topic. As a result, little theoretical or methodological progress has been made. Quality of life has not been clearly conceptualized or defined and there are no agreed-upon standards or criteria for measurement. This presentation will: (a) review important conceptual issues in quality of life research, (b) discuss the benefits of and obstacles to incorporating consumer values in judgments of quality of life, and (c) present data from the Wisconsin Quality of Life Index (W-QLI; Becker et al., 1993) to illustrate the usefulness of a consumer responsive model of quality of life and the importance of incorporating consumer values in the assessment of quality of life of persons with schizophrenia.

METHODS
The W-QLI was administered to a convenience sample of psychiatric outpatients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia. The W-QLI is a self-administered individually preference-weighted index that measures nine separate domains encompassing quality of life. The W-QLI scoring method results in separate scores for each domain and allows for the relationships among separate domains to be studied. The nine separate domains include: (a) satisfaction level for different objective quality of life indicators, (b) occupational activities, (c) psychological well-being, (d) physical health, (e) social relations, (f) economics, (g) activities of daily living, (h) symptoms, and (i) goal attainment.

RESULTS
Study findings are consistent with previous theory and empirical research which supports the independence of component quality of life domains. Results show that while consumers' and clinicians' judgments of outcome correlated, there were important differences. Clinicians systematically rated function higher and social relations lower than did consumers, and there were significant differences in consumer and provider goals for improvement with treatment. Overall ratings of quality of life and function are only weakly correlated with psychopathology. The findings support the importance and feasibility of incorporating consumer values and judgments of quality of life in outcome measurement.


Investigates the processes in organizations that underlie the liability of newness--i.e., the higher propensity of younger organizations to die. Whether the liability of newness is due primarily to external factors or internal processes is examined by analyzing the event histories of organizational death. The theoretical arguments underlying this study are developed using data gathered from 389 voluntary social service organizations that came into existence in Toronto, Canada during 1970 to 1980; activity data was gathered through 1982. Results suggest that the acquisition of external legitimacy, including the establishment of supportive exchange relationships with external stakeholders, is related to a significant reduction in the hazard of death. In addition, it is shown that organizations that are not externally legitimated have either a constant hazard of death that does not decline with firm age or an increasing probability. Finally, it is demonstrated that most internal organizational changes are unrelated to the death rate. (SFL)


This article investigates how the perceived threats caused by COVID-19 affect consumers' travel choices and actions by influencing their intentions to seek variety. Four studies show that the perceived threat of COVID-19 increases variety seeking in travel choices. Study 1 finds that travelers who perceive a greater threat of COVID-19 tend to undertake more varied activities during their travel. Study 2 shows that the main effect exists only for individuals who have previously visited the destination. Study 3 replicates the moderating effect of previous visiting experience by using a different way to manipulate the perceived threat of COVID-19. Study 4 illustrates the moderating impact of another important factor: the number of travelers included in the companies' communication messages. The article concludes by discussing the theoretical and managerial implications of the findings.


A settling optimised sample-and-hold (SH) circuit with a wideband high-linearity input switch is presented. A proposed input switch with floating-well isolation achieves low on-resistance and high-linearity through a wide input frequency range. A method for the SH to acquire the optimised settling behaviour by choosing a feedback switch with suitable on-resistance is proposed to achieve low-power target. Simulation results show that the performance of the SH is improved considerably.


The purpose of this study was to document and trace how students' understanding of situations that involve finding a fractional part of a fraction developed during a course of instruction in which students explored and represented various kinds of situations using each of the five representational systems. A class of 5th grade students (n=22) participated in this study which involved 13 days of instruction spread over 4 school weeks. The results of this study suggest that understanding the process of making connections among representations is of crucial importance. Examining student solution methods in various representational systems for problems involving the multiplication of a fractional quantity by a fractional operator and attempting to tease out the connections among those representations suggests that students can develop the double partitioned model as a meaningful physical representation for the product of two fractions. (Contains 22 references, 9 figures, and 2 tables.) (ASK) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.


Conspectus CO2, HCO3–, and CO32– are present in all aqueous media at pH > 4 if no major effort is made to remove them. Usually the presence of CO2/HCO3–/CO32– is either forgotten or considered only as a buffer or proton transfer catalyst. Results obtained in the last decades point out that carbonates are key participants in a variety of oxidation processes. This was first attributed to the formation of carbonate anion radicals via the reaction OH• + CO32– → CO3•– + OH–. However, recent studies point out that the involvement of carbonates in oxidation processes is more fundamental. Thus, the presence of HCO3–/CO32– changes the mechanisms of Fenton and Fenton-like reactions to yield CO3•– directly even at very low HCO3–/CO32– concentrations. CO3•– is a considerably weaker oxidizing agent than the hydroxyl radical and therefore a considerably more selective oxidizing agent. This requires reconsideration of the sources of oxidative stress in biological systems and might explain the selective damage induced during oxidative stress. The lower oxidation potential of CO3•– probably also explains why not all pollutants are eliminated in many advanced oxidation technologies and requires rethinking of the optimal choice of the technologies applied. The role of percarbonate in Fenton-like processes and in advanced oxidation processes is discussed and has to be re-evaluated. Carbonate as a ligand stabilizes transition metal complexes in uncommon high oxidation states. These high-valent complexes are intermediates in electrochemical water oxidation processes that are of importance in the development of new water splitting technologies. HCO3– and CO32– are also very good hole scavengers in photochemical processes of semiconductors and may thus become key participants in the development of new processes for solar energy conversion. In this Account, an attempt to correlate these observations with the properties of carbonates is made. Clearly, further studies are essential to fully uncover the potential of HCO3–/CO32– in desired oxidation processes.


Decisions about reach‐scale river rehabilitation for the purposes of flood protection and ecological enhancement require prediction of the possible consequences of management alternatives. To provide such predictions, an integrative model is necessary that represents the cause–effect relations between rehabilitation options and morphological, hydraulic and ecological consequences. This paper describes the morphological and hydraulic submodel of such an integrative model. This submodel is further subdivided into four modules predicting: (1) channel morphology, (2) flooding (dike overtopping, floodplain flooding and bed moving floods), (3) velocity and depth distribution and (4) riverbed siltation. Model relationships come from results reported in the literature and new data analyses. By using quantities that are all either readily available or easily predictable for changed conditions, the model should be widely applicable, even for data‐limited situations. The overall model is implemented as a probability network to facilitate estimation of uncertainties in model results. An application of the model to a reach of the Thur River in Switzerland demonstrates its utility for predicting morphological and hydraulic consequences of a planned river widening. The full integrative model, including ecological endpoints, will be used together with quantitative assessments of stakeholder preferences to support rehabilitation decisions for a number of Swiss rivers. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


The causes of visual impairment following Le Fort osteotomy for syndromic craniosynostosis have not been completely elucidated. The authors investigated the potential causes and means of prevention of optic nerve damage, with particular emphasis on intraoperative blood transfusion volume and operating time. This retrospective study evaluated patients who underwent Le Fort III osteotomy for syndromic craniosynostosis between 2000 and 2020. Data on pupillary reflex, pupil size, operating time, blood transfusion, age at time of surgery, sex, and syndrome type were obtained from medical records. Univariate analysis and multivariate analysis with the level of statistical significance set at P<0.05. For the 86 patients included, the mean values of operating time, amount of blood transfusion based on body weight, amount of blood transfusion per body weight per hour, and age were 6.0 hours (range: 3.5–12.3 h), 30.5 mL/kg (range: 0–322 mL/kg), 5.14 mL/kg/h (range: 0–35.7 mL/kg/h), and 10.0 years (range: 4–38 y), respectively. Crouzon, Apert, and Pfeiffer syndromes were observed in 49, 29, and 8 patients, respectively. Abnormal pupillary findings were observed in 27 patients of whom 25 showed no abnormalities in subsequent visual function and 2 developed blindness. Abnormal pupillary findings correlated with the amount of blood transfused per body weight (P=0.0082) and amount of blood transfused per body weight per hour (P=0.0052). As demonstrated in this study, increased intraoperative bleeding and amount of blood transfused were associated with optic nerve damage, particularly during acute bleeding. Prompt inspection of the pupils following surgery is therefore warranted.


We show that interleukin 3 (IL-3) enhances the generation of tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) through the stimulation of host antigen-presenting cells (APCs). The BALB/c (H-2d) spontaneous lung carcinoma line 1 was modified by gene transfection to express ovalbumin as a nominal "tumor antigen" and to secrete IL-3, a cytokine enhancing myeloid development. IL-3-transfected tumor cells are less tumorigenic than the parental cell line, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes isolated from these tumors contain increased numbers of tumor-specific CTLs. By using B3Z86/90.14 (B3Z), a unique T-cell hybridoma system restricted to ovalbumin/H-2b and implanting the tumors in (BALB/c x C57BL/6)F1 (H-2d/b) mice, we demonstrate that the IL-3-transfected tumors contain an increased number of a rare population of host cells that can process and "re-present" tumor antigen to CTLs. Electron microscopy allowed direct visualization of these host APCs, and these studies, along with surface marker phenotyping, indicate that these APCs are macrophage-like. The identification of these cells and their enhancement by IL-3 offers a new opportunity for tumor immunotherapy.


With introduction of the automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator for treatment of medically refractory ventricular arrhythmias, many investigations are focussing on possibilities of reducing the energy necessary for defibrillating the heart to obtain a more adequate size and a longer durability of the generator. Several studies favour the sequential pulse delivery, using three electrodes, either endocardial, epicardial or subcutaneous plates, to improve defibrillation performance of low energy shocks. However, the validity of this conclusion remains equivocal since two different electrode configurations were used for single and sequential defibrillation. In the present study the influence of sequential pulse delivery, pulse sequence and resultant current pathways on defibrillation energy requirements were examined in comparison with single-shocks between the same epicardial electrode configuration as well as four orthogonally positioned patches. The energy requirement for 100% efficiency could be reduced by sequential pulsing with a time interval of 1 msec thus yielding significant superiority compared to single pulse defibrillation using three electrodes. The same reliable defibrillation and reduced threshold has been obtained by using four electrodes and one single shock. The addition of a third electrode alone had no influence on the energy requirements. Therefore, we have to discuss a different electrophysiological mechanism for sequential defibrillation than for single shocks with an extended current distribution over the heart using four electrodes. Possibly the action potential of the single cell of the fibrillating heart is of interest in reflecting the efficiency of sequential pulse defibrillation. By influencing the action potential pharmacologically in some animals, the optimal time interval for double shocks could be extended up to 7 msec.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


The efficiency of cleaning procedures to remove the fouling deposit from the surface of NF membranes operating in the drinking water plant of Méry sur Oise (Val d'Oise, France) was assessed by a combination of chemical analysis and fluorescence microscopy. The ATR-FTIR spectra of the fouled membranes revealed the presence of biological matter at the membrane surface, mainly composed of polysaccharides, nucleic acids and proteins. IR bands corresponding to the membrane material were detected for stage 1 but not for stage 3. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) observations confirmed the microbial origin of the fouling deposit. After chemical cleaning, the analysis of the inorganic foulants revealed a significant decrease of the inorganic content. Moreover, ATR-FTIR spectra of the fouled membranes were modified, mainly in a broad complex region corresponding to polysaccharides and nucleic acids. The amide bands were also altered for stage 1, and some peaks corresponding to the clean membrane appeared for stage 3 after cleaning. CLSM observations revealed a general decrease of the lectin staining for the two stages with some variations between lectins. A decrease of the DAPI staining indicative of the removal of some microbial cells was also observed for stage 1. In conclusion, cleaning of the NF fouled membranes decreased significantly the inorganic foulants but only partially removed the organic fouling deposit characteristic of a microbial biofilm.


The use of seismic anisotropy to image upper mantle flow is usually based on the assumption that the direction of fast propagation of seismic waves is the same as the flow direction. Laboratory experiments showed that when melt is present, it is rather the direction of slow propagation that aligns with the flow direction. This paper presents a modeling of the effect of melt on the development of lattice preferred orientation (LPO) and its implications for the interpretation of anisotropy. Taking into account strain partitioning associated with melt segregation in the modeling yields a good agreement with experimental results. Implementing strain partitioning in a test flow shows that the effect of melt is mainly local and has a limited effect on seismic anisotropy. Water‐induced texture, melt‐filled cracks or channelized flow, might better account for seismic observations of direction of fast propagation normal to plate motion on a regional scale.


PURPOSE
The inflammatory response due to inflammatory cytokines, bacterial pathogens, and the altered lipoprotein metabolism in patients with periodontitis indicates that infection with periodontal anaerobic bacteria may influence atherogenesis in vitro and in vivo. We aimed to explore the effect of periodontitis concerning clinical and ultrasound markers of early atherosclerosis.

METHODS
In this case-control study, a total of 30 systemically healthy adults (15 with periodontitis and 15 without periodontitis) over 40 years of age were studied. Periodontitis was determined by measuring the clinical attachment level (CAL) and radiographic bone loss (RBL). Conventional cardiovascular risk factors, including body mass index, serum levels of total cholesterol (TCH), triglycerides (TG), and high-density and low-density lipoprotein (HDL and LDL, respectively) cholesterol were evaluated. Carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured using ultrasonography.

RESULTS
The mean values of the CAL and carotid IMT were 5.02±0.9 mm and 0.084±0.01 cm vs. 1.6±0.61 mm and 0.072±0.02 cm in the periodontitis and healthy groups, respectively, reflecting statistically significant differences (P=0.001 and P=0.037, respectively). There were statistically significant differences in the serum levels of TCH, TG, and LDL between the 2 groups (P=0.017). The CAL and RBL were positively associated with carotid IMT and serum cholesterol levels, except for HDL, whereas tooth loss was not associated with any markers (P<0.05). Compared to the healthy group, participants with periodontitis exhibited 2.09 times higher odds (95% confidence interval, 1.22-3.59) of having subclinical atherosclerosis.

CONCLUSIONS
The presence of periodontitis increased the risk of atherosclerosis.


Selenium tetrachloride (SeCl4) has been intercalated from the gas phase in the presence of chlorine gas into highly orientated pyrolytic graphite. A mixture of second- and third-stage SeCl4 graphite intercalation compounds was obtained. X-ray diffraction measurements presented evidence that the b-axis of SeCl4 is orientated perpendicular to the basal plane of the graphite. X-ray diffraction data gave evidence that SeCl4 forms monolayers inside the host lattice. A selected-area electron diffraction study of the in-plane lattice showed (h0l) reflections of SeCl4. The axis of the guest is commensurate with the a-axis of graphite. The lattice parameters for the intercalated species are nearly identical to those of pristine SeCl4.


This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of Leptospira species in Mazandaran Province of Iran by using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) methods and sequencing analysis. Blood samples (n = 119) were collected from humans suspected of having leptospirosis from different parts of the province in 2007. By using an indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT), we determined that 35 (29.4%) of 119 suspected cases had leptospiral antibody titers >/= 1:80, which confirmed the diagnosis of leptospirosis. Nested PCR assay also determined that 60 (50.4%) of 119 samples showed Leptospira infection. Furthermore, 44 (73.3%) of 60 confirmed leptospirosis amplified products were subjected to sequencing analysis. Sequence alignment identified L. interrogans, L. kirschneri, and L. wolffii species. All positive cases diagnosed by IFAT or PCR were in patients who reported contact with animals, high-risk occupational activities, and exposure to contaminated water. Therefore, it is important to increase attention about this disease among physicians and to strengthen laboratory capacity for its diagnosis in infected patients in Iran.


Time-reversal is an efficient way to focus a wave back to its source and has been investigated in a wide range of situations including telecommunication, non-destructive testing, interactivity and medical applications. In this work we propose a one channel time-reversal experiment of shear waves in soft solids with application to elasticity assessment. From a physical point of view, the experiment presents some interesting features like asymmetry of the refocused field due to near field effects. From the point of view of the application, the proposed method has some advantages with respect to the existing ones: it is independent of boundary conditions, shape of the employed source and excitation function. Limitations could arise for high attenuating media where the system is not time-invariant. Keywords-Time-reversal; elastography;soft-solid


Thermobifida fusca is a moderately thermophilic soil bacterium that belongs to Actinobacteria. 3 It is a major degrader of plant cell walls and has been used as a model organism for the study of 4 secreted, thermostable cellulases. The complete genome sequence showed that T. fusca has a 5 single circular chromosome of 3642249 bp predicted to encode 3117 proteins and 65 RNA6 species with a coding density of 85 percent. Genome analysis revealed the existence of 29 putative 7 glycoside hydrolases in addition to the previously identified cellulases and xylanases. The 8 glycosyl hydrolases include enzymes predicted to exhibit mainly dextran/starch and xylan 9 degrading functions. T. fusca possesses two protein secretion systems: the sec general secretion 10 system and the twin-arginine translocation system. Several of the secreted cellulases have 11 sequence signatures indicating their secretion may be mediated by the twin-arginine12 translocation system. T. fusca has extensive transport systems for import of carbohydrates 13 coupled to transcriptional regulators controlling the expression of the transporters and14 glycosylhydrolases. In addition to providing an overview of the physiology of a soil 15 actinomycete, this study presents insights on the transcriptional regulation and secretion of16 cellulases which may facilitate the industrial exploitation of these systems.


Hypermobility relates to excessive joint motion caused by laxity of surrounding tissue, thus allowing joints to move beyond the expected normal range. The 9-point Beighton Hypermobility Score (9-BHS) is the most widely used system for diagnosis of joint hypermobility in children without disabilities. However, it is not known if the 9BHS, which involves 9 maneuvers, can be performed correctly by youth with intellectual disabilities (ID). The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability of using the 9-BHS for youth with ID. Twenty-five (14 male, 11 female; Age = 13.3±2.9 yrs) participants were assessed on two different days with 3-4 weeks between evaluations. Percent (%) agreement between tests was determined by Cohen's kappa coefficient. Kappa scores indicated moderate (.41-.60, 3 maneuvers), substantial (.61-.80, 5 maneuvers), and perfect (1.0, 1 maneuver) agreement. These results indicate that the 9-BHS has similar reliability when used to diagnose hypermobility in youth without disabilities./ Proceedings of the 8th Annual GRASP symposium, Wichita State University, 2012


Triplet-triplet
upconversion (TTU), where two low-energy triplet excitons are converted to one
higher energy singlet exciton, is excellent approach to break through the
theoretical limit of the pure fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs)
by 5%. To data, however, the reported emitters with high emission
efficiency and efficiently TTU in film state are rare. Herein, we design the blue
aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) and investigate their
upconversion efficiency. TPA-An-mPhCz can not only achieve high emission
efficiency in the film state, but also show high upconversion efficiency of close
to 50% even though the calculated energy level of the triplet excitons (T2) is lower
than 2T1. A possible upconversion mechanism is proposed according to
the transient electroluminescence spectra and theoretical calculation. This strategy
may provide a new platform for the construction of highly efficient non-doped blue
OLEDs based on TTU and AIEgens.


With the rapid growth of wireless compute-intensive services (such as image recognition, real-time language translation, or other artificial intelligence applications), efficient wireless algorithm design should not only address when and which users should transmit at each time instance (referred to as wireless scheduling) but also determine where the computation should be executed (referred to as offloading decision) with the goal of minimizing both computing latency and energy consumption. Despite the presence of a variety of earlier works on the efficient offloading design in wireless networks, to the best of our knowledge, there does not exist a work on the realistic user- level dynamic model, where each incoming user demands a heavy computation and leaves the system once its computing request is completed. To this end, we formulate a problem of an optimal offloading design in the presence of dynamic compute-intensive applications in wireless networks. Then, we show that there exists a fundamental logarithmic energy- workload tradeoff for any feasible offloading algorithm, and develop an optimal threshold-based offloading algorithm that achieves this fundamental logarithmic bound.


Mathematical models for pore-diffusion-controlled batch adsorption that take an arbitrary distribution of particle sizes into account are developed and solved for two extreme cases: the linear isotherm case and the irreversible isotherm case. Numerical calculations based on these solutions show that the effects of the particle-size distribution (PSD) are significant, even for relatively narrow and symmetrical PSDs. The uptake rate is faster initially and slower as equilibrium is approached than is predicted using the volume-average particle radius. These results are confirmed by comparing model predictions with experimental results obtained for the batch uptake of the protein α-chymotrypsinogen on SP-Sepharose-FF. Although the PSD of this commonly used commercial medium for preparative protein chromatography is fairly narrow, significant effects are observed in both shallow-bed and stirred batch-uptake experiments. As a result, the PSD needs to be taken into account when precise predictions are desired, such as when batch-uptake experiments are used for diffusivity measurements. The PSD also affects the shape of the breakthrough curve in packed beds. The effects are somewhat less pronounced, but still quite significant for the irreversible isotherm case.


: The content of calcium in blood, brain, and spinal cord of rats reduced essentially after removal of the parathyroids. Intraperitoneal injection of calcium gluconate normalizes the level of total calcium in blood and brain of parathyroprival rats but, in contrast, increases it in the spinal cord by 34% as compared to the control level. It is presumed that changes of the calcium content in some organs (not accepted as target-organs), in the spinal cord among others, in disorders of the function of the parathyroid glands is consequent not only on hyper- or hypocalciemia.


Hair follicle epithelium and nervous system share a common ectodermal origin, and some neurotrophins can modulate keratinocyte proliferation and apoptosis. It is therefore reasonable to ask whether growth factors that control neural development are also involved in the regulation of hair follicle morphogenesis. Focusing on neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and its high-affinity-receptor [tyrosine kinase C (TrkC)], we show that hair placode keratinocytes express TrkC mRNA and immunoreactivity early during murine hair follicle morphogenesis. In later stages of hair follicle development, TrkC mRNA, TrkC-, and NT-3-immunoreactivity are seen in keratinocytes of the proximal hair bulb as well as in dermal papilla fibroblasts. Compared with the corresponding wild-type animals, early stages of hair follicle morphogenesis are significantly accelerated in newborn NT-3 overexpressing mice, whereas these are retarded in newborn heterozygous NT-3 knockout (+/-) mice. These observations suggest that NT-3 is an important growth modulator during morphogenesis and remodeling of neuroectodermal-mesenchymal interaction systems like the hair follicle.


This study examined factors that affect consumer satisfaction with TV shopping by investigating both convenience- and emotion-related variables. Data were obtained from 295 online surveys with TV home shoppers who were 60 years and older. The structural model revealed (1) a positive effect of lack of shopping mobility on loneliness and perceived convenience of TV shopping, (2) a positive effect of loneliness on parasocial interaction, and (3) positive effects of parasocial interaction and perceived convenience on satisfaction with TV shopping. Results provide implications for TV shopping networks and producers. Parasocial interaction can be utilized to enhance the consumer experience by alleviating older consumers' loneliness, which ultimately leads to their satisfaction. Furthermore, convenience benefits of TV shopping can be emphasized to attract older consumers who have limited shopping mobility. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


FAME is the French Absorption spectroscopy beamline in Material and Environmental sciences at the ESRF (France), operational since September 2002. Technically speaking, the source is a 0.85 T bending magnet and the main optical element is a two-crystals monochromator using either Si(111) or Si(220) monocrystals so that the available energy ranges from 4 to 40 keV. The first crystal is liquid nitrogen cooled in order to avoid a thermal bump and thus preserve the energy resolution. The second crystal is dynamically bent during the energy scan in order to focus the beam in the horizontal plane. Two bendable mirrors are located before and after the monochromator, for beam-collimation (to optimize the energy resolution) and vertical focalization, respectively. During scans, the beam on the sample is kept constant in position and size (around 150 × 200 μm2, V × H). The high flux on the sample combined with the sensitivity of our 30-elements fluorescence detector allow to decrease the detection limit down to 10 ppm or around less than a monolayer. Moreover, quick-EXAFS acquisition is operational: the acquisition time may be reduced down to 30s.


We are exploring infrared (IR) lasers as an alternative energy modality to radiofrequency (RF) and ultrasonic (US) devices intended to provide rapid surgical hemostasis with minimal collateral zones of thermal damage and tissue necrosis. Previously, a 1470-nm IR laser sealed and cut ex vivo porcine renal arteries of 1-8 mm in 2 s, yielding burst pressures < 1200 mmHg (compared to normal systolic blood pressure of 120 mmHg) and thermal coagulation zones < 3 mm (including the seal). This preliminary study describes in vivo testing of a laser probe in a porcine model. A prototype, fiber optic based handheld probe with vessel/tissue clasping mechanism was tested on blood vessels < 6 mm diameter using incident 1470-nm laser power of 35 W for 1-5 s. The probe was evaluated for hemostasis after sealing isolated and bundled vasculature of abdomen and hind leg, as well as liver and lung parenchyma. Sealed vessel samples were collected for histological analysis of lateral thermal damage. Hemostasis was achieved in 57 of 73 seals (78%). The probe consistently sealed vasculature in small bowel mesentery, mesometrium, and gastro splenic and epiploic regions. Seal performance was less consistent on hind leg vasculature including saphenous arteries and bundles and femoral and iliac arteries. Collagen denaturation averaged 1.6 mm in 8 samples excised for histologic examination. A handheld laser probe sealed porcine vessels in vivo. With further improvements in probe design and laser parameter optimization, IR lasers may provide an alternative to RF and US vessel sealing devices.


Objective To determine whether a gum-containing thickener maintains its viscosity better during oral processing than a completely starch-based thickener. Methods Thirty-five healthy volunteers participated in a double-blind, cross-over study. Artificial tap water was thickened to honey-like consistency (effective viscosity of 1,300±100 mPa·s at a shear rate of 50 per second at 20℃) with a starch-based thickener (SB) or a gum-containing thickener (GC). Bolus viscosity was determined after standardized oral processing of the thickened water by the subjects for 10 and 20 seconds. Significant effects were determined by ANOVA analysis and pairwise comparisons. Results Both thickeners were susceptible to breakdown during oral processing. However, GC-thickened water retained its viscosity significantly better than SB-thickened water. Conclusion The presence of gums has a protective effect on the starch hydrolysis by salivary amylase in thickened drinks, which may facilitate safer swallowing.


BACKGROUND
Since its introduction in the early 1990s, laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) has gained worldwide acceptance for spleen removal, especially in hematological patients.

AIM
The present review summarizes the current knowledge and results of LS for the treatment of benign hematological diseases in adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A MEDLINE/PubMed database research was performed using the terms: "laparoscopic splenectomy" OR "laparoscopy" OR "splenectomy" AND "hematological disorders" OR "hematological disease" OR "hematology" AND "adults" as key words. We set our analysis starting date as January 1st 2010 and the end date as December 31st 2016. We identified 247 relative articles. All the references from the identified articles were searched for relevant information.

RESULTS
Twenty-seven articles were deemed appropriate for our analysis. LS was found to be feasible and safe in the majority of patients with benign hematological disorders, with a mortality rate ranging from 0% to less than 4% and the postoperative complications rate from 0% to 35.7%. The conversion rate was also very low (4%) and response (complete or partial) was achieved in more than 80% of patients. Lateral approach with four trocars was the most commonly used approach with concommitant cholecystectomy being correlated with increased operative time and morbidity.

CONCLUSION
Current literature holds that whenever splenectomy is required for the treatment of hematological disorders in adults, a laparoscopic approach should be offered as the gold standard. However, to strengthen the clinical evidence in favor of LS, more high-quality clinical trials on several issues of the procedure are necessary.


Using stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen in siderite nodules and lithology of host shales, one can recognize geochemical environments proposed by Berner in Devonian-Carboniferous sediments of the Appalachian Basin. His oxic, post-oxic, and sulfidic diagenetic environments are well represented; sediments of the methanic environment may be present, but the evidence is equivocal. The sulfidic sediments can be further subdivided into well laminated and bioturbated, corresponding to the presence of H 2 S in the overlying water in the first case but confined to the sediment pore waters in the second.--Journal abstract.


Wide uses of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles in cosmetics, paints, toothpastes, sunscreens, food products, pharmaceuticals and nanomedical reagents increases human exposure and its risk. Thus this study was designed to investigate the possible protective effect of chlorophyllin (CHL) on nano-TiO2 induced genotoxicity and oxidative stress in mice. Male mice were exposed to single i.p. injection with each of three dose levels of nano-TiO2 (500, 1000 or 2000 mg/kg b.w) suspended in deionized water or CHL (200 mg/kg b.w.). Micronucleus and comet assays were carried out genotoxic endpoints. Moreover, oxidative stress was evaluated using five markers of oxidative damage to shed more light on its mechanism. A dose-dependent genotoxicity of nano TiO2 was evidenced by the observed significant elevations in micronuclei frequencies and DNA damage levels. The same end.-points indicated that TiO2 genotoxicity was significantly decreased after CHL coadministration. Moreover, CHL significantly decreased malondialdehyde level, and significantly increased reduced glutathione level and superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities, which were significantly disrupted by TiO2 alone. In conclusion, the dose dependent nano-TiO2 induced genotoxicity was diminished by CHL co-administration via its free radicals scavenger ability.


Purpose

This study aims to examine the roles of individual factors on risky investment intention as an indicator of risky financial behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected from a survey instrument and composed of 496 individuals' responses. The authors exploited structural equation modelling and multigroup structural equation modelling for direct and indirect effects, respectively.

Findings

Results indicate that emotional intelligence and locus of control have a positive impact on financial risk-taking, while risk aversion in general has the negative one. Although financial literacy does not have a direct effect on risky financial behavior, it has important role as a moderator variable, interacting with external locus of control.

Originality/value

The authors expect this study to contribute into behavioral finance literature in two ways. First, they investigate joint and relative effects of four major factors (i.e. emotional intelligence, locus of control, risk aversion in general and financial literacy) identified in the literature on financial risk-taking of individual investors. Each belongs to a different venue in an individual's psyche and therefore is expected to influence financial risk-taking through different mechanisms. However, the research arguing their roles on the financial risky behavior directly is very limited. Investigating their individual effects is likely to provide unique insights into our understanding of risky financial behavior. Second, the authors also posit and manifest that the effects of the first three of the aforementioned factors on risk-taking intentions are moderated by financial literacy. This finding is likely to provide rather valuable insights pertaining to the emergence of risk-taking behaviors and may shed light on the root reasons behind equivocal findings in previous research regarding the effect of each factor.


The partially repeated cooperation system employing Low Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes achieves space diversity and extra coding gain at the same time. This paper focuses on the power constrained system, in which the total power of the source node and the relay node remains constant. Thus different power allocation schemes result in different repetition lengths at the relay node, and it is interesting to determine the optimal in terms of performance. A modified Gaussian Approximation algorithm is proposed to search for the feasible decoding threshold of the partially repeated regular LDPC codes, with which the outage probability is obtained and used to show the power efficiency of different power allocation schemes. The numerical results show that the partially repeated scheme can achieve a higher power efficiency than the all repeated one. However, the efficiency of the power allocation scheme strongly depends on the channel realizations of the system.


Universities played a central role in Egypt's 2011 revolution and were heavily affected by the subsequent return to military rule. Egyptian universities have a long history as settings where young activists engage in political action. Today they are institutions with a changing role and scope. The expansion of private, for-profit institutions of higher education over the past decade has called into question the traditional model of public universities with access guaranteed by the state, while campuses have been largely silenced as forums of activism.


A method to fabricate multichannel structures based on micrometre-thick plastic foil is described. In a reel-to-reel process, metallized plastic foil is patterned by laser ablation and stacked. Foil-to-foil joints are established by heating the foil stack under pressure. Expansion of the foil stack perpendicular to the plane of the foils yields a multichannel structure. We have realized structures with many thousands of channels with a diameter of a few hundred micrometres. The multichannel structures can serve for mechanical, optical, electrical as well as chemical functions.


The spectroscopy and photophysics of the photosensitizer hypericin when in homogeneous solutions and when bound to liposomes were studied. Hypericin was found to partition efficiently into DMPC liposomes, with a binding constant of 58 (mg lipid/mL)−1. In these liposomes the singlet oxygen production quantum yield was 0.43 ± 0.09. To determine the deactivation constant of singlet oxygen in lipid bilayers for the first time, we calculated extrapolated values from its quenching by DMPC and lecithin in homogeneous solutions and obtained decay times of 36.4 and 12.2 μs, respectively. We also measured the quenching of singlet oxygen, sensitized by hypericin in DMPC liposomes, by NaN3, diphenyl isobenzofuran and H2,O: D2O mixtures and explained the results on the basis of singlet oxygen diffusing rapidly out of the lipid bilayer into the aqueous medium. The observed temperature effect on the lifetime of singlet oxygen of about 50% over a 15°C range in liposome suspension contrasts with a 3% change in a homogeneous solution in 1‐nonanol and is explained by the temperature effect on the diffusion out of the liposome. A strong pH effect was observed, indicating that the deprotonated species formed above about pH 10 is a much weaker photosensitizer of singlet oxygen than the native, protonated species.


This paper aims to initiate a dialog among readers regarding the positioning and promotion of health-related decision analysis in the public sector. It is motivated by the author's personal observations that quantitative and economic evaluation methods continue to be viewed with skepticism by some public officials and that no consensus exists within our community as to what an appropriate message to such decision makers might be. A personal view of some key themes to be stressed in defining a vision for the field is presented. Key words: decision analysis; cost-effectiveness; policy. (Med Decis Making 2000;20:239-242)


The origin of high-energy cosmic rays, atomic nuclei that continuously impact Earth's atmosphere, is unknown. Because of deflection by interstellar magnetic fields, cosmic rays produced within the Milky Way arrive at Earth from random directions. However, cosmic rays interact with matter near their sources and during propagation, which produces high-energy neutrinos. We searched for neutrino emission using machine learning techniques applied to 10 years of data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. By comparing diffuse emission models to a background-only hypothesis, we identified neutrino emission from the Galactic plane at the 4.5σ level of significance. The signal is consistent with diffuse emission of neutrinos from the Milky Way but could also arise from a population of unresolved point sources. Description Editor's summary Observations of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos have shown that they mostly originate from extragalactic sources such as active galaxies. However, gamma ray observations show bright emission from within the Milky Way galaxy, and astrophysical gamma rays and neutrinos are expected to be produced by the same physical processes. The IceCube Collaboration searched for neutrino emission from within the Milky Way (see the Perspective by Fusco) and found evidence of extra neutrinos emitted along the plane of the Galaxy, which is consistent with the distribution of gamma-ray emission. These results imply that high-energy neutrinos can be generated by nearby sources within the Milky Way. —Keith T. Smith Astrophysical neutrinos are emitted from the plane of the Milky Way galaxy, implying the presence of nearby sources.


The invention relates to an electric coffee maker, comprising a cold water reservoir (4), an electric pump (5), a manual control device (19) for extracting the coffee and a unit heater (6) which is associated with electromechanical and/or electronic means of regulating the temperature to a set temperature value. The invention also comprises a temperature sensor (14) which is thermally connected to the unit heater (6), and is characterised in that the regulating means are able to reduce the set value that is taken as a reference following a function of time after the sensor has read the initial set value for the first time.


The enantiomer separation and the spectral simplification of overlapped resonances in a high-resolution 1H NMR spectrum of a model compound have been successfully accomplished with the use of paramagnetic shift reagent. Both 1H and 13C NMR have been applied to determine the composition of a mixture containing optically active enantiomers of (+/-)-2,2-dimethyl-1-phenyl-1-propanol.


The privileged position occupied by think tanks in public debate is reflected in their access to mainstream media and their political commentary frequently accepted as independent expert opinion. However, behind the carefully constructed and closely guarded façade of intellectual autonomy is a network of interests drawn together in a campaign to reshape political values. By tracing the intellectual antecedents and the historical origins of think tanks and their role in fostering neoliberalism, we assess the emerging neoconservatism and the implications for public debate.


During the decade 1953-1963, the Health Information Foundation and the National Opinion Research Center conducted three area probability sample surveys of the country's civilian noninstitutionalized population to determine their utilization of personal health services, expenditures for services, methods of meeting the cost of services, extent of coverage under voluntary health insurance and the relationship of these factors to certain characteristics of individuals and families such as age, sex, place of residence and family income. The present volume is a detailed report of the results of the 1964 survey, reflecting the experience of the population for the year 1963, with some comparative data from the 1953 and 1958 surveys. The sample size was 2,852, with 17 per cent nonrespondents. There were a few surprises: 41 per cent of the sample still considers a general practitioner its regular source of care; of those families who have a personal physician as the regular source of care, 56 per cent have a general practitioner, 12 per cent use a general surgeon and only ten per cent use an internist and eight per cent a pediatrician; only nine per cent of ambulatory patients, aged 65 years and over, are seen in hospital clinics, whereas 81 per cent are seen in the office (and this figure has not changed since 1958, although fewer home visits are made than formerly). As expected, a strong positive correlation was found between income level and percentage of individuals seeing a physician, par-


The current study aims to apply a staged approach to document heterogeneity in discussions in mentoring relationships, chiefly, discussion topics from weekly mentoring sessions with undergraduate women mentors (n = 40), then link each of the eight topics (relationships with friends, family, teachers, and romantic relationships, as well as goals, academic skills, academic problems, and hopes for the future) to developmental outcomes for middle school girls (n = 41) who participated in a school-based mentoring program. In doing so, the authors hope to better understand the mechanisms that influence variability in mentoring treatment effects. Mentoring dyads engaged in unstructured one-on-one sessions and structured group meetings across the 2018-2019 academic year. The primary predictors for this study are weekly mentor-reported discussion topics and activities addressed during unstructured one-on-one mentoring sessions, with 11 social-emotional, academic, and behavioral outcomes measured via pre- and postsurveys administered by research assistants to mentees during the fall and spring. A series of 11 path analyses indicate small to moderate associations, both beneficial and negative, between key discussion topics, such as hopes for the future, family relationships, and goals, and several mentee-reported outcomes of interest at the end of the intervention, including extrinsic motivation, life satisfaction, and self-esteem. Study findings provide information about heterogeneity in mentoring practices to inform how various mechanisms of mentoring (e.g., discussions focused on relationships, goals and skills, and strengths) influence developmentally-relevant effects for youth.


Immune suppressive conditions in the melanoma tumor microenvironment (TME) block dendritic cell (DC) development and lead to the accumulation of M2-like macrophages and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). This will effectively hamper T cell priming, recruitment, and effector functions, and so interfere with the efficacy of immunotherapy. Targeting tumor-mediated myeloid suppression represents an interesting therapeutic option to promote the immune attack on tumors. The preclinical human models currently used to study myeloid suppression often fail to reflect the complexity of the TME.To study the cross-talk between melanoma and stroma cells and assess its effect on DC differentiation, we therefore established an in vitro three-dimensional (3D) reconstructed organotypic human melanoma-in-skin (Mel-RhS) model, allowing the monitoring of tumor growth and progression for up to six weeks.Significantly higher levels of immune suppressive cytokines (IL-10, M-CSF, VEGF, TGF-beta) were detected in the melanoma model, constructed with the BRAF- and PTEN-mutated SK-MEL-28 cell line, as compared to its control (without melanoma cells). Indeed, Mel-RhS culture supernatants interfered with monocyte-to-DC differentiation, leading to the development of M2-like macrophages with a distinct phenotype (CD14+CD1a-BDCA3+CD163+CD16+PDL1+PDL2+), as established by polychromatic flowcytometry. Correlation matrix heatmap analysis identified IL-10, TGF-beta and M-CSF as the main candidate mediators of this skewing of monocytes to an M2-like state. The use of specific neutralizing antibodies against each of these cytokines prevented the observed DC suppression to varying degrees. t-Distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (t-SNE) identified specific shifts between monocytic subpopulations and modulated expression levels of associated surface markers. Neutralization of M-CSF reduced expression of BDCA3, PD-L2, and PD-L1, while increased CD16; whereas blocking TGF-beta led to a concerted reduction in CD14, CD163, PD-L1, and PD-L2 levels, but, unexpectedly, also of CD80. In contrast, IL-10 neutralization resulted in a decrease of all M2-related markers, while CD80 levels were upregulated. Interestingly, while the SK-MEL-28 cell line did not secrete detectable levels of IL-10 in traditional monolayer cultures, RNA in situ hybridization revealed de novo expression in Mel-RhS in melanoma cells, as well as in keratinocytes and fibroblasts.We conclude that the 3D configuration of the Mel-RhS model results in cross-talk between tumor and stroma, which allows for the delineation of immune suppressive pathways in the melanoma TME. Ultimately, this model could be used as a novel in vitro tool for preclinical testing of immune modulatory therapeutic agents.M. Lopez Gonzalez: None. E. Michielon: None. J.L.A. Burm: None. T. Waaijman: None. E.S. Jordanova: None. S. Gibbs: None. T.D. de Gruijl: None.


We define a pure state associated with every sufficiently regular state of linear quantum field theory. For a scalar field on a globally hyperbolic spacetime, the energy relative to a timelike vector field defines a quasifree state, whose associated pure state is a natural vacuum of the scalar field. If the energy state is defined relative to a globally timelike complete Killing field, its associated pure state is the well known `frequency splitting' stationary vacuum state. It is proved that such vacua corresponding to two commuting Killing fields are equal. It is conjectured that the vacua are equal even if the Killing fields do not commute. Implications for the particle interpretation of quantum field theory in curved spacetimes are discussed.


The concept of circular economy, whose model is based on three main pillars: (i) design out waste and pollution; (ii) keep products and materials in use; and (iii) regenerate natural systems, has recently been applied to different sectors. This concept is directly related to bioeconomy. Spain implemented its own strategy in bioeconomy in 2016, affecting all economic activities, agriculture included. In line with this, one of the most important agricultural sectors is the greenhouse horticulture of Almería (SE Spain). This region has experienced deep changes in the last 40 years, and has become one of the most efficient agro-industrial complexes in the world. This rapid growth has brought sustainability problems such as pollution, water overuse, or inadequate waste management. Several studies have undertaken organic waste reuse or minimization, but an important lack of knowledge exists regarding the inorganic fraction. One of the goals of the REINWASTE project is to find solutions for this problem. Therefore, an extensive legal framework has been consulted and an in-depth study of the steps in greenhouse production with the associated residues has been carried out. Additionally, information from experts and stakeholders has been registered, resulting a list of Best Available Technologies (BATs) to prevent and minimize inorganic waste generation. This article highlights the intensive greenhouse horticulture from Almería efforts to reach circularity by closing the loop with inorganic waste.


The effect of surface modification of Ti-6Al-4V samples manufactured by electron beam melting (EBM) using a pulsed carbon ion beam is studied in the present work. Based on the results of XRD, SEM, and TEM analysis, patterns of changes in the microstructure and phase composition of the EBM Ti-6Al-4V alloy, depending on the number of pulses of pulsed ion beam exposure, are revealed. It was found that gradient microstructure is formed as a result of pulsed ion beam irradiation of the EBM Ti-6Al-4V samples. The microstructure of the surface layer up to 300 nm thick is represented by the (α + α") phase. At depths of 0.3 μm, the microstructure is mixed and contains alpha-phase plates and needle-shaped martensite. The mechanical properties were investigated using methods of uniaxial tensile tests, micro- and nanohardness measurements, and tribological tests. It was shown that surface modification by a pulsed ion beam at an energy density of 1.92 J/cm2 and five pulses leads to an increase in the micro- and nanohardness of the surface layers, a decrease in the wear rate, and a slight rise in the plasticity of EBM Ti-6Al-4V alloy.


The research of multiphysical thermal-hydraulic-mechanical (THM) simulation has achieved significant progress in the past decade. Currently, two general approaches for poromechanical simulation co-exist in the reservoir simulation community, namely the stress approach with stress as the primary variable for the mechanical governing equations and the displacement approach with displacement as the primary variable. In this work, we aim to provide a theoretical foundation and a practical semi-analytical solution for the stress approach based on the Navier-Beltrami-Michell Equations. Moreover, we will clarify the relationship (and equivalence) between the two approaches.
 We have firstly proven the existence and uniqueness of the stress solution of Navier-Beltrami-Michell equation with given pressure and temperature field. Moreover, we have demonstrated the equivalence of the stress formulation to the displacement formulation. Based on Fourier's expansion, we have developed a general semi-analytical solution for thermal-hydraulic-mechanical process. The semi-analytical solution takes the pressure solution from the hydraulic simulation module (or a commercial reservoir simulator) and directly predicts the stress tensor of the multiphysical system. As such, the solution can be programmed fully coupled with the hydraulic simulation module to predict the stress field with varying pressure and temperature of homogeneous poroelastic rocks under given stress boundary conditions.
 From the work above, we have laid a theoretical foundation for the stress approach. The derived semi-analytical solution of the stress field shows excellent accuracy. The solution has been used to predict the transient stress field of a dual-porosity system during primary depletion.
 This paper is arguably the first trial to clarify the relationship between the stress approach and the displacement approach. Moreover, the derived semi-analytical solution provides a convenient yet precise way to obtain the stress field without time-consuming numerical simulation.


Asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) coupled with UV-vis spectrophotometry, multiangle light scattering (MALS), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) detection was used to analyze dispersions of DNA/rhodamine B labeled chitosan (Ch-rho) complexes frequently used as gene delivery vectors. The method yielded, in a single experiment, important characteristics of the complexes, such as their hydrodynamic radius, size distribution, conformation, composition, and the amount of free Ch-rho in the dispersions. Samples for analysis were obtained by varying experimental parameters known to influence the transfection efficiency of DNA/chitosan complexes, including the DNA concentration at mixing (82-164 μg/mL), the ratio of chitosan amino groups to DNA phosphate groups (3 ≤ N/P ratio ≤ 15), the chitosan molecular weight (10-76 kDa), and its degree of deacetylation. In all preparations, DNA/Ch-rho complexes had hydrodynamic radii ranging from 15 to 160 nm. Both the DNA concentration and the Ch-rho molecular weight influence the size distribution of the complexes: a greater fraction of large particles was detected in dispersions prepared with the most concentrated DNA solution or the Ch-rho of highest molar mass. All dispersions contained free Ch-rho in solution. The free Ch-rho content ranged from 53 to 92% of the total Ch-rho concentration in dispersions prepared with N/P ratios from 3 to 15, respectively, implying that the N/P ratio of the complexes ranged from 1.3 to 1.6 in all samples. The accuracy of the free Ch-rho determination by AF4/UV-vis/MALS+DLS was confirmed by an independent method involving (1) ultracentrifugation of the dispersions prepared with unlabeled chitosan and (2) analysis of the supernatant by the Orange II dye depletion method. This study demonstrates the ability of AF4/UV-vis/MALS+DLS to provide a complete physicochemical characterization of DNA/polycation complexes used in nonviral gene delivery.


Background Providing opportunities to young people allows them to develop skills and experience for work, education and adulthood (NHS England, 2019; Kirkman, Sanders, Emanuel, & Larkin, 2016). Aligned with our community development work, LOROS continues to develop its links with younger volunteers and has supported the appointment of a dedicated Youth Engagement Officer (LOROS Hospice three year strategic plan, 2019.) The LOROS Youth Ambassador Programme is striving to connect the hospice to the youth communities of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Aims The programme aims to consolidate, expand and celebrate young people's visibility in raising awareness of a charitable organisation and developing leadership, resilience, confidence and enthusiasm (Naidoo, 2001; Great British Entrepreneur Awards, 2018). Methods June to August 2018 - research models of existing Youth Ambassador programmes, with examples found at international, national and local levels. August 2018 - creation of role description and training to include mandatory and bespoke training. September to November 2018 - research and applications for funding opportunities. December 2018 to March 2019 - setting up the programme and recruitment of Youth Ambassadors. Results End of November 2018: £2,500 funding offered by NHS England Takeover Challenge, with a scope to start the project in January 2019; March 2019: Recruitment of three Youth Ambassadors – one from Leicestershire and two from Leicester City schools and colleges; April 2019: LOROS Youth Ambassadors attended the first Youth Voice Summit in London, raising awareness of youth involvement in care services; May 2019: £2,000 funding received from Pukka Pies to support second wave of recruitment in September/October 2019; July to August 2019: Youth Ambassadors will be supporting the facilitation of the LOROS Hospice School and National Citizen Service Social Action Projects. Conclusion Providing opportunities to develop leadership and other key skills of young people in the local community, LOROS will be supplying a peer-to-peer support programme; not only will the team be supporting each other, they will be providing a long-term connection to the youth communities.


Planners of development interventions often assume that natural resource use and management problems can be addressed by applying a single model for different village communities. This perspective fails to recognize the fact that villagers are not passive recipients of interventions, but that they are actively engaged in the shaping and adaptation of external law, rules, and regulations to fit locality-specific situations. Also, most institutional studies have a sectoral approach focusing on one type of natural resources only and failing to consider the mutual dependency of different resources and their users in multiple resource systems. In order to address these issues and develop a better understanding of local dynamics and differences through time and place, we need a study that recognizes the multiple resource systems and the critical role of human agency in solving resource use problems. This PhD research focuses on the use and management of water and forest as integrated resource systems to assess the process of institutional bricolage as a result of external interventions and modernization. The study includes six cases of micro spring forests on Ukerewe main Island in Lake Victoria, Tanzania, and describes the role of resource users in negotiating, transforming and adapting the newly introduced institutions to the locally existing institutional frames. Villagers usually see the management of water sources as interrelated with the management of the micro spring forest vegetation. The study demonstrates to what extend and how changes in the institutional organisation for the use and management of water sources affect the forest vegetation. Modern resource governance is usually carried out along sector lines. Results from these cases clearly underscore the need to regard water sources and forest vegetation as integrated resource systems, and to organise structural interventions accordingly, which is along inter-sector or inter-departmental lines of intervention.


Cleared derivatives contracts are now concentrated among a small and dwindling number of institutions. Many policymakers and regulators have argued that this concentration has adverse consequences, some of which may have systemic risk implications. The authors explore the benefits and challenges of encouraging major end-users of derivatives to become direct clearing members of central counterparties (CCPs). If done prudently, increasing and diversifying the pool of clearing members and redistributing outstanding derivatives contracts across them may help CCPs become more resilient.


With the rollout of the Fifth-Generation network, more Internet of Things (IoT) devices tend to increase, which increases the amount of data being shared by the devices. It is complex to secure data transmission and device-to-device communication due to the vast number of IoT devices and the complexity of networks. The Internet of Things (IoT) has evolved to enable everyday things and gadgets to connect digitally and communicate with one another, using technologies that send, gather, and analyse data from people using those objects and devices. IoT data privacy risks are widespread use. The primary objective of information technology (IT) security in Web 2.0 was to ensure the privacy, accuracy, and reliability of systems and communications. As a result of IoT devices' often limited CPU power for longer-lasting activities, these conventional metrics, however, exhibit measurable constraints. IoT security is, therefore, critical in the context of guaranteeing security through the data privacy of IoT users. The author conducted a literature methodological analysis on the data privacy framework that will help to safeguard the 5G IoT-enabled devices on user data, technologies for data privacy in 5 G-based IoT devices, data privacy dangers associated with 5G IoT devices, and data privacy attack surfaces in 5G IoT devices


ABSTRACT Dental caries is one of the dental health problems. Dental caries are formed because there was leftover food that sticks to the teeth, which eventually lead to tooth calcification. Impact, teeth become brittle, hollow, even broken.Dental caries experience a loss of power to make a child chewing and digestive disruption, which resulted in growth of less than the maximum. This study aims to determine the relationship of parents' behavior towards the maintenance of dental health of children (feeding habits sweet, sticky and drinking milk, teeth maintenance, inspection tooth and mouth) with dental caries in the TK R.A Bustanussholihin in Balun village Turi District of Lamongan. This study Analytics whose data is collected with a cross sectional sample of kindergarten children aged 4–6 years with a total sample of 49 children. The collection of primary data through interviews parents TK R.A Bustanussholihin student using questionnaires and secondary data obtained from the agency are in the region of the profile data TK R.A Bustanussholihin in Balun Village of Turi District of Lamongan. This study used a correlation coefficient of contingency. Based on the results of the contingency coefficient correlation test showed that the factors that have a strong relationship is the habit of feeding the sweet, sticky, and drink milk with a value of P = 0.504. While the factors that have a weak link is the habit of maintaining dental hygiene habits of children and child oral examination . From this study it can be concluded that there is a relationship or a strong correlation between feeding habits sweet, sticky and drinking milk with the incidence of dental caries in children aged 4–6. So as to prevent dental caries severity we need to hold counseling on feeding sweet, soft and gooey on the effect of dental caries as well as how it should be formula feeding or breast milk to the child to prevent rampant caries. Keywords: dental caries, sweetened food, children aged 4–6 years


Long-acting nifedipine and nitrendipine, a nifedipine analogue, have been proposed for single-drug therapy of hypertension. In this study we compared the two preparations in three groups (10 subjects in each group) of mild (group 1), moderate (group 2), and severe (group 3) hypertensives. Drugs were admin istered for seven days (20 mg every 8 hr), according to a randomized, double- blind, crossover design. Blood pressure and heart rate readings were taken hourly, from 8 A.M. to 7 P.M., for the duration of the trial. In group 1, pressure was lowered to normal levels by both compounds and did not recover in the interval between one dose and the other, so that it re mained normal throughout the day. In group 2, from an average of 170/109, values were reduced by the two preparations to 140/90 mm Hg within two hours, and then they tended to recover. This tendency was interrupted by the next dose. Because of this pattern, compared with the placebo period, pressure was substantially reduced during the twelve hours of the day; however, for a certain span it remained higher than normal. In group 3, the immediate re sponses to the two drugs were similar (from an average of 208/130, pressure was lowered to an average of 170/95 mm Hg), and then it tended to rise again and recovery was faster with nifedipine. Although pressure was significantly re duced throughout the day by both preparations, normotension was never achieved in this group. Neither drug induced a tachycardia reaction, altered renal or cardiac func tion, or affected body weight or plasma renin activity. The tendency to produce dependent edema was less pronounced with nitrendipine. In conclusion, these calcium channel antagonists were equally effective in mild and moderate hypertension, while in the severe form the action of nitrendi pine was more persistent. Within the limits of the drug regimens used in this study, it seems that both preparations as monotherapy may be satisfactory in mild, questionable in moderate, and inadequate for severe hypertension, al though the action of nitrendipine is more lasting.


Economic integration affects economic development through two main channels: growth and localization of the economic activities. The theories of endogenous growth and economic geography enable us to understand these mechanisms. We study in this paper their similarities and specificities before suggesting their useful combination within a single model. Indeed, both theories are based on the same Spence-Dixit-Stiglitz monopolistic competition framework. However, they suggest two different approaches to deal with the impact of economic integration. We consider that a third path, by proposing a synthetic approach, better answers the issues raised in terms of economic convergence and divergence by these two sets of models.


Purpose: verification of the economic and mathematical model of the evolutionary innovation distribution within the same technological structure in the modern economy. Discussion: heterogeneous rates of innovation distribution, income from sales require the identification of patterns of change in the dynamics of the rate of innovative productpp. Results : we presented and verified the economic and mathematical model of the evolutionary innovation distribution within the same technological structure in terms of geometric progression. The authors offered the special indicator to describe the dynamics of the evolutionary innovation, called innovation process time change effect constant.


Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a microvascular complication of diabetes in the retina. Chronic hyperglycemia damages retinal microvasculature embedded into the extracellular matrix (ECM), causing fluid leakage and ischemic retinal neovascularization. Current treatment strategies include intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or steroidal injections, laser photocoagulation, or vitrectomy in severe cases. However, treatment may require multiple modalities or repeat treatments due to variable response. Though DR management has achieved great success, improved, long-lasting, and predictable treatments are needed, including new biomarkers and therapeutic approaches. Small-leucine rich proteoglycans, such as decorin, constitute an integral component of retinal endothelial ECM. Therefore, any damage to microvasculature can trigger its antifibrotic and antiangiogenic response against retinal vascular pathologies, including DR. We conducted a cross-sectional study to examine the association between aqueous humor (AH) decorin levels, if any, and severity of DR. A total of 82 subjects (26 control, 56 DR) were recruited. AH was collected and decorin concentrations were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Decorin was significantly increased in the AH of DR subjects compared to controls (p = 0.0034). AH decorin levels were increased in severe DR groups in ETDRS and Gloucestershire classifications. Decorin concentrations also displayed a significant association with visual acuity (LogMAR) measurements. In conclusion, aqueous humor decorin concentrations were found elevated in DR subjects, possibly due to a compensatory response to the retinal microvascular changes during hyperglycemia.


The 488-D Ash Basin (488-DAB) is an unlined, earthen landfill containing approximately 1 million t of dry ash and coal reject material at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site, South Carolina. The pyritic nature of the coal rejects has resulted in the formation of acidic drainage, which has contributed to groundwater deterioration and threatened biota in adjacent wetlands. Establishment of a vegetation cover to both deplete oxygen through biological means and optimize evapotranspiration has been established as a remedial alternative for reducing acidic drainage generation in the 488-DAB. To determine the potential benefits of a cover, a series of characterization studies were conducted prior to field deployment to gain a better understanding of the metal attenuation processes and to use water quality and substrate data to evaluate the potential effectiveness of this remedial approach. The characterization study indicated that metal attenuation was primarily controlled by fluctuating redox and pH gradients associated with alternating saturated and unsaturated conditions in the basin. Based on this information, a vegetative cover could reduce the production of acid leachate over time, pending that oxygen transport to the subsurface is limited.


Copper doped n-type single-crystal silicon materials are prepared by a high temperature diffusion process. The electrical and thermal-sensitive characteristic of materials is investigated under different experimental conditions. The results show that the maximum resistivity of 46.2 Ω·cm is obtained when the sample is treated at 1200 °C for 2 h with the surface concentration of the copper dopant source being 1.83 × 10−7 mol/cm2. The copper doped n-type silicon material presents a negative temperature-sensitive characteristic and the B values are about 3010–4130 K.


Variations in the C/C value of total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the world's oceans through time have been documented through stratigraphic study of marine carbonate rocks (dCcarb). This variation has been used to date and correlate sediments. The stratigraphic record of carbon isotopes is complex because the main process fractionating C from C is photosynthesis, with organic matter depleted in the heavy isotope (C). The carbon isotope record (on the geological timescales considered here) is to a large extent defined by changes in the partitioning of carbon between organic carbon and carbonate, and therefore linked directly to the biosphere and the global carbon cycle. This chapter summarizes dCcarb variations through geologic time compiled from multiple literature sources. Materials analyzed for curve-construction differ between authors and between geological time periods, and one should carefully consider whether skeletal carbonate secreted by specific organisms or bulk carbonate has been used in evaluating or comparing carbon isotope stratigraphic records. Mid-Jurassic through Cenozoic curves have been mainly derived from pelagic carbonates, and exhibit low amplitude dCcarb variability (from 1 to þ4&) relative to curves for the earlier part of the record (from 3 to þ8 & for the Phanerozoic, from 15 to þ15& for the Proterozoic and Archean). The Mid-Jurassic and older curves are dominantly based on data from platform carbonates, which show greater variability and more spatial heterogeneity. The different character of carbon isotope curves derived from older platform carbonates as compared to younger pelagic records may reflect primary and/or diagenetic processes, difference in paleoenvironments, difference in calcifying organisms, or inherent changes in the global carbon cycle with geologic time and biotic evolution (e.g., changes in reservoir size).


A new concept for non-volatile memory is demonstrated. This new technique controls the threshold voltage of the chalcogenide storage device by varying the height and duration of the write pulse. Consequently, the chalcogenide device serves as both the access element and the memory element. Therefore, it does not need any access transistor in the memory array. The new memory achieves the requirement of non-volatility, fast writing/reading, random access, high scalability, compact cell size, and low cost.


Aims : The present study was conducted to design and validate a scale for assessing the quality of universities in Iran. Methods : This study was performed using a mixed method of explorative plan-tool development model. First, in qualitative part of this study, questionnaire consisted of 25 components and 157 sub-components were designed by using the method of Grounded Theory and interview with 36 experts. Then, in the quantitative section, designed questionnaires were conducted on 84 members of Iranian experts with high education. Based on the received feedback, the questionnaires were revised, then the final and modified version was put in the hands of 293 experts in different cities of Iran. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts and its reliability was calculated by Cronbach's alpha which was equal to (0/982). Non-probability purposive sampling method was used in the qualitative part of the study whereas random classified sampling method was applied in the quantitative part. In addition, analysis of structural equation modeling was used for testing mentioned scale Results : By doing confirmatory factor analysis, mentioned scale tools were modified to 22 components and 150 sub-components. Results of second-order confirmatory factor analysis, also showed that 22 extracted components are sufficient factor leading to prediction scale related to accreditation and quality assurance of high education systems in Iran. In addition, goodness of fit indices such as, (CMIN/DF) which is equal to 1/924, (RMSEA) = 0/39, (GFI) equal= 0/976, (AGFI) = 0/939, (CFI) = 0/928, (NNFI) = 0/935, (TLI) = 1/000, (IFI) = 0/928 and (RFI) = 0925. Conclusion : The results of statistical tests displayed that the designed scale enjoys very favorable fitness for the quality assessment of high education system in universities of Iran.