The Electromagnetic Investigation of SubSurface (EISS) instrument has been designed to get information on the morphology and geological structure of the Martian subsurface and search for potential liquid water reservoirs. EISS is an impulse radar operating from the Martian surface at central frequencies of a few megahertz in order to perform deep sounding of the subsurface. Particular attention has been paid to the design of the instrument's electrical antennas that need to transmit and receive the electromagnetic waves without distortion over the instrument's full frequency bandwidth (i.e, from 1 to 7 MHz). To fit into the mass and volume allocation, wire antennas made of identical loaded dipoles have been selected; they will be deployed on the surface by a mechanical mortarlike device. The resistive profile along the monopoles needs to be carefully chosen to ensure a proper behavior of the antenna once they are deployed on the surface. This paper deals with the performance of these electrical antennas and the optimization of their resistive profile. The study of the impact of the subsurface is performed on simulated data obtained by a numerical finite difference in time domain code. When available, experimental data show the good agreement with the theory. The studies performed show that a slightly suboptimal resistive profile will allow a correct operation of the instrument at the surface of Mars for any landing site.


Introduction Metal nanoparticle synthesis using plant has emerged as an eco-friendly, clean, and viable strategy alternative to chemical and physical approaches. Methods The fruit extract of Salvadora persica (SP) was utilized as a reducing and stabilizing agent in the synthesis of gold (AuNPs) and copper (CuNPs) nanoparticles. Results UV–Vis spectra of the AuNPs and CuNPs showed peaks at the wavelengths of 530 nm and 440 nm, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy showed that nanoparticles exhibited a mainly spherical form, with a distribution range of 100 to 113 nm in diameter for AuNPs and of 130 to 135 nm in diameter for CuNPs. While energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was able to confirm the existence of AuNPs and CuNPs. The alcoholic extract of the fruit SP was analyzed by GC-MS in order to identify whether or not it contained any active phytochemicals. Fourier-transform infrared spectra confirmed the presence capping functional biomolecules of SP on the surface of nanoparticles that acts as stabilizers. Analysis of the zeta potential revealed that NPs with high degree of stability, as demonstrated by a strong negative potential value in the range of 25.2 to 28.7 mV. Results showed that both green AuNPs and CuNPs have potential antimicrobial activity against human pathogens such gram-negative bacteria and gram-positive bacteria, with CuNPs having antimicrobial activity higher than AuNPs. In addition, AuNPs and CuNPs have promising antioxidant and anticancer properties when applied to MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Studies of molecular docking of SP bioactive compounds were conducted against methenyl tetrahydrofolate synthetase. Among all of them, Beta – Sitosterol was the most prominent. Conclusion These AuNPs and CuNPs are particularly appealing in a variety of applications in the pharmaceutical and medicinal industries due to their economical and environmentally friendly production.


Carbapenem antibiotics are often the "last resort" in the treatment of infections caused by bacteria resistant to penicillins and cephalosporins. To understand why meropenem is resistant to hydrolysis by the SHV-1 class A beta-lactamase, the atomic structure of meropenem inactivated SHV-1 was solved to 1.05 A resolution. Two conformations of the Ser70 acylated intermediate are observed in the SHV-1-meropenem complex; the meropenem carbonyl oxygen atom of the acyl-enzyme is in the oxyanion hole in one conformation, while in the other conformation it is not. Although the structures of the SHV-1 apoenzyme and the SHV-1-meropenem complex are very similar (0.29 A rmsd for Calpha atoms), the orientation of the conserved Ser130 is different. Notably, the Ser130-OH group of the SHV-1-meropenem complex is directed toward Lys234Nz, while the Ser130-OH of the apo enzyme is oriented toward the Lys73 amino group. This altered position may affect proton transfer via Ser130 and the rate of hydrolysis. A most intriguing finding is the crystallographic detection of protonation of the Glu166 known to be involved in the deacylation mechanism. The critical deacylation water molecule has an additional hydrogen-bonding interaction with the OH group of meropenem's 6alpha-1 R-hydroxyethyl substituent. This interaction may weaken the nucleophilicity and/or change the direction of the lone pair of electrons of the water molecule and result in poor turnover of meropenem by the SHV-1 beta-lactamase. Using timed mass spectrometry, we further show that meropenem is covalently attached to SHV-1 beta-lactamase for at least 60 min. These observations explain key properties of meropenem's ability to resist hydrolysis by SHV-1 and lead to important insights regarding future carbapenem and beta-lactamase inhibitor design.


OBJECTIVE
Describing a group of pregnant Colombian females' iron intake, in drug form.

METHODOLOGY
This was an observational descriptive study; information was collected in 4 Colombian cities regarding pregnant females during antenatal control or when giving birth. Information sources consisted of interviews with pregnant women and their clinical records.

RESULTS
The sample consisted of 1,637 females attending 15 institutions. An iron intake was recommended for 1, 396 women (85.3 %); a doctor made such recommendation in 85.3 % of cases and adherence was 86.8 %. Health insurance was used by 84.7 % of the females for supplying iron; 11.9 % of them bought it themselves. Iron intake as medication for anemic pregnant females was 90.0 % and 82.8 % in non-anemic ones. Iron intake supply was appropriate in 37.2 % of the pregnant females (i.e. they needed it, someone recommended it for them and they consumed it, or they didn't need it, someone didn't recommend it to them and/or they did not take it).

DISCUSSION
Iron intake was recommended and consumed regardless of anemia status. The results invite to think on the usefulness of programs promoting the mass intake of iron as a medication during pregnancy. Such programs seem to be unaware of the fundamental causes of people's nutritional problems.


Pain represents the main symptom of chronic pancreatitis (CP) and it may be considered the most important factor affecting the quality of life in patients having this pathology. Although the therapy for CP consists primarily of conservative and symptomrelated treatment, long-term follow-up studies have demonstrated that about 50% of all patients will undergo surgical treatment at some time in the course of the disease [1]. In the past two decades, our knowledge of the pathophysiology and surgical treatment options in CP have improved substantially. Surgical treatment in CP has evolved from radical to organ-preserving procedures. These procedures allow the preservation of exocrine and endocrine pancreatic function, provide pain relief in up to 90% of patients, and contribute to an improvement in the quality of life. For decades, the classical Whipple resection has served as the standard operation for treating patients with CP, even though the long-term success of this procedure in patients with CP has not been satisfactory. In the United States, the pylorus-preserving Whipple resection is steadily replacing the classic Whipple procedure as the surgical standard used to treat patients with CP. The pylorus-preserving Whipple provides better postoperative results regarding quality of life and weight gain. However, many patients develop postoperative diabetes mellitus, which contributes to late morbidity and mortality. A major disadvantage of the pylorus-preserving Whipple is the resection of the duodenum which plays a central role in the postprandial regulation of the digestive process and glucose metabolism. Therefore, recent years have seen attempts to develop more organ-preserving operations, such as the duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection (DPPHR) introduced by Beger et al. [2] or the longitudinal pancreaticojejunostomy with local pancreatic head resection introduced by Frey et al. [3]. Both procedures are safe and effective in providing long-term pain relief and in treating the complications occurring with CP. With preservation of the physiological food passage, patients gain weight faster, have less pain, and demonstrate better exocrine and endocrine pancreatic function postoperatively. Even though many surgeons all over the world still perform the classic or the pylorus-preserving Whipple resection, the superiority of the duodenumpreserving pancreatic head resection in CP over these two methods has been clearly proven in several prospective, randomized trials [4, 5]. Therefore, this organ-preserving operation in the treatment of CP should be recommended as standard procedure.


For the computational applications in several areas, we propose a singlescale and a multi-scale diagonal preconditioners to reduce the condition number of Vandermonde matrix. Then a new algorithm is given to solve the inversion of the resulting coefficient matrix after multiplying by a preconditioner to the Vandermonde matrix. We apply the new techniques to the interpolation of data by using very high-order polynomials, where the Runge phenomenon disappears even the equidistant nodes are used. In addition, we derive a new technique by employing an m-order polynomial with a multi-scale technique to interpolate 2m+1 data. Numerical results confirm the validity of present polynomial interpolation method, where only a constant parameter R0 needs to be specified in the multi-scale expansion. For the Differential Quadrature (DQ), the present method provides a very accurate numerical differential. Then, by a combination of this DQ and the Fictitious Time Integration Method (FTIM), we can solve nonlinear boundary value problems effectively.


Background: The mechanisms of resistance to HER2‐targeted agents and the means to overcome them have not been fully understood. We investigated the influence of PIK3CA mutations on sensitivity to HER2‐targeted agents in naturally derived breast cancer cells. We also tested potential usefulness of various inhibitors against molecules on PI3K signaling pathway. Materials and Methods: We examined the effects of CL‐387,785, HER2 tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and trastuzumab, humanized anti‐HER2 monocloncal antibody, on cell growth and HER2 signaling in eight breast cancer cell lines showing HER2 amplification and trastuzumab‐conditioned BT474 (BT474‐TR). We also examined different PI3K pathway inhibitors that were PI3K inhibitor, m‐TOR inhibitor, and PI3K/m‐TOR dual inhibitor, on the same panel of cell lines. Results: Four cell lines with PIK3CA mutations (E545K and H1047R) were more resistant to trastuzumab than the remaining four without mutations (mean percentage of control with 10 mg/ml trastuzumab: 58% versus 92%; p = 0.010). While PIK3CA‐mutant cells were more resistant to CL‐387,785 than PIK3CA‐wild‐type cells (mean percentage of control with 1 M CL‐387,785: 21% versus 77%; P = 0.001), CL‐387,785 retained activity against BT474‐TR. Growth inhibition by trastuzumab and CL‐387,785 was more closely correlated with changes in phosphorylation of S6K (correlation coefficient, 0.811) than those of HER2, Akt, or ERK1/2. All HER2‐amplified cells showed detectable level of phosphorylated‐Akt on serum‐starved condition, while cell lines without PI3K pathway enhancement or HER2‐amplification did not. Growth of all HER2‐amplified cells was inhibited by PI3K pathway inhibitors regardless of PIK3CA genotype. PI3K/m‐TOR dual inhibitor had much lower IC50 than the other PI3K pathway inhibitors, suggesting that complete blockade of phosphorylation of Akt and S6K may be required for maximal growth inhibition. Conclusions: PIK3CA mutations are associated with resistance to HER2‐targeted agents. S6K phosphorylation is a possibly useful pharmacodynamic marker in HER2‐targeted therapy. PI3K inhibitors, especially PI3K/m‐TOR dual inhibitor, are potentially effective in overcoming trastuzumab resistance caused by PIK3CA mutations. Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(12 Suppl):A182.


In the paper an application of differential evolution algorithm to design digital filters with non-standard amplitude characteris tics is presented. Three filters with characteristics: linearly growing, linearly falling, and non-linearly growing are designed with the use of the proposed method. The digital filters obtained using this method are stable, and their amplitude characteristics fulfill all design assumptions.


The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different PEEK veneering materials, as well as thermocycling on the color difference (ΔE) and the translucency parameter (TP) of modified PEEK veneered restorations. Materials and Methods: Thirty-disc shaped specimens of veneered BioHPP (1.5 mm X 12 mm) were randomly divided into three groups (n=10) based on the type of the veneering material. Group (A): Discs veneered with CAD milled Lithium Disilicate, group (B): Discs veneered with pre-cured milled composite, and group (C): Discs veneered with conventional light cured composite. CIELab values were calculated for all specimens over white and black backgrounds using a laboratory spectrophotometer and then (ΔE) and (TP) were calculated. Specimens were subjected to thermal cycling, after which the same procedure for calculating (ΔE) and (TP) was repeated. Results: Repeated measures ANOVA showed that both the veneering material, and thermocycling had a statistically significant effect on mean ΔE, and on (TP) (P-value). Conclusions: All veneering techniques rendered an amount of color difference that was clinically unacceptable, as well as displaying much lower translucency levels than that of natural enamel and dentine


Dual emission almost covering the entire NIR-II region with the maximum full width at half maximum of 542 nm was achieved by doping small amounts of Pb ions into Ag2Se quantum dots, which to the best of our knowledge has not been realized for continuous tunable dual NIR emission in Ag-based QDs. The fabricated broadband NIR mini light-emitting diodes based on the Pb-doped Ag2Se QDs exhibit potential applications for highly sensitive and multispectral non-invasive imaging and NIR lighting.


Canola meal (CM), a by-product of canola crushing, is the primary high-protein ingredient in Western Canada that is used as a protein supplement in feed rations for livestock, and being evaluated as an ingredient in fish diets. Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan conducted a two-year project to examine the effects of feeding enzyme pre-treated and yeast-fermented canola meal (FMC) on the nutrient digestibility and growth performance of Nile tilapia and rainbow trout. Overall, the study results showed that FMC can be used in diets for herbivorous and omnivorous fish such as Nile tilapia without negative effects on growth of fish. However, there may be concerns using FMC as fishmeal replacer in carnivorous fish diets, such as rainbow trout.


This research was carried out to PMI KSR students in Padang State. This study aims to see whether there is a relationship between Self Regulation and Academic Procrastination at Students of the Voluntary Corps of the Indonesian Red Cross (KSR PMI) at Padang State University. The population in this study was the 2014 PMI KSR students who were still active in the organization. The research subjects used Purposif sampling technique. Sampling technique with certain considerations. Measuring instrument used is the self-regulation skla researchers collated based on the theory proposed in 2014 and Procrastination Purnawasari the researchers collated based on the theory proposed by Gufron 2010. Data analysis methods were used to test the hypothesis in this research is by using correlation product moment(person)which shows that r = -0,378 with a value of p = 0.016, meaning that there is a significant relationship between the relationship between self-regulation and the 2014 KSR PMI student procrastination at Padang State University. Means the research hypothesis is accepted. The effective contribution of the self-regulation variable with the 2014 PMR KSR student academic procrastination in Padang is 14%.


We solve the following three optimal stopping problems for different kinds of options, based on the Black-Scholes model of stock fluctuations. (i) The perpetual lookback American option for the running maximum of the stock price during the life of the option. This problem is more difficult than the closely related one for the Russian option, and we show that for a class of utility functions the free boundary is governed by a nonlinear ordinary differential equation. (ii) A new type of stock option, for a company, where the company provides a guaranteed minimum as an added incentive in case the market appreciation of the stock is low, thereby making the option more attractive to the employee. We show that the value of this option is given by solving a nonalgebraic equation. (iii) A new call option for the option buyer who is risk-averse and gets to choose, a priori, a fixed constant l as a 'hedge' on a possible downturn of the stock price, where the buyer gets the maximum of l and the price at any exercise time. We show that the optimal policy depends on the ratio of x/l, where x is the current stock price.


Environmental nongovernment organisations (ENGOs) in Europe have been hardly involved in AIRNET, in part because the technicalities deter access. However, ENGOs should be seen as representing the public as well as acting as stakeholders in their own right. ENGOs can be intimately involved in assessing the public information, as in the UK example criticized here, and can spotlight an issue like ultrafine particulate pollution that is being avoided for reasons of institutional inertia and special interests. For risk analysis and integrating a precautionary approach, ENGO participation within a stakeholder process is vital. Policies designed to combat air pollutants have to change profoundly how people live, travel, and work (Maynard et al., 2003), yet policymakers tend to duck the hard choices. Winning the public to make such changes requires enrolling the major campaigning ENGOs as allies, in the context of effective stakeholder communication and accountability in public information and policy setting.


In 37 subjects affected by interstitial lung diseases (19 patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, 11 with hypersensitivity pneumonitis, 7 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis), we have compared by discriminant analysis (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 8.3) 17 biological parameters derived from bronchoalveolar lavage analysis, gallium-67 scanning and lung biopsy. The aim of the study was to analyze the parameters of these three groups by forming one or more linear combinations of the discriminant variables. In particular, we tried to define the ability of such parameters to define these interstitial lung diseases and the relative importance of the data examined. The functions obtained are highly discriminant, so that the three groups are well distinguished among themselves; it means that the variables employed discriminate among the diseases studied. Among the variables considered, differential cell count, immune complex determination, gallium-67 lung scanning have the most important discriminant capacity. Discriminant analysis emphasizes that the three diseases are mediated by different immune mechanisms and underlines the role of each mechanism in determining the disease.


In recent years we are observing a process of strengthening of private property rights and an increasing role for contracts in economic relations. The rising importance of the contract in contrast to that of law implies the privatization of power relations, the growing marginality of the regulatory responsibility of the state and of the rule of law. This privatized power relation seeks some legitimization in the new theory of property rights which makes everybody an equally standing owner, including the slaves. Moreover, it is also useful a sharper separation between what is good from what is right. Recent institutional reforms contribute to a deepening of the personal subjection in the private sector with no sovereign responsibility.


Background: Schizophrenia is a severe and chronic psychotic disorder leading to impairment of most domains of cognitive functioning and functional disability. Social integration is central to the concept of recovery for patients with schizophrenia. Aim and Objectives: To determine the correlates and predictors of social integration among patients with schizophrenia attending the outpatient clinic of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Methods: One hundred and fifty-one patients attending the outpatient clinic were recruited. MINI-PLUS (Psychotic module), Social Integration Scale, and PANSS were administered. Results: Factors associated with poor social integration were being single (F=3.116, df=2,148, p=0.047), being unemployed (F=5.169, df=2,148, p=0.007), and PANSS negative score (β=-1.133, t=-3.807, p=0.0001). In the regression analysis, only unemployment (β=4.337, p=0.025) and greater severity of negative symptomatology (β=-0.936, p=0.002) emerged as independent predictors of poor social integration among the respondents. Conclusion: Patients with schizophrenia have poor social integration. Clinicians planning rehabilitation of patients with schizophrenia should pay attention to factors that predict poor levels of social integration.


The antisymmetric monodromy groups of isolated critical points of analytic functions on a manifold with a smooth boundary are described. For a given automorphism of the homology lattice of the Milnor fiber the results make it possible to determine whether it belongs to the monodromy group.Bibliography: 8 titles.


The debate about democracy and Islam has consistently been juxtaposed as if it never reaches a final resolution, leading to disharmony between pro and con camps in relation to democracy, especially in the contemporary era. This study elucidates that there is no need for a dichotomy between democracy and the discourse of the Quran, as the Quranic vision is not contradictory to the spirit of democracy. This research is conducted based on direct observation, taking into account empirical evidence from literature and phenomena occurring within society. The study concludes that such debate is not of paramount importance; rather, what is more urgent is fostering public participation capable of implementing democracy that aligns with the vision of the Quran and Islam at large, to prevent all forms of injustice, authoritarianism, intolerance, and oppression.


In recent years, wireless local area networks have been developed and deployed in many wireless applications. When the Mobile Node (MN) accesses different access points (APs), handoff latency may cause packet loss and result in serious problems in real-time applications. Also, although, the mobility between access points was initially not a major concern, the inter-AP mobility becomes an essential issue in WLAN towards the paradigm of ubiquitous computing. This project proposes an efficient soft handoff scheme realized by dual handoff. The mobile node maintains two active links to forward and backward access points respectively and the handoffs are never simultaneous to ensure one data link or thoroughfare always exists.


Social capital is a sociological concept, which refers to connections within and between social networks. Social capital has been considered in this paper as one of developing links between country development and education. Researcher believes that the open distance education can affects quality and quantity of social capital in country. A focus on social capital allows for a closer examination of capacity of individuals and groups for making linkages among themselves and with organizations at the local or national level. Our point is that rule of distance education in social capital promotion have been neglected by researchers and decision makers. In this paper, we develop our argument first by describing social capital and learning community. Then describe how distance education communities can improve social capital and socioeconomic development. Payame Noor University with more than 450 branches through the country has potential capacity for improving social capital via social community webs.


Empyema has been derived from the Greek word which means pus in the body. The first description of this pleural infection has been described by Egyptian physician Imhotep around 3000B.C, but it was famously described by Hippocrates in 500B.C. Till the early twentieth century, the only treatment option available was open surgical drainage with associated high morbidity and mortality. The other modalities of management are thoracentesis, thoracoplasty and use of fibrinolytic agents. Over the last several years; additional studies were done to explore the efficacy and safety of management modalities which are discussed in detail in the below article.


THROMBOEMBOLIC events related to pregnancy are not uncommon. Retrospective studies have shown an incidence as high as one in 70 pregnancies when thrombophlebitis of either the superficial or deep venous systems occurring in the antepartum or postpartum period is considered. 1 The following report describes continuous intravenous (IV) infusion of heparin sodium in the ambulatory setting, an uncommon approach to treating these patients. Report of a Case A 32-year-old woman with a history of a documented pulmonary embolus while receiving oral contraceptives and a previously uneventful pregnancy was admitted to the hospital in the eighth week of gestation, with pain and swelling of the right lower extremity. Plethysmographic and Doppler study results suggested acute obstruction in the right popliteal system and further diagnostic studies were not pursued. A bolus of 5000 units of heparin sodium was given, followed by a continuous infusion of approximately 1000 U/h for eight days. There


The effects of a long-term herbicide treatment on the microbial community of an agricultural soil were investigated. Therefor, molecular techniques were used to evaluate the structure and diversity of the soil microbial community. Eubacterial and group-specific primers for methanotrophs type I and II were used to amplify 16S rRNA gene fragments from total soil DNA. These fragments were subsequently separated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The structure of the methanotrophic community was affected by the herbicides as the patterns obtained from a herbicide treated soil (conventional) clustered separately from the control soil (biological). It seems that group-specific PCR followed by DGGE is a very powerful and sensitive technique to differentiate fields, which have received a herbicide treatment from those who did not. The diversity of the methanotrophic community was quantified by calculating the Shannon-Weaver index of biodiversity. The type I methanotrophs showed a significant decreased biodiversity due to the herbicide treatment but the diversity of the methanotrophs type II was slightly higher in the herbicide treated soil.


In metal-gate/high-k stacks adopted by the 45 nm technology node, the flat-band voltage (Vfb) shift remains one of the most critical challenges, particularly the flat-band voltage roll-off (Vfb roll-off) phenomenon in p-channel metaloxide-semiconductor (pMOS) devices with an ultrathin oxide layer. In this paper, recent progress on the investigation of the Vfb shift and the origin of the Vfb roll-off in the metal-gate/high-k pMOS stacks are reviewed. Methods that can alleviate the Vfb shift phenomenon are summarized and the future research trend is described.


Adaptability of individuals to different cultures and countries is a challenge to be dealt with in the growing years. This study focuses on the ability to manage culture shock and reverse culture shock of employees travelling on international assignments and returning to India. Factors such as age, income, educational qualification, overall industry experience and previous international experience were tested for managing culture shock and reverse culture shock. Data were collected from 204 employees working in the IT sector who had travelled on international assignments. Z test and chi-square test was done to analyse the collected data. The findings revealed that unlike other studies culture shock is more severe than reverse culture shock for Indian expatriates and repatriates. The study also found that though all factors are important for international employees' acculturation, income, overall work experience and previous international experience facilitated in managing diverse cultures. Managerial implications of research are presented in the end.


Abstract — The present paper discusses the feasibility and the features of a newly designed portable water desalinator/distiller. The goal is to design a small unit for desalinating or distilling brackish or soiled water. The proposed desalinator/distiller is a hybrid system that uses two sources of energy, namely: solar and electrical. It relies on solar energy when being used at locations where electricity is expensive or inaccessible. On the other hand, it uses electric energy when sunshine is unavailable for considerable periods of time, such as under rainy or cloudy skies, or during winter seasons when the sun radiation is weak or not enough to evaporate water.    This innovative project is aimed to benefit communities in rural villages, long journey travelers in deserts and arid mountains, people living alongside polluted rivers and lakes, and people living in refugees' camps.  It can also benefit people with hard water supplies.   The paper investigates and discusses the proposed hybrid desalinator/distiller (HDD). The work presented is based entirely on the work carried out by final year electrical engineering students, during their capstone design project. The project work, presented, is a manifestation of the students learning during previous semesters. It puts into practice the application of thermal and heat transfer principles, that the student learned in earlier courses. Index Terms —Desalination,desalinator,distiller,solar still,solar energy.


Both the solvent and catalyst play important roles in the chemoselective transformation of biomass-related compounds to fine chemicals and fuels. We report herein an innovative catalytic strategy for the direct valorization of xylose without external H2 producing high yield of furfuryl alcohol (FA), which is a versatile platform molecule. The solvent tert-butanol served not only as a precursor of the hydrogen honor, but also as a shield to facilitate xylose dehydration and inhibit the polymerization and decomposition reactions of FA. Commercial H4SiW12O40 was found to work as a multifunctional catalyst during the cascade conversion and had good reusability. The underlying catalytic mechanism revealed that the Bronsted and Lewis acid sites co-existed cooperatively to catalyze the xylose dehydration step and the active metal site of W atom adsorbed the hydrogen proton for the transfer hydrogenation of furfural to FA. After the incorporation of the formic acid as a supplemental hydrogen source, an unprecedented FA yield of 90% could be accomplished in a batch reactor under mild conditions. The kinetic behavior describing the conversion of xylose to FA was investigated to monitor the process. The estimated activation energies for xylose dehydration, furfural hydrogenation, and FA decomposition were 85.1, 78.8, and 101.1 kJ mol−1, respectively. This study opens a new avenue for the selective production of FA from hemicellulose-derived pentose in a green and straightforward manner.


We examined the effects of various concentrations of the bupivacaine commonly used for spinal anaesthesia on the reversibility of conduction block in isolated frog sciatic nerves measured by the extracellular recording technique. Seventy-two isolated nerves were divided into 3 groups (n = 24), each of which was bathed in a different bupivacaine solution in a range of concentrations (10, 20 or 30 mM for 20 min). In each group, the extracellular action potentials were recorded before exposure to the bupivacaine solution to provide the control data. The extracellular action potentials were recorded after 20 min exposure to the drug by using a BIOPAC MP 100 acquisition system version 3.5.7 (Santa Barbara, USA). The nerves were washed continuously for 3 h with Ringer's solution and action potentials were recorded. The nerves were then soaked overnight at room temperature in Ringer's solution and tested for impulse recovery. The data were analysed with repeated-measures analysis of variance using SPSS 9.05 for Windows. In the presence of 10 mM, 20 mM or 30 mM bupivacaine, the extracellular action potential amplitude decreased by 23.21 ± 12.42%, 28.42 ± 17.51% and 39.45 ± 22.16%, respectively, relative to the control amplitude (P < 0.05); it recovered to 89.21 ± 50.00%, 66.43 ± 30.10% and 47.12 ± 37.51% (P < 0.05), respectively, after 3-h of wash, and reached 110.31 ± 50.13%, 90.60 ± 43.21% and 130.43 ± 56.32% (P < 0.05), respectively, after the overnight soaking process. This study showed that exposing the nerve to high concentrations of bupivacaine causes an reversible impulse blockade and that bupivacaine does not have neurotoxic effects on isolated frog sciatic nerves.


The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causing the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is invading rural farming communities in Africa and posing a great threat to agricultural production and food security in a continent already ravaged by war and famine. AIDS is no longer just a health problem but a concern for agricultural extension workers as well. Therefore, understanding potential factors that may be fueling the spread of the disease, such as, polygamy, illiteracy, and circumcision could help in the development of an extension education curriculum on HIV/AIDS. This article calls on agricultural extension workers, particularly in Africa, to get involved in HIV/AIDS education because the future of agriculture and food security depends heavily on eradicating the pandemic.


Purpose: Enhanced dynamic wedges have been used in clinical practice for many years. Obvious superiority of dynamic over physical wedges is accompanied by the increased overhead involved in verifying the accuracy and reliability of their use. Contrary to very limited quality assurance (QA) required to ensure proper functioning of the physical wedges,dynamic wedges, like any other dynamic treatment, require a robust quality assurance program. This work expands upon previous suggestions and describes a comprehensive QA program for Varian Enhanced Dynamic Wedges (EDW) and presents the results of a sixteen‐month evaluation of these wedges. Method and Materials: Daily, monthly, and annual QA procedures were devised for enhanced dynamic wedges on a dual energy Varian 21ex linear accelerator with seven wedge angles. These include daily constancy checks of the wedge performance as part of the morning QA procedure, monthly evaluation of wedge factors and profiles, and an analysis of dynamic log files generated by linac. Yearly performance evaluation includes measurement of a larger sample of wedge angles and profiles. In addition, individual treatment verification or "per patient" QA consists of visual inspection of the wedge direction at the conclusion of each treatment. Results: The daily constancy checks show a stable delivery of the wedged field with a variation of less than 1%. The monthly wedge factors measured have been within 1.5 % of the commissioning values. A comparison of beam profiles over the same time period shows a stable delivery of the wedged beams and good agreement with the expected segmented treatment tables (STT). Conclusion: An expended comprehensive QA of enhanced dynamic wedges is presented. Results of a sixteen‐month evaluation demonstrate stable and accurate delivery of these fields. Due to the dynamic nature of enhanced dynamic wedge deliveries, a comprehensive QA program is necessary to verify proper delivery of these fields.


assessment of Hauerwas' ethical and theological writings this memoir is still worth reading. Hauerwas does address some of his critics here, but not in satisfying depth for the theological reader. They must look elsewhere. One question he provides a biographical answer to is in locating the 'church' he lauds in his ethical writings in the sort of congregations he has been fortunate to be a part of. The list of endorsements in the fore-matter is impressive, but I find comparisons with Augustine's significant Confessions a little over the top. But this hyperbole may merely reflect a perceived dearth of theological autobiography or memoir. Such a lack, if it exists, would be regretful, since, to follow Hauerwas for a moment, we need not only to learn how to be Christians, friends, spouses, and parents, but some of us also have to learn how to be theologians, and need all the examples we can lay our hands on. Hauerwas' perseverance, honesty, hard work, and friendship were all virtues that played pivotal roles in his success, but also his mere survival. This is, therefore, a hopeful book and one that should be read by those seeking to understand Hauerwas and where he comes from better. This book is written in Hauerwas' own recognisable style. While a memoir and not a biography some photographs would have enhanced the text. The book could have done with more rigorous editing to avoid some of the unnecessary repetition that appears at places. This is not Hauerwas' best book, but one essential to getting to know and even befriend the man.


We estimated the amylase, peroxidase, and protease enzyme activity in four rice genotypes that have different degrees of salt tolerance. Pusa 2-21 and Saket 4 are salt-tolerant and Kamini and Sugandha are susceptible varieties. The enzymes were studied because salinity effects on seedling growth have been attributed to variation in activities of key hydrolytic enzymes such as L-amylase and protease (Dubey 1982, Kumar et al 1996). Similarly, peroxidase activity is related to the maintenance of cell membrane integrity through its involvement in detoxifying H 2 O 2 to water (Levitt 1980), thus modifying the effect of free radicals under stress.


We use the matrix product approach to construct all optimum ground states of general anisotropic spin-2 chains with nearest-neighbour interactions and common symmetries. These states are exact ground states of the model and their properties depend on up to three parameters. We find three different antiferromagnetic Haldane phases, one weak antiferromagnetic and one weak ferromagnetic phase. The antiferromagnetic phases can be described as spin liquids with exponentially decaying correlation functions. The variety of phases found with the matrix product ansatz also gives insight into the behaviour of spin chains with arbitrary higher spins.


Background Dipyridamole thallium imaging (DTI) and ambulatory electrocardiography (AEGC) have been advocated as means to stratify risk before vascular surgery. The purpose of this study was to compare the predictive value of both tests in noncardiac surgery patients for perioperative cardiac morbidity and long‐term mortality.


The paper presents an approach for simulation model development adapted for low-cost simulators and serious games, based on mathematical modeling of vehicle dynamics which sufficiently well represents functional motions of class of simulated ground vehicles. The model is simple, easy to use and suitable for efficient model development and validation. By tuning the parameters of the basic generic model it may be obtained particular behavior of various mobile objects (tanks, tracks, cars, mobile robots) implemented in games and simulating devices. An example of passenger car dynamic model, implemented in serious game-driving simulator, is described to illustrate feasibility and features of proposed modeling procedure. Initial modeling is done using parameters extracted from technical specifications of the vehicle and Excel/Matlab/Simulink model validation. The Excel/Matlab model is used to check and validate real-time simulation model. The final step of model tuning and validation is done using comparison of operative simulating device behavior and the data recorded on real vehicle.


Objective: The clinical presentations of head trauma due to falls among young children aged less than 2 years are controversial, particularly in Japan, as the history of trauma recounted by a caretaker is not always reliable. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of caregiver's reports on head trauma due to falls in young children aged less than 2 years in Japan. Methods: All patients ,2 years of age presenting with head trauma resulting from a fall who were admitted to 3 children's hospitals in Japan from January 2001 to December 2005 were retrospectively reviewed (N = 58). The clinical presentations were compared among groups categorized by the heights from which the patient fell (short (#120 cm) or long (.120 cm)) and the surface on which the patient landed (carpet, tatami (Japanese mattress), hardwood floor, or concrete). Results: Patients who suffered short falls were more likely to present with subdural hemorrhage (SDH) than those who suffered long falls (74% and 40%, respectively, P = 0.027). More specifically, 62% of short falls showed SDH indicative of shaken baby syndrome (e.g. multilayer SDH). Neurological symptoms, cyanosis, and SDH were more commonly observed in patients who landed on carpeted or tatami surfaces than in those who landed on hardwood or concrete floors. Conclusions: Short falls and landing on soft surfaces resulted in the presentation of severer clinical symptoms than did long falls and landing on hard surfaces, suggesting that the validity of caretakers' reports on infant or young children's head trauma due to falls is low. Further research is warranted to investigate the cause of infant head trauma due to falls.


In an effort towards pre‐symptomatic risk assessment, precision medicine and biomarker development in AD, we evaluated the efficacy of characterizing and clustering peripheral blood transcriptomic data with respect to brain amyloidosis.


Chitinase is mostly investigated in Serratia marcescens, but not in S. plymuthica. In order to detail investigated chitinase from S. plymuthica, a putative chitinase II fragment has been successfully isolated from S. plymuthica strain UBCR_12. Isolation was performed by PCR-based cloning strategy by applying a pair of primer, specifically designed to amplify chitinase II fragment. BLAST result showed that the cloned fragment has 93% similarity to chitinase of S. plymuthica strain 3Re4-18 (CP012097) and others. Cluster analysis showed that the putative chitinase sequence has very close related to chitinase A (ChiA). Furthermore, domain analysis showed that the putative chitinase has only one domain, GH18_chitinase, as catalytic domain resembles high similarity to the ChiA domains. Based on its 3D-modeling structure analysis we assumed that the cloned chitinase fragment belongs to the subfamily of Chi indicating the similar function to SpChiD.


This paper introduces an efficient intra-field deinterlacing algorithm that is based on Taylor series expansion and polynomial regression. In order to estimate the value of an interpolated point using the given data, we rely on a generic local approximation function around this point for estimating the missing data. The well known $N$-term Taylor series expansion is regarded as a local representation of the approximation function, and we use polynomial regression to find the optimal local approximation of the function. Instead of estimating the edge orientations as in previous intra-field deinterlacing methods, such as an edge-based line average, we propose an efficient deinterlacing method, which does not consider directional difference measurements that use limited candidate directions. When compared with existing deinterlacing algorithms, the proposed algorithm improves the peak signal-to-noise-ratio while maintaining a high efficiency.


GNXAS is a suite of programs based on multiple scattering calculations which performs a structural refinement of EXAFS spectra. It can be used for any system although it has been mainly developed to determine the local structure of disordered substances. We developed a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) to facilitate use of the codes by using wxPython. The developed GUI and the codes are multiplatform running on Windows, Macintosh and Linux systems, and are free shareware (http://gnxas.unicam.it). In this work we illustrate features and potentials of this newly developed version of GNXAS (w-GNXAS).


Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with chromosome-specific probes has been applied to detection of numerical aberrations involving chromosomes 13, 18, and 21 in metaphase and interphase amniocytes. High-complexity, composite probes for chromosomes 13, 18, and 21 were used as hybridization probes for this study. These probes were constructed as chromosome-specific libraries in Bluescribe plasmids and are designated pBS-13, pBS-18, and pBS-21. Elements of these probes bind at numerous sites along the target chromosome and, when detected fluorescently, stain essentially the entire long arm of the target chromosome. The target chromosome number (i.e., the number of chromosomes of the type for which the probe was specific) was correctly determined in 20 of 20 samples in which metaphase spreads were analyzed and in 43 of 43 samples in which interphase nuclei were analyzed; all of these studies were conducted in blind fashion. These results suggest the utility of FISH with composite probes for rapid detection of numerical aberrations in metaphase and interphase amniotic cells.


The ability to perform an exploratory search and retrieval of relevant documents from a large collection of domain-specific documents is an important requirement both in the field of medicine and other areas. In this paper, we present a unsupervised distributional clustering technique called SOPHIA. SOPHIA provides a semantically meaningful visual clustering of the document corpus in conjunction with an intuitive interactive search facility. We assess the effectiveness of SOPHIA's cluster-based information retrieval for the MEDLINE testset collection known as OHSUMED.


Gastrointestinal motility disorders include several heterogeneous units affecting the esophagus, stomach, small or large intestine and the rectum. These are namely Zenkers diverticulum, esophageal achalasia, gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastroparesis, constipation, Ogilvies syndrome and post-fundoplication dysphagia. Given the progressive development of endoscopic techniques, patients with most of the above mentioned diseases can be offered a solution consisting of a mini-invasive endoscopic procedure which has already become a first-choice treatment for some of the disorders. This article summarizes the current role of endoscopy in the treatment of the most important gastrointestinal motility disorders.


The note identifies how an informal partnership between indigenous healers - with their ritualistic therapies and donor-assisted programs with emphasis on the family, and social adjustment can provide a model of how indigenous, and Western scientific approaches can be pursued to provide war-torn children a maximum benefit. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been exhibited in children during, and following war conflicts, and, while various organizations have developed types of psycho-social programs to assist war-affected children - namely through Western therapeutic techniques originally developed to treat American veterans of the Vietnam war remain at a very preliminary stage of development. The focus moreover, ignores local beliefs, and all its forms of ancestral spiritual forces intended to heal the affliction, and undermines as well, communal involvement in the healing process. Evidence of this healing process is based on understanding mind afflictions, shared by spiritual interventions. A webpage on IK is available at http://www.worldbank.org/aftdr/ik/ default.htm


A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Mucuna pruriens on the reproductive tract of Giant African Land snail (Archachatina marginata).Thirty (30) snails weighing between 100 to 150g were used with ten replicate per treatment. Feed given were: concentrate, mixture of concentrate and Mucuna seed meal and Mucuna seed meal only. Parameters measured include: Organ weight, Tract length, Tract weight, Ovo testis weight, shell parameters (Shell weight, Shell length, Shell width and Shell circumference) and egg number. Snail weight, organ weight, tract weight and ovo testis weight were measured with sensitive scale, while tract length, shell length, shell width and circumference were measured with tape rule. Egg number laid was manually counted after laying. Gonado Somatic Index (GSI) was also calculated as ratio of ovo testis to organ weight. At the end of eight weeks, results showed that snails fed with concentrate had higher Organ weights (119.672±6.551 vs 100.278±6.551 vs 78.915±6.551), Tract length (23.460±1.197 vs 23.270±1.197 vs 19.200±1.197), Tract weights (23.87±1.646 vs 21.805±1.646 vs 13.329±1.646), Ovo testis weights (7.853±0.0402 vs 7.307±0.0402 vs 5.318±0.0402), Shell length (11.062±0.095 vs 10.467±0.095 vs 10.735±0.095), Shell width (6.063±0.055 vs5.765±0.055 vs 5.835±0.055), Shell circumference (18.559±0.145 vs 17.590±0.145 vs 17.725±0.145) and egg number (17 vs 5 vs 0) compared to those given mucuna seed meal and mixture of mucuna seed meal and concentrate. Gonado somatic index was not significantly affected by the three feed used in this study, while those snail fed concentrate alone laid higher number of eggs compared to other feed. It was concluded from this study that concentrates support egg number, organ weight, reproductive tract development and shell increase in size. It is recommended that functionality of organ weight and reproductive tract be assessed via histological study to further evaluate the actual cellular influence of both concentrate and Mucuna seed meal. Keywords : Mucuna pruriens , Reproductive tract, Archachatina marginata , Snails


Prolonged viral shedding is associated with severe status and poor prognosis of COVID-19 patients. Unexpectedly, here we report a non-severe patient with the longest duration of viral shedding. According to the investigation on the clinical and epidemiological information of this case, we concluded that this type of virus might have a low toxicity and transmissibility, but have a prolonged infective ability and was hardly to be eliminated in the body with regular therapy. However, infusion of plasma from recovered patients showed high efficiency in elimination of this virus. Our findings might shed light on the management of COVID-19.


We present two results which combined enable one to reliably detect multimode, multipartite entanglement in the presence of measurement errors. The first result leads to a method to compute the best (approximated) physical covariance matrix given a measured nonphysical one assuming that no additional information about the measurement is available except the standard deviations from the mean values. The other result states that a widely used entanglement condition is a consequence of negativity of partial transposition. Our approach can quickly verify the entanglement of experimentally obtained multipartite states, which is demonstrated on several realistic examples. Compared to existing detection schemes, ours is very simple and efficient. In particular, it does not require any complicated optimizations.


Although the principles for the treatment of sensitive teeth are demonstrated successfully by many, the current treatments for tooth hypersensitivity are not effective in the long term or as a permanent solution.
The purpose of this research project was to investigate the occlusion of dentinal tubules by calcium phosphate minerals doped with erbium, aluminium, and fluoride compounds under laser irradiation. The investigation included the synthesis and characterisation of calcium phosphate (CaP) powders, preparation of hypersensitive dentine sections, and coating of dentine sections with CaP powders followed by laser irradiation.
CaP powders were synthesised by the chemical precipitation and hydrothermal methods. These powders were also chemically modified by the addition of different compounds (dopants) under various conditions to achieve substitutions for calcium, phosphate, and hydroxyl ions in the CaP structure. Dopants' compounds included erbium compounds (erbium oxide and erbium nitrate) to produce photoactive CaP minerals, aluminium compounds (aluminium phosphate and aluminium nitrate) and fluoride compounds (calcium fluoride and ammonium fluoride) to produce CaP minerals with high mechanical, chemical, and thermal stability. As well as chemically modifying the structure of CaP, the size and shape of CaP particles were investigated by varying pH and temperature of the synthesis method. The chemically modified CaP minerals were applied onto hypersensitive dentine sections by the dip coating method and laser irradiated by CW and pulsed lasers to achieve a complete occlusion of open dentinal tubules. CaP powders in the form of pellets were also prepared for laser irradiation and acid erosion trials to determine their interaction with laser irradiation and solubility behaviour in an acid environment, respectively. CaP powders, CaP pellets, and laser irradiated – coated dentine sections were characterised using various analysis techniques, including SEM, SEM-EDX, static laser scattering, XRD, FTIR, DSC, ICP/MS, Micro – hardness, and Profile roughness.


Goal. To explore theoretically and experimentally the increase of stability of the pivot connection of the technological and power modules of a new design of the modular machine-tractor unit. Methods. Theoretical studies were carried out using the main provisions of the higher mathematics, theoretical mechanics, theory of automatic control. Experimental studies were carried out in field conditions on a real modular machine-tractor unit. Results. The new construction of the pivot connection of the technological module with the power module (tractor) of the modular machine-tractor unit is developed. To ensure satisfactory maneuverability of technological module when cornering it is equipped with vertical and horizontal joints. Limitation of turning ability of technological module relative to the power one in the horizontal plane through this vertical hinge is provided by a hydraulic cylinder, which over- and under-piston cavities are connected through a restrictor with the coefficient of hydraulic resistance at the level of 1.03×106 N·m·s·rad–1. Based on the equivalent power circuit, a mathematical model was created of movement of the unit, allowing to investigate theoretically its stability. As the energizing impact was taken the turning moment, created by external forces. Output parameters of the model were the angle of rotation of the technological module relative to the energy in the horizontal plane, and the heading angle of the latter. The theoretical study is confirmed experimentally. Conclusions. As a result of mathematical modeling, the change of speed of the unit from 2 to 5 m·s–1 does not lead to a deterioration of the stability of motion, neither technological nor, especially, the power modules. The values of the coefficients of resistance of the introduction of wheel tires of power module do not affect its development of fluctuations of the energizing moment. However, the value of the coefficient of resistance of the introduction of the tire of each wheel of the technological module of modular traction vehicle should be not less than 160 kN·rad–1.


The relation between symmetries and conservation laws for solitons in
a ferromagnet is complicated by the presence of gyroscopic
(precessional) forces, whose description in the Lagrangian framework
involves a background gauge field. This makes canonical momenta
gauge-dependent and requires a careful application of Noether's theorem.
We show that Cartan's theory of differential forms is a natural language
for this task. We use it to derive conserved momenta of the
Belavin–Polyakov skyrmion, whose symmetries include translation, global
spin rotation, and dilation.


The predacious mite Typhlodromips swirskii
 (Athias-Henriot) completed its life-span when fed on the motile stages of the mango bud mite Aceria mangiferae
 Sayed, the mango rust mite Metaculus mangiferae
 (Attiah), the leaf coating mite Cisaberoptus kenyae
 Keifer and nymphs of mango red mite Oligonychus mangiferus
 (Rahman and Sabra) in the laboratory at different temperatures and relative humidities. The increase of different temperatures and decrease relative humidities from 25°C and 60% to 30°C and 55% and 35°C and 50% shortened development and increased reproduction and prey consumption. Life table parameters indicated that feeding T. swirskii
 on A. mangiferae
 led to the highest reproduction rate (rm = 0.216 females/female/day), while feeding on O. mangiferus
 gave the lowest reproduction rate (rm= 0.183) at 35°C and 50% R. H. Different prey species of eriophyid mango mites, especially A. mangiferae
 , have a high nutritional value for T. swirskii
 , as a facultative predator, than the tetranychid mango mite.


Due to their sessile nature, plants are often exposed to harsh environmental conditions.  Their livelihood depends on their innate ability to respond to stress and cope with whatever challenges they may face.   Phenotypic responses have been characterized to correlate to abiotic stresses, but the molecular mechanisms which underlie these responses are still under investigation.   Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play a key role in post-transcriptional regulation in response to abiotic stress.   These small, 21 nt miRNAs, target specific mRNA transcripts and affect their translation which may cause downstream effects leading to abiotic stress response.  In the following review, research using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system to investigate post-transcriptional regulation in response to abiotic stressors, such as phosphate depletion and oxidative stress, is discussed.  Furthermore, research in more economically important crops, such as corn and rice, is overviewed.  Investigation into miRNA function in response to stress could provide a new platform to engineer more resilient crops which may prove crucial as climate change and food insecurity continue to plague our agricultural systems.


(apart from the time factor) is the belief that one individual cannot be expected to cover a variety of subjects as well as a group of experts, each allotted his own special field. This is where the contributors must recognize their own responsibilities and the editor exercise his right of frank criticism. Finally, there is the index. This one occupies 2% of the 944 pages and must have been compiled by an able and industrious lay professional. But was it checked by a cardiovascular expert ? Under angina pectoris, for instance, we have in aortic insufficiency .. .. 383 in aortic stenosis .. .. .. 381 in coronary disease .. .. 450 in coronary heart disease .. 442


This research is about how goal attainment is being affected by goal setting elements and self efficacy.
One hundred and sixty seven undergraduate students majoring in Hospitality Management (representing
79.5% of the population) were being asked to fill out a questionnaire about how their Grade Point
Average is being influenced by their goal setting elements and their beliefs on their capability. The
analysis using Discriminant Analysis stated that only goal setting elements, particularly goal
effectiveness and goal stress discriminate the students' performance. Goal stress must be perceived
positively to produce the positive impact. The result is expected to provide insight for academicians
particularly academic program managers on how to continue the sophomore's study as well as getting
ready with the new batch in the new academic period.


A solution procedure of vibration and radiated noise of the plate covered with damping material has been studied. To predict the vibration level and the radiated noise level of the plate covered with damping material, FEM and BEM have been utilized, respectively. A property of damping material has been measured by using a composite beam. Two different kinds of measuring procedure for the composite beam have been introduced by comparing its characteristics. The numerical prediction of vibration level of the Plate covered with damping material has been proved with experimental data.


The authors introduce a simple method by which the robust calibration technique developed by S.K. Judah (1985) may be unified with the thru-reflect-line technique, yielding initial estimates of the six-port instrumental parameters that are insensitive to noise and random errors. This calibration technique has been employed in a single six-port reflectometer operating at 2 GHz. Experimental experience has shown the technique to be robust; problems encountered using the method recommended by G.F. Engen (1979) have not arisen. Investigation by computer simulation has also shown the technique to be reliable. This methodology requires a substantial increase in software effort owing to the effective operational requirement of two full calibration techniques.<<ETX>>


In this paper we examine diverse governance mechanisms implemented by microfinance institutions, as well as their relationships with both social and financial performance, using a database obtained from the MIX, consisting of MFIs reporting data both on financial and social performance. We find that some governance mechanisms are significantly different among MFIs depending on their legal status. MFIs with NGO status have more diversity in their boards, adhere more to fair practices related to their human resources, and pay more attention to training in social performance management. Furthermore, we find that NGOs perform better at a social level (serve more clients; reach more poor clients; a large fraction of their borrowers are women). We find that external governance mechanisms have little or no effect, while board characteristics consistently and significantly affect social performance.


On the basis of the chemical shift of sorbed gases, an NMR method is proposed for the determination of the static susceptibility of solids without resonant nuclei. The experimental results on the system methane-zeolite Linde 5A give susceptibility values for zeolite in good agreement with the Faraday method, the accuracy being 7 × 10−7 CGSE units with a wide-line spectrometer and 1 × 10−8 CGSE units with a high-resolution spectrometer. It is shown that the method is applicable even at very low temperatures where other NMR methods could hardly ever be applied.


This thesis consists of three self-contained essays on auctions and one essay on the voluntarycontribution to public goods.Essay I analyzes bidding data from real-estate auctions within the theoretical framework of the independent private-values model. The data is collected from executive auctions of owner-occupied flats in the Stockholm metropolitan area during 1995-1997. The flats are sold through an English auction where the seller, prior to bidding, sets a secret reservation price, which is never disclosed. An equilibrium bid function is derived and mapped into two econometric specifications. By structural estimation the distributions of bidders' private valuesand seller's reservation price are estimated. The estimated average bidders' value of the flats is fairly low, about one-fifth of the officially assessed value. Using the estimated distributions, the seller's expected profit from moving to a mechanism where the reservation price is announced is quantified. Simulations indicate that the seller's revenue is slightly higher if a reservation price is announced. The average sale price is, however, higher if the reservation is kept secret.Essay II and Essay III study bidding data from procurement auctions of railway embankments (Essay II) and of road markings (Essay III). The observed bids in both data sets have been generated by a first-price sealed bid auction. The bids are analyzed within the theoretical framework of the private-values and the common-value model. The two auction models are mapped into various empirical specifications. The purpose is to examine whether the bidding behavior in these procurement auctions can be explained by one of the two models. This is done by estimating the underlying distribution of bidders' values or signals. In Essay II the distribution of values is estimated with the maximum likelihood method, using all bids. In Essay III both maximum likelihood and nonlinear least square methods are adopted, using all bids as well as just the winning bids. In Essay II both auction models fail to explain observed behavior, whereas the common-value model seems to fit data fairly well in Essay III.Essay IV describes a laboratory experiment in which nearly 300 students are asked to state their willingness to pay for the preview of a movie. Two elicitation methods are used: the open-ended (OE) and the dichotomous-choice (DC) formats. The results indicate that individuals respond to incentives in the predicted direction. Further, when an individual had an incentive to overstate his true WTP the DC format yielded higher estimates of WTP than the OE format. When an individual is subjected to opposite incentives the tests suggest no behavioral differences between the two formats.


Meter network is defined as a group of meters spatially distributed throughout a WDS. Therefore, meter network's reliability is defined as the network's ability to persistently provide useful measurement/data for various WDS operational and management purposes (e.g., leakage/pipe burst detection) with acceptable accuracy and precision and without missing data. This study proposes a many-objective optimal meter placement model (MOMP) for water distribution system (WDS) pipe burst detection to (1) minimize the normalized total meter cost, (2) maximize the detection probability (DP), (3) minimize the rate of false alarm (RF), and (4) maximize the meter network's mechanical reliability (MR). A novel approach for quantifying meter network's MR is introduced in this study, based on single meter failure condition. The proposed MOMP model also determines the optimal ratio between the pressure and pipe flow meters given a predefined number of meters. The proposed model was demonstrated on the Austin and Balerma networks with different configurations, characteristics, and numbers of components. It was confirmed from the results that a nonlinear trade-off relationship exists between DP and RF, and the Balerma network has higher detectability than the Austin network because of its high connectivity. Another nonlinear trade-off relationship was identified between DP and MR as more pipe flow meters are included in high-DP optimal meter set. Note that pipe flow meters detect different burst events while pressure meters identify a large set of the same bursts. Solutions with the same level of detectability were selected from the two study networks and compared to confirm the adopted meter location strategies. Regardless of study network, pipe flow meters had a tendency to be placed at informative locations (e.g., main lines). On the other hand, pressure meters were located at the end of network or within looped subarea of the network in the Austin network whereas they were installed in a low-pressure zone in the Balerma network. It was confirmed that pressure meters play a different role for pipe burst detection in different network of different characteristics.


Imbued by the question of identity and addressing mainly Western viewers, Shirin Neshat's production constantly negotiates the variety of perspectives (masculine, feminine, feminist, Middle Eastern, Western, Asian) that come together at the base of "Moslem" identity. This negotiation, however, strategically maintains the Eastern-Western dualism. The specificity of Neshat's work resides in the conjunction between the identity displacement of Islamic women, on the one hand, and the fixed identity of the Western viewer, on the other hand. The question underlying this text is thus the following: How does Neshat's work articulate the antinomy of change and reification?


Real-time simulation is a crucial but complicated task for fast control prototyping of high-power converters. Detailed semiconductor device-based model simulates a large number of switching events at a small time step, which requires large computational effort and is thus challenging for real-time simulation. This paper proposes a complete equivalent model (CEM) approach for the real-time simulation of a hybrid 3-level and modular multilevel converter (H3LC). The presented CEM simplifies the detailed equivalent model (DEM) of the H3LC and facilitates the implementation of real-time simulation. A central processing unit (CPU) and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) based simulation is presented whereby the massive parallel computing power of the FPGA enables the simulation of the H3LC's three-level T-type converter and the hundreds of series-connected full-bridge submodules. The rest of the converter system, including the converter controls, the AC grid, and the measurement of the AC currents are implemented within the CPU model. The FPGA-based converter model is interfaced with the CPU model using controlled voltage sources to represent the AC- and DC-side equivalent voltages of the H3LC. The OP5700 real-time digital simulator from OPAL-RT Technologies is used to realize the CPU-FPGA real-time simulation, which is verified by the offline MATLAB/Simulink Simscape model.


ABSTRACT Domestic and overseas information with regard to harmful substances are analyzed. From the results, environmental-derived hazard chemicals, which show relatively low recognition, and hazard chemicals that occur un-avoidably in food manufacturing process are selected as target harmful substances. Thus, educational leaflet contents were developed based on these substances. To find the effects of education with the above contents, this study surveyed 120 female college students living in Seoul. The purpose of the survey is to analyze the change in recognition, attitude and behavior on hazard chemicals in foods. The survey found that the recognition on harmful substance in foods increased; from 31.5~78.0% before education to 98.8% after education. It also indicates that vague anxiety in which the harmful substances may damage their health decreased by approx. 25.0%; from 77.8% before education to 52.8% after education. For the question of what they would do when government promotes to reduce harmful substances in foods, 12.3% of respondents said that they would actively follow the suggestions and 73.5% of them said that they would do their best before an education. However, 56.1% of them said that they would actively follow the suggestions after the education. It indicates that the ability to recognize harmful substances changed after the education. With regard to consumer behavior, when they knew about the harmful substances in foods, 49.6% of them said that they would select foods after investigating relevant information before the education, while 77.4% of them said that after the education; which is an increase of 27.8%. Further, 45.4% of them said that they would not purchase relevant foods before the education, while 20.9% of them said that after the education; which is a decrease of 24.5%. Therefore, it is considered that vague anxiety of consumers can be eliminated by providing persuasive information on harmful substances. To expand on the communication channel with consumers for food safety, contents development and educa-tional promotion should be enhanced for providing food safety related information.


About twenty members of the Society left Edinburgh at noon on Saturday 16th July, and visited the interesting series of excavations in the Burdiehouse estuarine limestone at Camps, under the leadership of Mr Melvin of Bonnington. The western basin was first visited, and a beautifully glaciated rock surface was seen at one place where the ‶tirring″ had been recently removed. The party then moved eastwards to the series of excavations at Raw Camps, noticing several interesting intrusive dolerite dykes on the way. After a good deal of hammering, numerous specimens, both of the animal and vegetable remains which have rendered this deposit famous, were obtained, including the characteristic fern Sphenopteris affinis, lepidophloios, scales of various ganoids, &c., while one member of the party was fortunate enough to discover a large bone or plate of a Rhizodus. A portion of the thin bed at the base of the limestone locally known as the ‶buckie fake,″ from the abundance of shells of Litorina scoto-burdigalensis which it contains, was seen in the ‶stoop and room″ part of the quarries, after which the excursionists disbanded their forces for the season.


Stress-activated MAPKs (SAPKs) respond to a wide variety of stressors. In most cases, the pathways through which specific stress signals are transmitted to the SAPKs are not known. In this study, we delineate the intracellular signaling pathway by which the trivalent toxic metalloid arsenite [As(III)] activates the yeast SAPK Hog1. We demonstrate that, to activate Hog1, As(III) must enter the cell through the glycerol channel Fps1 and must be metabolized to methyl arsenite [MAs(III)] by the dimeric methyltransferase Mtq2:Trm112. We found that Mtq2:Trm1 displays SAM-dependent methyltransferase activity toward both As(III) and MAs(III). Additionally, we present genetic and biochemical evidence that MAs(III), but not As(III), is a potent inhibitor of the protein tyrosine phosphatases (Ptp2 and Ptp3) that normally maintain Hog1 in an inactive state. Inhibition of Ptp2 and Ptp3 by MAs(III) results in elevated Hog1 phosphorylation without activation of the protein kinases that act upstream of the SAPK and raises the possibility that other Hog1-activating stressors act intracellularly at different points along the canonical Hog1 activation pathway. Finally, we show that arsenate [As(V)], a pentavalent form of arsenic, also activates Hog1, but through a pathway that is distinct from that of As(III) and involves activation of the Hog1 MEK Pbs2.


AbstractThis thesis is about the visual analysis of author impact and other bibliometric data such as an authorspublication history. It utilizes Publish or Perish as a data source, which is a search tool to find thisbibliometric data. Bibliometric data is a concept within Bibliometrics with which to find and definenotable publications, to draw a number of different conclusions, such as how much impact an authorhas had in a given field. To do this we use information visualization techniques. InformationVisualization is a field of science about increasing insight and understanding of raw data. It does this byresearching on details of human cognition and perception and how data itself is modeled, and bycategorizing and developing new ways to encode and interact with data visually.Since Publish or Perish only gives its information as a raw text feed, and do not allow for anyreal comparisons between authors, this thesis tries to rectify this by introducing a web basedvisualization tool to analyze this data. The data itself consists of a number of scientifically definedindexes which measures an author's impact in his given field, an overview of his publication history,and some general bibliometric data.


The epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor is a membrane bound tyrosine kinase whose activity is initiated by ligand binding. The malignant brain tumour glioblastoma frequently shows amplification and rearrangements of the EGF receptor gene that are associated with the synthesis of a constitutively activated tyrosine kinase, lacking amino acids 6-273 near the protein's N-terminus. When expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, this mutant receptor (p140EGFR) displays ligand-independent tyrosine kinase activity, stimulates DNA synthesis, and promotes cell proliferation. Here, we investigate the subcellular location of p140EGFR in CHO cell transfectants as well as in human glioblastoma tumours. p140EGFR had an intracellular location that contrasted sharply with the plasma membrane location of the wild-type EGF receptor. Endoglycosidase H sensitivity analysis and the pattern of p140EGFR immunoreactivity suggested that the aberrant tyrosine kinase resided primarily in the endoplasmic reticulum. The half-life of p140EGFR in the endoplasmic reticulum was extended several-fold over that of the ligand-activated wild-type receptor. The altered subcellular location of p140EGFR in combination with its prolonged half-life suggest that this activated tyrosine kinase may escape the regulatory mechanisms utilized for the attenuation of wild-type receptor signaling. Therefore, the previously reported growth stimulatory property of the ligand-independent p140EGFR may be attributed to a sustained tyrosine kinase activity resulting from an altered subcellular location.


Infraclavicular nerve injuries are rare and potentially disabling problems. A retrospective study of 24 patients with 28 nerve injuries is presented, including 18 axillary, 7 suprascapular, and 3 musculocutaneous nerve injuries. Vague shoulder pain and weakness of the involved muscle groups were the main symptoms of nerve injury in these patients. All patients had atrophy of the specific muscles involved. Diagnosis of these nerve lesions can often be difficult because of this vague presentation. Followup from date of injury averaged 60 months and included evaluation by questionnaire, repeat physical examinations, and serial electromyograms. There were 21 complete or satisfactory nerve recoveries, while 7 patients had unsatisfactory results. The etiology of the injury appeared to be an important factor with respect to outcome. Eight of 10 nerve injuries secondary to blunt trauma went on to complete recovery, and 4 of 6 nerve injuries secondary to shoulder dislocation recovered completely. None of the 7 nerves injured during surgery recovered completely. No patient with spontaneous onset of nerve dysfunction had an unsatisfactory result. Poor results were noted in patients with initial total denervation as shown by electromyogram and in patients with intraoperative nerve damage.


Several areas of the brain are known to participate in temporal processing. Neurons in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are thought to contribute to perception of time intervals. However, it remains unclear whether the PFC itself can generate time intervals independently of external stimuli. Here we describe a group of PFC neurons in area 9 that became active when monkeys recognized a particular elapsed time within the range of 1–7 seconds. Another group of area 9 neurons became active only when subjects reproduced a specific interval without external cues. Both types of neurons were individually tuned to recognize or reproduce particular intervals. Moreover, the injection of muscimol, a GABA agonist, into this area bilaterally resulted in an increase in the error rate during time interval reproduction. These results suggest that area 9 may process multi-second intervals not only in perceptual recognition, but also in internal generation of time intervals.


Core/shell structured C3N4/BiPO4 photocatalyst is fabricated via a facile ultrasonic dispersion method. The thickness of the shell may be controlled by tuning the amount of C3N4 in the dispersion, which determines the enhanced level of photocatalytic activity. The optimum photocatalytic activity of C3N4/BiPO4 at a weight ratio of 4% (C3N4/BiPO4) under UV irradiation is almost 4.5 times as high as that of reference P25 (TiO2) and 2.5 times of BiPO4. More attractively, the dramatic visible light photocatalytic activity is generated due to the C3N4 loaded. The enhancement in performance is demonstrated to be the match of lattice and energy level between the C3N4 and BiPO4. This match facilitates the separation and transfer of photogenerated electron–hole pairs at the heterojunction interfaces and may be important for other core/shell structured materials. In addition, this method is expected to be extended for other C3N4 loaded materials.


We show that Schmitt's restriction species (such as graphs, matroids, posets, etc.) naturally induce decomposition spaces (a.k.a. unital $2$-Segal spaces), and that their associated coalgebras are an instance of the general construction of incidence coalgebras of decomposition spaces. We introduce directed restriction species that subsume Schmitt's restriction species and also induce decomposition spaces. Whereas ordinary restriction species are presheaves on the category of finite sets and injections, directed restriction species are presheaves on the category of finite posets and convex maps. We also introduce the notion of monoidal (directed) restriction species, which induce monoidal decomposition spaces and hence bialgebras, most often Hopf algebras. Examples of this notion include rooted forests, directed graphs, posets, double posets, and many related structures. A prominent instance of a resulting incidence bialgebra is the Butcher–Connes–Kreimer Hopf algebra of rooted trees. Both ordinary and directed restriction species are shown to be examples of a construction of decomposition spaces from certain cocartesian fibrations over the category of finite ordinals that are also cartesian over convex maps. The proofs rely on some beautiful simplicial combinatorics, where the notion of convexity plays a key role. The methods developed are of independent interest as techniques for constructing decomposition spaces.


Di-docosahexaenoyl (C22:6)-bis(monoacylglycerol) phosphate (BMP) has been identified as a promising biomarker for drug-induced phospholipidosis (DIPL). Both unlabelled and stable isotope labelled versions of BMP were desired for use as internal standards. Isopropylideneglycerol was converted to 4-methoxyphenyldiphenylmethyl-3-PMB-glycerol in three steps. Initially, the 2-postion of the glycerol was protected as a t-butyldiphenylsilyl ether, which proved to be a mistake; deprotection of the ether resulted in the decomposition of the compound. A switch to a t-butyldimethylsilyl ether protecting group resulted in an intermediate that could be deprotected to the alcohol to give the target compound after salt exchange. The same procedure was used to prepare [13 C6 ]BMP from [13 C3 ]glycerol.


Metric spaces are cone metric spaces, and cone metric spaces are TVS-cone
 metric spaces. We prove that TVS-cone metric spaces are paracompact. A
 metrization theorem of TVS-cone metric spaces is obtained by a purely
 topological tools. We obtain that a homeomorphism f of a compact space is
 expansive if and only if f is TVS-cone expansive. In the end, for a TVS-cone
 metric topology, a concrete metric generating the topology is constructed.


AbstractFor the further study of the lateral stability of semi-trailer train running along a curve, the virtual prototype of semitrailer train which has 21 degrees of freedom was fabricated with the theory of dynamics and the virtual prototype software ADAMS. The simulation results from steady-state steering tests and steering wheel angle step input tests were compared with the curves from the real vehicle tests for simulation model verification. The relations of the relative parameters with time of the semi-trailer train running along a curve under the ultimate condition were analyzed. At the same time the reason of the ultimate case was also researched.


Pazar Laz (pl) has a rich set of spatial prefixes, which encode path information as separate morphemes. However, unlike satellite-framed languages, pl spatial prefixes are incompatible with manner of motion verbs, which do not inherently encode path information, but they can only be used with directed motion verbs where the path information is available in the lexical semantics of the verb. Given this pattern, complementing Acedo-Matellán (2016)'s classification of weak vs. strong satellite-framed languages, we argue that verb-framed languages are also of two types. While languages like Romance are strong verb-framed languages encoding Path directly in the verb root, pl constitutes an example of a weak verb-framed language, where Path is affixal and forms a single word with the verb. We argue that spatial prefixes spell out the underassociated Path projection of the verb à la Ramchand (2008b).


We have numerically studied the nonlinear dynamics of aggregation of surfactant monomers in a micellar solution. The study has been done on the basis of a discrete form of the Becker–Doring kinetic equations for aggregate concentrations. The attachment–detachment coefficients for these equations were determined from the extended Smoluchowski diffusion model. Three typical situations at arbitrary large initial deviations from the final aggregative equilibrium with coexisting premicellar aggregates, spherical and cylindrical micelles have been considered. The first situation corresponds to micellization in the solution where initially only surfactant monomers were present. The other two situations refer to nonlinear relaxation in the cases of substantial initial excess and deficit of surfactant monomers in solution over their equilibrium concentration in the presence of spherical and cylindrical aggregates. The interplay between non-equilibrium time-dependent concentrations of premicellar aggregates, spherical and cylindrical micelles in relaxation far from equilibrium has been found. The existence of ultrafast relaxation and the possibility of nonmonotonic behavior of the monomer concentration has been confirmed. Comparison with predictions of analytical kinetic theory of relaxation and micellization for the concentration of monomers and total concentrations for spherical and cylindrical micelles has been given. It has been shown that the analytical theory is in fine agreement with the results of the difference Becker–Doring kinetic equations both for fast and slow nonlinear relaxation.


Structural identification (St-Id) offers wide ranging benefits to infrastructure owners by providing insight into the safety and performance of their bridges. St-Id generally refers to the construction of field calibrated models of a structural system by correlating simulated and measured responses. The Drexel Intelligent Infrastructure Institute (DI3) has applied St-Id to numerous bridges over the past decade. These applications have ranged from long span (arch, suspension, and truss) landmark bridges to undocumented short span reinforced concrete slab, t-beam, and arch bridges. Through these experiences, DI3 researchers have gained an appreciation of the benefits of St-Id related to decision-making, and the distinctions between applications to short and long span bridges. The application of any St-Id begins with the formulation of a specific objective that will drive the study along with the structure type, which may limit the experimental and analytical tools to be employed. St-Id, founded in the model of the scientific method, is applicable to a wide range of structures and can inform a range of objectives. Every bridge/owner combination presents a unique situation which will have its own characteristics, requirements and deliverables. There are several other factors that can affect the feasibility and reliability of any St-Id, and these include: (a) relevant responses used to assess safety and performance, (b) owner motivation and resources, (c) impact of structural and population scales, and (d) reliability of results and owner expectations. The objective of this paper is to highlight how a St-Id is defined by the constraints set forth through the owner, structural type (long or short span), and expected life of the structure, and how these constraints delineate what type of modeling, experimental methods and potential outcomes that are applicable. This comparison will be presented an illustrated through a discussion of two St-Id case studies: a concrete arch bridge and a long span truss bridge.


We study the merger paradox, a relative of Harsanyi's bargaining paradox, in an experiment. We examine bilateral mergers in experimental Cournot markets with initially three or four firms. Standard Cournot-Nash equilibrium predicts total outputs well. However, merged firms produce significantly more output than their competitors. As a result, mergers are not unprofitable. By analyzing control treatments, we provide an explanation for these results based on the notion of aspiration levels, and that the same logic also operates when a new firm enters a market. These results have some general consequences for adaptive play in changing environments.


The stiffness of a tendon, which influences muscular force transfer to the skeleton and increases during childhood, is dependent on its material properties and dimensions, both of which are influenced by chronic loading. The aims of this study were to: (i) determine the independent contributions of body mass, force production capabilities and tendon dimensions to tendon stiffness during childhood; and (ii) descriptively document age‐related changes in tendon mechanical properties and dimensions. Achilles tendon mechanical and material properties were determined in 52 children (5–12 years) and 19 adults. Tendon stiffness and Young's modulus (YM) were calculated as the slopes of the force–elongation and stress‐strain curves, respectively. Relationships between stiffness vs. age, mass and force, and between YM vs. age, mass and stress were determined by means of polynomial fits and multiple regression analyses. Mass was found to be the best predictor of stiffness, whilst stress was best related to YM (< 75 and 51% explained variance, respectively). Combined, mass and force accounted for up to 78% of stiffness variation. Up to 61% of YM variability could be explained using a combination of mass, stress and age. These results demonstrate that age‐related increases in tendon stiffness are largely attributable to increased tendon loading from weight‐bearing tasks and increased plantarflexor force production, as well as tendon growth. Moreover, our results suggest that chronic increases in tendon loading during childhood result in microstructural changes which increase the tendon's YM. Regarding the second aim, peak stress increased from childhood to adulthood due to greater increases in strength than tendon cross‐sectional area. Peak strain remained constant as a result of parallel increases in tendon length and peak elongation. The differences in Achilles tendon properties found between adults and children are likely to influence force production, and ultimately movement characteristics, which should be explicitly examined in future research.


Astrophysically realistic black holes may have spins that are nearly extremal (i.e., close to 1 in
dimensionless units). Numerical simulations of binary black holes are important tools both for calibrating
analytical templates for gravitational-wave detection and for exploring the nonlinear dynamics of curved
spacetime. However, all previous simulations of binary-black-hole inspiral, merger, and ringdown have
been limited by an apparently insurmountable barrier: the merging holes' spins could not exceed 0.93,
which is still a long way from the maximum possible value in terms of the physical effects of the spin. In
this paper, we surpass this limit for the first time, opening the way to explore numerically the behavior of
merging, nearly extremal black holes. Specifically, using an improved initial-data method suitable for
binary black holes with nearly extremal spins, we simulate the inspiral (through 12.5 orbits), merger and
ringdown of two equal-mass black holes with equal spins of magnitude 0.95 antialigned with the orbital
angular momentum.


Individuals vary considerably in their susceptibility to infection and in their ability to recover from apparently similar infectious processes. These differences can be partially explained by polymorphisms of the genes encoding proteins involved in mediating and controlling the innate immune response, the inflammatory cascade, coagulation, and fibrinolysis. It is evident from experimental studies that dysregulation of the coagulation system, which is characteristic of the pathophysiology of septic shock (a procoagulant and antifibrinolytic state), contributes to systemic inflammation and death in sepsis. Several genetic variations in proteins that increase coagulation or impair anticoagulation and fibrinolysis have been described. Thus, polymorphisms have been reported in prothrombin, fibrinogen, factor V, tissue factor, endothelial protein C receptor, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 genes. Some of them are associated with an increased risk of pulmonary emboli, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, and severe sepsis. Hence, the deletion polymorphism (4G) within the promoter region of the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 gene leads to impaired fibrinolysis and influences the severity and outcome of meningococcal disease and the susceptibility to severe sepsis and multiple organ failure after trauma. The factor V Leiden mutation is associated with thrombotic events and has been reported to exacerbate purpura fulminans in meningococcal infection. Surprisingly, this genetic variant seems to provide a survival advantage in severe sepsis, underlying the extreme complexity of the interaction between inflammation and coagulation. The study of genetic polymorphisms might provide important insights into the pathogenesis of severe sepsis and could make it possible to identify individuals who are at risk of developing or dying of severe infections. As genetic associations are discovered, medical practice can become more preemptive, using the predictive ability of genetics to anticipate disease and recommend therapy.


Introduction
The association of myasthenia gravis (MG) with other autoimmune diseases including autoimmune thyroid disease (ATD) is well recognised, although rare. The occurrence of both diseases can occur in two ways: either disease preceding the other, or concurrently. The presentation of MG in association with ATD can range from ocular to generalised disease.

Case Summary
A 26-year-old Malay female with persistent hyperthyroidism secondary to Hashimoto's thyroiditis in multinodular goitre was diagnosed with generalised MG after 2 years. She presented with right eye ptosis (ocular) and difficulty in swallowing and chewing (bulbar). The diagnosis of MG was confirmed by fatigability testing, electromyography and the presence of AChR antibodies. Her symptoms showed improvement with pyridostigmine (Mestinon) 60 mg 6-hourly. Her antithyroid drug was tapered down according to her thyroid function test. Throughout a year of follow-ups, her hyperthyroidism and fatigability symptoms improved with treatment. She was later counselled for total thyroidectomy and thymectomy.

Conclusion
Myasthenia gravis and hyperthyroidism may present with similar symptoms such as dysphagia due to neuromuscular weakness or fatigue. When the diseases occur together, one of the diagnoses may be missed. Therefore, the occurrence of new symptoms in a patient with underlying ATD should should trigger the early identification of other autoimmune diseases by primary care doctors.


List of Contributors,- Preface,-Introduction: DON F. WESTERHEIJDEN et al,- PART I: REGULATION: The Public Regulation of Higher Education Qualities: Rationales, Processes and Outcomes: DOUGLAS BLACKMUR,- Will Market Competition Assure Academic Quality? An Analysis of the UK and US Experience:DAVID D. DILL,- States and Europe and Quality of Higher Education: DON F. WESTERHEIJDEN,- PART II: TRANSLATION: Quality as Fashion: Exploring the Translation of a Management Idea into Higher Education: BJORN STENSAKER,- The 'Quality Game': External Review and Institutional Reaction Over Three Decades in the United States: PETER EWELL,- Analysing Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Proposals for a Conceptual Framework and Methodological Implications: JUAN F. PERELLON,- PART III: TRANSFORMATION: A Self-assessment of Higher Education Institutions from the Perspective of the EFQM Excellence Model: MARIA JOAO ROSA AND ALBERTO AMARAL: Improving Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: Can Learning Theory Add Value to Quality Reviews?: VANEETA-MARIE D'ANDREA,- Transforming Quality Evaluation: Moving On: LEE HARVEY AND JETHRO NEWTON,- Conclusions and Further Challenges: BJORN STENSAKER et al


C60 δ-doped GaAs and AlGaAs layers are grown by migration enhanced epitaxy method. Sticking coefficients of C60 on GaAs and AlGaAs surfaces and electrical characteristics of the layers are investigated by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) and electrochemical capacitance voltage (ECV) measurements. SIMS profiles indicate that the layers have well-defined δ-doped structures, and the sticking coefficients of C60 on GaAs and AlGaAs surfaces are confirmed to be sufficiently high. ECV profiles of C60 δ-doped GaAs and AlGaAs layers suggest that C60 molecules in GaAs and AlGaAs lattices produce electron traps which can be charged or discharged by applied electric fields. (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)


Judgment-based assessment of data from multiply replicated single-subject or small-N studies should replace normative-based (p<0.05) assessment of large-N research in the clinical sciences. Inferential statistics should be abandoned as a method of evaluating clinical research data.